Why American TV owes a debt to the British

Many popular American television series have been based on British shows.  Here is a list of some of the more notable ones.  By the way, if you are not a fan of Simon Cowell, you can always blame the British for the revival of talent contests on American television with programs such as American Idol.  Of course, we Canadians followed suit with Canadian Idol and Canada's Got Talent, the difference being that we copied the Americans who copied the British.

Warren Mitchell as Alf Garnett

BEFORE THERE WAS ARCHIE BUNKER, THERE WAS ALF GARNETT

1.  All in the Family (Till Death Us Do Part)

All in the Family was based on a British situation comedy called Till Death Us Do Part which originally aired on BBC1 during the 1960s.  The series was created by the late Johnny Speight, a prominent British scriptwriter, and it focused on the Garnett family of London's East End.  The family's patriarch, Alf Garnett,.played by Warren Mitchell, is the model for the bigoted Archie Bunker.  Garnett holds racist and sexist views. He is a right-wing, anti-socialist working-class white man.

Garnett's long-suffering wife Else, portrayed by Dandy Nichols, is, of course, the model for All in the Family's Edith Bunker. Like Jean Stapleton's Edith, Else is patient and gentle with her oafish husband and their live-in daughter and son-in-law. Daughter Rita, played by Una Stubs and Antony Booth played leftist Mike Rawlins, her idler of a husband (Sally Struthers as Gloria and Rob Reiner as Mike "Meathead" Stivic on All in the Family).



2.  Three's Company  (Man About the House)

The British version: Wilcox, (left), O'Sullivan and Thomsett 

The American Version: Somers (left), DeWitt and Ritter

Man About the House was a British sitcom that ran on ITV from 1973 until 1976.  The series revolved around a man named Robin Tripp who shares a flat with two women, Chrissy Plummer and Jo. Paula Wilcox played Chrissie Plummer, Richard O'Sullivan played Robin Tripp  and Sally Thomsett portrayed Jo.  The show's premise was that two female flatmates in London wake up after a party to find a man sleeping in the bathtub.  The man turns out to be Robin Tripp, an aspiring chef.  Since Robin can cook and the women can't, they allow him to live in their flat on a platonic basis.  In order to placate  landlord, George Roper,  Chrissy informs Roper that Robin is gay.

Man About the House is the basis of the American sitcom, Three's Company, starring John Ritter in the Richard O'Sullivan role.  In the U.S. version, the Ritter character is also an aspiring chef, but his name is Jack Tripp, not Robin.  Jack shares an apartment in Santa Monica, California with two women, Chrissy and  Janet.  Suzanne Somers played the role of Chrissy Snow and Joyce DeWitt portrayed Janet Wood. Three's Company aired from 1974 until 1984 on the ABC network.



3.  The Ropers (George and Mildred)

The British Ropers, George and Mildred

The American Ropers, Stanley and Helen

The Ropers, starring Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as Stanley and Helen Roper, was a spin-off of Three's Company.  The Ropers were the landlords of  Jack Tripper and his two female friends.

The Ropers was based on the popular British comedy George and Mildred which ran from 1976 until 1979.  It starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce.as George and Mildred Ropers, the landlords in Man About the House.  The premise of the series had the Ropers relocating from their South Kensington flat to a middle-class suburban home where gormless George constantly embarrasses Mildred and threatens her hopes of upward social mobility.  The Ropers' snobbish neighbour, Jeffrey Fourmile, a real estate agent, fears the presence of the Ropers will lower the value of his property.

Yootha Joyce, who battled alcoholism, died suddenly on August 24, 1980.of hepatitis as the cast was preparing to film the shows' sixth series   Note to North American readers:  In Britain, television series are not  referred to as having "season." Whether or not they continue year after year, U.K. "series" usually consist of about half a dozen episodes, much fewer than in the U.S.



4.  American Idol (Pop Idol)

Left to right: Neil Fox, Nicki Chapman, Simon Cowell,  Pete Waterman

Talent competitions have a long history on television, beginning in the 1950s with Arthur Godfrey and Ted Mack.  The genre, however, appeared to have faded into the background until the premiere of Popstars, an  international interactive singing competition, in New Zealand in 1999.  Popstars' format was sold to more than 50 countries.  It is the forerunner and inspiration of Pop Idol which debuted on Britain's ITV on October 6, 2001.  On Pop Idol, the best new singer in the UK was selected on the basis of viewer voting and participation.  The show developed into an international franchise but due to a legal dispute with the producers of Popstars, the word "Pop," had to be removed from the title.

One of the British judges on Pop Idol was a music entrepreneur named Simon Cowell. When American Idol began airing in the United States, North American audiences were introduced to Cowell's brand of brutally nasty judging of the contestants.  It began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002.  It was an instant hit and Simon Cowell, born in Lambeth, south London, became a household name in the United States and Canada.



5  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a game show that originated in Britain in 1998 and is hosted by Chris Tarrant.  Its earliest working title was Cash Mountain. The program has been exported to many other countries, all of which use the same general format.  Contestants try to win large cash prizes by choosing the correct answer from a series of multiple choice.questions. If they have difficulty, they can use "lifelines" such as phoning a friend for advice or polling the audience.

The American prime time version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, hosted by television personality Regis Philbin, premiered on August 16, 1999 and lasted until June 27, 2002.  Meredith Vieira has hosted a syndicated daytime version of the show in the United States since September 16, 2002.



6.  Sanford and Son (Steptoe and Son)

Steptoe and Son, the British version

Sanford and Son, the American version

Sanford and Son was a remake of the British sitcom, Steptoe and Son.  Steptoe and Son was broadcast on the BBC from 1962 until 1965 and it had a second run from 1970 to 1974.  The show centred on the relationship between foul-mouthed Albert Steptoe and his son, Harold.  The Steptoes are rag and bone men, the British term for junk dealers.  Irish film and TV actor, Wilfrid Brambell, played the role of Albert Steptoe and Harry H. Corbett portrayed his son, Harold Steptoe.

The U.S. version of the series, Sanford and Son, ran on the NBC television network from 1972 until 1977.  Producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin "Americanized" the show by casting African Americans in the lead roles.  Sanford and Son was set in South Central Los Angeles and Redd Foxx played the irascible junk dealer, Fred Sanford, a widower.  Demond Wilson portrayed his son and business partner, Lamont Sanford.

Redd Foxx, whose real name was coincidentally John Elroy Sanford, died of a heart attack on October 11, 1991.  He was 68 years old.  It is ironic that Foxx's character, Fred Sandford, is known for a fake heart attack routine in which he refers to a fatal attack as "the big one."



7.  Lotsa Luck (On the buses)

The politically incorrect British comedy, On the Buses, was the basis for the American series, Lotsa Luck.  On the Buses was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1969 until 1973.  The show centred around the antics of bus driver Stan Butler and his conductor, Jack.Harper.  Reg Varney played the role of Stan and  Bob Grant portrayed Stan's best friend, Jack.  Cicely Courtneidge was originally cast as Stan's mother.   Doris Hare, however, took over the role and played the part for most of the show's run.  Anna Karen portrayed Stan's sister, Olive, and Michael Robbins his layabout brother-in-law, Arthur.  In 1981, Reg Varney suffered a major heart attack and was forced to retire from acting.  He passed away on November 16, 2008 at the age of 92.

On the Buses was produced London Weekend Television and 74 episodes of the show were made.  The American version, Lotsa Luck, did not enjoy as long a run as its British counterpart.  Lotsa Luck, starring Dom DeLuise, aired during the 1973-1974 television season.  Carl Reiner was a co-creator of the series which featured DeLuise in the Reg Varney role.

DeLuise played Stanley Belmont, the custodian of the lost-and-found department of a New York City bus company.  Stanley, a bachelor, lives with his overbearing mother (Kathleen Freeman), his sister, Olive (Beverly Sanders) and her lazy, jobless husband, Arthur (Wynn Irwin).  Stanley's best friend, Bummy, was portrayed by Jack Knight.

Dom DeLuise died on May 4, 2009 from complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure.  He was 75 years old and had also suffered from cancer for a year before his death.

- Joanne

TV Trivia For You

Whitney Blake, mother of Meredith Baxter

DID YOU KNOW that Meredith Baxter's mother starred in the old 1960s sitcom, Hazel?  Yes, Meredith is the daughter of the late Whitney Blake.who played Dorothy Baxter on Hazel.  She is the youngest child and the only daughter of Blake's three children from her marriage to Tom Baxter, a Minneapolis bookstore owner.

Whitney Blake, whose real name was Nancy Ann Whitney, is best remembered for her role as Dorothy Baxter, an interior designer and the wife of lawyer George Baxter (played by Don DeFore).  The fact that Dorothy had a career is noteworthy because working wives were rarely seen on television shows during the early and mid-1960s (Hazel aired from 1961 until 1966).  Shirley Booth, who played the Baxters' bossy maid, Hazel Burke, always referred to Dorothy as "Missiy"  By the way, Bobby Buntrock, who played the Baxters' son, Harold, died in a car accident on April 7, 1974 when he was only 21 years old.

From 1968 until her death, Whitney Blake was married to television writer and producer Allan Manings.  She and Manings, her third husband, created the popular sitcom One Day at a Time.  Whitney died of cancer of the esophagus on September 28, 2002.  She was 76 years old at the time of her passing.

DID YOU KNOW that Jack Nicholson appeared twice on The Andy Griffith Show?  He appeared once as Mr. Garland, the father of a baby found by Opie and his friend Arnold on the steps of the courthouse in an episode entitled "Opie Finds a Baby" (Season 7, Episode 10, Airdate: November 21, 1966) and once as Marvin Jenkins in an episode called "Aunt Bee, the Juror" (Season 8, Episode 7, Airdate: October 23, 1967).  Nicholson, who was born on April 22, 1937, was 29 years old and 30 years old respectively during his two appearances on the Griffith show.  His first big acting break did not come until he played the role of lawyer George Hanson in the 1969 hit film Easy Rider.  He received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in Easy Rider.

To watch a video clip of Jack Nicholson in "Aunt Bee, the Juror," click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGg5xGamHI


DID YOU KNOW that Patty Duke, not Sally Field, was the first choice to play the part of Sister Bertille in The Flying Nun?  Duke, however, turned down the part.  Field initially rejected the role too.  She felt that the show's premise, that of a Catholic nun at a Puerto Rico convent who could fly, was ridiculous.  In fact, she told Jeff Jensen, a writer for Entertainment Weekly, that she "hated the whole idea."  It was her stepfather, actor and stuntman Jock Mahoney, who persuaded her to accept the part.  He warned her that if she didn't, she might never work again.

The winglike head covering or cornette, which supposedly caused the petite Sister Bertrille to fly, was quite heavy and weighed about six pounds (2.72 kg.).  In order to perform her flying stunts, Sally Field was strapped to wire contraptions.

Although The Flying Nun, was disliked by critics, it was a hit with television audiences.  It aired from 1967 until 1970 and 83 episodes of the series were produced.  During the third and final season of the show, Sally was noticeably pregnant with her first child, Peter Craig (born 1969) from her marriage to Steven Craig.  Peter Craig is now a novelist and screenwriter.  Below is a 1967 publicity photo of the cast of The Flying Nun.  Pictured from left-back: Alejandro Rey, Shelley Morrison, .  Front:  Marge Redmond, Sally Field.

Cast of The Flying Nun

- Joanne

Room 222 Revisited

Lloyd Haynes (left) and Michael Constantine

Pete Dixon was the ideal history teacher.  He was patient, good-humoured, understanding and unflinchingly fair.  Since I am a history buff, I would have loved to have been a student in Mr. Dixon's American history class.  That would have been impossible, though, because Pete Dixon was the central character in the popular 1970s comedy-drama Room 222.  Room 222 aired from September 17, 1969 until January 11, 1974 on the ABC network.  112 episodes of the series were produced. The title of the show was derived from Pete's home room number at the fictional Walt Whitman High School in Los Angeles, California.

There was, however, a sense of realism to the series because it was partially filmed at the 3,000-student Los Angeles High School.  L.A. High School was damaged by an earthquake during the run of the show and later scenes were filmed at Los Angeles University High School.  To watch a video of Room 222's opening theme, click on the link below.  Note: The Room 222 theme was composed by Jerry Goldsmith who also composed the themes for The Twilight Zone and The Waltons.  Goldsmith, who died of cancer in 2004, also scored many movies such as The Sand Pebbles (1966), The Planet of the Apes (1968) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcaUluahdwM

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAIN CAST OF ROOM 222?

Lloyd Haynes portrayed Pete Dixon, the dedicated African-American high school teacher who taught his students lessons in tolerance.  Born Samuel Lloyd Haynes in South Bend, Indiana, Haynes had a military career and fought in the Korean War prior to becoming an actor.  After serving in the U.S. Marines from 1952 until 1964, he studied acting at the Film Industries Workshop and Actors West in L.A.

Before his success on Room 222, Lloyd made guest appearances in several television series including The F.B.I. and the second Star Trek pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," both in 1966. He played "First Special Agent" in an episode of The F.B.I. entitled "The Spy-Master" (Season 1, Episode 21, air date February 6, 1966).  In the Star Trek pilot, he portrayed Lieutenant Alden.  In 1967, Lloyd appeared on back-to-back episodes of Batman as Lord Chancellor ("Batman's Waterloo" and "King Tut's Coup"). In 1968 and 1969, he appeared in two episodes of the Diahann Carroll sitcom Julia as Dick Privet.

After the cancellation of Room 222 in 1974, Lloyd appeared on such TV series as Marcus Welby in 1975 (as Paul Kirkland  in "The Strange Behavior of Paul Kirkland") and Dynasty in 1981.  On Dynasty, he portrayed Judge Horatio Quinlan for four episodes.  His  final role (1984-1986) was that of Mayor Ken Morgan on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.  Sadly, Lloyd Haynes died from lung cancer on January 1, 1987 in Coronado, California.  He was 52 years old at the time of his death. Haynes was married three times and divorced twice.  His third marriage to Carolyn Inglis, whom he married on March 20, 1983, produced one child.

Michael Constantine played Seymour Kaufman, the beleaguered principal of Walt Whitman High School. He won an Emmy Award in 1970 as Best Supporting actor for his portrayal of Kaufman.  Born on May 22, 1927 in Reading Pennsylvania, Constantine celebrates his 85th birthday today.  His original name was Constantine Ionnides and he is the son of Greek immigrants..  He played Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the father of the bride, in the Nia Vardalos 2002 hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

On October 5, 1953, Constantine married Julianna McCarthy, an actress best known for her role as Liz Foster on the CBS soap The Young and the Restless.  They met in New York while in the cast of the stage version of Inherit the Wind (Michael was Paul Muni's understudy).  The marriage ended in divorce in 1969, the same year as Constantine rose to prominence on Rome 222.  They had two children.

Happy Birthday, Michael Constantine!

Karen Valentine with Lloyd  Haynes in 1970

Karen Valentine won an Emmy in 1970 for her role as Alice Johnson, the chirpy, idealistic young English teacher.  A student teacher when the show began,  Alice was promoted to a full-fledged faculty member during the second season.  Born in Sebastopol, California on May 25, 1947, Karen  turns 65 years old on Friday.

Karen made her professional debut on the Ed Sullivan Show when she was only 16 years old.  Sullivan phoned her after her appearance on a live broadcast on the Miss Teenage America Pageant and invited her to perform on his Sunday night variety show.  Although her role on Room 222 was her big breakthrough, Karen has appeared in numerous stage and television productions through the years.  She has made guest appearances on Starsky and Hutch, Love American Style (including a 1970 segment with the late Davy Jones called "Love and the Elopement"), Baretta, McMillan & Wife and Murder, She Wrote.  The actress was also a regular on Hollywood Squares where she matched wits with Paul Lynde.

In 1969, the same year she began her role as Alice Johnson on Room 222, Karen played the title role of Francine "Gidget" Lawrence in the television movie Gidget Grows Up opposite Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed Show fame.  Petersen portrayed Gidget's beloved Jeff "Moondoggie" Griffen.  The plotline had Gidget trying to make a difference as youth worker at the United Nations in New York.

In 1975, Karen Valentine starred in her own television series, Karen, on ABC.  In the short-lived situation comedy, she played an intelligent, civic-minded single woman who worked for a Washington, D.C. citizens' action organization called Open America.

The twice-married Valentine does not have any children.  She wed her first husband, Carl MacLaughlin in 1969 and they divorced in 1973.  She has been married to musician and songwriter Gary Verna since 1977.

Denise Nicholas, who began her television career in 1968 with a role on It Takes a Thief, portrayed school guidance counsellor Liz McIntyre.  Liz was also Pete Dixon's love interest on the show.  Now 67 years old, Denise was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 12, 1944.  Married and divorced three times, Denise does not have any children.  Her first husband was Gilbert Moses, a director of stage, screen and television.  The marriage was brief (from 1964-1965) and Moses passed away in New York City on April 15, 1995 at the age of 52.

In 1973, while starring on Room 222, Denise wed her second husband, sing-songwriter Bill Withers of "Lean on Me" fame.  That marriage was also short-lived and the couple divorced in 1974.  Denise then married former football player turned sports anchor Jim Hill in 1981.  They divorced in 1984.

Denise Nicholas resides in Southern California and has written a critically acclaimed novel, Freshwater Road, published in August of 2005 by Agate Publishing.


THE LEGACY OF ROOM 222

* Room 222 won acclaim for dealing with social problems and racial issues and it received awards from educational and civil rights groups. Although the series tackled the topics of its days such as the Vietnam War and Watergate, it also explored themes that are still very current and relevant.  For example, a 1971 episode entitled "What is a Man?," centres on a student named Howard who becomes the target of anti-gay sentiment.

* Many actors who went on to become big stars appeared on the show.  The list includes Rob Reiner, Cindy Williams, Jamie Farr, Chuck Norris, Anthony Geary. Mark Hamill, Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss.


- Joanne

Don't confuse KIRSTEN Nelson with KRISTIN Harmon Nelson

Kirsten Nelson

A reader asked me if Kirsten Nelson, who appears as Karen Vick on the USA Network's Psych, is the woman who married Ricky Nelson in 1963.  The answer is NO, absolutely not.  Look closely.  The names are similar but not the same.  Rick Nelson married Kristin Harmon, the sister of actor Mark Harmon.  Kristin Harmon Nelson is now 66 years old and is an artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  My thanks to the reader.

MEREDITH MacRAE PLAYED BILLIE JO ON PETTICOAT JUNCTION, NOT MEREDITH BAXTER

Here are some other commonly confused celebrity names.  The actress who appeared on Petticoat Junction was the late Meredith MacRae and NOT Meredith Baxter, star of Bridget Loves Bernie, Family and Family Ties.  The confusion undoubtedly occurs because the two women have blonde hair and they share the same first name.

Mredith MacRae played the role of Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction from 1966 until 1970. She was the third actress to portray Billie Jo and stayed with the show until its end in 1970. (Jeannine Riley was the first Billie Jo from 1963 to 1965 and Gunilla Hutton played the second from 1965 to 1966).  

Meredith MacRae, the daughter of actors Gordon and Sheila MacRae, died of a brain tumour on July 14, 2000.  Meredith was 56 years old at the time of her death.  She is also remembered for her role as Sally Ann Morrison Douglas from 1963 until 1965 on the long-running sitcom My Three Sons.  

By the way, Meredith's mother, Sheila MacRae, is now 87 years old.


- Joanne

Perry Mason Quiz

TV BANTER QUIZ #11

How much do you know about Perry Mason, starring Raymond Burr?  Test your knowledge of television's most famous lawyer with TV Banter's 12-question quiz.  Good luck.

1.  What was the name of Perry Mason's chief adversary, the hapless district attorney who lost case after case against him.

A.  Paul Lawson

B.  Richard Hamilton

C.  Hamilton Burger

D.  Thomas Burger

E.  Lawson Reed


2.  What year did Perry Mason begin its run?

A.  1956

B.  1957

C.  1959

D.  1955

E.  1960


3.  What was the title of the very first episode of the show?

A.  The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece

B.  The Case of the Drowning Duck

C.  The Case of the Sulky Girl

D.  The Case of the Restless Redhead

E.  The Case of the Runaway Corpse


4.  Which of these female film stars made an guest appearance on Perry Mason?

A.  Bette Davis

B.  Loretta Young

C.  Debbie Reynolds

D.  Lauren Bacall

E.  Jane Fonda


5.  Who played Perry Mason's loyal secretary Della Street?

A.  Barbara Bel Geddes

B.  June Lockhart

C.  Barbara Hale

D.  Marjorie Lord

E.  Abby Dalton


6.  In which city did Perry Mason take place?

A.  New York City

B.  San Francisco, California

C.  Boston, Massachusetts

D.  San Diego, California

E.  Los Angeles, California


7.  Who played private investigator Paul Drake

A.  Robert Culp

B.  William Hopper

C.  Peter Graves

D.  James Garner

E.  Brian Keith


8.  What was Detective Paul Drake's pet name for Della Street? (This is your bonus question.  If you answer it correctly, give yourself an extra point.)

A.  Sweet Della

B.  Dandy Della

C.  Beautiful

D.  Strawberry

E.  Indispensable


9.  Were all the episodes of Perry Mason filmed in black and white?

A.  No, they were all filmed in colour.

B.  Yes, they were all filmed in black and white.

C.  Only the final season was filmed in colour.

D.  The final two seasons were filmed in colour.

E.  Only one episode was filmed in colour.


10. Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason novels, appeared in one episode of the TV series as a judge.  What was the significance of that episode?

A.  It was the final episode of the series.

B.  Gardner collapsed and died of a heart attack the day after filming of the episode was completed.


C.  It was the only episode in which Perry Mason lost a case.

D.  It was the beginning of a feud between Gardner and Raymond Burr. 

E.  After that episode, Gardner became severely depressed and moved to Europe.


11.  What is the name of Perry Mason's dramatic theme song?

A.  Courtroom Melody

B.  This is the Law

C.  Park Avenue Beat

D.  Lawyer's Theme

E.  Fifth Avenue Melody


12.  What was the name of the police homicide detective portrayed by Ray Collins?

A.  Lieutenant Harry Craig

B.  Lieutenant David Scott

C.  Lieutenant James Ross

D.  Lieutenant Arthur Tragg

E.  Lieutenant Alfred Saunders



ANSWERS

1.  C
The hapless district attorney was Hamilton Burger.  Burger was portrayed by William Talman.  Talman, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer on August 30, 1968 at the age of 53.  It is interesting to note that he was the first Hollywood celebrity to film a non-smoking commercial.  Knowing he was dying, Talman made two ads for the American Cancer Society and requested that it not be aired until after his death.  To watch Bill Talman's second anti-smoking commercial, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjRkpge-jk

2.  B
Perry Mason premiered on September 21, 1957 on CBS and it ran for nine seasons.  The final episode of the series aired on May 22, 1966.  A total of 271 hour-long episodes of the show were produced.  Only Raymond Burr as Perry and William Hopper as private detective Paul Drake appeared in all 271 episodes.

3.  D
The first episode of the series was entitled "The Case of the Restless Redhead."  In the episode, Perry's client claims she was chased by a hooded man near the same cliff where police had discovered the body of a man who had been shot and whose car had gone over the side of the mountain.  

4.  A

Bette Davis as Constant Doyle

Bette Davis appeared in an episode entitled "The Case of Constant Doyle.  Bette played Constant Doyle, a woman who takes on a case involving a young man who knew her late husband and law partner.  She seeks Perry's advice and guidance in the matter.  "The Case of Constant Doyle" (Season 6, Episode 16) aired on January 31, 1963.

5.  C
Barbara Hale played the role of Della Street, Perry Mason's devoted assistant.  Barbara, who was born on April 18, 1922, recently turned 90 years old.  She appeared in 270 of the 271 episodes of Perry Mason.  Here is some more trivia:  William Katt, who is best known for his starring role in The Greatest American Hero (1981-1983) is the son of Barbara Hale and her late husband, actor Bill Williams.  Williams' real name was Hermann Katt and he died in 1992.

6.  E
Perry Mason was set in Los Angeles, California.  Mason's office was located in the Brent Building, Suite 904.  His phone number was Madison 5-1190 (625-1190).

7.  B
William Hopper played the role of Detective Paul Drake.  Hopper, the son of legendary Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, passed away on March 6, 1970 in Palm Springs, California at the age of 55.  While in hospital after suffering a stroke, he developed pneumonia.  He then died of a heart attack.

8.  C

Paul Drake (William Hopper) with Della Street (Barbara Hale)

Paul Drake's pet name for Della Street was "Beautiful."

9.  E
Only one episode of the original Perry Mason was filmed in colour.  It was "The Case of the Twice-Told Twist." (Season 9, Episode 21, Air date: February 27, 1966).  In the episode, strongly influenced by Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, a gang strips Perry Mason's car (a Lincoln Continental).  This gang of thieves entices a teenager to go along with them.  Oh yes, the leader of the car stripping ring is named "Bill Sikes."  Sound familiar?

10.  A

Gardner in 1966

Erle Stanley Gardner appeared as a judge in the final episode of the series entitled "The Case of the Final Fadeout."  Gardner was a lawyer who gave up his practice to devote himself to writing.  In 1968, after the death of his estranged wife Natalie, he wed his long-time secretary Agnes Bethell upon whom he had based his Della Street character.  He died in California at the age of 80 on March 11, 1970.  Note.  Dick Clark of American Bandstand fame guest-starred as a murder suspect in the "The Case of the Final Fadeout."

11.  C.
The name of the Perry Mason theme song is "Park Avenue Beat." It was written by the late Fred Steiner who died on June 23, 2011.  Steiner also composed the music for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and was one of the team of composers for the film The Color Purple.  To listen to the Perry Mason theme song, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9t1nSGXXE

12.  D
The name of the police homicide detective in the series was Lieutenant Arthur Tragg.  Due to illness, Ray Collins, who portrayed Tragg, appeared infrequently after the 1960 season.  Collins died of emphysema on July 11, 1965.  He was 75 years old at the time of his death.

END NOTES

* When asked why Perry Mason always won his cases, Raymond Burr jokingly replied, "But Madam, you see only the cases I try on Saturday."  Yet many people wonder if Mason did indeed win every case in the series.  CNN investigated the matter due to a statement made by Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 2009, Sotomayor declared that Perry Mason inspired her to seek a career in law.  During her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings that year, she told Senator Al Franklin that watching the show made her want to be a prosecutor.  When Franklin remarked that the prosecutor lost all but one case in the series, CNN decided to verify Franklin's statement.  The cable news network discovered that the prosecutor actually won two cases against Mason and that Mason lost in some manor in at least three cases.

Here is what CNN research found:

May the record show that Perry Mason did lose three cases of almost 300 - a record many lawyers would envy, especially since he got one of his losses reversed on appeal.  His losses were "The Case of the Witless Witness," "The Case of the Deadly Verdict" and "The Case of the Terrified Typist." 

In "The Case of the Deadly Verdict," Perry's client, Janice Barton, is convicted of murdering her aunt and is sentenced to death.  It isn't Mason's fault because Barton withheld the evidence needed to win the case.  Perry, however, investigates and discovers the real murderer.

Mason also loses a civil case in "The Case of the Dead Ringer" partly because he is framed for witness tampering.  He and his staff eventually prove his innocence and it is assumed that the verdict of the civil case is overturned or that a mistrial is declared.

* Raymond Burr died in Healdsburg, California on September 12, 1993.  His kidney cancer had spread to his liver.  He was 76 years old.  Burr was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada on May 21, 1917.

*  William Talman was actually fired from the series in 1960 due to a scandal.  The actor was a guest at a private party in Beverly Hills when it was raided by police on March 13, 1960.  A morals charge was laid against him.  Others at the party were charged with lewd conduct and vagrancy.  Talman denied any wrongdoing and the judge dismissed the case against him and the others for lack of evidence.  Nevertheless, there was a morals clause in his contract and CBS dismissed him.  He was later rehired.

*  From 1985 until Raymond Burr's death in 1993, NBC produced a series of Perry Mason television movies.  Burr and Barbara Hale reprised their roles as Perry and Della.  Barbara's son, William Katt played the role of Paul Drake, Jr. since William Hopper, the original Paul Drake, was deceased.

*  In late 1962, Raymond Burr underwent minor surgery.  As a result, there are four consecutive episodes in 1963 in which he only appears briefly.  Several guest attorneys (played by Bette Davis, Walter Pidgeon, Hugh O'Brien and Michael Rennie) handle the case at hand.

- Joanne

Vivian Vance: She was more than just Lucy's sidekick

Vivian Vance will be forever associated with Lucille Ball.  Those remarkable women can only be described as television's greatest female comedy duo.  Their antics are still as funny today as they were back in the 1950s and 1960s.

I started thinking about Vivian after watching a DVD of a Lucy special, Lucy Calls the President, which aired on CBS on November 21, 1977.  There is a poignancy about that TV special because it marked Vivian's final appearance on television with Lucille Ball.  She died of cancer on August 17, 1979 at the age of 70 and was not well during the filming of the show.

Lucy Calls the President was produced during the Jimmy Carter era.  The former president did not appear on the special, but his mother, Lillian Carter (also known as Miss Lillian), made a cameo appearance.  The supporting cast included longtime Lucy associates Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft while Ed McMahon played the role of Lucy's husband.

Over a quarter of a century after the debut of I Love Lucy in 1951, Viv and Lucy still displayed the magic quality that made them such an outstanding comedy team.  The chemistry was still there.  Yet, although Vivian made her reputation as Lucille Ball's comic foil, she should always be remembered as a talented artist in her own right.

Vivian was born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas on July 26, 1909.  She was the second of the six children of Robert and Euphemia Jones.  The family moved to Independence, Kansas, where Viv studied drama at Independence High School. The aspiring actress changed her last name to Vance as a tribute to folklorist Vance Randolf,, her drama teacher and a member of her Independence drama clique.  She later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was a founder of the Albuquerque Little Theatre.  It's no coincidence that Albuquerque was the hometown of Vivian's Ethel Mertz character.on I Love Lucy.

In 1932, Vivian arrived in New York City and studied under legendary stage actress Eva Le Gallienne.  She appeared in a number of Broadway plays, most often in the chorus.  Then she began to win supporting roles, particularly after her performance as Nancy Collister in Cole Porter's musical Let's Face It opposite Danny Kaye and Eve Arden.

After appearing in a revival of The Cradle will Rock in 1947, Vivian decided to move to California.  Her intention was to pursue other opportunities in the theatre and in motion pictures.  At the time, television was in its infancy and it was a medium she had not yet considered.

In 1951, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were looking to cast the part of their friend and landlord on the new television sitcom I Love Lucy.  Lucy had originally hoped that Bea Benaderet or Barbara Pepper would play Ethel Mertz.  When they were unable to do so, Ball and Arnaz were forced to looked elsewhere.

Director Marc Daniels, who had worked with Vivian Vance in a theatre production, took Desi and producer Jess Oppenheimer to see Vance perform in The Voice of the Turtle on stage at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego.  Desi was impressed and was convinced she was right for the part.  Lucy, however, had her misgivings.  She had never heard of Vance, who was primarily a theatre performer, and she envisioned Ethel to be older and more dowdy than the attractive Vivian.

Vance was hesitant about accepting the offer to join the cast of I Love Lucy.  She had been trying to establish a film career with roles such as Leah, the shrewd chambermaid in The Secret Fury (1950) opposite Claudette Colbert and Robert Ryan and Alicia in The Blue Veil  (1951) opposite Charles Laughton and Jane Wyman.  She also had to consider the fact that television was a fairly new medium in 1951 and its future was still regarded as somewhat uncertain.

Despite her initial reluctance and Lucy's doubts, Vivian Vance decided to accept the role of Ethel Mertz and even gained weight to play the part.  At 42 years of age, she was only slightly older than Lucille Ball, who was 40 when I Love Lucy premiered on October 15, 1951.  Her character was dressed in frumpy attire and 64-year-old William Frawley portrayed her penny-pinching husband, Fred Mertz.

It was reported that Vivian resented the age difference between Frawley and her. She thought he was more suited to playing her father than her husband and  it was certainly no secret that she and her television mate were not on the best of terms. Nevertheless, their onscreen partnership worked and Fred and Ethel Mertz were a huge hit with viewers

Television audiences really loved Lucy and they loved the madcap predicaments that she and Ethel found themselves in every week.  Some of the show's most memorable moments featured the wacky misadventures of of Lucy Ricardo and her best friend. Who can forget the classic scene with Lucy and Ethel working the assembly line in the the chocolate factory?

Vivian Vance's contribution to the success of I Love Lucy was rewarded with four Emmy nominations.  She won the award once, for her her performance on the series in 1953.  In February of 1954, Vance accepted her Emmy, becoming the first to win in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress."

After I Love Lucy finished its run in 1957, Vivan Vance and William Frawley continued with their roles as Ethel and Fred Mertz on a series of one-hour specials called The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (later retitled The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour).  Desi presented Vance and Frawley with the opportunity to star in their own "Fred and Ethel" spinoff.  Bill Frawley expressed interest in the proposal, but Vivian declined. She did not want to work one-to-one with Frawley.

In 1962, Lucille Ball returned to television without Desi Arnaz whom she had divorced. Ball succeeded in persuading Vivian to join the cast of The Lucy Show as her character's best friend, Vivian Bagley.  In this comedy series, Vivian, who was trying to shed her frumpy Ethel Mertz image, appeared slimmer and more fashionable.

On The Lucy Show, Lucille Ball portrayed Lucy Carmichael, a widow with two children living in Danfield, New York.  Vivian played Lucy's friend and housemate, a divorced mother of a young son.  Her character was the first divorcee to appear regularly on a weekly American television series.

Vance, who lived in Connecticut at the time, found the commute to Hollywood very difficult.  In 1965, after completing her third season on the show, she decided to leave due to the strain of so much travel.  As a result, The Lucy Show was revamped with Lucy's character moving to Los Angles and Vivian's character remarrying and remaining in Danfield.  The series continued in its new format until 1968 and Vivian made three guest appearances during its final years.

Lucy starred in another sitcom, Here's Lucy, with her real life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr.  The series aired from 1968 until 1974 and Vivian Vance made several guest appearances in the role of Vivian Jones.  After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1973, Vivian moved to Belvedere, California so that she could be near her sister.  During this time, her agent made her a three-year deal with Maxwell House Coffee. For the next few years, she was seen in many ads endorsing the product.  To watch Vivian Vance as Maxine in some Maxwell House commercials from the mid-1970s, click on the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDJMdnOOjGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpunpSs2XU8

Vivian Vance experienced a great deal of matrimonial woe during her lifetime, having wed four times.  She was 19 years old when she married Joseph Shearer Danneck, Jr. in 1928.  The marriage was short-lived and the couple divorced in 1931.  Vance's second husband was George Koch, a musician, whom she wed in 1933.  They remained married until 1940.

On August 12, 1941, Vivian tied the knot with actor Philip Ober.  Ober appeared in a 1951 episode of I Love Lucy entitled "The Quiz Show" and also played the part of Hollywood producer Dore Schary in a 1955 episode of the show.  The marriage ended in a bitter divorce in 1959 amid allegations that Ober physically abused Vivian.  He died of heart failure while working at the U.S. consulate in Mexico City, Mexico on September 13, 1982.  He was 80 years old.

Ober

Vivian's fourth and final spouse was literary agent John Dodds.  She married Dodds on January 16, 1961 and they were still married at the time of her passing in 1979 (from both breast and bone cancer) in Belvedere, California.  Vivian and Dodds llived in various locations in New York and Connecticut..  In 1974, after Vivian's first bout with cancer, they decided to settle on Belvedere Island.  John Dodds also died of cancer on October 9, 1986.  He was 64 years old.

Despite her four marriages, Vivian Vance never had any children.  After her death, Desi Arnaz stated, "It's bad enough to lose one of the great artists we had the honour and the pleasure to work with, but it's even harder to reconcile the loss of one of your best friends."

END NOTES

* Vivian Vance was godmother to musician John Sebastian, founder of The Lovin' Spoonful.  She was good friends with his mother, Jane Sebastian.

* Vivian struggled with mental illness and bravely faced her fears and anxieties.  In 1945, while starring in a touring company of Voice of the Turtle, she suffered a nervous breakdown and underwent psychotherapy.  The State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health honoured Vivian for her advocacy on behalf of the mentally ill.

* Vivian has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


- Joanne

Goodbye, Little Mosque on the Prairie

Tonight marks the final episode of the groundbreaking CBC series, Little Mosque on the Prairie. It's a controversial show even though though its humour is decidedly gentle and low key.  I wrote about it on my blog posting of June 25, 2011 entitled : "Little Mosque on the Prairie: It's Portrayal of Muslims."  I am a fan of Little Mosque because there is no other show of its kind on North American television.  It's the first attempt to portray a Muslim community on TV in a lighthearted fashion.  It may have its faults, but it is an oasis in a sea of mindless reality programs.

If you are a fan of the show, I'd like some feedback from you.  Please tell me what you think of the final season of the series.  Were you surprised that Yasir divorced Sara after more than 31 years of marriage?  I guess the writers had to figure out what to do with Yasir Hamoudi's character because Carlo Rota, Yasir's portrayer, left the cast and has only made token appearances on the show since.  Yasir, a construction contractor, has been away in Lebanon.  He did, however, make an appearance at his daughter Rayyan's wedding last season to Amaar Rashid (Zaib Shaikh).

What about Reverend William Thorne (Brandon Firla)?  What happened to his attempts at romance with the librarian?  That story certainly ended rather abruptly. Perhaps they didn't have anywhere to go with it.  At the very least, however, they should have made further reference to the librarian and what transpired.  Did she leave town?  Did she reject Thorne completely?

I'm pleased that Amaar married Rayyan (Sitara Hewitt), but he seems a bit lost this season.  It is obvious that he has missed being the Imam.  That's why he was so excited when he came up with the idea of building a new mosque for the town.  You could see the fire burning in him again.

Speaking of fire, in the first part of the series finale, Sarah (Sheila McCarthy) inadvertently set fire to the Anglican Church and its accompanying mosque with an incense burner.  The horrified citizens of the fictional town of Mercy, Saskatchewan stood helplessly watching the blaze.  We'll find out the repercussions of that in the second part tonight.  This evening, I plan to sit back on the sofa and enjoy the concluding episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie.  It's a had a good run for six seasons and it will leave its mark.


END NOTE  

I can't imagine CTV or Global airing Little Mosque on the Prairie.  It is so CBC.  That is exactly why we need a public television network.  It's a shame that the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't see it that way. In their recent budget, the Tories slashed more money and more jobs from the publicly funded network.  They would happily kill the CBC, but they can't do it outright because there would be too much opposition.  Instead, they are doing it piecemeal, little by little and very insidiously.  With less funding, the quality of CBC programs will deteriorate and its product will be harshly criticized.  The Tories will attempt to starve the CBC until it is too weak to be saved.

- Joanne