Christmas Commercials Already?

Last night I was watching The NBC Nightly News only to be confronted by a Christmas-themed commercial for Wayfair. While I was slightly annoyed, at the time I did not think too much about it. After all, there have been past years where a lone Christmas commercial has aired this early. As it turned out, this Wayfair commercial would hardly be a lone commercial. Last night I watched shows on Hulu and Tubi. I saw Christmas-themed commercials for both Hobby Lobby and Old Navy.

Now I don't want anyone to think that I hate Christmas. In fact, it is my favourite time of year. After Thanksgiving, I will start watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas songs. Around December 1 I will have the house decorated and my Christmas tree trimmed. I have even accepted that the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery start showing Christmas movies this time of year and will continue to do so until New Year's. While I don't like missing The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, I can always avoid the Hallmark channels until December 1 Unfortunately, there is not much way I can avoid Christmas-themed commercials, especially when they are airing during the national news and old shows on streaming services.

The simple fact is that it is two weeks before Halloween. Right now the leaves on most of the trees have not changed and the temperature is in the seventies (if one uses Fahrenheit). It is very much autumn and it feels very much like the weeks leading up to Allhallowtide. At the moment my mind on Halloween and  Día de Muertos. I have Halloween decorations up. Come October 27 I will set up my ofrenda for my dearest Vanessa. I am not thinking about putting up my Christmas decorations any time soon, nor am I thinking about what Christmas presents I will get my loved ones this year. I am certainly not thinking of snow (which rarely happens here on Christmas anyway), Christmas music, Santa Claus, or anything else associated with the holiday. Quite simply, right now I just want to enjoy the Halloween and Day of the Dead vibe of this time of year, not a holiday whose time won't come around for well over a month.

I can only think that many in the retail industry are convinced that by trotting out Christmas imagery and Christmas music well before Halloween, it will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping early. I do not believe this for a moment. First, it seems to me that most people will not do their Christmas shopping until Black Friday at the earliest, and many of them will wait until December. According to the survey known as the Shopify-Gallup Holiday Shopper Pulse from last year, only 8% of all shoppers said their Christmas shopping would be finished before December. I doubt Christmas-themed commercials will convince many to start their Christmas shopping in October, before Halloween has even passed. Second, there are probably many like me who are annoyed by Christmas-themed commercials airing before Halloween. And many like me will probably block out such commercials and make sure not to shop at those retailers advertised in those commercials.

Christmas is my favourite holiday, but I want to celebrate it in its own time. I don't want to see commercials with Christmas themes during what is the season of Halloween. Of course, sadly I am also aware that complaining about such commercials does little good. It seems like a few retailers out there will continue to roll out Christmas advertisements early, regardless of what anyone thinks.

The Late Great Mitzi Gaynor

Mitzi Gaynor, the singer, dancer, and actress known for such musicals as Les Girls (1957) and South Pacific (1958) and a number TV specials, died today, October 17 2024, at the age of 93.

Mitzi Gaynor was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber on September 4 1931 in Chicago. Her father was a violinist and cellist. Her mother was a dancer. She was enrolled in her first dance class when she was only eight years old. Her family moved from Chicago to Elgin, Illinois and then to Detroit and finally to Los Angeles. She trained as a ballerina while still young.  At 13 she convinced Edwin Lester, general director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera that she was 16 and as a result she got a part in the musical Song without Words. Afterwards in a West Coast production of Jerome Kerns' Roberta she danced a comedy bit. She then appeared in productions of The Fortune Teller, Song of Norway, Naughty Marietta, and The Great Waltz.

It was while she was in The Great Waltz that she was noticed by a Fox producer and she was signed to 20th Century Fox. Having gone by "Mitzi Gerber," 20th Century Fox gave her the stage name "Mitzi Gaynor." She made her feature film debut in My Blue Heaven in 1950. Mitzi Gaynor's film career unfolded mostly during the Fifties. It was in that decade that she appeared in the movies Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), Golden Girl (1951), We're Not Married! (1952), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), The I Don't Care Girl (1953), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Three Young Texans (1954), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Anything Goes (1956), The Birds and the Bees (1956), The Joker is Wild (1957), Les Girls (1957), South Pacific (1958), Happy Anniversary (1959), and Surprise Package (1960). Mitzi Gaynor appeared on television on The George Jessel Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Dick Clark Show, This Is Your Life, The Donald O' Connor Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

In the Sixties Mitzi Gaynor appeared in the movie For Love or Money (1963).  She appeared on television on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Paar Program, The Kraft Music Hall,. Laugh In, and The Merv Griffin Show. Her first television special, Mitzi, aired in 1968. It was followed in the Sixties by the special Mitzi's 2nd Special. It was in 1961 that Mitzi Gaynor began performing in Las Vegas. By 1968 she reportedly earned $45,000  a week in Las Vegas. She would also perform at various nightclubs in the United States and Canada.

In the Seventies Mitzi Gaynor appeared almost annually on TV specials on CBS, including Mitzi...the First Time, Mitzi...A Tribute to the American Housewife, Mitzi...and a Hundred Guys, Mitzi...Roarin' in the 20's., Mitzi...Zings into Spring, and Mitzi...What's Hot What's Not.

Mitzi Gaynor also recorded the albums Mitzi (1959) and Mitzi Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1959). She also appeared on the soundtrack albums for the movies There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, Les Girls, and South Pacific. In the 1990s she was a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter.

It is a mark of how big a star Mitzi Gaynor was that she was the headliner on the February 16 1964 edition of The Ed Sullivan Show rather than The Beatles, who were making their second appearance on the show. The Beatles were apparently fans of Mitzi Gaynor, as they asked her for her autograph. Of course, there should be little wonder that Mitzi Gaynor would be a star. She was an incredible singer and dancer who seemed to be filled with energy. When one saw Mitzi Gaynor on screen, one could not help but notice her. She remained vibrant well into her later years, so much so that it seems hard to believe she is gone. She was active on social media and she maintained close ties with Turner Classic Movies. She had attended the TCM Classic Film Festival and went on the TCM Cruise. Mitzi Gaynor certainly loved her fans, something she made clear in her posts to various social media. She referred to her audiences as "the sunshine of my life." Mitzi Gaynor's fans certainly loved her back, to the point that many of us feel as if we have lost a friend. Few performers were ever as dazzling, as talented, or as loved as Mitzi Gaynor.

Actor John Lasell Passes On

Character actor John Lasell, who played parapsychologist Peter Guthrie on the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, died on October 4 2024 at the age of 95.

John Lasell was born on November 6 1928 in Williamstown, Vermont. He made his television debut in 1960 in an episode of the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre. He guest starred on the shows Hong Kong, One Step Beyond, and The DuPont Show with June Allyson. In the Sixties he was a regular on the soap opera As the World Turns in 1966. The following year he appeared as Dr. Peter Guthrie on Dark Shadows. He guest starred on the shows The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Twilight Zone, Camera Three, General Electric Theatre, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Tall Man, Wagon Train, Alcoa Premiere, Gunsmoke, Hazel, The New Breed, The Investigators, Ben Casey, Checkmate, Shotgun Slade, Route 66, 87th Precinct, Shannon, Hawaiian Eye, Naked City, The Nurses, Flipper, Dr. Kildare, The Rogues, Peyton Place, Slattery's People, Rawhide, I Spy, 12 O' Clock High, My Favorite Martian, The F.B.I., Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Invaders, This is the Life, Judd for the Defense, Adam-12, and The Psychiatrist. He appeared in the movies Topaz (1969), Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970), and Helen Keller and Her Teacher (1970).

In the Seventies he had a recurring role as Ben Wedlock on the TV series Dan August and a recurring role on Lassie as Dr. Robbins. He guest starred on the TV shows Storefront Lawyers. The F.B.I., Mission: Impossible, Night Gallery, The Mod Squad, The Streets of San Francisco, Mannix, Cannon, The New Perry Mason, This is the Life, Police Story, and Barnaby Jones. He appeared in the movies The Organization (1971), Honky (1971), and Deathmaster (1972).

In the Eighties, John Lasell guest starred on Dallas and Falcon Crest. His final appearance was in the mini-series A Death in California in 1985.

While John Lasell may always be best remembered as Dr. Peter Guthrie on Dark Shadows, he played a wide variety of roles during his career. He had a major role in the Twilight Zone episode "Back There," in which time traveller Peter Corrigan (Russell Johnson) discovers the man calling himself Jonathan Wellington (John Laseell) is not who he claims to be. He played a U.S. Cavalry officer on Rawhide, a district attorney on Judd for the Defense, an Army officer on 12 O' Clock High, and several other roles. His roles may not have been particularly big sometimes, but he always left a profession.

"Bésame Mucho"

Chances are good that if you know only one Spanish-language song, it is "Bésame Mucho (which literally means "kiss me a lot")." The song has been recorded by artists from Emilio Tuero to Jimmy Dorsey to Jennifer Scott. It could well be the most recorded Spanish-language song of all time.

"Bésame Mucho" was written by legendary Mexican composer and pianist Consuelo Velázquez. She was only 16 years old at the time and had not yet had a romantic kiss. She took inspiration from the piano composition "Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor" Spanish composer  Enrique Granados's 1911 suite Goyescas. The first recording of "Bésame Mucho" was by Los Cadetes del Swing, which was released in 1940.  It was also performed by Mexican actor and singer Emilio Tuero. It proved to be a massive hit in Mexico, so massive that it would find its way to the United States. American composer, lyricist, and singer Sunny Skylar wrote English lyrics for "Bésame Mucho," although he retained the words "Bésame Mucho." It proved popular in the United States during World War II, and it was recorded by such artists as Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra with singers Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen, Andy Russell, and Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria.

Since then it has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Frankie Lane, Ray Coniff, Dean Martin, The Coasters, Dalida, and others. Even The Beatles recorded "Bésame Mucho. " It was legendary R&B group The Coasters' version that brought "Bésame Mucho" to the attention of The Beatles. They included it in their live sets when they were performing in Hamburg. They also recorded it on January 1 1962 as part of their ill-fated audition for Decca Records. They also recorded a number of takes of "Bésame Mucho"at their first audition for EMI on June 6 1962. The Beatles' version song was not released until the compilation album Anthology 1 in 1995.

Here is Los Cadetes del Swing's version of "Bésame Mucho.

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The 120th Birthday of Lester Dent

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t was 120 years ago today, on October 12 1904, that Lester Dent was born in La Plata, Missouri. For those of you who have not heard of Lester Dent, he created the pulp hero Doc Savage with magazine publisher Street and Smith's business manager Henry Ralston and editor John Nanovic. He also wrote 159 Doc Savage novels, more than any other writer. I already wrote an in-depth post about Lester Dent on the occasion of his 110th birthday, but I wanted to pay tribute to a man who may well have had more impact than any other writer. I don't write fiction often, but when I do, it sounds a lot like Mr. Dent's work.

I am not absolutely sure when I first knew who Doc Savage was, but I know it was before I turned 10 years. old. It was then that I discovered the Doc Savage novels through my now former brother-in-law, who had an extensive collection of the Batman reprints of the novels. I remember the first Doc Savage novel I ever read was Brand of the Werewolf, which featured the first appearance of Doc's cousin Patricia Savage. I was hooked and I continued reading the Doc Savage throughout my childhood and into adulthood. At first I read my brother-in-law's books, but when I got older and had something of my own income, I began buying them on my own. I was very happy when, as a kid, I learned that I lived an hour away from Lester Dent's hometown of La Plata. Anyway, I still read the Doc Savage novels to this day.

The Doc Savage novels would develop an interest in pulp magazines in general on my part. I sought out other pulp heroes, such as The Shadow (whom I knew from the radio show), The Spider, and yet others. Of course, given I was a comic book fan with an interest in the Golden Age of Comic Books, I may have been predisposed to like pulp magazines, as well as old radio shows That having been said, I do think my interest in pulp magazines helped fuel my interest in Old Time Radio. Aside from Lone Ranger radio plays my third grade teacher played for us, I have to believe The Shadow was the first radio show I ever listened to. Quite simply, I think my interest in comic books and pulp magazine helped fuel my interest in vintage media.  And, as I said earlier, when it comes to writing fiction, my style is remarkably similar to Lester Dent's style.

I then owe Lester Dent a good deal. I honestly think he may have had more impact on me than any other writer, even Ray Bradbury and Arthur Conan Doyle. I honestly have to wonder how different my life would have been had I never encountered the Doc Savage novels. I rather doubt I would be the same person.

The 80th Anniversary of Laura (1944)

It was on this day in 1944 that Laura, directed by Otto Preminger, premiered in New York City. Upon its release Laura received positive reviews and was was nominated or won several awards. The film also did well at the box office. It has since become regarded as one of the most iconic film noirs. Few are as well-respected or as well-known.

In Laura New York City police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the murder of young, beautiful Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). As he does so, he becomes fascinated by the late, beautiful woman. Even more so than many film noirs that followed it, much of Laura was told in flashback.

The origins of the movie can ultimately be traced back to a play titled Ring Twice for Laura by Vera Caspary. Vera Caspary's agent offered Ring Twice for Laura to Otto Preminger, who not only directed and produced movies, but theatrical productions as well. Otto Preminger and Vera Caspary had disagreements over the play, and in the end, it would not be produced. Vera Caspary then adapted her own script as a novel. The novel was serialized in Colliers under the title Ring Twice for Laura in 1942. It was later published as a book, simply titled Laura, by Houghton  Mifflin.

With the novel a success, Vera Caspary was able to sell the film rights two 20th Century Fox. William Goetz was then in charge of the studio while Darryl F. Zanuck was serving in the military. He assigned  the project adaptation Laura as a film to Otto Preminger. Given his prior experience with Vera Caspary regarding the play Ring Twice for Laura, he did not include her in writing the first draught fo the screenplay, instead working with writers Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt.

When Darryl F. Zanuck returned to 20th Century Fox, he upon discovering William Goetz had assigned Otto Preminger to the project. Darryl F. Zanuck and Otto Preminger had not gotten along since clashing over Kidnapped in 1938. While Mr. Zanuck allowed Mr. Preminger to produce Laura, he would not allow Otto Preminger to direct the movie. Laura was offered to various directors, including Walter Lang and Lewis Milestone, who all turned it down. Eventually Rouben Mamoulian agreed to direct Laura. From the beginning Otto Preminger's relationship with Otto Preminger was difficult. Mr. Mamoulian changed costume and sets without asking Otto Preminger. He also began re-writing the script.

Perhaps making matters worse, both Darryl F. Zannuck and Rouben Mamoulian wanted Laird Creger for the role of newspaper columnist Walter Lydecker. Otto Preminger disagreed as he thought Mr. Cregar was too well known for playing villainous roles and audiences would be suspicious of the character from the beginning. According to an aritcle in the August 3 1942 issue of The Los Angeles Times, George Sanders, John Sutton, and Monty Woolley were all in the running for the role of Lydecker. As to Otto Preminger, he wanted Clifton Webb for the role. Both Darryl F. Zanuck and Rufus Lemaire, objecting to the casting of Clifton Webb as they felt his mannerisms were effeminate. To prove Clifton Webb could play the role, Otto Preminger then filmed Clifton Webb delivering a monologue from a Noel Coward play. Darryl F. Zanuck then relented and Clifton Webb was cast as Waldo Lydecker.

As to detective Mark McPherson, according to Otto Preminger in his autobiography, Darryl F. Zanuck originally wanted John Hodiak for the role. An item in the October 28 1943 issue of The Hollywood Reporter claimed that 20th Century Fox was negotiating with George Raft to play the role. Darryl Zanuck wanted Reginald Gardiner for the role of Laura's fiancé Shelby Carpenter. Otto Preminger ultimately hired Vincent Price for the role, having worked with the actor on the Broadway play Outward Bound in 1938.

As to the all important role of Laura, Jennifer Jones was initially cast in the role. As it turned out, she did not show up for work on April 24 1944. As a result, 20th Century Fox threatened legal action against her. It was then that Daniel T. O'Shea, executive director of the Selznick Studio (to whom Jennifer Jones was under contract) claimed the Selznick Studio's contract with 20th Century Fox had the stipulation that the films to which she was assigned be "consistent with her standing" as an Academy Award winner. He went onto claim that Laura was not worthy of Miss Jones. Ultimately, the lawsuit would be settled and Jennifer Jones would not play Laura Hunt, although she did play the title role in 20th Century Fox's Cluny Brown (1946). Hedy Lamar also turned down the role before Gene Tierney was cast as Laura.

Director Rouben Mamoulian would not last long on the set of Laura. Darryl F. Zanuck was not pleased with the dailies he saw, and after about two weeks Rouben Mamoulian was fired. Mr. Zanuck then relented and allowed Otto Preminger to direct Laura. He started entirely form scratch. He hired both a new cinematographer, and even scrapped the sets. Among other things he scrapped was the all-important portrait of Laura. Otto Preminger had an entirely new one done. Even the footage that Rouben Mamoulian had shot was scrapped.

Laura received positive reviews from critics. The October 12 1944 review of the film in The New York Times concluded with, "Anyway, the picture on the whole is close to being a top drawer mystery." Variety also gave the film good marks, their brief review stating among other things, "The film's deceptively leisurely pace at the start, and its light, careless air, only heighten the suspense without the audience being conscious of the buildup." Not only did Laura receive critical acclaim, but it was also a success at the box office. The film turned both Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews into stars. It also established Otto Preminger as a top-rank director.

Laura was nominated for the Oscars for Best Actor in Supporting Role for Clifton Webb; Best Director for Otto Preminger; Best Writing, Screenplay for Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt; and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black and White for Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller, and Thomas Little. It won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for Joseph LaShelle.

Laura would be adapted as a radioplay twice on Lux Radio Theatre. The first time, on February 5 1946, featured Gene Tierney, Dan Andrews, and Vincent Price, reprising their roles from the film. The second time was on February 1 1954 with Gene Tierney, Victor Mature, Joe Kearns, and Carleton Young. It would also be adapted for television. The October 19 1955 episode of The 20th Century Fox, "a Portrait of Murder," was an hour-long adaptation of Laura, starring Dana Wynter, George Sanders, and Robert Stack. It was later adapted as a TV movie by David Susskind. This adaptation was written by Truman Capote.

Laura  has had a lasting influence on films and television.  The 1956 Western Frontier Gambler, starring Jim Davis and Coleen Gray, was essentially an unauthorized remake of Laura. The TV show Twin Peaks borrowed a good deal from the movie. Other television shows would borrow from Laura for individual episodes. The first season Magnum P.I. episode "Skin Deep"owed a good deal to the film. The 1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Aquiel" was obviously inspired by Laura. The 2005 Bollywood movie Rog is a remake of Laura. The flim has been spoofed on everything from The Carol Burnett Show to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Laura is one of the earliest film noirs, and it is also quintessential film noirs. Much of the movie is told in flashback and it contains several plot twists (including one rather big one). Some might argue that the movie is contrived and much of it improbable, and yet somehow Laura still works. There can be no doubt that much of this is due to the performances. The role of Shelby Carpenter was one of Vincent Price's favourite roles had ever played, and he gives a great performance. Clifton Webb deserved to win the Oscar for playing Lydecker, who still ranks as one of the best characters in a film noir. Dana Andrews gives a convincing performance as McPherson, the detective who falls in love with the image of Laura. As to Gene Tierney, she brings to Laura much more than a beautiful face. It was certainly a star-making performance. The script is also superior.  It pace is deliberate and no twist seems out of place.

Released early in the film noir era, Laura has had a lasting impact. It would prove influential and it is still regarded as one of the greatest film noirs ever made. Indeed, the American Film Institute ranked it no. 4 in their Top 10 Mystery Films from 2008. Eighty years after its premiere, it remains one of the most beloved films of all time.

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" by Nat King Cole

This week MeTV started showing Emergency! again. Of the medical personnel on the show, my favourite Dr. Joe Early played by Bobby Troup. I imagine that, at least among Gen Xers like myself, that today Bobby Troup is best known as Dr. Early on Emergency!. While that might be case, Bobby Troup started out as a composer, pianist, and singer. Indeed, he composed a number of well-known songs, including "Daddy," "Girl Talk," and "The Girl Can't Help." Perhaps his most famous song was "Get Your Kicks" on Route 66." Among others, the song was recorded by The Nat King Cole Trio, whose version peaked at  three on the Billboard Race Records chart and number eleven on the Billboard pop chart. It has since become a standard.

Here is The Nat King Cole Trio's version of Bobby Troup's "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66."

The TV Series Popi

In the early to mid-Seventies there was a cycle on American television towards ethnic comedies that included such shows as Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, The Montefuscos, and others. Among these ethnic comedies was Popi, which starred Héctor Elizondo as Abraham Rodriguez, known to his sons as "Popi." Popi was a widower living in New York City with two sons, Junior (Anthony Perez) and Luis  (Dennis Vasquez). Their neighbour and Popi's romantic interest was Lupe (Edith Diaz). Popi only ran for 10 episodes, but it was historic as one of the first shows to centre on a Puerto Rican family.

Popi was based on the 1969 movie of the same name starring Alan Arkin as Popi and Rita Moreno as Lupe. If it seems odd that Alan Arkin played a Puerto Rican, during that era, it was not unusual for non-Latinos to play Latino roles. In contrast, Héctor Elizondo is Puerto Rican, although he grew up in New York City. Like Rita Moreno, Edith Diaz was also Puerto Rican.

There would be one change from the pilot for Popi to the TV series. In the pilot, Lupe was played by Liz Torres Who had already been a regular on the sitcom Phyllis and had guest starred in such shows as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Love, American Style. Her replacement, Edith Diaz, had guest starred on such shows as The Name of the Game and All in the Family. Héctor Elizondo was already a well-established actor by the time Popi debuted. He had appeared on stage in The Great White Hope and The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and in the film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974).

Popi received positive, if not overly glowing reviews upon its debut. Jay Sharbutt, television writer for the Associated Press, wrote of the show, "Popi is a well-written, endearing, warm, and human comedy." On January 27 1976 in the column TV Key, it read, "Don't overlook this engaging little comedy starring Puerto Rican  Héctor Elizondo. Columnist Buck Biggers (also known as the co-creator of Underdog) was much less impressed with the show, writing a somewhat negative review of Popi, "Although the concept for Popi was sufficient to support a 1969 movie of the same name. It does not appear strong enough to support a series, especially without benefit of much, much stronger scripting. (and in spite of the fine talent of Héctor Elizondo)."

Regardless of what critics thought, Popi would not be a success. It had the misfortune of debuting opposite Welcome Back, Kotter on ABC, which ranked no. 18 for the year. Matters would be made worse when ABC moved Welcome Back, Kotter to Thursday and debuted a new show in its place. Laverne & Shirley was a spinoff from Happy Days and the very first show to ever hit no. 1 in the Nielsen ratings upon its debut. Laverne & Shirley would ultimately rank no. 3 for the year. Popi's competition on NBC was Movin' On. While the show did not rank in the top 30 for the season, it was still somewhat popular. Ultimately, Popi did poorly in the ratings. Debuting on January 20 1976, it ended its original run after only 10 episodes. It was rerun in the summer, where its ratings were also poor. It ended its network run on August 24 1976.

Today if Popi is remembered at all, it is as a footnote in the history of the movie Popi (1976). While the show did not prove to be a success, it was a pioneering show. It was one of the very first shows ever focused on a Puerto Rican family, something that is still rare today.

Dates for the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival Announced

Today it was announced that the TCM Classic Film Festival will return to Hollywood from April 24 to April 27 2025. The central theme for this year's festival is Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film. In the words of TCM's press release for the festival, Turner Classic Movies invites "...you on a wondrous journey to enchanted worlds of fantasy and stories beyond belief. From myths and magical creatures to ghostly encounters and travels through time, you'll escape with fellow movie lovers to places that will ignite your imagination."

Of course, as usual the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will serve as the home base for the TCM Classic Film Festival. The Hollywood Roosevelt will offer special rates to those attending the festival. As at past festivals, there will be interviews with those involved in the creation of the movies being show, panel discussions, parties, and receptions.

Passes for the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival will go on sale in December 2024.

"Love Me Do" by The Beatles

This evening I am tired from a long day, so I thought it would leave you with a song. It was 62 years ago today that The Beatles' debut single, "Love Me Do," was released in the United Kingdom. It was also today that the first James Bond movie, Dr. No (1962), premiered in London. There could be a very good argument that October 5 1962 is when the Sixties really began. Anyway, in commemoration of those events, I will leave you with "Love Me Do" by The Beatles.

"Love Me Do" was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Paul wrote the verses and the chorus, while John wrote the middle eight. It did not prove to be the megahit in the UK that nearly every other Beatles single proved to be, peaking at no. 17 on the UK singles chart. It was not released as a single in the United States until 1964, following The Beatles' success with "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," and "Can't Buy Me Love." Given how big The Beatles were in the U.S. at the time, quite naturally it hit no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Late Great John Amos

John Amos, who starred as weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James Evans on Good Times, and Kunta Kinte on the mini-series Roots, died on August 21 2024 at the age of 84.

John Amos was born on December 27 1939 in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a tractor-trailer driver and mechanic, while his mother was a housekeeper who later became a nutritionist. One of his mother's clients was one of the artists on the Archie comic book feature. He arranged for the young John Amos and a friend to attend a taping of the radio program Archie Andrews at Radio City Music Hall. While at East Orange High School he drew cartoons and wrote columns in the school newspaper. He appeared in the school's production of The Man Who Came to Dinner and was also a running back on the football team.

John Amos won football scholarships to Long Beach City College in California and then Colorado State University in Fort Collins. After graduating, John Amos signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in the American Football League. He then went to the short-lived United Football League, where he played for the Canton Bulldogs and Joliet Explorers. He played for the Norfolk Neptunes and Wheeling Ironmen  in the short-lived minor league called the Continental Football League. He then played for the Jersey City Jets and Waterbury Orbits in the Atlantic Coast Football League. In 1967 he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League. He returned to the Continental Football League where he ended his football career playing for the Victoria Steelers.

It was while John Amos was in Vancouver that he did stand-up comedy. He also met a television writer who moved him to go to Los Angeles. He got a job a a writer and performer on a variety show hosted by Al Lohman and Roger Barkley.and produced by KNBC. The following year he was a writer and performer on the variety show The Leslie Uggams Show on CBS. He guest starred on The Bill Cosby Show and The Tim Conway Comedy Hour. He began his stint playing Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

It was in 1973 that John Amos first appeared as Henry Evans, the wife of Maude's housekeeper Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) on the sitcom Maude. The character of Florida Evans would lead to the sitcom Good Times, which was not quite a spin-off of Maude John Amos once more played her husband, although he was now named James. Sadly, he would eventually be fired from the sitcom after speaking out about stereotypes on the show. James was then killed off on Good Times. In the Seventies John Amos continued to appear as Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was one of the regular performers on the sketch comedy show The Funny Side.  He was a regular on the show Future Cop. He played Kunta Kinte on the mini-series Roots. John Amos guest starred on the shows Love, American Style; The New Dick Van Dyke Show; Sanford and Son; and Police Story. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in Vanishing Point  (1971). He appeared in the movies Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), The World's Greatest Athlete (1973), Let's Do It Again (1975), and Touched by Love (1980).

In the Eighties John Amos appeared in the movies The Beastmaster (1982), Dance of the Devils (1983), American Flyers (1985), Coming to America (1988), Lock Up (1988), Two Evil Eyes (1990), and Die Hard 2 (1990). He had a regular role on the TV show Hunter. He guest starred on the shows Here's Boomer; Insight; The Love Boat;  The A-Team; Trapper John, M.D.; Hardcastle and McCormick; One Life to Live; Murder, She Wrote; Stingray; You Are the Jury; Beauty and the Beast; The Cosby Show; and Gideon Oliver.

In the Nineties John Amos starred on the short-lived sitcom 704 Hauser. He had a regular role on The West Wing. He had a recurring roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, and The District. He guest starred on the shows Touched by an Angel; Martin; Walker, Texas Ranger; King of the Hill; and The Outer Limits. He appeared in the movies Ricochet (1991), Without a Pass (1991), Mac (1993), Night Trap (1993),. For Better or Worse (1995), and The Players Club (1998).

In the Naughts Mr. Amos continued to appear on The West Wing and The District. He had regular roles on the shows All About the Andersons and Men in Trees. He guest starred on the shows American Masters, Psych, My Name is Earl, Two and a Half Men, Royal Pains, 30 Rock, and Lie to Me. He appeared in the movies All Over Again (2001), The Watermelon Heist (2003), My Baby's Daddy (2004), Countdown (2004),. Shadowboxing (2005), Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006), Ascension Day (2007)., and Lean Like a Choo (2010).

In the Teens John Amos had a recurring role on The Ranch. He guest starred on the shows NYC 22, Ballers, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, Live in Front of a Studio Audience, and The Last O.G. He appeared in the movies Zombie Hamlet (2012),. Madea's Witness (2012), Act of Faith (2014), Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015), Mercy for Angels (2015), Tamales and Gumbo (2015). Hauntsville (2016), and Uncut Gems (2019).

In the 2020s John Amos guest starred on The Righteous Gemstones. He appeared in the movies Coming 2 America (2021), Because of Charley (2021). Christmas in Miami (2021), Me Time (2022), and The Last Rifleman (2023).

John Amos was an incredible actor. I think it will be safe to say he will always be remembered as James Evans on Good Times. James was in many ways a pioneering role. As a father he was firm and he did have a bit of a temper, but he was also gentle and compassionate. It was a pioneering role, presenting a strong father of a nuclear family, and John Amos played it perfectly. Like many, I think Good Times went downhill after he was fired.  He was also remarkable as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Gordy was friendly and good-natured, and always professional. For the role of the older Kunta Kinte (who was given the slave name "Toby") he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series. Over the years he played many other great roles, including Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace on The West Wing, the bodyguard Seth in The Beastmaster, fast food restaurant owner Cleo McDowell in Coming to America, and many others. John Amos gave a number of great performances throughout his career. In fact, I cannot remember him giving a bad one, no matter how poor the material may have been. He was simply a great actor.

Kris Kristofferson Passes On

Singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson died on September 28 2024 at the age of 88. As an actor he had appeared in such movies as A Star is Born (1976), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), and Blade (1998). As a country music singer and songwriter, he had several hit songs and won many awards.

Kris Kristofferson was born on June 22 1936 in Brownsville, Texas. His father was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps and later the United States Air Force. Because of his father's military service the family moved frequently, but finally settled in San Matteo, California. He graduated from San Matteo High School in 1954. He then attended Pomona College in Claremont, California. He wanted to become a writer and actually had two stories published in The Atlantic Monthly. In 1958 he received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. He studied at Merton College. In 1960 he graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in English literature.

He then enlisted in the United States Army where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He became a helicopter pilot and completed Ranger School as well. He was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division.

Kris Kristofferson left the United States Army to pursue his music career. He moved to Nashville and in 1967 he signed to Epic Records. His first major hit would not be performed by himself. Johnny Cash recorded his song "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and it went to no. 1 on the Country music chart in 1970.

As an actor Kris Kristofferson made his film debut in a small part in  The Last Movie in 1971. His first starring role came in 1972 with Cisco Pike. In the Seventies he appeared in the movies Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976), Vigilante Force (1976), A Star is Born (1976), Semi-Tough (1977), Convoy (1978), and Heaven's Gate (1980). He appeared on television on Saturday Night Live and The Muppet Show.

In the Eighties Kris Kristofferson appeared in the movies Rollover (1981), The Last Horror Film (1982), Flashpoint (1984), Songwriter (1984), Trouble in Mind (1985), Big Top Pee-wee (1988),      Millennium (1989), Welcome Home (1989), and Sandino. On television he appeared in several TV movies, including a 1986 remake of Stagecoach in which he played the Ringo Kid. He starred in the mini-series Amerika.

In the Nineties Mr. Kristofferson appeared in the films Night of the Cyclone (1991), Original Intent (1992), No Place to Hide (1993), Paper Hearts (1993), Knights (1993), Pharaoh's Army (1995), Lone Star (1996), Fire Down Below (1997), Girls' Night (1998), Blade (1998), Dance with Me (1998), A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998), Payback (1999), Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999), Limbo (1999), The Joyriders (1999), and Comanche. On television he was the narrator on the Western anthology series Dead Man's Gun and guest starred on The Larry Sanders Show. He appeared in several TV movies.

In the Naughts he appeared in the movies Planet of the Apes (2001), Chelsea Wails (2001), Wooly Boys (2001), D-Tox (2002), Blade II (2002), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003), Silver City (2004), Blade: Trinity (2004), The Jacket (2005), The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005), The Wendell Baker Story (2005), Dreamer (2005), Disappearances (2006), Fast Food Naiton (2006), Room 10 (2006), Requiem for Billy the Kid (2006), Jump Out Boys (2008), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), Powder Blue (2009), For Sale By Onwer (2009), Bloodworth (2010), The Last Rites of Ransom Pride (2010), and Yohan the Child Wanderer (2010). On television he appeared in the mini-series Lives of the Saints and was a guest voice on the show Handy Mandy. He also appeared in a few TV movies.

In the Teens Kris Kristofferson appeared in the movies Dolphin Tale (2011), The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011), Joyful Noise (2012), Deadfall (2012), The Motel Life (2012), Angels Sing (2012), Midnight Station (2013), San Patricios (2014), Dolphin Tale 2 (2014), 7 Minutes (2014), Traded (2016), The Red Maple Leaf (2016), Hickcok (2017), The Star (2017), Abilene (2017), and Blaze (2018). On television he appeared in the mini-series Texas Rising.

I am not a country music fan, so I don't know too much about Mr. Kristofferson's music career. I do know he recorded 21 studio albums. He also won several awards for his songs, including one Country Music Association Awards for Song of the Year and one Academy of Country Music Award for Single of the Year. In 2004 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the CMA and the Grammy Awards.

I don't know much about country music, but I think it can be said that Kris Kristofferson was a legendary songwriter and singer in the genre. I do know movies and television, and I think he was a remarkable actor. He played a wide variety of roles throughout his acting career. He gave a solid performance as self-destructive rock star John Norman Howard. He was also quite good as Billy the Kid in Pat Garrett and Billy Kid. While the mini-series Amerika was controversial and received mixed reviews, Mr. Kristofferson was convincing as Devon Milford, the leader of the resistance against the U.S.S.R. He also did a great job as Whistler, Blade's mentor and weaponsmith, in Blade. While known for dramas, Westerns, and action movies, Kris Kristofferson was quite adept at comedy, as shown by his performance as circus ringmaster Mace Montana in Big Top Pee-wee. Kris Kristofferson was a rare multi-talent and he will always be remembered.

The 40th Anniversary of Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote is possibly the most successful American mystery television series of all time. It ran for twelves. Four TV movies aired after its run. While at the time of the show's debut Angela Lansbury was known for movies from Gaslight (1944) to The Manchurian Candidate (1962), she may now be best known as mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher. It was forty years ago today, on Sunday, September 30 1984, that Murder, She Wrote  debuted on CBS.

For those unfamiliar with Murder, She Wrote, the series starred Angela Lansbury as a widowed mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher, who has a talent for solving crimes. She lived in the small town of Cabot Cove, Maine, although she travelled extensively. Only a few episodes of Murder, She Wrote actually take place in their entirety in Cabot Cove.

It was in late 1983 that CBS looked to Universal Television for a new mystery series that they wanted to be produced by Peter S. Fincher, Richard Levinson, and William Link. Messrs. Levinson and Link were already old hands when it came to television mysteries. Not only had they written several episodes of various mystery shows, but they also created both Mannix and Columbo. Peter S. Fincher had been a story editor on Columbo, and with Richard Levinson and William Link had developed the TV series Ellery Queen. Although it had only run one season, Ellery Queen had developed a cult following and had received positive reviews.

Messrs. Fincher, Levinson, and Link pitched a concept to CBS that they had tried pitching to NBC. It was a series about a retired magician who over 50 years of age who solved mysteries. NBC did not like the idea of a protagonist over 50 and asked that the magician be in his thirties. Unlike NBC, CBS did not mind a lead character who was over 50, but they preferred a female lead. It was on October 22 1983 that CBS aired the made-for-TV movie A Caribbean Mystery, starring Helen Hayes as Agatha Christie's character Miss Marple. The TV movie did respectably well in the ratings, leading Peter s. Fletcher, Richard Levinson, and William Link to come up with the idea of a TV show about a crime solving, female mystery novelist over 50, essentially an Americanized Miss Marple with a bit of Ellery Queen thrown in for good measure. Like Ellery Queen, the show would feature big-name guest stars.

Fortunately, Harvey Shepherd, head programmer at CBS, liked the idea and gave the go-ahead for what would become Murder, She Wrote. As to who would play the all important role of Jessica Fletcher, Jean Stapleton, most famous as Edith Bunker on All in the Family, was initially considered. Miss Stapleton was initially interested in the project, but eventually decided against it. Fortunately, screen legend Angela Lansbury had expressed interest in starring in a television series. Messrs. Fincher, Levinson, and Link met with Miss Lansbury, and she was cast as Jessica Fletcher.

While Jessica Fletcher was the only regular character on the show, Murder, She Wrote featured several recurring characters. For the first four seasons, Tom Bosley played Sheriff Amos Tupper. He was replaced by Ron Masak, who played Sheriff Mort Metzger from the fifth season to its end. Starting in the second season, William Windom played Dr. Seth Hazitt. There were many other recurring characters, including Jessica's nephew Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton), Cabot Cove realtor Eve Simpson (Julie Adams),private eye Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach), and may others.

Of course, over the years Murder, She Wrote featured many famous guest stars, among them John Astin, Gene Barry, Earl Holliman, Kevin McCarthy, Martin Milner, John Saxon,and  George Segal. The show featured several stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, including June Allyson, Ann Blyth, Cyd Charisse, Mel Ferrer, Marsha Hunt, Van Johnson, Mildred Natwick, Jean Peters, Mickey Rooney, and Mary Wickes, among others. Indeed, the episode "The Days Dwindle Down" was actually some of a sequel to the classic film noir Strange Bargain (1942). It guest starred Jeffrey Lynn, Martha Scott, and Harry Morgan, who reprised their roles from. Clips form Strange Bargain served as flashbacks during the episode.

It was during the third season of Murder, She Wrote that the show had a crossover with another hit CBS show, Magnum P.I., then in its seventh season. The crossover began on Magnum P.I. with the episode "Novel Connection" and ended with the Murder, She Wrote episode "Magnum on Ice."

Murder, She Wrote would also inspire one spinoff. The TV series The Law & Harry McGraw centred on private eye Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach), who had been a recurring character on Murder, She Wrote, as he worked for attorney Ellie Maginnis (Barbara Babcock). The should would not prove to be a success. Debuting on September 27 1987, the series ended its run after only 16 episodes. That would not be the end of Harry McGraw, as he would appear in more episodes of Murder, She Wrote.

The success of Murder, She Wrote generated some merchandise. Numerous Murder, She Wrote novels have been published over the years, the first 1989. The latest Murder, She Wrote novels are set to come out October 8 2024 and March 18 2025. It was in 1985 that Warren Company published a Murder, She Wrote board game. In 2009 Legacy Interactive released the computer game Murder, She Wrote. It was followed by a sequel, Murder, She Wrote in 2012. Funko even released a Jessica Fletcher POP! figure in 2020.

Murder, She Wrote proved to be a hit from the beginning. In its first season it ranked no. 8 for the year in the Nielsen ratings. It consistently ranked in the top twenty, more often than not in the top ten, for its first eleven seasons. Murder, She Wrote was moved from its usual 8:00 PM Eastern, Sunday time slot for its 12th season to 8:00 PM Easter, Thursday for its 12th season. The show promptly dropped in the ratings. It was moved back to Sunday for its last few episodes, but unfortunately it was too little too late. For its 12th and final season, Murder, She Wrote ranked only 58th in the Nielsen ratings for the year. CBS cancelled the series.

While Murder, She Wrote was cancelled, it was hardly over, as CBS agreed to four Murder, She Wrote TV movies to air in the following years. The first was South by South West, which aired in 1997. It was followed by A Story to Die For in 2000, The Last Free Man in 2001, and The Celtic Riddle in 2003.

Murder, She Wrote would prove to be a hit in syndication, where it is still running. From the late Nineties well into the Naughts, A&E showed Murder, She Wrote so often that many jokingly called it "The Murder, She Wrote Channel." Currently it airs on  Murder, She Wrote airs on Cozi TV, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Great American Family, and Start TV. Murder, She Wrote can be found on several different streaming services, including Prime Video, Fubo, Peacock, Philo, and Sling TV. The entire series, as well as the TV movies, have been released on DVD.

Murder, She Wrote has certainly permeated pop culture. Jessica Fletcher is one of the most recognizable characters in television history, alongside Lucy Ricardo, Barney Fife, and Mr. Spock. There is also something of a running joke that Cabot Cove is the murder capitol of television, although this is not quite true. Jessica Fletcher travelled extensively and the majority of her cases were in such places as Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and even other countries. Out of the 264 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, only 54 took place in Cabot Cove. While that is still an extraordinarily high murder rate for a town of 3560 people, it's probably lower than the murder rate of Badger's Drift on Midsomer Murders. The village, which has 300 people according to  the original novel The Killings in Badger's Drift, saw over 20 murders in the course of six episodes. Regardless of whether Cabot Cover is the murder capital of the world, everyone can agree that Jessica Fletcher is murder magnet. She could not go any place without someone being murdered.

Of course, if Jessica didn't encounter murder everywhere she goes, there would not have been a show. And Murder, She Wrote was one of the finest mystery series of all time. It compares favourably with such shows  as Perry Mason, Peter Gunn, and Columbo, and can quite rightfully be considered a classic in and of itself. In fact, an argument can be made that the Cabot Cove episodes of Murder, She Wrote in particular pioneered the cozy mystery genre. In the cozy mystery genre, the protagonist is generally an amateur detective (like Jessica), the protagonists usually has a contact on the police department (in Jessica's case, Sheriffs Tupper and Metzger), the murders generally take place off-stage, and the setting is usually a small town or village (in Jessica's case, Cabot Cove.). While the cozy mystery genre takes a good deal of inspiration from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, the Cabot Cove episodes of Murder, She Wrote would certainly seem to have provided the template for the genre.

Murder, She Wrote continues to be popular, as evidenced by the number of television outlets and streaming channels on which it can still be found. Novels based on the series are still being published. One has to suspect that people will still be watching Murder, She Wrote forty years from now.

Hammer Horrors on TCM in October 2024

Every October Turner Classic Movies shows a lot of horror movies. This also means that they usually a good number of the Hammer Horrors, although never nearly as many as I would like. This year is no different, although some of the Hammer movies are showing at awkward times. If you want to watch The Reptile (1966) and The Plague of the Zombies (1966), you'll have to be up at 2:00 in the morning in the Central time zone, unless you DVR them.

Below is a schedule for this year's Hammer horrors on TCM. All times are Central.  I have to apologize for not having times for movies on October 30 and Halloween itself. As of now (Sunday, September 29), Turner Classic Movies does not have the complete October schedule up. It only goes to Saturday, October 26. I do wish TCM would give us the next month's full schedule by a week before the end of any month. Not getting the full schedule of a month until it has already begun makes writing blog posts very difficult! Anyway, I will update the schedule with the times for the movies on October 30 and 31 when they become available.

Thursday, October 3:
11:30 PM  The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Friday, October 18
2:15 AM The Reptile (1966)
4:00 AM The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

Wednesday, October 30
8:00 AM Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
9:45 AM Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
11:30 AM Mummy, The (1959) 
1:15 PM Dracula (1958--Horror of Dracula in the U.S)
2:45 PM The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Friday, November 1
12:45 AM The Witches (1966--The Devil's Own in the U.S.)
1:30 AM The Devil Rides Out (1968--The Devil's Bride in the U.S.)

Carmen Miranda is Not Hispanic

I had not seen Turner Classic Movies' promo for Hispanic Heritage Month when my friend Beth, who is Portuguese in descent, noted that they included Carmen Miranda. Now that is a bit problematic, as the term "Hispanic" refers to people and cultures related to Spanish speaking countries.Carmen Miranda was Portuguese in descent and spoke Portuguese. She was not from a Spanish speaking country and did not speak Spanish.

Indeed, Carmen Miranda was born on February 9 1909 in Marco de Canaveses, Kingdom of Portugal. Her father had moved to Brazil, which had been a Portuguese colony, in 1909. Her mother followed her father in 1910 after Carmen Miranda's birth when the child was less than a year old, along with Carmen's older sister (who would have been around two at the time). Carmen Miranda then grew up in a former Portuguese colony speaking Portuguese, not a Spanish speaking country speaking Spanish. Quite simply, she was not Hispanic.

I can only assume that TCM's error in including Carmen Miranda in their 2024 promo for Hispanic Heritage Month may have been due to confusion between the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino." Many people think the terms are synonymous when in fact there are differences between the two. While Hispanic refers to people and cultures related to Spanish speaking countries, Latino refers to the people and cultures of Latin America. Even though the national language of Brazil is Portuguese, they are still Latin as they are part of Latin America, but they are not Hispanic because they don't speak Spanish.

While Carmen Miranda grew up in Brazil and was fully immersed in Brazilian culture, there are those who would debate whether she was Latina or not. While some use the term "Latino" to refer to anyone from Latin America, there are those who use the term to refer only to those of Indigenous descent. If one uses the term "Latino" to refer to anyone from a Latin country, regardless of ethnicity, then Carmen Miranda would most certainly be a Latina. If one uses the term "Latino" to refer only to those of Indigenous descent, then Carmen Miranda, as a European born woman of Portuguese descent, would not be a Latina.

In addition to individuals confusing the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino," much of the confusion may be due to Carmen Miranda's career itself. She not only played Brazilians, but in Week-End in Havana (1941) she even played a Cuban. In most of her roles Carmen Miranda her character's nationality might be unclear beyond that the roles were supposed to be some sort of Latin American. Her performances were often a mishmash of Latin cultures, from Argentina to Cuba to Mexico. Of course, failing to recognize the distinctions between various Latin cultures was par for the course for Hollywood during its Golden Age, and actresses of Latin American descent could often find themselves playing a variety of Latin American ethnicities. Estelita Rodriguez was a Cuban born in Cuba, but over the years she played everything from Cubans to Mexicans.

As to why it is important to realize that Carmen Miranda was Lusitanic and not Hispanic, it seems to me that, at least in the United States, the Portuguese are an under-recognized ethnicity. In fact, to this day Carmen Miranda may be the most famous person of Portuguese descent in the U.S.. Labelling her as "Hispanic" when she was actually a Brazilian born in Portugal who was thoroughly immersed in Brazilian culture, erases her actual identity to a degree. I have no doubt that many of Portuguese descent take great pride in Carmen Miranda, and they deserve to have her recognized as one of them, not something she was not and never had been.

The Late Great Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Maggie Smith, who the title role in the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), starred in the movie Travels with My Aunt (1972), played Professor McGonagall in the "Harry Potter" movies, and Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on the TV series Downton Abbey, died this morning, September 27 2024, at the age of 89. 

Margaret Natalie Smith was born on December 28 1934 in Ilford, Essex. Her father was a medical laboratory technician. She had two older twin brothers, both of who became architects. She attended the Oxford Playhouse School. She was 17 when she made her stage debut in Twelfth Night at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952.

It was in 1952 that she also appeared on stage in He Who Gets Slapped at Clarendon Press and Rookery Nook at the Oxford Playhouse. In the Fifties she appeared on stage at various venues in the United Kingdom in productions of  The Stepmother, The Double Dealer, As You Like It, Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, What Every Woman Knows, Rhinoceros, and Strip the Willow. She made her Broadway debut in New Faces of 1956. She made her movie debut 1956 in Child in the House. She appeared in the movie Nowhere to Go (1958). Maggie Smith made her television debut an episode of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre in 1955. In the late Fifties she guest starred on the shows Theatre Royal, The Adventures of Aggie, Kraft Television Theatre, and ITV Play of the Week.

In the Sixties Maggie Smith appeared in the movies Go to the Blazes (1962), The V.I.P.s (1963), The Pumpkin Eater (1964), Young Cassidy (1965), Othello (1965), The Honey Pot (1967), Hot Millions (1968), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), and Oh! What a Lovely War (1969). She was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Othello and won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She guest starred on the TV show ITV Play of the Week, Play of the Month, and ITV Playhouse. She appeared on stage in The Rehearsal; The Private Ear & Public Eye; Mary, Mary; The Recruiting Officer; Othello; The Music Builder; Hay Fever; Much Ado About Nothing; Trelawny of the 'Wells', Miss Julie; Black Comedy; A Bond Honored; The Country Wife; The Beaux' Stratagem; Hedda Gaber; and Three Sisters.

In the Seventies Maggie Smith appeared in the movies Travels with My Aunt (1972), Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973), Murder by Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), and California Suite (1978). She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for California Suite. She was nominated for Best Actress for Travels with My Aunt. On television she guest starred on Play of he Month andThe Carol Burnett Show. She appeared on Broadway in Private Lives and Night and Day. In the United Kingdom she appeared on stage in Design for Living, Private Lives, Peter Pan, Snap, The Way of the World, Antony and Cleopatra, Three Sisters, Measure for Measure, The Guardsman, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Richard III, As You Like It, Hay Fever, Macbeth, Night and Day, Much Ado About Nothing, The Seagull, and Virginia.

In the Eighties Maggie Smith appeared in the movies Quartet (1981), Clash of  the Titans (1981), Evil Under the Sun (1982), The Missionary (1982), Better Late Than Never (1983), Lily in Love (1984), A Private Function (1984), A Room with a View (1985), and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987).  She guest starred on the shows All for Love and Talking Heads. She appeared on Broadway in Lettice and Lovage. In the UK she appeared in the plays The Way of the World, Interpreters, The Infernal Machine, Coming into Land, and Lettice and Lovage.

In the Nineties she appeared in the movies Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Richard III (1995), The First Wives Club (1996), Washington Square (1997), Curtain Call (1999), Tea with Mussolini (1999), and The Last September (1999). On television she guest starred in Screen Two and Great Performances. She played Betsey Trotwood in the mini-series David Copperfield. On stage she appeared in The Importance of Being Ernest, Three Tall Women, Talking Heads, A Delicate Balance, and The Lady in the Van.

It was in 2001 that she first appeared as Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She appeared as Professor McGonagall in all of the subsequent "Harry Potter" movies, as well as the video game Harry Potter; Hogwart's Mystery. She also appeared in the movies Gosford Park (2001), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), Ladies in Lavender (2004), Keeping Mum (2005), Becoming Jane (2007), From Time to Time (2009), and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010). It was in 2010 that she began playing Violet Crawley, Dowager Duchess of Grantham on Downton Abbey. She appeared on Broadway in The Breath of Life, Talking Heads, and The Lady form Dubuque

In the Teens Dame Maggie Smith reprised her role as Professor McGonagall in the final "Harry Potter" movie  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow--Part 2 (2011),. She appeared in the movies The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2012), Quartet (2012), My Old Lady (2014), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), The Lady in the Van (2015), and Downton Abbey (2019). She provided a voice for the animated movie Sherlock Gnomes (2018). She continued to appear on the TV series Downton Abbey. She appeared on stage in A German Life.

In th Twenties she appeared in the movies Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) and The Miracle Club (2023).

Words are not adequate to describe the talent of Dame Maggie Smith. She was genuine in every role and she played, and she was nothing if not versatile. Younger people may be most familiar with her in two somewhat different roles: the firm, yet sympathetic Minerva McGonagall in the "Harry Potter" movies and the witty, strong-willed Violet Crawley on Downton Abbey. The title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, another one of her most famous roles, is still more different. Jean Brodie was a passionate,independent teacher. In Travels with My Aunt she played Augusta Bertram, the eccentric aunt of the title. In Death on the Nile she played Miss Bowers, the dutiful nurse of Marie Van Schuyler. She was Desdemona in Othello, an Oscar nominated actress with no hope of winning in California Suite, the sophisticated wife of a detective in Murder by Death, and the sea goddess Thetis in Clash of the Titans (1981). Dame Maggie Smith leaves behind a wealth of great performances, so many that it is impossible to list them all briefly.

The 60th Anniversary of The Munsters

It was sixty years ago today, on September 24 1964, that The Munsters debuted on CBS. While it only ran two seasons, The Munsters would see more success than many longer running sitcoms. A hit as a syndicated rerun, since it ended its original run there have been two feature films, multiple TV movies, and several revivals and reboots. Even today, it remains well-known.

The Munsters centred on the family of that name, most of who resembled the classic Universal monsters. The father, Herman (Fred Gwynne) resembled Frankenstein's monster, but was actually good-natured, if none too bright. The mother, Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), was a vampire, as was her father, Grandpa (Al Lewis). Lily was the head of the family, sensible and the peacemaker in the family, although she does have a temper. Grandpa was cranky and sarcastic, although he doted on his daughter. Lily and Herman's son was Eddie (Butch Patrick), who was a werewolf. Despite his appearance, he was a typical boy. Living with the Munsters is Lily's niece Marilyn (initially played by Beverly Owen and then Pat Priest). While the rest of the family look like monsters, Marilyn not only looks normal, but she is also beautiful. The Munsetrs also had a pet dragon named Spot, who lived beneath the stairs of their home. While the Munsters looked like monsters, they thought they were a typical American family.

In many respects it should not be surprising that The Munsters debuted when it did. In 1957 Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures, released Shock!, a package of old Universal horror movies, for television syndication. The success of Shock! and its follow-up, Son of Shock!, not only proved successful, but resulted in a "monster craze" that lasted for years. Indeed, it was also during the 1964-1965 season that another sitcom about a macabre family, The Addams Family (based on Charles Addams's cartoons), debuted. Both shows were part of a cycle towards fantastic comedies that had emerged in the wake of the previous season's hit My Favorite Martian. Also debuting that season were  Bewitched and My Living Doll.

Of course, the idea of a family of monsters was not particularly new when The Addams Family and The Munsters debuted. Charles Addams introduced the macabre family that would become known as the Addams Family in 1938. From 1943 to 1945 legendary animator Bob Clampett developed an idea for a series of theatrical cartoons centred on family of monsters, which he submitted to Universal. Ultimately, nothing came of his idea. It was in mid-1963 that Allan Burns and Chris Hayward developed an idea along similar lines. Messrs. Burns and Hayward had worked for Jay Ward Productions, and were periodically laid off between the company's shows. Growing tired of this, the two decided to collaborate on a show. Chris Hayward had come up with two ideas for shows, one about a family of criminals and the other about a family of monsters. They decided to go forward to the idea of a family of monsters and wrote a pilot script called The Munsters. Both Allan Burns and Chris Hayward have admitted that Charles Addams' "Addams Family" cartoons in The New Yorker were a possible source of inspiration.

Allan Burns and Charles Hayward pitched their idea to Les Colodny at the Ashley-Steiner Agency. While the agency liked the idea, they had little faith in Allan Burns and Charles Hayward's ability to write it. They then brought in Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, now best known as the creators of Leave It to Beaver. Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly were both tied to Universal. Ultimately, a new pilot script would be written by Norm Liebmann and Ed Haas, who were both under contract to Universal. The two of them had earlier written episodes of Father of the Bride and The Dick Van Dyke Show. At Universal Allan Burns and Chris Hayward's idea was also changed. In the book The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane by Stephen Cox, Allan Burns said, "What we had written  was closed to the Addams Family or what became The Addams Family. We were basing this show on these kinds of characters and we thought it might make an interesting series. Strange, macabre, offbeat characters. Not what The Munsters became." Neither Allan Burns nor Chris Hayward ever knew who came up with the idea or patterning the Munster family after the Universal Monsters, although presumably it had a lot to do with the fact that Universal owned the rights to those characters.

As hard as it might be believed today, Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were not the first choices for the roles of Herman and Grandpa. Bert Lahr, then as now most famous as the Cowardly Lion in the classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), was initially considered for the role of Grandpa. John Caradine, who had played Dracula in House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), was the first to be considered for Herman. As to Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis, they were both veterans of the now classic sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You?, Fred Gwynne having played series lead Francis Muldoon and Al Lewis as supporting character Leo Schnauser. Beverly Owen was cast as Marilyn. Miss Owen was a natural brunette, so she wore a blonde wig to play Marilyn. Other than these three roles, the cast would change from the presentation to the regular series.

Indeed, not only was the presentation different from Allan Burns and Chris Hayward's initial concept, but it was also different from the series, and in more way than its cast. In the original, 15-minute presentation titled "My Fair Munster" by Norm Leibmann and Ed Hass. As Herman's wife, Joan Marshall played Phoebe. Ultimately, the role of Herman's wife was recast with Yvonne De Carlo and her name changed to Lily. It was thought that Joan Marshall looked too much like Morticia Adams from Charles Addams's cartoons. Not only did Nate Derman play Eddie in the pilot, but Eddie's characterization was entirely different. Quite simply, it was much more monstrous, complete with clawing and growling. "My Fair Munster" was also shot in colour, whereas the regular series would be shot in black-and-white.

The presentation "My Fair Munster" would successfully sell The Munsters to CBS, although the network did demand changes, including the recasting of the roles of Eddie and Herman's wife. The role of Eddie was offered to Billy Mumy, who had already guest starred on several shows (including the classic Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life." As it turned out, young Mr. Mumy's parents didn't want him to have to go though the extensive makeup the role would require, and so he turned it down. Butch Patrick, who had already guest starred on several shows and appeared in a few movies, was ultimately cast as Eddie. The role of Lily Munster would go to screen legend Yvonne De Carlo, who was look for a steady role on television to help pay for the medical expenses of her husband, stuntman Bob Morgan, who had been seriously injured while making How the West Was Won (1963). Then as now, Yvonne De Carlo's best known movie role may have been as Moses's wife Sephora in The Ten Commandments (1956). Interestingly enough, Al Lewis, who played Grandpa, was a year younger than Yvonne De Carlo.

In order to sell The Munsters to advertisers, a second version of the pilot was shot. This version of "My Fair Munster" included the changes CBS had wanted, and featured Yvonne Craig as Lily and Butch Patrick as Lily. Like the first pilot, it was never aired, although much of the second pilot was used for the second episode of the series (which was also named "My Fair Munster).

Among the stars of The Munsters was the family car, the Munster Koach. The producers had contacted car designer and builder George Barris to create the Koach. In turn, George Barris paid $200 to car desinger Tom Daniel to design the car. The Munster Koach was made from three Ford Model T bodies. The Munster Koach would not be the only custom car featured on The Munsters. Grandpa's hot rod DRAG-U-LA was featured in the 36th episode of the show, "Hot Rod Herman." In the episode Herman lost the Munster Koach in a drag race, so Grandpa built his own hot rod to win it back. Like the Munster Koach, it was designed by Tom Danel of George Barris Kustom Industries. The body of DRAG-U-LA used an actual coffin, which took pains to get. Richard "Korky" Korkes, the project manager for George Barris, bought the coffin from a North Hollywood funeral home. Since it was illegal in California at the time to sell a coffin without a death certificate, Mr. Korkes made a deal with the funeral home to pay for the coffin in cash and they would leave the coffin outside the back door of the funeral home so they could pick it up after dark.

While many broad comedies of the Sixties were raked over the coals by the critics, several critics liked The Munsters. In his review of the show from Friday, September 25, 1964, Rick Du Brow of UPI wrote, "One shouldn't expect too much form situation comedies. They are natural traps of deadly commercialism and light-weight humour. But I like the idea of a monster series. And though the Munsters are perhaps wiser than the Addamses in playing heir abnormality with more absolute normality, both shows are worth a look." In his review in The New York Times, also from September 25 1964, Jack Gould wrote of The Munsters, "The filmed series is inspired offbeat nonsense that will disarm everyone who thought an era of horror might be descending on TV; The Munsters is designed for fun and offers classic spooks in a new dimension. As to audiences, they apparently loved The Munsters. It beat both Daniel Boone on NBC and The Flintstones on ABC in the ratings.

The cast of The Munsters would change even in its first few months. When Beverly Owen had been cast as Marilyn Munster, she was in a relationship with Jon Stone (a future writer and director on Sesame Street), who lived in New York City. Unfortunately, Miss Owen had to leave New York City to film the series in Los Angles. This created a strain on Beverly Owen's relationship with Jon Stone). She would even break down crying on the set at times. Sympathetic to Beverly Owens's plight, both Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis asked that Universal let her go.

According to the book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis, in actuality Beverly Owen and Jon Stone had gone to agent Marvin Josephson with their problem. He reasoned that if she cost them money, they would get rid of her. A plan was then concocted whereby Beverly Owen would miss Jon Stone so much that she would throw up in her dressing room and breaking down crying on the set. It was then after 13 episodes that Beverly Owen left the show to marry Jon Stone. She was replaced by Pat Priest, who had worked on local television and appeared in uncredited roles in the movies Looking for Love (1964) and Quick Before It Melts (1964).

The popularity of The Munsters resulted in a good deal of Munsters merchandise. King-Seeley Thermos Co. put out a Munsters lunch box. Gold Key Comics published 16 issues of a Munsters comic book from 1965 to 1968. In 1964 Leaf issued a set of 72 trading cards. AMT issued model kits of both the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA. Aurora issued a model kit of the Munsters' living room. There were also a Colorforms Cartoon Kit, a Herman Munster hand puppet manufactured by Mattel, a Herman Munster talking doll also manufactured by Mattel, a Munsters drag race game, Munsters Halloween costumes made by Ben Cooper, a Munsters card game, and much more.

It was due to the popularity of The Munsters that the Munsters appeared in the TV special Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland. Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland aired only once, on April 18 1965. It was long feared lost, until a copy of the special surfaced and was donated to the Paley Centre in New York City in 1997.  This was not the first time CBS stars had appeared in a special shot at Marineland. An earlier special, simply titled Marineland Carnival aired, on CBS on March 29 1964. It guest starred the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies and the Smothers Brothers. Marineland was also featured in the Beverly Hillbillies episodes "Back to Marineland," which aired on November 4 1964.

Ultimately, for the 1964-1965 season The Munsters ranked at no. 18 for the year in the Nielsen ratings, tied with another new show, Gilligan's Island. Unfortunately, The Munsters would see less success in its second season. For the 1965-1966 ABC moved Shindig! into The Flinstones' old Thursday night time slot opposite The Munsters on CBS and Daniel Boone on NBC. The end result was that The Munsters still did well, while Daniel Boone rapidly rose in the Nielsen ratings. As to Shindig!, both its Thursday and Saturday night editions were at the bottom of the ratings. Ultimately, ABC cancelled Shindig! and in its old Thursday night time slot scheduled the second half of a new show called Batman.

Batman would turn out to be an outright phenomenon, quite possibly the biggest American television fad in the history of the medium. To make matters worse, while there were adults who watched Daniel Boone on NBC, The Munsters largely had an audience of children, the same audience that would be drawn to Batman. After the January 12 1965 debut of Batman, Daniel Boone continued to do well, but The Munsters plummeted in the ratings. In the end, the Thursday night edition of Batman finished the season at no. 5 in the Nielsen ratings for the year, while Daniel Boone came in at 26. As to The Munsters, it came in at a lowly no. 70 for the 1965-1966 season. CBS then cancelled the series.

While The Munsters had been cancelled, the Munster family was hardly gone. What become the feature film Munster, Go Home! (1966) was conceived before the show was cancelled as a means that producers Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly could recoup the costs in producing the TV show The Munsters. It was originally planned to be a made-for-TV movie, but ultimately the decision was made for it to be a theatrical release. While Munster. Go Home (1966) would be a feature film shot in Technicolor, its budget remained modest. It cost $500,000. While Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, and Butch Patrick reprised their roles from the TV show, Pat Priest would not play Marilyn in Munster, Go Home!. She was replaced by Debbie Watson, who was under contract to Universal. Producers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher felt that Pat Preist, who was 29, was too old to play Marilyn in the film, while Universal was trying to promote Debbie Watson's career. Pat Priest was heartbroken at not getting to do the film, Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis both took up for Pat Priest, but to no avail. Reportedly, many fans were angered by Pat Priest being replaced at the time and ever since. Following Munster, Go Home!, Debbie Watson appeared in the movie The Cool Ones (1967) and guest starred on The Virginian and Love, American Style.

The screenplay for Munster, Go Home! was written by George Tibbles, who had written two episodes of the TV series, as well as Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher. Gene Reynolds, who had directed two episodes of The Munsters, was originally set to direct Munster, Go Home!. It was after only a few days that Gene Reynolds was replaced by Earl Bellamy, who had directed seven episodes of the show.

Munster, Go Home! premiered in New York City on June 15 1966 and was released in the United States on August 6 1966. It played on a double bill with The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, starring Don Knotts, in some markets. It was not a success at the box office in its initial release, although it would be shown frequently on television over the years. It has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Despite having only run two seasons, The Munsters proved to be a hit in syndication, so that Munster, Go Home! would not be the last  audiences would see of The Munsters. The first revival of the show was the animated TV movie The Mini-Munsters, which aired on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie on October 27 1973. Of the original cast, only Al Lewis returned as the voice of Grandpa. Richard Long (known for the TV Western The Big Valley) voiced Herman, while Cynthia voiced Lily and Bobby Diamond voiced Eddie. Marilyn was absent from The Mini-Munsters, but it introduced two new characters. Igor and Lucretia were the Munsters' young cousins. The Mini-Munsters was a pilot for a Saturday morning cartoon based on The Munsters, but it did not sell.

Most of the original cast would return for the television reunion movie The Munsters' Revenge, which aired on February 27 1981 on NBC. Jo McDonnell played the role of Marilyn, while K.C. Martel played Eddie. The Munsters' Revenge would be the last film to feature Fred Gwynne as Herman, Yvonne De Carlo as Lily, and Al Lewis as Grandpa.

While the original cast would never again appear in a TV show or movie, the sitcom was revived in 1988 with the syndicated series The Munsters Today. On The Munsters Today it was in 1966 that one of Grandpa's inventions accidentally puts the entire family into suspended animation. Herman Munster was played by John Schuck (s best known for his role as Sergeant Charles Enright on McMillan & Wife), while  Lee Meriwether played Lily. Howard Morton, who played supporting characters on sitcoms, played Grandpa. Jason Marsden, who has gone onto become a voice actor on several animated projects, played Eddie. Marilyn was played by Hilary Van Dyke. The Munsters Today ran for three years in syndication.

The Munster family was revived yet again in the TV movie Here Come the Munsters, which aired on October 31 1995 on Fox. In Here Come the Munsters, Herman was played by Edward Hermann, now perhaps best known as Richard Gilmore on The Gilmore Girls. Veronica Hamel, Hill Street Blues fame, played Lily. Screen and stage legend Robert Morse played Grandpa. Christine Taylor played Marilyn, having played another sitcom character, Marcia Brady, in the movie Brady Bunch (1995), the same year. Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick and Pat Priest had cameos as customers in restaurants.

Here Come the Munsters would be followed by another TV movie which also aired on Fox, although it would have a different cast. The Munsters Scary Little Christmas aired on Fox on December 16 1996. It starred Sam McMurray as Herman, Ann Magnuson as Lily, Sandy Baron as Grandpa, and Elaine Hendrix as Marilyn.

While the Munster family would be absent from the small screen in the Naughts, in the Teens an attempt was made at a reimagining of The Munsters. Mockingbird Lane was developed by Bryan Fuller, the creator of the cult TV series Pushing Daisies. It was in November 2011 that NBC confirmed that a pilot had been ordered and in January 2012 that it was announced the prospective new show's title would be Mockingbird Lane. Jerry O'Connell, known for the movie Stand by Me (1986) and the TV series Crossing Jordan. Portia de Rossi, who had appeared in the shows Ally McBeal and Nip/Tuck, was cast as Lily. British comedian Eddie Izzard played Grandpa. Marilyn was played by Charity Wakefield, who had been a regular on the British show Casualty 19000s. Mason Cook played Eddie.

Mockingbird Lane differed from prior versions of The Munsters in that the Munster family looked more human and even their clothing was not as outre as in previous versions. Its tone was also much darker than previous versions, with Grandpa actively seeks to feed on humans and manipulate them as well. Sadly, NBC passed on the pilot in September 2012, although they decided to air it as a Halloween special in October. NBC executives felt that the show's premise did not work. The pilot for Mockingbird Lane aired on October 26 2012 where it received respectable ratings for a show aired on a Friday night. It also received reviews that were mixed to positive. This gave fans some hope that NBC might yet pick up Mockingbird Lane. Unfortunately, in December 2012 Bryan Fuller announced on Twitter that NBC was not moving forward with Mockingbird Lane.

The latest revival of The Munsters came nearly ten years after Mockingbird Lane. The Munsters (2022) was a prequel to the TV series, centred on Herman Munster's courtship of Lily. The cast included Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily, Jeff Daniels as Herman, Daniel Roebuck as The Count (later to become Grandpa). As the movie was a prequel to the show, neither Eddie nor Marilyn appeared in the film. The Munsters was released on Netflix and on DVD on September 27 2022. It received mixed to average reviews.

The Munsters continues to be popular to this day. The first season of the show was released to DVD in 2004, while the second season was released in 2005. Since then there have been three releases of  the complete series. It is currently available to watch on the streaming services Peacock and the Roku Channel, and individual episodes can be rented from Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Prime Video. Merchandise for The Munsters is still being made, from T-shirts to action figures to model kits. While The Munsters may have only lasted two seasons, it has proven to be a lasting success.