Gabe Kaplan and the Welcome Back, Kotter Cast

Welcome back, Your dreams were your ticket out. 
Welcome back, To that same old place that you laughed about. 
Well the names have all changed since you hung around, But those dreams have remained and they're turned around. 
Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (Who'd have thought they'd lead ya) Here where we need ya (Here where we need ya) 
Yeah we tease him a lot cause we've hot him on the spot, welcome back, Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

- Lyrics to the theme from Welcome Back, Kotter by John Sebastian        

During the 1970s, the catchy theme song from Welcome Back, Kotter (composed and recorded by John Sebastian of Lovin' Spoonful fame) was heard frequently on American television and on the radio.  It was Gabe Kaplan, along with fellow Brooklyn native Alan Sacks, who created the situation comedy about a teacher who returns to teach at the same high school he had attended as a student a decade ago.  Kaplan, of course, played the wise-cracking teacher, Gabe  Kotter.  The series was based on Kaplan's experiences as a student in a remedial class at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. It ran for four seasons on the ABC network, from September 9 1975 until June 8, 1979.  95 episodes were produced.

Gabriel "Gabe" Kaplan was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 31, 1944, the son of Charles and Dorothy Kaplan (Dorothy died on December 23, 2000 at the age of 85).  Since boyhood, Gabe aspired to be a Major League baseball player.  Although good enough to be invited to the training camp of the San Francisco Giants in Florida,  young Kaplan failed to make the roster of any minor league team.  He eventually found employment as a bellman at a New Jersey hotel where he watched comedians perform.  After deciding to become a stand-up comic himself, he developed a routine based on his childhood experiences in Brooklyn.  During the early 1960s, he honed his skills at nightclubs and coffee houses in New York City and then later toured the United States with his act.

Kaplan's tour succeeded in getting him public recognition and the attention of talk show host Johnny Carson.   The up-and-coming comedian  get his big break when he made five appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during the early 1970s.  He performed on other talk shows such as The Merv Griffin Show and by the mid-1970s, he was the star of his own hit television series, Welcome Back, Kotter. Kaplan's character, teacher Gabe Kotter, sometimes regaled his students with corny jokes beginning with ""Did I ever telll you about my Uncle So-So?" and also with Groucho Marx impressions.   In those days, Kaplan resembled Groucho somewhat with his dark curly hair and his prominent moustache.

Mr. Kotter taught a remedial class at James Buchanan High School, a fictitious school located in the Bensonhurst section of central Brooklyn (The front and back views of Kaplan's actual alma mater, New Utrecht High School), are shown in the opening sequences of the show).  Kotter's students included a motley crew of misfits known as the "Sweathogs" (He was once a Sweathog himself).  This group of underachievers was led by the sardonic Vincent "Vinnie" Barabino, played by a young John Travolta who was only 21 when Welcome Back, Kotter premiered.  Travolta remained with the show even after becoming a major film star with the release of Carrie in 1976, Saturday Night Fever in 1977 and Grease in 1978, although by 1978 his Vinnie Barbaino character was only seen sporadically.  Barbarino was a cool, tough Italian-American whose favourite catchphrase was "Up your nose with a rubber hose!."

John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino

The three other major Sweathogs were a hip African-American named Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), the dim-witted Arnold Horshack  (Ron Palillo) and Juan Epstein, a proud Puerto Rican Jew (Robert Hegyes).  Kotter's wife, Julie, was played by Marcia Strassman.  At the end of the 1976-1977 season, Julie becomes pregnant.  At the start of the next season, in the fall of 1977, she gives birth to twins, Rachel and Robin Kotter.  By the fourth and final season of the show in 1978 -1979, the Sweathogs were well into their 20s and not too believable as high school students.  Travolta, the youngest of the group at 25, was a superstar with a blossoming film career.

Kotter and Sweathogs - L to R - Travolta, Pallilo, Hegyes and Hilton-Jacobs

After Welcome Back, Kotter left the air in 1979, Gabe Kaplan returned to his stand-up comedy routine, performing in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.  He also appeared in three feature films: Fast Break (1979), Tulips (1981) and Nobody's Perfekt (1981). In addition, he portrayed Groucho Marx in Groucho, a touring stage show.based on the life of the flamboyant comedian.  Of his performance as Marx, Kaplan told the Milwaukee Sentinel,. "I am not trying to play the stage Groucho.  I am trying to do the person he was in real life."  Grooucho was later filmed as an HBO special.

In 1981, Gabe returned to weekly television in a short-lived situation comedy on NBC called Lewis & Clark. He created the series in which he starred as Stewart Lewis, a native New Yorker who decides to pursue his dream of owning a country and western club.  Stu and his family - wife Alicia (Ilene Graff) and two children - move to the sleepy Texas town of Luckenback where Stu opens the Nassau County Cafe, named after the New York suburb he left behind.  The club is managed by a smiley hick named Roscoe Clark, played by Guick Koock.

Lewis & Clark was cancelled due to low ratings and only 13 episodes of the series were produced.  The last episode was broadcast on July 30, 1982.  It is interesting to note that two former Sweathogs, Robert Hegyes and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, reunited  with Gabe Kaplan as guest stars in an episode of Lewis & Clark entitled "The Uptight End" (Season 1, Episode 5, Air Date: December 12, 1981).

In a 1984 episode of  Murder, She Wrote, the popular mystery series starring Angela Lansbury, Kaplan played the role of nightclub entertainer Freddy York.  The episode is entitled "Birds of a Feather" (Season 1, Episode 2, Air Date: October 14, 1984).

Among his many  talents, Gabe Kaplan is an expert poker player.  In 1978, he made his first appearance at the World Series of Poker.  Since then, he has been a contestant in numerous poker tournaments and has won a considerable amount of money.   Gabe has commentated at live poker events and on televised poker programs such as the National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC.   He has also served as co-host and joint commentator along with A.J. Benza on High Stakes Poker on GSN.  In January of 2011, however, GSN replaced him as co-host with another stand-up comedian, Canadian Norm Macdonald.

Kaplan playing poker

END NOTES

* Five days from now, on March 31st, Gabriel Kaplan will celebrate his 69th birthday.

* Ron Palillo, who played nerdy Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter, died of a heart attack in Florida on August 14, 2012.  He was 63 years old at the time of his passing.

* Robert Hegyes, who portrayed Juan Epstein, died of cardiac arrest in Edison, New Jersey on January 26, 2012.  He was 60 years old.

* Marcia Strassman, who portrayed Julie Kotter, went on to star opposite Rick Moranis in the 1989 Disney comedy Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  She played Diane Szalinski, the wife of Moranis' character, wacky inventor Wayne Szalinski. Strassman, now 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and has spoken out about breast cancer awareness.

Marcia Strassman in 1977

* John Sylvester White, who played Vice Principal Michael Woodman at Kotter's school, died of pancreatic cancer in Waikiki, Hawaii on September 11, 1988.  He was 68 year old.

White as Mr.. Woodman

* Gabe Kaplan has a daughter, Rachel, from a relationship with a woman whom he has not publicly identified.  Rachel was born circa 1990.  To view a 2007 photo of Rachel and her father in Las Vegas for the CineVegas film festival, click on the link below.

http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/actor-gabe-kaplan-and-his-daughter-rachel-kaplan-arrive-at-news-photo/74435731?Language=en-US

To watch a video of Rachel Kaplan's first try doing stand-up comedy in 2010, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7WmD82E-dE

* Other alumni from Gabe Kaplan's Brooklyn high school, New Utrecht High, include Moe and Curly Howard of the Three Stooges, comedian Buddy Hackett and record and film producer David Geffin.

* Gabe was inspired by a Miss Shepard, his teacher at New Utrecht High School.

* In 1977, when Welcome Back, Kotter was at the height of its popularity, Gabe was invited to the White House to meet then-president Jimmy Carter.  When they met, Carter said, "Mr. Kaplan, nice to meet you.  And when you go back to California, say hello to the Groundhogs."

* In 1976, Gabe Kaplan was the captain of the ABC team in The Battle of the Network Stars. He outraced NBC captain Robert Conrad of The Wild Wild West in a showdown sprint to the finish to determine the final winner.  Hosted by Howard Cosell, it is vintage 1970s television.  To watch a video of The Battle of the Nework Stars 1976, click on the link below.

http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.ca/2011/02/1976-battle-of-network-stars-conrad-vs.html

* Gabe Kaplan is the author of a book entitled Kotter's Back: E-mails from a Faded Celebrity to a Bewildered World.  The book is a humorous collection of correspondence reacting to Kaplan's prank e-mail campaign.  It was published in 2007.

* For one week in May of 1976, John Sebastian's recording of the theme from Welcome Back, Kotter topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  To watch a video of the opening theme from Welcome Back, Kotter, click on the link below. (It provides a good view of Brooklyn in the 1970s.  Watch for New Utrecht High School.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VlGyMG0ksg

- Joanne

Marcia Wallace: Bob Newhart's Carol is a Survivor

I've been watching a DVD of the first season of The Bob Newhart Show.  In one of the episodes "The Crash of 29 Years," Bob's receptionist, Carol Kester (later Carol Kester Bondurant), leaves her job because she feels unfulfilled.  At the age of 29, Carol finds herself in a rut, fearing that she will never achieve more in her life than being a receptionist. After viewing the episode, I became curious about Marcia Wallace, the actor who portrayed Carol, and decided to do some research about her. I soon discovered that she is a very funny lady who has overcome a great deal of adversity in her life.

Marcia Karen Wallace was born in Creston, Iowa on November 1, 1942, the eldest of the three children of Arthur "Poke" Wallace and his wife Joann.  Poke owned and operated a general store in Creston where Marcia and her sister Sharon and brother Jim would frequently assist their father.  Marcia's childhood was a difficult one in which she had to deal with her dad's alcoholism (Poke Wallace went on drinking binges) and physical abuse.  In an article in in the 2006 Summer issue of Diane: The Curves Magazine, her father is described as not quite being able to control  his temper.  Wallace herself is quoted as saying that she had "fractious relationships" with both of her parents and that her mother "really didn't like me all that much."

Weight problems have plagued Marcia all her life and she has been bulimic. The carrot-topped comedienne has stated that "food is her drug of choice."  She told The Curves Magazine that during her youth, she felt "more than lonely" and thought she was the "ugliest, fattest kid around."  Due to her low self-esteem, she developed a self-deprecating form of humour.  She made faces and learned to poke fun at herself before others did.

Marcia attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, majoring in English and Theatre. At Parsons, she performed in productions such as Brigadoon and The Music Man. Soon after graduation, the aspiring actor  headed for New York.  While in the Big Apple, Marcia took various jobs to make to earn a living.  She did commercials, typed scripts, performed in summer stock and was a substitute English teacher in the Bronx.  She began her stage career with the improv troupe The Fourth Wall and in off-Broadway plays during the late 1960s.

Due to her imrov work, Wallace eventually  became a semi-regular on The Merv Griffin Show, appearing on Griffin's New York talk show numerous times. In 1970, when the show moved to the west coast, Merv asked her to relocated to Hollywood with him.  Once in Tinseltown, she won minor roles in two very popular sitcoms.  She appeared as Betty on a 1971 episode of Bewitched (Season  7, Episode 27, Air Date: April 15, 1971) entitled "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" and in two 1971 episodes of The Brady Bunch, "Will the Real Jan Brady Stand Up?" (in which she played a saleswoman) and "Getting Davy Jones." (in which she played Mrs. Robbins).  That same year, she also appeared in two cameo roles on the detective series Columbo in episodes entitled "Lady in Waiting" and "Murder by the Book."

Marcia finally got her big break, however, as a result of her association with The Merv Griffin Show.  Her appearance on a March 1972 Griffin show greatly impressed CBS founder William Paley.  At Paley's request, television producer Grant Tinker phoned her and offered her a supporting role on Bob Newhart's new sitcom as Bob's chatty receptionist, Carol Kester.

The Bob Newhart Show debuted in 1972 and became a hit with audiences.  Set in Chicago, the series featured Newhart as psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley and the late Suzanne Pleshette as his school teacher wife, Emily.  Dr. Hartley shared his office suite with an orthodontist, Dr. Jerry Robinson, played by Peter Bonerz. The Hartleys also had a friendly next-door-neighbour, airline navigator Howard Borden, who was portrayed by Bill Daily.  Below is a photo of the Bob Newhart show cast:  (Back row (left to right - Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace and Peter Bonerz.  Bottom Row - Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette).

Viewers identified with Marcia's character, the red-haired, lovelorn receptionist with the toothy smile.  Carol Kester wasn't your stereotypical TV secretary.  In her Curves Magazine interview with Diane Heavin, Marcia describes her television character in this way: "She was different from from most secretaries in sitcoms.  She wasn't in love with her boss, for one.  She wasn't ditzy.  She wasn't super prim or a spinster.  And she wasn't a buxom beauty, yet she had lots of romances, which I thought was wonderful. She was a nice person, a hard worker, and an optimist, and she was really good at her job.  She also had a great sense of humour."

In a 1975 episode, "Carol's Wedding," (Season 4, Episode 6, Air Date: October 18, 1975), Carol announces her engagement to travel agent Larry Bondurant, played by Will MacKenzie (After being set up by Emily, the couple went on a blind date and Larry proposed that same night).  The office is buzzing with speculation about whether Carol will actually go through with the marriage to Larry whom she has only known for 12 hours.  By the way, Larry's nickname for nickname for Carol was "Big Red."

Bob Hartley (Newhart) congratulates Carol and Larry 

The Bob Newhart Show ended its run in 1978 after six seasons.  For the next thirty years, Marcia made numerous appearances as a game show panelist on such shows as Hollywood Squares, Match Game, To Tell the Truth, The $25,000 Pyramid and Family Feud.  She became good friends with fellow Match Game panelist Brett Somers.  Somers, who was married to Jack Klugman, died of colon and stomach cancer in 2007.

Marcia Wallace on Match Game

During the 1980s and 1990s, Marcia appeared as  a guest star on such series as Magnum P.I. (1981), Murder, She Wrote (1986), Alf  (1987), Night Court (1988), Charles in Charge (two episodes as Mrs. Dodo in 1989, 1990) and Full House (four episodes as Mrs. Carruthers (1993-1995).  Since 1990, she has had a recurring role as the voice of Edna Krabappel on the popular animated series The Simpsons. Edna is Bart Simpson's Grade 4 teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Like many of the teachers at the school, Edna is a heavy smoker.  Her catchphrase is "Ha!" and she once told Bart that she "never thought she would say this to a child but you are bad on the inside."  In 1992, Wallace received an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for her work as Edna Krabappel. .

Marcia and Edna 

From February 11, 2009 until April 30, 2009, Marcia appeared in 14 episodes of the daytime serial The Young and the Restless.  She portrayed a character named Annie Wilkes, a bumbling kidnapper who threatened wealthy industrialist Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper).

On May 18, 1986, when Marcia was 43 years old, she wed hotelier Dennis Hawley at the Buddhist Temple in Cucamonga, California.  The two had been introduced to each other by Jo Anne Worley, who was performing in a musical with Marcia at the time. Dennis was the general manager of the hotel next door and Worley set them up.  In 1985, just three days after Hawley's marriage proposal, Marcia was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She underwent a lumpectomy and radiation treatment.  The cancer never returned and Marcia became a passionate advocate for breast cancer awareness and early detection.  She gives inspirational lectures on the subject and in 2007 she received the Gilda Radner Courage Award (named after the late comedienne who died of ovarian cancer) from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute for her work in educating Americans about the disease.

Dennis and Marcia at their wedding

Wallace and her husband adopted a son, Michael "Mikey" Hawley in 1988 and they chose Brett Somers to be their child's godmother.  Sadly, Dennis succumbed to pancreatic cancer in June, 1992, leaving Marcia to raise the young boy on her own. Of her son, Marcia has said that he's funny and a great mimic.  He apparently does an imitation of his mother.

In 2004, Marcia published a memoir, Don't Look Back, We're Not Going That Way.  In her autobiography, she chronicles her battle with breast cancer, the death of her husband and her nervous breakdown.  The book's title is a quote from her father, who gave her that advice often during childhood.  Its subtitle is "How I Overcame a Rocky Childhood, a Nervous Breakdown, Breast Cancer, Widowhood, Fat, Fire & Menopausal Motherhood and Still Managed to Count My Lucky Chickens."

To watch a 2010 interview with Marcia Wallace, click on the link below.  The interviewer is Nancy Brewer, Editor of The Lamp, Delta Zeta Sorority's national magazine (Marcia is a member of Delta Zeta Sorority and was honoured as the 2010 Delta Zeta 2010 Woman of the Year at the Biennial National Convention in Tucson, Arizona.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-TTZNUXDAU     


EDITOR'S UPDATE (October 27, 2013): Marcia Wallace has died at the age of 70, Simpsons executive producer Al Jean announced yesterday.  Jean stated, "I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace.  She was beloved by all at The Simpsons.  It's "a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her." Jean said that Marcia's character, teacher Edna Krabappel, would not be replaced.  

According to TMZ, Marcia Wallace passed away on October 25, 2013 in Los Angeles.  Her son Mikey stated that his mother died due to pneumonia complications.

- Joanne

Looking for video of The Highwayman starring Lous Hayward. Can TV Banter readers help?

Lous Hayward

A reader named Terry has written to me for assistance.  He (or maybe a she) is trying to find a recording of a 30-minute 1958 television production of The Highwayman starring Louis Hayward in the title role.  Terry was advised to contact Schlitz Playhouse, but had no luck.  He now wonders if a recording of this show even exists. I suggested that he search for stores that deal with rare and vintage videos. I also sent him a link to a list of rare video and DVD dealers that I found online.

The Highwayman is the story of an 18th-century English aristocrat, James MacDonald, who becomes a highwayman at night.  A sort of Robin Hood, he seeks vigilante justice for all the wrongs perpetrated against the poor and the farmers.by landlords and government.  It was written by Anthony Haslett and directed by Robert Day.  Its lead actor, Louis Hayward, was a South-African born actor who was educated in Britain and began his career in British films.  He is particularly remembered for his portrayal of Simon Templar in the 1938 crime film, The Saint in New York.  Hayward, who died of lung cancer in 1985 at the age of 75, was once married to actress/director Ida Lupino.

Readers, I'm asking for your assistance if  you have any further information that may help Terry.  He really wants a recording of this show and is willing to pay for it.  He's been searching for a long time.  If you have any knowledge about obtaining a copy of The Highwayman, you can contact Terry by e-mail at
elelijacomes@hotmail.com.  Someone out there must know something!

- Joanne

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