The Late Great Michael Nesmith

I am not sure when I was first exposed to The Monkees. The show debuted when I was three years old, but I don't have any memories of watching it at the time. That having been said, my sister (who is 17 years older than I am) owned The Monkees' albums, and their songs were played frequently on the radio at the time.

While I can't say for certain when I was first exposed to The Monkees, I can pinpoint when I became a fan. In 1969 CBS began rerunning The Monkees on Saturday morning and I was hooked. Michael Nesmith was my favourite Monkee from the beginning. Looking back, it made perfect sense that he would be my favourite, as we had a lot in common. He was "the quiet Monkee," the contemplative, intellectual member of the group. He also had a sardonic sense of humour. As I got older I learned of his musical contributions to The Monkees and his solo career as well. As I grew up, I remained a fan of The Monkees and Michael Nesmith. Sadly, Michael Nesmith died today at the age of 78 from heart failure.

Robert Michael Nesmith was born on December 30 1942 in Houston, Texas. His parents divorced when he was only four years old. His mother, Bette, then moved to Dallas to be closer to her family. Michael Nesmith was 13 when Bette Nesmith invented Liquid Paper, a typewriter correction fluid. She headed the Liquid Paper Corporation until 1979 when she sold it to Gillette. She died on May 12 1980 following a stroke at age 56. 0

Michael Nesmith enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1960, before he could graduate from highs school, although he earned a high school equivalency diploma during his service. He attended San Antonio College, where he and John Kuehne won the first San Antonio College talent award. It was also during this period that he began to write songs. In 1964 he moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his music career. It was in 1963 that he released his first single, "Wanderin'," on the Highness label. In 1965, with bassist John London and drummer Bill Sleeper, he released the single "How Can You Kiss Me" on the Omnibus label under the name Mike & John & Bill. Using the name "Mike Blessing," he released two singles on the Colpix label, "Until It's Time for You to Go" and "Just a Little Love." It was also during this period that Michael Nesmith wrote the song "Different Drum" The song was first recorded by The Greenbriar Boys and included on their album Better Late Than Never!.  In 1967 it was recorded by The Stone Poneys and released as a single. It went to no. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was in 1965 that Michael Nesmith answered an ad that had been published in Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter which read, "Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17–21. Want spirited Ben Frank's-types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview." Michael Nesmith found himself cast as one of four struggling musicians on the television show The Monkees. The Monkees was a multi-media project that saw the recording of songs that would also be released as singles and on albums by The Monkees.

Michael Nesmith wrote and even sang lead on many of the songs recorded by The Monkees, including "Sweet Young Thing," "The Kid of Girl I Could Love," "You Just Maybe the One," "Circle Sky," "Listen to the Band," and others. Everything would not go smoothly in the early days of The Monkees. Music supervisor Don Kirshner would not allow The Monkees to play their instruments on their songs. This ultimately led to the band rebelling against Kirshner's control. In the end Kirshner was dismissed as music supervisor in February 1967.

As one of The Monkees, Michael Nesmith appeared in the movie Head (1968), which initially failed at the box office, but would later become a cult film. He also appeared in the television special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee. In 1970 Michael Nesmith left The Monkees, his last participation in the group being appearances in commercials for Kool-Aid and Nerf. It was while he was with The Monkees that he released what could be considered his first solo album, The Wichita Train Whistle Sings, in 1968. It was after he left The Monkees that he formed The First National Band. The First National Band recorded three albums, and had a hit with the single "Joanne" (which went to no. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following the break-up of The First National Band, Michael Nesmith formed The Second National Band. The Second National Band released one album. Following the break-up of The Second National Band, Michael Nesmith recorded eight more solo albums. In 1974 he formed Pacific Arts Corporation to develop various media projects.

It was in the late Seventies that Michael Nesmith became a pioneer in music videos. He created a music video for his single "Rio" in 1977. The video for "Rio" led Michael Nesmith to develop the television show PopClips. PopClips was an early music video show, hosted by Jeff Michalski. It proved successful following its debut on Nickelodeon in 1980. In fact, it was so successful that Warner/Amex wanted to buy both the name and the concept from Michael Nesmith. When he refused, they developed their own concept, MTV. It was in 1981 that Michael Nesmith released the video album Elephant Parts. The success of Elephant Parts led to a short-lived television show on NBC in 1985, Michael Nesmith in Television Parts.

Michael Nesmith also served as executive producer on the movies Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982), Repo Man (1984), and Tapeheads (1988).

Michael Nesmith would eventually reunite with his fellow Monkees. In 1986 MTV aired a marathon of episodes of The Monkees, reigniting interest in both the show and the group. The Monkees then played a 20th Anniversary Tour in North America. Due to his commitments to Pacific Arts Corporation, Michael Nesmith was unable to take part, but did play with the group at the concert at the he Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on July 9 1989. He reunited with The Monkees in 1995 to record the album Justus, as well as the television special Hey, Hey, It's The Monkees. He toured the United Kingdom with the other Monkees in 1997. Following the death of Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith toured with Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In 2016 he contributed to The Monkees' album Good Times. He would tour with Micky Dolenz in 2018 and again in 2019. They toured for one last time this year. Michael Nesmith's last appearance on November 14 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

As one of The Monkees, Michael Nesmith appeared on the shows Laugh-In, The Hollywood Squares, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and The Johnny Cash Show. He also appeared on Saturday Night Live and Portlandia. He appeared in the movies Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, Repo Man, Burglar (1987), and Tapeheads (1988).

Of all the celebrity deaths this year, Michael Nemsith's death has been the most difficult for me to handle. Mike was always my favourite Monkee. On The Monkees he was the level-headed one, the one who generally got The Monkees out of the various scrapes they found themselves in. In " The Devil and Peter Tork," it was Mike who convinced Peter that the talent to play the harp existed within him, thus denying the Devil Peter's soul. Michael Nesmith's songs were always among my favourite Monkees songs. Indeed, "Sweet Young Thing" is my second favourite Monkees song after "She" (a Boyce & Hart composition). I followed Michael Nesmith's career after his stint with The Monkees, including "Rio" and Elephant Parts.

While Mike on The Monkees was essentially a fictionalized version of Michael Nesmith, Michael Nesmith shared a good many of qualities with his television counterpart. He founded Pacific Arts Corporation, which at one time had the biggest catalogue of non-theatrical video titles. With "Rio" he pioneered one of the earliest American rock videos. With PopClips he spurred the popularity of music videos, leading to the creation of MTV. As a solo artist he continued to write a number of memorable songs, including "Joanne," "Rio," "Cruisnin'," and others. While he will always be remembered as a Monkee, Michael Nesmith was so much more.

More Movies Aded to the TCM Classic Film Festival 2022

Turner Classic Movies recently announced yet more movies that will be screened at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. The 2022 Robert Osborne Award winner, Leonard Maltin, will introduce a screening of Counsellor at Law (1933), starring John Barrymore. Other films that have been added to the festival include After the Thin Man (1936), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), Force of Evil (1948), Baby Face (1933), and The Slender Thread (1945).

Eddie Mekka Passes On

Eddie Mekka, perhaps best known for playing Carmine "the Big Ragoo" Ragusa on Laverne & Shirley, died on November 27 2021 at at the age of 69.

Eddie Mekka was born Edward Rudolph Mekjian on June 14 1952 in  Worcester, Massachusetts. He attended the Berklee College of Music. In the early Seventies he headed the Worcester County Light Opera. On Broadway he was part of the ensemble of Jumpers in 1974 and a year later he appeared in The Lieutenant. He later appeared in The Magic Show.

In 1976 he began playing Carmine Ragusa on Laverne & Shirley. He continued to appear on the show until the end of its run. He also played Carmine on two guest appearances on Happy Days. In the late Seventies he also played Joey DeLuca on the short-lived sitcom Blansky's Beauties. He guest starred on Greatest Heroes of the Bible, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island.

In the Eighties Eddie Mekka appeared in the movies Assignment Berlin (1982), Bum Rap (1988), and Beaches (1988). He guest starred on The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Moonlighting, True Blue, and The Munsters Today. In the Nineties Eddie Mekka appeared in the movies A League of Their Own (1992) and Top of the World (1997). He guest starred on The Guiding Light, Family Matters, California Dreams, Dream On, Weird Science, The Big Easy, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Sunset Beach.

In the Naughts Eddie Mekka guest starred on the television shows Power Rangers Wild Force, The Bold and the Beautiful, 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, ER, and Pastor Greg. He appeared in the movies Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), Land of the Free? (2004), The Last Stand (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), Love Made Easy (2006), Stuck in the Past (2007), and C Me Dance (2009). During the Naughts he also reunited with Laverne & Shirley co-star Cindy Williams for a tour of Grease and a regional production of It Had to Be You.

In the Teens he guest starred on the shows The Young and the Restless and Childrens Hospital. He appeared in the movies Through a Mother's Eyes (2013), Trew Calling (2017), Silver Twins (2017), and Sushi Tushi or How Asia Broke Into American Pro Football (2018).

Eddie Mekka was perfectly cast as Carmine Ragusa, Shirley's high school sweetheart, on Laverne & Shirley. He had perfect comic timing and even got to display his talent for singing and dancing from time to time on the show. He would shine in various guest appearances on television, as well as appearances in such movies as A League of Their Own and Dreamgirls. No matter how small the role, Eddie Mekka always gave a good performance.

Turner Classic Movies to Honour Lily Tomlin and Leonard Maltin at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival

Turner Classic Movies will honour Lily Tomlin with a hand and footprint ceremony in the courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. Lily Tomlin was part of the cast of the classic sketch comedy television series  Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She has appeared in such movies as Nashville (1975), 9 to 5 (1980), and I Heart Huckabees (2004). On television she was the voice of Ms. Frizzle on the animated series The Magic School Bus, the president's executive secretary Debbie Fiderer on The West Wing, and Frankie Bergstein on Grace and Frankie. She has won Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. In 2017 she received a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

TCM will also present film critic and film historian Leonard Maltin with the third Robert Osborne Award. Named for the long-time host of Turner Classic Movies, The Robert Osborne Award is presented to individuals "who has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic film alive for future generations." Leonard Maltin is an author and editor of Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, as well as the author of the books Movie Comedy Teams, The Disney Films, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, and many others. He was the long-time movie critic for Entertainment Tonight.

"Run, Rudolph, Run" by Chuck Berry

"Run, Rudolph, Run" by Chuck Berry is one of the all time great Christmas rock 'n' roll songs. It was released on November 19 1958. and has since become a standard. The song was originally attributed to C. Berry Music (Chuck Berry's company)-M. Brodie. Strangely enough, the many cover versions of the song attribute it to Johnny Marks-Marvin Broadie. The identity of Marvin Broadie is a bit of a mystery, but Johnny Marks is well known as the writer of the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," as well as such Christmas classics as "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Holly Jolly Christmas."

Of course, this begs the question as to whether Johnny Marks actually wrote Run, Rudolph, Run." It sounds exactly like the sort of song Chuck Berry would write. In fact, its melody is pretty much the same as his song "Little Queenie," recorded in the same session. "Little Queenie" was attributed to Chuck Berry alone. It also resembles Chuck Berry's other songs, from "Roll Over Beethoven" to "Johnny B. Goode." It then seems likely Chuck Berry was one of the writers, if not the only writer on the song.

If this is the case, then why is Johnny Marks credited? Much of it may be the fact that Rudolph was not in the public domain at the time and still isn't in the public domain. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by Robert May for a promotion for Montgomery Ward. Montgomery Ward allowed Robert May to retain the copyright on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. To handle the rights to the character Robert May founded The Rudolph Company L.P., which still controls the rights to the character to this day. This brings us to Robert May's brother-in-law Johnny Marks, who received permission from him to write the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is owned by Johnny Marks's company, St. Nicholas Music, Inc. It seems likely that St. Nicholas Music, Inc. lodged a complaint against "Run, Rudolph, Run," and as a result Mr. Marks was credited on a song he did not write (although he did shape Rudolph as we know him).

Regardless of who wrote "Run, Rudolph, Run," it remains a classic to this day and has been covered multiple times.

Hans Conried: Scene Stealer in Radio, in Movies, & On Television

(This post is a part of the 10th Annual What a Character Blogathon hosted by Paula's Cinema Club, Outspoken & Freckled, and Once Upon a Screen.)

Like most character actors, Hans Conried had a bit of a niche. That is, he may be best known for playing pretentious intellectuals. Despite this, what may be his best known characters were not pretentious intellectuals. He was Uncle Tonoose on the classic sitcom Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show. He was Snidely Whiplash on Dudley Do-Right and yet other characters on Jay Ward's cartoons. He played hapless pilot Wrongway Feldman on Gilligan's Island twice. Hans Conried was a versatile actor who may have been best known for playing pretentious intellectuals, but he played a whole host of other character types as well.

Hans Conried was born on April 15 1917 in Baltimore. He was raised in both Baltimore and New York City. He studied acting at Columbia University with the goal of becoming a serious actor who played Shakespeare. He appeared on stage before going into radio, where he first made a considerable mark. He was a regular on the radio sitcom My Friend Irma, playing Professor Kropotkin, the upstairs neighbour of Irma and her family. His performance as Professor Kropotkin demonstrated one of his talents as an actor. Quite simply, he was a master of dialects. As Professor Kropotkin he spoke with a Russian accent. Through the years he would play characters who spoke with other accents, from East European to Mediterranean. Mr. Conried would also appear regularly on other classic radio shows. He was a psychiatrist that George often consulted on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. He also appeared regularly on The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show, Ceiling Unlimited, The Judy Canova Show, Life with Luigi, My Favourite Husband, The Alan Young Show, and yet others. He guest starred on many radio shows, including Hallmark Playhouse, The Jack Carson Show, The Dinah Shore Show, Lights Out, and many more. His last performance on radio was on CBS Radio Mystery Theatre in the Seventies.

Hans Conried moved from radio into movies. He made his movie debut in a small part in Dramatic School in 1939, but he would play bit parts in movies (often uncredited) until 1942. It was in 1942 that he appeared in his first major role in Blondie's Blessed Event. In Blondie's Blessed Event, Hans Conried plays George Wickley, a down-and-out playwright that Dagwood (Arthur Lake) had met at a hotel at a architect's convention. George moves in with Dagwood and Blondie (Penny Singleton) and quickly takes over their household. Hans Conried easily steals every scene that he is in, and he is easily the best part of Blondie's Blessed Event.

Hans Conried's career in film and radio would be interrupted by military service during World War II. In September 1944 he enlisted in the United States Army. At Fort Knox he trained to be a tank crewman until it was determined he was too tall for such. He was then trained as a heavy mortar crewman. He served in the Philippines until fellow actor Jack Kruschen (another master of dialects) was able to have him transferred to the Armed Forces Network.

Hans Conried resumed his movie career playing Karl, a hotel waiter who also happens to be a Communist, in The Senator is Indiscreet. While Hans Conried would appear in several movies, his biggest impact may have been as the voices of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in the classic Disney movie Peter Pan (1953). That same year he played what may be his most notable movie role aside from the two in Peter Pan: Dr. Terwilliker, the imperious piano teacher of the title in The 5,000 fingers of Dr. T. (1953). That very same year he played Professor Amos Pomfritt  the meddlesome English instructor in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953). While Hans Conried primarily appeared in television following the Fifties, he continued appearing in movies into the Seventies. He played Professor Whatley in The Shaggy D.A. (1976) and Dr. Barnes in Oh, God! Book II (1980), his final film role.

Hans Conried appeared in the medium of television very early, making his TV debut in 1949 in an episode of Oboler Comedy Theatre. It was in 1955 that he would appear in one of his most famous roles, that of Uncle Tonoose on Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show. Uncle Tonoose was Danny's brash, over-the-top, highly traditional uncle and the patriarch of the family. Uncle Tonoose may well have been the most popular character on the show and it is safe to say his appearances were highly anticipated by viewers. Hans Conried would reprise his role as Uncle Tonoose in the sequel to Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show, Make Room for Granddaddy in 1970 and 1971.

Aside from Uncle Tonoose, it is possible that Hans Conried's most famous television character was Snidely Whiplash, the moustache twirling villain on the "Dudley Do-Right" segment of Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show. Hans Conried would do a good deal of voice work for Jay Ward beyond Snidely Whiplash. He was the host and narrator of Jay Ward's show Fractured Flickers. On Hoppity Hooper he was the voice of Waldo P. Wigglesworth, the title character's friend, a fox who sold patent medicines and often engaged in confidence schemes. He served as the narrator on the pilot episode of George of the Jungle. Hans Conried did other voice work beyond Jay Ward's animated series. He did voices for characters on various episodes of Disneyland. As Boris Karloff died, he served as both the narrator and the voice of the Grinch in the TV special Halloween is Grinch Night. Later he was Dr. Dred on the 1980s cartoon Drak Pack and provided various voices for Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Among Hans Conried's most famous roles is one he only played twice. Hans Conried played the role of Wrongway Feldman on the Gilligan's Island episodes "Wrongway Feldman" and "The Return of Wrongway Feldman." Wrongway Feldman was a World War I fighter pilot who tried to fly around the world in his plane The Spirit of the Bronx. The problem is that Wrongway, true to this name, has a terrible sense of direction. The first time he crashed on the island, he left in hopes of getting help for the castaways. He later returned, only to leave again and crash on what he described as a strange island (that sounded suspiciously like Hawaii). In the Disneyland episode "Davy Crockett and the Alamo," he made another notable appearance, playing the conman Thimblerig. Hans Conried would make many other notable guest appearances through the years on such shows as I Love Lucy; The Red Skelton Show; Have Gun--Will Travel; Mister Ed; Hogan's Heroes; Love, American Style; Kolchak: The Night Stalker; and yet others.

Hans Conried continued acting until his death in 1982 at age 64 from a major heart attack.

Hans Conried was certainly a great character actor. Over the years he played many intellectual types, from Professor Kropotkin to Dr. Terwilliker  in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. to Professor Pomfritt in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis to a number of guest appearances on television shows. Mr. Conried was nothing if not versatile, however, so that he played a number of different sorts of roles. He was as convincing as the brash Uncle Tonoose as he was as the clueless Wrongway Feldman. He could be Victorian melodrama Snidely Whiplash, but then he could also be the hapless playwright George Wickley. What is more, he was a master of accents and dialects, so that over the years he played everything from Nazi officers to Russians. Regardless of the role, Hans Conried played all of them well, to the point that he very nearly stole every scene in which he ever appeared. Hans Conried could easily dominate every scene he was in, even against such heavyweights as Danny Thomas and Lucille Ball. He was utterly unique, and is safe to say there will never be another like him.

Godspeed Arlene Dahl

Arlene Dahl, who appeared in several movies for MGM, died on November 29 2021 at the age of 96.

Arlene Dahl was born on August 11 1925 in Minneapolis. She took part in school plays at Margaret Fuller Elementary School and Washburn High School. Growing up she took both elocution lessons and dance lessons. Following high school Miss Dahl worked as a model for department stores and took part in a local drama group. She attended the University of Minnesota for a brief time.

Arlene Dahl moved to New York City where she signed with the Walter Thornton Modelling Agency. In 1945 she made her Broadway debut in Mr. Strauss Goes to Boston. It was in 1946 that she became the Rheingold Beer Girl. Arlene Dahl made her film debut in 1947 in an uncredited role in Life with Father. Her first major role came with her next movie, My Wild Irish Rose (1947). The movie brought her to the attention of MGM, who signed her to a contract. For the remainder of the Forties she appeared in the movies The Bride Goes Wild (1947), A Southern Yankee (1948), Reign of Terror (1949), Scene of the Crime (1949), Ambush (1950), The Outriders (1950), Three Little Words (1950), and Watch the Birdie (1950).

In the Fifties Arlene Dahl appeared in the films Inside Straight (1951), No Questions Asked (1951), Caribbean (1952), Desert Legion (1953), Jamaica Run (1953), Sangaree (1953), Here Come the Girls (1953), The Diamond Queen (1954), Woman's World (1954), Bengal Brigade (1954), Slightly Scarlet (1956), Wicked as They Come (1956), Fortune is a Woman (1957), and Journey to he Centre of the Earth (1959). She made her television debut in an episode of Lux Video Theatre. During the Fifties she appeared on the shows The Ford Television Theatre, Opening Night, and Riverboat. She appeared on Broadway in Cyrano de Bergerac. She also wrote a beauty column syndicated in newspapers and in 1954 she founded Arlene Dahl Enterprises, which specialized in cosmetics and lingerie.

In the Sixties Arlene Dahl appeared in the films Kisses for My President  (1964), Les poneyttes (1968), Les chemins de Katmandou (1969), Land Raiders (1969), and Du blé en liasses (1969). She appeared in the television shows Burke's Law, Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre and Laugh-In. In 1967 she became a vice president at the advertising agency Kenyon and Eckhardt. In 1970 she began work at Sears Roebuck as the director of their beauty products.

In the Seventies she appeared on Broadway in Applause. She guest starred on the shows Love, American Style and Jigsaw John. In the Eighties Miss Dahl had a recurring role on the soap opera One Life to Live. She guest starred on the shows Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. In the Nineties she guest starred on the soap opera All My Children and she guest starred on the show Renegade and Air America. She appeared in the movie Night of the Warrior (1991).

Arlene Dahl also wrote books on beauty and even on astrology.

Arlene Dahl once said that her old films were "such an embarrassment." That was not necessarily true, as Miss Dahl was a fairly good actress. In Slightly Scarlet she played an ex-con, Dorothy, who was not only a kleptomaniac, but also a psychopath. In Fortune is a Woman she played a housewife who is implicated in insurance fraud. In Journey to the Centre of the Earth she played the backer of the expedition to the centre of the Earth. Arlene Dahl always lit up the screen, even when the movies in which she appeared might not have been that remarkable.