¿Qué Pasa, USA?

Prior to the Seventies, Cubans and Cuban Americans were a rarity on American television. Perhaps the only Cuban character of any importance on a television show was Ricky Ricardo, played by Desi Arnaz, on the classic sitcom I Love Lucy. That would change in 1977 with the debut of ¿Qué Pasa, USA? on PBS. ¿Qué Pasa, USA? was a sitcom centred on the Peña family, a family of Cuban Americans living in Little Havana in Miami. T Pepe Peña (Manolo Villaverde) was the father and male head of the family. Juana (Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado) was the mother and female head of the family. Antonio (Luis Oquendo) was Juana's father, who spoke primarily Spanish and spoke English very poorly, so he often had to rely on Pepe and Juana as a translators. Adela (Velia Martinez), was Juana's mother, who was also primarily fluent in Spanish and had to rely on her children as translators. Joe (Steven Bauer) was Pepe and Juana's son. Carmen (Ana Margo) was Pepe and Juana's daughter. The primary followed the Peñas as they were torn between traditional Cuban values and the pressures of living in a primarily Anglo-American society. ¿Qué Pasa, USA? was not only historic as the first American sitcom based around a Cuban American family, but also as the first bilingual sitcom. Given the grandparents did not speak English, it was not unusual for episodes of the show to switch between Spanish and English. It was also the first sitcom produced exclusively for PBS.

The origins of ¿Qué Pasa, USA? go back to the Emergency School Aid Act of 1972, which essentially a Federal incentive program to encourage schools to desegregate. It was Senator Walter Mondale who introduced legislation that would create a program under the Emergency School Aid Act that would create educational television programming that would help children of diverse racial backgrounds connect with each other. The program came to be called ESAA-TV.  It was ESAA-TV that would lead Manny Mendoza, a professor at Miami-Dade Community College, to create a show centred around a Cuban American family. Professor Mendoza had conducted studies for the Community Action and Research Group in Miami that indicated Cuban American teenagers were often isolated. He thought that an educational program that was also entertaining could alleviate this problem.

Professor Mendoza and his partner Julio Avello, along with Miami PBS station WPBT-2, then co-wrote a proposal for what would become ¿Qué Pasa, USA?. Professor Mendoza and WPBT-2 then secured Federal funding under ESAA-TV to go forward with the show. He approached Jose Bahamonde to serve as executive producer on the show. The budget for ¿Qué Pasa, USA? was miniscule compared to that of broadcast network sitcoms of the time. The first two seasons, with about ten episodes each, were budgeted at only $250,000 apiece. According to Jose Bahamonde, because of the low budget, he actually decorated the set with his own personal items and things he had bought at thrift stores. The limited budget would also have another impact on ¿Qué Pasa, USA?. At a time when shows on the commercial networks produced around 24 episodes per season, ¿Qué Pasa, USA? produced around 10 episodes per season.

Produced in Miami on a low budget, ¿Qué Pasa, USA? did not have access to actors well-known in the United States at the time. Velia Martinez, who played Abuela Adela, had a career going back to the Forties, having appeared in such Mexican films as El capitán Malacara (1945) and Loco y vagabundo (1946), and American films such as The Big Boodle (1957). Like Velia Martinez, Luis G. Oquendo, who played Abuelo Antonio, had appeared in Mexican films. Perhaps the member of the cast best known today is Steven Bauer, who played Joe. For the show he was billed under the name "Rocky Echevarria," and it was under that name that he guest stared on a 1978 episode of The Rockford Files. Steven Bauer left the show after its third season to pursue a Hollywood career. Joe was written off the show as having left to attend Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Steven Bauer would go onto star in the final season of Wiseguy and would he would have recurring roles on such shows as Hacienda Heights, Ray Donovan, and Queen of the South.

¿Qué Pasa, USA? was created to be broadcast on local stations in the Miami and Tampa areas. In the end, the show proved to be popular, so that it would be broadcast on 70 PBS stations throughout the United States. It ultimately reached 20 million viewers. Not only did audiences love ¿Qué Pasa, USA?, but it was also well received by critics. Despite its popularity, ¿Qué Pasa, USA? ended after four seasons and 39 episodes when its funding ran out.

¿Qué Pasa, USA? was not gone, however, as it has continued to be rerun to this day. In 2018 the continued popularity of the show would result in a stage  production titled ¿Qué Pasa, USA? Today...40 Years Older, which reunited some of the original cast members.

¿Qué Pasa, USA? would have a lasting impact beyond having launched Steven Bauer's career. It has never left the air and it is currently available on both YouTube and Vix. ¿Qué Pasa, USA? was the first real exposure Cuban Americans had on American television, and in the years since Cuban Americans have been more visible on American television. At a time when Cuban Americans were invisible on American television, ¿Qué Pasa, USA? broke down barriers.

The Best Roles of Glynis Johns

Today legendary actress Glynis Johns turned 100 years old. She had a remarkable career that lasted decades, from the late Thirties to the late Nineties. She appeared on stage, in film, and on television. With an ethereal beauty, Glynis Johns could have made a good living simply playing romantic interests on stage and in film, but instead she played a wide variety of roles. Over the years she played everything from a mermaid to a suffragette to a famed author. What is more, she played all of them well. For that reason, choosing Glynis Johns's best roles is not an easy task.

Glynis Johns was born on October 5 1923 in Pretoria, Union of South Africa. It would be accurate to say that acting was in her blood. Her father was Welsh actor Melvyn Johns, perhaps most familiar to viewers today from his role in the horror classic Dead of Night (1945). Her mother was Alyce Steele-Wareham, an esteemed concert pianist and an accomplished violinist. Her family having returned to the United Kingdom not long after her birth, she started training in ballet when she was only five years old. At eight years old she played Sonia Kuman in the play Judgement Day at the Phoenix Theatre in London. She was only fifteen when she made her film debut in South Riding in 1938. Coming from a theatrical family and trained nearly from birth to perform, there is little wonder that Glynis Johns should be a remarkable talent.

Without further ado, here are what I consider to be Glynis Johns's five best roles, although I could list many more.

Miranda (1948): Based on the play by Peter Blackmore, Miranda starred Glynis Johns as the mermaid of the title. Miranda has an incredible power over men, complicated by the fact that she tends to flirt with every single man she meets. Naturally, this arouses jealousy in the wives of these men. Much to the misfortune of Claire Martin (Googie Withers), Miranda is most interested in her husband, Dr. Paul Martin (Griffith Jones). A lesser actress may have depended primarily upon their looks to play Miranda, but Glynis Johns endows the character with a real personality, making the mermaid all the more seductive. Miranda was released the same year as the Hollywood classic Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), starring William Powell and Ann Blyth. As much as I love Ann Blyth and as good a job as she did in Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, I think Glynis Johns was actually the better of the two.

The Court Jester (1955): In The Court Jester, Danny Kaye plays Hubert Hawkins, a minstrel of a band of rebels led by the Black Fox. To infiltrate the castle, the rebels meet and then knock unconscious tyrannical King Roderick's new court jester, Giacomo (John Carradine), so Hubert can assume his identity and infiltrate the king's castle. Among the captains of the rebels is Maid Jean, played by Glynis Johns. Jean is a far cry from Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Jean is skilled with the sword and with the bow, and fight better than most men. At the same time Jean is sweet natured and it is her love for justice that found her among the rebels to begin with. As a trained dancer, Glynis Johns easily pulls off Jean's physicality, while at the same time infusing her with both a passion for justice and genuine concern for her fellow human beings.

The Sundowners (1960): In The Sundowners Glynis Johns played a role that was well removed from Miranda or Jean. She played Mrs. Firth, the owner of the local pub in Cawndilla. Mrs. Firth is feisty, loud, talkative, and very flirtatious. While Mrs. Firth does not have a lot of screen time, Glynis Johns makes her easily the most interesting character in the film, through her body language, her eyes, and her voice.

Mary Poppins (1964): There can be no doubt that Glynis Johns is perhaps best known as Winifred Banks, the wife of banker George Banks (David Tomlinson) in Mary Poppins. The movie was the highest grossing film of 1964, beating out both My Fair Lady and Goldfinger And it has remained popular ever since. Much of the reason for the film's success was its cast, in particular Julie Andrews as the nanny of the title, who was "practically prefect in every way." While Julie Andrews was the star of Mary Poppins, the rest of the cast got to shine as well. Glynis Johns delivers a fine performance as Winifred Banks. Winifred is easily distracted and nearly all-consumed by the suffrage movement, to the point that she sometimes does not pay that much attention to her children.  At the same time she tries to be a model mother and wife, something complicated by her husband George Banks's demand for an overly efficiently run household. Winifred is not given a lot to do in Mary Poppins, but Glynis Johns brings her to life wonderfully.

The Vault of Horror (1973): The Vault of Horror is one of the portmanteau horror movies made by Amicus Productions. It was a follow-up to Tales from the Crypt (1972), and both films were inspired by classic EC Comics stories. Glynis Johns appears in the segment "The Neat Job," once more playing a wife and homemaker. In this case she is Eleanor Critchit, the trophy wife of Arthur Critchit (Terry-Thomas). To say Arthur is obsessive-compulsive when it comes to neatness might be an understatement. Unfortunately, housekeeping is not among Eleanor's talents, and she sometimes makes more of a mess than she cleans things up. Of course, this leads to constant nagging from Arthur. This being based on an EC Comics story, Eleanor does eventually get her revenge. Glynis Johns does a wonderful job of playing Eleanor, endowing the character with a personality and generating a good deal of sympathy for her in the brief time she has on screen.

Godspeed Sir Michael Gambon

Sir Michael Gambon, who starred on the TV series Maigret and played Albus Dumbledore in various "Harry Potter" movies, died on September 27 2023 at the age of 82 following a bout of pneumonia.

Michael Gambon was born in Cabra, a suburb of Dublin, on October 19 1940. When he was six years old, his family moved to London. He attended St Aloysius Boys' School in Somers Town and  St Aloysius' College in Highgate. He later attended Crayford Secondary School, but left at age 15. He apprenticed as a toolmaker with Vickers-Armstrongs at age 16. He was a qualified engineering technician by the time he was 21.

Michael Gambon made his debut as a professional actor in a production of Othello at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He later joined Lord Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company, which included such other actors as Frank Finlay, Derek Jacobi, and Robert Stephens. He made his film debut in Othello in 1965. It was in 1967 that he made his television debut in an episode of Softly, Softly. In the late Sixties he guest starred on Public Eye, Fraud Squad, and Confession. He was one of the leads on the TV series The Borderers.

In the Seventies he was a regular on the TV shows Eyeless in Gaza, The Challengers, and The Other One. He guest starred on the shows The Man Outside, Kate, Softly, Softly: Task Force, Love Story, Menace, A Picture of Katherine Mansfield, Special Branch, Arthur of the Britons, Six Days of Justice, ITV Saturday Night Theatre, Orson Welles' Great Mysteries, Zodiac, Second City Firsts, Masquerade, Centre Play, ITV Sunday Night Drama, Play for Today, The Sunday Drama, BBC Play of the Month, Play for Love, Premiere, and Tales of the Unexpected. He appeared in the movies Nothing But the Night (1973) and The Beast Must Die (1974).

In the Eighties Michael Gambon starred in the TV shows Oscar and The Singing Detective. He guest starred on the shows ITV Playhouse. Bergerac, and Theatre Night. He appeared in the movies Turtle Diary (1985), Paris By Night (1988), The Rachel Papers (1989), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), and A Dry White Season (1989).

In the Nineties he played Chief Inspector Jules Maigret on the TV series Maigret. He was The Storyteller on the TV series The Storyteller: Greek Myths.  He appeared in the mini-series Samson and Delilah and Wives and Daughters. He guest starred on the TV series Minder and Performance. He appeared in the movies Mobsters (1991), Toys (1992), Clean Slate (1994), A Man of No Importance (1994), Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994), Nothing Personal (1995), Two Deaths (1995), The Innocent Sheep (1995), Mary Reilly (1996), The Wings of the Dove (1997), The Gambler (1997), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), Plunkett & Macleane (1999), The Last September (1999), The Insider (1999), and Sleepy Hollow (1999).

In the Naughts Michael Gambon took over the role of Professor Albus Dumbleore with the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004 following the death of Richard of Harris. He played Dumbledore in the remaining "Harry Potter" movies: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 1 (2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part Two (2011). He also voiced Dumbledore in "Harry Potter" video games. He appeared in the movies High Heels and Low Lifes (2001), Gosford Park (2001), Charlotte Gray (2001), Ali G Indrahouse (2002), The Actors (2003), Open Range (2003), Sylvia (2003), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), Being Julia (2004), Layer Cake (2004), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Omen (2006), Amazing Grace (2006), The Good Shepherd (2006), The Good Night (2007), The Baker (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), The Book of Eli (2010), and The King's Speech (2010). He was the voice of Franklin Bean in the animated movie Fantastic Mr. Fox. He guest starred on the TV shows Cranford and Doctor Who. He appeared in the mini-series Perfect Strangers, Angels in America, and Emma.

In the Teens Michael Gambon starred on the show Luck and Fortitude. He appeared in the min-series Lucan, Quirke, The Casual Vacancy, Fearless, and Little Women. He guest starred on the show The Hollow Crown. He appeared in the movies Quartet (2012), Dad's Army (2017), Viceroy's House (2017), Mad to be Normal (2017), Victoria & Abdul (2017), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), The Last Witness (2018), The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018), King of Thieves (2018), Johnny English Strikes Again (2018), Judy (2019), and Cordelia (2019). He was the voice of Uncle Pastuzo in both Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), He was the narrator for Hail, Caesar! (2016).

I have to think that for many younger viewers Sir Michael Gambon will always be best known as Professor Albus Dumbledore. And there is no denying he was marvellous in the role, but he also played a wide variety of other parts in which he was also great. He was perfect as the pianist Jan Jarmokowski in the Amicus Productions horror movie The Beast Must Die. He gave a fantastic performance as Albert Spica, the brutal, coarse gangster who wants to be a gourmet in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. On television he did well as mystery writer Phillip E. Marlow and the fictional detective of his creation. He gave a good performance as Chief Inspector Maigret on the 1992 TV series Maigret. Michael Gambon played a wide variety of roles, often dramatically different from each other, and played all of them well.

Hammer Horror on TCM in October 2023

This October, as they always do, Turner Classic Movies is showing a lot of horror movies. This time they are doing it under the heading of "Terror-thon," several hours worth of frightening films. And, as usual, TCM is showing a lot of the beloved classics made by the legendary British studio Hammer Film Productions, Ltd. There is a very good reason that Hammer Horror fans look forward to October on TCM every year!

Below is a schedule of the Hammer Films being shown on Turner Classic Movies this October. All times are Central.

Monday, October 4
2:15 AM Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

Monday, October 9
8:45 AM The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

Sunday, October 22
3:15 PM The Nanny (1965)

Sunday, October 27
10:00 PM Dracula/Horrror of Dracula(1958)

Sunday, October 30
5:15 PM The Devil Rides Out (1968)
8:45 PM The Witches/The Devil's Own (1966)

Monday, October 31 (Halloween)
3:45 AM The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
5:30 AM Rasputin--The Mad Monk (1966)
7:15 AM Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
9:00 AM The Mummy (1959)

The 60th Anniversary of My Favorite Martian

It was sixty years ago, on September 29 1963, that My Favorite Martian debuted on CBS. In many ways, it was a pioneering show. It was the success of My Favorite Martian that would lead to such shows as Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. It would also prove popular. While on the air, My Favorite Martin produced merchandise from comic books to a board game. After it had gone off the air, it would have a successful syndication run, and it would result in a Saturday morning cartoon and even a feature film.

My Favorite Martian centred on a 450-year-old anthropologist from Mars, later revealed to be named Exigius 12 1/2 (Ray Walston), who crashes lands on Earth. He is found by Tim O'Hara (Bill Bixby), a reporter for The Los Angeles Sun. With the Martian stranded on Earth due to damage to his spaceship, Tim takes him in and tells others that he is his Uncle Martin. Tim agrees to keep Martin's identity secret and not to reveal that he is from Mars. By the same token, Martin decides not to exhibit his special abilities around Earthlings. As to Martin's abilities, they are numerous. He has retractable antennae in the back of his head.  He has telekinesis and can lift and move objects by moving his index finger. He can read minds. He can become invisible. He can also speed himself or others up, and even freeze people and objects in place. On top of all this, he is an inventor who can develop advanced technology. Tim and Martin live in a garage apartment they rent from Lorelei Brown (Pamela Britton).

According to an article from the Newspaper Enterprise Association in October 1963, My Favorite Martian was created by John L. Greene, who had earlier written for shows such as My Friend Irma and Our Miss Brooks. John L. Greene had created Uncle Martin in a script that he had sent to a major talent agency. It was three years after he had sent the script to the agency that Jack Chertok, who had produced Private Secretary and The Lone Ranger, among other shows, found John L. Greene's script at the bottom of a stack of scripts at the agency. Jack Chertok informed the agency that he liked the script. One of the people at the agency told Mr. Chertok, "It's the worst idea around here. It has been read by everyone and always winds up at the bottom of the stack." Jack Chertok told him, "That's why I want it."

From the beginning Ray Walston and Bill Bixby were wanted for the roles of Uncle Martin and Tim O'Hara respectively. Ray Walston had appeared in the London production of the musical South Pacific and in the 1958 film version as well, and he played the Devil in both the Broadway musical Damn Yankees and the 1958 film version of that musical. He also appeared in the movie The Apartment (1960). Bill Bixby has made guest appearances on such shows as Dobie Gillis, Make Room for Daddy, and The Andy Griffith Show. The role of landlady Lorelei Brown was conceived as being an older lady, but actress Pamela Britton was able to persuade Jack Chertok that she should be younger. Pamela Britton had appeared in the classic film noir D.O.A. (1950) and had played Blondie in the 1957 sitcom Blondie, based on the popular comic strip of the same name. The first season of My Favorite Martian featured J. Pat O'Malley as Tim's boss at The Los Angeles Sun, Mr. Burns. In the second and third seasons, Alan Hewitt played Detective Bill Brennan, who was very suspicious of Uncle Martin. Roy Engel appeared in six episodes of the third season as a police captain.

The pilot for My Favorite Martian differed from the regular series. It was filmed in 1962 and it was on the basis of that pilot that CBS bought the show in January 1963. The original pilot featured Ina Victor as Mrs. Brown's twenty-year-old niece Annabelle. She would not appear in the regular series.  Mrs. Brown's fifteen-year-old daughter Angela, played by Ann Marshall, only appeared in three episodes of My Favorite Martian (including the pilot), all during the first season.

For seven episodes of the first season of My Favorite Martian, Sherwood Schwartz, later of Gilligan's Island fame, served as the show's script consultant. CBS had been having trouble with new episodes beyond the pilot. According to Mr. Schwartz, after looking at unfinished episodes, he determined that the problem was that instead of focusing on Uncle Martin as a fish out of water, the episodes were focusing more on Tim O'Hara. Sherwood Schwartz then threw out many of the scripts and kept five or six scripts that could be salvaged through rewriting.  In his own words, Mr. Schwartz felt that he simply put the show back on the track set by the pilot.

For the most part, My Favorite Martian was well-received by critics, if not overwhelmingly so. Associated Press television and radio writer Cynthia Lowry gave My Favorite Martian a largely positive review, noting "The big problem, of course, will be achieving audience acceptance--adult acceptance, that is, because children are accustomed to taking out-of-this-world creatures in stride." Columnist Bob Foster wrote, "My Favorite Martian probably will cause quite a sensation, although personally I don't warm up to this type of thing." Columnist Erskine Johnson noted, "My Favorite Martian, at least, has imagination and is a departure from most of television's domestic comedies, all of which boil down to My Favorite Husband (or Wife)."

My Favorite Martian proved to be a hit in its first season, coming in at no. 10 in the Nielsen ratings for the year. In its second season, My Favorite Martian dropped in the ratings, although it came in at a still respectable no. 24 for the year. The third season would see major changes for the show. It shifted from being shot in black-and-white to being shot in colour. While during its first two seasons, My Favorite Martian was shot at Desilu, for its third season it was shot at MGM's studios in Culver City. It was during the summer of 1965 that Lucille Ball, the head of Desilu, decided that the studio needed the soundstages then being rented to Jack Chertok for a new show they were producing called Star Trek. Of course, this meant that the show now had access to MGM's large backlot.

The success of My Favorite Martian would result in merchandise associated with the show. Gold Key published nine issues of a My Favorite Martian comic book from 1964 to 1966. Transogram put out a My Favorite Martian board game. There was also a beanie with antennae, a magic set put out by Gilbert, a colouring book published by Golden Press, and various other items.

Unfortunately, it was during the third season that My Favorite Martian also had something of a crisis. Ray Walston was unhappy with the quality of many of the scripts and decided as a result that he wanted to appear less on the show. It was because of this that Uncle Martin's eleven-year-old nephew Andromeda was introduced on the show, played by Wayne Stam. As it turned out, Andromeda only appeared in one episode, and CBS did not particularly care for the idea. He only appeared in the 24th episode of the third season, "When You Get Back to Mars, Are You Going to Get It," and did not appear in the remainder of the season.

As it turns out, My Favorite Martian dropped in the Nielsen ratings during its third season, so it no longer ranked in the top thirty of the year. CBS cancelled My Favorite Martian, perhaps due to the show's ratings and the fact that Ray Walston wanted to reduce his participation on the show. My Favorite Martian.

While My Favorite Martian had ended its network run, it was neither gone nor forgotten. The show went into syndication as a rerun, where it proved to be popular. The continued popularity of the show resulted in a revival of sorts as a Saturday morning cartoon titled My Favorite Martians. The show was produced by Filmation, in conjunction with Jack Chertok Productions. Neither Ray Walston nor Bill Bixby returned to voice their characters from My Favorite Martian. Instead, Jonathan Harris (best known as Dr. Smith on Lost in Space) voiced Uncle Martin, while Howard Morris (of Your Show of Shows and The Andy Griffith Show fame) voiced Tim O'Hara. Lane Scheimer voiced Martin's nephew Andromeda. Lorelei Brown was voiced by Jane Webb, who also voiced the new character of Tim's niece Katy. Howard Morris also voiced multiple characters, including Detective Bill Brennan and the new characters of a Martian dog called Okey, a chimp named Chump, and Detective Brennan's son named Brad. Despite the additional characters, My Favorite Martians did use scripts meant for the unrealized fourth season of the original television show. My Favorite Martians debuted on CBS on September 8 1973. It spent only one season on Saturday morning and was rerun the following season on Sunday morning on CBS.

In 1995, Ray Walston appeared in a commercial for AT&T. It was implied that his character was Uncle Martin looking for affordable long-distance rates to call Mars.

In 1999 a feature film based on the TV show, also titled My Favorite Martian, was released. It starred Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Martin and Jeff Daniels as Tim O'Hara. Ray Walston appeared as a Martian who had been stranded on Earth for years. The film was not particularly well-received by critics. It also did not click with audiences and failed at the box office.

Regardless, My Favorite Martian continues to be popular. It has aired on AmericanLife TV, TV Land, COZI TV, and Antenna TV. The show has been released on both VHS and DVD. My Favorite Martian is available on multiple streaming services, including Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Vudu, Prime Video, Plex, Freevee, and others.

As mentioned earlier, Esrkine Johnson noted that My Favorite Martian was different from television's domestic comedies, which might well explain its success. There had only been a few fantasy sitcoms on the air before My Favorite Martian, and only two had seen any real success. Topper may well have been the first fantasy sitcom, debuting in 1953. It was followed in 1961 by Mister Ed, starring the famous talking horse. The success of My Favorite Martian would spark an entire cycle of fantasy sitcoms. The following season would see the debut of such shows as The Addams Family, Bewitched, The Munsters, and My Living Doll. The following seasons would see such sitcoms as I Dream of Jeannie, The Smothers Brothers Show, The Flying Nun, and The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. It seems possible that none of these shows would have aired if My Favorite Martian had not been a hit. It seems likely My Favorite Martian was responsible for further sitcoms centred around aliens, including Mork & Mindy, ALF, Third Rock from the Sun, and the short-lived show The Neighbors. Sixty years after its debut, the influence of My Favorite Martian is still being felt.

Close Channel D: The Late, Great David McCallum

For many Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers, David McCallum was their first crush. For others, like myself, David McCallum was one of their childhood heroes. He played ultra-cool Russian U.N.C.L.E. agent Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a phenomenon when it first aired and later a popular rerun in syndication. For younger audiences he may be best remembered as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, the eccentric, intellectual chief medical examiner on NCIS. As identified as he was with both roles, David McCallum had a career that spanned seventy years and played numerous other roles, from Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt ("Dispersal") in The Great Escape (1963) to Steel in the British cult television show Sapphire & Steel. Sadly, David McCallum died yesterday, September 25 2023, only a little under a week after having turned 90.

David Keith McCallum Jr. was born on September 19 1933 in Glasgow. His father was, David McCallum Sr., was an orchestral violinist and his mother Dorothy McCallum (née Dorman) was a cellist. He was only three when his family moved to London where his father played as leader in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. With World War II young David McCallum was evacuated to Gatocharn, Scotland, where he lived with is mother.

David McCallum was encouraged by his parents to pursue a career in music. He learned to play the oboe as well as the piano and the English horn. As it turned out, David McCallum learned he was more interested in acting. He played the Little Prince in Shakespeare's King John when he was only eight years old, and he believed that is what led him to decide to be an actor. David McCallum attended University College School in Hampstead, London. When he was 13, he began providing voices for BBC radio shows. For his National Service, David McCallum served in the British Army's 3rd Battalion the Middlesex Regiment. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Among his classmates was Joan Collins. He played with the Oxford Repertory Group.

David McCallum made his television debut in the television mini-series The Rose and the Ring in 1953. His film debut was an uncredited role in Ill Met By Moonlight (1957). That same year he was cast in Clive Donner's directorial debut The Secret Place (1957), playing rebellious Cockney Mike Wilson. David McCallum signed with the Rank Organization. In the late Fifties he appeared in the films These Dangerous Years (1957), Hell Drivers (1957), Robbery Under Arms (1957), Violent Playground (1958), A Night to Remember (1958), and Jungle Street (1960). On television he was a regular on the TV program The Eustace Diamonds. He appeared in the mini-series Our Mutual Friend and played Frank Churchill in the mini-series Emma. He guest starred on the shows Television World Theatre, Saturday Playhouse, BBC Sunday-Night Play, Armchair Theatre, ITV Television Playhouse, and Knight Errant Limited.

It was in 1964 that David McCallum began playing Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Initially, Illya was meant to be a minor character, with the show centred firmly on Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo. Audience reaction to the character proved to be so positive that the producer eventually made David McCallum a co-star on the show, on equal footing with Robert Vaughn. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. proved to be something of a fad, achieving phenomenal ratings and producing a treasure trove of merchandise. David McCallum became a heartthrob among teenage girls and younger women, and he received more fan mail than any other actor in the history of MGM, even such well-known stars as Clark Gable and Judy Garland. Changes in time slot and a shift to camp in the show's third season resulted in a drop in ratings, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was cancelled midway in its fourth season.

In addition to his regular role on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., David McCallum also guest starred on the TV shows ITV Play of the Week, Sir Francis Drake, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Perry Mason, The Great Adventure, The Outer Limits, Profiles in Courage, and Please Don't Eat the Daisies (as Illya Kuryakin). In the classic movie The Great Escape (1963), he played Lieutenant Commander Ashley-Pitt, who devised a means of getting ride of the dirt excavated from the escape tunnels. He also appeared in the movies The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961), Karolina Rijecka (1961), Billy Budd (1962), Freud (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Around the World Under the Sea (1966), Three Bites of the Apple (1967), Sol Madrid (1968), Mosquito Squadron (1969), and La cattura (1969).

In the Seventies David McCallum starred on the British TV show Colditz, the short-lived American series The Invisible Man, and the British cult sci-fi series Sapphire & Steel. He also appeared in the mini-series Kidnapped. David McCallum guest starred on the TV shows Night Gallery; The Man and the City; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Norman Corwin Presents; and Bert D'Angelo/Superstar. He appeared in the movies The Kingfisher Caper (1975), Dogs (1977), King Solomon's Treasure (1979), and The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

In the Eighties David McCallum continued to star as Steel on Sapphire & Steel. He appeared in the mini-series Mother Love and Lucky Chances. He reprised his role as Illya Kuryakin in the television reunion movie The Return of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair, and he was again reunited with Robert Vaughn on in a role very similar to Illa Kuryakin in the A-Team episode "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair." He also guest starred on the TV shows Strike Force; Hart to Hart; As the World Turns; The Master; Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense; Matlock; Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Monsters; Father Dowling Mysteries; Murder, She Wrote; and Boon. He appeared in the movies Terminal Choice (1985), Az aranyifjú (1987), and The Haunting of Morella (1990).

In the Nineties David McCallum starred in the TV shows Cluedo, Trainer, VR.5., and Team Knight Rider. He guest starred on the shows SeaQuest DSV, Babylon 5, Heartbeat, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Law & Order, The Outer Limits, Three, Sex and the City, and Deadline. He appeared in the movies Hear My Song (1991), Dirty Weekend (1993), Fatal Inheritance (1993), Healer (1994), and Cherry (1999).

In the Naughts David McCallum first played Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the two-part JAG episode "Ice Queen"/"Meltdown" that served as a backdoor pilot for NCIS. That autumn he began his long run of playing the character on NCIS. He ultimately played Ducky for twenty years, appearing in more episodes of NCIS than any other actor. He also starred on the show The Education of Max Bickford and voiced C.A.R. on the animated series The Replacements and Professor Paradox on the animated series Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. He guest starred on the TV show Jeremiah, and was a guest voice on the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He was the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in the animated movie Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) and the voice of Zeus in the animated movie Wonder Woman (2009).

In the Teens David McCallum continued to play Ducky on NCIS. He also appeared as Ducky on the spin-off NCIS: New Orleans. He continued to voice Professor Paradox in the animated shows Ben 10: Omiverse. He provided the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in the animated movies Son of Batman (2014) and Batman vs. Robin (2015). In the 2020s he continued to play Ducky on NCIS.

In addition to appear in film and screen, David McCallum also provided voices for such video games as Ben 10: Alien Force--Vilgax Attacks, Diablo III, and NCIS.

Trained as a musician, David McCallum would have something of a music career. In the Sixties he recorded four albums of instrumentals for Capitol Records: Music...A Part of Me, Music...A Bit More of Me, Music...It's Happening Now!, and McCallum. His composition "The Edge" would later be sampled by rap artists and would appear in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV and the movie Baby Driver (2017).

David McCallum also wrote a novel, a thriller titled Once a Crooked Man.

It seems very likely David McCallum will always be best remembered as Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Mallard on NCIS, and Ashley-Pitt in The Great Escape. And I don't think that is merely do to the continued popularity of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., NCIS, and The Great Escape. Quite simply, he was fantastic in all three roles. He was perfect as Illa Kuryakin, the mysterious, super-cool U.N.C.L.E. agent. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was obviously impressed with is performance as Illya, nominating him twice for the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment - Actors and Performers and the Emmy for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series. He was also impressive as Ducky on NCIS, the jocular, but intellectual medical examiner. He stood out in an ensemble cast in The Great Escape as Lieutenant Commander Ashley-Pitt.

Of course, David McCallum played many more roles than Illya Kuryakin, Dr. Mallard, and Lieutenant Commander Ashley-Pitt. Many will remember him as the stoic, irascible Steel on Sapphire & Steel, a show that can aptly be described as a cross between Doctor Who and The X-Files. On Colditz he played the fiercely independent Flight Lieutenant Simon Carter, who was always antagonistic towards his German captors. He played the radio operator of the RMS Titanic in the classic A Night to Remember. In Violent Playground he played a role as far removed from Illya, Ducky, and Steel as one could get: a violent juvenile delinquent and street gang leader named Johnnie Murphy. Even in his guest appearances on various shows David McCallum could be impressive. In the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Fifty Millionth Frenchman," he played Phillipe Bertain, a Frenchman who has no luck with women (ironically, only a few months later Mr McCallum would play the heartthrob of millions, Illya Kuryakin). In the Outer Limits episode "The Sixth Finger," he played a Welsh miner who agrees to an experiment to accelerate evolution, with disastrous results. David McCallum was an incredible actor who played  a wide variety of roles. What is more, he played all of them well.

Thank You For a Successful 10th Annual Rule, Britannia Blogathon

I want to thank everyone who participated in the 10th Annual Rule, Britannia Blogathon for making it a success. It is hard to believe that there have been 10 editions of the blogathon, and that wouldn't have happened if not for my fellow bloggers stepping up to take part in it. In 1993 when it first started, the blogathon was called "the British Invaders Blogathon" and took place in August. It was in 2018 (the fifth year of the blogathon) that I changed its name to "the Rule, Britannia Blogathon." Given some of the regular participants in the blogathon are British, it made no sense to call it "the British Invaders Blogathon!" In 2020 I moved the Rule, Britannia Blogathon to the next to the last weekend of September. That year it slipped my mind to announce the blogathon in June as I usually do, and so I moved it to September to give participants more time to get ready for it. I have kept it in September ever since, as it makes my two blogathons (the other being the Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon in March) around six months apart.

I think this year's blogathon has been one of the best. We had entries on movies from the 1930s to 1980s. The posts also encompassed a wide array of genres, from comedies to romance movies to science fiction movies. Some of the most respected British directors were also represented, including Terence Fisher, Alfred Hitchcock, Alan Parker, and Michael Powell. Anyway, I can guarantee the Rule, Britannia Blogathon will be back next year for an eleventh edition!