Eddie Munster and the Dragula are a big hit at Detroit's Redford Theatre

If you didn't make it out to last weekend's special event at the Redford Theatre in Detroit, we've got the scoop for ya. Mr. Butch Patrick, who starred as Eddie Munster on "The Munsters," made an appearance for the showing of the flick "Munster, Go Home," on Friday and Saturday  night. And making its big debut with Patrick was the fabulous custom-built Dragula!

Mike of Motor City Reel Rides, shown with Patrick below as he signs the car, hand-built this golden beauty to exactly match the vehicle featured in the "Munsters" TV show. With a carefully chosen coffin trucked up from another state and lots of materials and processes we're sure are rather proprietary (!), Mike crafted it all down to the last detail -- and on a very tight deadline for this event with Patrick.

The event was a huge success. For just the Friday night showing, more than 700 people came out, Mike tells BRBTV.

Mike, by the way, has also hand-crafted an Ecto car from "Ghostbusters," and his Motor City Reel Rides brings these and other star cars such as KITT from "Knight Rider," the General Lee from "The Dukes of Hazzard," and the fabulous Monkeemobile (featured in previous posts on this very blog) to special events. Email 'em to learn more from Motor City Reel Rides.

 

You'll find more photos from this event at the Redford Theatre's site.

 

Photos courtesy of Motor City Reel Rides; please do not copy without permission.

John Wesley Shipp appears at GMX; has some "Separation Anxiety" going on

John Wesley Shipp, known among comic-book fans as "The Flash" in 1990-91 but known to "Santa Barbara" fans as Martin Ellis in late 1986, had a lot to say at this weekend's GMX about his career on the small screen and in particular about his time as DC's scarlet speedster. 

At the event at Nashville's Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, Shipp did a panel with fans, and he also took time to talk to BRBTV one-on-one (well, one-on-two, since our buddy Will "The Voice Man" Rodgers was with us). BRBTV will have some great video of Shipp on our YouTube channel in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, though, we can tell you about Shipp's latest projects.

"Separation Anxiety" is the story of three 20-something childhood friends, at the time of the funeral of one of the friends. The movie, from Glass City Films, features flashbacks that bring more details to the question of what really happened to the friend who died. Shipp plays the father of the friend who died. The movie is now available on DVD. Read more at Glass City's site.

Shipp also has "Hell and Mr. Fudge" coming up, where he plays Bennie Lee Fudge. He stars with fellow "SB" alum Eileen Davidson in that one, due out next year. Mackenzie Astin also stars. The movie wrapped filming in Athens, Alabama, in July, as The Huntsville Times reports. Check out Shipp and Davidson in the teaser video on the film's official site, and like the Facebook page to keep up with it.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand.

Spotted: Two "SB" Stephens, as well as an Ally!

You gotta love that "Matlock." Like so many hourlong dramas of that era, Andy Griffith's courtroom series brought in a beautiful bevy of TV stars. Take the episode "The Biker," for instance. Not only does it feature two of the Stephens of our beloved "Santa Barbara" -- Stephen (Peter Flint) Meadows and Stephen (Dr. Skyler Gates) Nichols, but also Ally Walker, who portrayed Andrea Bedford and went on to such great success with "Profiler" and more.

Nichols, who also appeared on "Dallas" as a paramedic and the "Dynasty" pilot as a flight attendant, is the biker of the ep's title, accused of murdering his fellow Stephen, Meadows, who portrays a famous but highly murdered actor who had hired Nichols' character as his bodyguard. Nichols is appropriately gruff, rough and grisley in his cutoff attire, while Meadows is impetuous and about as high-strung and temperamental as we remember ole Peter back in the mid-'80s.

Walker brings her sweetly husky voice to a courtroom scene, taking the witness stand to introduce flashbacks of herself and the two Stephens. She served as a handler of sorts to Meadows' character, and she's quite burned by the experience.

Also in the "Spotted" category, have you seen Barbara Eden endorsing One Reverse Mortgage? Well, we have! We just saw that lovely LeAnn de la Vega of "Dallas" in her TV spot on the October morning we were writing this post ...

Leann Hunley takes on "Blissful Lies"

That lovely Dana Waring of "Dynasty," Ms. Leann Hunley, has a movie in the works. It's called "Blissful Lies," and it's by independent filmmaker Jennifer Brown-Thomas. It's a story, according to the official site, "exploring the close ties and bonds between five friends.  They find the limits of their relationships are tested to the extreme as lies bubble up and threaten everything they thought their lives were." The movie was shot in Texas in just three weeks, according to its Facebook page.

The film was scheduled for release earlier this year but has not yet been released. Check out BlissfulLies.com to learn more, watch the trailer and see photos of Hunley in action.

Linda Evans talks love, age -- and of course, "Dynasty" -- on "Today" show

NBC's "Today" show this week has been giving some good airtime -- and cybertime -- to Linda Evans of our beloved "Dynasty." Our former Krystle Carrington is promoting her new book "Recipes for Life" and appeared on the show with Ann Curry earlier this week, then appeared again this morning.

The earlier interview segment, below, included a "Dynasty" clip of the studio catfight between Krystle and Alexis. Of course, you can't talk "Dynasty" without talking about the catfights, and we love the look on Evans' face when Curry asked if it was hard to fight with her co-star Joan Collins.

"I loved to fight physically; Joan liked to fight verbally," she says. "I just loved it! I don't do that in life, by the way. I've never beat anybody up."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On this morning's show, Evans talked about the idea behind her new book.

"They wanted me to write a memoir, and I've wanted to do a cookbook, and I thought, what if I could do both?" she says.

When asked about her "Dynasty" costar John Forsythe and whether he was as charming in real life as he was as Blake Carrington, Evans enthused, "It was so easy to love him! John Forsythe was one of the most extraordinary human beings I've known."

What has she learned about love at this point in her life, as she's about to turn 69 next month, especially given her much-publicized marriages?

"Don't give up on love," she tells "Today." "And don't be sad when it goes away."

By the way, regarding those catfights: BRBTV has talked with Evans' stuntwoman from "Dynasty," Jeannie Epper. You'll see excerpts from that interview on this blog in the next couple weeks.

Larry Hagman announces cancer diagnosis

We're sad to see the health announcement for Larry Hagman, our own J.R. Ewing of "Dallas." The Associated Press quotes him as saying, "As we all know, you can't keep J.R. down!"

http://news.yahoo.com/larry-hagman-dallas-diagnosed-cancer-222717498.html

Announcing the BRBTV Report on "Wonder Woman"

"All the world is waiting for you

And the power you possess

In your satin tights

Fighting for your rights

And the old red, white and blue ..."

Attempts to update her in live action for the big and small screen have sputtered in recent years, but the simple fact remains. For so many fans, there is one Wonder Woman. She is Lynda Carter. And she starred in a little series launched by ABC in 1975 under the name "The New Original Wonder Woman."

And now, in this brand-new installment in the BRBTV Reports series on Amazon's Kindle, we take a look at the history and massive pop-cultural impact of this TV series running three seasons in primetime, initially on ABC then jumping to NBC. And we talk to some great folks as we do it:

• Cast member S. Pearl (Saundra) Sharp tells us about that fearsome sliding door in the IADC offices that accidentally came down on her one day, and the kind cast member who was most concerned about her when she came to!
• Executive Story Editor Anne Collins Ludwick gives us her take on bringing the superpowers of this DC Comics hero to life on the screen, as well as what it meant for a female to have a starring role in a weekly TV series in that era.
• Stuntwoman Jeannie Epper talks about the dolphin that saved her life -- among other interesting aspects of this high-action series!
• Washington, D.C., photographer James R. Green Jr. offers us the story of first being starstruck by Lynda Carter at the Kennedy Center Honors.
• Comics artist Michael Netzer tells the story of his art for DC making an unexpected impact on the actress.

Beyond the magazine-length feature story, the Report, which is No. 8 in the series, includes another familiar element -- the fun and original BRBTV synopses to the episodes. It's all in a handy-dandy, highly portable Kindle format -- viewable on other devices, of course, and illustrated with photos that appear in color where available.

AND ... like the rest of the BRBTV Reports in the series so far, the price is a cool buck-fifty. Less than a comic book, less than a magazine, and yours to keep fo-ever and ever ...

We hope you enjoy this latest Report. Author and journalist Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV has always had a special interest in wonderful chick TV shows like this, shows that inspired young females everywhere to be something more than was traditionally expected by society.

Catching up: Terri Garber, Leigh J. McCloskey, Marj Dusay and more

In the What Are They Up to Lately Dept., come a few choice tidbits on the stars of our beloved TV shows ... and this looks to be the "Santa Barbara" edition, as our beloved daytime soap is the tie that binds these folks together ...

• Terri Garber is hot on the real estate scene, having represented Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. and Prudential California Realty in recent years and now with John Aaroe Group in Sherman Oaks, California, these days. Check out her official site. Our former Leslie Carrington of "Dynasty" and Suzanne Collier of "Santa Barbara" is as lovely as ever.
• Rawley Valverde, our Amado Gonzalez of "SB," hasn't left the small screen -- he's just serving it in a different capacity. He's an anchor at Channel One News in Los Angeles. He calls it the "Best. Job. Ever." on his Facebook.
• Leigh J. McCloskey, who is a BRBTV triple-shot for his time as Mitch Cooper on "Dallas," Ethan Asher and Zack Kelton on "SB," as well as a guest shot on "The Secrets of Isis" (or does that make him a quadruple-shot?), has been leading workshops at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California. His recent program, "Psyche and Soul Psychodynamic Diagnosis of Personality Disorder," offered "a bold, depthful, and innovative approach to personality theory where the boundaries of psyche and soul meet," Pacifica's site says.
• Harley Jane Kozak, our own Mary Duvall of "SB" who is in more recent days a thriving mystery novelist, will be featured on a Murder at Sea cruise next May. Subtitled "Mystery Authors and Mayhem Revealed," the cruise will head to the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Check the website for details.
• Marj Dusay, our second Pamela Capwell of "SB," just did the meeting-and-greeting thing at the Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS event a week or two ago in New York. Dusay also has a special YouTube channel devoted just to her.

Tom Wopat hits the concert trail hard -- and takes a Duke cousin along for a couple shows!

Thanks to the Wopat web crew for keeping us up-to-date on the appearances of Tom Wopat, our own Luke Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard." The highlight here is that his on-screen cuz, John Schneider, will be joining him for a couple of the dates on this tour schedule, when Tom will be bringing his swingin' collection of standards and more to cities around the country ...

10/29/11 - Balboa Theater - San Diego, CA
10/30/11 - Valley Performing Arts Center - Northridge, CA
12/10/11 - Holly Springs Cultural Center - Holly Springs, NC
1/14/12 - Regattabar - Cambridge, MA
1/21/12 - Ram's Head Bar - Annapolis, MD
2/24/12 - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall - Sarasota, FL
2/28/12 to 3/3/12 - The Colony at Palm Beach - Palm Beach, FL
4/12/12 - Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON (joined by John Schneider)
4/13/12 - Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON (joined by John Schneider)
4/14/12 - State Theater - Easton, PA
5/12/12 - South Orange Performing Arts Center - South Orange, NJ
6/2/12 to 6/4/12 - 92Y Tribeca - New York NY

Tickets for the the Fallsview Casino shows with John Schneider will go on sale in January 2012.

Hollywood Show: Two out of three "Morgans" ain't bad!

Morgan Brittany, Morgan Fairchild and Morgan Woodward are the three major Morgans of our beloved "Dallas" (well, sure there was a minor Morgan or two, too!). And approximately 66 percent of those major Morgans will be making an appearance this next weekend at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, which continues to astound us with its ability to nab some truly great classic-TV stars.

Our former Katherine Wentworth and (first) Jenna Wade will be meeting and greeting fans at the event, which begins this Friday, October 7 (preview only -- no stars), and runs through Sunday. The twosome joins an impressive guest list that includes several key stars from the '60s "Batman" series as well as a bunch from one of our other faves, "The Waltons." And Electra Woman and Dyna Girl? Major ouch that we can't be there. (Hey, Hollywood Show, how's-bout coming to the East Coast for an event!?)

AND ... coming on the heels of this October show is a Vegas show in November. Yes, the Hollywood Show goes Vegas, and it will feature Joan Collins, our grande dame of "Dynasty," offering an exclusive of her new book, "The World According to Joan." Meow on that. It happens at the Harrah's Hotel and Casino; check the website.

Barbara Eden, Jenilee Harrison and Charlene Tilton of "Dallas" will also appear at the Vegas show, along with Richard Hatch and Bo Hopkins of "Dynasty" and Herb Jefferson Jr. of "The Dukes of Hazzard."