Don't confuse KIRSTEN Nelson with KRISTIN Harmon Nelson

Kirsten Nelson

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

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

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

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

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

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


- Joanne

Perry Mason Quiz

TV BANTER QUIZ #11

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

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

A.  Paul Lawson

B.  Richard Hamilton

C.  Hamilton Burger

D.  Thomas Burger

E.  Lawson Reed


2.  What year did Perry Mason begin its run?

A.  1956

B.  1957

C.  1959

D.  1955

E.  1960


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

A.  The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece

B.  The Case of the Drowning Duck

C.  The Case of the Sulky Girl

D.  The Case of the Restless Redhead

E.  The Case of the Runaway Corpse


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

A.  Bette Davis

B.  Loretta Young

C.  Debbie Reynolds

D.  Lauren Bacall

E.  Jane Fonda


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

A.  Barbara Bel Geddes

B.  June Lockhart

C.  Barbara Hale

D.  Marjorie Lord

E.  Abby Dalton


6.  In which city did Perry Mason take place?

A.  New York City

B.  San Francisco, California

C.  Boston, Massachusetts

D.  San Diego, California

E.  Los Angeles, California


7.  Who played private investigator Paul Drake

A.  Robert Culp

B.  William Hopper

C.  Peter Graves

D.  James Garner

E.  Brian Keith


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

A.  Sweet Della

B.  Dandy Della

C.  Beautiful

D.  Strawberry

E.  Indispensable


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

A.  No, they were all filmed in colour.

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

C.  Only the final season was filmed in colour.

D.  The final two seasons were filmed in colour.

E.  Only one episode was filmed in colour.


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

A.  It was the final episode of the series.

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


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

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

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


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

A.  Courtroom Melody

B.  This is the Law

C.  Park Avenue Beat

D.  Lawyer's Theme

E.  Fifth Avenue Melody


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

A.  Lieutenant Harry Craig

B.  Lieutenant David Scott

C.  Lieutenant James Ross

D.  Lieutenant Arthur Tragg

E.  Lieutenant Alfred Saunders



ANSWERS

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

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

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

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

4.  A

Bette Davis as Constant Doyle

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

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

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

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

8.  C

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

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

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

10.  A

Gardner in 1966

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

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

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

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

END NOTES

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

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

Here is what CNN research found:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Joanne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ober

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

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

END NOTES

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

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

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


- Joanne

Goodbye, Little Mosque on the Prairie

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

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

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

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

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


END NOTE  

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

- Joanne

Captain and Tennille: Yes, they're still together - but The Captain is ailing

You remember Captain and Tennille, don't you?   He was extremely taciturn, barely said a word.  She was perky and talkative. They had some big pop hits back in the 1970s, the biggest being "Love Will Keep Us Together," a Grammy-winning song composed by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield.

"The Captain," also known as Daryl Dragon, was born in Los Angeles, California on August 27, 1942.  His renowned father, the late Carmen Dragon, was the conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Symphony.  Daryl, a well-trained musician, is a master of all types of keyboard instruments.  He toured with The Beach Boys in the early 1970s as a keyboardist for the band.  It was Mike Love of The Beach Boys who nicknamed him "Captain Keyboard" because he always wore a nautical captain's hat on stage.

A shy man, Daryl struggled to overcome his shyness with the help of a drama coach.  His bug-eyed expression gives the impression that he is afraid and perplexed.  The truth is that he suffers from a congenital disorder and often wears sunglasses.

Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille is a Southern belle, born in Montgomery, Alabama on May 8, 1940.  She came from a family of entertainers.  Her father, Frank Tennille, was a big band singer with Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats.  His stage name was Clark Randall.  Toni's mother, Cathryn Tenille, hosted Montgomery's first daytime TV talk show.  Her three younger sisters, Jane, Louisa and Melissa, are also singers.  They sang on The Captain and Tenille's television variety show as well as on their recordings.    

Toni studied classical piano and attended Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama where she sang with Auburn's big band, the Auburn Knights, as did her father  A tall woman with a rich contralto voice, she also sang backup vocals on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." 

In June of 1962, at the age of 22, Toni wed her first husband, onetime rock drummer Kenneth Shearer.  The marriage was troubled from the start but they did not officially divorce until 1972.  Of Shearer, Tennille told People magazine in 1976 that he "is and was a lovely man.  But we both knew it was wrong almost from the first."  She regrets that she did not "shop around" more before marrying him.

Toni first met Daryl Dragon in San Francisco in the summer of 1971.  She was performing in Mother Earth, an ecology-based musical she had written and Daryl auditioned for her as a keyboardist.  She hired him immediately because, as she put it, "he made me laugh."  To reciprocate, Daryl later suggested that Toni be an additional keyboardist for the next Beach Boys tour.  She was hired, giving her the distinction of being the only "Beach Girl."

Toni and Daryl married on November 11, 1975 at the Silver Queen Wedding Chapel in Virginia City, Nevada.  The husband and wife team headlined their own hour-long musical/variety show in 1976-1977 and ABC hoped that they might become another Sonny and Cher.  It didn't quite work out that way.  Despite its popularity, their series, The Captain and Tennille, was short-lived.  Only 20 episodes of the show were ever made and Dick Clark produced the final eight episodes. 

The Captain and Tennille's ratings were good enough to continue into a second season, no easy feat considering the competition.  The show aired at the same time as NBC's formidable Little House on the Prairie and two CBS comedies, Rhoda and Phyllis.  Toni and Daryl, nevertheless, chose not to continue with the series.  They opted to focus on their music and their concert tours instead of renewing their contract.

The couple did, however, star in three well-received follow-up specials on ABC-TV, two in the spring of 1978 ("Captain and Tennille in New Orleans" and "Captain and Tennille in Hawaii") and another in 1979 ("Captain and Tennille: Songbook"). 

The duo's final network special, "Captain and Tennille: Songbook," aired on March 26, 1979.  It contains no comedy skits, just the musical artistry of country star Glen Campbell, jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald and blues icon B.B. King.  One of the highlights of the special is Ella and Toni's medley of torch songs.  To watch Toni's torch song medley with Ella Fitzgerald, click on the lick below.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8673446071316782697

Toni Tennille hosted her own nationally syndicated television talk show in 1980.  Performers on the Toni Tennille Variety Talk Show included Dusty Springfield, Kiki Dee, The Lettermen, Rita Coolidge, The Temptations, The Spinners and Teddy Pendergrass.  Sometimes Toni joined her guests in their songs.  All musical numbers were accompanied by Tennille's seven piece band and her three sisters sang background vocals.  Toni and The Captain performed many of their hits and Toni interviewed an array of popular entertainers including Jaclyn Smith, Lily Tomlin and Viki Carr. 

To watch Toni Tennille's interview with Daryl Dragon on her 1980 talk show, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SG&hl=en-GB&v=hlnvs0uGQRY


In 2007, Toni and Daryl purchased some land in Prescott, Arizona, built a home, and settled there.  On November 11, 2010, they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.  Sadly, however, Daryl, 69, is battling a debilitating health problem and it has hampered his ability as a musician.  His condition was first thought to be a mild form of Parkinson's disease.  In September of 2010, however, Toni Tennille announced that her husband's illness was actually "a neurological condition that causes him to have tremors." 

Editor's Update (January 23, 2014):  After more than 38 years of marriage, Toni Tennille, 73, filed for divorce from Daryl Dragon, 71, on January 16, 2014 in Yavapai County Superior Court.  A shocked Daryl said he had no idea why she filed.  He told TMZ that "I gotta figure it out for myself first."

The petition for divorce states, "The parties' marriage is irretrievably broken, (and) there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation."


Editor's Update (April 18, 2016):  According to an Associated Press story by Mike Cidoni Lennox, Toni Tenille reveals in her book Toni Tenille: A Memoir that her marriage to Daryl Dragon was a flop.  In a phone call from her home near Orlando, Florida, Toni, now 75, told Lennox that she "never felt loved by him.  "He just did not seem able to do that."  

Toni stated that the Captain's behaviour became increasingly "eccentric" and that he isolated himself in his bedroom.  She stayed with him because "I didn't want to let the fans down." She lamented that "it's sad to me when I think of what Daryl could have been - what more he could have contributed."

Daryl, 73, who still resides in Prescott, Arizona, receives full-time care at home.  He refused a request for an interview.  (Toni said that his illness is not life-threatening).


Editor's Update: (April 25, 2016): There is an excellent recent Skype interview with Toni Tenille.  She is interviewed by Bob Andelman.  You can watch the interview on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS1HwYvwTE8

Editor's Update: Daryl Dragon died on January 2, 2019 in Prescott, Arizona from kidney failure.  He was 76 at the time of his passing and Toni Tenille was at his side.

- Joanne

Clint Eastwood on Television

Clint Eastwood (left) in Rawhide

Although Clint Eastwood is widely known as a movie star and film director, he made his career breakthrough on television.  Born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, California, Eastwood was not far from his 30th birthday when he was cast as Rowdy Yates in the hour-long CBS western series Rawhide. 

Filming for the series began in Arizona in the summer of 1958 and Rawhide aired on CBS until 1965.  During those years, Eastwood's schedule was gruelling.  He often worked 12-hour days, six days a week.  Although the show failed to win a Emmy, it was highly acclaimed and popular with television audience for several years.

Rawhide chronicled the adventures of cattlemen as they travelled across the United States.  Eric Fleming played the role of Gil Favor, the trail boss and chief cattle drive organizer.  Eastwood's Rowdy Yates was his right-hand-man and second-in-command of the operation. 

By late 1963, Rawhide's popularity was on the wane, but the show was not cancelled until the middle of the 1965-1966 television season.  It's interesting to note that Clint was the only member of the cast to appear in all 217 episodes of the series. 

Clint Eastwood's television career began modestly in 1955 when he portrayed an orderly in a TV movie called Allen in Movieland.  Allen in Movieland was a comedy/musical in which stars such as Steve Allen and Tony Curtis played themselves. 

In 1956, Eastwood was cast in some minor television roles.  He was a quick-tempered army officer in a segment of ABC's Reader's Digest series called "Cochise, Greatest of the Apaches" and he played Joe Keeley, a motorcycle gang member on a Highway Patrol episode. 

Clint portrayed a cadet in a 1957 episode of the military anthology West Point called "White Fury."  That same year, he took on the role of a suicidal gold prospector named John Lucas in "The Last Letter," a segment of the long-running western anthology, Death Valley Days. 

Eastwood made a brief appearance in yet another western series in 1957.  According to Patrick McGilligan in his unauthorized biography, Clint: The Life and Legend, Eastwood "can be spotted, fleetingly," in an episode of Wagon Train.  In the filmography at the end of the book, McGilligan names the episode as "The Charles Avery Story."

In 1958, Clint Eastwood played a Navy lieutenant in an episode of Navy Log, a military anthology that reenacted true incidents that had happened to U.S. Navy personnel.  The segment was entitled "The Lonely Watch."

In early 1959, Eastwood made a memorable guest appearance on Maverick, a western series with a humorous bent, starring James Garner.  In the episode, Clint portrayed a cowardly and cold-blooded villain named Red Hardigan.  Hardigan is determined to marry the daughter of Bret Maverick's (Garner) friend for her money.  The episode, "Duel at Sundown" aired on February 1, 1959 (Season 2, Episode 19).

Clint Eastwood (left) with Alan Young and Mr. Ed

During his Rawhide days, Clint Eastwood also appeared in an episode of Mr. Ed, the then-popular sitcom about a talking horse.  The episode was entitled "Clint Eastwood Meets Mr. Ed" (Season 2, Episode 25).  It aired on CBS on April 22, 1962. 

Eastwood portrayed himself in the episode, a change from his usual cowboy roles.  The plot revolves around the problems Clint faces when he moves into Wilbur Post's (Mr. Ed's owner, play by Alan Young) neighbourhood.  Mr. Ed sets up a party line with Clint's house, causing great frustration for Mr. Eastwood. 

 To watch "Clint Eastwood Meets Mr. Ed," click on the links below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGdxxMECZz4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-XZ51yAvEQ

To listen to an interview with Alan Young about Clint Eastwood's appearance on Mr. Ed, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpIaNCXz1M8

Now at the age of 81, Clint Eastwood remains active in filmmaking, though his work is frequently behind the camera.  He recently directed Leonardo Di Caprio in his role as FBI strongman J. Edgar Hoover in the film J. Edgar.  Yet, without the success of Rawhide back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, his iconic film career may never have happened.  


ENDNOTE

It has just been announced that Clint Eastwood's family will star in a reality show called Mrs. Eastwood & Company.  The show will air on E! and it will focus primarily on Clint's wife, Dina Eastwood, and two teenage daughters, Francesca, 18, and Morgan, 15.  Francesca's birth mother is actress Frances Fisher, but she refers to Dina as "Mom." 

Clint will only make guest appearances on Mrs. Eastwood & Company.  The series will showcase Dina's pet project.  She manages an a cappella group called Overtone.


- Joanne

My Remembrance of Davy Jones

There were certain indelible images we had of The Monkees, and that was Mike's cap, Mickey's goofy looks and Davy's cuteness.  Of all of them, Davy's character was the softest.  He was the nice guy, the crowd pleaser.

- Phil Gallo, senior correspondent of Billboard magazine.


Well, I've just learned that Davy Jones of The Monkees died in Indiantown, Florida at the age of 66.  The former teen idol apparently suffered a massive heart attack and passed away unexpectedly at his Florida ranch. 

I feel a great sense of sadness and nostalgia.  It's as if a part of my childhood has vanished.  The truth is that I had a big crush on Davy when I was a 10-year-old in Grade 5.  I would listen dreamily as he sang "I Wanna Be Free."  I hung up magazine posters of Davy and the other Monkees all over the walls of our playroom and I never missed an episode of their television series.

My brother was not impressed with my fondness for The Monkees and he chided me for it.  He insisted that The Beatles were far more talented and that I was wasting my time.  Of course my brother was right about the superiority of Beatles' music.  Of course there is no comparison between the two groups.  It's just that he had absolutely no understanding of how cute I thought Davy was and how captivated I was by his English charm. 

A native of Manchester, England, David Thomas Jones was born on December 30, 1945.  Young Davy appeared in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street in 1961.  At the age of 15, he portrayed Colin Lomax, the grandson of Ena Sharples, on the soap.

The diminutive Jones later became an apprentice jockey in Newcastle, but abandoned his plans to be a rider in order to perform in the theatre.  He eventually made a name for himself by portraying The Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver!.

Davy Jones achieved stardom when The Monkees debuted on NBC on September 12, 1966  Inspired by The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, it was a fast-paced, youth-oriented progam.  Jones, along with his co-stars Mickey Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork, portrayed a rock quartet who became involved in all kinds of madcap adventures and pranks.  The show's original popularity did not last long and the series left the air in 1968 after two seasons.

Davy Jones was married three times and divorced twice. He is survived by his third wife, Jessica Pacheco, a presenter on the American Spanish-language network Telemundo, and his four daughters.  He leaves two daughters from his first marriage to Linda Haines: Talia Elizabeth (born October 2, 1968) and Sarah Lee (born July 3, 1971) and two daughters from his second marriage to Anita Pollinger: Jessica Lillian (born September 4, 1981) and Annabel Charlotte (born June 26, 1988). 

- Joanne