The Monkees Is Now on Tubi

Long-time readers of this blog know that The Monkees is my favourite sitcom of all time and The Monkees are one of my favourite bands of all time. I am then very happy to report that for the first time ever The Monkees is on streaming. As of August 15, 2026, the entire run of The Monkees is now on Tubi. The Monkees is also available on the over-the-top streaming service Philo and currently airs on the digital broadcast network Catchy Comedy every Saturday morning.

The Monkees debuted on NBC on September 12, 1966 and aired for two seasons. In September 1969, CBS added reruns of The Monkees to its Saturday morning lineup. It remained there until September 1973, when it moved to ABC's Saturday morning lineup. The show finally went into local syndication in the fall of 1975. In 1986, MTV held a marathon of Monkees episodes. The marathon received such a huge response that MTV began regularly airing The Monkees. This saw an upsurge in local stations picking the series up, as well the show joining the Nick At Nite lineup. Since then it has aired on IFC, MeTV, FeTV, and AXS TV. Rhino Home Entertainment released The Monkees on DVD in May 2001 and the first and second seasons as box sets in November 2003. It was released on Blu-ray in July 2016.

Even though I have owned The Monkees on DVD for years, I am still happy to see it added to Tubi and Philo. Each new exposure of The Monkees has created a new generation of fans, from when it aired on Saturday mornings to when it first entered syndication to when it aired on MTV and so on. I suspect that in streaming on Tubi it will create yet another generation of fans. This is good news for me as a life-long Monkees fan, as successive generations of fans mean that the show will continue to air on television, to stream on various service, and continue to remain in print on DVD and Blu-ray.

"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top

I don't feel up to a full post today, but I will be writing a eulogy for ZZ Top's drummer Frank Beard, who died on August 17, 2026. With that in mind, I will leave you with what might be ZZ Top's most successful single, "Sharp Dressed Man."

The Culture Clash Sitcom That Never Was

Among the many things for which the legendary comedy troupe Culture Clash (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Sigüenza) remained remembered is their 1993 sketch comedy television show that aired on Fox stations. It remains historic as one of the earliest shows to showcase Chicano talent. What isn't as well remembered is that Culture Clash almost had a show before the classic sketch comedy show Culture Clash, only it would have been a sitcom.

It was in 1991 that Cheech Marin saw Culture Clash's stage show A Bowl of Beings at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. He then signed a deal with Culture Clash for them to star in their own sitcom, which would be financed by 20th Television (then the syndication and distribution unit of 20th Century Fox Television). A pilot was ordered by the Fox Television Network. The pilot as based on characters that Culture Clash had created on stage, but was written by other people. 

Fox decided against placing the sitcom on their fall schedule, but went ahead and ordered six more scripts. Like the pilot, these were also written by people other than Culture Clash. These scripts were workshopped at a local theatre before Fox ultimately cancelled the project entirely. As it was, it may have been for the best. At the time, Ric Salinas said that Fox was "definitely smart to kill it." The scripts were apparently consisted of banal material and Latino stereotypes.

Fortunately, Culture Clash would find their way to television. While an initial script for a sketch comedy show was turned down by Fox, it was after executives from Fox Television Stations Productions, which produces shows for Fox owned and operated stations, saw one of Culture Clash's performances in June 1992 that they approached Culture Clash about a sketch comedy show. Fortunately, unlike the sitcom, Culture Clash would have the final say as to the sketch comedy show.

While some might regret that the Culture Clash sitcom never came to be given the paucity of Chicano sitcoms on American television, it must be pointed that if it had gone forward we might not have the classic sketch comedy show. Given the sheer brilliance of the TV show Culture Clash, that would indeed be regrettable. Sadly, the TV show Culture Clash remains unavailable on DVD or on streaming to this day.

Tedde Moore Passes On

Tedde Moore, who played teacher Miss Shields in A Christmas Story (1983), died on August 5, 2026, at the age of 79. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009.

Tedde Moore was born on April 11, 1947, in Toronto. Her father was actor Mavor Moore. Her mother was Darwina Faessler Moore. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and graduated in 1967. Not long after graduating she went back to Canada and appeared opposite Christopher Walken in the Stratford Festival production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tedde Moore made her television debut in a an episode of General Motors Presents in 1961. She made her film debut in 1971 in Rip-Off. During the Seventies, she appeared in the movies Second Wind (1976) and Murder by Decree (1979). She guest starred on the TV shows Dr. Simon Locke, Sidestreet, The Littlest Hobo, and For the Record.

In the Eighties, she appeared in the movies The Amateur (1981), A Christmas Story (1983), Overnight (1986), and Rolling Vengeance (1987). She guest starred on the shows T&T and Friday the 13th: The Series. In the Nineties, she reprised her role as Miss Shields in It Runs in the Family (1992--also known as A Summer Story). She guest starred on the movies E.N.G., Road to Avonlea, and Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.

In the Naughts, Tedde Moore was a voice on the animated TV series Rollie Pollie Ollie. She guest starred on the shows Odyssey 5 and This is Wonderland. She appeared in the movie Focus (2001). In the Teens, she appeared in the movies Down the Road Again (2011), The Anniversary (2014), and High-Rise Rescue (2017). On television, she appeared in the mini-series The Kennedys. She appeared in the TV movies Mistletoe Over Manhattan and Magical Christmas Ornaments.

I have to confess that I am not familiar with Tedde Moore's career. Like many I know her best as Miss Shields from A Christmas Story and to a lesser degree It Runs in the Family. She was marvelous in the role and probably reminded many of teachers they had in school. I also remember her from the mini-series The Kennedys, on which she played the nanny Mrs. Shaw. It was not a big role, but she played it quite well. Regardless, many will remember Tedde Moore warmly for her talent.

Godspeed Reggie Bannister

Reggie Bannister, best known for playing Reggie in the Phantasm movies, died on August 9, 2026, at the age of 80. In 2016, he had been diagnosed with both Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Reggie Bannister was born on September 29, 1945 in Long Beach, California. He was only three years old when he sang "If I Knew You Were Coming, I'd Have Baked a Cake" on the Los Angeles area program The Walkin’ Talkin’ Charlie Aldridge Show. He became a folk singer in the Sixties, performing with The Young Americans before joining The Greenwood County Singers. They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Hullabaloo, and other shows, In 1965, he ws drafted into the United States Army. He served as a radio operator and suffered some hearing loss due to exposure to .30- and .50-caliber weapons. He returned to music after his service ended, and would ultimately release six albums.

Reggie Bannister made his film debut in Jim, the World's Greatest in 1975. It as the first film produced, written, and directed by Don Coscarelli, who go onto direct Phantasm (1979). The two would become frequent collaborators, with Reggie Bannister not only appearing in the Phantasm movies, but Don Coscarelli's other movies as well. In the late Seventies, these included Kenny and Company (1976) and Phantasm (1979).

In the Eighties, Reggie Bannister appeared in Phantasm II (1988) and Survival Quest (1989). On television, he appeared on L.A. Law. In the Nineties, he appeared in Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994), That Little Monster (1994), The Demolitionist (1995), Wishmaster (1997), Drop Off (1997), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998), and Up Against Amanda (2000).

In the Naughts, he appeared in Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), Wolfsbayne (2005), Song of the Dead (2005), Journeyman (2005), Cemetery Gates (2006), Fallen Angels (2006), Interstate (2007), The Final Curtin (2007), The Rage (2007), Sigma Die! (2007), Necronaut (2007), Text (2008), It Came from Trafalgar (2009), Psychic Experiment (2009), Small Town Saturday Night (2010), The Quiet Ones (2010), Satan Hates You (2010), Sawblade (2010), and Not Another B Movie (2010). He provided a voice in an episode of the animated series Transformers Prime.

In the Teens, he guest starred on the show Zombie Family. He appeared in the movies Abolition (2011), Primitive (2011), Red and Blue Marbles (2011), The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (2012), Bloody Bloody Bible Camp (2012), Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami (2013), Doctor Spine (2015), Phantasm: Ravager (2016), The Obsidian Curse (2016), Bonejangles (2017), and Killer Waves 2 (2020).

Chances are good that Reggie Bannister will always be remembered as Reggie in the Phantasm movies. Indeed, Don Coscarelli based on the character on his friendship with Reggie Bannister. The gun-toting ice cream an would prove to be influential as an ordinary man turned action hero. Reggie pre-dated Bruce Campbell's character Ash form the Evil Dead movies by a couple of years. Arguably, he was the first everyman monster fighter in the history of horror movies. Along with Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man, he was the only actor to appear in every Phantasm move (A. Michael Baldwin was replaced as Mike Pearson by James LeGros in Phantasm II and then resumed the role with the third movie).

Of course, Reggie Bannister played other roles beyond Reggie in the Phantasm movies. One of his best roles was also one of his earliest, the somewhat eccentric teacher Mr. Donovan in Kenny & Company. In Buba Ho-Tep, he played the strict rest home administrator who runs afoul of Elvis (Bruce Campbell). In the short 'One for the Road," adapted from the Stephen King story of the same name, he played Herb Tooklander, who finds himself in 'Salems's Lot. Reggie Bannister was a talented actor and very much a horror icon.

Now on TikTok

I finally broke down and created a TikTok account. My brother has been on TikTok for ages and I also have several friends on it. It then made sense for me to get my own account.

So far I have enjoyed TikTok. I was under the impression that one could only post videos to it, but one can post photos as well. Also, unlike Instagram, TikTok allows for a variety of aspect ratios where videos are concerned. That's good, because I prefer the movie aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or the classic television aspect ratio of 4:3 to the phone ratio of 16:9 that Instagram seems to love.

Anyway, if you want to find me on TikTok, just search for Terence Towles Canote.

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)

Gregorio Cortez is a folk hero among Mexican Americans along the Rio Grande border in Texas. In 1901, he was questioned by Sheriff W. T. (Brack) Morris regarding a reported horse theft.  When asked by Sheriff Morris's interpreter Boone Choate if he had traded a horse, Gregorio Cortez  truthfully told him, "No." Mr. Cortez had traded a mare (in Spanish, yegua), which in Spanish is distinct from a male horse or stallion (in Spanish, caballo). Boone Choate misunderstood this, and as a result Sheriff Morris decided to arrest Gregorio Cortez and drew his gun. He shot Gregorio Cortez's brother Romaldo, after which Gregorio Cortez shot Sheriff Morris in self-defence. Gergorio Cortez then took his brother to Kenedy, Texas to seek medical treatment, after which he fled. He was then pursued by the Texas Rangers and other law enforcement in what was the biggest manhunt in U.S. history up to that time. He was captured on June 22, 1901, and tried for murder. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for second degree murder. This verdict was overturned and he was ultimately tried five more times, with the final trial resulting in life in prison for the alleged murder of Sheriff Robert M. Glover while he was on the run. In 1913,  Governor Oscar Colquitt issued him a conditional pardon.

Even as Gregorio Cortez was on the run, he was becoming something of a legend. He would become a folklore hero among Mexican Americans, admired for his ability to elude the Texas Rangers. The famous ballad "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez" dates back even as Gregorio Cortez was on the run and transformed Gregorio Cortez into a legend. A study of the evolution of Gregorio Cortez into a folklore hero, With a Pistol in His Hand by Américo Paredes, was published in 1958. The book would serve as the inspiration for the movie The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982).

The origins of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) go back to producer  Moctesuma Esparza, who had been active in the Chicano civil rights movement as a teenager in Los Angeles. After receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree at UCLA, he decided to devote himself to making movies that would combat the Latin stereotypes common on film for much of its history. He then brought his idea of producing Mexican American films based on books such as With a Pistol in His Hand to the National Council of La Raza. They helped him raise $1.3 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broad­casting. Part of this went to buying the film rights to With a Pistol in His Hand. 

To write the screenplay, Moctesuma Esparza hired Victor Villaseñor, who had written such novels as Macho! and Jury. To play Gregorio Cortez, he hired Edward James Olmos, who had appeared on stage in Zoot Suit (as well as the movie version) and the movie Wolfen (1981). It was Edward James Olmos who suggested Robert M. Young as the director. He had directed such movies as Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Plot Against Harry (1971),  and had directed Alambrista! (1977) in which Edward James Olmos had a bit part. He had also made public affairs programs for the TV program NBC White Paper. 

Ultimately, Moctezuma Esparza had to go to work on another project, so that Robert M. Young and Edward James Olmos would be responsible for much of the production of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. For the film's cinematographer, Mexican American Reynaldo Villalobos was hired. He had shot both Urban Cowboy (1980) and 9 to 5 (1980). He would work with Edward James Olmos again on American Me (1992). 

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) was screened at a San Antonio cinema before it aired as the final episode of the first season of the PBS series American Playhouse on June 29, 1982. The film received largely positive reviews. At the 1983 Sundance Film Festival it won a Special Jury Award. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2022.

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez does depart from history in that in the movie Gregorio Cortez does not speak English. However, according to records, Gregorio Cortez did speak English, although his command of the language may have been limited. 

One thing that is historically accurate about The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is the racism against Mexican Americans that existed in the early part of the 20th Century in Texas. Indeed, the movie challenges the idea of the Texas Rangers as heroic figures devoted to bringing in bad men. Despite their reputation in books, on film, and on television, the Texas Rangers have a history of violence against Mexican Americans. Indeed, it was in 1918 that the Texas Rangers, with local rangers and the U.S. Cavalry, killed 15 unarmed Mexican American boys and men outside Porvenir, Texas, despite having no proof that the villagers of Porvenir were involved in any wrongdoing. 

Although often described as a Western, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is perhaps best described as a period piece. It is true that it features many elements of the Western, such as horses, sixguns, and trains, but it is also set in 1901. Both automobiles and cars appear. Even if one considers it a Western, it is very different from any Western before it. Gregorio Cortez is not only portrayed sympathetically, but is the protagonist of the film. It is the Anglo lawmen pursuing him who come off as villains. Furthermore, Gregorio Cortez is clearly not a traditional Western hero. Beyond being Mexican American, he is extremely gentle with horses, even petting them, hugging them, and talking to them. In the movie, horses not merely transportation to Gregorio Cortez, but living beings to be treated with dignity and sympathy. Furthermore, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) does not climax with a gunfight, but with a criminal trial. 

In many ways, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) was a pioneering film. Released before such classics as Stand and Deliver (1988) and Mi Vida Loca (1994), The Ballad o Gregorio Cortez pre-dates the films devoted to Chicanos in the late Eighties into the Nineties. It was also one of the earliest independent movies released during the indie boom of the 1980s, pre-dating the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple (1994), Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi (1993), and Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It (1996). Whether regarded as a Western or not, it turns the Western genre's conventions upon its head, with a heroic Mexican American on the run and villainous Anglo lawmen. Early in the 1980s indie boom and released before the Chicano movie boom of the late Eighties and Nineties, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) is in many ways a remarkable movie. 

The Late Great Abbe Lane

Abbe Lane, the singer and actress who performed with her husband Xavier Cugat and appeared in both movies and on television, died on April 25, 2026 at the age of 93.

Abbe Lane was born Abigail Francine Lassman on December 14, 1932, in Brooklyn. She was raised in Manhattan. Her show business career began when she was only four years old, and a child she appeared on both radio and in the 1938 Vitaphone short "Toyland Casino." She also did some modelling. She attended the High School of Music and Art. In 1947, billed as Abbe Marshal, she appeared on Broadway in Barefoot Boy with Cheek. The following year she appeared on Broadway in As the Girls Do, still billed as Abbe Marshall. In 1949, she was signed as a vocalist on bandleader Vincent Lopez's television show.

Xavier Cugat was looking for a new vocalist when he saw Abbe Lane performing on stage. The following day he was a guest on Vincent Lopez's show, where he met Abbe Lane in person. He then hired her as his new vocalist. Abbe Lane's mother accompanied her for a year as she toured with Xavier Cugat. Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat married in 1952. The two recorded four albums together, and Abbe Lane appeared on Xavier Cugat's 1957 television show.. The two divorced in 1964. 

While Xavier Cugat once told her words to the effect that she would not be a success without him, Abbe Lane proved to have even more success on her own. She recorded albums with Tito Puente and Sid Ramin, as well as her own solo albums. She proved to be a popular act at nightclubs around the country and toured both the United States and Europe. She proved popular on television the 1950s, and appeared on such variety shows and talk shows as House Party, The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Steve Allen Show, The Tonight Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, Laugh-In, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Mike Douglas Show. She also appeared on game shows such as Password, The Match Game, To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, and Hollywood Squares.

In addition, Abbe Lane also acted in both films and on television.She made her movie debut in 1949 in the Italian film Al diavolo la celebrità. In the Fifties, she appeared in the films Wings of the Hawk (1953), Ride Clear of Diablo (1954), The Americano (1955), Chicago Syndicate (1955), Lo scapolo (1955), Quando tramonta il sole (1956), Donatella (1956), Tempo di villeggiatura (1956), Parola di ladro (1957), Susana y yo (1957), Totò, Vittorio e la dottoressa (1957), A sud niente di nuovo (1957), Maracaibo (1958), Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito (1959), Mariniai, donna e guai (1959), Roulotte e roulette (1959), I baccanali di Tiberio (1960), and My Friend, Dr. Jekyll (1960). She appeared on Broadway in Oh, Captain! in 1958.

In the Sixties, Abbe Lane continued to appear in films in Europe. During the decade, she appeared in Giulio Cesare contro i pirati (1962), Das Feuerschiff (1963), and Risate all'italiana (1964). She also made guest appearances on television on the shows Naked City, Burke's Law, F Troop, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Flying Nun, and The Brady Bunch. She was a voice in the animated television special Cricket on the Hearth. In the Seventies, she guest starred on Love, American Style and Vega$. In the Eighties, she guest starred on Hart to Hart and Amazing Stories. She appeared in the film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). 

It's no longer on YouTube, but on the video service there was a clip from The Dean Martin Show in which Dean Martin performed "Real Live Girl" with Abbe Lane and Sid Caesar. Ever since I first saw it, I can't help but think of the song when I think of Abbe Lane, as it certainly fit her. Abbe Lane was gorgeous, talented, intelligent, and blessed with a beautiful voice. She could speak four different languages fluently (English, French, Italian, and Spanish). She could sing. She could dance. She could act. She had a gift for comedy. 

Performers are sometimes described as triple threats. Abbe Lane was even more than that. While I was very young, I do have fond memories of Abbe Lane's appearances on variety shows and talk shows. She was a great singer and all-around performer.. In interviews, she displayed a great sense of humour and an enormous amount of wit. I better remember her guest appearances on scripted television shows, which I have seen in reruns. In the F-Troop episode "Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy," she played Lorelai Duval, a glamorous spy show charms the men of Fort Courage, particularly Captain Parameter (Ken Berry). On Naked City, she played model Estelle Reeves, who is having an affair with Maxwell Ronan (Keenan Wynn), who masterminds a fur heist. On The Brady Bunch, Abbe Lane played a snobbish, picky perfume heiress. Throughout her career a lot of attention was paid to Abbe Lane's looks, and there can be no doubt she was gorgeous, but she was also a gifted singer, a skilled dancer, a brilliant comedian, and a talented actress. She was a consummate performer. 

"Here, There and Everywhere" by The Beatles

Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' album Revolver. It is my favourite Beatles album and I consider it the greatest album ever made. It is also one of two Beatles albums on which my favourite song is by George Harrison. In the case of Revolver, it is "Taxman." Today I will share with you another song "Here, There and Everywhere." It is my favourite song by Paul McCartney and he also considers it his favourite song. The Beach Boys' song "God Only Knows" served as inspiration for "Here, There and Everywhere." Jane Asher, whom Paul was dating at the time, is also assumed to have been a source of inspiration for the song. 

The video below was made in 2022 by Trunk Animation and portrays The Beatles on tour during the Revolver era. Trunk Animation has also created other videos for The Beatles, including "Back in the U.S.S.R." in 2018, "Glass Onion" in 2018, and "Here Comes the Sun" in 2019.

Godspeed Scott Hylands

Scott Hylands, who starred on the show Night Heat and appeared in the movie Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969), died on July 29, 2026, at the age of 83. In October 2021, he had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Scott Hyalnds was born Scott Hyalnds Douglas in Lethbridge, Alberta on February 27, 1943. His father was killed in action during World War II. His mother was a public health nurse and later a maths teacher. He grew up in British Columbia and attended Shawnigan Lake Boys School on Vancouver Island. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1964.

Following college, Scott Hylands moved to New York. He appeared in an off-Broadway production of Billy Liar in 1965. That same year he was an understudy on Broadway in And Things That Go Bump in the Night. He spent several years in San Francisco with the American Conservatory Theatre, In 1969, he made his film debut in Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, playing the antagonist in the film. He also appeared in the movies Operation Snafu (1970) and Fools (1970).

In 1971, Scott Hylands made his television debut in the unsold pilot Earth II. During the Seventies, he guest starred on the shows The Sixth Sense; The Streets of San Francisco; Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law; Gfiff; Kung Fu; Ironside; The Magician; Harry O; Medical Story; Police Woman; Joe Forrester; Cannon; Medical Center; Barreta; The Quest; Wonder Woman; Police Story; Baa Baa Black Sheep; For the Record; Project U.F.O.; Insight; and When the Whistle Blows. He appeared in the mini-series The Lives of Benjamin Franklin and Centennial. He appeared in the movies Slipstream (1973), The Visitor (1973), Earthquake (1973), Bittersweet Love (1976), The Boys in Company C (1978), and Coming Out Alive (1980).

It was in 1985 that Scott Hylands began a four season run as Detective Kevin "O.B." O'Brien on the TV series Night Heat. Night Heat was the first Canadian drama to air simultaneously on Canadian and American television. It was also the first original, first run television show to air in a late-night time slot on American television. It aired on CTV in Canada and on CBS Late Night in the United States. During the Eighties, Scott Hylands also guest starred on the shows The Waltons; Today's F.B.I.; Hart to Hart; Cassie & Co.; The Powers of Matthew Star; The Yellow Rose; Airwolf; Blue Thunder; and Street Legal. He appeared in the mini-series Tales of the Klondike and George Washington. He appeared in the movies Death Hunt (1981), Isaac Littlefeathers (1984), and The Oasis (1984). He appeared on Broadway in The Queen and the Rebels.

In the Nineties, Scott Hylands guest starred on the shows Counterstrike; Palace Guard; Beyond Reality; Neon Rider; Top Cops; Street Justice; Sweating Bullets; Scales of Justice; Matrix; Kung Fu: The Legend Continues; Secret Service; Cobra; NYPD Blue; Lonesome Dove: The Series; The X-Files; F/X: The Series; Due South; The Outer Limits; Stargate SG-1; and Cold Squad. He appeared in the mini-series To Catch a Killer and Titanic. He appeared in the movie Decoy (1995).

In the Naughts, Scott Hyland had recurring roles on the shows Falcon Beach and V. He guest starred on the shows The Outer Limits; MythQuest; Mutant X; The Twilight Zone; The Dead Zone; Eureka; Whistler; The Guard; and Shatter. He appeared in the movies Ignition (2001), Pursued (2004), The Hamster Cage (2005), Freezer Burn: The Invasion of Laxdale (2008), and Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010).

In the Teens, Scott Hylands guest starred on the shows Supernatural; Artic Air; Guidestones; The Returned; Once Upon a Time; Heartland; and Wynonna Earp. He appeared in the movies Knockout (2011), Becoming Redwood (2012), Rememory (2017), and Elsewhere (2017).

There is little wonder that Scott Hylands was as prolific as he was. With his talent, he was very much in demand. In his movie debut, he gave a chilling performance as the psychopath Kenneth Daly in Daddy's Gone A-Hunting. Years later he played level-headed, experience police detective Kevin O'Brien. Over the years he played everything from villains to heroes and everything in between. He played John Jacob Astor Iv in the mini-series Titanic. In the mini-series Centennial, he played Mike Lasater, a drover on a cattle drive. In his final appearance, on the show Wynonna Earp, he played Wyatt Earp. During his career, Scott Hyland played everything from police officers to criminals, to military officers and yet other roles. What is more, he always gave a good performance.

The Decline of the Variety Show on American Television

Sonny & Cher

It was on this date that The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour debuted on CBS. In many ways, along with The Flip Wilson Show, it was a last hurrah for variety shows. The format had been popular on American television from their inception in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, but while the 1970s the majority of variety shows saw only moderate success. Some only lasted a few months or a few weeks.

Variety shows were an old form entertainment even as they made their way to television in the late Forties. They had their origins in the music halls of United Kingdom and vaudeville in the United States during the Victorian Era. Both the music halls of the United Kingdom and vaudeville in the United States often featured a variety of acts on one evening's bill. For instance, a singer might be followed by a magician who might be followed by acrobats and who in turn might be followed by a comedian. The British music halls faded after 1918, while American vaudeville largely vanished from view after 1930.

Of course, the variety format was hardly dead, as it found its way to radio. Many of the early variety shows on radio were hosted by individuals who had honed their craft on the vaudeville circuit. Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Fanny Brice, Edgard Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, and yet others had all started on vaudeville. Of course, radio would eventually produce its own variety show stars who had little or no connection to vaudeville, including Goodman Ace and Arthur Godfrey, among others.

Given their popularity on television, it was inevitable that variety shows would find their way to television. The first regularly scheduled variety show, Hour Glass, debuted on May 9, 1946 on NBC.Hour Glass would not last long, but it paved the way for more successful variety shows. Toast of the Town, hosted by newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan debuted on June 20, 1948 and ran until 1971. It was renamed The Ed Sullivan Show, by which it was informally known, in 1955. The Ed Sullivan Show was a variety show in the truest sense. For example, its most famous episode, aired on February 9, 1964, not only introduced the United States to The Beatles, but featured such diverse acts as the cast of Oliver, comedian and impressionist Frank Gorshin, singer Tessie O'Shea, the comedy team of McCall and Brill, and the acrobats Welly and the Four Fays. Toast of the Town was not the only successful variety show to emerge in the late Forties. Texaco Star Theatre, hosted by Milton Berle, Arthur Godfrey and His Friends The Arthur Murray Party, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Garry Moore Show, and others emerged in the late 1940s and saw a good deal of success.

The variety show would continue to see a good deal of success in the 1950s, with many of the shows that debuted in the late 1940s continuing through the decade. The 1950s also saw the debut of such successful variety shows as The Red Skelton Show, The Dinah Shore Show, The George Gobel Show, and others. An argument can be made the 1960s may have been the height of the variety show on television in the United States. The decade saw the debut of such hits as a new version of The Jackie Gleason Show, a new primetime version of The Garry Moore Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, The Carol Burnett Show,  The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Hee-Haw, and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.  From the Fifties into the Sixties, variety shows did evolve. More and more as time passed, variety shows began to only feature music and comedy sketches, doing away with such variety acts as acrobats and magicians.

At the start of the Seventies, it must not have seem possible that there would be a time when variety shows weren't airing on American television. While The Ed Sullivan Show and The Red Skelton Show were cancelled due to the Rural Purge (Red Skelton would move to NBC for one last season), there were still plenty of other variety shows on the air, including The Carol Burnett Show and The Dean Martin Show. For many, the success of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour may have signalled that the variety show was here to stay. As it turned out, it was not the case.

While The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour would be a hit, there would be fewer hit variety shows on American television than in previous decades. The Flip Wilson Show and The Muppet Show, proved to be hits, whle Donny & Marie, and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters saw some success. The Mac Davis Show and Tony Orlando & Dawn both lasted about two seasons. Regardless, there were many more shows that lasted only a season. Some didn't even last that. Even having a big name host might not save a variety show from low ratings in the Seventies. Helen Reddy had topped the charts in the early to mid-Seventies, but The Helen Reddy Show only lasted eight episodes. Van Dyke and Company, starring the legendary Dick Van Dyke, only lasted for three months. Others had even briefer runs. The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour only lasted for five episodes. 

By the early 1980s, the writing was on the wall for variety shows. During the 1981-1982 season, only two variety shows aired. The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour only lasted for five episodes. Barbara Mandell and the Mandrell Sisters was still on the air and lasted the entire season, but it ended its run because of strain on Barbara Mandrell's vocal cords. The 1982-1983 season saw no variety shows on American network television, the first such season since 1948. While variety shows have aired on the American networks since, none have seen any real success.

It is difficult to say why variety shows fell out of vogue, but it seems likely that there were multiple reasons. Among the biggest reasons may have been changing music tastes in the American public. e sort of traditional American pop, sung by artists from Bing Crosby to Andy Williams, began to decline in popularity with the rise of rock 'n' roll in the Fifties. American music would diversify even more as the Sixties became the Seventies. Quite simply, it became increasingly difficult to find a musical performer who would appeal to a wide swathe of the American public the same way that erry Como, Bing Crosby, or Andy Williams had. As to rock and R&B  performers, they might make appearances on variety shows, but the vast majority apparently showed no interest in hosting one. The 1976 summer replacement series The Jacksons was an exception.

Another reason for the fall of the variety show may have been that American television itself began to diversify. It is perhaps no coincidence that the decline of the variety show took place at roughly the same time as the rise of cable television. From the beginning of network broadcasts in the mid to late Forties into the Eighties, many hen many communities in the United States had access to as few as two to three TV channels.  The Seventies and Eighties saw enormous growth for cable television and hence cable channels. Many households went from having access to only a few channels to many channels. This meant the networks had more competition than they ever had before. Through the Eighties, Nineties, and Naughts, the broadcast networks would gradually lose their audience to the numerous cable channels that had emerged. It's possible one of the victims of this phenomenon is that variety shows lost what remaining audience they had.

Yet another possible reason for the decline of variety shows could be considered entirely subjective. Quite simply, many of them were just plain bad. Pink Lady and Jeff is often counted among the worst shows of all time, but it was not alone receiving terrible reviews where variety shows are concerned. The Brady Bunch Variety Hour wasn't nearly as bas as Pink Lady and Jeff, but it didn't receive very good reviews either. The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour, hosted by two life-size puppets, received absolutely wretched reviews. While Jim Stafford had a string of novelty hits in the early to mid-Seventies, The Jim Stafford Show was largely panned. By the time many of these shows aired, the variety show was already going down. It seems possible that they may have actually hastened its demise.

The variety show would have an impact on sketch comedy shows, such as Saturday Night Live, In Living Color, and Culture Clash, as well as late night talk shows, but the format is pretty much extinct on American television. That is a shame, as the variety shows of old gave audiences, well, variety. One could tune into The Ed Sullivan Show and see musicians, comedians, and even acrobats and magicians. Unlike episodic and serial television shows, one could come into the middle of a variety show without worry of having missed something. Variety shows are now  a thing of the past, and it is sad that they became so.

TCM: Films on Film

Longtime Turner Classic Movies viewers may recall that the channel showed documentaries on weekends under the title Films on Film. On September 4, 2026, Films on Film is returning to TCM, although with a slightly different format.  Films on Film will feature a documentary followed by movies dealing with the subject of the documentary. It will be hosted by Ben Mankiewicz and airs at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central on Fridays. 

Films on Film debuts on September 4 with the documentary Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause (2025), followed by several of his movies. The following weeks will see documentaries on composer Ennio Morricone, Latino Heritage Month, Anti-Nazi Comedies, Lon Chaney, director John Boorman, Alfred Hitchcock's Blondes, Expressionism in Hollywood, and Vincent Price. You can find a full schedule through October 30, 2026 at the TCM website.

The 60th Anniversary of the Movie Batman (1966)

It was sixty years ago today that the feature film Batman (1966), based on the TV show of the same name and starring Adam West and Burt Ward, premiered at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. At the time, it was not unusual for television shows to be adapted as movies with most of their original cast intact. Dragnet, The Lineup, Our Miss Brooks, and The Munsters had all seen big screen adaptations. What separated Batman from these movies was that it was the smash hit of the 1965-1966 season. It would have perhaps been more surprising if Batman had not made it to the big screen.

The origins of the movie Batman ;(1966)go back to before the television series debuted. Originally, producer William Dozier wanted to make a feature film to promote the television show. In the end, the movie would be put on hold. Foremost among the reasons for this is that 20th Century Fox would have to shoulder the entire burden for the budget of the feature film, while ABC would help with the costs of the television show. 20th Century Fox wanted to know for certain that they had a hit on their hands before they even considered a Batman movie.

Yet another reason may have been the fact that ABC moved up the debut of the TV series Batman. It was originally set to debut in the fall of 1966. This changed when it became obvious that the start of the fall 1965 season was catastrophic as far as the ratings were concerned. . In the 1964/1965 season ABC closely followed CBS and NBC in the ratings. In the early months of the 1965/1966 season, ABC was a distant third. ABC then did a drastic revamp of their schedule at mid-season, promoting it as "the Second Season." To do this, ABC needed shows. This meant that Batman would have to debut a whole nine months earlier, in either late December or early January. It simply would not have been possible to produce and release a movie in that time.

Batman proved not only to be a smash hit, but an outright fad during the winter and spring of 1966. Batman merchandise filled store shelves across the nation. It probably surprised no one when 20th Century Fox decided to go forward with a Batman movie. Of course, much of the reason 20th Century Fox decided to go forward with the movie was to promote the series overseas. s. While already airing in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Batman had yet to air in Europe, Japan, or Asia, places where people might not be familiar with the original characters from the comic books. 20th Century Fox then saw the film as a tool with which they could introduce the characters to foreign markets.

The movie Batman (1966) saw four of Batman's archenemies united in a plot involving the kidnapping of dehydrated members of the United World's Security Council. sar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin reprised their roles as The Joker, The Penguin, and The Riddler respectively. Julie Newmar had other commitments that prevented her from doing the movie, so Lee Meriwether took over the role of Catwoman.

Like the TV series, the movie Batman featured big name actors beyond the villains. In fact, it would be Reginald Denny's last film. He played Commodore Schmidlapp. Milton Fromme appeared as Vice Admiral Fangschliester. The voice of the President of the United States went uncredited, although it was provided by another big name. Van Williams, set to appear as the Green Hornet in the fall, provided the voice.

The Batman movie was made for a budget of $1, 377, 800, much larger than that of the TV series. Because of the shooting schedule of the show, it had to be filmed in between the end of shooting for the first season and the start of filming for the second season. It introduced the Batcycle, the Batboat, and the Batcopter. An often overlooked fact is that it was the first Batman feature film ever made. It also marked the feature film debut of The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler.

Contrary to popular belief, 20th Century Fox did a good deal of promotion for the film in the United States. The studio also took every precaution to insure that viewers knew this was not a compilation of episodes from the series (as was the case with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movies), but an all original movie. Ads for the film boasted that it was "All New, Made Especially for the Giant Motion Picture Screen!" Unfortunately, the film opened to mixed reviews. And despite the promotion the movie received, it only did moderately well at the box office. For another film, this might be seen as a success, but this was a film based on the hit television series of 1966. That the Batman movie only did moderate business at the box office was perhaps a sign that Batmania was winding down.

The movie Batman (1966) aired on the very network that had cancelled the original series, ABC, on The ABC Sunday Night Movie on July 5, 1971. It aired again on The ABC Sunday Night Movie on September 5, 1971. The movie would enter syndication so that it would show up on local television stations throughout the Seventies and into the Eighties.

The Batman (1966) feature film would prove to have a lasting impact. The Bat Shark Repellent that appears in the movie has become something of a running joke ever since, Curiously, it was not invented for the movie, but first appeared in Batman no. 117 (August, 1958). It has since been referenced in the video game Batman: Arkham City, The Lego Batman Movie (2017), the animated series Harley Quinn, and the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Another memorable scene, in which Batman tries to get rid of a bomb with the line "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb," has become something of an internet meme.

In the end, while the movie Batman movie saw only modest success upon its release, it has become a lasting part of Batman's history and popular culture. Other movies based on TV shows from Dragnet (1954) to Munster, Go Home! (1966), may only be remembered by TV historians and fans, but the movie Batman (1966) remains popular to his day, even having aired on Turner Classic Movies and having been shown at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

Godspeed Antoinette Bower

Antoinette Bower, who guest stared on such shows as The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West, and Star Trek, died on April 30, 2026, at the age of 93.

Antoinette Bower as born on September 30, 1932, in Baden, Germany. Her mother was German, while her father was English. She was educated in England. Her family later moved to Canada. Following World War II, she was a field language supervisor and welfare counsellor with the United Nations' International Refugee Organization. In 1953, she moved to Canada where her family was, and took a job with the CBC. She interviewed people, wrote scripts, and worked in public affairs. She took up acting, and made her television debut in a CBC adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Telltale Heart" in 1958. In the late Fifties, she guest starred on the shows The Unforeseen, Hudson Bay, and Heritage.

In the Sixties, Antoinette Bower was very busy, making multiple guest appearances on television shows. She guest starred on such shows as Hong Kong; The Tab Hunter Show; The Aquanauts; Adventures in Paradise; Have Gun--Will Travel; Wagon Train; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Thriller; Hawaiian Eye; Kraft Mystery Theatre; Perry Mason; Combat!; The Twilight Zone; The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters; The Great Adventure; The Man From U.N.C.L.E.; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Burke's Law; Convoy; The Wild Wild West; Ben Casey; 12 O' Clock High; The Wackiest Ship in the Army; I Spy; A Man Called Shenandoah; Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre; Jericho; Iron Horse; T.H.E. Cat; The Fugitive; The Invaders; Star Trek; Mission: Impossible; Ironside; Tarzan; The Felony Squad; Cowboy in Africa; The Big Valley; Bonanza; Insight; Mannix; Hawaii Five-O; Get Smart; Lancer; The Name of the Game; Hogan's Heroes; and The Young Lawyers. She made her movie debut in Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962.

In the Seventies, she guest starred on the shows Mission: Impossible; Ironside; The Whiteoaks of Jaina; Search; Hawkins; The F.B.I.; The Starlost; The Collaborators; Wide World of Mystery; Columbo; Archer; Cannon; The Six Million Dollar Man; and Kojak. She appeared in the movies The Mephisto Waltz (1971), Superbeast (1972), Die, Sister, Die! (1978), and Prom Night (1980).

Starting in 1989, Antoinette Bower was a regular on the Canadian series Neon Rider. She guest starred on the show Hart to Hart; Bring 'Em Back Alive; The Thorn Birds; and Murder, She Wrote. She appeared in the movies Blood Song (1982), Time Walker (1982), The Evil That Men Do (1984), and Club Paradise (1986). She continued to appear on Neon Rider until 1992, when she retired from acting.

It was little wonder that Antoinette Bower was in such demand for guest appearances, as she could play a wide variety of roles. In The Twilight Zone episode "Probe 7, Over and Out," she plays a humanoid alien stranded on a planet whom an astronaut, also stranded on the planet, encounters. On the Star Trek episode "Catspaw," she played Sylvia, a sadistic alien who could do everything from change shape to control minds. On Lancer, she played a con woman named Angeline Ferris involved in a plot to kill Jelly (Paul Brinegar) for insurance money. Over the years, Antoinette Bower played everything from a murderous nurse on Alfred Hitchcock Presents to an animal trainer (and femme fatale) on The Wild Wild West to the wife of a photographer on Columbo. Antoinete Bower was a versatile actress and she always gave good performances.

"Anti-Summersong" by The Decemberists

As many of you know, I hate summer. About the only things good about it are flowers, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Other than that, it is a hot, miserable, muggy time of year when there's way too much daylight and far too many allergens. Of course, it doesn't help that many of the people who meant the most to me died in the summer. Anyway, this summer has been worse than most. So many of my favourite actors and musicians have died this summer that I swear the vast of majority of my posts since June have been eulogies. And then this summer there have been far too many days with heat indices of over 100. Anyway, for those of you who also hate summer, here's a song for you. "Anti-Summersong" by The Decemberists. 

Godspeed Louis Lasser

Louise Lasser, best known as the star of the show Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, died on July 6, 2026, at the age of 87.

Louise Lasser was born on April 11, 1939, in New York City. Her father, S. Jay Lasser was a tax expert who wrote the book Everybody's Income Tax Guide. Louise Lasser studied political science at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. While there she took part in the school's musicals. She left college after three years and went back to New York City. She then began studying acting under Sanford Meisner and stared performing in Greenwich Village bars and coffee shops, as well as taking part in improvisational revues.

Louise Lasser understudied Barbara Streisand on Broadway in I Can Get It for You Wholesale. In the production, she was also the replacement for Rosaline (originally played by Marion Fels) and later Miss Marmelstein (originally played by Barbara Streisand). In the Sixties, she appeared on Broadway in Henry, Sweet Henry and The Chinese and Dr. Fish. In 1962, she appeared in an unaired pilot The Laughmakers starring Alan Alda. She made her television debut in an episode of the daily soap opera The Doctors in 1965. She made her movie debut in 1965 in What's New Pussycat. She appeared in the movie Take the Money and Run (1969). She was the voice of tiger lily in What's Up, Tiger Lily?, a comic redub by Woody Allen of the 1965 Japanese spy movie International Secret Police: Key of Keys.

It was in 1976 that Louise Lasser began her run as the title character on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In the Seventies, she guest starred on the shows Love, American Style; The Bob Newhart Show; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Love Story; McCloud; and Medical Center. She appeared in several TV movies, including Class of '55 and Coffee, Tea or Me?. She appeared in the movies Bananas (1971), Such Good Friends (1971), Everything You Want to Know About Sex*But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), Slither (1973), Stardust Memories (1980), and In God We Tru$t (1980). In 1974, she appeared on Broadway in Thieves.

In the Eighties, Louise Lasser was a regular on the sitcom It's a Living in its second season. She guest starred on the shows Taxi; Laverne & Shirley; and St. Elsewhere. She appeared in the movies Crimewave (1985), The Perils of P.K. (1986), Blood Rage (1987), Surrender (1987), Sing (1989), Rude Awakening (1989), Modern Love (1990), and Frakenhooker (1990).

In the Nineties, she appeared in the movies The Night We Never Met (1993), Layin' Low (1996), Sudden Manhattan (1996), Happiness (1998), Mystery Men (1999), Requiem for a Dream (1990), and Fast Food Fast Women (1990). She guest starred on the show Empty Nest.

In the Naughts, Louise Lasser guest starred on the show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She appeared in the movies Queenie in Love (2001), Wolves of Wall Street (2002), and Lady Killers (2003). In the Teens, she guest starred on three episodes of Girls.  Her last films were Driving Me Crazy: Proof of Concept (2012) and Funny Pages (2022). 

Louise Lasser was a very talented actress.She was perfect as Mary Hartman, the stereotypical housewife who was obsessed with keeping her floors clean and TV dinners. She was also brilliant as Nancy, the aloof social activist in the movie Bananas. Over the years, she played a number of roles, both large and small, in movies. In Happiness, she played the mother of three sisters who finds herself going through a divorce. In Mystery Men, she played Violet, the doting other of The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria). Over the years, she appeared in a wide variety of roles, and gave a good performance every time. 

TCM Summer Under the Stars 2026

TCM Summer Under the Stars returns to Turner Classic Movies next month. Like many TCM fans, I always look forward to it, my only caveat being that Noir Alley is off for a whole month. Regardles, this year has some of my favourite stars and there are also several days devoted to stars who are entirely new to Summer Under the Stars. These include Diane Keaton, George Hamilton, Marie Windsor, Bonita Granville, and Brock Peters. TCM's hosts also got to pick stars to whom days would be devoted to. Eddie Muller picked Joan Bennett, Jacqueline Stewart picked Hattie McDaniel. Alicia Malone picked Barbara Stanwyck. And Dave Karger picked Dana Andrews.

One problem I do have with this year's Summer Under the Stars is some odd scheduling in my mind. While I love The Blob (1958), I would have probably scheduled one of the movies more representative of Steve McQueen's work, like The Magnificent Seven (1960) or The Great Esxape (1963), in prime time. With regards to Jack Lemmon's movies, I would have scheduled The Great Race (1965) later in the day. It's one of my all-time favourite movies, but I don't want to get up at 5:00 AM to watch it! And I honestly don't know what Turner Classic Movies was thinking with regards to the schedule for Robert Redford. They aren't showing Barefoot in the Park (1967) or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), yet we get Out of Africa (1985) in prime time. It may have won several Academy Awards, but is both one of my least favourite Robert Redford moives and my least favourite Sydney Pollack movies. Anyway, I will stop complaining. I guess we should be thankful we have Summer Under the Stars at all.

As is my custom here at A Shroud of Thoughts, I have picked out my favourite movies airing this Summer Under the Stars. Here is a when they air. As usual, all times are Central.

August 1, Doris Day:
10:30 AM Calamity Jane (1953)
2:45 PM Teacher's Pet (1958)
5:00 PM Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)
7:00 PM Love Came Back (1962)

August 2, Humphrey Bogart:
7:00 AM Dark Victory (1939)
11L00 AM Casablanca (1942)
1:00 PM Beat the Devil (1954)
3:00 PM We're No Angels (1955)
5:00 PM The Big Sleep (1946)
1:00 AM Dark Passage (1947)

August 4, Glenn Ford:
3:00 PM The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
7:00 PM The Big Heat (1954)
10:45 PM The Blackboard Jungle (1955)

August 5, Joan Bennett:
12:30 PM The Woman on the Beach (1954)
3:15 PM The Woman in the Window (1944)
5:00 PM Scarlet Street (1945)
7:00 PM Man Hunt (1941)
9:00 PM Father of the Bride (1950)
11:00 PM Suspira (1977)
1:00 AM House of Dark Shadows (1970)

August 6, Diane Keaton:
11:00 AM Baby Boom (1987)
7:00 PM Shoot the Moon (1982)
9:15 PM Annie Hall (1977)
12:45 AM Sleeper (1973)

August 7, Basil Rathbone:
10:30 AM A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
12:45 PM Captain Blood (1935)
4:30 PM The Woman in Green (1945)
5:45 PM Dressed to Kill (1946)
7:00 PM The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
11:00 PM Tower of London (1939)

August 8, Steve McQueen:
7:15 AM The Getaway (1972)
11:45 PM The Magnificent Seven (1960)
2:00 PM The Great Escape (1963)
5:00 PM The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
7:00 PM The Blob (1958)
8:30 PM Bullitt (1968)
10:30 PM Papillon (1973)

August 9, Gene Tierney:
11:00 PM The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1947)
1:00 PM Dragonwyck (1946)
5:00 PM Heaven Can Wait (1943)
7:00 PM Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
9:00 PM Night and the City (1950)
11:00 PM The Razor's Edge (1946)

August 10, George Hamilton:
1:00 PM Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
3:00 PM Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding (1967)
9:00 PM  Where the Boys Are (1960)

August 11, Barbara Stanwyck:
9:30 AM The Mad Mrs. Manton (1938)
7:00 PM The Lady Eve (1941)
9:00 PM Ball of Fire (1941)
11:00 PM Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
12:45 AM The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

August 12, Groucho Marx:
2:00 PM A Day at the Races (1937)
4:00 PM A Night at the Opera (1935)
5:45 PM Horse Feathers (1932)
7:00 PM Duck Soup (1933)
8:30 PM Animal Crackers (1930)
10:30 PM Monkey Busines (1931)

August 13, Susan Hayward:
5:00 AM Tulsa (1949)
7:00 PM Valley of the Dolls (1967)
11:30 PM I'l Cry Tomorrow (1955)
3:30 AM Deadline at Dawn (1946)

August 14, Jack Lemmon:
5:00 AM The Great Race (1965)
7:45 AM Mister Roberts (1955)
10:00 AM Irma La Douce (1963)
12:30 PM How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
2:30 PM The Fortune Cookie (1966)
4:45 PM The Apartment (1960)
10:45 PM Some Like It Hot (1959)

August 15, Natalie Wood:
2:45 PM Splendor in the Grass (1961)
5:00 PM Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
7:00 PM West Side Story (1960)
11:45 PM Penelope (1966)
1:30 AM Cash McCall (1960)

August 16, Cary Grant:
7:00 AM Mr. Lucky (1943)
11:00 AM My Favorite Wife (1940)
12:45 PM His Girl Friday (1940)
4:30 PM North by Northwest (1959)
7:00 PM Gunga Din (1939)

August 17, Rosalind Russell:
10:00 AM Night Must Fall (1937)
12:00 PM Design for Scandal (1941)
5:15 PM The Velvet Touch (1948)
7:00 PM Auntie Mame (1958)
9:30 PM Gypsy (1962)
12:00 AM The Trouble with Angels (1966)

August 18, Robert Redford:
9:00 AM The Canidate (1972)
12:45 PM The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
5:00 PM The Way We Were (1973)
10:00 PM The Sting (1973)

August 20, Marlon Brando:
12:00 PM Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
5:30 PM The Wild One (1953)
7:00 PM A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

August 21, Marie Windsor:
5:00 AM Song of the Thin Man (1947)
2:15 PM Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
7:00 PM The Narrow Margin (1952)
8:30 PM Force of Evil (1948)
10:00 PM The Killing (1956)
1:!5 AM The Outfit (1973)
3:15 AM Hearts of the West (1975)

August 22, John Wayne:
9:30 AM 3 Godfathers (1948)
7:00 PM The High and Mighty (1954)
1:45 AM Stagecoach (1939)

August 23, Katharine Hepburn:
9:15 AM Stage Door (1937)
11:00 AM Woman of the Year (1942)
3:00 PM Bringing Up Baby (1938)
5:00 PM The Philadelphia Story (1940)
1:00 AM Rooster Cogburn (1975)

August 24, Dana Andrews:
7:00 AM A Walk in the Sun (1945)
11:00 AM While the City Sleeps (1956)
5:00 PM Brainstorm (1965)
7:00 PM Laura (1944)
10:15 PM The Loved One (1965)
12:30 PM The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

August 25, Bonita Granville:
8:00 AM Merrily We Live (1938)
11:00 AM Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)
7:00 PM These Three (1936)
10:00 PM Nancy Drew...Detective (1938)
11:15 PM Nancy Drew...Reporter (1939)
12:30 AM Nancy Drew...Trouble Shooter (1939)
1:45 AM Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)

August 26, James Stewart:
8:45 AM You Can't Take It With You (1938)
11:00 AM The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
3:00 PM Carbine Williams (1952)
5:00 PM Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
7:00 PM Vertigo (1958)
9:15 PM Rear Window (1954)
11:15 PM Rope (1952)

August 27, Bette Davis:
8:00 AM Of Human Bondage (1934)
3:00 PM Now, Voyager (1942)
7:00 PM All About Eve (1950)
9:30 PM The Catered Affair (1956)
11:30 PM The Little Foxes (1941)

August 28, Brock Peters:
5:00 AM Carmen Jones (1954)
8:45 AM Sergeant Dundee (1965)
1:15 PM Soylent Green (1973)
7:00 PM To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
11:00 PM The Pawnbroker (1964)

August 29, Rita Hayworth:
7:00 AM The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
9:00 AM Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
3:00 PM Pal Joey (1957)
7:00 PM Gilda (1944)
9:00 PM Cover Girl (1944)

August 30, Joel McCrea:
11:00 AM Sullivan's Travels (1941)
1:00 PM The Palm Beach Story (1942)
2:45 PM Foreign Correspondent (1940)
5:00 PM The More the Merrier (1943)
7:00 PM Ride the High Country (1962)
3:45 PM The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

August 31, Ava Gardner:
6:30 AM Lone Star (1952)
2:30 PM Seven Days in May (1962)
4:45 PM The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
9:15 PM Night of the Iguana (1964)
11:30 PM The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Godspeed Freddy Cannon

Freddy Cannon, best known for such songs as "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," "Palisades Park," and "Action," died on July 17, 2026, at the age of 89. He also appeared on Svengoolie and wrote the songs "Svengoolie Stomp" and "Hey, Svengoolie" for the show.

Freddy Cannon was born Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. on December 4, 1936, in Revere, Massachusetts. He grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts. His father was a truck driver, but also sang and played the trumpet in local bands. Exposed to music early in life, Freddy Cannon listened to such music artists as Big Joe Turner and Buddy Johnson on the radio. He was very young when he learned to play guitar. He made his recording debut playing guitar on the single "Cha-Cha-Do" by The Spindrifts, which proved to be a local hit in the Lynn, Massachusetts area. He also played guitar on The G-Clefs' single "Ka-Ding Dong," which peaked at no. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Freddy Cannon formed his own band, Freddy Karmon & The Hurricanes, which achieved popularity in the Greater Boston Area. About the same time, he became a regular on the local TV program Boston Ballroom. It was an early recording of the song Tallahassee Lassie" that drew the attention of Dick Clark, who at the time owned part of Swan Records. The song was eventually released by Swan Records, and it was Swan Records president Bernie Binnick who suggested the stage name "Freddy Cannon."

"Tallahassee Lassie" peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, becoming Freddy Cannon's first hit. It was followed by such hits as "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" in 1959, "Jump Over" in 1960, "Palisades Park' in 1962, "Abigail Beecher' in 1964, and "Action" in 1965. His first album, "The Explosive Freddy Cannon," was released in 1960. It was followed by several more albums.

Although his last major hits were in the 1960s, he continued to record singles into the Eighties. He recorded the Boston Red Sox anthem "The Sox Are Rockin'" in 2013. He later recorded the songs "Svengoolie Stomp" and 'Hey Svengoolie" for the TV show Svengoolie, on which he also appeared.

Freddy Cannon appeared on such shows as Shindig!, Shivaree, Hollywood Discotheque, Hollywood a Go Go, Where the Action Is, and American Bandstand at the height of his career. He later appeared on such shows as The Midnight Special and Hollywood Squares. He also guest starred on the shows No Time for Sergeants and Never Too Young, and the movie Village of the Giants (1965).

Freddy Cannon was nicknamed "Boom Boom," and it was a fitting nickname for him. His songs were the equivalent of a good, adrenaline-driven, popcorn. movie. Freddy Cannon's vocals were high-energy and belted out raw and raspy. He definitely was not a crooner. Adding more energy to his songs were booming bass drums and handclaps, hard-driving guitars, and conspicuous saxophones and pianos. In the end, his songs were high-energy fun. He never was one for ballads.And he would have an impact on music artists from The Rolling Stones to Alex Chilton of The Box Tops and Big Star to The Ramones.

"Palisades Park" by Freddy Cannon

It has been another long, hot day and I don't feel up to a full-fledged post today. I plan to eulogize Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon tomorrow. He died on July 17, 2026 at the age of 89 after a brief fight with cancer. I've enjoyed his songs since childhood, when I would hear them on oldies programs and oldies radio stations. More recently, I enjoyed his appearances on Svengoolie, for which he wrote the songs "Hey Svengoolie" and "The Svengoolie Stomp." What was so wonderful about Freddy Cannon's music is that it was always fun and upbeat. I don't think he ever did a broken-hearted ballad. His songs were the equivalent of a good popcorn movie. No matter how bad your day was, they let you escape your troubles for a time. 

His biggest hit was probably "Palisades Park," written by Chuck Barris (yes, that Chuck Barris). In 1962, it went to no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would later be covered by everyone from Jan & Dean to The Beach Boys to The Ramones. Like most of Freddy Cannon's song, it is a lot of fun and lists a lot of actual rides at Palisades Park. Anyhow, for now I will leave you with "Palisades Park" by the late, great Freddy Cannon.

"Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles

Today has been a long, hot day, so I don't feel up to a full blog post. It was today in 1968 that the animated movie Yellow Submarine, based on music of The Beatles, premiered at the London Pavilion at Piccadilly Circus. I  will then leave you with the song from which the movie takes its name and which inspired much of its plot.

Godspeed Hal Williams

Hal Williams, who played Officer Smitty on Sanford and Son, Lester Jenkins on 227, and Harley Foster on The Waltons died on July 15, 2026, at the age of 91. 

Hal Williams was born on December 14, 1934 in Columbus, Ohio. He worked as a corrections officer and then a postal worker before deciding to go into acting. He made his television debut in a bit part in the special Swing Out, Sweet Land in 1970. that same year he guest starred on Dan August and That Girl.

The Seventies would be a busy decade for Hal Williams. He had a recurring role on Sanford and Son as Officer "Smitty" Smith, the local beat cop. His partner for six episodes was  Officer “Swanny” Swanhauser (Noam Pitlik) and then for the rest of the run Officer “Hoppy” Hopkins (Howard Platt), who constantly mangled Black slang. While he was appearing on Sanford and Son, Hal Williams also had a recurring role on The Waltons as Harley Foster, a mechanic and farmer worked married to Verdie Foster, who was played by another Sanford and Son alumnus, Lynn Hamilton. He was also a regular on the short-lived sitcom On the Rocks. During the Seventies, he guest starred on such shows as The Jimmy Stewart Show; The New Dick Van Dyke Show; Temperatures Rising; The Magician; Cannon; Police Woman; Harry O; Gunsmoke; Caribe; Kung Fu; S.W.A.T.; Police Story; The Jeffersons; Most Wanted; Quincy, M.E.; Good Times; What's Happening!; The White Shadow; Palmerstown, U.S.A.; and Knot's Landing. He appeared in the movies Cool Breeze (1972), Herbie Rides Again (1974), Hardcore (1979), On the Nickel (1980), and Private Benjamin (1980). He appeared in the mini-series Roots: The Next Generation.

In the Eighties, Hal Williams reprised his role as Smitty on the Sanford and Son continuation Sanford and his role as Sgt. Ross on Private Benjamin, the sitcom based on the movie of the same name. He played Lester Jenkins, construction company owner and husband of lead character Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs) on the hit sitcom 227. He guest stared on the shows T.J. Hooker; ABC Weekend Specials; ABC Afternoon Specials; The Young Landlords; The Dukes of Hazzard; Webster; The Jeffersons; Gimme a Break!; Hill Street Blues; and Magnum, P.I.. He appeared in the movies The Escape Artist (1982) and The Rookie (1990).

In the Nineties, he had a recurring role as Sinbad's father on The Sinbad Show. He guest starred on the shows Night Court; L.A. Law; Tales form the Crypt; Minor Adjustments; Suddenly Susan; and Moesha. In the Naughts, Hal Williams guest starred on Moonlight. He appeared in the movie Guess Who (2005). In the Teens, he guest starred on the shows The First Family; Parks and Recreation; and The Mayor. He appeared in the movies Night Club (2011) and Flight (2012). In the 2020s, he guest starred on shows Mr. Mayor and Matlock (2024).

When I was a kid, my family faithfully viewed both Sanford and Son and The Waltons, and both shows still number among my favourites. Hal Williams was then a familiar face to me even then, and the fact that he appeared on both shows demonstrated his versatility as an actor. As Officer Smitty, he showed a gift for comedy and was pioneering in playing an intelligent, compassionate Black man in a position of authority. Many times Hal Williams and Howard Platt were allowed to think of the Black slang that Hoppy would inevitably get wrong ("cold" instead of "cool," for example). Harley Foster on The Waltons was a much more serious role, and gave Hal Williams the chance to play a Black manual worker in a place and time where racism was still virulent. That he played both roles so well showed that he had a great deal of range.

Of course, for many he will be remembered as Lester on 227, the calm, level-headed, and compassionate husband to his sharp-tongued, yet warm hearted wife Mary. He will also be remembered as Sgt. Ross, the no-nonsense drill sergeant who was strict, but at the same time fair, in both the movie and the TV show Private Benjamin. Over the years, Hal Williams played a wide variety of roles, from a cook in a mine in the Gumsmoke episode "Hard Labor" to a former slave protecting a secret well on behalf of his community in the Kung Fu episode "The Well." Hal Williams was a talented actor who had a gift for both comedy and drama.