The Hershey's Kisses "Christmas Bells" Commercial

One of the most popular commercials of all time is only sixteen seconds in length. The Hershey's Kisses commercial "Christmas Bells" debuted in 1989 and has run every holiday ever since. The commercial is extremely simple. It opens with six Hershey's kisses in green wrappers, four Hershey's kisses in red wrappers, and a single Hershey's kiss in a silver wrapper. The Hershey's kisses then play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as if they were Christmas bells. It ends with the last Hershey Kiss in a red wrapper to play a note releasing an exhausted, "Whew!" "Christmas Bells" is the longest running commercial in the history of Hershey's, having run over 30 years now.

The origins of "Christmas Bells" go back to Hershey's Kisses brand manager in 1989, John Dunn. At the time he was working on a marketing campaign for the product called the "whimsy campaign" with advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. The stop-motion animation for the spot was provided by Colossal Pictures. "Christmas Bells" was directed by Carl Willat. He had provide additional opticals for the movie Return to Oz (1985) and would later provide animation for the feature film Across the Universe (2007).  Carl Willat and Gordon Clark executed the stop-motion animation for the commercial.

For the most part "Christmas Bells" would change very little over the years. In 2012 the commercial was redone with CGI and a new recording of the audio. On November 30 2020 a new commercial was introduced that ended with a little girl removing the red Hershey's kiss to play the final note from the frame to use in baking with her father. While the original "Christmas Bells" had aired earlier in the month, the new commercial was met with immediate backlash on such social media services as Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit. Because of the backlash Hershey's had to announce that they would air both commercials. The original "Christmas Bells" has aired ever since.

The 40th Anniversary of A Christmas Story (1983)

The most popular Christmas movies seem to come primarily from the Forties. It was during that decade that Christmas in Connecticut (1944), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and yet other Christmas classics were released. An exception to this rule is A Christmas Story (1983). Released on November 18 1983 in the United States and Canada, the film received mixed reviews and performed modestly at the box office. Fortunately, A Christmas Story (1983) would be saved from obscurity by television. It began airing in 1985 on such premium channels as HBO, Showtime, and the Movie Channel. It first aired on the cable channel WTBS (now TBS) in December 1987 and was also syndicated to local stations that same month. The popularity of A Christmas Story (1983) grew through repeated screenings on television, to the point that now it is regarded as a beloved Christmas classic.

For those who have never seen A Christmas Story, the movie centres on nine-year old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a boy residing in the fictional small town of Hohman, Indiana in 1940. Ralphie wants nothing more for Christmas than an official Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-Shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock. In addition to Ralphie trying to figure out how to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, the movie is composed of other vignettes as well, including Ralphie and his friends Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R. D. Robb) constantly being tormented by the bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward), Ralphie's Old Man (Darren McGavin) winning a "major award" and the conflict it creates with Ralphie's mother (Melinda Dillon), the Old Man's conflicts with the neighbours' dogs, and a few others.

A Christmas Story drew inspiration from the anecdotes of Jean Shepherd, primarily in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, but also in part from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters and his radio show. A Christmas Story was not the first time Jean Shepherd's work had been adapted to another medium. In 1976 the TV movie The Phantom of the Open Hearth, based on In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, aired on the PBS anthology series Visions. It was set in the late 1940s/early 1950s and featured a teenaged Ralph Parker. It was followed in 1982 by The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, which aired on the PBS anthology series American Playhouse. Even after A Christmas Story, PBS would continue to air TV movies based on Jean Shepherd's works: The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski on American Playhouse in 1985 and Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss on American Playhouse in 1988.

While A Christmas Story was primarily based on In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, it would be Jean Shepherd's radio show that would lead to the film. It was in 1968 that Bob Clark was living in Miami. He was on his way to pick up a date when he heard Jean Shepherd on his car radio telling the story "Flick's Tongue." It was then that he decided to adapt Jean Shepherd's stories as a movie.  "Flick's Tongue" would be familiar to anyone who has seen A Christmas Story, as it is the tale of how Schwartz dared Flick to stick his tongue to a flagpole. It would be years before Bob Clark could actually make a movie based on Jean Shepherd's work. It was only after the success of the critically reviled comedy Porky's (1981) that MGM agreed to go ahead with A Christmas Story. The studio gave Bob Clark $4.4 million to make the movie, a meagre sum even at that time.

The screenplay was written by Jean Shepherd himself, Bob Clark, and Leigh Brown. While Jean Shepherd had written the source material for A Christmas Story and co-wrote the screenplay, he and director Bob Clark did not always get along. Jean Shepherd acted as a bit of back seat driver where Bob Clark was concerned, constantly keeping watch on the director and making suggestions. He would even make suggestions to the actors, leading Bob Clark to yell at him to stay away from the actors. Having to stay under budget and on schedule, and concerned that Jean Shepherd's interference could jeopardize both, Bob Clark eventually banned the author from the set. Regardless, Jean Shepherd narrated the film as the adult Ralph Parker. He also has a cameo in the film as a man standing in the line to see Santa Claus at Higbee's department store.

To cast the all important role of Ralphie, Bob Clark auditioned 8000 boys. The role ultimately went to 12-year old Peter Billingsley. Peter Billingsley was already a veteran actor. He had appeared in many television commercials in the Seventies, including playing Messy Marvin in a series of ads for Hershey's. He had guest starred on the TV show Little House on the Prairie and appeared in the movies as Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) and Paternity (1981). For the role of the Old Man, Bob Clark initially considered Jack Nicholson, but the role ultimately went to Darren McGavin. At the time Mr. McGavin was best known for playing Mike Hammer in the Fifties series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and Carl Kolchak in the Seventies series Kolchak:The Night Stalker.

Melinda Dillon was cast as Ralphie's mother based on her role as Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). She later played Teresa Perrone in Absence of Malice (1981). She had been nominated for an Oscar for both movies.

Of course, among the stars of A Christmas Story is the fictional city of Hohman, Indiana. Hohman is based on Jean Shepherd's hometown of Hammond, Indiana, which had a population of 70,183 in 1940. The name "Hohman" is taken from the name of a major street in Hammond. In addition, many of the places in Hohman are taken from actual places in Hammond. Cleveland Street, where Ralphie lives in Hohman, is the street on which Jean Shepherd grew up in Hammond. There is an actual Warren G. Harding Elementary School in Hammond. In A Christmas Story there are also references to Lake Michigan and nearby Griffith, Indiana, an actual town near Hammond.

To create the fictional city of Hammond, scouts were sent to 20 different cities. Ultimately, Hohman would emerge from a combination of three different cities. The bulk of what is supposed to be Hohman in the movie is actually Cleveland, Ohio. Ralphie's house on Cleveland Street is actually on W. 11th Street in Cleveland. Downtown Hohman, where the Christmas parade in A Christmas Story takes place, is the Public Square in downtown Cleveland. As to Higbee's, it was an actual store situated on the Public Square in Cleveland. A Christmas Story utilized both the exterior and interior of Higbee's. The opening scene in which Ralphie views the Red Ryder BB gun in the store window was filmed at Higbee's, while Ralphie's visit to see Santa was filmed inside the store. Of course, here it must be pointed out that Higbee's stores were only found in northeast Ohio, while the film is set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana. The actual department store located in the hometown of Jean Shepherd (who wrote the stories upon which A Christmas Story) was Goldblatt's, a chain with stores in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Higbee's stores would continue to operate until 1992, when they were bought out by Dillards and the stores, including the Higbee's store in Cleveland, were rebranded as Dillard's.

While much of A Christmas Story was shot in Cleveland, other scenes were shot elsewhere. The schoolyard of Warren G. Harding Elementary, where the famous flagpole scene took place, is actually Victoria School in St. Catharines, Ontario. Two scenes were shot in Toronto, Ontario. The bridge on which the Old Man's car has a flat is the Cherry Street Bridge in Toronto, while the Chop Suey place in the movie is located on Gerrard Street East in Toronto. Other scenes shot in Toronto included Sears Street in Toronto (down which the bullies chase Ralphie, Flick, and Schwartz), 232 Queen Street W (where the Christmas tree lot was located), and 64 Sears Street (where Ralphie finally has it out with Scut Farkas), among others.

One problem that the production faced is that while it was cold that winter in Ohio, there was no snow. Snow had to be shipped in from ski resorts that were often over a hundred miles away. When the weather was even too warm for that, artificial snow was made from potato flakes and for set dressing they used shredded vinyl. In yet other scenes firefighting foam was used. A Christmas Story was filmed from January 14 1983 to March 24 1983. To help with the filming of the movie, the City of Cleveland actually kept their Christmas decorations up longer than they usually would.

A question that many fans of A Christmas Story had for years is, "What year does the movie take place?" On the commentary for the DVD, director Bob Clark stated that he and Jean Shepherd wanted the movie to be "...amorphously late-'30s, early-'40s." For that reason a specific year is never mentioned. Characters from The Wizard of Oz (1939) appear both at the Christmas parade and in Higbee's, so that A Christmas Story could be set no earlier than December 1939. There is no mention of World War II, so it has to be set earlier than December 1941. A calender dated 1939 appears in the Parker family's kitchen, which would seem to make it clear the movie takes place in 1939. The sequel A Christmas Story Christmas states that the events of A Christmas Story took place in 1940. I suppose it is up to individual fans if they want to regard that as canonical or not.

As mentioned earlier, A Christmas Story was released on November 18 1983. The film actually did fairly well early in its release. It ranked no. 3 at the box office for its first weekend in release, no. 1 at the box office for its second weekend in release, and no. 6 in its third weekend in release. Unfortunately, A Christmas Story ultimately proved not to have legs. By Christmas 1983 it was only still playing at around 100 theatres nationwide. In the end it earned $19.2 million at the box office. With a budget of $2.2 million, this made it a modest success.

As to the critics' reaction to the movie, as mentioned at the beginning of this post, the reviews were mixed. Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave A Christmas Story a good review, noting, "Visits to Santa Claus are more or less standard in works of this genre, but this movie has the best visit to Santa I've ever seen." Roger Ebert's fellow critic at The Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel also liked A Christmas Story, writing "A Christmas Story is a delightful motion picture that is doomed to box office failure. On their TV show At the Movies, both Siskel and Ebert gave A Christmas Story a "thumbs up." Other critics weren't so receptive to the movie. Kevin Thomas in The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Don't expect much Christmas spirit to be oozing out of A Christmas Story." In a 1984 review in Cinema Canada, John Harkness wrote, 'A Christmas Story is no doubt meant to evoke the lovely sort of Christmas films that were so popular in the late '30s and early '40s, films like Meet Me in St. Louis and Miracle on 34th Street, but it fails to approximate any of them."

While some critics in 1983 and 1984 were not too fond of A Christmas Story, its popularity would grow with audiences over the years. MGM/UA Home Video released A Christmas Story on VHS and BetaMax in 1984. In December 1985 it began airing on the premium channels HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel. The event that may have contributed the most to the enduring popularity of A Christmas Story may have Ted Turner's acquisition of the MGM library (including A Christmas Story) in 1986. In 1987 A Christmas Story made its debut on Ted Turner's SuperStation WTBS (now TBS), where it would become a holiday tradition. By 1995 the movie was aired six times between TBS and TNT. It as in 1997 that TNT began "24 Hours of A Christmas Story,' in which the movie was shown non-stop between  8:00 PM Eastern on Christmas Eve and 8:00 PM Eastern on Christmas Day. At the same time, TBS and TNT continued to show A Christmas Story several times earlier in December.

The success of A Christmas Story would lead to both sequels and adaptations to other media. The first sequel was It Runs in the Family (1984), later re-titled My Summer Story for home video and television. While It Runs in the Family was directed by Bob Clark, the only cast members from the original film are Jean Shepherd as the narrator and Tedde Moore as Ralphie's teacher Miss Shields. The film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office.

In 2012 a direct-to-video sequel A Christmas Story 2 was released. Although it was billed as an "official"sequel to A Christmas Story, it was not based on the works of Jean Shepherd, nor did any of the original cast or crew work on the film. It received mostly negative reviews. Last year a third sequel was released on HBO Max. A Christmas Story Christmas was produced and narrated by Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the original film. It was directed by animator Clay Kaytis, who had also directed the live action film The Christmas Chronicles (2018). He co-wrote the script with Nick Schenk, who had written the Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino (2008). In addition to Peter Billingsley, A Christmas Story Christmas saw the return of several members of the original cast, including Scott Schwartz as Flick, R.D. Robb as Schwartz, and Zack Ward as Scut Farkus. Because Melinda Dillon was in failing health, Julie Haggerty played Ralph's mom. Darren McGavin as the Old Man is seen in photos and archival footage, and the film is dedicated to his memory. Reviews for A Christmas Story Christmas were largely positive.

A Christmas Story has also been adapted to the stage. In 2000 Philip Grecian wrote a stage play based on the movie. In November 2012  A Christmas Story: The Musical opened on Broadway. and ran until December 30 of that year. A television version of the musical, A Christmas Story Live!, aired on Fox in 2017.

A Christmas Story was only a modest success at the box office. Had it not been for home video and repeated airings on television, it might well have been forgotten. As to why the movie ultimately proved to be successful, it is because it was unlike any Christmas movie before it. The film does capture the Christmas spirit quite well. It is a movie that is largely sentimental and reassuring. At the same time, however, A Christmas Story is a bit darker than previous holiday movies. Both Ralphie and Randy are just a little bit scared of the Old Man. Ralphie, Flick, and Schwartz live in fear of Scut Barkus and his crony Grover Dill (Yano Anaya). The commercialism of the holiday (rampant even in 1940) is acknowledged, but not treated negatively as it is in everything from Miracle on 34th Street (1947) to A Charlie Brown Christmas. Ultimately, the reason for the success of A Christmas Story may be that it captures family life in the mid-20th Century at Christmas so well. Christmas as experienced by many children in the United States did not change terribly much from the 1930s to the 1980s. If A Christmas Story remains popular, it may be because it reminds many people of the Christmases they experienced in their own childhoods.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee

This year "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, sixty-five years after it was first released. Not only did it become Miss Lee's third no. 1 single (after "I'm Sorry" and "I Want to Be Wanted), but it made her the oldest person to hit no. 1 on the Hot 100 (Brenda Lee is 78 years old). Brenda Lee also holds the record for the longest gap between no. 1 singles (63 years, one month and two weeks) and the longest gap between a song's release and it topping the Billboard Hot 100. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is also only the third Christmas song to ever hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (for those who are wondering, "White Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" were released well before the Hot 100 existed).

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks, best known for having written the second most successful Christmas song of all time, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (it is second only to "White Christmas"). Beyond "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Johnny Marks later adapted the poem "Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as the song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," a hit for Bing Crosby in 1956. He later wrote the holiday standards "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silver and Gold" for the classic Christmas TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in which all of the songs were written by Johnny Marks.

Johnny Marks chose Brenda Lee to record "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," although she does not know why. At the time she was only 13 years old and had not yet had any real recording success. It was first released on November 24 1958, but it did not chart. It was released again in 1959, although once more it did not chart. In the meantime, Brenda Lee's career had started to to take off. In 1959 she reached no. 4 with the song "Sweet Nothin's." In 1960 she hit no. 6 with "That All You Gotta Do," no. 1 with "I'm Sorry," no. 1 with "I Want to Be Wanted." When "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was re-released in 1960, then, it finally became it hit. It reached no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1965 it peaked at no. 3 on the chart. It has remained popular ever since.

As mentioned above, all of the songs in the Christmas special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" were written by Johnny Marks. This includes an instrumental version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." A version of the song also appears in the Rankin/Bass feature film Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979). Brenda Lee's original version was also included in the movie Home Alone (1990). The original version has been used on several TV shows, as well as movies from Reindeer Games (2000) to Krampus (2015) to A Christmas Story Christmas (2022). Over the years several artists have covered "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," including the Partridge Family, Ronnie Spector & Darlene Love,  Kim Wilde and Mel Smith, Kacey Musgraves and Camila Cabello, and yet others.

This year Brenda Lee filmed a music video for "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," in which she lip syncs to her original version of the song, just in time for the 65th anniversary of the song's release. This perhaps explains why the perennial Christmas favourite finally hit no. 1, although I have to point out it has hit no. 2 every year since 2019. For those who would like to see it, here it is.

The Late Great Film Historian Cari Beauchamp

Respected film historian, author, editor, and filmmaker Cari Beauchamp died yesterday, December 14 2023, at the age of 74. She was well-loved by classic film fans, and she was friends with many of them. She was a close friend of many of my close friends, and she was even a mentor to some of them. In addition to being one of the foremost movie scholars, she was always supportive of classic film buffs. Like many, I was able to interact with Cari on social media from time to time, and she was always wonderful.

Cari Beauchamp was born on September 12 1949 in Berkeley, California. She attended Lincoln High School, Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California and then San Jose State University, from which she graduated with a degree in political science and American history. She worked as a private investigator for many years. In 1973 she served as president of the National Women's Caucus of California, and as a campaign manager for Janet Gray Hayes, who was elected the mayor of San Jose in 1976. From 1979 to 1982 she was the press secretary for California Governor Jerry Brown.

It was in 1990 that Cari Beauchamp began writing full-time. Her first book, Hollywood on the Riviera: The Inside Story of the Cannes Film Festival, was written with Henri Béhar, and published in 1992. Her book Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood was a biography of Frances Marion, who had become the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood by 1917 and was also the fist writer to win two Academy Awards. Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood would be included in The Hollywood Reporter's list of the "100 Greatest Film Books of All Time" published earlier this year. She would later write and produce a documentary for Turner Classic Movies based on the book and also titled Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood. It was released in 2000.

Among the other books written by Cari were Joseph P. Kennedy's Hollywood Years, My First Time in Hollywood: Stories from the Pioneers, Dreamers and Misfits Who Made the Movies, and From Latin America to Hollywood: Latino Film Culture in Los Angeles 1967-2017. She edited Anita Loos Rediscovered and annotated the book with Miss Loos's niece Mary Anita Loos. She also edited Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary: Her Private Letters from Inside the Studios of the 1920s by Valeria Belletti. Cari was also a contributor to multiple publications, including Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and many others.

As mentioned above, Cari Beauchamp wrote and produced the documentary Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood. She wrote the PBS documentary The Day My God Died (2003), which aired on Independent Lens. The documentary focused on girls in India and Nepal who were sold into sexual slavery.. It was nominated for an Emmy. She also appeared in multiple documentaries on classic movies and other subjects. She was a consultant on advisor on The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing and Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood, and yet other documentaries. She was also a familiar face on Turner Classic Movies. She was a special guest TCM Spotlight: Trailblazing Women in 2015 and 2016. 

>Cari Beauchamp served as a presenter at multiple TCM Classic Film Festivals. She was also a speaker at the British Film Institute, the Cannes Film Festival, the Edinburgh Film Festival the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. She was also a resident scholar at the Mary Pickford Foundation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

Before anyone else did so, Cari Beauchamp wrote about the women in the early film industry. While the focus of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood is Frances Marion, in its pages one also learns about such other influential women in the early days of Hollywood as Marie Dressler, Hedda Hopper, Lillian Gish, Anita Loos, Mary Pickford, Zasu Pitts, and others. She paved the way for other authors to write about the women who helped shape the American film industry. Of course, Cari Beauchamp often examined topics that few others had before, whether it was Joseph Kennedy's days in Hollywood or Latino film culture.

Much of what made Cari Beauchamp such a great film historian and author is that she was very skilled at getting the facts. She had been a private investigator, and she put those skills to use in writing about classic movies. What is more, Cari Beauchamp's writing was never dry or boring. She wrote in an engaging style guaranteed to keep the reader hooked. Her knowledge of film history and an engaging personality also made her perfect as a speaker or presenter at film history panels. She was certainly enthusiastic about film. What is more, she was supportive of her fellow classic film buffs. With Cari Beauchamp's passing, the classic film community has lost one of its brightest lights.

The Late Great Andre Braugher

Andre Braugher, who starred as Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life in the Streets and Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and appeared in such movies as Glory (1989), died on December 11 2023 at the age of 61. The cause was lung cancer.

Andre Braugher was born on July 1 1962 in Chicago. He graduated from Stanford University and then studied drama at Julliard. He made his television debut in 1989 in the TV movie Kojak: Ariana, playing Detective Winston Blake. He reprised the role of Detective Blake in the TV movies Kojak: Fatal Flaw, Kojak: Flowers for Matty, Kojak: It's Always Something, and Kojak: None So Blind. In 1990 he played Jackie Robinson in the TV movie The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson. He made his film debut in Glory in 1989.

In the Nineties Andre Braugher played Detective Pembleton on Homicide: Life in the Streets and the TV movie Homicide: The Movie. He starred on the medical drama Gideon's Crossing. He starred in the TV movies The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) and Passing Glory (1999). He guest starred on the show Law & Order (playing Detective Pembleton). He was a guest voice on the animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child and Jackie Chan Adventures. He appeared in the movies Striking Distance (1993), Primal Fear (1996), Get On the Bus (1996), City of Angels (1998), Thick as Thieves (1999), All the Rage (1999), Frequency (2000), Duets (2000), and A Better Way to Die (2000).

In the Naughts Andre Braugher starred on the TV shows Hack and Men of a Certain Age. He had a recurring role on the show House, M.D. He appeared in the mini-series 'Salem's Lot, Thief, and The Andromeda Strain. He guest starred on the shows The Practice, The Jury and Miami Medical. He appeared in the movies Poseidon (2006), Live! (2007), The Mist (2007), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Passengers (2008), and Salt (2010).

In the Teens Ande Braugher starred on the TV show Last Resort and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He had recurring roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the animated series BoJack Horseman. He guest starred on the shows Axe Cop (2015) and New Girl (as Captain Raymond Holt from Brooklyn Nine-Nine). He appeared in the movies The Baytown Outlaws (2001), The Gambler (2014), Emily & Tim (2015).

In the 2020s Andre Braugher continued to play Captain Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He was a regular on the streaming series The Good Fight. He appeared in the movie She Said (2022).

Andre Braugher was an incredible actor with a great amount of talent. He was nominated for an Emmy for his role on Homicide: Life in the Streets of Frank Pembleton, the intellectual detective who was opposed to the use of deadly force. He was also nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for The Tusekegee Airmen, in which he played Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the courageous and tenacious commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group. Of course, he will also be remember as Captain Raymond "Ray" Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the stoic captain of the 99th Precinct, who nonetheless has a great deal of warmth for his fellow human beings. He also played the intellectual and brave Corporal Thomas Searles in Glory. While Ande Braugher played several bigger-than-life characters, he was capable of playing an ordinary guy. On Men of a Certain Age he played Owen Thoreau, Jr., a diabetic car salesman who suffered from severe anxiety. Andre Braugher could play a wide array of characters, and he was equally good at both drama and comedy. Few actors ever possessed as much talent as he had.

Jack Hogan Passes On

Jack Hogan, who played PFC Kirby on the TV show Combat! and Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller on Adam-12, died on December 6 2023 at the age of 94.

Jack Hogan was born Richard Benson Jr. on November 24 1929 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He received his pilots licence when he was 16. He joined the Air Force following his graduation. During the Korean War he served as a staff sergeant in Japan. Following his service he moved to Hollywood where he worked as a lifeguard and studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Jack Hogan made his film debut in an uncredited role in Man from Del Rio in 1956. He made his television debut in 1957 in a guest appearance on the TV series State Trooper. In the late Fifties he guest starred on the shows The Sheriff of Cochise, Meet McGraw, Official Detective, Dr. Christian, Harbor Command, Broken Arrow, Target, The Rough Riders, Steve Canyon, Have Gun--Will Travel, Men of Annapolis, Sea Hunt, Tombstone Territory, MacKenzie's Raiders, Mike Hammer, Laramie, Lock Up, Tightrope, Bat Masterson, The Rifleman, Lawman, Colt. 45, U.S. Marshal, The Rebel, Men into Space, The Deputy, Tate, and Riverboat. He appeared in the films The Bonnie Parker Story (1959), Paratroop Command, and The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959).

In the Sixties he was a regular on Combat! as PFC Kirby. He had a recurring role on Adam-12 as Detective Sergeant Jerry Miller and in a two-part episode Lt. Fred Benson. He guest starred on the shows The Best of the Post, Peter Gunn, The Tall Man, Bonanza, Bat Masterson, Cheyenne, Ben Casey, Bronco, Ripcord, Cain's Hundred, The Rifleman, Lawman, 87th Precinct, The New Breed, Death Valley Days, G.E. True, Hawaiian Eye, Custer, The Felony Squad, Garrison's Gorillas, Tarzan, Ironside, The Outsider, and The Name of the Game. He appeared in the movie The Cat Burglar (1961).

In the Seventies he was a regular on the TV series Sierra. He guest starred on the shows The Little People;Emergency!; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Chase; The Six Million Dollar Man; S.W.A.T.; Medical Center; Hawaii Five-O; The Quest; Insight; Switch; The Oregon Trail; Kojak; The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries; Project U.F.O.; and Quincy, M.E.

In the Eighties he worked on the casting department on Magnum, P.I. He had a recurring role on the TV series Berenger's and Jacke and the Fatman. He guest starred on the shows Scarecrow and Mrs. King; Matt Houston; Riptide; The A-Team; Airwolf; and Outlaws. In the Nineties he guest starred on the show Raven.

Jack Hogan was an actor of some versatility. On Combat! Kirby could be argumentative, was a bit of a womanizer, and had a tendency to make wise cracks and complain. On Adam-12 he played the much more serious Detective Sgt. Miller. In his guest appearances on various television shows, he could play a wide variety of characters. He was a Comanchero in the Bonanza episode "The Gift," on Bat Masterson he played everything from an outlaw to a marshal, and on Kojak he appeared as a corrupt Assistant District Attorney. While he will probably always be remembered as Kirby on Combat!, he could play a wide variety of roles.

Godspeed Shirley Anne Field

Shirley Anne Field, who appeared in the movies The Entertainer (1960) and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), as well as numerous television programs, died on December 10 2023 at the age of 87.

Shirley Anne Field was born Shirley Broomfield in Forrest Gate, Essex (what is now the London Borough of Newham) on June 27 1936. She was six years old when she was placed in the National Children's Home at Edgworth, near Bolton, Lancashire. She subsequently spent most of her childhood in a series of children's home. When she was 15 years old she returned to her family in London. Before her film career, Shirley Anne Field was a pinup girl who appeared in such publications as Reveille and Titbits.

Shirley Anne Field was noticed by director Val Guest and made her film debut in a small role in the movie Simon and Laura in 1955. In the late Fifties she appeared in such films as All for Mary (1955), Lost (1956), It's Never Too Late (1956), It's a Wonderful World (1956), The Weapon (1956), Loser Takes All (1956), The Silken Affair (1956), Dry Rot (1956), The Good Companions (1957), The Flesh is Weak (1957), Seven Thunders (1957), Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), and Jungle Street (1960). Nineteen sixty would prove to a breakthrough year for Shirley Anne Field. She appeared in the classic Peeping Tom (1960), an actress who discovers the bodies of one of the victims of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm). In The Entertainer (1960) she played Tina Lapford, a beauty queen who has an affair with protagonist Archie Rice (Lord Laurence Olivier). She received her biggest role to date in the classic Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), in which she received second billing. She played Doreen, a beautiful, but modest woman who becomes involved with the protagonist Arthur Seaton (Arthur Finley). She also received second billing in Man in the Moon (1960), playing a stripper with whom protagonist William Blood (Kenneth More) becomes involved. Shirley Anne Field made her television debut in The New Adventures of Martin Kane in 1957 and during the late Fifties she also appeared in the TV series International Detective.

In the Sixties Shirley Anne Field continued to appear in high profile roles in the Sixties. She appeared in her first Hollywood film, The War Lover (1962), opposite Steve McQueen. She also appeared in the films The Damned (1962) and Alfie (1966). She appeared in the movies Kings of the Sun (1963), Lunch Hour (1963), Marcia nuziale (1966), Doctor in Clover (1966), Hell is Empty (1967), With Love in Mind (1970), and A Touch of the Other (1970). She appeared in the television show Five More.

In the Seventies Shirley Anne Field began appearing more often on television. During the decade she was a regular on the British TV series Buccaneer. She also guest starred on the TV shows Centre Play and Shoestring. She appeared in the movie House of the Living Dead (1974). In the Eighties she appeared in the TV movie Two By Forsyth (1984). She had a recurring role for a time on the American daytime soap opera Santa Barbara. She also appeared in the TV series Never the Twain. She appeared in the movies My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Shag (1988), Getting It Right (1989), and The Rachel Papers (1989).

In the Nineties Shirley Anne Field was a regular on the TV series Madson. She appeared in the mini-series Lady Chatterley. She guest starred on the shows El C.I.D.; Murder, She Wrote; Rumble; Bramwell; Barbara; Dalziel and Pascoe; and The Bill. She appeared in the movies Hear My Song (1991), U.F.O. (1993), Loving Deadly (1994), At Risk (1994), and Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry (2000). In the Naughts Shirley Anne Field was a regular on the TV series Where the Heart Is. She guest starred on the shows Walking the Dead, Monarch of the Glen, Last of the Summer Wine, and Doctors. She appeared in the movie The Kid (2010). In the Teens she appeared in the movie The Power of Three (2011). Her final appearance on screen was in the short "Beautiful Relics" (2014).

Shirley Anne Field was a remarkable actress. In her earliest roles she was often little more than eye candy, but she swiftly proved herself both talented and versatile. In her breakout year 1960 alone she played a variety of roles, from the neurotic actress Diane in Peeping Tom to the wholesome Doreen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. In the Hammer Horror The Damned (1963), she played Joan, the sister of the vicious leader of a motorcycle gang. In Alfie she played a nurse who seduced by the title character (Michael Caine), who also happens to be her patient. Over the years Shirley Anne Field played a wide variety of roles and played all of them well.