The 60th Anniversary of the TV Series The Green Hornet

The 1960s saw a rise in nostalgia for media from the 1930s and 1940s, including everything from Old Time Radio to pulp magazines to movie serials to comic books. It was then only natural that there would be a television adaptation of the popular radio show The Green Hornet. The show starred Van Williams as Britt Reid and his alter ego The Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Britt Reid's valet and partner in fighting crime Kato. It debuted sixty years ago today, on Friday, September 9, 1966.

The Green Hornet centred on Britt Reid (Van Williams), a millionaire playboy and publisher of The Daily Sentinel, who also happened to fight crime as the masked Green Hornet. Kato (Bruce Lee) was his valet, chauffeur, and partner when it came to fighting crime. In their fight against evil, The Green Hornet and Kato utilized a specially modified, weapons laden Chrysler Imperial called "Black Beauty." The Green Hornet also used a knockout gas gun and a device called the "Hornet's Sting," which emitted ultrasonic waves (it was used primarily to knock down doors). While Kato primarily relied on his skills as a martial artist, he also had knockout darts that he could deliver from his sleeves.

To the world at large, The Green Hornet was a notorious criminal, a cover he used in his fight against crime. Britt Reid's secretary Lenore "Casey" Case (Wende Wagner) knew The Green Hornet's identity, and hence the true nature of The Green Hornet. District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon (Walter Brooke) also knew Britt Reid's secret identity and the truth about The Green Hornet. Mike Axford (Lloyd Gough) was the crime reporter at the Daily Sentinel and was totally in the dark about The Green Hornet.

The Green Hornet was created by WXYZ co-owner George W. Trendle and writer Fran Striker, with some input from director James Jewell. George W. Trendle and Fan Striker had earlier created The Lone Ranger, and The Green Hornet owed a lot to that character. In fact, it was established that Britt Reid was the great nephew of The Lone Ranger. The Green Hornet debuted on January 31, 1936, on WXYZ in Detroit and joined the Mutual Broadcasting System on April 12, 1938 and later the NBC Blue Network and its successors The Blue Network and ABC. The radio show proved to be very popular, so much so it expanded into other media. Helnit Comics and later Harvey Comics published comic books featuring The Green Hornet during the Golden Age of Comics. Two movie serials were made: The Green Hornet (1941) and The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941).

Like The Lone Ranger before him, it was perhaps inevitable that The Green Hornet would find his way to television. In 1951, George W. Trendle pitched a Green Hornet television series to the networks and even produced a 25 minute pilot starring Steve Dunne as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. A Green Hornet series did not emerge and the pilot is now considered lost. Another attempt at pitching a Green Hornet series was made in 1958, but, again, no series emerged. It would take William Dozier, who had produced such programmes as Suspense and You Are There, to television.

While William Dozier would produce the camp classic Batman, it was not due to the success of Batman that William Dozier decided to produce a Green Hornet TV series. William Dozier had already secured the rights to the classic radio show before Batman debuted. Indeed, both Van Williams and Bruce Lee were already cast as The Green Hornet and Kato well before Batman premiered on January 12, 1966. Of course, there can be no doubt that it was the success of Batman that led to ABC placing The Green Hornet on its fall 1966 schedule.

As to casting, Bruce Lee was actually cast as Kato before Van Williams was cast as The Green Hornet. It was hair stylist Jay Sebring who brought William Dozier and Bruce Lee together. Jay Sebring had seen Bruce Lee at the Long Beach International Karate Championships in 1964, where Mr. Lee gave a gung fu exhibition. Jay Sebring told William Dozier about Bruce Lee while trimming Mr. Dozier's hair. William Dozier then asked Bruce Lee to come in for a screen test. 

William Dozier's initial plan was not to cast Bruce Lee as Kato in a Green Hornet series, but instead in a show to be called Number One Son. Bruce Lee would have played Charlie Chan's Number One Son (a role played by Keye Luke in the movies). In the first episode, Charlie Chan would have been murdered, leading Lee Chan (his Number One Son) to avenge his death. The prospective show was described as a "Chinese James Bond." ABC passed on the prospective show, not even ordering a pilot. When William Dozier was planning The Green Hornet, he naturally offered the role of Kato to Bruce Lee. Mr. Lee was initially reluctant to take the role, as he worried it would be a stereotypical houseboy role. Wiliam Dozier convinced him that this would not be the case. It was Bruce Lee who insisted on using Chinese martial arts in fight scenes.

While Bruce Lee was the only actor considered for Kato, other actors were considered for the role of Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. Two screen tests were made with Bruce Lee opposite two different actors: Jan Murray, best known for hosting various game shows, and Michael Lipton, who would become best known for the soap opera Somerset. Ultimately, neither would be cast as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. Instead, the role went to Van Williams. who had played Ken Madison on Bourbon Street Beat and Surfside Six. 

Although William Dozier produced both shows, The Green Hornet would have a very different tone from Batman. While Batman was played for camp, The Green Hornet was played as a straightforward action show. Much of this was due to William Dozier's desire to differentiate the two. Most it was due to George W, Trendle's desire that the TV show remain faithful to the tone of the radio show. This would result in a conflict between George W. Trendle and writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. (who wrote the pilot and several episodes of Batman). Lorenzo Semple Jr. wrote the pilot with a largely comedic tone, to which George W. Trendle objected. William Dozier intervened in the dispute, but ultimately sided with George W. Trendle. Quite simply, there was a clause in the licensing agreement with George W. Tremble that stipulated that the TV series, "..shall not depict The Green Hornet in a manner substantially different from which he or other major characters were depicted on the radio series."

That is not to say that The Green Hornet did not diverge from the radio show. On the radio show, The Green Hornet's link with law enforcement was Britt Reid's friend Police Commissioner James Higgins. Because Commissioner Gordon played such a large role on Batman, District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon became The Green Hornet's contact with law enforcement instead. On the radio show, it was not until later in the series that Britt Reid's secretary Casey would learn he was The Green Hornet, although on the TV show she knew from the beginning. While The Green Hornet's gas gun and his car Black Beauty were carryovers from the radio show, the Hornet's Sting was created for the TV show. 

As to The Green Hornet's appearance, the TV show differed from both the comic books and the movie serials. The comic books of the Golden Age depicted The Green Hornet as wearing a mask that covered the lower part of his face. The movie serials depicted The Green Hornet as wearing a mask that covered most of his face. The radio show never went into detail about The Green Hornet's mask.

Despite the differences in the two show's tones, The Green Hornet and Kato would appear on Batman. They made a cameo in the first part of the Batman episode "The Spell of Tut"/"Tut's Case is Shut"  during one of Batman and Robin's Batclimbs. Later in the season, The Green Hornet appeared in the episode "A Piece of the Action"/"Batman' Satisfaction." The episode called for a fight between Kato and Robin. According to Van Williams, the original script called for Kato to lose to Robin. Bruce Lee objected on the grounds that Kato would not lose to Robin. The script was then rewritten. In real life, Bruce Lee and Brut Ward (who played Robin) were friends who lived in the same apartment complex. 

Sadly, The Green Hornet was scheduled against The Wild Wild West  on CBS and Tarzan on NBC, two shoes that appealed to the same younger audience as The Green Hornet. This resulted in the show having ratings so low that it reportedly lost $40,000 per episode. It was then that ABC ultimately cancelled The Green Hornet. For a single season show, it would prove to have a particularly good afterlife. It was syndicated to local stations in the late Sixties and Seventies, often alongside Batman. It would later air on such cable channels as FX and Starz Action. It has aired on such digital broadcast networks as MeTV, Heroes and Icons, and Retro TV. 

The Green Hornet would develop a cult following, in a large part due to the presence of Bruce Lee. Here it must be pointed that in many ways the show was ground breaking with regards to East Asian Americans on American television. Prior to The Green Hornet, Jack Soo had played Rocky Sin on Valentine's Day,  the first American television show since The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong starring Anna May Wong and the very first sitcom to feature an East Asian American in a lead role. It was only the day before The Green Hornet debuted that another show featuring an East Asian in a significant role debuted. Star Trek featured George Takei as Lt. Sulu, the helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Of course, Sulu was only a supporting role while Kato was one of the leads.

The Green Hornet was also significant as the first show to extensive feature kung fu. While both Emma Peel on The Avengers and James West on The Wild Wild West incorporated Eastern martial arts in their fight scenes, neither character used Eastern martial arts as extensively as Kato on The Green Hornet. Bruce Lee's use of kung fu on The Green Hornet would help increase the popularity of Eastern martial arts in the United States. The Green Hornet would also boost Bruce Lee's acting career. Reruns of The Green Hornet had proven very popular in Hong Kong and Kato was so popular that it was often referred to as "The Kato Show." This would ultimately lead to Bruce Lee signing a contract with Golden Harvest.

In the end, The Green Hornet would be one of the most successful single season shows of all time, developing a cult following that it maintains to this day. Indeed, it is not simply a footnote in Bruce Lee's career, but one of the first showcases of his talent as an actor and a martial artist. Chances are good people will still be watching it sixty years from now.

The 60th Anniversary of That Girl

Thursday, September 8, 1966 is a very important date in television. Many know it as the date that the classic Star Trek debuted, but other important shows also debuted on that date. One of them was Tarzan, starring Ron Ely, the first television adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's hero. Another was That Girl, starring Marlo Thomas. While it would not leave as big a footprint on pop culture as Star Trek, in many ways That Girl was equally important. Quite simply, it was the first television show to centre on a single, independent woman who lived on her own, this four years before The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted.

That Girl centred on Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas), who had moved from the small town of Brewster, New York to New York City to pursue a career as an actress. Like many young actresses, Ann Marie had to take odd jobs when she wasn't acting in order to make ends meet. Her boyfriend was Don Hollinger (Ted Bessell), a writer for NewView. Her father, Lew Marie (Lew Parker),, ran a restaurant in Brewster. Lew could sometimes get exasperated with Don and could he could be overprotective of Ann, but he basically liked Don (although he wouldn't admit it). In contrast to Lew, Ann's mother Ann was warm and supportive towards Don, although like Lew, she worried about her daughter being in New York City. Jerry Bauman (Bernie Koppell) was Don's fellow writer at NewsView. With the second season, he moved into the same apartment as Ann and became her neighbour.

The genesis of That Girl began with a failed pilot for a prospective show titled Two's Company, in which Marlo Thomas played a former model who returns to modelling after her husband  (Ron Husmann) left his job at a law firm. While Two's Company did not sell ABC executive Edgar Sherick still saw potential in Marlo Thomas as the star of her own show. Various scripts were written for a potential sitcom for Marlo Thomas, although in most of them she would have played a traditional wife for girlfriend role. What Marlo Thomas had in mind was a show centred on a young, independent woman who had aspirations of her own.

It was Danny Thomas who approached writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff about developing a sitcom for his daughter Marlo Thomas. Messrs. Persky and Denoff had written several episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as episodes of McHale's Navy, The Joey Bishop Show, and The Bill Dana Show. At the time, the two of them had begun work on their sitcom Good Morning World, which would star Ronnie Schell and Joby Baker), so they weren't particularly eager to do so. In the end, Good Morning World only lasted a single season, while That Girl would go onto last five seasons. While Bill Persky and Sam Denoff are credited as the creators of That Girl, Marlo Thomas had a good deal of say and served as a de facto executive producer, although she was never credited as such.

That Girl would see some changes from its unaired pilot episode. In its pilot, it was Harold Gould who played Ann's father. ABC wanted the part re-cast, and so Lew Parker was cast in the role of Ann's father. In the pilot, her mother was played by Penny Santon. This role was also recast, with Rosemary DeCamp taking the part over in the regular series. Strangely enough, ABC also wanted to get rid of Ted Bessell as Ann's boyfriend. Marlo Thomas fought to keep Ted Bessell, although his character would be entirely reconceived. In the pilot, Ted Bessell's character was part Cherokee and named Ted Blue Sky. Rather than being a writer for NewsView magazine, he was also Ann's agent.

That Girl was originally titled Miss Independence (a nickname her father and mother had given her as a child), although the the title was changed to That Girl before the original pilot was shot. The title would be included in every single teaser for the show, with the dialogue in the teaser inevitably turning to Ann Marie with one of the characters (sometimes Ann herself) referring to Ann as "that girl." At that point the camera would freeze frame on Ann. The theme song was written by Earle Hagen, who had also written the theme song to The Andy Griffith Show. For the first four seasons, the theme was an instrumental, but for the fifth season lyrics were added to the theme. The lyrics were written by Sam Denoff.

While the central cast of That Girl (Marlo Thomas, Ted Bessell, Bernie Kopell, Lew Parker, and Rosemary DeCamp) remained the same throughout the show's run, its supporting cast would change over the years. In the first season, obstetrician Leon Bessmer (Dabney Coleman) and his wife Judy (Bonnie Scott) were Ann's neighbours. In only one episode of the first season Arlene Golonka played Jerry's wife Margie. With the second season and with no explanation of what happened to Margie, Jerry's wife was Ruth (Carol Ann Daniels) and they were now Ann's neighbours. Started with the fourth season, Ruth was played by Alice Borden. Ronnie Schell appeared as Ann's agent in a few episodes. Marcy (Reva Rose) was one of Ann's friends who appeared in the fifth and final season. 

That Girl would feature several notable guest stars. Ethel Merman (playing herself), Sid Caesar, Milton Berle all appeared on the show. The episode "My Sister's Keeper" is notable for guest starring Marlo Thomas's sister Terre Thomas and her brother Tony Thomas, as well as a cameo by her father Danny Thomas. 

While That Girl never ranked in the top thirty of the Nielsen ratings during its run, it still did moderately well. By the fourth season, Marlo Thomas wanted to end the show, but ABC convinced her to do a fifth and final season. It was during the fifth season that Ann and Don finally became engaged, although they never married on the show. ABC executives, as well as the show's sponsor Clairol, wanted Ann and Don to marry in the final episode, but Marlo Thomas rejected the idea for multiple reasons. The primary reason was that she felt it would send the message to younger, female viewers that marriage was the proper happy ending for any young woman. 

That Girl would have a sequel of sorts. In 1973, the animated TV movie That Girl in Wonderland aired as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. In the TV movie, Ann fantasizes about being in Alice in Wonderland, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Wizard of Oz, and Cinderella. Of the original cast of the show, only Marlo Thomas returned as Ann, with Ted Schwartz voicing Don.

The last new episode of That Girl aired on March 19, 1971. ABC aired reruns of the show on its daytime schedule from 1969 to 1972, It would prove to have a successful run in syndication on local television stations. When Nick-at-Nite launched as a programming block on Nickelodeon on July 1, 1985, it was among the shows that aired. It was also one of the shows aired on TV Land starting with its launch in 1996. It has since aired on MeTV, Antenna TV, Catchy Comedy, and MeTV+. All five seasons of That Girl has been released on DVD. It is also available on multiple streaming services, including Tubi, Plex, Pluto, Xumo Play, YouTube, and yet others.

At the time that That Girl debuted, it was a rather unique show in more ways that one. Television in 1966 was still dominated by what Sherwood Schwarz called "imaginative comedies," sitcoms that either had fantastic premises to begin with (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie) or had episodes bordering on the fantastic (Gilligan's Island, The Monkees) or rural comedies (The Andy Griffith Show and so on). That Girl was somewhat grounded in reality, with nary a Martian or witch in sight, and it was set in New York City. 

What really set That Girl apart was that Ann Marie was an independent, single woman trying to make it on her own. She was not someone's wife. She was not someone's secretary, maid, or other sort of employee. While she had a boyfriend, her world did not revolve around him. She had her own dreams and her own aspirations. Many young women in the Sixties, trying to make a career for themselves, probably saw much of themselves in Ann Marie. If That Girl has remained popular for the past sixty years, it is perhaps because it was the first of its kind.

The 50th Anniversary of The Muppet Show

It was 50 years ago today that The Muppet Show debuted on ITV in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it aired in first run syndication on local stations. While the Muppets had appeared in various projects before The Muppet Show and have appeared in various projects since, it may well remain what the Muppets are best known for. What is more, it introduced new Muppets who remain important to the franchise to this day.

As is well known, the Muppets were the creation of Jim Henson. They first appeared on Sam and Friends, a locally produced puppet-sketch comedy show that aired on WRC in Washington, DC and later in syndication. Among the characters was Kermit, a lizard-like creature who would later be established as a frog. From Sam and Friends, the Muppets went onto appear on such shows as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Hollywood Palace, The Mike Douglas Show, and Dinah!. Rowlf the Dog was even a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show. The Muppets, including Kermit, appeared on the children's show Sesame Street from its beginning in 1969. The Muppets appeared in their own TV specials, including Hey, Cinderella! in 1969 and The Frog Prince in 1971. During the 1975-1976 season, the Muppets appeared on the first season of Saturday Night Live, where they performed decidedly more adult material than would be seen on Sesame Street. Among the Muppet segments was the Land of Gorch, which featured alien creatures who could be crude and boorish. Ultimately, Jim Henson and the Muppets left Saturday Night Live due to disagreements with the show's writers.

.Despite having appeared on shows made for adults and general audiences, from The Ed Sullivan Show to The Tonight Show, Jim Henson worried that the Muppets were being typecast as children's fare due to their appearances on Sesame Street. This is one of the reasons they had appeared on Saturday Night Live. It was also the reason Jim Henson began developing the idea of a show that would be made more adults than for children.

It was in April 1973 that Jim Henson met with Michael Eisner, then in charge of programming at ABC, about a holiday special featuring the Muppets. This resulted in The Muppets Valentine Show, which aired on ABC on January 30, 1974 and served as a pilot for The Muppet Show. ABC passed on a regularly scheduled Muppets series at the time, feeling it would not be a hit. Jim Henson then produced a second special that also served as a pilot, The Muppets: Sex and Violence, which aired on ABC on March 19, 1975. The Muppets: Sex and Violence was historic for introducing new Muppets who would become part of The Muppet Show. These included Sam Eagle, Dr. Teeth, hecklers Statler and Woldorf, and The Swedish Chef (a prototype of which had appeared under the name Järnvägskorsning in the Sixties). Miss Piggy was also a part of The Muppets: Sex and Violence, although it was her second appearance. She first appeared in 1974 in the TV special Herb Alpert and the TJB.

Unfortunately, ABC once again passed on a regularly scheduled show featuring the Muppets. Jim Henson then produced a 25 minute pitch reel, written by him and George Schlatter of Laugh-In fame, for CBS. CBS did not pick up a regularly scheduled show featuring the Muppets, though Jim Henson shopped the pitch reel around to other television venues. Fortunately Lew Grade of the British broadcaster ATV made an offer to Jim Henson to produce a regular series. The show would be produced at the ATV Elstree Studios and would air on ITV. It was Lew Grade who proposed that The Muppet Show could be sold to first run syndication in the United States, much as many previous ATV shows had been. After years of Jim Henson trying to get a regularly scheduled show featuring the Muppets off the ground, The Muppet Show finally debuted on IV on September 5, 1976.

While featuring puppets, The Muppet Show was essentially an old fashioned variety show. It featured both comedy sketches and musical performances. It was performed in the Muppet Theatre, which was a grand old theatre of the sort common in the days of vaudeville. Kermit the Frog acted as both the show's host and its showrunner, with plots taking place both backstage and elsewhere in the theatre.

The Muppet Show included both long running Muppets, such as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, and Gonzo the Great (who first appeared as a background character in the 1970 special The Great Santa Claus Switch), and more recent characters such as Miss Piggy, Dr. Teeth, Statler and Woldorf, and The Swedish Chef. It also introduced some new Muppets, including comedian and Kermit's sidekick Fozzie Bear, Scooter, nephew of the theatre's owner and backstage stage manager and go-fer, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, Beauregard the janitor, Rizzo the Rat, and yet others. The Muppet Show always began with a cold opening that introduced that week's guest star.

Like other variety shows, The Muppet Show featured several recurring sketches. Among the earliest was "At the Dance," in which Muppets delivered rapid-fire one-liners as they danced in a ballroom. "Bear on Patrol" featured Fozzie Bear as a hapless police officer, with his chief played by Link Hogtrob (best known for the sketch "Pigs in Space"). "Muppet Labs" featured Dr. Bunson Honeydew and Beaker attempted experiments that always went wrong. The aforementioned "Pigs in Space" parodied space operas and sci-fi shows from Flash Gordon to Star Trek, and featured Miss Piggy and Link Hogthrob. "The Swedish Chef" parodied cooking shows, while "Veterinarian's Hospital" parodied medical dramas and soap operas. There were several other recurring sketches throughout the show's run.

As a variety show, The Muppet Show featured a guest star in every episode. Joel Grey was the guest star in the very first episode. The first season would see such guest stars as Rita Moreno, Jim Nabors, Ruth Buzzi, Paul Williams, Peter Ustinov, and Ben Vereen. Once the show became a success, many performers were keen on appearing on The Muppet Show, so that it attracted stars and musical performers one wouldn't usually see on a television variety show. These included Peter Sellers, Elton John, Alice Cooper, Sylvester Stallone, Dudley Moore, Arlo Guthrie, and Debbie Harry. The Muppet Show was also notable for featuring guest stars whose careers went back to the Golden Age of Hollywood and the Golden Age of Radio. Among these were Lena Horne, Vincent Price, George Burns, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Roy Rogers, and Dale Evans, and Gene Kelly. Among the many other guest stars on the show were Harvey Korman, Ben Vereen, Connie Stevens, Madeline Kahn, Julie Andrews, James Coburn, and yet others. Amazingly enough, no guest star ever appeared on The Muppet Show twice.

The Muppet Show lasted for five seasons and 120 episodes. When it ended, it was not due to its ratings, as it was still extremely popular. Instead, the decision was made to prevent the show from running too long, and so that Jim Henson and the Muppets could concentrate on making movies. While The Muppet Show ended its run, it was hardly the last television viewers would see of the Muppets or even the Muppet Theatre. During the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons, the Muppets had their own show again, Muppets Tonight, on which they were running their own TV channel. In 2001, during MuppetFest The Muppet Show Live took place at the Hollywood Palace in Los Angeles. This year saw a reunion special for The Muppet Show, guest starring Sabrina Carpenter, in which the Muppets returned to the Muppet Theatre.

The Muppet Show would have a lasting impact on the Muppets. Characters who had appeared earlier, but were not yet major players, rose to prominence on The Muppet Show, including Miss Piggy and Gonzo. Other characters were introduced on the show who would play a major role in subsequent Muppet projects, including Fozzie Bear and Scooter. It also brought the Muppets to its largest audience up to that point. That exposure allowed them to expand into movies, starting with The Muppet Movie in 1979.

What is not often noted about The Muppet Show is that it was a bit of a last hurrah for variety shows in the United States. It was perhaps the last truly successful variety show to air on American television. The Muppet Show also proved that puppet comedy could draw an adult audience. Such puppet shows as Spitting Image in the UK, Les Guignols in France, 2DTV in the UK, and yet other adult-oriented puppet shows may owe their existence to The Muppet Show. The series is available on DVD and can be streamed on Disney+. Chances are good people will still be watching The Muppet Show fifty years from now.

Popeye the Sailor's 70th Anniversary on Television

(Perhaps no one knows as much about Popeye as Fred M. Grandinetti. He was a founding member of the Official Popeye Fan Club. He has also written several books on the character, including Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History; Popeye, the Collectible: Dolls, Coloring Books, Games, Toys, Comic Books, Animation; Popeye: An Illustrated History of E.C. Segar's Character in Print, Radio, Television, and Film Appearances 1929-1993; He Am What He Am!: Jack Mercer, the Voice of Popeye; and Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoon. This month marks the 70th anniversary of the release of the Popeye the Sailor animated theatrical shorts to television. Fred M. Grandinetti has graciously written a guest post for the occasion.~Terence)

Popeye the Sailor's 70th Anniversary on Television 
By Fred M. Grandinetti

 

There were children's shows with an adult host on the small screen during the golden age of television. However, the format was cemented with the help of a one-eyed sailor.
 
Seventy years ago, the Popeye theatrical cartoons, produced by Fleischer and Famous Studios for Paramount Pictures, made their television debut.
 
Originally, Popeye was the star of E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre comic strip. He came to life in a 1933 Betty Boop cartoon. Popeye the Sailor became the longest running animated short subject series in motion picture history with a total of 234 episodes.
 
In September of 1956 they were syndicated to numerous television markets by Associated Artists Productions. Local stations across the country generated high ratings! Popeye was often teamed with an adult host whether it was Sailor Bob, Capt. "C" Whiskers, Cooksey the Clown, Commander Jet, Uncle Gus, Capt. Jolly, Mayor Art Finley, Sally Starr or Tom Hatten. Several of these hosts interacted with a live audience of children. The sets often had decorative pictures of Popeye and his crew.
 

While Popeye had been appearing on merchandise since the early 1930's the marketplace exploded following his television debut.  Anything you can imagine was produced due to his overwhelming popularity! Today these items are highly collectible. In 1963 many programs participated in a Physical Fitness Campaign sponsored by the sailor's owner, King Features Syndicate. It was a national youth movement to promote children's health through exercise.
 

Unfortunately, by the 1980's groups like Acton for Children's Television forced the adult hosts off the air.  The group didn't like hosts encouraging children to buy a sponsor's product.  Of course, they failed to realize the same individuals would remind the young audience to obey their parents, do well in school, listen to the bus driver and other important lessons.
 
Despite the loss of adult hosts independent stations continued to air the Popeye theatricals.  By this time the prints looked like they had been swept up off the floor, but children didn't care.  In the year 2000 The Cartoon Network decided to create an anthology series around the films. The plan was to restore the black and white cartoons as they were seen in theaters.  The television distributor's logo would be removed and replaced by the studio which originally distributed them to movie screens; Paramount Pictures.
 

The needed footage was located but The Cartoon Network would not finance the restoration of the films. I was asked to provide the money needed and The Popeye Show made its debut. Unfortunately, The Cartoon Network had a phobia in regard to airing black and white cartoons during prime time.  The series was originally scheduled Monday mornings at 1:30am. I began a public relation's campaign requesting an earlier time period. The fans came through and the show was moved to Sunday nights at 9:30pm and later 7:30pm. It remained on the air for three years highlighting many of the sailor's best adventures. Eventually the Popeye cartoons from 1933 to 1949 were released on DVD from Warner Brothers.
 
The theatrical Popeye films continue to air on Me TV and You Tube. 

Happy anniversary to Popeye and all of the adult hosts who introduced audiences to his animated adventures!

The 15th Anniversary of TCMParty

Today TCMParty turns 15 years old. For those of you who do not know what TCMParty is, it is a collective live posting of movies on Turner Classic Movies using the hashtag #TCMParty. It originated on Twitter and has since largely moved to Bluesky, although the hashtag is used on other social media services as well. Originally, TCMParties were scheduled and had hosts who posted trivia about the specific movie then airing. The hosts essentially curated the live posting. While scheduled TCMParties with a host still take place, TCMParty has evolved to where it takes place 24 hours a day. 

Since the first TCMParty took place on September 3, 2011, TCMParty has become an established part of Turner Classic Movies fandom. TCM has announced TCMParties on their official Twitter account and TCM hosts have served as hosts of TCMParties. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of TCMParty, Turner Classic Movies celebrated along with the rest of us. On the occasion of our 10th anniversary, they released a video in our honour. 

I already posted a detailed history of TCMParty on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, so I won't repeat myself  here. I will mention that it was not the first collective live tweet by any measure. #TCMBugout and its successor #TCMDriveIn pre-dated it. #TCMDriveIn evolved into #DriveInMob which persists to this day. As to #TCMParty, it originated with Kathleen Crowley, who decided live tweeting to movies on Turner Classic Movies would be easier if there was a hashtag with which fans could keep track of all the tweets. She served as the first TCMParty host, choosing a specific movie from the schedule and then alerting everyone that there would be a TCM Party for that particular film. It was then on September 3, 2011, that the first TCMParty was held with a live tweet to the classic Casablanca (1942). Pault Guthat, the name now most associated with TCMParty, joined as a host in October 2011. Her impact on TCMParty was such that she is often counted as its co-founder. It wasn't long before TCMParty had its own Facebook page and its own Tumblr blog as well. 

Kathleen Crowley left as a TCMParty host in March 2012 to concentrate on her handicrafts and animal rescue. Since then TCMParty has had a few permanent hosts, including silent movie expert Trevor Jost for a time and later Joel Williams, who is still a permanent host to this day. TCMParty has had several guest hosts over the years, including Illeana Douglas, various Turner Classic Movies hosts themselves, and various journalists and film historians. I have hosted TCMParty several times myself, particularly when British New Wave films, A Hard Day's Night (1964) or Stand and Deliver (1988) have aired. 

A few celebrities have been TCMParty members over the years. Songbird Monica Lewis and actress Vanessa Marquez of Stand and Deliver (1988) and ER fame are counted among the founding members. Illeana Douglas has participated in TCMParty even when she wasn't hosting. TCMParty has even had some connection to the Golden Age of Hollywood beyond being fans of the era. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall's son Stephen Bogart has participated in TCMParties, as did the legendary Mitzi Gaynor. 

TCMParty has changed over the years. It can not only be found on Facebook and Tumblr, but also on Instagram and TikTok as well. It was in November 2024 that the official TCMParty moved from Twitter to Bluesky due to changes to Twitter (now called "X") that made the social media service less secure and safe, not to mention several members left the social media service (including myself). Despite this, TCMParties do still take place on Twitter, and on Mastodon as well. 

I cannot begin to estimate the impact on TCMParty on my life. I have made many close friends though TCMParty. I count Paula Guthat, co-founder of TCMParty, as one of my closest friends. And, of course, it was through TCMParty and live tweets of Mad Men that I met the dearest friend in my life, Vanessa Marquez. Indeed, following Vanessa's death, I don't think I would have survived without TCMParty. Besides making friends through TCMParty, it has had other impacts on my life. A Shroud of Thoughts had a following before TCMParty, but I think TCMParty made it even more popular. I also believe it is because of TCMParty that  was chosen as one of TCM's Fan Favourite co-hosts.

Of course, I am not the only one for whom TCMParty has had an impact. Many people have made friends though TCMParty. Some have even met their spouses. Yet others have credited TCMParty with getting them through difficult times and even saving their lives. TCMParty ceased to be a mere live posting of movies on Turner Classic Movies long ago. It has since become a vibrant, close knit community of TCM fans who support each other through the best of times and the worst of times. Quite simply, I think TCMParty has improved the lives of nearly everyone involved with it.  

Grieving Vanessa Marquez

Today it has been eight years since Vanessa Marquez was shot in the back and killed by members of the South Pasadena, California Police Department. At the time, I described it as feeling as if a part of my soul had been ripped out. And I still feel as if a part of me is missing, eight years later. Vanessa's death was definitely the most painful thing I have experienced in my life.

I have written about this before, but for those new to the blog, the fact is that Vanessa Marquez and I were very close. We first encountered each other on Twitter live tweeting movies on Turner Classic Movies and episodes of Mad Men and Downton Abbey. We soon learned we had much in common beyond classic movies and Mad Men, including a love of Star Wars, Star Trek, and other science fiction shows, a love of old music, an interest in popular culture, and shared political views. Eventually we were in touch every day, through social media and later texts and phone calls I considered Vanessa my closest friend and she called me her favourite friend. We never met in person, but our nearly constant contact made up for that.

It was then that the events of August 30, 2018, shook me to my core. The night of her death my heart was pounding so hard and fast that I thought I might have a heart attack or a stroke. What is more, I didn't really care if I did. The fact is that night I experienced something I never had before, suicidal ideation. What is more,it would reoccur over the next several months. I cried every single day during the month of September, usually multiple times. Afterwards, I would still cry over Vanessa regularly for some time afterwards. 

Indeed, after Vanessa's death I think I very nearly lost my mind. There were times when I really couldn't think straight, when I was overly suspicious of people and I could be overly emotional. Dominating this entire period was an overwhelming sense of sorrow. It was difficult to find any real meaning in life.

I am much better than I was then, but I am still grieving Vanessa Marquez. There is still this hole in my life where she should be, and I still miss her terribly. I suppose I should have expected that. Ron, my best friend from college, has been dead for nearly 40 years, and I still miss him. My parents have been dead for a long time and I still miss them. My best friend Brian had been dead for 15 years now and I still miss him. I loved Vanessa more than anyone except close family, so it is natural that I would still miss her.

Indeed, I do not think grief ever goes away. There is no recovering from grief.  When you really, truly love someone, you will always feel the loss. There will always be this hole in your life that can never, ever be filled. You learn to live with grief. You learn to accept it. But you will never fully stop grieving. And perhaps that it is as it should be. I have quoted it before, but there is a line from the WandaVision episode "Previously On" that I think is all too true. Quite simply, Vision tells Wanda, "But what is grief if not love persevering?" You will never completely stop grieving someone you love, just as you will never stop loving them.

And, as I once told a mutual friend, Vanessa was very easy to love. It wasn't because she was a beautiful and talented actress who had appeared in a classic movie (Stand and Deliver) and the number one show of its day (ER).. It's because she was a sweet, loving, intelligent, and funny woman who truly cared about her friends and other people. If one of her friends was attacked, Vanessa was the first to take up for them. If one of her friends was sick, she would worry about them. She was happy when her friends were doing well and sad when they weren't. Vanessa never missed a birthday or an anniversary, and could remember the smallest minutiae about her friends. She was quite possibly the most remarkable woman I ever knew, and I will love her forever.

In the eight yeas since Vanessa's death, I have accepted that I will always miss her and that I will always grieve over her. I know that there will be those times, although they are spaced farther apart than right after she died, that I will break down crying over her. I know there will be those times when I feel her absence more sharply than others. In the end, I don't think we ever get over the deaths of those we love. Grief never completely goes away. It remains with us for the rest of our lives. 

The Late Great Tim Curry

Legendry actor Tim Curry died on August 24, 2026, at the age of 80. He was best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). He also played Wadsworth in Clue (1985), Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and, on television, Pennywise in the mini-series It, among many other roles.

Tim Curry was born on April 1946, in Grappenhall, Cheshire. When he was twelve years old, his father had a stroke and then died weeks later from complications from pneumonia. Tim Curry went to school at Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset and later graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1968 with a degree in English and drama.

It was not long after graduating from the University of Birmingham that Tim Curry began his professional acting career with a 1968 production of Hair on London's West End. It was while he was appearing in Hair that he met Richard O'Brien, who later go onto write The Rocky Horror Show. In the late Sixties and early Seventies Tim Curry appeared in several stage productions on the West End elsewhere, including Titus Andronicus, The White Devil, Life of Galileo, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was in 1973 that Tim Curry originated the role of Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court Theatre.Tim Curry made his Broadway debut in The Rocky Horror Show in 1975. The Rocky Horror Show was adapted to film as The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975 and marked Tim Curry's movie debut. The film became a cult phenomenon and launched Tim Curry's film career.

Tim Curry made his television debut in 1969 in an episode of Television Theatre From... In 1970, he guest starred on episodes of Ace of Wandsand ITV Saturday Night Theatre. In the Seventies, he appeared in the mini-series Napoleon and Love and Will Shakespeare. He guest starred on the shows Stage 2, Armchair Theatre, Play for Today, Rock Follies of '77, and The Sunday Drama. After making his film debut in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), he appeared in the movies The Shout (1978) and Times Square (1980). On both the West End and Broadway, he appeared on stage in Travesties and Amadeus.

In the Eighties, Tim Curry appeared in the movies Annie (1982), The Ploughman's Lunch (1983), Legend (1985), Clue (1985), Pass the Ammo (1987), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). He guest starred on the shows Arena, Long Ago and Far Away, The Tracy Ullman Show, and Wiseguy. He appeared in such TV movies as Blue Money and The Worst Witch. He played Pennywise in the mini-series It. He was a guest voice on the animated series The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible. He appeared on Broadway in Amadeus and in London in The Pirates of Penzance, The Rivals, The Threepenny Opera, and Dalliance.

In the Nineties, Tim Curry starred on the sitcom Over the Top. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Rude Awakening. He provided the voice of Mr. Curry on the animated series Paddington Bear, Captain Hook in the animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates, Sharkster on Fish Police, additional voices on The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda, Sir Gawain on The Legend of Prince Valiant, Barney Finkleberg on Wild West C.O.W. Boys of Moo Mesa, Skullmaster on Mighty Max, King Acorn on Sonic the Hedgehog, Kilokah on Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, MAL on Captain Planet and the Planeteers,and Dr. Sevarius on Gargoyles. He was also a guest voice on several more animated shows. He guest starred on the shows Roseanne, Tales from the Crypt, Dinosaurs, Earth 2, The Naked Truth, Lexx, and Bette. He played Gomez Addams in the TV movie Addams Family Reunion. He appeared in the movies Oscar (1991), The Player (1992), Passed Away (1992), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Shadow (1994), Congo (1995), Lover's Knot (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), McHale's Navy (1997), Sorted (2000), and Charlie's Angels (2000). He appeared on Broadway in My Favorite Year.

From 1998 to 2004, Tim Curry was the voice of Nigel Thornberry on the animated show The Wild Thornberrys. He was a guest voice on many more animated shows. He starred on the short-lived reboot of the sitcom Family Affair. He guest starred on the shows Monk, Will & Grace, Psych, Poirot, Cranford, and Criminal Minds. He appeared in the movies Scary Movie 2 (2001), The Scoundrel's Wife (2002), Kinsey (2004), Bailey's Billion$ (2005), Christmas in Wonderland (2007), The Secret of Moonacre (2008), and Burke & Hare (2010). He appeared on Broadway in Spamalot.

In the Teens, Tim Curry was the voice of G. Gordon Godfrey on the animated series Young Justice, the voice of the Sorcerer on Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Palpatine on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a guest voice on many other animated shows.

News of Tim Curry's death felt like a punch to the gut for me. To me, he wasn't only one of the greatest character actors of the late 20th Century, but one of the greatest character actors of all time. What is more, he appears to have been a true gentleman. Not only have his co-stars spoke of his kindness, generosity, and sense of humour, but so too have ordinary people who had the opportunity to meet him. Tim Curry may have played many villains throughout this career, but in real life, he was one of the good guys.

He was certainly talented. Indeed, he was phenomenally so. He had the ability to disappear completely into his characters. If Frank-N-Furter and The Rocky Horror Picture Show remain iconic, it is largely because of Tim Curry's performance in the role. Tim Curry is probably much of the reason the movie Clue has become a cult classic as well. He shined as the fast-talking butler Wadsworth. Tim Curry played his share of villains during his career, both humorous and otherwise. He was great as the treacherous, egocentric Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island. He was fearsome as the demonic Darkness in Legend. He inspired fear as Pennywise in the mini-series It, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Tim Curry played so many great roles during his long career, including Dr Petrov in The Hunt for Red October, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers, The Grand Wizard in the TV movie The Worst Witch, and so much more. Tim Curry was a chameleon, able to transform himself into any role he played. Few actors ever had the talent that Tim Curry had, and for that talent he will be remembered.