Some Updates

Today I was going to eulogise the great Agnès Varda, but it seems that the day has gotten away from me. As it is, it turns out I will have two more eulogies to write in addition to one for Miss Varda. This afternoon I received the sad news that Julia Lockwood Clark has died at the age of 77. Mrs. Clark was the daughter of the legendary Margaret Lockwood and very much a film star in her own right. I also saw news stories that composer Maury Laws has died at the age of 95. Mr. Laws may be best known for composing the scores of many Rankin/Bass specials and TV shows.

Today I also had the honour of being mentioned in CBR's column Comic Book Legends Revealed article "Comic Legends: How Close Did We Come to a Namor TV Show in 1954?" by Brian Cronin. Mr. Cronin quotes me from my article "Sub-Mariner the TV Series?", which I published in A Shroud of Thoughts back on September 1 2014. You can read "Comic Book Legends: How Close Did We Come to a Namor TV Show in 1954?" here. You can read my original article here. Anyhow, I want to say how very honoured I am to be mentioned in Comic Book Legends Revealed. I am a long time reader of the column and it is my favourite feature on CBR.Com.

Movies on the Networks on Friday Night in the Seventies

On September 23 1961 NBC Saturday Night at the Movies debuted. This event is significant in American television history as it was the first network movie anthology series to feature relatively recent movies made by the major studios. NBC Saturday Night at the Movies proved very successful. It was likely because of competition from NBC Saturday Night at the Movies that Gunsmoke, which had been the no. 1 show on television and was ranked at no. 3 when NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, dropped to the point that it did not even rank in the top 30 during the 1966-1967 (ultimately CBS moved the venerable old Western). It also spurred NBC to add more movie anthology shows and for ABC and CBS to add their own. By the end of the Sixties, six nights of the week featured movie anthology shows on at least one of the networks.

Of course, Friday was among the nights on which a movie anthology series aired. In fact, the decade would begin with a movie anthology series having been on Friday night for some time. The CBS Friday Night Movie had been on the air since the start of the 1966-1967 season. It would continue until the start of the 1975-1976 season, when it was replaced by Hawaii Five-O and Barnaby Jones. The CBS Friday Night Movie returned at mid-season and remained on Friday night until the middle of the 1977-1978 season, when it was replaced by The Incredible Hulk and Husbands, Wives & Lovers.

With the start of the 1971-1972 season, The CBS Friday Night Movie would no longer be the only movie anthology on Friday night. NBC launched its own Friday night movie anthology, using a title that they often used for movie anthologies, World Premiere Movie. World Premiere Movie did not last long. It was replaced at the start of the 1972-1973 season by The Little People, Ghost Story, and Banyon.

It would be with the 1975-1976 season that ABC added its own Friday night movie anthology series, The ABC Friday Night Movie. It would last for the remainder of the decade. In fact, The ABC Friday Night Movie would not go off the air until the first full season of the next decade, the 1981-1982 season.

Of the three movie anthology series that aired on Friday night in the Seventies, I remember NBC's World Premiere Movie the least. I have no doubt that was due to my age (I was only 8 years old when it debuted) and the fact that it only lasted a single season. The only movie I can remember watching  on it was 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.

That having been said, I have much better memories of both The CBS Friday Night Movie and The ABC Friday Night Movie. In fact, among my best memories of watching movies on television is when Planet of the Apes (1968) had its television premiere on The CBS Friday Night Movie in the 1973-1974 season. It would be followed later that season by Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). Over the years I would see several other movies for the first time ever on The CBS Friday Night Movie. These included To Sir with Love (1967), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Dillinger (1973), and Yellow Submarine (1968).

While The CBS Friday Night Movie showed major movies, The ABC Friday Night Movie tended to show more off-the-wall fare. It was on The ABC Friday Night Movie that I first saw the Matt Helm movies. It was also where I saw such films as The Brain (1969) starring David Niven, the Hammer film Hands of the Ripper (1971), Gordon's War (1973), The Legend of Hell House (1973), and Future World (1976). Although I had seen them before, ABC also showed several of the James Bond movies on The ABC Friday Night Movie. One thing that separated The ABC Friday Night Movie from The CBS Friday Night Movie is that ABC would sometimes show made-for-TV movies (which were often failed pilots for TV series). The Night Stalker (1972), Murder on Flight 502 (1975), and Curse of the Black Widow (1977), among others, aired on The ABC Friday Night Movie.

The movie anthology shows on the networks would begin a slow decline in the Eighties. The advent of the VCR and video rental shows would be the first nail in their coffins. The advent of DVDs would only accelerate their decline. Today there are no movie anthology shows on the networks. In fact, the networks only show feature films on rare occasions. That having been said, I have no doubt that many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers have fond memories of watching movies on network television, often on Friday night.

The Late Great Larry Cohen

Every movie buff has his or her favourite directors. For many their favourite directors are drawn from a number of A-listers: Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, and so on. Some of us, however, also include directors from outside the A-list. Among my favourite directors of all time is Larry Cohen. I cannot say Larry Cohen made B-movies, as his movies were of a high quality despite having low budgets. I cannot say that he directed exploitation films, as his movies always had some intellectual substance to them. Indeed, most of his films addressed social issues in some way, shape, or form. What I can say about Larry Cohen is that he directed movies that were as good as they were often outlandish. Working with limited budgets, Larry Cohen directed movies that were every bit as good as those produced by the major studios. Before his career in film he also had a notable career in television. Larry Cohen died at the age of 77 on March 23 2019.

Lawrence George Cohen was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan on July 15 1941. Growing up he was an avid movie fan, usually watching as many as four movies a week. He was drawing his own comic books by the time he was eight years old. As a teenager he would sneak into NBC Studios to watch television shows being shot there. Eventually he worked as a page at NBC. He attended the City College of New York.

In 1958 Larry Cohen went to work for Talent Associates. He told Talent Associates' president, Alfred Levy, of his interest in writing. Mr. Levy thought it was a good idea for Mr. Cohen to write a teleplay. The first script he wrote was rejected, but he continued trying, even receiving tutoring from a story editor at Talent Associates twice a week. Finally he sold his first script, an adaptation of Evan Hunter's "87th Precinct" novel Killer's Choice for Kraft Television Theatre in 1958. It was followed by another episode of Kraft Television Theatre in 1958, this one an adaptation of William L. Stuart's novel Night Cry. He would also write an episode of Zane Grey Theatre that aired in 1960.

The Sixties would see Mr. Cohen very active as a television writer. In fact, he created four different TV shows. The first, Branded, staring Chuck Connors as a cavalry officer accused of cowardice, has persisted in reruns to this day. Both Blue Light and Coronet Blue would develop cult followings. Like Branded, his fourth series also proved somewhat successful. The Invaders starred Roy Thinnes as David Vincent, who is trying to stop an alien invasion that is already well underway. He also suggested the idea for the TV series Custer, although it would be created by Samuel A. Peeples and David Weisbart. He wrote episodes of the shows The Witness, Way Out, The United States Steel Hour, Surfside 6, Checkmate, Sam Benedict, Arrest and Trial, The Nurses, Espionage, The Fugitive, The Defenders, and The Rat Patrol. He served as an executive producer on the show Never Too Young. It was in the Sixties that Larry Cohen also broke into film as a screenwriter. His first screenplay was for the Magnificent Seven sequel Return of the Seven (1966). He also wrote the screenplays for Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969) and El Condor (1970).

In the Seventies Larry Cohen broke into motion picture directing with the black comedy Bone (1972). He followed Bone with Black Caesar (1973) and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem (1973). It was arguably with It's Alive (1974) that people began to take notice of Larry Cohen. It was a horror movie with a most unlikely monster: a mutant killer baby. For the remainder of the Seventies Larry Cohen directed the movies God Told Me To (1976), The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), and It Lives Again (1978). He wrote the screenplay for The American Success Company (1980). He continued writing for television, writing episodes of the show Cool Million and Columbo. He created the TV show Griff. He also wrote the TV movies In Broad Daylight, Man on the Outside, and Calling Doctor Storm, M. D.

In the Eighties Larry Cohen directed the films Full Moon High (1981), Q (1982), Perfect Strangers (1984), Special Effects (1984), The Stuff (1985), It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987), A Return to Salem's Lot (1987), Deadly Illusion (1987), Wicked Stepmother (1989), and The Ambulance (1990). He wrote screenplays for the movies Best Seller (1987), Maniac Cop (1988), and Maniac Cop 2 (1990). He worked on the screenplay for I, the Jury (1982) briefly before being fired. He wrote the TV movies See China and Die (1981) and Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (1988).  He directed See China and Die as well.

In the Nineties Larry Cohen directed his final feature film, Original Gangstas (1996). He wrote the screenplays for the movies Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993), Body Snatchers (1993), Guilty as Sin (1993), Invasion of Privacy (1996), The Ex (1996), and Misbegotten (1997). He directed the TV movie As Good as Dead (1995). He wrote an episode of the TV show NYPD Blue as well as the TV movies Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice, Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave,  and The Defenders: Choice of Evils.

In the Nineties Mr. Cohen wrote the TV movie The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger. He directed an episode of Masters of Horror. He wrote the screenplays for the movies Phone Booth (2002), Cellular (2004), Captivity (2007), and Messages Deleted (2010).

Aside from such classic directors as Michael Curtiz, John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Alfred Hitchcock, Larry Cohen was one of the first directors of whom I was aware. His movies were frequently shown on cable television in the late Seventies into the Eighties. I was very happy when learned that the Larry Cohen who had worked in television was the same Larry Cohen who had directed movies in the Seventies and Eighties. Over the years he had provided me many of hours of enjoyment, whether it was through the TV show The Invaders or such feature films as Black Caesar, It's Alive, and Q. Indeed, I have often thought that Larry Cohen would make the sort of movies I would make.

To wit, Mr. Cohen worked in a variety of genres. He directed everything from comedies to horror movies to sci-fi movies to crime movies. Often his movies could be counted as belonging to several different movies at the same time. Q was simultaneously a crime thriller and a giant monster movie. The Stuff blended science fiction, horror, and satire. God Told Me To blended horror with elements of science fiction and police procedurals. What is more Larry Cohen could take the most far-out concepts and make them seem entirely plausible: killer babies, Azetc gods stalking New York City, yogurt-like products with rather alarming side effects, and so on. And while Larry Cohen always worked on shoe-string budgets and without A-list actors, his movies often had more substance than many big budget blockbusters. Over the years he tackled a number of social issues in his films, from racism to abortion to political corruption to religion. Larry Cohen's movies were rarely simple entertainment. That he made them very entertaining makes Mr. Cohen all the more admirable as a director.

Thank You for a Successful 5th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon!

I want to thank everyone who participated for a successful 5th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon. This year we had a wide variety of shows covered. Every decade of television from the Fifties to the Nineties was represented. There were also several genres of shows represented, from sitcoms to animated shows to adventure shows to anthology shows. One thing that set this Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon apart from previous Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathons is that we had posts on anthology shows that weren't The Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Studio 57 and The Outer Limits)! Given the success of this weekend's blogathon, I am pleased to announced that there will be a Sixth Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon in March 2020!

For those of you who want to read the entries from this year's blogathon, you can do so here.

ER "Night Shift"

(This post is part of the 5th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts)

Dedicated to the memory of my dearest Vanessa Marquez.

On September 19 2019 the TV show ER turns 25. While the show would eventually degenerate into a medical soap opera, when the show debuted it was positively revolutionary. Unlike previous medical dramas, ER featured a good deal of medical jargon with little to no explanation. The series could also be rather graphic for TV shows at the time, going further in portraying surgeries than even M*A*S*H had. The show was also unusually fast-paced, with the doctors going from case to case. It also included multiple sub-plots per episode. In fact, in his review of ER in The Hollywood Reporter, Miles Beller commented that the show's debut episode ("24 Hours") could be "...at times confused and confusing."

It was the fact that ER presented a more realistic view of medical procedures in the emergency room of a big city hospital that originally drew me to the show. In fact, at least for its first few seasons, ER remains one of my favourite shows to this day. It is then difficult for me to say what my favourite episode of the show actually is. While I love "Chicago Heat" and "Blizzard" (both from the first season), in the end I think my favourite might well be the third season's "Night Shift". "Night Shift" finds nearly all of the major characters working the overnight hours at County General Hospital. Perhaps because Chicago is experiencing a bit of a cold snap, not to mention snow, the hospital has little in the way of patients, giving the staff little to do. As a result, "Night Shift" isn't quite as fast moving as some episodes of ER.

Laura Innes as Dr. Weaver and Vanessa Marquez as Nurse
Wendy Goldman

Like most episodes of ER, "Night Shift" involves multiple subplots, and it is because of one of the subplots that it is possibly my favourite episode of the show. Quite simply, there is one humorous subplot featuring my three favourite characters on the show. Chief resident Dr. Kerry Weaver (played by Laura Innes) is conducting a study on the effects of individuals who work the night shift, assisted by my all time favourite ER character, Nurse Wendy Goldman (played by Vanessa Marquez--I guess it probably surprises no one that Wendy would be my favourite). After asking Lydia (played by Ellen Crawford), as well as the staff at large, Dr. Weaver and Nurse Wendy finally find someone willing to take part in the study in the form of physician assistant Jeanie Boulet (Gloria Reuben).  To this end Dr. Weaver has Jeanie ride a stationary bike, as well as run around outside (followed by Dr. Weaver and Wendy in a golf cart). Jeanie finally draws the line at getting inside a glass booth that will test her lung capacity. Quite simply, Jeanie is claustrophobic. With Jeanie out of the study, Dr. Weaver then makes Wendy get inside the booth.

This particular subplot does not necessarily reveal anything about Dr. Weaver, Nurse Wendy, or Jeanie, nor does it necessarily add anything to the characters. That having been said, it is a fun subplot that adds humour to an episode that at other times can be very serious. I also have to say that it is enjoyable seeing the usually calm and sweet natured Jeanie get a bit flustered (I can't blame her, I would be as well). Of course, I am going to enjoy any subplot in which Nurse Wendy is heavily involved.

In another humorous, if brief subplot, Dr. John Carter (played by Noah Wylie) and Dr. Maggie Doyle (played by Jorja Fox) have to search another wing of the hospital for a patient having a heart attack. After finding a toilet that is overflowing in one of the wing's restrooms, Dr. Carter and Dr. Doyle finally find the patient, only to watch as a custodian trained in CPR saves the patient's life. In turn, Dr. Carter directs the custodians to the toilet, which they had apparently had difficulty finding.

Of course, "Night Shift" is not all fun and games and the episode features some very serious subplots (and at least two of them I would even describe as "grim"). Among the few patients in the emergency room is a woman named Shelly (played by Ann Hearn), who Dr. Mark Greene (played by Anthony Edwards) believes to have meningitis. Unfortunately Shelly won't allow them to give her a shot of antibiotics, let alone perform the spinal tap that would be necessary to determine if she does indeed have meningitis. Dr. Greene believes that she is not competent enough to refuse treatment, but one of the hospital's attorneys informs him that he cannot proceed without a psychiatric consult. While the ER is slow, however, it would seem County General's psychiatric department must be busy, as they send down an intern instead of a full-fledged psychiatrist. The intern determines Shelly to be competent, so Mark demands to see someone higher up in the psychiatric department. After Shelly leaves the hospital to go outside, Dr. Greene retrieves her and they forcibly give her a spinal tap, having grown tired of waiting for the psych department to send someone down. As it turns out, she does have a serious case of meningitis.

This subplot interests me not simply because it gives us a look at hospital politics, but because it does delve into the subject of psychology which has always fascinated me (it was my minor in college). Indeed, even before the spinal tap was performed, determining that she did indeed have meningitis, I was convinced that Shelly was not mentally competent (I would suggest to the psych intern that he find another speciality....).

Another rather grim subplot involves runaway Charlie Chiemingo (played by Kirsten Dunst), who had attached herself to County General paediatrician Dr. Doug Ross (played by George Clooney) several episodes before "Night Shift". Charlie shows up at the ER and asks Dr. Ross for $100 to pay off a pimp who is trying to pressure her into a life of prostitution. Dr. Ross is convinced she is lying and sends her on her way, which hardly makes Charlie happy. Sadly, Charlie later arrives at the hospital, covered in bruises and blood, making it all too clear that she has been assaulted.

As grim as the subplot involving Charlie might seem, it was not the grimmest subplot in the episode. That involves Dr. Dennis Gant, a surgical intern and friend of Dr. Carter. Dr. Gant feels that Dr. Benton (played by Eriq La Salle) is being too hard on him, while at the same time he is depressed over his breakup with his girlfriend Monique. When Dr. Gant fails to carry out some assignments given to him by Dr. Benton, Dr. Benton yells at him in the cafeteria in front of everyone. This leads Dr. Gant to complain to Dr. Anspaugh (played by John Aylward), the Chief of Staff, about Dr. Benton's treatment of him. Unfortunately for Dr. Gant, when Dr. Anspaugh discusses his complaint with Dr. Benton and Dr. Carter, he determines that Dr. Gant simply needs to develop a thicker skin. I won't reveal how this subplot ends, but suffice it to say it is one of the more shocking endings in the early history of ER.

As hard as it might be to believe, these are not the only subplots in "Night Shift". Carol is informed that she has to fire two nurses in order to keep the emergency room within its budget. Dr. Benton wants to continue in paediatric surgery even after paediatrician  Dr. Keaton (played by Glenne Headly) refuses to recommend him for paediatric surgery rotation (why Dr. Benton thought he would be good with kids remains a mystery to me to this day...). Meanwhile, Dr. Keaton is preparing to depart for Pakistan.

Sadly, "Night Shift" would be one of the last episodes, if not the last episode, in which Nurse Wendy Goldman played a major role (she only appears in a few more episodes). On the set of ER Vanessa Marquez was subjected to both sexual harassment and ethnic slurs. When she complained about her treatment on the show, she was fired. Not only was Vanessa treated unfairly, but it was an unwise move on the producers' part. Quite simply, Nurse Wendy was one of the more popular characters on the show, so much so that I consider her departure to be one of the first factors in the decline of a show that had once been one of the best on television. I know quite a few people who stopped watching ER after Nurse Wendy was no longer on the show.

Indeed, the third season would be the last great season of ER. It was during that season that Sherry Stringfield, who played Dr. Susan Lewis, departed the show. The seasons immediately following the third season would see even more departures of both primary and secondary characters. At the same time there was a decline in the quality of writing on the show. The sort of humorous subplots found in the first three seasons would begin disappearing in the fourth season. At the same time the show began focusing less on medicine and more on the personal lives of the doctors and nurses. While there were still great episodes in the fourth and fifth seasons of ER, they were far fewer than in the first three seasons. Eventually ER would cease being the revolutionary, fairly realistic medical drama it had been and become a rather standard medical soap opera that was only a little better than Grey's Anatomy.

As I said earlier, I cannot say with absolute certainty that "Night Shift" is my all-time favourite ER episode, but it certainly ranks among them. It is an episode that blends everything I love about ER: humour, hospital politics, drama, and the interpersonal relationships of the staff. Given the third season was the last truly great season of ER, "Night Shift" is also a bit of a last hurrah for the show. And it is not every episode in which I get to see my three favourite characters in a subplot together (in fact, I think "Night Shift" might be the only one).

The 5th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon

The 5th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon has arrived! This year we have a great line up, with entries covering several decades worth of classic television.

For those of you who are participating in the blogathon, I ask that you link to this page. I will be updating this page with links to the various blog posts that are part of this blogathon throughout the weekend. If you want a graphic for your post, I have several on the announcement page here.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are the blog posts!

Realweegiemidget Reviews: Moonlighting (1985-89), Season 2 Episode 4, "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

Caftan Woman: The 5th Annual Favourite TV Episode Blogathon: Gunsmoke, "The Guitar" (1956)

The Stop Button: "Young Couples Only" (1955, Richard Irving) 

Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian: Some Favorite TV Episodes… 

Hamlette's Soliloquy: "A Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" -- My Favorite Maverick Episode 

John V's Eclectic Avenue: "The Bellero Shield": The Outer Limits Mixes Aliens, Shakespeare & Noir 

The Midnite Drive-In: The Cat Gets the Cheese

Coffee, Classics & Craziness: The Fugitive episode review: "Nightmare at Northoak"

Crítica Retrô: "Fred Flintstone faz um filme"/"Fred Flintstone Makes a Movie"

A Shroud of Thoughts: ER "Night Shift"

A Scunner Darkly: The Buccaneers – Ep 3 'Captain Dan Tempest' (Ralph Smart)

Moon in Gemini: "A Little Song, a Little Dance, a Little Seltzer Down Your Pants"

Pale Writer: Viva la Sharpe: Sharpe's Revenge

The Late Great Richard Erdman

"Richard Erdman" may not be a name most movie and television viewers would recognise, but they would certainly recognise his face. In a career that spanned over seventy years, Richard Erdman appeared in such films as Cry Danger (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). He appeared frequently on television, as a regular on such shows as Where's Raymond?, The Tab Hunter Show, and Community and a guest star on such shows as The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Wild Wild West, and Quincy M.E. On top of all of this, he was a voice actor on numerous animated shows. Richard Erdman died on March 16 2019 at the age of 93.

Richard Erdman was born on June 1 1925 in Enid, Oklahoma. He grew up in Colorado Springs. It was a stage director who told Mr. Erdman that he thought he could succeed in movies. He and his mother then moved to California where he enrolled at Hollywood High. It was not long before he caught the attention of Warner Bros., who signed him.

Richard Erdman made his film debut in an uncredited role as a Western Union messenger in the film Mr. Skeffington (1944). He appeared in uncredited roles in such films as Janie (1944), The Very Thought of You (1944), and Hollywood Canteen (1944) before appearing in his first credited role in the film Objective, Burma! (1945). He played Private Nebraska Hooper. In the late Forties he appeared in such films as Danger Signal (1945), Janie Gets Married (1946), Wild Harvest (1947), Easy Living  (1949), The Men (1950), and The Admiral Was a Lady (1950).

In the Fifties Mr. Erdman made his television debut in an episode of Your Jeweller's Showcase in 1952. He was a regular on the sitcom Where's Raymond? (the "Raymond" of the title was legendary star Ray Bolger) and The Tab Hunter Show. He guest starred on such shows as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Medic, Science Fiction Theatre, The Ford Television Theatre, Matinee Theatre, Panic!, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, December Bride, Perry Mason, Make Room for Daddy, and Aloca Theatre. He appeared in such films as Cry Danger (1951), You're in the Navy Now (1951), The Wild Blue Yonder (1951), The Blue Gardenia (1953), Stalag 17 (1953), Anything Goes (1956), The Power and the Prize (1956), and Saddle the Wind (1958).

In the Sixties Richard Erdman was a regular on the drama Saints and Sinners. He made what may be his best known guest appearance on a TV show, playing the boorish McNulty in the classic Twilight Zone episode "A Kind of Stopwatch". He also made multiple guest appearances on Perry Mason. He also guest starred on the shows Mister Ed, The Bill Dana Show, Petticoat Junction, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Green Acres, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. Terrific, Gomer Pyler: USMC, Premiere, The Name of the Game, Hogan's Heroes, Mayberry R.F.D., I Dream of Jeannie, The Wild Wild West, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Here's Lucy. He appeared in the films Marines, Let's Go (1961), The Brass Bottle (1964), Namu, the Killer Whale (1966), Rascal (1969), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

In the Seventies Richard Erdman guest starred on such shows as That Girl; Love, American Style; Police Story; Kate McShane; The Six Million Dollar Man; The Bionic Woman; Alice; Time Express; The Amazing Spider-Man, From Here to Eternity, and One Day at a Time. He appeared in the movies The Brothers O'Toole and Mr. Majestyk.

In the Eighties Mr. Erdman provided voices for such animated series as Space Stars, The Dukes, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Popeye and Son, The Flintstone Kids, and The Further Adventures of SuperTed. He guest starred on such shows as Lou Grant; Quincy M.E.; Too Close for Comfort; Legmen; Small Wonder; Remington Steele; Johnny Quest; Cheers; Wildfire; She's the Sheriff; It's a Living; Jesse; Murder, She Wrote; Wings; and Out of This World. He appeared in the movies Trancers (1984), Tomboy (1985), Stewardess School (1986), and Valet Girls (1987).

In the Nineties Richard Erdman was a regular voice actor on the animated series The Pirates of Dark Water. He was a guest voice on Batman: The Animated Series and Capitol Critters. He guest starred on such shows as The New Adam-12, Picket Fences, Hudson Street; Beverly Hills 90210, and Felicity. He provided a voice for the feature film The Pagemaster (1994) and The Learning Curve (1999).

In the Naughts Richard Erdman began playing Leonard on the sitcom Community, continuing to play the role into the Teens. He guest starred on the shows Boomtown, Judging Amy, The Bernie Mac Show, and Joan of Arcadia. He appeared in the mini-series Weird Loners. His last appearance on screen was in the sitcom Dr. Ken (starring fellow Community alum Ken Jeong. Fittingly enough, in the episode Richard Erdman played himself.

Arguably, Richard Erdman was one of the greatest characters actors of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. While many character actors are typecast in one sort of role, Mr. Erdman could play a wide variety of roles. That having been said, he had a particular gift for playing comedy and for playing quirky characters. In the classic film noir Cry Danger he played Delong, a heavy drinking, former Marine with a very dark sense of humour. In "A Kind of Stopwatch" on The Twilight Zone he played McNulty, a boorish man who was too full of himself who finds himself in possession of a very special kind of watch. Of course, he may be most familiar to younger viewers as Leonard on Community, the elderly yet still laid-back, occasionally rash business major with a gift for pranks and wisecracks.

Of course, Richard Erdman was perfectly capable of playing serious characters in dramas. In Stalag 17 he played barracks chief Sgt. "Hoffy" Hoffman. While Hoffy has a sense of humour, it is clear that he takes his position in the prisoner of war camp very seriously. In the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Absent Artist" he played tax accountant Charles "Monty"  Montrose, one of the many suspects in the episode. In the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! he played Colonel Edward F. French. Richard Erdman certainly had a gift for comedy and playing quirky characters, but such was his talent that he could play serious characters in dramas as well.