The Late Great Teri Garr

Beloved star of film and television Teri Garr died on October 29 2024 at the age of 79. She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis years ago. Teri Garr had appeared in such movies as Head  (1968), Young Frankenstein (1974), and Mr. Mom (1983), and on such TV shows as Star Trek, McCloud, and Friends.

Teri Garr was born on December 11 1944 in  Los Angeles. Her father Eddie Garr had been a performer and comedian in vaudeville. Her mother had been a Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Teri Garr spent many of her early years in Lakewood, Ohio. Her father died when she was eleven, after which her family moved frequently. Eventually her mother worked in the costume department at NBC.

Teri Garr studied ballet. It was after she graduated from North Hollywood High School that she got a part in a road production of West Side Story. She studied acting at the Actors Studio in New York City, where she first met Jack Nicholson.

Teri Garr began her career primarily as a dancer. She was one of the dancers on Shindig! and also danced on its rival show Hullabaloo. She was also a dancer in the Elvis Presley movies Kissin' Cousins (1964), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Girl Happy (1965), and Clambake (1967). In the Sixties Miss Garr appeared as dancer or in bit parts in such movies as Fun in Acapulco (1963), What a Way to Go! (1964), Pajama Party (1964), T.A.M.I. (1964), Red Line 7000 (1965), and The Cool Ones (1967). She had a brief but very noticeable role in The Monkees' movie Head (1968). She appeared in the movies Changes (1969) and The Moonshine War (1970). On television she guest starred on Mr. Novak, Dr. Kildare, Where the Action Is, Batman, That Girl, The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D., Room 222, It Takes a Thief, and McCloud. Her guest appearance on Star Trek, "Assignment Earth," was a backdoor pilot for TV series that did not sell.

In the Seventies Teri Garr had regular or recurring roles on the television shows The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Ken Berry "Wow" Show, The Girl with Something Extra, and McCloud. she guest starred on the shows Banyon, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Barnaby Jones,. Paul Sands in Friends and Lovers, Cher. Maude, Hunter, and Saturday Night Live. She appeared in the movies The Conversation (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), Oh, God! (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979), The Black Stallion (1979) and Witches Brew (1980).

In the Eighties Teri Garr appeared in the movies Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), One from the Heart (1982), The Escape Artist (1982), Tootsie (1982), The Sting II (1983), The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Mr. Mom (1983), Firstborn (1984), After Hours (1985), Miracles (1986), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Out Cold (1989), Let It Ride (1989), Short Time (1990), and Waiting for the Light. She guest starred on the shows Faerie Tale Theatre, The New Show. Trying Times, Sesame Street, and      Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. In 1985 she starred in a retro music video for The Zombies' song "She's Not There."

In the Nineties Teri Garr starred on the short-lived sitcom Good & Evil. She also had a recurring role on the shows Adventures in Wonderland, Good Advice, and Women of the House. She was the voice of Mary McGinnis  on the animated series Batman Beyond. She guest starred on the shows Tales from the Crypt, Futures, Dreams On, Murphy Brown, The Larry Sanders Show, Frasier, Men Behaving Badly, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Friends, ER, and I've Got a Secret. She was a guest voice on the animated shows The Legend of Prince Valiant; Duckman; Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist; and King of the Hill. She appeared in the movies The Player (1992), Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Perfect Alibi (1995), Michael (1996), Changing Habits (1997), A Simple Wish (1997), No Money Down (1997), Casper Meets Wendy (1998), Kill the Man (1999), Dick (1999), and The Sky is Falling (2000). She reprised her role as the voice of Mary McGinnis in the animated movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000).

In the Naughts Miss Garr appeared in the movies Ghost World (2001), Life Without Dick (2002), A Taste of Jupiter (2005), Unaccompanied Minors (2006), Expired (2007), and Kabluey (2007). She guest starred on Felicity, Strong Medicine, Mad TV, Life with Bonnie, Greetings from Tucson, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Crumbs.

I have adored Teri Garr since childhood. And when I was growing up she seemed to be everywhere. I remember her from reruns of the Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth," The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and movies such as Young Frankenstein and Oh, God!. I am certainly not alone in adoring Teri Garr, as she was a beloved actress. There was an approachability about Teri Garr, a warmth about her, that naturally drew people to her.

Of course, she was also an extremely talented actress, particularly when it came to comedy. When it came to movie roles, she may be best remembered as Inga in Young Frankenstein. Inga was played as  a sex symbol although it was obvious Miss Garr was in on the joke. And while she may be best remembered as Inga, Teri Garr played many other roles that were different. She did an Oscar nominated turn as the anxious, high-strung actress Sandy in Tootsie, who has a severe case of imposter syndrome. In Mr. Mom she played Caroline Butler, who returns to the advertising industry after years of being a housewife and mother. In Witches Brew she played the wife of a professor who just happens to practise witchcraft. Teri Garr was an immensely talented actress who was always noticeable, whether in small roles such as in Head or larger role such as One from the Heart.

Happy Halloween 2024

Every year for Halloween I post vintage, holiday themed pinups, as I realize that there are those who appreciate some cheesecake along with their treats. Without further ado, here are this year's pinups.

First up is Lona Andre, who is relaxing her with her jack o' lantern.

A bevy of starlets relaxing in the hay: Barbara Britton, Ella Neal, Eva Gabor, and Kathleen Booth.

Ellen Drew is also relaxing in the hay, along with jack o' lanterns and masks.

Anne Neyland is flying on her broomstick.

And finally we have Ann Miller in colour!

Happy Halloween!

Some More Vintage Halloween Candy Ads

Today has been a busy day, so in lieu of writing a fuller post, I would leave you with a few vintage Halloween themed ads for candy. As it is, posts on vintage Halloween ads have become a bit of a custom here at A Shroud of Thoughts, as I seem to do one most years. Vintage ads for candy are particularly fitting for Halloween. The first reference to trick-or-treating is from 1927 in Canada. The custom would spread for Canada into the United States, so that by the post-war  years it was well-established in the United States. As would be expected, candy manufacturers would capitalize on the custom of trick-or-treating with Halloween-themed ads.

Below are a few Halloween candy ads.

An ad for Neco Wafers from 1951.

An ad for Baby Ruth and Butterfinger from 1960



An ad for Brach's from 1952

A Pez ad from 1959

A Tootsie Roll ad from 1954.

A Wrigley's Spearmint Gum ad from 1960.

"Catspaw," the Star Trek Halloween Episode

While references have been made to Christmas throughout the Star Trek franchise, in the franchise's entire history there has only been one episode devoted to a holiday. What is more, that holiday was not Christmas. That episode was "Catspaw" by Robert Bloch, which first aired on NBC on October 27 1967. While "Catspaw" is not set on Halloween, the episode references the custom of trick-or-treating (which apparently survived into the 23rd Century). Furthermore, the theme and the atmosphere of "Catspaw" befits the holiday of Halloween.

In "Catspaw" the U.S.S. Enterprise visits the planet of Pyrus VII. After one crewman returns to the Enterprise dead and Scotty and Sulu have gone missing, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy transport down to the planet only to find things straight out of a 20th Century horror movie: a spooky castle, witches, and a wizard with his black cat. Of course, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy realize that all is not how it seems.

By the mid-Sixties, Robert Bloch was already famous in the fields of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He had begun his career writing stories for such classic pulp magazines as Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic. He wrote the novel Psycho, which was adapted as the classic film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock. By the time he wrote for Star Trek, Mr. Bloch had already written a good deal for television, including episodes of Lock Up, Whispering Smith, Buys Stop, and The Eleventh Hour. He wrote several episodes of Thriller and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, both of which adapted his short stories. He had also written the screenplays for such films as Strait-Jacket (1964), The Night Walker (1964), and The Skull (1965).

"Catspaw" came about after Robert Bloch was approached by D.C. Fontana, who was then the story editor for a new show called Star Trek, about writing for the series. The first episode he wrote for the show was "What Are Little Girls Made Of," which aired in the first season. "Catspaw" would be the second episode of Robert Bloch's episodes for Star Trek (the third would be "Wolf in the Fold"). "Catspaw" was loosely based on an earlier short story that Robert Bloch had written, "Broomstick Ride," published in Super-Science Fiction, Vol. 2 No. 1 (December 1957). In "Broomstick Ride," an expedition is sent to explore the planet Pyris, which apparently has an Earth-like atmosphere. Once there the expedition encounters a society with Dark Age technology, witches riding broomsticks known as wrali, and a firm belief on the part of the wrali that Satan had brought from Earth to Pyrus. For those who want to read "Broomstick Ride," that particular issue of Super-Scence Fiction is available at the Internet Archive.

As to the title, "Catspaw," it is taken from the idiom "cat's paw," which means someone who is the dupe of another. "Cat's paw" is taken from the fable "The Monkey and the Cat" by Jean de La Fontaine. In the story, the monkey Bertrand convinces the cat Raton to get roasting chestnuts from amongst the embers of a fire. Quite naturally, as he pulls each chestnut out, Raton burns his paw. Bertrand and Raton are interrupted by the maid, so that in the end poor Raton gets no chestnuts despite having burned his paw.

Like many Star Trek episodes, "Catspaw" took some time to develop. Robert Bloch submitted his initial story outline on March 9 1967. The story outline was revised on March 14 1967. The first draft of the teleplay was submitted on March 29 1967. The second draft would be submitted on April 14 1967. The third draft, which involved uncredited work by D.C. Fontana, was submitted on April 24 1967. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry revised the final draft, so that it was completed on April 27 1967. Producer Gene L. Coon would make additional page revisions on May 4, May 5, and May 10 1967.

"Catspaw" began shooting on Tuesday, May 2 1967. It was the first episode of the second season to be filmed and the first to feature Walter Koenig as Lt. Chekov. It would also be the first episode produced to feature DeForest Kelley's name in the opening credits. While "Catspaw" was the first episode of the second season of Star Trek to be filmed, it would be the seventh episode of the second season to air, making its debut on October 27 1967. The reason "Catspaw" was delayed was quite simple. It was planned from the beginning for the airing of "Catspaw" to coincide with Halloween.

While "Catspaw" is not set at Halloween, the episode is most certainly fitting for the holiday Towards the beginning of the episode, a dead crewman issues a warning to the Enterprise to leave the planet in an eerie voice. When Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to Pyris VII, they encounter apparitions of witches straight out of Macbeth. The castle's dungeon in the episode is dark and comes complete with a skeleton. The atmosphere of "Catspaw" would certainly make any viewer think of Halloween, and the atmosphere of Pyris II reminds Kirk and McCoy of the holiday as well. At one point, McCoy comments, "Three witches...what appears a castle, and a black cat," to which Kirk replies, "If we weren't missing two officers and a third one dead, I'd say someone was playing an elaborate trick-or-treat on us." The custom of trick-or-treating is referenced twice more in the episode.

As mentioned above, Star Trek never did another holiday episode nor have any of its spinoffs included a holiday episode. "Catspaw" then remains both the only Halloween episode and the only holiday episode of any Star Trek series. It is fortunate that it also happens to be a well-done and suitably creepy episode, perfect for Halloween viewing.

The Bonfires of Halloween

The bonfire in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

The Halloween sequence in the classic movie Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) remains for many the most memorable sequence in the movie. Among other things, the neighbourhood kids build a bonfire in the middle of Kensington Avenue. The Halloween sequence in Meet Me in St. Louis was based on the vignette "October 1903," one of a series of semi-autobiographical vignettes by Sally Benson published in The New Yorker from June 14 1941 to May 1943. While building bonfires on Halloween is no longer as common as it once was, the tradition goes back many years.

For those familiar with the history of holidays in Northern Europe, the building of bonfires on Halloween should not seem that unusual. The Third Council of Constantinople in 680 CE attempted to ban bonfires, "Those fires that are kindled by certain people on new moons before their shops and houses, over which also they use ridiculously and foolishly to leap, by a certain ancient custom...." Despite this, the lighting of bonfires on certain holidays would persist. Among King Henry VII's expenses listed for one Midsummer's Eve was for making bonfires.

It should then come as no surprise that bonfires were built for Halloween in Scotland, the country from which much of the United States and Canada's Halloween customs come. In  1772 Welsh naturalist and antiquarian Thomas Pennant wrote of the people of the Maylin, near Pitlochry in Scotland, "Hallow Eve is also kept sacred; as soon as it is dark, a person sets fire to a bush of broom fastened round a pole, and, attended with a crowd, runs about the village. He then flings it down, heaps great quantity of combustible matters on it, and makes a great bonfire.”

The custom of building bonfires on Halloween would be brought to Canada and the United States by Scottish settlers. The November 1 1864 issue of The Kingston Daily News from Kingston, Ontario states in their article, "Keeping Up Hallowe'en," "Bonfires were lit in several streets...." The custom of Halloween bonfires was known in the United States as well, even if at times it was discouraged. In the 1890 issue of The Minneapolis Star Tribune, bonfires are mentioned among the mischief performed in the night, "...to say nothing of an occasional bonfire worked on the sly, while the precinct patrolman is at the other end of his beat."

While Halloween bonfires were strongly discouraged in many cities, in other municipalities they became part of the official celebration of Halloween. The December 29 1920 issue of The Great Falls Leader out of Montana has a story on how tumbleweed burning will be held on October 30 of the following year as part of the close of Great Falls' Clean-up Week. The October 20 1930 issue of The Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News features a short article that reads, "FUEL TO FIRES! Halloween bonfires on city playgrounds and in community house fireplaces will burn brighter this year for a gift of several hundred railroad ties donated by Los Angeles Railway corporation."The October 30 1957 issue of The Enterprise-Record from Chico, California featured the headline, "Halloween Bonfire Slated for Ridge Tomorrow Evening." The Paradise Recreation District had a bonfire planned for the evening of October 31 1957

While the burning of bonfires would decline in the latter half of the 20th Century, the practice has not totally died out in the United States. As recently as October 12 2021, The Greenville Daily Advocate in Ohio mentioned a Halloween bonfire party to be held by Darke County SafeHaven in Piqua, Ohio. The origin of the custom of bonfires on Halloween is shrouded in mystery. Some would trace it back to the Celtic pagan festival known as Saimhainnin Scottish Gaelic, Samhain in Modern Irish, and Sauin in Manx. Some might give other explanations for the Halloween tradition. Regardless, while it might not be as common as it once was, it would seem that people will be burning bonfires on Halloween for many years to come.

"Halloween" from My Blue Heaven (1950)

A number of classic Christmas songs originated in the movie musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood, from "White Christmas" in Holiday Inn (1942) to "Silver Bells" in The Lemon Drop Kid (1951). This was certainly not the case with Halloween. While Irving Berlin wrote a song for nearly every other holiday, he totally ignored Halloween in Holiday Inn. And while Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) is known for its beloved Halloween sequence, nowhere is there a song about the holiday in the movie. One musical that did not snub Halloween was My Blue Heaven (1950), which features a song about Halloween titled, well, "Halloween."

My Blue Heaven (1950) starred Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as Kitty and Jack Moran, a married couple who are stars of their own radio show. And like many radio show stars of the time the Morans want to make the transition to television. It is then early in the movie that Kitty and Jack visit their friends, Janet and Walter Pringle (Jane Wyatt and David Wayne) on their farm to talk them into writing material for their new TV show. As it turns out, their arrival corresponds with Halloween so the Pringles' children are dressed in their costumes. That night, Kitty, Jack, and Walter, accompanied by Janet on the piano, perform the song "Halloween" for kids.

"Halloween" was written by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Ralph Blane who wrote every other song in the movie except for the title tune ("My Blue Heaven" was written by Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting, and dates to 1927). What makes "Halloween" amusing is that it starts out by ribbing Irving Berlin for never having written a song about the holiday of "Halloween." Both Harold Arlen and Ralph Blane had remarkable careers. Harold Arlen composed the music for the songs "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" and "Over the Rainbow" with lyricist E. Y. Harburg and "Stormy Weather" with Ted Koehler. For much of his career  Ralph Blane was partnered with Hugh Martin, and together they wrote "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

For those of you in the mood for a Halloween song from a classic Hollywood musical, there is "Halloween."