Denise Alexander Passes On

Denise Alexander, who appeared for years on the soap operas Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, and guest starred on many TV shows in the Sixties and Seventies, died on March 5 2025 at the age of 85.

Denise Alexander was born on November 11 1939 in New York City. Her father was a talent agent whose clients would include Frank Gorshin and Sal Mineo. Denise Alexander began acting on radio shows when she was only six years old. She was a regular on the show The Marriage. She also appeared on such radio shows as The Big Guy, Cavalcade of America, Dimension X. and It's Higgins Sir. She ultimately appeared on more than 2500 radio shows. She made her television debut in 1949 on Kraft Music Hall. That same year she appeared on Ford Television Theatre.

In the early Fifties she appeared on Broadway in The Children's Hour. On television in the Fifties she was a regular on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and late in the decade on the daytime soap opera The Clear Horizon. She guest starred on the shows Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Web, The Philco Television Playhouse, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Mama, Kraft Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Climax!, Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, The Walter Winchell File, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, The Danny Thomas Show, The Ann Sothern Show, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Twilight Zone, The Loretta Young Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Blue Angels, and The Detectives. She appeared in the movies Crime in the Streets (1956) and Teenage Conflict (1960).

In the Sixties she continued as a regular on The Clear Horizon and the short-lived Ben Jerrod..  She became a regular on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives in 1966. She guest starred on The Detectives, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Angel, Sea Hunt, Ben Casey, Stoney Burke, The Virginian, Combat!, General Hospital, and This is the Life. She appeared in the movie That Funny Feeling (1965).

In the Seventies Denise Alexander continued to appear on Days of Our Lives until 1973. It was in 1973 that she began her long run on General Hospital. In the Seventies she also guest starred on The ABC Afternoon Playbreak. In the Eighties she became a regular on the daytime soap opera Another World. She guest starred on the TV show Hotel. In the Nineties she became a regular on the daytime soap opera Sunset Beach. She returned to General Hospital in a recurring role. he guest starred on the soap opera Port Charles. In the Teens she was a regular on the short-lived shows The Inn and Pretty the Series.

While I am unfamiliar with Denise Alexander's work in soap operas, which admittedly made up most of her career, I know from her guest appearances on prime time shows she was a good actress. On The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, she played Ginny Metzger, a girlfriend determined to turn Dobie into a success by taking a baby sitting job. In the Combat! episode "No Time for Pity," she played the librarian of a town where German paratroopers have set up an observation post. In the Ben Casey episode "A Memory of Candy Stripes," she played a candy striper who is getting too attached to a patient. Denise Alexander was a wonderful actress who gave many good performances.

Seventy Years Ago the Muppets Made Their Television Debut

Jim Henson with Kermit, Sam, and others

Seventy years ago today, on May 9 1955, a local television show called Sam and Friends debuted on Washington, DC's NBC station WRC-TV. If it had been any of a number of other local television programs, this might not be particularly significant, but Sam and Friends was created by Jim Henson and his future wife Jane Nebel and introduced the world to what would become known as Muppets. Indeed, among the puppet characters was a lizard-like one called Kermit, who would become Kermit the Frog.

Sam and Friends was a live-action, puppet show, but like Jim Henson's future projects, it was made for adults rather than children. In fact, it aired as a lead-in to The Tonight Show on WRC-TV. The series centred on Sam (played by Jim Henson) , a human puppet with big ears and an active imagination. Sam had a number of imaginary friends who represented various parts of his psyche, including Kermit (played by Jim Henson), the beatnik Harry the Hpster (played by Jim Henson), the rock-like Yorick (played by Jim Henson), Professor Madlcliffe (played by Jim Henson), and yet others. Other puppeteers on the show beyond Jim Henson included Jane Nebel, Jerry Juhl, and Bob Payne. The puppets would take part in various sketches and lip-sync to various songs.

Sam and Friends would air in various time slots throughout its run, and at one point aired before NBC's news program at the time, The Huntley–Brinkley Report. It last aired on December 15 1961. Unfortunately, very little survives of Sam and Friends. The show was produced on a low budget and as a result it was not preserved on kinescope or videotape. Out of the clips that have survived, almost none of them feature Sam, despite the fact that he was the main character.

It was while Sam and Friends was still on the air that Jim Henson and Jane Nebel founded Muppets, Inc., which would later be named the Jim Henson Company. It was also while Sam and Friends as still on the air that the Muppets began to get national exposure. Kermit appeared on The Steve Allen Show in 1956 In 1958 the Muppets appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar. The Sixties, after Sam and Friends ended, would see the Muppets appear frequently on The Ed Sullivan Show. The decade would also see Rowlf as a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show and several Muppets, including Kermit, become regulars on Sesame Street.

Of course, all of it began with Sam and Friends. Indeed, in the few remaining episodes of the show one can easily see the origins of The Muppet Show, from the pop culture parodies to the use of popular music. While it may not have been seen beyond the Washington, DC area, it would certainly have a lasting impact.

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan

Sixty years ago today a clip for Bob Dylan's song "Subterranean Homesick Blues"was filmed in an alley near the Savoy Hotel in London. The clip consists of Bob Dylan flipping cue cards as the song plays, while  Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth are occasionally seen in the background. The cue cards were written by Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Bob Neuwirth. Although the clip is often referred to as a promotional film or promotional clip, it was actually filmed as the opening of the documentary Don't Look Back, directed by D. A. Pennebaker. It covered Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England.

Two alternate clips for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" were also filmed. One was shot in Embankment Gardens near the Savoy. In addition to Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Bob Neuwirth, Bob Dylan's producer Tom Wilson also appeared in that clip. Another clip was shot a building that has yet to be identified. Martin Scosese included a montage of all three clips in his 2005 documentary No Direction Home.

The clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" from Don't Look Back was one of the earliest conceptual music films and would prove influential on music videos to come.

Without further ado, here is the promo clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

How to Disable Tab Groups on Firefox

Chances are good that if you use Firefox, you now known that it has tab groups. For those of you who don't know what tab groups are, they are a browser feature that allows users to organize tabs into groups. In theory, at least this makes it easier to keep track of manage tabs. Chrome had had tab groups for about five years now, and other browsers have had them for a few years as well. As to Firefox, according to Mozilla, it was the most requested idea on Mozilla Connect.

Of course, while some people find tab groups a convenient way to organize and manage tabs, others of us don't.This can be a particularly problem for those of us who sometimes like to move tabs around, as Firefox will automatically assume that we want to create a tab group. Fortunately, Firefox has a means of disabling tab groups, unlike some other browsers (*cough* Chrome for Android *cough*).

If you are one of the many Firefox users who dislike and you want to disable them, simply type about:config in the address bar. You'll then want to click the button that reads "Accept the Risk and Continue." You'll then search for " browser.tabs.groups" and mark all of them "false."

This should disable tab groups, although some have found them re-enabled if they close and then re-open their browser. In my case this was caused by a study related to tab groups. I fixed it by simply going into setting and unchecking "Install and run studies," although you could also type about:studies in the address bar and disable any studies related to tab groups.

With regards to tab groups on Firefox, I have two recommendations for Mozilla. The first is that they should have a place in Settings (I figure "Brower Layout" might b a good place) where one can disable tab groups. This would be more obvious and thus easier than disabling tab groups in about:config would be. The second is that they should always allow users to disable tab groups and never force them upon users. Tab groups may be the most requested feature in Mozilla Central, but there are also a number of us who absolutely hate them.

The Rocketeer (1991)

(This post is part of the Adventure-a-Thon hosted by Cinematic Catharsis and Realweedgiemidget Reviews)

Today superhero films are a dime a dozen, but there was a time when they were much less common. The phenomenal success of  Batman in 1989 would spur the production of more superhero movies, but even then they were less common than they are today. One of those superhero movies produced in the wake of Batman (1989) was The Rocketeer (1991). What further set The Rocketeer (1991) apart from other movies made in the Nineties was that it was also a period piece set in the 1930s.

The Rocketeer centred on Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), a stunt pilot who stumbles upon a prototype rocket pack developed by Howard Hughes that had been stolen by Eddie Valentine's (Paul Sorvino) gang. Unfortunately, others want the jet pack and ultimately Cliff, his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly), and his mechanic Peevy (Alan Arkin) find themselves tangled up not only with gangsters and Howard Hughes but Nazis as well. Cliff must then use the rocket pack

The Rocketeer was based on the comic book character of the same name, created by artist Dave Stevens. The character came about when Dave Stevens was Steve and Bill Schanes of independent publisher Pacific Comics asked him to come up with a backup feature for Starslayer, the comic book series created by Mike Grell. Dave Stevens drew upon the Republic serials King of the Rocket Men (1949), Radar Men from the Moon (1952), and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953) to create The Rocketeer. Further inspiration came from pulp heroes such as Doc Savage and The Shadow. As in the movie, The Rocketeer was stunt pilot Cliff Secord, who stumbles upon an experimental jet pack.

The Rocketeer first appeared in a back-up story in Starslayer no. 2 April (1982). After Pacific Comics folded in 1984, The Rocketeer would be published by Eclipse and Comico, and still later Dark Horse and, following Dave Stevens's death,  IDW Publishing. For a feature published by independent comics publishers, The Rocketeer proved to be fairly successful.

It was this success that would lead to a film adaptation. It was in 1983 that Steve Milner, who had directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), bought the film rights to The Rocketeer. No Rocketeer movie came from Steve Milner as he strayed too far from Dave Stevens's original concept and ultimately his option on The Rocketeer expired. It was in 1985 that Dave Stevens gave writers Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo the option to do a Rocketeer movie, The two writers were much more in sync with Dave Stevens's ideas about The Rocketeer, and the three shared a love of the movie serials of old.

Initially, they meant for The Rocketeer to be a low-budget homage to movie serials of old, even shot in black-and-white. This idea was dropped not long after they asked William Dear to direct and co-write The Rocketeer. For the most part, they stayed faithful to the plot of the original comic books, although the movie would be largely set in Hollywood. One major change was in Cliff's girlfriend. In the comics her name was Betty and she was a nude model. Her appearance was clearly inspired by Bettie Page. Wishing to avoid comparisons to Bettie Page, they changed the character's name to Jenny and made her an aspiring movie actress. Another change was made as to who had designed the rocket pack. In the original comics, it was strongly hinted that the designer was Doc Savage. For copyright reasons, in the movie, the designer is Howard Hughes. One more change is that in the earliest comics, a submarine played a major role. In the movie, it would be a Zeppelin instead.

It was in 1986 that Dave Stevens, Danny Bloom, Paul De Meo, and William Dear began pitching The Rocketeer to various studios. This being before the release of Batman (1989), a time when comic book movies, were not in fashion, they were met with several rejections. Eventually, the Walt Disney Company picked up the property. Initially, the play was to release the film through Touchstone Pictures, Disney's arm for producing more adult movies than the typical Walt Disney product. It was then Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg who moved The Rocketeer over to Walt Disney Pictures. According to Dave Stevens, the studio saw "hey really tried to shoehorn it into a kiddie property so they could sell toys. All they really wanted at the end of the day, was the name"

It would take some time before The Rocketeer would make it to the screen Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo submitted a seven-page treatment, although the script would be rewritten repeatedly. The studio fired the two writers on three different occasions. Because of the many delays, William Dear had to drop out as the film's prospective director. Fortunately, Joe Johnston, who was a fan of the comic books, offered to be the movie's director. He had directed the Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). It was after Joe Johnston was signed as the director and Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo would go through a third rewrite of the screenplay that Disney finally gave The Rocketeer the go-ahead.

The Rocketeer's troubles would not end there. Casting the all-important role of Cliff Secord/The Rocketeer proved difficult. Johnny Depp was Disney's favourite for the role, but he turned it down. Vincent D'Onofrio also refused the role. Kevin Costner and Matthew Modine were both considered for the role, but they proved to be unavailable. Actors as diverse as Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, and Emilio Estevez all auditioned for the role. Bill Paxton apparently came very close to getting the role. Dave Stevens and Joe Johnston were both happy with actor Billy Campbell, who at the time may have been best known for playing Detective Joey Indelli on the TV show Crime Story, but Disney was wanting an A-lister. It was Joe Johnston who convinced Disney to finally cast Billy Campbell as Cliff.

Several different actresses were also considered for the role of Jenny. , Sherilyn Fenn, Kelly Preston, Diane Lane, and Elizabeth McGovern were all considered. Ultimately, Jennifer Connelly, then as now known for Labyrinth (1986), was cast in the role. Dave Stevens had wanted Lloyd Bridges to play Cliff's mechanic and friend Peevy, but he turned the role down. Nonetheless, he would be played by a legend, as Alan Arkin was cast in the role. The role of gangster Eddie Valentine had been written for Joe Pesci, but he turned down the part and it went to Paul Sorvino. The all-important role of the Errol Flynn-like movie star Neville Sinclair was offered to both Jeremy Irons and Charles Dance, who declined the role. The role would ultimately go to Timothy Dalton, fresh from his stint as James Bond.

According to Dave Stevens, for the most part, production designer Jim Bissell utilized his own reference library he had used for the comics in the designs for the movie. As shocking as it might seem now, Walt Disney Pictures wanted to change The Rocketeer's helmet from the comic books. Michael Eisner, then president of Disney, wanted something closer to a NASA astronaut's helmet. This did not set well with director Joe Johnston, who told the studio that if they changed the helmet it would no longer be The Rocketeer and he would no longer be interested in directing it. The studio backed off and tried creating their own prototype helmets, none of which were satisfactory. It was ultimately Dave Stevens and a sculptor who came up with the helmet design used for the movie, one that looked like the one from the comic books.

Filming on The Rocketeer would not always go smoothly. It ultimately went over schedule by fifty days, due to "weather and mechanical problems" according to executive producer Larry Franco. The movie would see its budget increase as time passed. Walt Disney Pictures was pleased with the dailies, and so the film's budget went from $25 million to $35 million.

The Rocketeer premiered on June 19 1991 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. It went into wide release on June 21 1991. For the most part, it received mixed to positive reviews at the time. Perhaps the best review came from Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, who wrote, "The Rocketeer is more than one of the best films of the summer; it's the kind of movie magic that we don't see much anymore—the kind that charms us, rather than bullying us, into suspending disbelief." Unfortunately, audiences at the time were not in agreement with critics. It ultimately grossed only $46.6 million in the United States, making it a disappointment at the box office. To make matters worse, it also bombed in the United Kingdom.

The Rocketeer was released on VHS on February 5 1992. It was released on DVD on August 17 1999. It aired on the Disney Channel in 1993, and it made its broadcast network television debut on ABC in 1994. After years of being on television and home video, The Rocketeer would develop a cult following. This would eventually lead to a children's animated TV series that aired on Disney Junior from 2019 to 2020. The series followed  Cliff's great-granddaughter who became the new Rocketeer. Billy Campbell provided the voice of the father of the new Rocketeer. While the series was well-received by critics, it ultimately lasted only one season. Ever since the release of The Rocketeer in 1991, there have been calls for a sequel, and since the Teens remakes and reboots have been announced.

I grew up reading reprints of old Doc Savage and Shadow pulp novels, listening to old radio shows on cassette tape, and watching old movie serials on television. I was quite naturally a fan of Dave Stevens's The Rocketeer comic books. Because the film does such a great job of capturing the feel of the comics, I am also a huge fan of it. Of course, one does not have to be familiar with the comic books or even old movie serials to love The Rocketeer. It is quite simply a fun adventure movie. There is a wide range of excitement to be found in the movie, from both The Rocketeer and aeroplanes racing across the sky to gun battles to old-fashioned swashbuckling. In many ways The Rocketeer is not simply a superhero movie, but also a love letter to the media of the Thirties, drawing upon pulp novels, radio shows, movie serials, and swashbuckler movies.

Today The Rocketeer may be more popular than it was upon its initial release. It certainly has a loyal following. And while it failed at the box office, along with other comic strip movies released in the wake of Batman (1989), such as Dick Tracy (1990) and The Crow (1994), it would lead to the superhero boom that began in the Naughts. Indeed, it would have a direct impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), a movie also rooted in the media of the past. The Rocketeer may have underperformed at the box office in 1991, but it has proven to be a lasting success.

(Here I want to acknowledge the debut I owe to the coverage of The Rocketeer in Cinefantastique vol. 22 no. 1 (August 1991) and Jon B. Cooke's interview with Dave Stevens at TwoMorrows.)

The Late Great Ruth Buzzi

Ruth Buzzi, the actress and comedian perhaps best known for her work on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, died yesterday, May 1 2025, at the age of 88. The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Ruth Ann Buzzi was born on July 24 1936 in Westerly, Rhode Island. She grew up in Stonington, Connecticut. She was 18 when she moved from the East Coast to the West Coast to attend the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts. Her classmates included the late Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. She appeared in a San Francisco production of Jenny Kissed Me with Rudy Vallee and later the Broadway revue Misguided Tour. In 1961 in Pennsylvania, she played Agnes Gooch in a production of Auntie Mame. It was her portrayal of Agnes in the play that would lead Ruth Buzzi to create her character Gladys Ormphby, made famous by appearances on Laugh-In.

In the Sixties she was the voice of Granny Goodwitch on the Saturday morning cartoon Linus the Lionhearted. She was part of the cast of the television special Laugh-In that aired on September 9 1967. The special proved successful enough that it led to the TV series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, which debuted on January 22 1968. Ruth Buzzi remained on the show for its entire run. In many sketches she played Gladys Ormphby opposite Tyrone F. Horneigh, played by Arte Johnson. She was a regular on both The Entertainers and The Steve Allen Comedy Hour (the latter of which led to her being cast on Laugh-In). For one season she played a recurring character on That Girl. She also guest starred on the talk shows and variety shows The Garry Moore Show, The Steve Allen Show., The John Davidson Show, The Leslie Uggams Show, Life with Linkletter, The Bob Hope Show, The Glen Campbell Gootime Hour, and This is Your Life. She also guest starred on the scripted shows The Monkees, That's Life, In Name Only,. and The Wonderful World of Disney. She was the singing voice of Frou-Frou in the Disney animated feature film The AristoCats. She appeared in Broadway as part of the original cast of Sweet Charity.

In the Seventies Ruth Buzzi continued to appear on Laugh-In. She was the only cast member to appear in the entire run of the show besides Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and Gary Owens. She voiced Gladys and Arte Johnson voiced Tyrone on the Saturday morning cartoon Baggy Pants & the Nitwits later in the decade. She also starred on the Saturday morning, live-action sitcom The Lost Saucer opposite Jim Nabors. She played various roles on Whatever Turns You On and provided additional voices on The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show.  She guest starred on The Dean Martin Show, Night Gallery; Here's Lucy; Love, American Style; Losta Luck!; ABC Afternoon Specials; Emergency!; Medical Center; You Can't Do That on Television;  and CHiPs. She appeared in the movies Freaky Friday (1976), Record City (1977), The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), The Villain (1979), and Skatetown USA (1979). She provided for the animated feature films The Rescuers (1977) and I Go Pogo (1980).

In the Eighties she provided voices for the animated TV shows Alvin & the Chipmunks, Paw Paws, The Berenstain Bears, and Pound Puppies. She guest starred on the shows Alice; Aloha Paradise; Trapper John, M.D.; Gun Shy; Days of Our Lives; Masquerade; George Burns Comedy Week; Down to Earth; Check It Out; Life with Lucy; The Love Boat; Kids Incorporated; Saved by the Bell; and The Munsters Today. She appeared in the movies The Being (1981), Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981), Surf II (1983), Bad Guys (1986), Dixie Lanes (1988), Up Your Alley (1989), My Mom's a Werewolf (1989), Wishful Thinking (1990), and Diggin' Up Business (1990).

In 1993 Ruth Buzzi began appearing on Sesame Street as Ruthie the shopkeeper. She was a regular voice on the animated series Cro, The Pink Panther, and The Savage Dragon. She provided additional voices on the animated show The Addams Family. She guest starred on the shows They Came from Outer Space, The New Adam-12, Out of This World, Lucky Luke, Major Dad, The Jamie Foxx Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Diagnosis Murder, and 7th Heaven. She appeared in the movies Botte di Natale (1994), The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999), and Nothing But the Truth (2000).

In the Naughts she continued to appear on Sesame Street. She guest starred on the shows Passions and Come on Over. She appeared in the movie Fallen Angels (2006). She would later appear in the movies Glenn's Gotta Go (2020) and One Month Out (2021).

Ruth Buzzi was very funny woman who possessed an incredible amount of talent. On Laugh-In alone she played a wide array of character. In addition to the frumpy, old lady Gladys, she also played silent film star Laverne Blossom, gossip columnist Busy Buzzi, the overly friendly prostitute Kim Hither, and drunkard Doris Swizzle (the wife of drunkard Leonard Swizzle, played by Dick Martin). As much of an impact as she had on the show, Ruth Buzzi's career went much further than Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. In The Monkees episode "A Coffin Too Frequent"she played  the wealthy, elderly Mrs. Weatherspoon. On That Girl she played Pete Peterson, a friend of main character Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) who was also trying to break into show business. Over the years she was a voice on many animated series, both as a regular and as a guest. On Linus the Lionhearted she voiced the occasional opponent of Sugar Bear, Granny Goodwitch. She was Mama Bear on The Bearenstain Bears. Ruth Buzzi brought joy to her many fans, playing a wide variety of roles throughout her careers. She will not be forgotten.

The Season Finale of Wild Cards Preempted Last Night

Wild Cards is a CBC series that airs in the United States. It stars Vanessa Morgan as con artist Max Mitchell, who through circumstances I won't go into here must work with police officer Cole Ellis (Giacomo Gianniotti). The show has proven popular in Canada and has gotten better ratings for The CW than most of its shows. While Wild Cards isn't particularly original, it is a fun show with interesting characters and I have enjoyed it since it debuted in 2024. Last night the finale of its second season was set to air on The CW. Unfortunately it was preempted by a NewsNation special, Cuomo Town Hall: The First 100 Days. As to the Wild Cards season finale, it will now air next week, on May 7.

At any rate, I was not exactly happy. Here in the Columbia/Jefferson City market, the season finale of Wild Cards was still being advertised as airing on April 30 as of yesterday. From an internet search it would seem that the decision to delay the season finale of Wild Cards was made only about two days ago or so. Apparently Nexstar, the parent company of both The CW and NewsNation, made the decision to delay the Wild Cards season finale on the spur of the moment.

As to their motivation for doing so, that is anybody's guess. Cuomo Town Hall: The First 100 Days also aired on NewsNation, so it was not as if The CW was the only venue available for the special. For that matter, I do no think the special comes under the heading of news so important or pressing that they had to change The CW's schedule at the last minute. As to the Neilsen ratings, Wild Cards is one of The CW's higher rated shows, so it's not like they had to prop up their ratings for the night and I seriously doubt that they thought Cuomo Town Hall: The First 100 Days would get higher ratings than Wild Cards. And it is not as if the season finale of Wild Cards has not yet been completed. It already aired on CBC on April 2 of this year! It is then a total mystery to me as to why Nexstar decided to preempt the season finale of one of The CW's most popular shows.

Of course, Wild Cards is not the only show affected by the decision to air a TV special in lieu of regularly scheduled programming last night. The third season of Sullivan's Crossing, another Canadian import, was set to begin on The CW on May 7. Now, it will not start on The CW until May 14. Sullivan's Crossing is apparently another one of The CW's more popular shows. 

Now I don't know if other viewers were unhappy with The CW last night. I haven't run onto any viewers complaining about the preemption on social media. It may be that while they were unhappy about not seeing the season finale last night, they were not so unhappy as to complain about it on social media. As for myself, I thought what The CW did was disrespectful to their viewers. They preempted Wild Cards last night for a special that was airing on NewsNation and hence there was no great need for it to air on The CW as well. There are certainly legitimate reasons broadcast networks have to preempt regularly scheduled programming. I don't think anyone believes that the networks should never preempt television shows. Historic examples of times the broadcast networks had to preempt their regular schedules include the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Challenger disaster, and 9/11. The first 100 days of a presidency is not one of those reasons.

By sheer coincidence, today CBC renewed Wild Cards for two more seasons. A search on the various social media services shows that many, presumably Canadian fans are happy about this. Unfortunately, there has been no word yet from The CW whether they will renew the show.

The Wonderful Cora Sue Collins Passes On

Cora Sue Collins, the child actress who appeared in movies from Queen Christina (1933) to Blood and Sand (1941), died yesterday, April 27 2025, at the age of 98 from complications from a stroke. She was a fixture in the classic film community and friends with many classic movie buffs.

Cora Sue Collins was born on April 19 1927 in Beckley, West Virginia. Her mother moved to Los Angeles when Cora Sue Collins was just shy of four years old, along with her older sister.  In an interview with Danny Miller from 2015 she explained how she was discovered. When she accompanied her mother to enroll her sister in school, a woman asked her mother, "Excuse me, would you like to put your little girl in pictures?" Her mother said that she would. It was then that Cora Sue Collins made her film debut playing Pudge in The Unexpected Father (1932).

Cora Sue Collins would have an incredible career as a child actress in the Thirties, often playing the younger version of some of Hollywood's best known actresses or the daughter of those actress. In the early Thirties she appeared in the films The Strange Case of Clara Deane (1932), Smilin' Through (1932), Silver Dollar (1932), They Just Had to Get Married (1932), The Mysterious Rider (1933), Picture Snatcher (1933), Jennie Gerhardt (1933), Mary Stevens, M.D. (1933), Torch Singer (1933), The Prize Fighter's and the Lady (1933), The Sin of Nora Moran (1933), Queen Christina (1933), Caravan (1934), As the Earth Turns (1934), Black Moon (1934), Treasure Island (1934), The Scarlet Letter (1934), Elinor Norton (1934), Evelyn Prentice (1934), The World Accuses (1934), and Little Men (1934). In the late Thirties she appeared in the films Without Children (1935), Naughty Marieta (1935), Public Hero Number 1 (1935), Mad Love (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), The Dark Angel (1935), Harmony Lane (1935), Two Sinners (1935), Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935), Magnificent Obsession (1935), The Harvester (1936),. Devil's Squadron (1936), Three Married Men (1936), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Stop, Look and Love (1939), and All This and Heaven Too (1940).

In the Forties Cora Sue Collins appeared in the films Blood and Sand (1941), Get Hep to Love (1942), Johnny Doughboy (1942), Youth on Trial (1945), Roughly Speaking (1945), and Week-End at the Waldorf (1945). She appeared on Broadway in Junior Miss. She retired from acting when she was only 18.

Cora Sue Collins would later study architecture and she was active in various charities. She was active in the classic film community, and she attended the TCM Classic Film Festival multiple times. She appeared at last year's festival and had to cancel a planned appearance there this year. Not only have many of my classic film buff friends met Miss Collins, but some were also friend with her. In some ways, her death seems as much like the death of a friend's beloved aunt whom I had never met, but about whom I had heard many stories. Cora Sue Collins was sweet and kind, and always eager to tell stories about the Golden Age of Hollywood.

While Cora Sue Collins is not nearly as famous today as Shirley Temple is, in the Thirties she was a serous rival to the child megastar. And there was no doubt that Cora Sue Collins was talented. When she made her film debut at age 4 in The Unexpected Father (1932), she received praise from critics. While many child stars were stuck in one particular sort of role, she could play a wide array of roles. She often played the younger version of famous actresses in various films. She played the younger Christina to Greta Garbo's older Christina in Queen Christina (1933). for which Miss Garbo chose her herself. She and Greta Garbo would remain friends until Greta Garbo's death in 1990. She also played the younger versions of Norma Shearer in Smilin' Through (1932),  Frances Dee in Keep Them Rolling (1934), Dorothy Lee in Without Children (1935), and Lynn Bari in Blood and Sand (1941).

Cora Sue Collins didn't just play the younger versions of characters played by well known actresses, but other roles as well. She was Becky Thatcher's rival Amy in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (she was supposed to play Amy, but grew taller than star Tom Kelly). She was Anna's daughter Tania in Anna Karenina. In Get Hep to Love she played the manipulative, none-too-nice Elaine. In Youth on Trial She played Carn Chandler, the delinquent daughter of a juvenile court judge. At a young age she held her own with such heavyweights as Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Irene Dunne, Greta Garbo,Myrna Loy, Merle Oberon, and William Powell. She may not be among the most famous actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood, but she was most certainly a star.

Patrick Adiarte Passes On

Patrick Adiarte, who played Ho Jon in the first season of M*A*S*H and appeared in both The King and I and Flower Drum Song, died on April 15 2025 at the age of 81. The cause was pneumonia.

Patrick Adiarte was born on August 2 1942 in Manila, Philippines. During World War II, he, his mother, and his sister were imprisoned by the Japanese on the island of Cebu in February 1945. His father, who was working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a month later. It was in June 1946 that the family migrated to the United States so that Patrick Adriarte's sister could have surgery to repair scars she had incurred from a Japanese grenade. 

Both Patrick Adiarte and his mother appeared in small parts on Broadway in The King and I. Afterwards he attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City. Later in the decade he played Wang San in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song. In the Fifties he appeared in the movie adaptation of The King and I (1956) as Prince Chulalongkorn as well as the movie High Time (1960). During this period he was mentored by dancer Gene Kelly. He appeared with Mr. Kelly on the NBC TV show Omnibus, demonstrating the evolution of tap dancing through the years.

In the Sixties Patrick Adiarte reprised his role as Want San in the movie adaptation of Flower Drum Song (1961). He also appeared in the movies John Goldfarb, Pease Come Home! (1965) and Step Out of Your Mind (1966). On television he was one of the dancers on Hullabaloo. He guest starred on the TV shows CBS Playhouse, Look Up and Live, It Takes a Thief, and Ironside. He also had a brief singing career with the songs "Five Different Girls," "Don't Let This Room Become Your World," and "Where You Gettin' Your Kicks Now."

In the Seventies he appeared as Ho Jon, the orphan who assists Hawkeye and Trapper John, in the first season of M*A*S*H. On television he guest starred on the shows Bonanza, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O, Temperatures Rising, and Kojak.

Later Patrick Adiarte taught dancing at Santa Monica College, among other places.

Patrick Adiarte was certainly talented. He was a gifted singer and dancer, as demonstrated in Flower Drum Song. And he was also certainly a gifted actor. He did a great job as the thoroughly American, thoroughly non-traditional Wang San in Flower Drum Song. He played college student T.J. Padmanagham  in Blake Edwards's High Time, and had the admittedly politically incorrect role of an Arabic prince in the spoof John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! Of course, many will always remember him as Ho Jon on M*A*S*H, a role for which he will probably always be remembered. While he may not have had a long career, Patrick Adiarte certainly made an impact.

The Late Great Will Hutchins

Will Hutchins, best known for playing Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster on the TV show Sugarfoot, died on April 21 2025 at the age of 94. He also appeared in the movie No Time for Sergeants (1958) and played Dagwood in the short-lived Sixties sitcom Blondie.

Will Hutchins was born Marshall Lowell Hutchason on May 5 1930 in Los Angeles. When he was a boy he visited a film shoot and wound up in a crowd scene in the W.C. Fields movie Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). He attended  John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz in Los Angeles and then Pomona College. During the Korean War he served for two years in the United States Army Signal Corps as a cryptographer in Paris He attended the UCLA film school on the G.I. Bill following his service.

Wil Hutchins was in a play with fellow Pomona College alumnus Richard Chamberlain at the Ivar Theater in Hollywood, Mr. Chamberlain's agent, Dick Clayton, took notice of  Will Hutchins and signed him a contract with him as a client. Because he resembled Will Rogers Jr., Marshall Hutcason took the stage name "Will Hutchins." He made his debut in an episode of Conflict in 1956. He made his film debut in a bit part in Bombers B-52 (1957).

Will Hutchins was cast int the role of Tom Brewster, who was nicknamed "Sugarfoot," who earned the name int the show's first episode because he was "...someone who’s trying to work his way up to tenderfoot." The show was loosely based on 1954 Will Rogers Jr. movie The Boy from Oklahoma., which starred Will Rogers Jr. "Sugarfoot" Brewster didn't care for firearms in general and never carried a gun. When all else failed, he took out villains through his skill with a lasso. He drank nothing stronger than  sarsaparilla "with a dash of cherry." On Sugarfoot Will Huthcins also played Tom's evil lookalike cousin, The Canary Kid, one of the earliest evil twins on television. Warner Bros.' Western TV shows of the time existed in a shared universe, so that Brewster also appeared in episodes of Maverick, Cheyenne, and Bronco.

In the late Fifties Will Hutchins guest starred on such shows as Warner Bros. Conflicts, Matinee Theatre, and 77 Sunset Strip. In movies he played B-24 pilot Lt. Bridges, who has the misfortune of having a hangover, in No Time for Sergeants (1958). He also appeared in the movie Lafayette Escadrille (1958).

In the Sixties Will Hutchins played the lead in the short-lived sitcom Hey, Landlord and Dagwood Bumstead in the short-lived, but notorious sitcom Blondie. He guest starred on the shows The Roaring 20s, Surfside 6, Gunsmoke, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Perry Mason. He appeared in the movies Claudelle Inglish (1961), Merrill's Marauders (1962), The Shooting (1966), Spinout  (1966), Clambake (1967), and Shanghai Patrol (1970). He also appeared on Broadway in Never Too Late.

In the Seventies Will Hutchins appeared in the movies Magnum Force (1973), Slumber Party '57 (1976), and The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977). He guest starred on the shows Love, American Style; The Nw Perry Mason; Emergency!; Chase; Movin' On; The Streets of San Francisco; and The Quest.

Will Hutchins appeared in the movie Roar (1981) before leaving Hollywood and joining the circus. At various times he served as a ringmaster and was a member of a troop of clowns in Los Angeles. He spent three years travelling throughout Australia as Patches the Clown in the Ashton Family Circus. He also appeared in the movies The Gunfighter (1999) and The Romantics (2010).

Will Hutchins was a very talented actor. He certainly had a gift for comedy, and that gift was certainly on display on Sugarfoot, which was television's first comedic Western (it beat Maverick to the air by five days). On the show not only did Will Hutchins do well as would-be lawyer Tom Brewster, but as Brewster's evil cousin, The Canary Kid. Of course, Will Hutchins's career went beyond Sugarfoot. While Blondie was not a particularly good show, Will Hutchins was ideal as Dagwood and did well as the classic cartoon character. Over the years he played many good roles from store owner's on Dennis Peasley in Clauelle Inglish to clumsy police officer Lt. Tracy Richards in Spinout to real-life scout  Frederick Russell Burnham in Shanghai Patrol. Will Hutchins had a great deal of talent and always gave a good performance.

TCM's Two for One Returns This May

Turner Classic Movies' programming block Two for One returns on Saturday, May 3 2025. For those unfamiliar with Two for Onem, it features double features curated by influential filmmakers. Indeed, I prefer to call it "TCM Double Feature." This time around Two for Runs will run through July, winding up on July 19.

This time out Two for One will include such notables as Lin Manueal Miranda, John Carpenter, Paul Giamatti, and Joe Dante. Like most TCM fans I am looking forward to Two for One, although I do wish they would move it to Friday. Too often it runs over and pushes Noir Alley back past 11:00 PM Central.

Anyway, here the schedule below. The fun kicks off at 7:00 PM Central on Saturdays.

May3: Lin Manual Miranda-The Band Wagon (1953) and All That Jazz (1979)
May 10: Jamie Lee Curtis-The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
May 17: John Carpenter-Frankenstein (1931) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
May 31: Kathy Bates-Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Stage Door (1937)

June 7: Paul Giamatti, Carnival of Souls (1962) and Rosemary's Baby (1968)
June 14: Brian Tyree Henry, Imitation of Life and The Learning Tree (1969)
June 28: Nathan Lane-Double Indemnity (1944) and Chinatown (1974)

July 5: Joe Dante-The Night of the Hunter (1955) and The Fool Killer (1965)
July 19: Rosie Perez- Killer's Kiss (1955) and The Harder They  Fall (1956)

Sian Barbara Allen Passes On

Sian Barbara Allen, who guest starred in two episodes of The Waltons as Jenny Pendleton, died on Mach 31 2025 at the age of 78. She had Alzheimer's.

Sian Barbara Allenw was born on Reading, Pennsylvania on July 12 1946. After she graduated from high school, she studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse on a scholarship and studied acting as a member of the Journeyman program at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles under Peggy Feury.

She made her television debut on an episode of O'Hara, U.S. Treasury in 1971. She made her movie debut in You'll Like My Mother in 1972. Sian Barbara Allen appeared frequently on television in the Seventies. In addition to her guest appearances on The Waltons, she also guest starred on the shows Alias Smith and Jones; Gunsmoke; The Bold Ones: The Lawyers; Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law; The F.B.I.; Bonanza; Love, American Style; Columbo; Kojak; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Ironside;The Rockford Files; Lucas Tanner; Adam-12; Kate McShane; Police Story; Kingston Confidential; Hawaii Five-O; Baretta; W.E.B.; Sword of Justice; and The Incredible Hulk/ She appeared in the movie Billy Two Hats (1974). She also  wrote an episode of Baretta.

Sian Barbara Allen's career slowed after 1980. She guest starred in the shows Darkroom, Falcon Crest, Cagney & Lacey; and L.A. Law. After retiring from acting she devoted much of her time to politics, supporting Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. She also wrote poetry.

Like many I will always think of Sian Barbara Allen as John Boy's romantic interest Jenny on The Waltons. She and Richard Thomas were dating in real life at the time, and their rapport translated well to the small screen. John Boy would date other girls, but for me Jenny remained his most memorable love interest. Of course, Sian Barbra Allen appeared in many other roles. I remember her also from the Bonanza  episode "Ambush at Rio Lobo," on which she played a staunch, but caring pregnant who is held hostage along with Ben Cartwright by a bunch of outlaws. In the horror movie You'll Like My Mother, she played Kathleen, the intellectually disabled, non-verbal sister of lead character Francesca (Patty Duke). She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for the role. Sian Barbara Allen had a gift for bringing characters to life and she always made an impression.

Happy Easter 2025

Here at A Shroud of Thoughts we realize there are those who might appreciate some cheesecake along with their Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Here then is this year's batch of Easter pinups.

First up is Phyllis Elizabeth Davis, who is gathering Easter eggs with help from two Easter bunnies.

And here's Pat Crowley with some rather large eggs!

Here is Mary Tyler Moore and a friend.

Loretta Young is dressed for the holiday.

Elaine Riley is dyeing her eggs.

And last but no least, the lovely Ann Miller is gathering eggs.

Happy Easter!!!!!

Some Thoughts on the 90th Anniversary of Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Most everyone who knows me knows that I love the Hammer horrors. When I think of Dracula, it's Sir Christopher Lee who comes to my mind. I have seen most of the classic Hammer horror movies multiple times. It might then surprise some to discover that my favourite horror movie of all time was made by Universal. It is Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and it's not only my favourite horror movie, but I consider it the greatest horror movie ever made. It opened on this day in Chicago, New York City, and Portland, Oregon.

I wrote an in-depth post on Bride of Frankenstein ten years ago, which you can read here, but I thought I would discuss the impact the film has had upon me. Like most Gen Xers I saw it when I was young. It would be the movie that cemented my love for the old Universal horror movies. I enjoyed Frankenstein (1931) a good deal, but I found Dracula (1930) a bit dull (my apologies to the movie's fans). Bride of Frankenstein impressed me in a way that Frankenstein and Dracula hadn't. It seemed much more modern in both its attitudes and its execution that the other Universal monster movies I had seen.

Indeed, even though it was released after the Pre-Code Era had ended, it seemed as if director James Whale got way with more in Bride of Frankenstein than he had in the first movie or Tod Browning had in Dracula. I was not very old when I realized that Dr. Pretorius could be a coded homosexual, a feat made easy by Ernest Thesiger's overly camp performance. There is also a good deal of religious symbolism in the movie, including one point in the movie where the villagers capture Frankenstein's creature and tied him to a pole in a cruciform pose. It honestly seems to me that there is more violence in Bride of Frankenstein than some of Universal's Pre-Code movies.

As grim as Bride of Frankenstein can be, it also has a good deal of humour. Much of this comes through Dr. Pretorius's wit, although there is outright comedy to be found in Una O' Connor and E. E. Clive. The presence of humour alongside horror in Bride of Frankenstein put it more in line with later horror movies than earlier ones, this even as it dealt with themes which even the Pre-Code horrors rarely bothered to touch.

Ultimately, it would be Bride of Frankenstein that would lead me to seek out other Universal horrors, from James Whale's The Dark Old House (1932) to The Black Cat (1934). Along with the soap opera Dark Shadows and the Hammer horror movies, the Universal monster movies would make me a fan of the horror genre. It was Bride of Frankenstein that helped me along a path that would lead me to such authors as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, and Clive Barker and directors such as John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Wes Craven. To me it's still the greatest horror movie of all time.

Godspeed Jean Marsh

Jean Marsh, who co-created the classic TV show Upstairs, Downstairs and played parlourmaid Rose Buck on the show, died on April 13 at the age of 90 from complications from dementia.

Jean Marsh was born on July 1 1934 in London. As  a child she had Bell's palsy. Her mother sent her to dance school in the hope that it would strengthen her. As a young girl Miss Marsh also spent much of her time reading books. She attended the Aida Foster Theatre School. She made her acting debut in Pardon My Claws opposite Sonnie Hale.

/Jean Marsh made her film debut in a bit part in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 1947. In the Fifties she appeared in the movies Will Any Gentleman...? (1953), The Limping Man (1953), and The Love Lottery (1954). She appeared in television shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She guest starred on the shows ITV Television Playhouse, Omnibus, The Third Man, and The Twilight Zone. She made her Broadway debut in 1959 in Much Ado About Nothing.

In the Sixties she played Joanna in the Doctor Who serial "The Crusade" and Sara Kingdom in the Doctor Who serial "The Daleks' Master Plan" she was a regular on the British show The Informer. She guest starred on the shows Danger Man, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, ITV Play of the Week, The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, The Saint, ITV Sunday Night Drama, Gideon's Way, I Spy, Adam Adamant Lives!, Detective, The Wednesday Play, Thirty-Minute Theatre, The Expert, Department S, The Root of All Evil?, UFOm, and ITV Saturday Night Theatre. She appeared in the films Call Me Genius (1961), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), Cleopatra (1963), Unearthly Stranger (1963), Face of a Stranger (1964), Charles Bubbles (1967), The Limbo Line (1968), and Jane Eyre (1970). She appeared on stage in The Bird of Time at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool and the Savoy Theatre in Westminster, London.

Jean Marsh and her best friend, fellow actress Eileen Atkins, co-created Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in all five series of the show as Rose Buck. She guest starred on the TV shows ITV Saturday Night Theatre, The Persuaders!, Play for Today, The Befrienders, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Camera Three, The Waltons,and  Hawaii Five-O. She appeared in the movies Frenzy (1972), Dark Places (1974), The Eagle Has Landed (1976)), and The Changeling (1980). She appeared on Broadway in Habeas Corpus and Whose Life is It Anyway?.

In the Eighties Jean Marsh was a regular on the sitcom 9 to 5, based on the movie of the same name. She guest starred on the shows Trapper John, M.D.; The Love Boat; Tales from the Darkside; and Doctor Who. She appeared in the mini-series Goliath Awaits, Master of the Game, and Act of Will. She appeared in the movies Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988). She appeared on stage in Let Us Go Then You and I at the Lyric Theatre in Westminster, London.

In the Nineties Jean Marsh co-created the TV series The House of Elliott with Eileen Atkins. She was a semi-regular on The All New Alexei Sayle Show and a regular on The Ghost Hunter. She guest starred on the shows Screen One; Murder, She Wrote; The Tomorrow People; Dangerfield; and Kavanagh QC. She appeared on stage in The Chalk Garden at the King's Head Theatre in London.

In the Naughts Jean Marsh continue to appear on The Ghost Hunter. She reprised her role as Rose Buck on the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in the mini-series Sensitive Skin and Sense and Sensibility. She guest starred on the shows Holby City, Doctors, Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, and Crooked House. She appeared in the movie The Heavy (2009).  She appeared on stage in The Old Country at various locations, Boeing, Boeing in the Comedy Theatre in Westminster, London, and The Portrait of a Lady at the Theatre Royal, Bath and the Rose Theatre Kingston.

In the Teens she continued to appear in the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs. She guest starred on the show Grantchester.

I am guessing Jean Marsh will always be best remembered as the prim, proper, pragmatic, and yet ultimately cheerful Rose Buck on Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as one of the show's creators. The show itself would have a lasting influence, inspiring such shows as The Duchess of Duke Street,; m You Rang, M'Lord?; Beacon Hill; and on down to Downton Abbey. Of course, Jean Marsh also had close ties to Doctor Who, appearing in three different serials. In "The Crusade" she played Princess Joanna, the sister of King Richard the Lionheart. In "The Daleks' Master Plan" she played Sara Kingdom, a Space Security Agent helping the Doctor in his fight against the Daleks. In "Battlefield" she played a role well removed form either Princess Joanna or Sara Kingdom, Morgaine, better known as Morgan le Fay.

Beyond Upstairs, Downstairs and Doctor Who she appeared in a number of shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She was an android created as a companion for a man exiled to an asteroid in the Twilight Zone episode "The Lonely." On The Waltons she played the Baldwin sisters' cousin who had married a German citizen and is now worried about the Nazi regime given her husband is Jewish. In movies she played everything from Octavia in the film Cleopatra to Queen Bavmorda in Willow. As a television show creator Jean Marsh was brilliant and she was brilliant as an actress as well. She played a number of different roles throughout her career.

There Was a Time I Enjoyed Spring

When I was a lad I actually enjoyed spring, particularly right before Easter as it is now. Good Friday meant a day off from school and then Easter itself would mean lots of candy. Of course, the weather was always mild then as it is now. Being spring, it was not too hot and too muggy (as it always is in the summer) or too cold (as it sometimes is in the winter).

Unfortunately, for me April doesn't just mean spring, but also tree pollen season. As an adult I developed allergies to various tree pollen around here, and I have never enjoyed spring since that time. This is particularly true the past few years, when climate change has meant tree pollen season begins earlier and as a result there is even more pollen in the air. Right now I am just hoping for September, when tree pollen season is a distant memory and the heat of summer is beginning to fade. Anyway, I hope tomorrow to get back to making posts as usual on this blog.

"The KKK Took My Baby Away" by The Ramones

I had been planning to eulogize actress Jean Marsh today, but I have found myself sidelined by the seasonal allergies that hit me every April. In hope that I will feel better tomorrow, I will then leave you with a shorter post. Keeping in mind it was 24 years ago that Joey Ramone died, here is my favourite Ramones song of all time, "The KKK Took My Baby Away."

The Ten Commandments (1956) on Television

Tonight the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is once more airing The Ten Commandments (1956), Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic starring Charlton Heston. For decades it has been an annual tradition on ABC, and an annual tradition for many viewers. I have seen most airings on the film on ABC since my childhood.

The Ten Commandments (1956) made its television premiere on ABC on Sunday, February 18 1973. Just as it does today, ABC showed the movie in its entirety that night. For the most part ABC has always aired the film in its entirety on a single night, although there have been at least two instances in which ABC divided The Ten Commandments into two parts. The first time was upon its second airing in 1974, when the first part aired on Sunday, February 17 and the second part on Monday, February 18. A second instance in which The Ten Commandments aired in two parts was in 1997, when it aired on Sunday, March 30 and Monday, March 31.

Since it s television debut, ABC has changed the time of year when they air The Ten Commandments. Although today the movie is associated with Passover and Easter, it made its television debut on Presidents Day weekend in 1973 and it aired in conjunction with President's day in 1974 as well. It was in 1975 that The Ten Commandments began airing on Easter Sunday. The Ten Commandments aired on Sunday nights until 2006, when it was moved to Saturday might. Since then, with but a few exceptions, it has aired on the Saturday before Easter. Among the exceptions to this was 2023, when it aired on April 1, eight days before Palm Sunday, because the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs fell on the Saturday before Palm Sunday that year.

Since The Ten Commandments made its television debut in 1973, there has been only one year in which ABC did not air it. That year was 1999, when ABC decided that they did not want to disrupt their Sunday night lineup (which included the hit show The Practice). As a result ABC received a number of phone calls from irate viewers for whom watching The Ten Commandments had become a family tradition. ABC has aired it once a year ever since.I have to think it will continue to air annually as long as there are broadcast networks.

10 Years Ago I Was on Turner Classic Movies

It was ten years ago today that I had the honour of introducing A Hard Day's Night (1964) with Ben Mankiewicz on Turner Classic Movies. This was part of the TCM Fan Favourites series that the channel was doing in 2014-2015. In the Fan Favourites segments, TCM fans got to discuss favourite films with Ben Mankiewicz. The first batch of Fan Favourites segments aired in November 2014 and included Aurora--better known as Citizen Screen (who introduced Meet Me in St. Louis), TCM Party co-founder  Paula Guthat (who introduced The Lemon Drop Kid),  Miguel Rodriguez of the Horrible Imaginings Podcast (who introduced The Thing from Another World), and TCM Party regular Joel Williams (who introduced Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).

I was part of the second batch of Fan Favourites, which aired on April 11 2015. The day begin with Christina Rinaldi introducing Footlight Parade (1933), followed by myself introducing A Hard Day's Night. After me there was Donna D'Andrea with The Way We Were (1973) and Steve Zeoke wtih The Defiant Ones (1958). Steve and Christina and I would become friends following our appearances on TCM.

Anyway, It was in January 2015 that Turner Classic Movies announced in posts on Google+, Instagram, and Facebook that they were looking for four more fans for their next Fan Favourites segment. While the first time Turner Classic Movies asked fans to submit ten different films they would like to introduce, in January TCM asked fans to select one film and tell why they chose that film. In my case, I replied to their post on Google+ and explained why I would choose A Hard Day's Night (which should come to no surprise to those who know me well). Much to my surprise I was chosen as one of the four viewers for Fan Favourites almost immediately. Steve Zeoke always thought that TCM had wanted me from the very beginning, as I was one of TCMParty's original members.  Anyway, those of us who took part in the Fan Favourite segments were sworn to secret until the month they were about to air. I cannot tell you how hard it was not to tell everyone I was going to be on Turner Classic Movies!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Fan Favourite segments, they were accomplished using video chat. That is, when we did my introduction, Ben was in TCM's studios in Atlanta, while I was at home. Before my chat with Ben, I had two practice chats with  Courtney, Associate Producer at Turner Classic Movies, and Mardy, the sound engineer at TCM, to work out any technical difficulties.  As to the actual shooting itself, the introductions were shot in the order in which they will appear, which meant that I went on second. 

Turner Classic Movies sent each of us took part in my class of Fan Favourite segments a DVD with our segments. I never have watched mine as I cannot stand to look at myself in photos or in videos. If you are wondering why there are so few pictures of me, that is why. In the nearly ten years I have had the DVD, I have never watched it.

Sadly, I think TCM only did about one or two more Fan Favourites. I know my friends Annette and Meaghan introduced films in September 2015. I really enjoyed doing it myself. At the time I did worry about how I would come off on television, but all of my friends thought I did well and, most importantly, Vanessa still thought I was cute.  I really wish they had continued with the segments, as I thought they were fun. I have always enjoyed seeing other fans talk about their favourite movies, and often the fans know more about their favourite movies than some of the experts. Introducing A Hard Day's Night on TCM will remain one of my favourite memories.

Three Songs from Blondie

The soundtrack to my life when I was in my middle teens included such bands as Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Knack, The Ramones, and Blondie. It is for that reason that I was particularly saddened by Clem Burke's death. Aside from being the drummer of one of my favourite band and one of the best drummers ever, Clem Burke's death spells the end of Blondie for me. It's hard to see the band continuing with only Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, particularly given Chris Stein's health has not been good of late. Anyway, I have been listening to Blondie more than usual and I thought I would share three of my favourite songs from the group.

First up is my all-time favourite Blondie song, "Atomic." The song was written by keyboardist Jimmy Destri and Debbie Harry. It originated as his attempt to doing something along the line of Blondie's earlier song "Heart of Glass," but evolved into something else. Amazingly enough, while "Atomic" is one of Blondie's best known songs, it only went to no. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in 1979.


Like "Atomic,' "Dreaming" is also from the Blondie album Eat to the Beat. It was written by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. The song grew out the line "dreaming is free," which occurred to Chris Stein. Debbie Harry then worked out the rest of the lyrics from there. I have always thought that "Dreaming" was one of Blondie's more purely power pop songs, power pop being my favourite subgenre of rock music.Though I don't think it is remembered as well as "Atomic," it actually did better on the Billboard Hot 100, going all the way to no. 27.



While "Atomic" and "Dreaming" were both singles, "Petty Baby" was an album track from Parallel Lines. The song was supposedly inspired by Brooke Shields in the movie Pretty Baby (1978), While I have no doubt that this is true, I have always had trouble wrapping my head around it because of the line "petite ingenue." Supposedly by the time she was 13 she was already 5' 4", which I really wouldn't describe as "petite." Maybe Debbie Harry underestimated Brooke Shields's height or simply liked the line. Regardless, I do love the song and there is no denying it is catchy.

Godspeed Drummer Clem Burke

Clem Burke, the drummer for the rock group Blondie, died on April 6 2025 at the age of 70. The cause was cancer. He had played on every single one of Blondie's albums.

Clem Burke ws born Clement Bozewski on November 24 1954 in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father had also been a drummer and he began playing drums while very young. In the late Sixties and early Seventies he played with various local New Jersey bands. He was also a member of the St Andrew's Bridgemen Drum and Bugle Corps in Bayonne for a time.

It was in early 1975 that Debbie Harry and Chris Stein recruited Clem Burke to replace original drummer Billy O'Connor. The band went onto perform regularly at Max's Kansas City and CBGB in New York City. They eventually signed with Private Stock Records and their first, self-titled album was released in December 1976. Their debut album would be followed by Plastic Letters in 1978. Their breakthrough album, Parallel Lines, was released in 1978. It was also that year that they had their first major hit, "Heart of Glass," which went all the way to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Blondie continued to do very well, producing such hits as "Call Me," "Atomic," "The Tide is High," and "Rapture," until their album The Hunter in 1982. The album itself only went to no. 33 on the Billboard album chart while the only single from the album to chart, "Island of Lost Souls," only went to no. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band announced they had disbanded in November 1982.

While Blonde was split up,Clem Burke would play with various other artists. He played frequently with The Romantics, and even appeared on their albums Made in Detroit (1993) and 61/49 (2003). He also played with Eurhythmics on two albums (In the Garden in 1981 an Revenge in 1986). Clem Burke also worked with such artists as Iggy Pop, Chequered Past, Pete Townshend, The Adult Net, The Plimsouls, and others.

Blonde regrouped in 1997 and released their first new album in years, No Exit, in 1999. Clem Burke appeared on every one of their albums until the final one, Pollinator, in 2017. When Blondie wasn't touring he played with a Blonde tribute band, Bootleg Blondie.

Clem Burke was one of the best drummers in the history of rock music. His style was not unlike that of Keith Moon or Earl Palmer. He hit hard and he hit fast. That is not to say that he was not capable of subtlety,  and he could play on a ballad as easily as he could a power pop rabble rouser. It was Clem Burke's adaptability as a drummer that let Blondie do songs in styles from disco ("Heart of Glass") to reggae ("The Tide is High"). It is little wonder that he played with artists as diverse as The Romantics, Wanda Jackson, and The Ramones. He was definitely one of the best drummers of his time.

Jay North Passes On

Jay North, beset known as the star of the classic sitcom Dennis the Menace, died on April 6 2025 at the age of 73. The cause was colon cancer, which he had been fighting for years.  He also starred in the 1966 movie Maya and the short-lived TV show of the same name.

Jay North was born on August 3 1951. He was only four years old when his father left his family. He never saw his father again. His mother was the secretary to the West Coast director of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). He was six years old when his mother, through her connections with AFTRA, arranged for him to appear on the local children's program Cartoon Express on Los Angeles television station KHJ. It was there that talent agent Hazel MacMillan discovered him.

Jay North made his television debut on an episode of Wanted: Dead or Alive in 1958, playing a boy who hires Josh Randall to track down Santa Claus. In the late Fifties he also guest starred on the shows 77 Sunset Strip, Rescue 8, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Sugarfoot, The Detectives, The Donna Reed Show, and The Red Skelton. It was in 1959 that he began his starring role on Denice the Menace, which was based on the Hank Ketchum comic strip of the same name. The show proved to be a success and ran for four seasons. He made his film debut in The Miracle of the Hills (1959). In the late Fifties he also appeared in the movies The Big Operator (1959) and Pepe (1960). In the latter he had a cameo as Dennis the Menace.

In the Sixties Jay North continued to appear on Dennis the Menace. He appeared in the movies Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) and Maya (1966). Maya (1966) led to the short-lived television series Maya, on which Jay North also starred. He also guest starred on the shows The Red Skelton Show, Wagon Train, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show,My Three Sons, and Jericho. He provided the voice of Prince Turhan on the "Arabian Knights" cartoon segment of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He also provided the voice of Terry Dexter on the animated cartoon Here Comes the Grump.

In the Seventies Jay North voiced a teen-aged Bamm-Bamm Rubble on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. He guest starred on Lassie and appeared in the TV movie Scout's Honor. He appeared in the B-movie The Teacher (1974). He served for a time in the United States Navy.

In th Eighties he had a week-long guest appearance on the soap opera General Hospital. He also gust starred on Not Necessarily the News. He appeared in the Yugoslavian movie Dikiy veter (1985).  In the Nineties he was a guest voice, playing himself, on The Simpsons. In the Naughts he had a cameo in the movie Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003).

Starting in the Nineties, Jay North worked with Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed Show in the organization A Minor Consideration, which is devoted to supporting past and present child actors.

Perhaps because I have seen it more than anything else he was in, I remember Jay North best from his debut appearance in the Wanted: Dead or Alive episode "Eight Cent Reward," in which he played a boy who hires bounty hunter Josh Randall to track down Santa. Even though it was his first acting job, young Jay North was entirely convincing in the role. Of course, I also remember him from reruns of Dennis the Menace. While there have been TV movies and a feature film since the sitcom, it is still a young Jay North I picture when I think of a live-action Dennis Mitchell. He also did well in his various guest appearances on TV shows and the few movies he did. He will certainly be well remembered.

The Late Great Robert McGinnis

Robert McGinnis, who created iconic posters for Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), The Odd Couple (1968),. Barbarella (1968), and several Bond movies, died on March 10 2025 at the age of 99.  In addition to movie posters, he also created art for paperback book covers and magazines from Good Housekeeping to The Saturday Evening Post.

Robert McGinnis was born on February 3 1926 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up in Wyoming. He was only a teenager when he worked as an apprentice at Walt Disney Studios. He studied art at Ohio State University. During World War II he served in the Merchant Marine.

Following his service during the war, Robert McGinnis went to work in advertising. It was following a chance meeting with fellow illustrator Mitchell Hook that he began illustrating cover of paperback books for Dell Publishing. He drew covers for paperbacks written by such authors as Edward S. Aarons, Erle Stanley Gardner, Brett Halliday, Richard S. Prather, Donald Westlake (under his pen name Richard Stark), and Alan Geoffrey Yates (under his pen name Carter Brown). Later he did artwork for several magazines, including Argosy, Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, Ladies Home Journal, McCall's, National Geographic, Reader's Digest, and The Saturday Evening Post.

Robert McGinnis created the posters for several movies. His first was for Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961. In the Sixties he did posters for the films Thunderball (1965), Arabesque (1966), How to Steal a Million (1966), You Only Live Twice (1967), The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968), The Odd Couple (1968), Barbarella (1968), The Wrecking Crew (1968), and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). In the Seventies he did the posters for Giù la testa (1971), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), Sleeper (1974), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Gator (1976), and International Velvet (1978). He created the titles for the Western The Hallelujah Trail (1965).

Over the years Robert McGinnis created many covers for romance novels. In 2004 he began creating covers for the Hard Case Crime paperback imprint. In 2016 he began providing covers for reprints of Neil Gaiman books.

Robert McGinnis was one of the greatest illustrators of all time, and he would be remembered even if he had not created several high profile movie posters. The covers he had made for paperbacks from historical fiction to mystery to romance to science fiction. Regardless of genre, his paperback covers and movie posters were remarkable. He had a gift for detail, whether it was a gun, a car, a boat, or chair. He even paid careful attention to the fashions of the day. His use of colour was incredible. Of course, he had a gift for portraying human beings, particularly beautiful women. The image many of us have of James Bond, grasping an automatic and surrounded by women, comes not so much from the movies themselves as from their posters. Robert McGinnis was a fantastic artist who was matched only by a few when it came to covers of paperbacks and movie posters.