The Smothers Brothers Then and Now

Let's go back to the time when Richard Nixon was President of the United States, a war in Southeast Asia was tearing at the very soul of America and young people were tuning in to comedy of Tom and Dick Smothers.  The Smothers Brothers didn't look radical or rebellious in their red blazers, but back in the late 1960s, they hosted one of the most controversial shows on American television.  Their popular Sunday night variety program, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, tested the boundaries of censorship in the United States during the Vietnam War era - until it was ultimately cancelled by CBS.  That is why the brothers have earned a special place in the annals of American television history

Thomas Bolyn "Tom" Smothers III was born on February 2, 1937 and his younger sibling, Richard Remick "Dick" Smothers was born on November 20, 1939.  Their father, Major Thomas B. Smothers, Jr., was a U.S. Army officer and the brothers were born on Governor's Island in New York Harbor, where he was stationed.  After the death of Major Smothers while being transported from a Japanese prisoner of war camp, Tom and Dick were raised by their mother, Ruth (nee Remick) in the Los Angeles area.

The brothers began performing folk songs with Tommy playing acoustic guitar and Dick on string bass.  They eventually added comedy to their routine.  Dick became the straight man to Tom's dimwitted persona.  After being reprimanded by his sibling for his behaviour, Tom would appear dumbfounded and lost for words.  After a hesitating, he would stammer a reply which usually ended with a retort that "Mom always liked you best."

The Smothers Brothers first national television appearance occurred on the Jack Paar Show on January 28, 1961.  Their first television show was a fantasy sitcom on CBS called The Smothers Show.  The series ran from 1965 until 1966 and featured Tom Smothers as a blundering apprentice angel who was assigned to good works on Earth in order to earn recognition as a full-fledged angel.  Tom complicated the life of his earthly brother, Dick, an up-and-coming executive at Pandora Publications, who was forever bailing him out of difficulties.

The Smothers Brothers' second television show, a weekly variety/comedy series entitled The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour, was first telecast on CBS on February 5, 1967.  It was irreverent, satirical and extremely popular with the younger set.  On Sunday nights, while their parents were watching Bonanza, the flower children were watching Tom and Dick and their array of left-leaning and anti-war guests. For example, folk singer Pete Seeger appeared on the show and sang "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," a Vietnam War protest song.  Joan Baez lauded her then-husband, David Harris, who went to prison for refusing military service.

In 1967, The Who appeared on the show and created a stir when they accidentally caused an explosion while smashing instruments at the conclusion of a performance of "My Generation." (unknown to Keith Moon, a stage hand placed an extra explosive in the small cannon Moon kept in his bass drum). Guitarist Pete Townshend then grabbed Tom Smothers' guitar and smashed it too.  The explosion set Townshend's hair on fire and is alleged to have contributed greatly to his hearing loss.

Click below to watch a video of  The Who on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Mkvnd-gjw

As the 1968/1969 season began, there were so many conflicts with CBS network censors, that the Smothers Brothers were compelled to deliver their completed material ten days before the broadcast date so that the shows could be edited.  CBS censored an entire segment of the season premiere which featured Harry Belafonte singing "Lord, Don't Stop the Carnival" against a backdrop of the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.

The Smothers Brothers also got into trouble when their show tackled the sensitive subject of religion and clergy.  Canadian-born comedian David Steinberg, whose own father was a rabbi, caused a great deal of controversy with a skit in which he provided a rabbinical sermon on the subject of  Moses and the Burning Bush.  According to David Bianculli, author of Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, after CBS pulled the plug on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Steinberg declared that "the most innovative show on television" had been shut down due to "political pressure."

Tommy Smothers with David Steinberg

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour featured the dead pan comedy and satirical wit of Pat Paulsen.  Paulsen's campaign for the presidency, which he he had begun during the Smother Brothers' 1968 summer series, caused problems for CBS.  Paulsen used the slogan "If nominated I will not run, and if elected I will not serve."  Although his candidacy was obviously not meant to be taken seriously, CBS was concerned that real candidates would demand equal time.  As a result, the network banned him from the show until after the election.

Another regular performer on the Smothers Brother Comedy Hour was singer Jennifer Warnes (then billed as Jennifer Warner or simply Jennifer).  Warnes, who appeared on the show from 1967 until 1969, went on to win three Academy Awards in the Best Song category and two Grammys.  She is best known for "Up Where We Belong," her duet with Joe Cocker from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," a collaboration with Bill Medley, from Dirty Dancing (1987).

By 1969, CBS management had lost patience with the Smothers Brothers and abruptly cancelled their show despite its high ratings.   Although the cancellation sparked a debate over free speech, CBS held fast to its decision and replaced the brothers with a country bumpkin variety show called Hee Haw which was hosted by Roy Clark and Buck Owens.  Not surprisingly, Hee Haw, with its deliberately cornball humour (it took place in the fictional rural setting known as Kornball Kounty), was dropped by the network in 1971 when it decided to appeal to a younger, more hip, urban audience.  The show went into local syndication and became a long-lasting hit.  Many years of non-network episodes of Hee Haw were produced until the series ended in 1997.

In July of 1970, thirteen months after their show's cancellation,  the Smothers Brothers hosted a summer program on ABC, called The Smothers Summer Show.  It was not, however, included in the network's fall lineup.  In the autumn of 1971, Tom Smothers starred in a syndicated half-hour comedy without his brother.  It was entitled Tom Smothers Organic Prime Time Space Ride.  It did not make much of an impact and was not renewed.

The ABC network decided to let the Smothers Brothers host another variety series, The Smothers Brothers Show, in 1975.  Pat Paulsen appeared in the series as did writer/cast member Steve Martin (Martin had been a writer for the Smothers Brothers 1967-1969 show).  This time there were no serious issues with censorship but the show was soon cancelled due to low ratings.

On February 3, 1988, CBS broadcast The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 20th Reunion Show despite the fact that the original series has been such a headache for the network.  Ratings for the special were good enough that CBS granted the brothers another series.  The second version of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, was short-lived and only lasted from March of 1988 until August of 1989.  According to The Complete Directory of Prime Time Network Shows 1946-Present, it was "sharply written and topical, but here was certainly a sense of deja vu - Tom and Dick's sibling rivalry was as strong as ever."   It also should be noted Pat Paulsen and Jennifer Warnes made guest appearances on the 1980s edition of the show.

Tom Smothers is now 76 years old.  He is the owner of Remick Ridge Vineyards (his mother's maiden was Remick) in Sonoma County, California.  Tom and his third wife, Marcy Carriker, whom he married in 1990, are the parents of two children, Bo (born 1993) and Riley Rose (born 1996).  Tom is also the father of a son, Thomas Bolyn Smothers IV (known as Tom Jr.), from his first marriage to Stephanie Shorr, whom he wed in 1963 (they were divorced in 1967).   Tom was also married to Rochelle Robley from 1974 until 1976.

Dick Smothers is now 73 years old.  He currently resides in Sarasota, Florida and is the father of six children.  Three of the children, Dick Jr. (born April 26, 1964), Susan and Steven, are from his marriage to Linda Miller, whom he wed on October 31, 1959.  The couple divorced in April of 1960 and  remarried on October 31, 1972, exactly 13 years to the day of their first wedding.  They divorced again in April of 1982.

Dick has two children from his marriage to Lorraine Martin, whom he wed on September 19, 1986.  They are Sarah Alexandra (born June 1987) and Remick Harper (born October 16, 1989).  Lorraine and Dick were divorced in May of 1994 after which Dick married Denby Franklin in Las Vegas in 1997. He and Denby divorced in 2006.  Dick also has a son named Andrew.

In February of 2010, Dick Smothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $2 million in assets and a debt of $2.8 million.  In August of 2012, the Herald Tribune reported that U.S. Bank had won a $705,961 foreclosure decision against Dick's ex-wife, Denby, a high end real estate agent.  Denby lost the property, an 1,823 square foot (169.3 square metres) condominium on Goldon Gate in Sarasota, Florida which she and Dick had purchased in May 2005.  After their separation, Denby became the sole owner of the condo.

In 2008, during the the 60th Prime Time Emmys, Tom Smothers received a special award.  It was presented to him by Steve Martin. ( In 1968, when Tom was head writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the writing staff  won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedic Series.  At the time, he had declined to include his name on the list of nominated writers because he thought it would cause too much conflict.)

In May of 2010, the Smothers Brothers announced their retirement from touring.

END NOTES

* Pat Paulsen passed away on April 24, 1997 in Tijuana, Mexico after an 18-month battle with colon cancer.  He died of pneumonia while undergoing treatment for the disease. Paulsen was 69 years old at the time of his passing.

* Dick Smothers, Jr. is a former pornographic actor.

* In the 1995 Martin Scorsese film, Casino, Dick Smothers played the role of a Nevada State Senator named Harrison Roberts.

* Tom Smothers is very adept at performing difficult yo-yo tricks.  He created a character called Yo-Yo Man.

* A 2002 television documentary, Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, deals with the cancellation of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

- Joanne

EDITORS UPDATE:  Tom Smothers passed away on December 26, 2023 at his home in Santa Rosa, California.  He had lung cancer and he was 86 at the time of his death.

NCIS Trivia Quiz

TV BANTER QUIZ #15

Here is TV Banter's 10-question NCIS quiz.  Get ready to test your knowledge of this hit series which premiered on September 23, 2003 and is currently in its 10th season.  Good luck!  


NCIS Quiz

1.  What do the initials NCIS stand for?

A.  Naval Crime Intelligence Survey

B. Naval Criminal Investigative Service

C.  Navy Central Intelligence System

D.  Naval Crisis Investigative Surveillance

E.  Navy Central Investigation Services



2.  NCIS is a spin-off from which television series?

A.  Criminal Minds

B.  CSI

C.  JAG

D.  CSI: Miami

E.  CSI: N.Y.



3.  Since 2003, Scottish-born actor David McCallum (of Man From U.N.C.L,E. fame) has played the role of Dr. "Ducky" Mallard,  NCIS Medical Examiner.  What is Ducky's real first name?

David McCallum as "Ducky"

A.  Ronald

B.  David

C.  Desmond

D.  Drake

E.  Donald



4.  Which well-known comedian appeared in an episode of NCIS entitled "Recruited.?"

A.  Bob Newhart

B.  Stephen Colbert

C.  Jerry Lewis

D.  Bill Cosby

E.  John Goodman



5.  Where did Mark Harmon's character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, grow up?

A.  Gibbs was born and raised in Santa Monica, California..

B.  Gibbs is from Washington, D.C.

C.  Gibbs grew up in San Francisco, California.

D.  Gibbs was raised in rural Pennsylvania.

E.  He is from a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio



6.  What does Leroy Jethro Gibbs' father, Jackson, do for a living?  (This is your bonus question.  Give yourself an extra point if you answer it correctly.)


A.  Jackson Gibbs is a carpenter.

B.  Gibbs' father runs the Stillwater General Store.

C.  The elder Gibbs is a country doctor.

D.  He owns and operates the Stillwater Diner.

E.  He is a fisherman.



7.  Who played the role of Gibbs' dad in the 2008 episode entitled "Heartland?"

A.  Ralph Waite

B.  George Kennedy

C.  James Garner

D.  Eli Wallach

E.  Ned Beatty



8. To date,  how many times has Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jed Gibbs been married?

A.  He has been married three times.

B.   He is a life-long bachelor.

C.  He has been married once and is divorced.

D.  He has been married twice.

E.  He has been married four times.



9.  What is Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo's nickname?

A.  Agent Spaghetti

B.  Agent Meatball

C.  Agent Pasta Sauce

D.  Fettuccine Alfredo

E.  Agent Garlic Bread



10.  Richard Schiff, who plays Harper Dearing,and Sheila Kelley, who plays his ex-wife,Victoria Dearing, are . . .

A.  . . . brother and sister in real life.

B.  . . . are also divorced in real life.

C.  . . . are married in real life.

D.  . . . are dating in real life.

E.  . . . used to be business partners in real life.



ANSWERS

1.  B

The initials NCIS stand for Naval Criminal Investigative Service.  The series is centred around a team of special agents who conduct criminal investigations pertaining to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.


2.  C

NCIS is a spin-off from two Season 8 episodes of JAG entitled "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown."


3.  E

Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard is the NCIS Medical Examiner.


4.  A

Bob Newhart

Comedian Bob Newhart appeared in a 2011 episode of NCIS entitled "Recruited." (Season 8, Episode 12, Air Date: January 18, 2011).  Newhart played Dr. Walter Magnus, Ducky's predecessor, who visits unexpectedly and suffers from Alzheimer's Disease.


5.  D

It was revealed in the episode entitled "Heartland" (Season 6, Episode 4, Air Date: October 14, 2008) that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was raised in rural Pennsylvania.  He is from Stillwater, a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.


6.  B.

Jackson Gibbs, a former coal miner, runs the Stillwater General Store.


7.  A

Ralph Waite, best known for his role as patriarch John Walton on The Waltons, played Jackson Gibbs in the  "Heartland" episode.


8.  E

To date, Special Agent Gibbs has been married four times - widowed once and divorced three times.


9.  B

Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo

Senior Special Agent Tony DiNozzo's nickname is Agent Meatball.  The role of DiNozzo is played by Michael Weatherly.  He was called Agent Meatball by Mossad Michael Rivkin, portrayed by Merik Tadros.


10.  C

Richard Schiff and Sheila Kelly

Richard Schiff and Sheila Kelley were married in 1996.  They have two children, a son named Gus and a daughter, Ruby.



END NOTE

On February 1, 2013, CBS renewed NCIS for an 11th season and announced a contract extension for the show's star and executive produce, Mark Harmon.  Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS said, "In a world gone niche, NCIS keeps getting better, and Mark Harmon continues to define the  role of leading man on the #1 show on television."  According to the February 1st press release on the CBS website, "NCIS continues to hit ratings milestones.  This season, for the first time ever, it ranks as (American) television's #1 program (ahead of Sunday Night Football)."


- Joanne

TV Trivia For You #2

Here is some more TV Triva For You from TV Banter .  The first installment appeared on this blog  on June 14, 2012.


DID YOU KNOW that a woman provides the voice of Bart Simpson?

The woman in the photo above is Nancy Cartwright.  For over 23 years, Nancy has voiced the character of Bart on The Simpsons.  In 1987, she auditioned for a role on a series of animated shorts about a dysfunctional cartoon family on The Tracey Ullman Show.  She had originally planned to try out for the part of Lisa Simpson but later requested an audition for the role of Lisa's brother Bart instead.because she felt that he was funnier and more interesting.  Simpons creator Matt Groening hired her.

In 1989, The Simpsons was developed into its own half-hour prime time series on the Fox network.  Cartwright continued with her portrayal of Bart Simpson. and The Simpsons became an overwhelming hit.  Now into its 24th season, it is the longest-running sitcom in the history of American television.  Since none of the Simpson characters ages, however, Bart will never grow up.  He a is a perennial ten-year-old boy who has a penchant for causing trouble.  In addition to bratty Bart, Nancy Cartwright voices other characters on the show including Todd Flanders and Ralph Wiggum.

Born Nancy Jean Cartwright on October 25, 1957 in Kettering, Ohio, her official website describes her as
a "producer, philanthropist, community leader, volunteer and author."  She is also a devoted Scientologist and the mother of two children.from her marriage to crime writer Warren Murphy.  She and Murphy married  in 1988 and divorced in 2002.


DID YOU KNOW that Ron Howard appeared in six episodes of the first season of Dennis the Menace from 1959 to 1960.  Then billed as Ronny Howard, he played Stewart, a friend of Dennis Mitchell (Jay North).  The six episodes were "The Fishing Trip" (1959), "Dennis Haunts a House" (1960), "Mr Wilson's Sister" (1960), "The Party Line" (1960) and "Dennis by Proxy" (1960).


DID YOU KNOW that film director Quentin Tarantino had a guest spot as an Elvis impersonator on The Golden Girls back in 1988?  Tarantino was only 25 years old when he appeared in Part One of an episode entitled "Sophia's Wedding" (Season 4, Episode 6, Air Date: November 19, 1988).  It was just a walk-on part and he did not appear in Part Two of the episode.

Tarantino on The Golden Girls

DID YOU KNOW that Vivian Vance, Lucille Ball's sidekick on I Love Lucy, portrayed the first divorced character on a weekly American television series?  She played the part of Vivian Bagley, Lucy's friend and housemate.  In 1962, when Lucille Ball was planning her return to television after I Love Lucy, she asked Vance to play a role on her new show.  Vivian agreed provided the character was named "Vivian" and not "Ethel" as she was trying to avoid being typecast as "Ethel Mertz."

On The Lucy Show, Vance took on the role of a divorced mother of a young son called Sherman.  Lucille Ball played a widow named Lucy Carmichael who had two children, Chris and Jerry.  The two women and their offspring shared a home in suburban Danfield, Connecticut.  Below is a picture of Lucy and Vivian with their television children.  To the left of Lucy is Jimmy Garrett who played her son Jerry Carmichael and Candy Moore who played daughter Chris Carmichael.  With Vivian is Ralph Hart who played her son Sherman Bagley.

DID YOU KNOW that Angie Harmon is NOT related to Mark Harmon?

Angie Harmon

Angela Michelle Harmon is a Texan, born in Dallas on August 10, 1972.  Her father, Paul "Larry" Harmon, is a hospital information-network specialist in Dallas, is of English and Native American ancestry.  He is in not related to actor Mark Harmon of NCIS fame.

During the 1990s, Angie Harmon was a runway model for designers such as Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan.  She appeared on the cover of magazines such as Elle and Cosmopolitan.  She began her acting career after speaking to David Hasselhoff on a plane fight in 1995.  Her meeting with Hasselhoff resulted in  her role as Ryan McBride on Baywatch and Baywatch Nights.

The 40-year-old actress is currently stars as Detective Jane Rizzoli on the TNT crme/drama series Rizzoli and Isles.  She is married to former NFL player Jason Sehorn.  Sehorn played for the New York Giants from 1994 to 2002.  In 2003, he was a member of the St. Louis Rams.  He proposed to Harmon on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno before a live studio audience and millions of television viewers.  They wed in 2001 and are the parents of three daughters: Finley Faith (born 2003), Avery Grace (born 2005) and Emery Hope (born 2008).


- Joanne

Judy Norton: Catching up with Mary Ellen Walton

Today is Judy Norton's 55th birthday.  Born on January 29, 1958 in Santa Monica, California to Harry and Constance (nee Glazebrook) Norton, Judy started acting on stage and television at an early age.  She had an uncredited part in the 1967 film version of Arthur Hailey's Hotel.  In 1968, she portrayed a character named Karen Collins in an episode of a TV crime series, The Felony Squad, entitled "The Distant Shore."

When Judy was 13, she landed the role of Mary Ellen Walton, the eldest of the three Walton daughters, in the television movie The Homecoming:: A Christmas Story. The Homecoming aired on December 19. 1971 on the CBS network.  It was the story of events that occurred in the lives of a rural American family on Christmas Eve in 1933 and it served as the pilot for the highly successful series The Waltons.  The Waltons was created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain.  Set in a small mountain community in Virginia during The Depression and World War II, the show debuted in September of 1972 and ran for nine seasons.  Judy's character, Mary Ellen, is strong-willed and spunky.  She eventually becomes a doctor.

The cast of The Waltons

In 1976, at the age of 19, Judy Norton married a young singer-musician named Douglas Taylor.  They met at a Scientology workshop and both became designated ministers.  In an October 1976 interview with Kim Garfield of Pop Scene Service, Judy stated, "I got into Scientology when I was 13.  My older sister was having boyfriend problems at the time, so my stepmother took us to one of the meetings."  She also said that Scientology had worked for her because it had increased her self-confidence and helped her as an actress.  "This is a back-stabbing business," she told Garfield, "where 100 people can be up for the same job.  To me, Scientology is a way of getting rid of the barriers that get in your way . . . whether it's your career or your relationships."

A shared enthusiasm for Scientology, however, failed to save Judy's marriage to Doug Taylor.  It was short-lived and the couple divorced in 1978.  Norton, however, remains a follower of Scientology.

After The Waltons ended its run in 1981, Judy portrayed Mary Ellen in subsequent Walton specials: A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (1982), Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain (1982), A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain (1982), A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993), A Walton Wedding (1995) and A Walton Easter (1997).

When the show went off the air, Judy's career stagnated.  Hollywood continued to view her as a child actress despite the fact that she was 23 years old.  During the 1980s, With the exception of three Waltons television movies, her only television work was an appearance in a 1982 episode of The Love Boat.  In an attempt to shed her wholesome Waltons image, Judy posed nude in the August 1985 issue of Playboy magazine.

On April 8, 1991, Judy married Randy Apostle, a Canadian who operates a chain of dinner theatres.  They had one child, a son named Devin, before divorcing  in 2001.   Born and raised in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, Apostle currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is the Artistic Director of Jubilee Dinner Theatres in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton.

Randy Apostle

According to her official website, Judy spent eight years as the co-artistic director for two theatres in Canada:: Celebrations in Winnipeg and Jubilation's in Edmonton. As a writer and director, she was involved in more than 40 productions that have also been produced in theatres in Western Canada.

During the 1990s, Judy appeared in three more Walton TV specials and two TV movies  The Lost Daughter (1997) and The Inspectors (1998),  She made guest appearances on series such as Millennium (1997) and Cold Squad (1999).  Millennium was a crime drama that aired on the Fox Network from 1996 until 1999.  Jusy appeared in two episodes of the series: "Paper Dove" (Season 1, Episode 22, Air Date: May 16, 1997) and "Monster" (Season 2, Episode 4, Air Date: October 17, 1997).  Cold Squad was a Canadian police drama filled in Vancouver.  It ran from 1998 to 2005.

On August 11, 2002, Judy Norton married her third husband, Robert Graves. A multi-faceted entertainer, she remains extremely active with stage, television and film work. In 2010, she originated the role of Judge Sophia Wyndomin in the Canadian web series, Poker Girls.  The crime drama (IMbd. com, describes it as a cross between Desperate Housewives and Criminal Minds) is produced in Calgary Alberta. It has moved to television and has been revamped and retitled.  It's new name is bLUFF and Judy is set to write and direct several episodes.of the series.

This spring, Judy is scheduled to direct her first feature film, Butterfly, in Jackson, Tennessee.

END NOTES

* Judy Norton is a fine athlete.  She has participated in activities such as skydiving, flying trapeze and competitive horse jumping in addition to playing tennis and skiing.She appeared three times on The Battle of the Network Stars, a competition of sport events featuring network television stars.  The show was hosted by the late Howard Cosell who described Judy as the best female celebrity athlete who had competed on the show.

* After her marriage to Douglas Taylor, Judy began billing herself as Judy Norton-Taylor.  Sometime during the late 1990s, she dropped the "Taylor" and reverted to calling herself Judy Norton.


- Joanne

Pregnancies and births on television shows

No television birth was as hotly anticipated as the birth of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's baby on I Love Lucy.  There have been some other notable pregnancies and births on American network television.  Let's look at some of them in addition to the birth of Little Ricky Ricardo.


MARY KAY AND JOHNNY

Before there was Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, there was Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns.  This real-life married couple were the stars of American television's first situation comedy.  Their show, Mary Kay and Johnny, aired from 1947 until 1950.  It ended before I Love Lucy debuted in October of 1951.

Mary Kay and Johnny began as a 15-minute program on the old DuMont network on November 18, 1947.  The sitcom aired on DuMont until August of 1948.  In subsequent years, however, it was broadcast on CBS and NBC.  The Stearns played themselves in a domestic comedy about the lives of a newly married couple in New York.  Johnny Stearns' character was employed at a bank and he and Mary Kay resided in a Greenwich Village apartment.  The show was filmed live in front of a New York studio audience.  Unfortunately, very little footage remains in existence.

In December of 1948, the real Mary Kay Stearns gave birth to the couple's son, Christopher William Stearns.  The child's birth was incorporated into the script and worked into an episode on the exact day that Mary Kay actually delivered the baby. Since the show was done live, Mary Kay had to be absent.  An anxious Johnny, however, was shown pacing the floor.  Their infant son, Chris, joined the cast less than one month after his birth.

Johnny Stearns passed away on December 5, 2001 after complications from a fall. He was 85 years old at the time of his death in a Newport Beach, California hospital. Mary Kay Stearns, born October 27, 1925, is 87 years old.  Chris Stearns is 64.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Mary Kay Stearns passed away on November 17, 2018.  She died in Newport Beach, California at the age of 93.


I LOVE LUCY

In the spring of 1952, the hit comedy series I Love Lucy faced a crisis.  It's real-life married stars, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, were expecting their second child.  What was the CBS network to do about Lucy's pregnancy?   They were worried about offending viewers by showing a pregnant woman on screen despite the fact that Mary Kay and Johnny had dealt with a pregnancy in 1948.  Network executives and the show's advertisers were squeamish about the matter.  They were finally persuaded to approve the on-screen pregnancy of Lucy Ricardo although they remained adamant the word "pregnant" could not be uttered on the show.  It never was.  The word "expecting" was used instead.

Lucy's pregnancy, however, was played for laughs. Viewers enthusiastically followed the challenges and pratfalls of their favourite redhead as she prepared for impending motherhood.  The birth of her real son, Desi Arnaz, Jr., occurred on the same day as the taped episode of Little Ricky's birth, "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," was shown on television - January 19, 1953.  The episode about the arrival of the Ricardo child was deliberately timed to coincide with the delivery of the Arnaz child by Caesarian section.  Unlike the son of May Kay and Johnny Stearns, Desi Arnaz, Jr. never portrayed Little Ricky. That role was eventually played by Keith Thibodeaux

Pictured below is the  I LOVE LUCY BABY.doll produced by American Character when Lucy's pregnancy was announced in 1952.  The doll is very rare and is up for sale on eBay for $449.00 (U.S.).  It is 41 cm. (16 inch).  At the time the doll was manufactured, it was not known whether Lucy was having a boy or a girl.  It was decided to produce a girl doll based on the doll Lucy is holding in the photo above from an episode called "Pregnant Women are Unpredictabe." (Season 2, Episode 16, December 15, 1952).  In case you were wondering, the word "pregnant" was used because the show never displayed episode titles on air.

THE FLINTSTONES

Wilma Flintstone was the first character to be portrayed as pregnant on a regular animated television show.  In Season 3 of The Flintstones, Wilma becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter.  Pebbles Flintstone was born on an  episode of the series entitled "The Blessed Event".  It was aired on Feb. 22, 1963 (Hey, that means that Pebbles Flintstone is almost 50 years old unless you consider that she was born in the Stone  Age).

Wilma was depicted as pregnant in several several episodes during Season 3 leading up to the birth of Pebbles.  There was even a "hospital rehearsal" storyline similar to the one on I Love Lucy.  Although the word "pregnancy" was never mentioned on the show, although Wilma was shown wearing a maternity outfit.
She was under the care of Dr. Rockpile.

To view the episode "The Blessed Event," click on the link below.  You will see Wilma's maternity clothes.

http://www.tubeplus.me/player/1949428/The_Flintstones/season_3/episode_23/The_Blessed_Event/%22



ALL IN THE FAMILY

Joey Stivic, the grandson of Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) and his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), was born during All in the Family's sixth season.  The character was first shown as a newborn baby in a two part episode of the series entitled "Birth of the Baby: Part 1" and "Birth of the Baby: Part 2" which aired on December 8 and December 15, 1975.  Joey was portrayed by alternating twins, Jason and Justin Draeger.

Little Joey was a source of conflict even before his birth.  In an episode entitled "The Little Atheist" (Season 6 Episode 11, Air Date: November 24, 1975), his parents (Archie and Edith's daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and her liberal husband, Mike "Meathead" Stivic (Rob Reiner) clash with Archie on Thanksgiving over the unborn child's religion.  Archie wants his grandchild to baptized and raised a Christian while Mike and Gloria want the child to make his or her choice about the matter.

Several episodes dealt with Gloria's pregnancy.  For example, in "Mike Faces Life" (Season 6, Episode 7, Air Date: October 27, 1975),  Gloria is laid off from her department store sales job.  Both she and Mike suspect she has been discriminated against due to her pregnancy.  In another episode, "Gloria Suspects Mike" (Season 6, Episode 10, November 17, 1975), Gloria, who is seven moths pregnant, feels unattractive and fears that Mike is cheating on her with the  young woman he is tutoring.

After getting stuck in a telephone booth while dining with Mike at an Italian restaurant, Gloria goes into labour.  The couple gets stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital where their baby boy is born.  They name the baby Joseph Michael Stivic.

Believe it or not, there was even a Joey Stivic doll which attracted quite a great deal of attention because it was "anatomically correct."  The doll's box is pictured below.

MURPHY BROWN

 Murphy Brown and baby Avery

In the final episode of the fourth season of Murphy Brown, television reporter Murphy Brown (Candace Bergen) gave birth to a son named Avery.  Murphy's unwed pregnancy really rankled then-Vice President Dan Quayle.  In May of 1992, during the presidential election campaign, Quayle made a speech in San Francisco linking the fictional TV anchor with the recent Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles.  He argued that the riots were partially caused by a "poverty of values" including the acceptance and celebration of unwed motherhood on popular television shows such as Murphy Brown.

The vice president's remarks sparked a great deal of controversy and debate.throughout the summer of 1992.  When Murphy Brown returned in the fall, the ratings for its season opener were sky high.  In the 60-minute episode entitled "You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato" (a reference to Quayle's misspelling of the word), a clip from the speech was shown.  Displaying a sense of humour, Quayle later sent the fictional baby Avery a toy elephant.

- Joanne

Jack Klugman: He just loved acting

For 50 years, acting was the reason I got up in the morning.

- Jack Klugman

Veteran character actor Jack Klugman died on December 24, 2012 at the age of 90. He will always be remembered for his roles as Oscar Madison, the sloppy sportswriter in the television version of The Odd Couple and as Dr. R. Quincy, a Los Angeles medical examiner, on Quincy, M.E..  In real life, he was a very colourful and vibrant individual.

The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Jack was born Jacob Joachim Klugman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 1922.  His father, Max Klugman, worked as a house painter and his mother, Rose, made hats.  He had five siblings.  His older brother, Maurice (born July 13, 1914), was a producer who died in 1981 and his sister Deborah is a writer known for her work on Quincy, M.E.

Jack became active in theatre while attending The Carnegie Institute of Technology. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he returned to the stage, performing in summer stock and off-Broadway productions. He made his first Broadway appearance in a 1952 revival of Golden Boy.  He later became involved in film and television work.

Jack portrayed one of the jurors in the classic 1957 film, 12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet. In the murder trial drama, he played Juror #5, a modest man from the wrong side of the tracks.who prefers not to talk about his background.  However, when the defendant's poor neighbourhood is cited as evidence of his guilt, Jack's character finally lets his voice be heard.  It is interesting to note that at the time of Klugman's death, he was the last surviving member of a cast that included Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb.

Jack Klugman in 12 Angry Men

During the 1960s, Jack Klugman was a guest star on a number of television shows, most notably The Twilight Zone and The Defenders.  As a big fan of The Twilight Zone, I would be remiss not to mention that Klugman appeared in four episodes of the Rod Serling series between 1960 and 1963.  The four episodes are "A Passage for Trumpet" (Season 1, Episode 32, Air Date: May 20, 1960), "A Game of Pool" (Season 3, Episode 5, Air Date: October 13, 1961), "Death Ship" (Season 4, Episode 6, Air Date: February 7, 1963) and "In Praise of Pip" (Season 5, Episode 1, Air Date: September 27, 1963).

I am particularly impressed by Jack's performance in "Passage for Trumpet" in which he portrayed Joey Crown, a down-and-out trumpet player.  After stepping into the path of a speeding truck, Joey awakens to find he himself in a world of dead people where he and another trumpet player, Gabe (the Angel Gabriel played by John Anderson), appear to be the only living beings.  To watch a video clip of Jack Klugman in "Passage for Trumpet.," click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx4VBRTvMuY

From 1961 to 1964, Klugman had a role in three episodes of the legal drama, The Defenders. In 1964, he won a prime time Emmy Award for his guest appearance on an episode of the series entitled "The Blacklist." (Season 3, Episode 16, Air Date: January 18, 1964).  In "The Blacklist," Jack played the role of Joe Larch, a character actor who was blacklisted in the 1950s and is unable to find work in films.

In 1970, Jack was catapulted to stardom when he was cast in the television adaptation of Neil Simon's hit play, The Odd Couple, a comedy about two divorced men who share a New York apartment.  Although Walter Mathau had played the role of Oscar Madiison in the 1968 film version, it was Jack who portrayed the slovenly sportswriter on Broadway.  With Tony Randall co-starring as fastidious photographer Felix Unger, the small screen version of The Odd Couple was a resounding hit. Television audiences enjoyed watching the weekly trials of Oscar the slob and Felix the neat freak.  The on screen chemistry between old pros Klugman and Randall was a major reason for the show's success.

Klugman and Randall in The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple aired on the ABC television network for five seasons from 1970 until 1975.  114 episodes of the series were produced and it concluded neatly with the reconciliation of Felix Unger and his ex-wife, Gloria, played by Janis Hansen.  In the final episode, Felix leaves the apartment to remarry Gloria and Oscar revels in his freedom to be as messy as he pleases.

Jack Klugman enjoyed a second major hit series with Qunincy, M.E..  In a departure from comedy, he took on the role of Dr. Quincy, a man who relinquished a prosperous private medical practice to become a "medical examiner" for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office (hence the initials "M.E.").  Dr. Quincy's knowledge of forensic medicine resulted in him questioning so-called normal deaths and concluding that they were actually homicides.  Thus, he evolved  into more of a detective than a pathologist.  Trivia Note:  Quincy's first name was never disclosed.  In a third season episode entitled "Accomplice to Murder," however, his business card read "Dr. R. Quincy."  When asked, Klugman would joke that Quincy's first name was "Doctor."

Qunicy M.E. debuted in 1976 as one of four rotating shows in the 1976-1977 season of NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (the other 90-minute shows were Columbo, McCloud and McMillan.   It  proved so popular that NBC decided to turn it into a one hour weekly series and  moved it to its own spot on Friday nights.  The successful series ran for seven seasons and ended in 1983 after 148 episodes.


Between 1986 and 1987, Jack starred in a comedy called You Again? with a young John Stamos.  He played Henry Willows, a long divorced supermarket manager whose life is turned upside down when his 17-year-old son , Matt (Stamos), unexpectedly comes to live with him.  The show, based on a British series called Home to Roost, was short lived.  Only 26 episodes were produced.

Stamos and Klugman in You Again?

Jack, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1974.  Of his smoking, Klugman remarked, "I saw John Garfield smoke.  He was my idol.  I even smoked like him."  In 1996, he said that the "only really stupid thing I ever did in my life was to start smoking."  After his cancer returned in the 1980s, Jack lost a vocal chord and he was left with a raspy voice.  It was Tony Randall who encouraged him to continue acting.

In 1953, Jack married Canadian-born actress and comedienne Brett Somers.  The couple had two sons, David Somers Klugman (born February 20, 1959) and Adam Somers Klugman (born July 11, 1963).  Klugman and Somers separated in 1974 but never formerly divorced.  They remained married until Somers' death from cancer on September 15, 2007.  She was 83.  Bret Somers was best known as a celebrity panelist on the 1970s game show The Match Game.  She also had a recurring role on The Odd Couple as Blanche, Oscar Madison's ex-wife.

Adam Klugman

Adam Klugman, now 49, is a media strategist and a campaign consultant.  A self-proclaimed liberal, is the former host of a three hour radio program called Mad as Hell in America on KPOJ 620 in Portland, Oregon.  In November of 2012, the station changed from a progressive talk format to a sports talk format affiliated with Fox Sports Radio.  Adam had a cameo role in two 1974 episodes of  The Odd Couple in which he portrayed Oscar Madison as a child.

On May 17, 2004, Tony Randall, died in his sleep after contracting pneumonia. He was 84 at the time of his death and had undergone triple heart bypass surgery the previous December.   Although their television characters had many disagreements, Jack and Tony were good friends off screen. Jack even wrote a book, Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship (2005, Goodhill Press), detailing their relationship.  At the time of Tony's passing, Jack told CNN that "A world without Tony Randall is a world that I cannot recognize."

In the late 1980s, Jack Klugman began living with actress Peggy Crosby, ex-wife of Bing Crosby's son Phillip.  The two wed on February 2, 2008 at The Little Brown Church in Studio City, California.  Jack was 85 and his bride was 67 years old. According to the website 1WeddingSource.com., "The wedding ceremony was small with just a few close friends and family members.  Everyone was delighted to see the steady couple tie the knot.  Crosby wore a simple white gown with matching jacket, while Klugman went all out in a black tuxedo and white tie."  To view their wedding photo, click on the link below.

http://www.1weddingsource.com/content/jack-klugman-peggy-crosby-66/


After a period of declining health, Jack Klugman died at his home in Woodland Hills, California.  In the words of his son Adam,  the actor "had a great life and he enjoyed every moment of it, and he would encourage others to do the same."  He is survived by his widow Peggy, his two sons, David and Adam and two grandchildren.

To watch a video tribute to Jack Klugman, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeUznyqJd0c

END NOTE:

Jack Klugman was an avid thoroughbred horse racing fan.  He eventually owned and bred his own horses.  at a horse farm in Temecula, California.  One of his racehorses, Jacklin Klugman, finished third in the 1980 Kentucky Derby.

- Joanne

Grinch TV Special Quiz

TV BANTER QUIZ #14

With all due respect to Jim Carrey, I much prefer the animated television version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.  Dr. Seuss' story is better suited to television than a full length feature film.  How can you improve on the words of Theodore Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss) and the animation of the great Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies fame?   They just can't be beat.  If you are an ardent fan of this wonderful seasonal special, as I am, try TV Banter's How the Grinch Stole Christmas TV special quiz below.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! TV Special Quiz


1.  In what year was How the Grinch Stole Christmas! originally shown on television?

A. 1967

B. 1965

C. 1963

D. 1966

E.  1964



2,  Who provided the voice of the Grinch and narrated the story?

A,  James Earl Jones

B.  Vincent Price

C.  Boris Karloff

D.  Allastair Sim

E.  Albert Finney



3.  What is the name of the Grinch's dog?

A.  Max

B.  Mort

C.  Milt

D.  Myron

E.  Mack




4.  The Grinch lives in a cave above a fictional mountain atop Who-ville.  What is the name of the fictional mountain where the Grinch resides?

A.  Mount Rumple

B.  Mount Whoople

C.  Mount Crumble

D.  Mount Rumble

E.  Mount Crumpit



5.  What was the name of the little 2-year-old Who child who caught the Grinch stealing the Christmas items?

A.   Jenny Lou Who

B.  Maggie Sue Who

C.  Cindy Lou Who

D.  Mary Lou Who

E. Emma Sue Who



6. What song did the Who Village Choir sing?

A.  Silver Bells

B. Christmastime

C.  The Bells of Christmas

D.  Welcome Christmas

E.  Christmas Morn

7.  How small is the Grinch's heart at the beginning of the story?

A.  Four sizes too small

B.  Two sizes too small

C.  Three sizes too small

D.  As small as an an ant

E.  Barely visible

8.  How is the Grinch's heart described at the end of the story?

A.  The Grinch's heart grew three sizes on Christmas Day.

B.  The Grinch's heart increased five-fold that day.

C.  The Grinch's heart became as large as a lion's that day.

D.  The Grinch's heart grew two sizes that day.

E.  The Grinch's heart kept on growing that day.

9.  In what year was the Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! published?

A.  1952

B.  1954

C.  1955

D.  1951

E.  1957

10.  What did the Grinch dislike the most about Christmas?

A.  The ornaments on the Christmas trees.

B.  The laughing of the children

C.  The singing of the Whos down in Who-ville

D.  The children's toys.

E.  The Christmas stockings.

ANSWERS

1.  D

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! first aired on December 18, 1966 on the CBS network.


2.  C

Boris Karloff

British horror film star, Boris Karloff, provided the voice of the Grinch.  Karloff, whose real name was William Henry Pratt, died on February 2, 1969 after contracting peneumonia.  He was 81 years old at the time of his death.  Karloff won a Grammy Award for his recording of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.


3.  A

The name of the Grinch's dog is Max.  Max is a dachshund mix.  The poor dog remains loyal to his dastardly owner and reluctantly becomes the Green One's partner in crime.  The Grinch humiliates Max by forcing him to wear false antlers and to pull an overloaded sleigh.  Yet Max never rebels.


4.  E

The Grinch lives atop Mount Crumpit., a mountain just north of Who-ville.  He's a strange, slimey, green creature.  He is part human and part animal.



5.  C

Cindy Lou Who

The 2-year-old girl is Cindy Lou Who.  Veteran voice artist June Foray provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who. Foray, now 95 years old, was also the voice behind Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale (from Rocky and His Friends and Bulwinkle cartoons) and Jokey Smurf (from The Smurfs), among others.


6.  D

The Who Choir sings "Welcome Christmas."  To watch a video of the Whos singing "Welcome Christmas," click on the link below.

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

7.  B

At the beginning of the story, the Grinch's heart is two sizes too small.

8.  A.

The Grinch's heart grows three sizes on Christmas Day.

9.  E

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was published as a book in 1957 by Random House.

10.  C

At Christmas, The Grinch disliked the singing of the Whos down in Who-ville most of all.

END NOTE

The performance of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is often falsely attributed to Boris Karloff.  It was actually sung by American voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft who was uncredited for his work on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.  By the way, Ravenscroft was the voice of Tony the Tiger in all those "Thery're grrreat!" Frosted Flakes commercials.  He died in 2005.


- Joanne