From the Small Screen to the Big Screen

Lately I have been thinking of television series that have made their way from the small screen to the silver screen. I am not talking about the big budget, theatrical features made with all new casts years (sometimes decades) after a show has gone off the air (The Wild Wild West with Will Smith and the recent Honeymooners movie are examples of this). Nor am I talking about theatrical films made by compiling several episodes of a series to make a movie (The Sign of Zorro, made up of episodes from Disney's Zorro series in the Fifties, and the various Man From U.N.C.L.E. movies from the Sixties). I am talking about movies based on American television series featuring the original casts and crews, films that can be described as spinoffs from the TV shows.

Surprisingly, it seems to me that this has not happened very often. This seems odd to me given the many sources of inspiration that exist for motion pictures. There have been movies based on books, comic books, comic strips, radio shows (The Great Gildersleeve), video games (Mortal Kombat), and even board games (Clue). But until the past twenty years, when feature films based on TV shows have become common place (albeit with entirely different casts), it was rare that a movie was based on television series. Not surpisingly, in the early days when a movie was based on a TV series, it usually featured the original cast and was usually made while the series was still on the air or shortly thereafter.

Despite the rarity of TV shows being spun off into movies, it seems to me that it happened fairly early in the history of network television broadcasts. I am not sure what the first TV show to be spun off into a feature film was, but I am thinking it could well have been Dragnet. Dragnet debuted on radio in 1949. The radio show did not differ from the TV show at all. Even then producer and star Jack Webb focused on the nuts and bolts of police work, with Lt. Joe Friday and his partner at the time investigating various cases. The series debuted on television in 1951, where it was one of the big hits that year. While Dragnet was still on the air, a feature film was released in 1954. The movie Dragnet featured the same cast as the TV show--Jack Webb as Friday, Ben Alexander as Frank Smith, and so on. It also remained loyal to the concept of the series. Friday and Smith investigate a murder, following various leads, questioning witnesses, and so on. Given the success of Dragnet on the small screen, it was perhaps inevitable that it would do well on the big screen as well. Regardless, there were no more theatrical features based on Dragnet featuring the cast of the TV show (of course, there was the 1987 parody featuring Dan Akroyd....).

While Dragnet may well have been the first TV show that was spun off into a movie, other police procedurals did not follow it to the big screen. Instead, it seems to me that prior to the Eighties it was most often sitcoms which would be spun off into movies featuring the original casts. The first sitcom to be made into a theatrical feature was Our Miss Brooks. Our Miss Brooks debuted on radio in 1948, where it received respectable ratings. In 1952 Our Miss Brooks moved to television, where the series proved to be a hit. Our Miss Brooks featured Eve Arden as Connie Brooks, the English teacher at the fictional Madison Hgh School. Miss Brooks was surrounded by a number of eccentric characters at Madison High. She often found herself at odds with cantakerous principal Mr. Conklin (played by Gale Gordon). And she longed for shy, nerdy biology teacher Mr. Boynton (played by Robert Rockwell). A source of exasperation for Miss Brooks was dim witted student Walter Denton (played by a young Richard Crenna). The ratings for the series eventually started to slip, precipitating a change of format in which Miss Brooks moved from Madison High to a private school. Regardless, Warner Brothers released a theatrical feature based on the series in 1956. The movie saw the long suffering Miss Brooks finally win the hand of Mr. Boynton in marriage. Unfortunately, the movie did not help the series--it was still cancelled at the end of the 1955-1956 season.

Another sitcom that made the trip from the television screen to the movie screen was McHale's Navy, which debuted in 1962. In many respects, McHale's Navy was simply the Navy's variation on The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Sgt. Bilko). Lt. Commander Quinton McHale was an easy going officer who wantonly ignored regulations and was always developing new ways of conning people. The commander of a P.T. boat in World War II, McHale led a crew of some of the most eccentric characters on television. Perhaps no character was more eccentric than Ensign Charles Parker (played by Tim Conway). The meek ensign was as bumbling as McHale was shrewd. Between McHale and Parker, their commanding officer, Capt. Binghamton, had no end of problems. McHale's Navy proved successful enough that in 1964 Universal released a theatrical feature with the original cast. The movie McHale's Navy centred on McHale and his crew frantically trying to pay off gambling debts. The movie did respectably well at the box office. With the show's continued success and the movie's success, Universal released a second feature drawing on the sitcom; however, McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force actually bears little relation to the TV show. In fact, McHale doesn't even appear in the movie! McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force centred on Ensign Parker, who is mistaken for a successful Air Force officer. McHale's Navy went off the air in 1966 and there would be no more movies featuring the original cast. There was a 1997 feature, with Tom Arnold, as McHale based on the hit show, which updated it from World War II to the present day (losing much of the series' charm in the process).

If sitcoms could make it to the big screen, then it seems reasonable to assume that animated series could as well. Yogi Bear first appeared in segments on Hanna-Barbera's Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958. The irrepresible bear, always scheming to steal food in Jellystone National Park, proved to be the most popular character on the show. By 1961 he would have his own series. By 1964 he would be featured in a theatrical movie. Hey There, It's Yogi Bear was released through Columbia Pictures and was Hanna-Barbera Studios' first feature film. The movie centred on Yogi's efforts to keep from becoming a resident of the San Diego Zoo.

Yogi Bear would not be the only Hanna-Barbera character to get his own theatrical feature film. Fred Flintstone would as well. The Flintstones debuted in primetime in 1960. The show was to some extent an animated, Stone Age version of The Honeymooners, in which various aspects of modern society would be parodied in the prehistoric setting (for instance, Europe wold be "Eurock"). The series proved very successful, running for a full six years on ABC. Following the series' cancellation in 1966, Hanna-Barbera produced a theatrical movie based on the hit show, The Man Called Flintstone. In the film, Fred Flinstone finds himself called upon to replace an injured secret agent for whom he is an exact double. This takes the poor caveman globetrotting, as he tries to foil the plot of the evil Green Goose. The Flintstones with their original cast would be seen in no further theatrical movies, although there would be numerous television spinoffs and TV movies based on the series. Eventually, two live action movies (The Flintstones and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas) based on the series would be released).

While Yogi Bear and The Flintstones were animated cartoons, The Munsters could best be described as a live action cartoon. Created by the same team which produced Leave It to Beaver, The Munsters debuted in 1964. The show centred on the family of the same name, who looked like classic movie monsters. Herman Munster was a dead ringer for the Frankenstein Monster. Wife Lilly and Grandpa Munster were vampires. Son Eddie was a werewolf. Only pretty, blonde Marilyn looked normal. Despite their appearances, the Musnters thought they were an average American family. The humour largely grew from people's reactions to the Munsters and very broad slapstick. The Munsters proved successful in its first season, although by its second season the ratings faltered badly enough that it was cancelled. Despite this, Universal released Munster, Go Home! to theatres in 1966. The plot concerned Herman Munster inheriting a castle in England, where people reacted to the family exactly as they did here in America--with abject fear. The movie was not a spectacular success at the box office, so that there were no more movies featuring the Munsters and the original cast.

Of course, not every movie spun off from a TV show in the Sixties was from a sitcom or an animated cartoon. Gunn, released in 1967, was spun off from the 1958-1961 detective series Peter Gunn, created by Blake Edwards (best known for the Pink Panther movies). The show featured Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn, a suave, sophisticated private eye and a jazz score by Henry Mancini. Stephens once more played Gunn in the theatrical feature, although he was the only one of the original cast to make the move to the big screen. Ed Asner played Lt. Jacoby, originally played by Herschel Berardi in the TV series, while Laura Devon played Edie, originally played by Lola Albright in the show. It is perhaps for this reason that Gunn captures very little of the flavour of the original series, even with Stephens back as Gunn and Edwards directing.

Most theatrical movies based on TV shows featuring the original cast vary only a little from the shows they are based on. This is not the case with Head, the film featuring The Monkees of the sitcom of the same name. In fact, it is even debatable whether the movie can be considered to be based on the TV show. The Monkees debuted in 1966, featuring a rock group (created specifically for the show) of the same name. Mike Nesmith was the leader of the group, possessed of a dry wit. Micky Dolenz was the drummer and the crazy one. Davy Jones was the "cute" one that was always in love with some girl or another. Peter Tork was the none too bright Monkee, more or less a male Gracie Allen. The show was in some ways The Beatles movie Help! adapted for the small screen. The struggling rock group called The Monkees would find themselves in various situations (often parodies of the stock plots of various movie genres--they encountered spies, gangsters, and even monsters) from which they would have to extricate themselves. The series moved at a rapid pace and the jokes and gags came nonstop. Short of The Dick Van Dyke Show, it may well have been the funniest sitcom of the Sixties. Both the TV show and the rock group proved very popular with youngsters in the Sixties. Unfortunately, this was never reflected in the series' ratings. As a result it was cancelled after only two years on the air.

Regardless, creator Bob Rafelson (later known for such films as Five Easy Pieces and Black Widow) decided to use The Monkees in his first feature film. In some respects Head (released in 1968) feels like a continuation of the TV series. Mike, Micky, Davy, and Peter play essentially the same "characters" that they did on the TV series. They live in the same pad as they did on the show, although it is a bit different from what it was on the series. The jokes and gags still come nonstop. But that is largely where the similarities end. While The Monkees relied on plots (or parodies of plots, as the case may be) largely borrowed from old Hollywood movies, Head is literally plotless, with the movie moving from one scenario to another. The movie is also much darker than the TV series ever was, touching upon the Vietnam War and the pressures of celebrity. While Head largely draws upon the TV show for much of its inspiration, it is also very different in many ways. It is then questionable as to whether Head is a movie that is based on The Monkees or simply a movie starring The Monkees. Regardless, because of a poor promotional campaign, the movie bombed at the box office. As to The Monkees, they would break up within two years of the film's release.

Not all movies based on TV shows featuring the original casts were dramas, sitcoms, or cartoons. In 1968 a movie based on the original reality show was released. Candid Camera had debuted on radio in 1947. In 1948 the show moved to television. Originally called by its radio title, it was soon renamed Candid Camera. The format of the show was simple. Unsuspecting people would be placed in an unusual and humourous situtation. At last they would be let in on the joke, being told "Smile, you're on Candid Camera! The series proved to be a hit, lasting nearly twenty years in its original run and being revived many times. In 1968 the show's creator and star, Alan Funt, spun the series off into a movie called What Do You Say to a Naked Lady. The movie featured pranks and gags that could not be shown on television at that time, although it is very tame by today's standards (Funt himself called it "the cleanest dirty movie ever made"). Of course, Candid Camera would not be the only show spun off into a film. The MTV show Jackass would be made into a movie in 2002.

As odd as it may seem for a reality show to spawn a movie, there was a soap opera from which two movies were spun off. Dark Shadows debuted on ABC in 1965. Initially the show was a straight soap opera taking its cues from the Gothic novels popular at the time. With the introduction of vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), Dark Shadows became something else entirely, the world's first Gothic horror soap opera. It also became something of a fad with college students and the youth of the day. The show was successful enough that a movie based on the series, House of Dark Shadows was released in 1970. The movie was fairly loyal to the initial plotline in which Barnabas first arrived at Collinswood. A sequel, Night of Dark Shadows released in 1971, was less faithful, loosely adapting a storyline dealing with the ghost of Quentin Collins. By 1971 the Dark Shadows fad had pretty much run its course. There would be no more theatrical features based on the show.

If movies based on soap operas and reality shows sound strange, believe it or not, there was a movie based on a game show. The Gong Show debuted as part of NBC's daytime lineup in 1975. It soon became a smash hit. The Gong Show was essentially a talent show, or perhaps more accurately a parody of a talent show. On the show a number of often strange acts would compete for a prize of $516.32, judged by a celebrity panel. The show took its name by the fact that if one of the celebrity panel did not like an act, they would get up and bang a gong. Of course, acts that were gonged had no chance of winning. The Gong Show became a veritable fad in the mid-Seventies, quite possibly one of the most successful game shows of all time. In 1980 creator Chuck Barris (who also created The Dating Game) turned the show into a theatrical feature. The movie was essentially a raunchier version of the TV show, with material that could not possibly be shown on network television at that time. Released as the Gong Show fad was ending, the movie tanked at the box office.

The Gong Show Movie aside, it seems to me that very few movies were spun off from American TV series, featuring their original casts, after 1970. In fact, I can think of only one other film from the Seventies based on a TV show and reaturing the original cast members. Star Trek had debuted on NBC in 1966. While it developed a cult following, the series bombed in the ratings. It was barely renewed for its second and third seasons. There would be no fourth season, as the series was cancelled in 1969. In syndicated reruns, however, Star Trek became a smash hit. In fact, besides I Love Lucy and Gilligan's Island, it could well be the most successful syndicated rerun in the history of American television. With such success there came efforts to revive the series, either as a TV show or as a major motion picture. At last these efforts came to fruition. Star Trek: the Motion Picture hit theatres in 1979. While the movie reunited the cast in their original roles, it proved to be somewhat of a disappointment with the series' fans. Perhaps the largest source of complaints was a script that was largely derivative of the Star Trek episode "The Changeling." In both "The Changeling" and Star Trek: the Motion Picture a probe from Earth encounters alien technology to become something much more dangerous. Star Trek: the Motion Picture not only displeased Star Trek fans, but apparently audiences as well. The movie failed at the box office.

Fortunatey, the continued popularity of Star Trek would give the series another chance at the big screen. Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan not only reunited the cast, but revived one of the villains from the original series--Ricardo Montalban as Khan (the bad guy from the episode "Space Seed."). Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan not only pleased the show's fans (it is perhaps the most popular of the movies with them), but pleased audiences as well. It was one of the hit movies of 1982. In fact, it was successful enough that it started an entire series of Star Trek movies. Eventually, once it seemed that movies based on the original series had run their course, Paramount would start releasing movies based on the spinoff Star Trek: the Next Generation, starting with Star Trek: Generations in 1994.

The following year after Star Trek: the Motion Picture was released saw another Sixties series make the move to the big screen. Get Smart was the creation of Buck Henry and Mel Brooks, a parody of the spy series so popular in the Sixties. It followed the misadventures of Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for Control, and his partner Agent 99 as they battled the forces of the criminal group KAOS. Debuting on NBC in 1965, Get Smart proved to be a hit and ran for five years. In 1980 The Nude Bomb debuted, a movie based on the series. Unfortunately, it is debatable how much The Nude Bomb really owes to the original show. Indeed, much of the show's original cast is absent. Don Adams returned as Maxwell Smart, as did Robert Karvelas as Larrabee. Joey Forman (a frequent guest star on the original show) appeared as Agent 13 (a part played originally on the TV series by Dave Ketchum). Unfortunately, Ed Platt, who played the Chief, had died since the series had gone off the air. And, for whatever reason neither Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) or Bernie Kopell (Siegfried, the head of criminal organisation KAOS) appeared in the movie. Indeed, Smart does not even work for Control; instead, he works for PITS (Provisional Intelligence Tactical Service). Regardless, The Nude Bomb retains little of the flavour of Get Smart.

For the most part in the United States, when movies featuring the original cast of a TV series have been spun off from shows, the movies have been spun off shows that had lasted at least two seasons (even Star Trek, as poorly as it had done in the ratings, had managed to last three seasons). A big exception to this rule was Police Squad!, a hilarious parody of police dramas. Created by David and Jerry Zucker, the brothers who had been responsible for the Airplane movies, the series lasted all of one month on ABC in 1982. Despite its short run, Police Squad! developed a loyal following, both among audiences and with television critics. Perhaps becuase of this, the Zucker brothers turned their short lived TV series into a theatrical movie. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! debuted in 1988. There were some changes in the cast. George Kennedy replaced Alan Noth as Captain Ed Hocken; however, Leslie Nielsen returned in the lead role of Detective Frank Drebin, as did Ed Williams as police scientist Ted Olson. The Naked Gun proved successful enough to warrant two sequels--The Naked Gun 2 1/2: the Smell of Fear in 1991 and The Naked Gun 33 1/3 in 1994. That isn't bad at all for a series that barely lasted four weeks!

With regards to American TV shows that have made their way to the big screen, I can think of perhaps only two other of note. The first was The Jetsons: the Movie. The Jetsons: the Movie was based on the primetime animated cartoon, debuting on ABC in 1962. While The Flintstones featured a Stone Age family, The Jetsons focused on one in the near future, when space travel was routine. Although it lasted only one season, The Jetsons proved popular in reruns. The second significant show from which a movie was spun off was The X-Files. The X-Files debuted on Fox in 1993. Although its ratings were not spectacular in the beginning, the show developed a loyal following and eventually became one of Fox's biggest hits. In 1998 Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully made the trip from the small screen to the big screen. The movie saw the two FBI agents tracking down a deadly virus which may have originally come from another world. In the tradition of The X-Files, the movie answered many of the questions posed by the TV series while bringing up new ones. As to the TV show, it ran many more seasons and is still popular in syndication. Rumours have persisted of another X-Files movie ever since.

Of course, the Nineties would see a whole new phenomenon, in which old TV shows would be revived as major motion pictures with all new, often big name casts. The Addams Family may not have been the first of these, but as one of the hits of 1991 it insured that there would be many more such movies. The Beverly Hillbillies, The Wild Wild West, Charlie's Angels, and other old TV shows have been adapted to the big screen in this way. And yet more such movies are coming to theatres soon. That having been said, since these movies do not use the original casts (except for Charlie's Angels, in which John Forsythe returned as Charlie--I suppose in some ways the two Charlie's Angels are more sequels to the original series rather than adaptations of it), I would count them as an entirely different phenomenon and so I won't discuss them here.

As I said, it has been rare that TV shows have made it to the big screen with their original casts. I suspect that there are some basic reasons for this. The first and foremost is that for the first several years of American network broadcasts, Hollywood regarded television as competition for audiences. Movie stars were often forbidden to work in the new medium and the major studios would not release their newer movies to be run on television. Given that Hollywood regarded the television networks as rivals, there was little reason for them to turn TV shows into movies--why help promote a rival? This changed once the TV show Disneyland debuted. Disney proved that television could be a powerful tool for promoting feature films. The studios also soon realised that the new medium could also be a new source of revenue. They could sell the rights to exhibit their movies to the networks, not to mention produce TV shows for them. Soon Warner Brothers, Universal, and the other movie studios would go into television production. Once the studios no longer viewed television as a bitter rival, it seems to me that more TV shows were spun off into movies. In the Fifties there were only Dragnet and Our Miss Brooks. The Sixties would see more TV shows making the move from the small screen to the big screen.

Second, the influence that the television networks have had on American society has varied. In the early days, when only the biggest cities (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) could boast TV stations, their influence was minimal. It is quite possible that in the Fifties and the Sixties, the networks were at the peak of their influence. Television may well have been the most popular medium in the United States. This is also the period when more TV shows were made into movies featuring the original casts than any other time. By the Seventies, viewership for network television was in decline. The growth of cable television, video games, the VCR, and other factors saw the networks getting smaller and smaller audiences for their shows. As a result, it was rare that a TV show would be seen as successful enough to warrant bringing it to the big screen. Since then the networks have seen their influence shrink even more.

Third, another factor that may have prevented more TV series from becoming theatrical features with their original casts may be the simple logistics of getting a TV show's cast together to make a movie. During the breaks between the filming of a series, actors naturally would not want to spend their time filming a big budget, movie version of the series on which they are currently working. After a series has ended, actors might naturally prefer to pursue other roles rather than reviving one that they may have played for years. This would make it very difficult for shows to make the transition from the small screen to the silver screen with their original casts.

That having been said, none of this has meant an end to television series being spun off into movies with their original casts intact. This fall Serenity will hit theatres. Serenity is based on the short lived sci-fi series Firefly which ran briefly on Fox a few years ago. If successful, we could well see more TV shows making the trip to the big screen with their original casts.

Terror in London

Today I was going to write an article on televison series which have had movies spun off from them, but given events this morning that does not seem fitting. Earlier this morning explosions rocked the London underground and tore a double decker bus in half. The first blast occurred at 8:51 AM BST (British Summer Time) on a train leaving Liverpool Street Station between Moorgate and Aldgate East. The second blast hit a train between King's Cross and Russell Square at 8:56 AM BST. A third explosion struck Edgware Road Tube Station at 9:17 AM BST. Three trains were believed to be involved in that explosion. A fourth blast struck a number 30 bus at Upper Woburn Place at 9:47 AM BST. Currently there are believed to be 33 people dead and 1000 wounded from the attacks. A group that was previously unheard of, calling itself "the Secret Organisation al Qaeda in Europe," has taken credit for the attacks. The attacks were apparently timed to coincide with the G-8 summit meeting in Scotland. Yesterday London was announced at the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The bombings are the worst attack on London since World War II ended.

Quite simply, I must say that I am dismayed, sickened, shocked, horrified, and outraged at these attrocities. I simply cannot understand the reasoning of those who would make such rephensible, inhuman attacks on innocent civillians, some of whom were no doubt children. The perpetrators of these attacks clearly have no respect for human life, and they clearly have no sense of honour or human decency either.

Anyhow, I would like to extend my grief and condolences to the victims of these attacks, their families, the people of London, the people of England, and the people of the United Kingdom.

The Voices of Tigger and Piglet Pass On

It seems to me as if more voice men and more chracater actors have died in 2005 than any year I can remember. Two more voice men have passed on, both having worked on the same series of animated cartoons. Paul Winchell was a professional ventriloquist, an inventor, and the voice of Tigger in Disney's series of Winnie the Pooh cartoons. John Fiedler was a character actor and the voice of Piglet on the same series of cartoons. The two died last week, with a day of each other.

Paul Winchell passed on Friday morning in his sleep at the age of 82. As a child Winchell was a fan of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy. In fact, he began his career in show business as one of the winners on the radio show Major Bowes' Orignial Amateur Hour at the age of 13. Winchell would go onto become one of the early pioneers of television. With his dummy Jerry Mahoney, he first appeared regularly on The Bigelow Show on CBS in 1948. The Bigelow Show did not last long. Fortunately, Winchell's next series would see more success. The Spiedel Show, later known as What's My Name, ran five years. Along with his dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knuclehead Smiff, Winchell would also appear on the Saturday morning children's show The Paul Winchell-Jerry Mahoney Show and later on the children's show Circus Time.

Throughout his career Winchell made a number of guest appearances on various televison shows. He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Laugh In, and Love American Style. As a ventriloquist Winchell made the perfect voice man for cartoons, so that in the Sixties he found a second career. Providing voices for various Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Winchell was given the cartoon role for which he would be best known in 1968. It was in that year that he gave voice to Tigger in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. He would voice Tigger until 1999. Winchell also provided voices for the Disney features The Aristocats and The Fox and the Hound, as well as numerous Saturday morning cartoons.

Winchell was also an inventor as well as a ventriloquist and voice man. He held patents for 30 different inventions. Perhaps the most important of these was an early artificial heart, which he developed in 1963. He also invented the flameless cigarette lighter, an invisible garter belt, a retractable ballpoint pen, and various other devices.

As a ventriloquist and an inventor Winchell was a rare breed. It is one thing to be able to throw one's voice. It is another to be able to give a distinctive voice to one of the most memorable characters in literature and cartoons (Tigger, of course). It is quite another to invent various devices on top of all that! I seriously doubt that we will see anyone else like Winchell for some time to come.

As stated above, John Fiedler died withn a day of his Winnie the Pooh co-star, of cancer at age 80. With a distinctive, high pitched voice and a balding head, Feidler was born to play character parts. In fact, he was best known for either meek characters or nervous, high strung ones. After serving a stint in the Navy during World War II, Fiedler moved to New York to take up acting. He started in summer stock, eventually receiving a regular role on the TV series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet as Cadet Alfie Higgins. He went on to appear on stage in Chekov's The Sea Gull with Montgomery Clift and Maureen Stapleton in 1954. His career under way, Fiedler regularly made guest appearances on television from the Fifties into the Nineties. Among the shows he appeared on were Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, Star Trek, and The Odd Couple. As far as his television appearances, Fiedler was probably best known for his regular role as Emil Peterson, the highly neurotic Emil Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show. He also appeared regularly on Kolchak: the Night Stalker as Gordy Spangler.

Fiedler also made a large number of movies, many of them classics. He played Juror #12 in 12 Angry Men, Sidney in Raisin in the Sun, Mr. Smith in That Touch of Mink, and Vinnie in The Odd Couple. I don't know about anyone else, but where movies are concerned I remember him best as Lawyer Dagget in True Grit.

With regards to his role as Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh cartoons, Fiedler was supposedly chosen by Walt Disney himself. Reportedly, Disney heard Fiedler in one of his many TV appearances and decided he was perfect for the voice of Piglet. Fielder has provided the voice of Piglet in every single Winnie the Pooh cartoon, from 1968's Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day to 2005's Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Fielder also provided voices for other Disney projects, such as Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and The Emperor's New Groove.

Fiedler first appeared on Broadway in One Eye Closed in 1954. He would later appear in the plays Howie, Harold, and The Crucible. Fiedler created the roles of Vinnie in The Odd Couple and Mark Lindner in Raisin in the Sun. He later reprised the roles in the movies based on them.

John Fiedler was always one of my favourite character actors. He made the perfect milquetoast, meek and unassuming. At the same time, however, he could play nervous, high strung, even jumpy chracters. His appearance and voice lent themselves to comedy, for which he had perfect timing. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that Fiedler could not play drama. He was perfect as Juror #12 in Twelve Angry Men. It is hard to picture anyone but Fiedler as Mark Lindner in Raisin in the Sun. An actor with a gift for comedy and drama, it is sad to think that John Fiedler is gone.

Sex, America, Cheap Trick

I finally got a hold of the Cheap Trick box set, Sex, America, Cheap Trick. Originally issued in 1996, it is a compilation of some of their greatest hits, album tracks, alternate versions of songs, and previously unreleased material. Consisting of four discs, it cuts a wide swath of Cheap Trick's career, from their first album released in 1977 to about 1995.

Naturally, the songs for which Cheap Trick are best known are included in the box set. "Surrender," "I Want You to Want Me," and "Dream Police" are all to be found in the compilation. So too are most of their hit singles, such as "Voices," "She's Tight," and "The Flame (ironically, their biggest hit, even though the band themselves and many of their fans detest the song)." Even some of their singles which didn't do so well on the charts are included, namely "Stop This Game" and "I Can't Take It (two of the best songs they ever performed--why they didn't hit the American top 40 I'll never know...)." Sex, America, Cheap Trick also includes some interesting alternate versions of songs. Among the most interesting of these are previously unreleased versions of "I Want You to Want Me (recorded for their first album)," the demo version of "World's Greatest Lover," and an alternate version of "Everything Works if You Let It (later included on Authorized Greatest Hits)." Naturally, there are also a few rarities, such as "All I Really Want (the superb b-side to "She's Tight")" and "Through the Night (the B-side to "The Flame"--much better than the A-side...)." Among the unreleased material are the classic songs from the Rock 'n' Rule soundtrack: "I'm the Man," "Born to Raise Hell," and "Ohm, Sweet Ohm (BTW, Rock 'n' Rule is supposedly coming ot DVD soon...)." Also among the unreleased material are a few songs bumped from Cheap Trick's many albums: "Twisted Heart," which Epic inexplicably bumped from Next Position Please in favour of a remake of "Dancing the Night Away (which the band did not even want to perform);" "A Place in France (recorded for The Doctor);" and "Money is the Route of All Fun (also recorded for The Doctor)." As might be expected, some of the unreleased material is a bit rough, but listenable nonetheless, a perfect example being "Funk #9 (the lyricless demo for "The Doctor)."

If I have one complaint about Sex, America, Cheap Trick it is that it omits some songs that have been hard to find since their initial release. Neither of the songs Cheap Trick performed for the Heavy Metal soundtrack, "Reach Out" and "I Must Be Dreaming," appear in the boxed set. Neither, for that matter, do "Such a Good Girl (from the EP Found All the Parts)" or "Spring Break (from the movie of the same name)." This would not be so annoying if it wasn't for the inclusion of two versions of "World's Greatest Lover (a great song, but did they really have to include both the demo version and the album version?)" and "The Flame (yeah, this smarmy ballad was their biggest hit, but even the band doesn't like the song....)."

One of the best things about Sex, America, Cheap Trick is the inclusion of a thick, little booklet, with an introduction by Bruce Dickinson and a history of the band by Ira Robbins. Included in the booklet are rare photos and the album covers for every single Cheap Trick album released up until that time. Combined with the history, the photos give fans a good overview of Cheap Trick's nearly twenty year old career up to 1995. In the back of the booklet is the song list, inlcuding a bit of trivia about some of the songs.

Sex, America, Cheap Trick is not the perfect box set. As I pointed out earlier, there are the notable omissions and songs that probably should not have been included in the compilation. Ultimately, however, the boxed set's virtues outweigh its flaws. Sex, America, Cheap Trick does include most of the group's important songs, not to mention some interesting alternate versions of songs and previously unreleased material. Because of this, it gives a very good overview of the career of one of the best American bands of the Seventies and Eighties. It is certainly an item every serious Cheap Trick fan must have.

A New Look

As you can obviously see, the blog has a brand new three column template, or a template with two sidebars, if you prefer. I took the "Faintly Victorian" template from Eris Designs and tweaked it to look a bit more like Blogger's "Minima Black." I also made a few other changes to make it more to my liking (like changing the way Eris did the comments to the way Blogger does them). I suppose one might call it "Dark Victorian." Or maybe "Gothic." LOL. I don't know if I'll put my blinkies back up or not, although I am considering it. At any rate, it's good to have a two sidebar template again, not to mention a blog that doesn't look like every other blog! I haven't tested it in any resolutions other than 1024 by 768. If it looks strange in your resolution, then let me know. Also let me know if you think the new template looks absolutely dreadful (no one wants an ugly blog, especially not me...).

Those of you who love DVDs might want to take a look in the cheap bins at your local WalMart. It used to be that WalMart (at least the one here in Randolph County) didn't really have too many good movies and so on in their cheap bins, but of late I have found quite a few there. I picked up a copy of Sneakers tonight (for those of you have never heard of that film, it is a wonderful caper movie from 1992). Our local WalMart also had copies of Gladiator, Total Recall, The Whole Wide World, the 1966 version of Batman, episodes of I Love Lucy, and many other fairly good DVDs for only $5.50!

By the way, I didn't make a post Friday and I forgot all about it yesterday, but to my good neighbours to the north I'd like to wish a belated happy Canada Day! As to my fellow Americans, if I don't make a post tomorrow, have a Happy 4th of July!

The Filling Station

Today in the United States, if one is going to fill his or her car with gas, it will most likely be at a convenience store where he or she will pump the gas himself or herself. Gas stations, where attendants would wash one's windsheild, check one's oil, and pump the gas, have become relatively rare, at least compared to the number of them in the past.

It is not known precisely where or even when the first gas station opened in the United States. Some believe that it was opened in St. Louis, Missouri by the St. Louis Automobile Gasoline Company (a subsidiary of Shell) in 1905. Others argue that it was opened by SOCAL in Seattle, Washington in 1907. Either way, these were not gas stations as we know them today. At this time the gasoline was stored in a can kept behind the station. When someone needed gas, one of the station's employees would grab the can and go fill the car up. It would not be until 1913 that the Gulf Refining Company would open the first filling station as we know them in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the first gas station at which cars would be driven up to gas pumps to be filled. It was also the first station designed by an architect and the first station to give away road maps. On that first day they only sold 30 gallons of gas! It was not long before filling stations with their often distinctive gas pumps dotted the streets and highways of the United States.

It was also not very long before many filling stations expanded their services beyond filling gas, checking oil, and washing windshields. In fact, for much of the 20th century most gas stations would also have garages where oil could be changed and repairs to cars made. Such filling stations were called "service stations." The average service station sold little beyond gasoline and various products and services related to automotive upkeep (changing oil, airing up tyres, and so on). At most they might sell cigarettes, candy bars, and soda. Regardless, competition between filling stations was intense for much of the 20th century. Eventually, they would use various gimmicks to help sell gas. Among the earliest of these was the distinctive architecture of filling stations. A Mobil station would look different from an Esso station, which would look different from a Texaco station. Some service stations would go even further. Most Sinclair stations feature a statue of their mascot, Dino the brontosaurus, in front of their stations. Others adopted somewhat bizarre designs. In Seattle the Hat and Boots gas station is shaped like a cowboy hat; its restrooms are shaped like boots. By the 1950s many stations would offer various promotions. Among the most famous were the Green Stamps which could be redeemed for various merchandise.

One means the various petroleum companies had of promoting their stations were their various logos and mascots. Indeed, here in the United States the tallest signs one would see along the road were often those of gas stations. While some of the more famous logos and mascots have fallen into disuse, many are still around. Mobil still uses its red Pegasus or "flying horse" logo. Among the most famous advertising mascots is still Sinclair's green apatosaurus, Dino. As mentioned above, Sinclair stations sometimes even feature a model of him. Esso (now Exxon) was known for its running tiger. Shell has its famous yellow "shell" logo. Standard Oil of Indiana (later Amoco) used a red, white, and blue oval and torch design. Among the most famous petroluem company logos was the Texaco star. Featured prominently each week on The Milton Berle Show and later The Donald O'Connor Show, it is even mentioned in a song ("Walkaway Joe" by Don Henley).

It was not long after World War II that factors arose which would see an end to the service station as it had been for most of the 20th century. The first self-serve gas station was opened in 1930 by the Hoosier Petroleum Company, but the company's self-serve stations lasted only briefly. The fire marshal shut them down, maintaining they were a fire hazard! In 1947, however, Frank Ulrich opened a self-serve gas station in Los Angeles. Ulrich sold 500,000 gallons during the station's first month of operation. Other self-serve stations would open, first in California, then spreading to the Southwest and Southeast. Self-serve gas stations did not take off for some time. In the early Seventies the majority of filling stations were still full service. Eventually, however, the tables would turn and self-serve stations would outnumber full service stations.

Another factor which would see the decline of the full service filling station was the birth of the convenience store. In May 1927 Southland opened its first convenience store. The idea occurred to Jefferson Green, who ran the Southland Ice Dock in Oak Cliff, Texas, that he could make money by selling such necessities as milk, eggs, and bread after the local grocery stores had closed. From Green's idea and that first convenience store rose the 7-Eleven chain. Those early convenience stores were not open 24 hours--the 7-Eleven chain takes its name from the hours its stores were originally open. It would not be until 1961 that the first 24 hour convenience store would open. They also did not sell gasoline. The growth of the convenience store industry was slow prior to World War II. In fact, the term "convenience store" had not even been coined yet (it would not be until the Sixties). All of this changed following the Second World War. The number of Americans owning automobiles increased. So too did the number of Americans living in the suburbs. The convenience store industry began a period of rapid growth for those reasons. By the Seventies, most towns could boast at least one convenience store. In the interim many convenience stores started selling gasoline. This was more or less an outgrowth of the self-serve gas station. Eventually convenience stores would push out the full service stations.

While self-serve gas stations and convenience stores took their toll on the traditional filling stations, it was the energy crisis of the early Seventies that did the most damage to them. At that time shortages caused gasoline prices to rise significantly for the first time in literally years. As a result people tended to drive less, which meant, of course, that they were buying less gas. Many, many full service stations closed at this time. The self-serve stations managed to survive as they did not have to pay attendants to pump gas. The convenience stores survived as they had many other goods to sell. But the full service filling stations were hit pretty hard. To give one an idea of the impact of the energy crisis of the early Seventies, Huntsville once had three full service gas stations. We now have none (a convenience store and the local supermarket have taken their place). In fact, in the entire county I think there may be only one full service station left, and they don't even have a garage where they can repair cars!

I have to say that I miss full service gas stations. I must admit that I don't mind pumping my own gas (on the farm on which I grew up we had our own gas tank, so I often pumped my own gas anyhow). And I must say that I do like being able to pick up a soda or candy bars while getting gasoline at a convenience store. That having been said, there is also something to be said for sitting in one's car while an attendant fills his or her car with gas and washes the windshield. It has also impressed me as being pretty logical for the place where one gets his or her gas to also be the place where he or she can have his oil changed or his car repaired. While convenience stores are very nice, I think when the full service stations started to close en masse in the Seventies, the United States lost something very special.

Les Belles Dames Sans Merci: Elf Maidens and Men

"Why am I standing here,
Missing Her and wishing She were here?"
(Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, "She," originally performed by The Monkees)

"Midnight, on the water
I saw the Ocean's daughter...."
(Jeff Lynne, "I Can't Get It Out of My Head," from the Electric Light Orchesta album Eldorado)

Maybe it is because of what happened exactly a month ago (She still hasn't emailed or IMed me) or because of the anthology of poems I checked out from work, but today my mind is on the folklore motif in which a mortal man becomes entangled with an elf maiden or fairy princess. The tales about such encounters tend to vary. Sometimes the tales end happily. The fellow goes away to live with the fairy maiden in Faerie for the rest of his days or only for a specified amount of time (usually seven years). Other times the tales end unhappily. The man violates some taboo that the fairy maiden has set for him and winds up unable to return to Faerie or he winds up dead. Other times the fairy maiden simply destroys the mortal. Regardless, the motif of the fairy mistress or fairy bride is a common one.

Modern day fairy lore developed largely out of both Germanic and Celtic mythology. In Germanic mythology we find the elves, called in Old Norse the Álfar and in Old English the Ylfe. Among the ancient Germanic peoples the elves were hardly mere fairy folk, but for all extents and purposes minor gods. In Old Norse literature they are sometimes named together with the major gods, the phrase "the Æsir and Álfar" appearing in some of the Eddic poems. In the Old English charm "Against a Sudden Stitch" the elves are also mentioned in proximity to the major gods. Indeed, sacrifices were even offered to the elves. In ancient Scandinavia the Álfablót was held once year, at which offerings were given to them. While sacrifices were made to the elves in hopes of receiving their blessings, it seems that they also had their dark side as well. Scandinavian, English, and Continental sources credit them with causing diseases, usually through elfshot (the tiny arrows fired by the elves). Off the top of my head I can recall no sources dating from the time when the ancient Germanic peoples were still heathen or shortly after they were converted to Christianity in which an elf took a mortal as a lover. Regardless, it is possible that such tales existed. The Huldufolk of Icelandic and Scandinavian folk tales would seem to be a degenerated form of the elves of ancient myth, and there are tales in which the Huldufolk do seduce mortals. Similarly, in medieval English folk tales, as will be seen below, the elves do ocassionally take mortals as lovers.

Among the Irish, the fairy folk (known as the Sidhe) are identified with the Túathe dé Danann, the major gods worshipped by the Irish when they were still pagan. Unlike the Germanic peoples, there are some tales which could date back to the days before the Irish were converted in which one of the Sidhe seduced a mortal. One such story concerns Oisin, the bard of the Fianna (the legendary band of warriors led by Finn MacCumhail). One day Oisin saw a woman riding over the western sea on a white horse. She introduced herself as Niamh and told Oisin that she loved him. She wanted him to go with her to Tir na n' Og, the Land of Eternal Youth, where they would spend their days together. Oisin consented and so he went with her to Tir na n' Og. There he was happier than he ever had been. He loved Niamh and in Tir na n' Og he did not age nor suffer from diseases. Many, many years later (perhaps 100, perhaps 1000), however, he wished to visit Ireland again. Niamh begged him not to go, but when he would not relent, she gave him her blessing. She told him, however, that he must never dismount from the white horse (the one she had ridden to Ireland) or he would never see Tir na n' Og again. Oisin journeyed to Ireland on the white horse, all the while careful not to leave the horse's back. There came one day, however, when he did leave the horse's back. Either he thought he saw the stone trough of the Fianna and got off to inspect it, or he tried to help some men lift a stone and slipped off the horse. Regardless, the moment Oisin hit the earth, he aged in a matter of seconds. Oisin became an old man, half blind and infirm. He died not long after.

Oisin was not the only Celtic hero who met his doom after an encounter with an otherworldly maiden. Those familiar with the Arthurian cycle will know that no less than Merlin himself did so. According to the legends, Merlin became infatuated with the otherworldly maiden variously called Niniune, Nyneune, Viviane, or Vivian, often identified with the Lady of the Lake. Eventually she would beguile him in the forrest of Broceliande and imprison him there. Of course, not every character in the Arthurian mythos who encountered an otherwordly maiden met a bitter end. The story of Arthur's steward, Sir Launfal, is told in the 12th century French lay Launval, in Thomas Chestre's Middle English lay Sir Launfal, and other sources. Launfal had the misfortune of being disliked by Queen Guenevere. Because of this, he left King Arthur's court. Unfortunately, things did not improve for him. He was so generous to the poor that eventually he had given away all his money and lived in poverty. Fortunately, he eventually encountered a fairy lady, called in some sources Tryamour. Tryamour had noted his generosity and desired such a knight to serve her. Launfal consented to do so and Tryamour swore him to secrecy. She also restored his wealth. After winning a tournament, King Arthur called for Launfal to once more serve as his steward. It was perhaps a bad decision on Launfal's part that he chose to return to Arthur. At a dance Guenevere insulted Launfal and he forgot his oath to Tryamour. He boasted of being in the service of a fairy princess. Having violated his oath, he lost his wealth. Worse yet, even Arthur was angry with him. Perceval and Gawain swore to help Launfal and went forth to find Tryamour so she could save him. Eventually Tryamour showed up at King Arthur's court, where she put Guenevere to shame. She then took Launfal to Fairyland, where he spent the rest of his days.

The story of Sir Launfal resembles the tale of the Bretonic knight Graelent to a great degree. In both stories, the knights are sworn to secrecy by a fairy princess. In both they violate their oaths and reveal the existence of their fairy princesses. And in both does the fairy princess eventually save them and take them to Faerie. Such happy endings are not unusual. And in not every tale does the hero remain in the realm of the fairies. In the medieval ballad "True Thomas,." Thomas the Rhymer gets to visit Elfland and yet return to Scotland. Thomas the Rhymer, also known as Thomas of Erceldoune, was a legendary, 13th century Scottish figure who was known for his gift of prophecy. He could be found uner the Eildon Tree, from where he would give people his wisdom. In "True Thomas," he encounters the queen of Elfland, who wishes him to serve her there for seven years. Thomas consents and journeys with her to Elfland. There she tries to give him an apple from one of the trees from Elfland; however, Thomas knows that if a mortal eats anything from Elfland, then he or she won't be able to return to the mortal world. Thomas refuses the apple and returns to Scotland after his seven years of service are over.

Such a happy ending was not in store for the Knight of Stauftenberg of German legend. He had the misfortune to encounter a nymph of the Rhine, with whom he fell hopelessly in love. She got from him an oath of eternal loyalty, so that he could never love any other. Through the coming months he remained faithful to her. Finally, he won a tournament in which the winner would receive the hand of the Emperor's daughter in marriage. The Knight told the Emperor of his oath to the nymph, but the Emperor told him such an oath with an "unholy" being could be dissolved by the Archbishop with no consequences. The archbishop dissolved the oath and the knight forgot about his Rhine nymph. At the feast of the wedding between the knight and the Emperor's daughter, however, the knight was overtaken by horror. He rushed from the hall into the woods. Three days later he was found dead there.

Such stories did not end with the Middle Ages. Many of the older stories would be retold by modern poets. John Keats would create his own tale in the poem "La Belle Dame Sans Merci." In the poem a knight tells how he encountered a "faery's child" who seduced him. The two made love and as they slept on the moss, he had a most terrible dream. He dreamt of "pale kings, and princes too...pale warriors, death pale...," who warned him that "La belle Dame sans merci" had him in thrall. He awakened to find his elven maiden gone. Afterward he sojourned on the hill, apparently heart broken and awaiting her return, and as wasted as the "pale kings" of which he dreamt.

The motif of the mortal man who falls in love with an otherworldly maiden is less common in modern literature and song, although it does still appear from time to time. In The Lord of the Rings Aragorn loves the elf maiden Arwen. Eventually, she will forsake her immortality to marry him (sort of a reverse of the legends, an elf going to live with a mortal in his world). In WeaveWorld by Clive Barker Cal Moody falls in love with Suzanna, a woman is part mortal, part Seerkind. Eventually their meeting would lead to Cal experiencing the world of the Seerkind. In the song "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things," by the Cowsills, the hero falls in love with the mysterious "flower girl," who appears with the rain and disappears when it is over. In "I Can't Get It Out of My Head," by the Electric Light Orchestra, the singer finds himself obsessed with the "Ocean's daughter." Even "Hotel California," by The Eagles, can be considered a variant on the theme. Our hero is welcomed to the hotel by a beautiful woman, only the Hotel California proves to be a nightmarish place rather than the paradise that Faerie is usually described as being.

Given the number of these tales in which an otherworldly maiden leads to a man's destruction, some might view these tales as arising out of misogyny. I disagree. First, for every tale in which a fairy maiden sees a man to his doom, there is one in which there is a happy ending. Launfal and Graelent both spend their days with their lady loves in Fairyland. Second, there are also many tales in which a mortal woman is seduced by a supernatural being and comes to a bitter end, or nearly so. The Greek myths are filled with instances in which one of the gods falls in love with a mortal woman, the woman usually suffering for it. In the medieval tale of Sir Orfeo, Orfeo must go to Faerie to rescue his beloved, who fell under the spell of a fairy lord. Indeed, perhaps the best known encounter between a mortal and a supernatural being is "Little Riding Hood (and before some of you protest that the Wolf is not a supernatural being, consider this--how many wolves have you encountered can talk and masquerade as one's grandmother?)." Given that many tales feature a mortal woman seduced by a supernarual male, it would seem that they are more a warning of becoming involved with supernatural entities than an attack on women. Third, in many of the tales in which the hero comes to a bitter end, it is often through his own doing. He violates some taboo or oath. Oisin stepped off the horse. The Knight of Staufenberg broke his troth with the nymph. In such cases, the mortal man is obviously at fault.

Rather than misogyny, I think these myths and tales are actually a metaphor for the process of falling in love. Every man who has fallen in love views his ladylove as something more than she is. Though she might appear a normal woman to others, for the man who loves her she is an elvan maiden, a fairy princess, a goddess, a being from out of the ordinary. These tales portray the consequences of falling in love with such extraordinary beings. Sometimes the ending is happy. The hero spends the rest of his days with the fairy maiden in Fairyland, perhaps a metaphor for when love goes well--men and women marry and live happily ever after. Other times, either through his own doing or that of his lover, the hero is destroyed. This is a metaphor for love gone bad--either the man or the woman is untrue in some way and it leads to dire consequences. With regards to the tales of fairy maidens seducing mortal men, Greek gods seducing mortal women, and so on, I think that they express the hopes and fears people have with regards to love. Love is a force which can make one ecstatically happy or make one terribly unhappy. It can create or destroy one depending upon how his or her situation unfolds. Indeed, I must confess that I know all too well the dangers of elven princesses...