Saturday Morning Musical Kid's Shows of the 1960s and 1970s Part Two

In the Sixties animated television series emerged in the United States in which pop music played a large role. Among these shows were The Alvin Show, The Beatles, and The Beagles. In 1968, largely spurred by the success of the primetime sitcom The Monkees, two Saturday morning children's shows debuted that incorporated music as part of the shows. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and The Archie Show started a whole cycle towards musical kid's shows on Saturday morning that lasted for five years.

It was in 1967 that William Hanna and Joseph Barbera conceived a show that would be hosted by anthropomorphic characters who were part of a bubblegum pop band. To this ended they contracted brothers Sid and Marty Krofft to create the costumes. The Banana Splits consisted of Fleegle, a dog and the band's guitarist, Bingo, an ape and the band's drummer, Drooper, a lion and the band's bassist, and Snorky, an elephant and the band's keyboardist. It was also early in the show's pre-production that Hanna-Barbera found a sponsor in the form of Kellogg's. The band was originally meant to be called "The Banana Bunch," but it turned out that was already the title of a children's book and the author was unwilling to let Hanna-Barbera use the title. This caused problems for Kellogg's, who had already printed 1.25 million cereal boxes with the name "The Banana Bunch." Every one of them had to be destroyed.

The format of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour would be inspired by two primetime shows. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In provided the basic framework of the show, with The Banana Splits performing both comedy sketches and songs in between cartoons that aired on the show. Both The Banana Splits themselves and their musical segments owed a good deal to The Monkees. In addition to the segments featuring The Banana Splits, other segments were included on the show. Arabian Knights was an adventure cartoon set in a fantasy version of medieval Persia. The Three Musketeers was a cartoon based on the popular novel. Danger Island was a live action segment about an archaeologist, his daughter, and his assistant having adventures on an uncharted island. Micro Ventures was a segment that only lasted for four episodes, in which a scientist shrinks himself and his family in order to explore the world around them. In the second season Arabian Knights was replaced by reruns of The Hillbilly Bears (originally a segment on The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show).

Music was a major part of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and some well-known professionals provided The Banana Splits with their songs. Al Kooper, Barry White, Gene Pitney, and Jimmy Radcliffe all contributed songs to The Banana Splits, although none of them performed on the recordings. An album, We're The Banana Splits, was released in 1968 on Decca. The Banana Splits released three singles. Neither their first single, "Wait Til Tomorrow"/"We're The Banana Splits" (released in 1968) nor their third single "Long Live Love"/"Pretty Painted Carousel" (released in 1969) saw much in the way of success. Their second single "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" (single version)/"Toy Piano Melody," proved a bit more successful, although it was hardly a huge hit. "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" (which was the show's theme song) peaked at no. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Banana Splits Adventure Hour debuted on September 7 1968 on NBC and proved to be a huge success. In fact, it was the number one show on Saturday mornings for the 1968-1969 season. Unfortunately, it would falter in the 1969-1970 season. In its second season The Banana Split Adventure Hour found itself opposite a brand new cartoon, Scooby Doo, Where Are You? and The Archie Comedy Hour (an expanded version of the previous season's The Archie Show) on CBS. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour dropped in the ratings as a result and was cancelled at the end of the season.

It was a week after The Banana Splits Adventure Hour debuted, on September 14 1968, that The Archie Show debuted on CBS. The Archie Show was based on the comic book character Archie Andrews and his assorted friends (Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie), who had first appeared in Pep Comics no. 22 (December 1941). Archie had proven extremely successful, not only spurring an entire cycle of teen humour comic books, but inspiring a newspaper comic strip and a long-running radio show. It was Irv Wilson, Filmation's agent at the time, who brought Archie to the animation studio. Mr. Wilson had approached John Goldwater, the head of Archie Comics, about licensing Archie and his associated characters for a show. According to Lou Scheimer in his book Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, he had never even heard of Archie when Irv Wilson called him about the idea. Mr. Scheimer met with John Goldwater and the two worked out a deal for the television rights to Archie.

It was decided early in the project that music would play a part on the show. This idea actually originated in the comic books. Life with Archie was an Archie Comics title that often featured stories set in realities alternate from that of the mainstream Archie reality. Among these were parodies of popular television shows or superheroes, such as "The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E." parodying The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Among the shows parodied in Life with Archie was The Monkees. A series of stories featuring a rock group called The Archies began in Life with Archie no. 60, April 1967. The feature ended with Life with Archie no. 66 (October 1967). Here it must be pointed out that The Archies in Life with Archie differed a bit from The Archies on television. Namely, Betty and Veronica were not part of the band, which consisted of Archie, Jughead, and Reggie.

To provide music for the show, Filmation went to Don Kirshner. Don Kirshner had a notorious falling out with both The Monkees and the producers of the TV show The Monkees, so the idea of a fictional band that he could completely control appealed to him. The fictional band consisted of Archie on guitar, Jughead on drums, Reggie on bass, Betty on tambourine, and Veronica on keyboards. Of course, in reality the music was provided by session musicians hired by Don Kirshner. The songs were written by such composers as Jeff Barry, Andy Kim, Mark Barkham, and Ritchie Adams. Lead vocals were provided by Ron Dante.

For a time the fictional band The Archies would prove very successful. Their first single, "Bang-Shang-A-Lang," peaked at no. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their third single, "Sugar Sugar," did even better. It went all the way to no. 1. Its follow-up single, "Jingle Jangle," peaked at no. 10. Ultimately, The Archies released 10 singles from 1968 to 1972, although by 1971 they were no longer charting. Even The Archies' first two albums did moderately well. Their first album, The Archies, went to no. 88 on the Billboard album chart. Their second album, Everything's Archie, went to no. 66.

Unlike The Beatles and The Beagles before it, the songs on The Archie Show were not incorporated into the stories featured on the show themselves. In fact, the stories on the show made no mention of a rock group called "The Archies." Instead, the show's format consisted of two eight minute story segments and one three minute song segment.

The Archie Show proved highly successful and would undergo various format changes through the years. It expanded to an hour to become The Archie Comedy Hour in the 1969-1970 season. In the 1970-1971 season it became Archie's Funhouse, complete with a live audience. It was with the 1971-1972 season that music no longer played the central role on the show that it had. It became Archie's Television Funnies, featuring segments based on various newspaper comic strips (such as Dick Tracy and Nancy). Ultimately, Archie and his pals would appear in some form on Saturday morning until the 1977-1978 season.

The success of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and The Archie Show in the 1968-1969 season would lead to the debut of  three cartoons that incorporated music in some way, shape, or form in the 1969-1970 season. What is more, all three debuted on ABC on September 6 1969. The first of these shows was Hanna-Barbera's Cattanooga Cats. Cattanooga Cats owed a good deal to the format of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The primary difference is that instead of a live-action band of people in suits, it featured an animated band instead. The Cattanooga Cats were a band of anthropomorphic cats consisting of lead guitarist and vocalist Country,vocalist Kitty Jo, bassist Scoots, and drummer Groove. They appeared in both their own adventures as well as in bumpers between the other cartoons on the show. As to the other cartoons, they were Around the World in 79 Days (inspired by Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days), It's the Wolf! (which centred around Mildew Wolf, who was constantly trying to catch a lamb named Lambsy), and Motormouse and Autocat (essentially Tom and Jerry on wheels).

Music played a central role on The Cattanooga Cats. The lead vocals were performed by by Michael Lloyd and Peggy Clinger. The songwriters included by Michael Lloyd, Peggy Clingerm Mike Curb, Guy Hemric, and Harley Hatcher. An album, Cattanooga Cats, was released through Curb Records. The songs "Mother May I" and "Merry-Go-Round" were released as singles. Neither the album, nor the singles charted.

The Cattanooga Cats did not meet with a good deal of success in the ratings either. For its second season, The Cattanooga Cats was shortened to a half hour, with Motormouse and Autocat and It's the Wolf spun off into The Motormouse and Autocat Show. It ended its run after two seasons.

The second show to debut was The Hardy Boys, based on the popular series of juvenile novels of the same name. Like The Archie Show before it, it was a product of Filmation. In the mid-Sixties 20th Century Fox had produced a pilot for a live-action series based on "The Hardy Boys." That pilot aired on NBC on September 8 1967. Unfortunately, it did poorly in the ratings and as a result they did not pick up the series. 20th Century Fox had produced the animated series Journey to the Center of the Earth (based on the movie of the same name) in conjunction with Filmation in 1967 and then Fantastic Voyage (based on the movie of the same name)in 1968. At the same time The Archie Show was doing phenomenally well in the ratings. 20th Century Fox then approached Filmation with the idea of doing an animated Hardy Boys series which would also incorporate music. The show was pitched to ABC in February 1969 and the network placed it on their schedule.

Arguably, The Hardy Boys  was very loosely based on the novels. As in the novels. Joe and Frank Hardy, the sons of detective Fenton Hardy, solve mysteries with the help of their friends, including Chet Morton. The cartoon departed from the novels in that Joe and Frank also had a rock group, that featured Chet Morton and new characters Wanda Kay and Pete Jones. It further departed from the novels in making Chet overweight and giving him the nickname "Chubby." Each episode consisted of two mysteries, during which The Hardy Boys would have to take time out to perform a song at a club, a fair, or some other venue.

For the music for the show Filmation looked to Dunwich Productions in Chicago. As a result the show featured the work of some well-known songwriters, including Ellie Greenwich, as well as Al Kasha, Joel Hirschorn. One thing that separated The Hardy Boys from other musical cartoons is that a real band was formed to compliment the cartoon. After all, the disadvantage of The Archie Show was that The Archies couldn't actually tour. As a real band, The Hardy Boys could. The Hardy Boys consisted of Jeff Taylor (Joe Hardy), Reed Kailing (Frank Hardy), Nibs Soltysiak (Chubby Morton), Deven English (Wanda Kay), and Bob Crowder (Pete Jones). While the actual band did not voice their characters on the show (that was handled by such experienced voice artists Dallas McKennon and Jane Webb), they performed the songs on the show and appeared in both the opening and closing credits.

The Hardy Boys would release two albums (Here Come The Hardys and Wheels) and the singles "Love and Let Love," "Wheels," and "Love Train" on RCA Victor. "Love and Let Love"actually saw some success, bubbling under the Billboard Hot 100 at 101.

The Hardy Boys lasted only two seasons, coming to an end at the close of 1970-1971 season.

The third show that incorporated music to debut in the 1969-1970 season was rather unique. Hot Wheels was based on the popular line of toy cars manufactured by Mattel. It centred on a group of teenage car racers called the Hot Wheels Club. Unlike The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, The Archie Show,. Cattanooga Cats and The Hardy Boys, no band appeared on the show. Regardless, songs would often play during the various races on the show. Because of this , a soundtrack album for the carton, The Original Hot Wheels Soundtrack was released. The music was provided by Mike Curb, who had also written for The Cattanooga Cats.

While none of the musical cartoons of the 1969-1970 season repeated the success of either The Banana Splits Adventure Hour or The Archie Show, the success of those two shows guaranteed that there would be more musical kid's shows in the following season. In fact, no less that six musical kids shows would debut in the 1970-1971 season, marking the height of the cycle.

Saturday Morning Musical Kid's Shows of the 1960s and 1970s Part One

From 1968 to 1973, Saturday mornings on American broadcast television were filled with music. It was during that period that a cycle of cartoons and other kid's shows incorporated music in some way, shape, or form took place. Among the more successful of these shows were The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, The Archie Show, and Josie and the Pussycats. Some of these shows even produced hits on the Billboard Hot 100. At five years it was one of the longer cycles on Saturday mornings on the broadcast networks, and many of the shows remain remembered to this day.

While the cycle began in 1968 with the debuts of The Archie Show and The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, there were precursors on American television to the musical cartoons that aired in the late Sixties and early Seventies. In fact, the first one aired at the beginning of the decade and on primetime at that. The 1960-1961 saw the beginning of a cycle towards cartoons in primetime with The Bugs Bunny Show and The Flintstones. Among the shows that followed in the wake of The Flintstones was The Alvin Show. The Alvin Show was inspired by the highly successful recording act The Chipmunks. The Chipmunks were characters created by Ross Bagdasarian (who performed under the stage name David Seville), who recorded his voice at high speeds to create the voices of the three chipmunks, Alvin, Theodore, and Simon. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" proved to be a huge hit during the holiday season of 1958 and was followed by further singles and albums featuring The Chipmunks.

Given the success of The Chipmunks, it was perhaps inevitable that they would find their way to television. It was then that The Alvin Show was produced by Format Films, an animation company founded by UPA veteran Herbert Klynn in 1959. The show consisted of seven minute segments featuring The Chipmunks and David Seville, as well as inept inventor Clyde Crashcup. What really set The Alvin Show apart from other animated series on at the time was that it also featured a musical segment , separate from the episodes, with one of The Chipmunks' songs. Here it must be pointed out that the tone of The Alvin Show was quite different from the sweeter, gentler Alvin and the Chipmunks of the Eighties. In fact, Alvin could quite rightfully be considered a precursor to Bart Simpson.

The Alvin Show ran for only one season in primetime, after which it was rerun on Saturday morning for several years. It would prove successful in syndication, where it still occasionally appears. As of yet the complete series has not been released on DVD. While The Alvin Show might not have proven a success in primetime, it certainly set a precedent for blending animation with music on American television.

The following animated television series incorporating music would also be based on an existing music act, although in its case it would be based on real people rather than characters created for a novelty record. The Beatles had been phenomenally successful in their native Britain and proved phenomenally successful in the United States as well. It was Al Brodax, head of motion picture and television development at King Features Syndicate, who got the rights to do a Saturday morning cartoon based on The Beatles. He got financing from toy company A. C. Gilbert Company with little more than a rough outline and preliminary artwork. A. C. Gilbert sold the series to ABC.

On the The Beatles, the characters' speaking voices did not sound like the Fab Four.  Al Brodax hired Paul Frees to voice John Lennon and George Harrison and Lance Percival to voice Paul and Ringo. Thinking that Americans would not understand Liverpudlian accents, Al Brodax did not allow the actors to imitate The Beatles' actual voices. In particular, John Lennon sounded more like Inspector Fenwick from Dudley Do-Right (who Paul Frees had also voiced) than the actual John Lennon. It was largely because of the voices that Brian Epstein banned the cartoon from airing in the United Kingdom. It would not make its debut there until the late 1980s. The Beatles themselves initially were not happy with the cartoon, with John Lennon complaining that it made them look like the Flintstones.

Regardless, The Beatles was the first animated cartoon made for television to be based on real people, beating the Three Stooges cartoon by a few weeks. It was also a hit. Debuting on September 25 1965, it proved to be the number one Saturday morning cartoon of the 1965-1966 season. Unlike The Alvin Show, The Beatles' songs were incorporated into the episodes, not unlike their movies A Hard Day's Night and Help!. The Beatles also featured a sing-along segment involving one of their songs.

The Beatles would prove successful enough to last three seasons on Saturday morning, after which it would spend one more season on Sunday morning. The success of The Beatles would lead to further cartoons that incorporated music. What is more they would not be long in coming.

Indeed, no less than two Saturday morning cartoons featuring rock groups would debut in the 1966-1967 season. The first of the two to debut was Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles featured a segment starring The Impossibles, a rock group who were also superheroes (Multi-Man, Coil Man, and Fluid Man). They reported to the mysterious Big D, who communicated with them through Coil Man's guitar. Despite the fact that The Impossibles centred on a rock group, music played a very small role on the cartoon. Episodes centred primarily on their adventures as superheroes, with only brief snatches of The Impossibles performing as a band. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles debuted on CBS on September 10 1966 and lasted two seasons.

It was later on September 10 1966 that a cartoon more significant to the history of musical cartoons on Saturday morning debuted. The Beagles was created by W. Watts Biggers, Treadwell Covington, and Joseph Harris of Total Television, the same company responsible for such classics as Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales and Underdog. Due to their name, some might think The Beagles were inspired by The Beatles, but the two lead characters were inspired by the comedy team of Martin and Lewis and owed more to such British duos as Chad and Jeremy and Peter and Gordon. The Beagles followed the adventures of Stringer (the Dean Martin of the duo) and Tubby (the Jerry Lewis of the duo). The Beagles' manager was Scotty, who was constantly involving the two in sometime dangerous publicity stunts.

Unlike Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles, music played an important role on The Beagles. Original songs by Chester Stover, W. Watts Biggers, Treadwell Covington, and Joseph Harris were written for the show. The songs were incorporated into episodes, not unlike The Beatles. In fact, The Beagles would be historic as the first cartoon band to have an album and single released. Here Come The Beagles was released on Harmony, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. The single, "Looking For The Beagles"/"I Want To Capture You" was released on Columbia Records itself. Neither the album nor the single charted, but they did set a precedent with regards to fictional bands on cartoons releasing albums and singles. In the coming years, it would become common place.

The Beagles lasted a single season on CBS, before moving to ABC where it was rerun on Sundays. For a long time the series was feared lost, but decades later it turned up at Golden Books Entertainment, who had bought the Total Television properties.

What was perhaps the most influential show with regards to the Saturday morning musical kid's shows of the Sixties and Seventies did not air on Saturday morning, nor was it made for children. The Monkees debuted on NBC on September 12 1966. The Monkees was a sitcom inspired by The Beatles' movies  A Hard Day's Night and Help! (among other things) and centred on the rock group of that name. Although it certainly appealed to children, The Monkees aired in primetime and was made primarily for teenagers and young adults. Music was central to the show, with songs incorporated both in the plots of episodes and in separate musical segments.

The Monkees was only moderately successful in the Nielsen ratings, but proved to be a huge success on the music charts. Their first four albums hit no. 1 on the Billboard album chart, and the band boasted three number one singles. The Monkees would be pivotal in the incorporation of music into children's shows on Saturday morning. In fact, it was one year after The Monkees ended its two season run that reruns of the show would join the Saturday morning line-up on CBS.

It was in part because of The Monkees that in the fall of 1968 two kid's shows that incorporated music debuted on Saturday morning. It was that season that The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and The Archie Show debuted. Saturday morning would never be the same.

Godspeed William Smith

Prolific actor William Smith, who was a regular on such TV shows as The Asphalt Jungle, Laredo, Hawaii Five-O, and others, died on July 5 2021 at the age of 88.

William Smith was born on March 24 1933 in Columbia, Missouri. Following the Dust Bowl his family moved to California. As a child he worked as an extra on several movies, including The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1945), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Gilda (1946), and The Boy With Green Hair (1948), among others. In 1951 he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served in the Korean War. As he was fluent in Russian, German, French, and Serbo-Croatian, he was hired by the CIA and NSA to teach classes at those agencies. He was working on his doctorate when he received an acting contract from MGM.

William Smith made his television debut in an episode of Kraft Television Theatre in 1954. He also appeared on The Ed Wynn Show, The Edge of Night, and Mr. Lucky. In 1959 he appeared in his first credited role in the movie The Mating Game (1959). In the Fifties he had uncredited roles in the movies Saturday's Hero (1951), High School Confidential (1958), Ask Any Girl (1959), Girl's Town (1959), Never So Few (1959), and The Gazebo (1959).

In the Sixties William was a regular on multiple television shows, playing Danny Keller on The Asphalt Jungle, Jimmy Delaney on the British TV show Zero One, and Texas Ranger Joe Riley on Laredo. He guest starred on the shows Stoney Burke; The Farmer's Daughter; Combat!; Kraft Television Theatre; Perry Mason; Tom, Dick and Mary; Broadside; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Wagon Train; Custer; The Second Hundred Years; Batman; I Dream of Jeannie; The Virginian (on one episode of which he originated the role of Joe Riley from Laredo); The Guns of Will Sonnett; Lassie; Here Come the Brides; The Felony Squad; Daniel Boone; Death Valley Days; and The Most Deadly Game. He appeared in the TV movies The Over-the-Hill Gang and Crowhaven Farm. He appeared in the movies Go Naked in the World (1961), Atlantis: The Lost Continent (1961), Mail Order Bride (1965), 36 Hours (1964), Gavilan (1968), Run, Angel, Run! (1969), The Losers (1970), Angels Die Hard (1970), Darker Than Amber (1970), and C.C. & Comany (1970).

In the Seventies William Smith appeared in the television mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and Rich Man, Poor Man Book II. He was a regular on Hawaii Five-O in its final season. He guest starred on the TV shows Julia, Dan August, Longstreet, The Mod Squad, Bearcats!, Columbo, Alias Smith and Jones, Mission Impossible, Search, Kung Fu, Ironside, The Streets of San Francisco, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, Planet of the Apes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Gunsmoke, Bronk, S.W.A.T., Movin' On, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, The Blue Knight, City of Angels, Bert D'Angelo/Superstar, Police Woman, Logan's Run, The Oregon's Trail, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Vega$, The Rebels, Trapper John M.D., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Hagen. He appeared in the movies Summertime (1971), Chrome and Hot Leather (1971), Runaway, Runaway (1972), The Thing With Two Heads (1972), Grave of the Vampire (1972), Hammer  (1972), Piranha (1972), Camper John (1973), Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973), Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), The Last American Hero (1973), A Taste of Hell (1973), Policewoman (1974), Black Samson (1974), Win, Place or Steal (1974), The Boss (1974), Tiger Cage (1974), The Swinging Barmaids (1975), The Ultimate Warrior (1975), Dr. Minx (1975), Scorchy (1976), Hollywood Man (1976), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), Blood & Guts (1978), Blackjack (1978), Fast Company (1979), The Frisco Kid (1979), Seven (1979), and Any Which Way You Can (1980).

In the Eighties William Smith was a regular on the television shows Emerald Point N.A.S. and Wildside. He guest starred on the shows B.J. and the Bear, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Wonderful World of Disney, Code Red, Matt Houston, Seven Brides for Sven Brothers, The Fall Guy, CHiPs, Knight Rider, Benson, Masquerade, Riptide, The Master, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Yellow Rose. Hardcastle and McCormick, T. J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, The A-Team, Airwolf, The Twlightt Zone, Murder She Wrote, Downtown, Houston Knights, O'Hara, Supercarrier, Paradise, Danger Bay, and Hunter. He appeared in the movies Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983), Red Dawn (1984), The Mean Season (1985), When Nature Calls (1985), Fever Pitch (1985), Eye of the Tiger (1986), Commando Squad (1987), Bulletproof (1987), Moon in Scorpio (1987), The Badd One (1987), Hell Come to Frogtown (1988), Maniac Cop (1988), Platoon Leader (1988), Hell on the Battlefield (1988), Evil Altar (1988), The Kill Machine (1988), Jungle Assault (1989), Action U.S.A. (1989), Empire of Ash III (1989), Deadly Breed (1989), Terror in Beverly Hills (1989), Memorial Valley Massacre (1989), L.A. Vice (1989), East L..A. Warriors (1989), B.O.R.N. (1989), Instant Karma (1990), Emperor of the Bronx (1990), Cartel (1990), Chance (1990), The Final Sanction (1990), and Forgotten Heroes (1990). 

In the Nineties Mr. Smith guest starred on the television shows Shades of L.A., The Young Riders, Vinnie & Bobby, Due South, Walker Texas Ranger, The Colony, Nash Bridges, and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. He appeared in the movies Spirit of the Eagle (1991), The Roller Blade Seven (1991), Cybernator (1991), Feast (1992), The Last Riders (1992), American Me (1992), Shadow of the Dragon (1992), Legend of the Roller Blade Seven (1992), Dark Secrets (1992), A Mission to Kill (1992), Kiss and Be Killed (1993), Merchant of Evil (1993), Road to Revenge (1993), Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993), Maverick (1994), Taken Alive (1994), Manosaurus (1994), Raw Energy (1995), Judee Strange (1995), Big Sister 2000 (1995), Neon Signs (1996), The Shooter (1997), Interview with a Zombie (1997), Hollywood Cops (1997), Doublecross on Costa's Island (1997), Warriors of the Apocalypse (1998), No Rest for the Wicked (1998), Wasteland Justice (1999), Vice (2000), Plastic Boys and the Jokers (2000).

In the Naughts William Smith was a guest voice on the animated TV series Justice League. He appeared in the movies The Elite (2001), Body Shop (2002), God Has a Rap Sheet (2003), Grave Tales (2004), Y.M.I. (2004), Hell to Pay (2005), Voices from the Graves (2006), Inner Rage (2006), Rapturious (2007), and The Boneyard Collection (2008). In the Teens he appeared in the movies Tiger Cage (2012), Island of the Witches (2014), and Irresistible (2020).

If William Smith was extremely prolific, it was perhaps because he was such a good actor. Highly educated and fluent in multiple languages, he could play nearly anything. Over the years he played both heroes and villains. On Laredo he played the good natured Texas Ranger Joe Riley. On both The Asphalt Jungle and Hawaii Five-O he played law enforcement officers. In contrast, on both Rich Man, Poor Man and Rich Man, Poor Man: Book II he played the hired thug Anthony Falconetti. In Darker Than Amber he was the rather sadistic bodybuilder Terry. He played both police officers and outlaw bikers several times in his career. What is more, he worked in genres ranging from Westerns to Blaxploitation to science fiction. William Smith was extremely prolific. He was also very good at what he did.

Godspeed Chick Vennera

Chick Venerra, who appeared in films such as Yanks (1979) and The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) and did a good deal of voice work in animated television shows, died on July 7 2021 at the age of 74. The cause was lung cancer.

Chick Venerra was born Francis Venerra on March 27 1947 in Herkimer, New York. He served in the United States Army Signal Corps. He moved from New York to California to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. For two years he worked as a dancer, acrobat, and clown in Disney on Parade and appeared in Grease both on Broadway and on tour.

Chick Venerra made his television debut in an episode of Lucas Tanner in 1975. He appeared in the mini-series Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers and Once an Eagle. He guest starred on the shows Baretta, The Blue Knight, The Bastard, and Vega$. He appeared in the TV movies Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid and G.I.'s. He made his film debut in Thank God It's Friday (1978) and Yanks (1979).

In the Eighties Mr. Venerra appeared in the movies High Risk (1981), Free Ride (1986), Kidnapped (1987), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Last Rites (1988), Night Eyes (1990), and The Terror Within II (1990). On television he was the voice of Sam on the animated series Foofur. He guest starred on the shows T. J. Hooker, Hail to the Chief, Hollywood Beat, Diff'rent Strokes, Night Court, and The Golden Girls. He was a guest voice on The Jetsons. He appeared in the movies A Bunny's Tale and A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story.

In the Nineties Chick Venerra was a voice on the animated television shows Animaniacs and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. He was a guest voice on the animated television shows Capitol Critters, Batman: The Animated Series, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Cow and Chicken, Pinky and the Brain, and Batman Beyond. He guest starred on the shows The Untouchables, Pig Sty, Mad About You, Air America, JAG, L.A. Heat, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and That's Life. He appeared in the TV movies Runaway Father, Kissing Miranda, and Night Eyes Four: Fatal Passion. He appeared in the movies  McBain (1991), Double Threat (1992), Alone in the Woods (1996), Time Under Fire (1997), Evasive Action (1998), Final Voyage (1999), and Intrepid (2000).

In the Naughts Chick Venerra was a guest voice on the animated series Static Shock and he appeared in the movie Glass Trap (2005).

Chick Vennera was a very talented actor. He played a wide variety of roles from the carefree Marv Gomez in Thank God It's Friday to struggling bean farmer Joe Mondragon in The Milagro Beanfield War to American soldier Sergeant Danny Ruffelo in Yanks. In two guest appearances on The Golden Girls he played consumer reporter Enrique Mas. Mr. Vennera was also the voice of several different characters on animated TV shows, from the leader of the rat brothers, Sam, on Foofur to the supervillain Ferret on Static Shock. He was a gifted actor who could play nearly anything.

Deezer D Passes On

Deezer D, who played Nurse Malik McGrath for the entire run of the TV show ER, died on January 7 2021 at the age of 55. The cause was a heart attack. He was also a rapper.

Deezer D was born Dearon Thompson in March 12 1965 in Los Angeles, California. As a teen he dropped out of high school and eventually became an alcoholic. It was a friend who introduced him to working as an extra. Deezer D decided he wanted to become an actor and at the same time pursued a career as a a rapper. It was following an anti-smoking commercial that featured him rapping that he he got an agent. He also began stopped drinking and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

Deezer D made his film debut in the movie Cool as Ice in 1991. He made his television debut in an episode of Out of Sight. He was cast as Nurse Malik McGrath on ER, appearing in its pilot episode "24 Hours." In the Nineties he guest starred on the television shows The John Laroquette Show and Hope & Gloria. He appeared in the TV movie Angel Street. He also released an album, Livin' Up in a Down World, in 1997. He appeared in the movies Fear of a Black Hat (1993), CB4 (1993), The Great White Hype (1996), and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). 

Deezer D continued to appear as Malik on ER for most the Naughts, appearing in its final episode, "And In the End." He guest starred in the TV show Starv-Ving. He appeared in the movies Bones (2001), Bringing Down the House (2003), In the Mix (2005), and The Way Back Home (2006). His album Unpredictable was released in 2002 and his album Delayed, But Not Denied was released in 2007. In the Teens he appeared in the movies Crowning Jules (2017) and this year he appeared in the movie Courting Mom and Dad (2021).

Before anything else I want to apologize for the fact that I am just now eulogizing Deezer D. His death in January entirely slipped past me. At any rate, I am saddened to hear that he died. Malik was one of my favourite characters on ER and Deezer D did a wonderful job of playing him. I know from Vanessa (who played Nurse Wendy Goldman on ER) that he was a very nice person on top of being a talented actor. Deezer D was always a delight to see on television and in movies. His passing is a cause for sorrow.

Godspeed Richard Donner

Richard Donner, who directed episodes of such classic TV shows as Wanted: Dead or Alive, Have Gun--Will Travel, and The Twilight Zone, as well as such movies as The Omen (1976), Superman (1978), and Ladyhawke (1985), died yesterday, June 5 2021, at the age of 91.

Richard Donner was born Richard Schwartzberg on April 24 1930 in New York City. He grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He studied business an theatre arts at New York University. After a stint in the United States Navy, Mr. Donner appeared in small roles on Broadway. He also had small parts on television. It was director Martin Ritt who offered Richard Donner a job as an assistant director.

Richard Donner directed commercials, industrial films, and documentaries before breaking into television with an episode of Zane Grey Theatre in 1960. In the Sixties he would go onto direct several episodes of the shows Have Gun--Will Travel, The Loretta Young Show, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Rifleman, Sam Benedict, The Twilight Zone, Mr. Novak, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., 12 O'Clock High, and The Banana Splits Hour. He also directed episodes of The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Route 66, The Tall Man, Wagon Train, The Detectives, The Eleventh Hour, Combat!, The Lieutenant, The Nurses, The Travels of Jamie McPheeters, Gilligan's Island, Perry Mason, Get Smart, The F.B.I., The Fugitive, It's About Time, Jericho, The Wild Wild West, and The Felony Squad. In 1961 he broke into movies with the feature film X-15. In the Sixties he also directed the films Salt and Pepper (1968), and Twinky (1970).

It was in the Seventies that Richard Donner became established as a movie director with the horror classic The Omen (1976). He followed it with another hit, Superman (1978). He directed a portion of Superman II, but was ultimately replaced by Richard Lester. He also directed the movie Inside Moves (1980). He continued to work in television, directing episodes of The Interns, Sarge, Bearcats!, The Sixth Sense, Cade County, Ghost Story, Banyon, Ironside, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Lucas Tanner, Sons and Daughters, Petrocelli, Kojak, and Bronk. He also directed the TV movies Hernandez, Nightside, Stat!, The Shadow in the Streets, and Sarah T.--Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic.

In the Eighties Mr. Donner directed the dark fantasy movie Ladyhawke (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987) and Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), and the parody of A Christmas Carol, Scrooged (1988). He also directed the films The Toy (1982) and The Goonies (1985). On television he directed episodes of the show Tales from the Crypt. In the Nineties he directed the movies Radio Flyer (1992), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Maverick (1994), Assassins (1995), Conspiracy Theory (1997), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). He directed an episode of Tales from the Crypt and the segment "Showdown" for the TV pilot movie Two-Fisted Tales (based on the EC comic book of the same name).

In the Naughts Richard Donner directed the movies Timeline (2003) and 16 Blocks (2006). He also served as a producer on many of the films he directed and as well as such diverse movies as Bordello of Blood (1996) and X-Men (2000). On television he served as a producer on the shows Tales from the Crypt and Perversions of Science.

Richard Donner was a remarkable director. With regards to television, he directed some of the best remembered episodes ever. He directed the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which William Shatner watched a gremlin on the wing of a plane. He also directed the second episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Iowa-Scuba Affair," in which Napoleon Solo must travel to Iowa to stop a saboteur at a secret U.S. Air Force base. He directed episodes of such classic shows as Wanted: Dead or Alive, Have Gun--Will Travel, and The Twilight Zone. Beyond classic television show episodes, Mr. Donner also directed classic movies, including The Omen, Superman, Ladyhawke, Lethal Weapon, and Scrooged. What makes his work in both television and film remarkable is that Richard Donner worked in a variety of genres. He directed works of horror, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, and straight forward drama. He was very versatile as a director.

Happy 4th of July 2021

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Here at A Shroud of Thoughts it is the custom to post appropriately themed classic pinups for certain holidays. Here then are the pinups for July 4th 2021.

Here is Lillian Bond with a lot of fireworks for her fireworks display! 

Adele Mara is also planning a big fireworks display

Gloria Grahame prefers something with a bigger bang. 

Melody Patterson and the American flag. 

And it wouldn't be the 4th of July without Ann Miller!
Happy 4th of July!