The 50th Annivesary of the TV Show Batman

It was fifty years ago tonight, on January 12 1966, that the TV show Batman debuted on ABC. Batman proved to be a veritable phenomenon. It was a smash hit in the ratings. Its debut episode alone had a phenomenal 27.3/49 rating, handily beating The Virginian on NBC and Lost in Space on CBS. Batman merchandise filled the stores, to the point that Sears and Montgomery Ward were able to devote multiple pages in their catalogues to goods inspired by the show. In 1966 it was impossible to escape Batman. In fact, perhaps the only phenomenon bigger than Batman in the mid-Sixties was The Beatles.

It was certainly an unusual situation, especially given the fad centred on a character who at the time of the show's debut had been around for 27 years. That having been said, contrary to popular belief, the TV show Batman did not put Batman on the map. During the Golden Age of comic books Batman was the second most popular character (after Superman) published by what would become DC Comics and probably the third most popular superhero at the time (after Superman and Captain Marvel). He was the first DC Comics superhero to appear in a live action film (the 1943 serial The Batman). With his first of many appearances on The Adventures of Superman on March 2 1945, he became the second major DC Comics superhero to appear on a radio show. Batman was already well-known among the general public before the debut of the TV show in 1966. Indeed, his name recognition probably helped the show. The 1966 Batman TV show did insure Batman's continued popularity for the next several decades. In fact, it is quite possible that he is the most popular superhero in the world and has been for years.

While Batman was perhaps the biggest fad of 1966 and one of the biggest fads of the Sixties, the show itself did not have a long run. The smash hit of the 1965-1966 season, Batman left the air after only two years and two months. Despite its rather brief run, Batman proved to be a hit in syndication. Indeed, not only did the show air on several TV stations throughout the Seventies, but it has continued to do well in syndication to this day. Despite the several movies that have been released since the TV show left the air, it seems quite possible that the Batman TV series remains the best known reiteration of the character.

Given its success it should come as no surprise that Batman would have a lasting impact on both television and comic books. First, there are those who believe that it was two TV shows that saved ABC from going under in the Sixties: Bewitched and Batman. Today ABC is considered one of the "Big Three" broadcast networks, on par with the two older networks, NBC and CBS. During the 1965-1966 season, however, ABC was only a little better than The WB or UPN were in the early Naughts. Many places across the United States did not have ABC affiliates and often their shows would be shown on the local NBC or CBS affiliate of any given market at awkward times of the day.

Quite naturally this had an impact on the ratings. In the early Sixties it was not unusual for ABC to have only one show ranked in the top twenty for the year, and sometimes that show would rank in the lower half of the top twenty. Fortunately for the struggling network Bewitched debuted in 1964 and proved to be a hit. It was the number two show for its first season and remained in the top ten shows for the year for the next few seasons. When Batman proved to be a hit in 1966, then, it gave ABC one more highly successful show. Ultimately Bewitched and Batman may have largely been responsible for allowing ABC to last out the Sixties and to finally become the equal of CBS and NBC in the Seventies.

Batman would also be instrumental in cementing the practice of mid-season replacements. Mid-season replacements pre-date the 1965-1966 seasons by many years. Among the more famous mid-season replacements are the classic sitcom The Bob Cummings Show (AKA Love That Bob) and the Western Rawhide. That having been said, prior to the 1965-1966 season mid-season replacements were relatively rare and usually the networks would keep even extremely low rated shows on for an entire season.

All of this changed with the 1965-1966 season. ABC's fall line-up for that season failed catastrophically. So that the season would not be a total loss ABC then took a drastic course of action, scheduling more mid-season replacements than had ever been scheduled in the history of television up to that point. To promote these changes ABC hired Grey Advertising. Copywriter Irwin Fredman came up with the slogan "the Second Season", deciding that the changes ABC was making were so great that the constituted a whole new television season.

The cornerstone of ABC's so-called "Second Season" was Batman. The show had been slated to debut in the fall of 1966, but when ABC's fall line-up proved disastrous its debut was moved to January. While Batman certainly did save the 1965-1966 season for ABC, none of the network's other mid-season replacements survived that season. In making such dramatic changes to their schedule at mid-season, ABC had set a precedent. In proving to be the smash hit of the season, Batman proved that a mid-season replacement could be as successful as shows that debuted in the fall. In the years following the 1965-1966 season all three networks would start scheduling mid-season replacements to take the place of shows that were not doing particularly well in the ratings. Particularly in the Seventies, these mid-season changes were sometimes every bit as drastic as those ABC made during the 1965-1966 season.

To some degree Batman would even have an impact on television comedies. Because Batman was meant to be an adventure show for children but a spoof of superhero conventions for adults, it lacked a laugh track. In 1966 nearly every American sitcom had a laugh track that took the place of a "live studio audience". Even Hanna-Barbera's "adult" cartoons, such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons, had laugh tracks. Batman would remain the only comedy on the air without a laugh track until The Monkees did away with their laugh track midway through the 1967-1968 season. While it would take literally years and some resistance from the networks (CBS insisted on a laugh track on M*A*S*H over the show's producers' objections), eventually the lack of a laugh track would become much more common on American sitcoms. In the past few years such sitcoms as 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Community, and Parks and Recreation, among several others, have aired without a laugh track.

As might be expected, Batman also had an impact on comic books featuring the character. While it does not appear that the "Batman" feature in DC Comics was in any real danger of cancellation as is commonly believed (see Comic Book Resources' "Comic Book Legends Revealed #408"), the show would cause some major changes in the "Batman" feature as it was published in the early to mid-Sixties. In the comic books the character of Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred had been killed off. His presence on the show resulted in him being resurrected in the comic books where he has remained ever since. Catwoman had not appeared in the comic books since 1954. Her appearance on the TV show resulted in her appearing in the comic books for the first time in 12 years. Because of the popularity of Catwoman on the show, William Dozier encouraged DC Comics to introduce more female characters who could be used on the show. The result was that the comic book company created the character of Batgirl, who was later incorporated into the TV show and has remained a major part of the DC Universe ever since.  The Riddler had been a very minor villain in the comic books (he had only appeared twice during the Golden Age), but the popularity of Frank Gorshin as The Riddler on the show turned the character into a major member of Batman's rogue's gallery.

Even fifty years after its debut Batman remains a highly successful TV show. It has persisted in syndication ever since it left the air in 1968 and has aired on such cable channels as F/X and IFC, as well as the nostalgia broadcast network ME-TV. After protracted talks between Warner (who own the rights to the character),  20th Century Fox (who owned the rights to the show), and other parties, Batman was finally released on DVD in 2014. It is quite possible that fifty years after its debut and such superhero shows as The Flash, Arrow, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that Batman remains the most famous superhero show of all time.

(for a more detailed write-up on the history of the show readers might want to check out my two part "Batmania: How Batman Conquered America in 1966" as well as "Batman Turns 75 Part Three: Television, Radio, and Other Media")

"Look up here, I’m in heaven": A Remembrance of David Bowie

"Look up here, I’m in heaven."
(David Bowie, "Lazarus")

Last night I couldn't sleep. At the time I didn't know why. I wasn't anxious about anything. I wasn't uncomfortable. I was neither too hot nor too cold. It was after I got up and got on my computer that I learned what I think might have been behind my sleeplessness. It was a disturbance in the Force, a rift in the space/time continuum. To put it more simply, the legendary David Bowie had died.

Twelve hours later my eyes are still red with tears and I seem prone to break down crying at any given moment. I've been listening to David Bowie's songs for much of the day, everything from his earliest work ("Love You Till Tuesday") to his latest work ("Lazarus").  Part of me thinks that it is impossible that David Bowie could be dead. Only a few people knew just how seriously ill he was and so, like the rest of the general public, I assumed he would be with us for many more years. It is for that reason that while David Bowie's death was not sudden (he had fought cancer for eighteen months), it seems as if was to me. With no time for me to prepare for a world without David Bowie, then, his death was unexpected and perhaps for that reason the grief I feel is even more raw and more intense than it might have been otherwise. I am certainly in no shape to write the usual eulogy that I would today.

The fact is that for most of my life I have been a David Bowie fan. I cannot even remember what was the first David Bowie song I ever heard. I suspect it had to have been "Space Oddity" or perhaps "Changes". At any rate I was certainly aware of him by the time of his release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in mid-1972. I was nine years old and a bit too young to understand the whole concept behind the album, but I liked the music. At the very least I knew that it dealt with a rock star from Mars, which appealed to a kid who even then was a fan of fantasy and science fiction.

Needless to say, I became a David Bowie fan while very young. I was fortunate enough to enter my tween years and then my teen years at a time when Mr. Bowie was at the height of his career. It was a time when some of his best known songs were released: "Life on Mars?", "Rebel Rebel", "Fame", "'Heroes'", and "Ashes to Ashes". In the wake of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie's albums did very well in the United States. Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, and Station to Station all peaked in the top ten of the Billboard albums chart.

In the Seventies David Bowie appeared very infrequently on American television. While I am sure I saw him more times, I can remember watching David Bowie at least three times during the decade. I vaguely remember seeing the video to "Ashes to Ashes" on some show in those days before MTV. Like many my most vivid memory of David Bowie on television in the Seventies was on Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas, which was also Bing Crosby's final Christmas special. Even before re-watching the special this Yuletide, I could clearly remember his duet with Bing Crosby and the "'Heroes'" video that aired during the special. In fact, "'Heroes'" might well have been the first "music video" I had ever seen outside of The Beatles' promotional films. I also have vague memories of David Bowie performing "Space Oddity" on a Dick Clark special in the late Seventies, by which time I was very familiar with both the song and Mr. Bowie's other work. At any rate, by the time the Seventies became the Eighties I was familiar with David Bowie's appearance and the sound of his voice.

I remained a David Bowie fan throughout my life, as he progressed from Ziggy Stardust to glam rocker to the Thin White Duke and beyond. While other artists I had loved as a child sometimes produced work that failed to match their classics, David Bowie was always guaranteed to deliver superior songs. I enjoyed "Modern Love", "Blue Jean", "Heaven's in Here" (with Tin Machine), and yet other songs often as much as I did his earlier work.

Looking back in some ways it might seem odd that David Bowie would appeal to a kid growing up in mid-Missouri. His music was very different from that to which I had been exposed before: The Beatles, The Who, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, and so on. He even looked different from any music artist I'd seen before, especially given I discovered him during his Ziggy Stardust era. That having been said, I think it was the very fact that David Bowie was different that turned me onto him. In the early to mid-Seventies there weren't that many music artists who blended science fiction, fantasy, and rock and roll. There were Hawkwind. There were Blue Öyster Cult. And there was David Bowie. Songs like "Space Oddity", "Starman", and so on couldn't help but appeal to a kid who was already an avid fan of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.

Of course, the very fact that David Bowie was different may well have been much of what appealed to me as well. While I was never picked on or bullied or anything like that all through school, I was aware that I was different from other kids. Even then I was a bit of a dreamer. I was creative even then, writing my own comic books. My reading material tended towards fantasy, science fiction, and old pulp novels. I was an Anglophile even then and would have been even if I wasn't already English in descent. While I wasn't picked on or bullied, I did sometimes feel like an outsider. Perhaps in being so different (much more different than I was as a kid), David Bowie reassured me that it was not only all right to be different, it was cool to be different. Perhaps he made it more acceptable for me to stand out from the crowd.

If David Bowie had simply been some odd looking guy who fused science fiction with rock music, he might have just remained a part of my childhood and youth. The fact is that David Bowie was an enormously talented and creative singer and songwriter, something that was not lost on me when I entered my teens. At a time when other rock stars were content to sing about love, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, David Bowie was singing about reinventing oneself ("Changes") and dystopias ("1984"). While Mr. Bowie would prove to be very successful on the charts over the years, I always got the feeling that he was never concerned with being commercial, only with being creative. It is to be noted that some of his best known songs didn't always perform the best on the charts ("Changes" being a prime example).

Right now it seems impossible to me that David Bowie has died. Even now I keep expecting for it to be revealed as some kind of hoax. Sadly, given the announcement of his death on Mr. Bowie's various official social media accounts, as well as the various obituaries and tributes to him, I know all too well it is true. As as result right now I feel a very profound sense of loss. I suppose a good way of looking at it was stated quite eloquently by Twitter user Dean Podestá, "If you're ever sad, just remember the world is 4.543 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie." One could take this one step further and say that we should be thankful that David Bowie existed at all.

Haskell Wexler R.I.P.

Haskell Wexler, the Oscar winning cinematographer on such films as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Bound for Glory (1976), died on December 27 2015 at the age of 93.

Haskell Wexler was born on February 6 1922 in Chicago. His father, Simon Wexler, was the founder of Allied Radio (now Allied Electronics). Mr. Wexler attended the University of California, but dropped out after a year to join the Merchant Marine. During the Second World War his ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat and he spent two weeks in a lifeboat with 20 other people.

After his stint in the Merchant Marine, Haskell Wexler made industrial films. Both his first cinematography and directorial credit was on the documentary short "The Living City" (1953). In the Fifties he served as a camera operator on such films as Picnic (1955) and Studs Lonigan (1960), and as an additional photographer on Wild River (1960). He served as a cinematographer on the short "T is for Tumbleweed" (1958) and the feature films Stakeout on Dope Street (1958), The Savage Eye (1960), and Five Bold Women (1960).

Arguably the Sixties would be the height of Haskell Wexler's career as a cinematographer. He shot such well known films as The Loved One (1965), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and Medium Cool (1969. He won the final Oscar ever awarded for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). He also served as cinematographer on such films as The Runaway (1961), The Fisherman and His Soul (1961), The Hoodlum Priest (1961), Angel Baby (1961), Face in the Rain (1963), America America (1963), Lonnie (1963), The Best Man (1964), and One (1966). He directed the documentary The Bus (1965) and the feature film Medium Cool.

In the Seventies Haskell Wexler won his second Oscar for his work on Bound for Glory (1976). He was the original photographer for  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), but was replaced on the project by Bill Butler. He served as cinematographer on the films Interviews with My Lai Veterans (1971), The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (1972), Introduction to the Enemy (1974), Underground (1976), Coming Home (1978), War Without Winners (1978), and No Nukes (1980). He also served as cinematographer on such industrial shorts as "Polaroid Glasses" (1976), "STP Oil Treatment" (1977), and "Plymouth Fury" (1977).  He directed the documentaries Brazil: A Report on Torture (1971), Introduction to the Enemy (1974), Underground (1976), and War Without Winners (1978).

In the Eighties Haskell Wexler was the cinematographer on the films Second-Hand Hearts (1981), Hail Columbia! (1982), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), Lookin' to Get Out (1982), The Man Who Loved Women (1983), Matewan (1987), Colours (1988), Three Fugitives (1989), and Blaze (1989). He directed the films Bus II (1983) and Latino (1985).

In the Nineties Mr. Wexler was cinematographer on the films Other People's Money (1991), The Babe (1992), The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), The Sixth Sun: Mayan Uprising in Chiapas (1995), Canadian Bacon (1995), Mulholland Falls (1996), The Rich Man's Wife (1996), Limbo (1999), "Mexico" (2000), Good Kurds, Bad Kurds: No Friends But the Mountains (2000), "The Man on Lincoln's Nose" (2000), and Bus Rider's Union (2000). He directed the film Bus Rider's Union (2000).

In the Naughts Haskell Wexler was cinematographer on the films "SOA: Guns and Greed" (2001), Silver City (2004), Bastards of the Party (2005), Who Needs Sleep? (2006), From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks (2007), In the Name of Democracy: The Story of Lt. Ehren Watada (2009), and Something's Gonna Live (2010). He directed Who Needs Sleep? (2006) and From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks (2007).

In the Teens he served as cinematographer Bringing King to China (2011), Occupy Los Angeles (2012), "Medium Cool Revisited" (2013), and Four Days in Chicago (2013). He directed the films "Medium Cool Revisited" (2013) and Four Days in Chicago (2013)

There can be no doubt that Haskell Wexler was one of the greatest cinematographers of all time. Influenced by La Nouvelle Vague, he brought that sensibility to both his Hollywood films and his documentaries. He pioneered both the use of handheld cameras and natural lighting in cinematography. Ultimately the commercial films he shot often had the look more of a documentaries than commercial features. Even when a film's subject matter was somewhat outré (such as The Loved One), Haskell Wexler's cinematography had the look of realism to it. What is more, he was exceedingly versatile. Some cinematographers are very good at shooting sunsets and landscapes, but not so good at shooting interiors. Haskell Wexler excelled at both. His cinematography on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is as impressive as his cinematography on Matewan.

Of course, Haskell Wexler was also a documentarian. In between the commercial films he made for Hollywood, he shot and often wrote and directed documentaries for those causes dear to him. What is more, Mr. Wexler did not simply make documentaries on the big issues of the day, such as the Civil Rights movement or Vietnam, but often issues the average person might not have been aware of. Who Needs Sleep? addressed the long hours and effects of sleep deprivation on set workers in Hollywood.

As a director Haskell Wexler was as skilled as a cinematographer. What is more, it was not simply his documentaries that displayed his skill as a director. His film Medium Cool is a classic that leaves one wishing Mr. Wexler had directed more narrative films. Medium Cool is utterly unique and was so even in the decade of the Sixties when unusual films were virtually the norm. Haskell Wexler would be remembered if his only accomplishment was Medium Cool. As it is he was one of the greatest cinematographers of all time and a documentarian of considerable skill. There had been no one like him before and it seems likely there will never be anyone like him again.

Godspeed Frank Armitage

Frank Armitage, who served as a background artist on several classic Disney films, died on January 4 2016 at the age of 91.

Frank Armitage was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1924. He began drawing while he was still very young. During World War II he served in the  Royal Australian Air Force. He attended an art institute in Melbourne. While there he picked up a book on Mexican mural painters at the National Gallery of Victoria. Afterwards he quit school and migrated to Montreal. He worked there for 18 months to earn enough money to move to Mexico City. Frank Armitage won an international mural contest sponsored by social realist painter David Alfaro Siqueiros. He afterwards became David Alfaro Siqueiros's assistant. In Mexico he worked on several different murals.

In 1952 Frank Armitage moved to Los Angeles and started working for Walt Disney Productions. At Disney he served as a background artist on Peter Pan (1952), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and Sleeping Beauty (1959), Mary Poppins (1964), and The Jungle Book (1967). as well as the Disneyland episode "Man and the Moon".  He also worked on the launch of the theme park Disneyland, particularly contributing to Storybook Land.

Frank Armitage did work outside of Walt Disney Productions. He worked as a background artist for UPA on the TV shows Mister Magoo and The Dick Tracy Show. He later served as a graphic designer on the feature film Fantastic Voyage (1966). In 1977 he returned to Disney where he did work for the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot. He would later create concept art for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland Paris and a murals for a restaurant in Disney World's Animal Kingdom and Tokyo DisneySea. He also worked as an art consultant on the PBS series Cosmos.

Frank Armitage retired from Disney in 1989. He studied medicine and acupuncture and continued to paint medical artwork.

Pat Harrington Jr. Passes On

Actor and voice artist Pat Harrington Jr., who guest starred frequently on TV shows in the Sixties, voiced The Inspector in the DePatie-Freleng theatrical cartoon series of the same name, and played Schneider on the sitcom One Day at a Time, died on January 6 2016 at the age of 86.  He had been in declining health and was suffering from Alzheimer's.

Pat Harrington Jr. was born on August 13 1929 in New York City. His father, Daniel Patrick Harrington Sr., had been an actor on vaudeville and on Broadway. His parents did not particularly want him to pursue a career in entertainment, knowing all too well its uncertainty. He attended the La Salle Military Academy on Long Island and received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and government as well as a master's degree in political philosophy from Fordham University in New York City.

Pat Harrington Jr. made his television debut on an episode of The Ford Theatre Hour in 1949.  He later appeared on Toast of the Town (later known as The Ed Sullivan Show) in 1952 and episodes of The Plymouth Playhouse and The Motorola Television Hour in 1953. During the Korean War he served in the United States Air Force. After being demobilised he worked as an advertising salesman for NBC. It was during this period that he created the character of  Italian immigrant Guido Panzini for use as a sales tool for clients. It was Jonathan Winters who overheard him playing Guido Panzini in the bar of the New York City restaurant Toots Shor's. This led to several more appearances on television.

In the late Fifties Pat Harrington Jr. appeared on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show, The Tonight Show, The Jack Paar Show, and the game show Laugh-Line. He guest starred on The Elgin Hour, The Alcoa Hour, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He was a regular on The Danny Thomas Show (AKA Make Room for Daddy) during the 1959-1960 season.

In the Sixties Pat Harrington Jr. continue to appear frequently as a performer on talk shows, variety shows, and game shows. He appeared on such shows as The Jackie Gleason Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Spike Jones Show, Password, and The Steve Allen Show. He was a regular on The Jack Paar Show and the host of the game show Stump the Stars. He guest starred on such shows as Grindl, Kentucky Jones, The Littlest Hobo, Kentucky Jones, The Bing Crosby Show, Mr. Novak, The Lucy Show, The Munsters, McHale's Navy, F Troop,The Beverly Hillbillies, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Run For Your Life, and The Flying Nun. He also voiced Speedy in the "Teen Titans" segment  and The Atom in the "Justice League of America" segment of the Saturday morning cartoon The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. During the Sixties he appeared in such films as The Wheeler Dealers (1963); Move Over, Darling (1963); Easy Come, Easy Go (1967); 2000 Years Later (1969); and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969). From 1965 to 1969 he provided the voice of The Inspector and Sergeant Deux-Deux in DePatie-Freleng's series of "The Inspector" theatrical animated shorts.

In the Seventies Pat Harrington Jr. played building superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the sitcom One Day at a Time. Schneider became one of the main characters on the show, and possibly the most popular. Pat Harrington Jr. won an Emmy for the role. He also wrote several episodes of One Day at a Time. Mr. Harrington was also a regular on the legal drama Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law. He guest starred on such shows as The New Andy Griffith Show, Marcus Welby M.D., Nanny and the Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Rookies, The Partridge Family, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Banacek, Columbo, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, McMillan & Wife, Ellery Queen, and The Love Boat. He provided voices on the animated TV shows Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, and Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. He appeared in the films Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972) and The Candidate (1972).

In the Eighties Pat Harrington Jr. guest starred on the shows The Love Boat, Glitter, Who's the Boss, Comedy Factory, Crazy Like a Fox, Hotel, Duet, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Sydney and Murder, She Wrote.  In the Nineties he provided voices for the Saturday morning cartoon Yo Yogi. He guest starred on such shows as Civil Wars, Silk Stalkings, The George Carlin Show, Empty Nest, Burke's Law, Kirk, Fantasy Island, and Diagnosis Murder. He appeared in the films Round Trip to Heaven (1992).

In the Naughts into the Teens he guest starred on the shows Las Vegas, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Hot in Cleveland. He appeared in the film Ablaze (2001).

Many today remember Pat Harrington Jr. best as Schneider on One Day at a Time. And it must be admitted that he was incredible in the role. That having been said, Mr. Harrington had a long career in which he played many other roles, most quite different from Schneider. He was a Texas good old boy in The Wheeler Dealers, a superspy and master of disguise in the F Troop episode "Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy", a district attorney in the film Move, Over Darling, and shady businessman Buddy Castle in the Columbo episode "An Exercise in Fatality".

Of course, much of the reason Pat Harrington Jr. could play so many different roles was his very versatile voice. It should be no surprise that he had a very good career as a voice artist. What is more he voiced a wide array of characters, everything from The Inspector with his faux Belgian accent to the superhero The Atom to incidental voices in various Hanna-Barbera cartoons. It must also be pointed out that Pat Harrington Jr. was a very funny man. His appearances on the various variety shows in the Fifties and Sixties should really be seen today. With perfect comic timing and his gift for voices, he could be very funny. Pat Harrington Jr. was an enormous talent of the sort that is very rarely seen.

Wayne Rogers R.I.P.

Wayne Rogers, best known for playing Trapper John on the classic TV show M*A*S*H, died on December 31 2015 at the age of 82. The cause was complications from pneumonia.

Wayne Rogers was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 7 1933. He attended Ramsay High School there and graduated from the preparatory school Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. He graduated from  Princeton University and afterwards served in the United States Navy.

In 1959 he made his television debut in episodes of the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. He made his film debut in a bit part in Odds Against Tomorrow (1959). In the late Fifties he guest starred on the shows Zane Gray Theatre, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Millionaire, and Johnny Ringo. He was a regular on the TV Western Stagecoach West and appeared three times on the Western Law of the Plainsman in the role of  Deputy Billy Lordan.

In the Sixties Mr. Rogers guest starred on such shows as The Dick Powell Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun - Will Travel, Arrest and Trial, Gomer Pyle: USMC, Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, Honey West, The Fugitive, Combat!, 12 O'Clock High, The Invaders, The Big Valley, and Lancer. He appeared in the films Dr. Sex (1964), The Glory Guys (1965), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and WUSA (1970).

In the Seventies Wayne Rogers was cast in the role of Trapper John McIntyre on M*A*S*H. While the character of Trapper John proved very popular on the show, he left after three seasons due to a contract dispute. Wayne Rogers went on to star in the shows City of Angels and House Calls. He guest starred on the shows Men at Law, Barnaby Jones, and Cannon. He appeared in the films Doomsday Machine (1972), Pocket Money (1972), and Once in Paris (1978).

The Eighties saw Wayne Roger appear frequently on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in Einstein and the Polar Bear in 1981. During the decade he went on to appear on Broadway in Grown Ups, Duet for One, Little Me, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and The Odd Couple. On television he continued to star on House Calls in the early part of the decade. He starred in the mini-series Chiefs. He appeared in such TV movies as He's Fired, She's Hired; I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later; and One Terrific Guy. He appeared in the films The Hot Touch (1981) and The Killing Time (1987).

In the Nineties Wayne Rogers appeared in the films The Goodbye Bird (1993), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) , Love Lies Bleeding (1999), and Coo Coo Cafe (2000). He had a recurring role on Murder, She Wrote. In the Naughts he appeared in the films Frozen with Fear (2001), Three Days of Rain (2002), and Nobody Knows Anything! (2003).

There can be little doubt that Wayne Rogers will always be remembered as the practical joker Trapper John on M*A*S*H. He was very good at playing affable characters, whether it was Trapper John on M*A*S*H or Dr. Charley Michaels on House Calls. While his best known roles were friendly, likeable fellows, however, Wayne Rogers could easily play villains. He played a child molester in the TV movie One Terrific Guy and a very unsympathetic used car dealer in the film The Gig. Wayne Rogers was a very versatile actor who could create three-dimensional characters, whether they were likeable or not.

Stevie Wright of The Easybeats Passes On

Stevie Wright, perhaps best known as the lead singer of Sixties Australian band The Easybeats, died on December 27 2015 at the age of 68. The cause was pneumonia.

Stevie Wright was born on December 20 1947 in  Leeds, West Yorkshire. It was in 1958 that his father moved the family to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In 1960 the family moved to Villawood, New South Wales. There Stevie Wright became the lead vocalist for the local band The Outlaws. By 1964 he had become a founding member of Chris Langdon & the Langdells. It was following a Langdells performance that he met  Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg, later better known as Harry Vanda, and Dingeman Adriaan Henry van der Sluijs, later better known as Dick Diamonde. The two of them convinced Stevie Wright to form a band with their friend George Young. It was then in 1964 that Stevie Wright, Henry Vanda, Dick Diamonde, George Young, and drummer Gordon "Snowy" Fleet formed The Easybeats.

The Easybeats became the resident band for the Beatle Village Club, where they were discovered by the music publisher and producer Ted Albert. Mr. Albert signed them to his own Albert Productions and secured a record deal with EMI/Parlophone. The Easybeats had success early, with their first single "She's a Woman" going to no. 33 on the Australian chart in 1965. That same year they would have major hits with "She's So Fine" and "Wedding Ring". Their first album, Easy, released in September 1965, went to no. 4 on the Australian chart.

The year 1966 saw the band move to London, England. It would also see even more success for The Easybeats.Their single "Women (Make Me Feel Alright)" went to no. 4 on the Australian chart. Their single "Come and See Her" went to no. 3. They had their first no. 1 with "Sorry". It would be "Friday on My Mind" that would be the biggest success of their career. "Friday on My Mind" not only went to no. 1 on the Australian chart, but proved to be their first international success. It went to no. 6 on the UK singles chart and no. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Their album It's 2 Easy went to no. 7 on the Australian chart.

Unfortunately The Easybeats were never able to repeat the success of "Friday on My Mind". Their highest charting single in 1967 was "Heaven and Hell", which went to no. 8 on the Australian chart. By 1968 The Easybeats, which had regularly seen their singles reach the top ten and top twenty of the Australian chart, only landed one single, "Land of Make Believe", in the top twenty. They did have some international success with "Hello, How are You", which went to no. 20 on the UK chart, and  "St. Louis", which peaked at no. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.

While The Easybeats saw fewer major hits after 1968, their songs were often covered by other bands. , "Bring a Little Lovin'" was covered by Los Bravos and "Come In, You'll Get Pneumonia" was covered by Paul Revere & The Raiders. "Good Times", which saw some airplay in the United States and United Kingdom, would later be covered by Shocking Blue.

Despite this, by 1968 the band was in decline and its members increasingly drifted apart. Their last actual album, Vigil, was released in May 1968. A final album released under The Easybeats' name, Friends, was actually a compilation of demo tracks for other artists written by Harry Vanda and George Young save for the singles "St. Louis" and "Can't Find Love".  Their single "Peculiar Hole In The Sky" only went to no. 53 on the Australian chart in 1969. Their single "I Love Marie" did even worse, only going to no. 93. The Easybeats then broke up in 1969.

Once The Easybeats broke up Stevie Wright returned to Sydney, Australia. He produced the band Bootleg's first single, "Whole World Should Slow Down", in 1970.  For a time from 1971 to 1972 he was a member of the band Likefun. In 1972 he appeared as Simon Zealotes in an Australian stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar. That same year he was briefly a member of the band Black Tank.

In late 1973 Mr. Wright signed with Albert Productions as a solo artist. He released the single "Hard Road" which failed to chart. His second solo single, "Evie (Parts 1, 2 & 3)", hit no. 1 on the Australian singles chart. His third single, "Guitar Band", went to no. 13. His first solo album, Hard Road, went to no. 2 on the Australian chart. Unfortunately his career lost momentum rather quickly. His next single, "You" (from his album Black Eyed Bruiser). The single "Black Eyed Bruiser" (from the album of the same name) peaked at no. 99.

Unfortunately Stevie Wright's career would stall in the late Seventies due to heroin addiction and health concerns. In an attempt to overcome his heroin addiction he admitted himself to  Chelmsford Private Hospital. There psychiatrist Harry Bailey treated him with the highly controversial deep sleep therapy, by which patients are kept unconscious for days or even weeks. As a result of the therapy Stevie Wright suffered brain damage.

In 1982 he recorded vocals for Harry Vanda and George Young's studio band Flash and the Pan's album Headlines. There were talks of an Easybeats reunion, but it never came to be. In 1983 there was talk of another solo album, but it never emerged. Sadly, Stevie Wright's heroin addiction would keep his career stalled for literally years. He briefly appeared with The Easybeats in a reunion tour in 1986. In 2005 he and the other Easybeats were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame . In 2009 he was the headliner at the Legends of Rock festival in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

It is sad that Stevie Wright's demons prevented him from having a fuller career, as he was very talented. As a performer he ranked right up there with other Sixties icons, such as Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison. His performances as The Easybeats' lead vocalist were very energetic, complete with leaps and backflips. If The Easybeats' performances from the Sixties remain memorable, it is largely due to Stevie Wright.

But Stevie Wright was more than just a great performer. He was also a talented songwriter. With George Young he co-wrote the bulk of the songs on the band's first three albums, including the singles "She's So Fine", "Wedding Ring", and "Sorry". As The Easybeats' career progressed the writing would shift towards Harry Vanda and George Young (the team wrote the hit "Friday on My Mind"), but arguably it was Stevie Wright and George Young's songs that helped establish The Easybeats as Australia's first intentionally successful rock band. Indeed, while The Easybeats are best known for "Friday On My Mind" outside of Australia, they left behind a body of work that is easily as good, if not better, than many American and British bands. Stevie Wright had a large part in that body of work.