Robin Wright: "Rampart," "Dragon Tattoo" and more

It's a regular Robin Wright roundup here on the BRBTV News Blog. Our lovely original Kelly Capwell of "Santa Barbara" has lots of movie stuff goin' awn ...

"Rampart," in which she stars with Woody Harrelson, Ice Cube and Sigourney Weaver, has release dates of November 23, 2011 in New York and Los Angeles, and January 27, 2012 elsewhere in the U.S. The movie "explores the dark soul and romantic misadventures of a never-changing LAPD cop (Harrelson) whose past is finally catching up with him in the wake of a department-wide corruption scandal," according to promotional materials.

Along the way, he is forced to confront his disgruntled daughters (Brie Larson, Sammy Boyarsky), his two ex-wives (Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon), a tenacious deputy DA (Weaver), an investigator on his trail (Ice Cube), a homeless witness to his crimes (Ben Foster), his aging mentor (Ned Beatty) and a mysterious new lover who may or may not be on his side (Robin Wright), as he fights for his own sanity and survival. Wow, what a cast.

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" comes out next month and has Wright sharing the screen with the blond Bond, Daniel Craig. See the official website for ... well, a photo, at least!

Wright also visited the Congo recently for the Enough Project, as this YouTube video attests. Wow, does she look great!



Wright is also reported to be starring in "The Grandmothers." See the Facebook  note about that.

A fan page for Wright on Facebook has all this news and more, such as photos of Wright in these roles.

He's got "Dallas" and "The Dukes" covered for sure: BRBTV presents a sampling of the voice talent of Will Rodgers

We knew he had talent when we saw his site, "Will's Ultimate Guide Super Friends Episode Guide!" And he's got such a wonderful, geeky-keen grasp of detail, a love for classic TV shows, and a skill at writing that we asked him to collaborate on some upcoming BRBTV projects. But the real talent of Will "The Voice Man" Rodgers of Tennessee is his voicework. It's only fitting that part of the BRBTV video series on YouTube includes a sprinkling of his impersonations of classic TV characters. Enjoy ...

Jackson Bostwick tells us more about his work on "Shazam!"

So just how closely did the "Shazam!" Saturday-morning TV series of the 1970s follow the well-known comic-book character? Where in California was the show filmed, and what was the deal with those "Elders"? Where was Shazam the Wizard, anyway? Jackson Bostwick, the original star of Filmation's live-action half-hour series weighed in on those questions and more as BRBTV chatted with him at this year's Geek Media Expo in Nashville, Tennessee.

The latest in the BRBTV video series puts you there at Bostwick's table at the event as he talks with Will and BRB about his work on the series. We hope you enjoy it. Consider it a follow-up to our email interview with Bostwick a few months back on this very blog ...

Jeannie Epper had the inside track on those "Dynasty" catfights

For our recently released BRBTV Report on the '70s TV show "Wonder Woman," we got the chance to talk via phone to esteemed Hollywood stuntwoman Jeannie Epper, who was the primary double for Lynda Carter in that series and who was even one of the two subjects of the 2004 documentary flick "Double Dare" for that same "WW" work.

Epper comes from a big family of Hollywood actors and stunt doubles spanning four generations, and her resume certainly extends far beyond "Wonder Woman." Take "Charlie's Angels," for instance, or "The Bionic Woman," "Logan's Run," "The Rockford Files," "Beverly Hills Cop III," "Con Air," "Blade," and a ton more. And this gal, just turning 70 this year, shows no signs of slowing down. On the day we talked to her this past July, she had just done an explosion scene for CBS' "Criminal Minds." But what we talked about with  her this day was the aforementioned "Wonder Woman" ... as well as another little show that we happen to like ...

Those popular "Dynasty" catfights featuring Linda Evans as Krystle Carrington and Joan Collins as Alexis Colby were a tad more dangerous than they might have looked, you see. And Epper just happens to be the one who stepped in and spared Evans from injury. Epper tells us she got that "Dynasty" gig from having doubled for Evans on "Big Valley." Evans then asked for her in her "Dynasty" days.

Epper was with the show from the beginning and says that she handled not only the catfights but a few other things along the way.

"I did the horseback riding. Remember Rock Hudson, before they knew he had AIDS? He looked like a really old man. We were doing that horse chase. My brother Andy stunt-doubled him in the horse chase, and I was doubling her (Evans). And she rolls down the hill,and he comes down and scoops her up and kisses her. And …” Epper pauses.

“I shouldn’t really say it because it’s not my story to tell, but yes, I was there that day. She was a little worried.”

The concern was downplayed, of course, for fear of a hysteria in this just-discovered disease. “That was before they knew about saliva," Epper says. "They didn’t know so much as they know now about that disease.”

She continues, "I also did stair falls for her. You remember the episode where she fell down the stairs? I did that. But the catfights were the best. You know of all the episodes, I have in its entirety the one where Linda was fighting herself in the attic.” (Catfight No. 4, in “The Vigil,” January 22, 1986)

“That was a rough fight. That was a really really rough fight. The pond one was fun.”

So in the attic scene with the real Krystle and fake Krystle fighting, we had to ask, who was the other stuntwoman? “Donna Evans was able to come in and be the twin," Epper says. "She dated my son way, way back, in the ‘80s. She’s married now and has a family. She doubles for Anne Hathaway. We worked on ‘Princess Diaries’ together, and I doubled Julie Andrews, and she doubled Anne. She used to double Sharon Stone and lots of others. Back then, there were a lot of big actresses who were doing action stuff. Her sister Debbie does all the car work for Angelina Jolie.”

Did Epper do all of the “Dynasty” catfights involving Krystle? “I didn’t do the pillow fight." (the studio fight) "My sister did. I was on another show. I wasn’t under contract to them yet. They’d bring me in and use me when they needed me. Later they put me under contract, because they wanted the same people to double the same actresses. But in the pillow fight, it was her and a girl named Regina Parton.”

What was Linda Evans like to work with? “Just great," Epper says. "We’ve known each other since we were 19 years old because of ‘Big Valley.’ I rode horses for her on that.”

What about Joan Collins?

“I loved working with her," Epper says. "I loved to watch her because she was so amazingly old Hollywood, and to get to see that, to see that she was old Hollywood, was great. She was demanding. Linda would always calm her down. But a lot of times she was right about things too.”

She says, “There was a certain thing that went on in that period. Joan wasn’t that old. She liked me because I understood her as a woman. Things would get rough and they’d make you do what you didn’t want to do,and I didn’t do that with her. She’d be like, ‘Oh thank God, it’s Jeannie.’”

What was the biggest challenge Epper faced on “Dynasty”?

“We did a lot of fire stuff. Do you remember the one where they didn’t know which one got burned to death? He carried both of us out.”  (“The Cabin” season-ending cliffhanger, April 20, 1983) “Thank God my brother was the one doubling whoever the guy was.” (Mark Jennings) “You always have to trust people in a situation like that. Anytime you do fire, other people are there to take care of you. I never got burnt, either. ... I like to critique my own work, and I’ll sometimes think, could I have done it better. I think we did a really good job on that episode. They were trying to get it in one take. By the time it was over with, we were like, ‘Please say print!’ Then they would kinda punch in and get some little pieces. That was probably the hardest one.”

And the attic catfight, we add. Which was when George Hamilton was on the show. “Yes," she says. "He and I had to go through a plate glass window. I loved him. He was the brownest man I ever saw, and he was the nicest man. He’s just one of the old toughies, you know. But he kept his looks. Some of them, they change. They don’t look like themselves when they were younger.”

And the clothes? What about those fabulous clothes?

"All of the clothes were made by Nolan Miller. He made my clothes and her clothes, and we weren’t allowed to take them. There was one outfit where I said, ‘Can I just wear this out Saturday night,’ because I knew they were going to rip it off me the next week. And it was a no. … But boy, could he fit clothes to your body. Because they fitted me just like they fitted Linda. For somebody like me who could never afford to have someone make them outfits like that, it was something. All those clothes fitted to me. You wonder where they ended up. Probably auctioned off somewhere.”

Indeed.

You can read the full text of our interview with Jeannie Epper in the upcoming Kindle edition of the BRBTV reference guide, "Dynasty High."

John Wesley Shipp talks "Flash" and more at GMX panel

Years before the success of sites like eBay, his costar Mark Hamill seemed to know the value of a piece of a superhero costume, as John Wesley Shipp of TV's "The Flash" explains in his panel discussion at this year's Geek Media Expo. And if you missed hearing Shipp tell this and other "Flash" stories live and in person at the Nashville event a week or two back, BRBTV will put you in the audience with the latest videos on our YouTube channel.

Just how enthused was "Star Wars" alum Hamill about his role as the Trickster on "The Flash"? And how did the role influence his voicework a year later on "Batman: The Animated Series"? What was that Flash costume really like, and why does its display at a Hard Rock Cafe make Shipp a little uneasy? And what about a key (motherly) casting connection between "The Flash" and our beloved "Dallas"? Will "The Voice Man" Rodgers of BRBTV points it out from the audience as part of this Q and A session. Shipp, who portrayed Martin Ellis on "Santa Barbara" a few years before he donned the scarlet suit, also talks about his work on daytime TV.





We hope you enjoy the videos. And look out -- we've got another superhero coming up in our video series -- Jackson Bostwick of "Shazam!"

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."

John Schneider offers estate items at auction

Kurtzman Square grand piano, anyone? Or perhaps an antique American Federal Double Pedestal sideboard? These might not be the kinds of items we normally associate with our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," Mr. John Schneider, but they're a couple of the items from his estate that are going up at auction in mid-October.

Paragon Estate Sales will oversee the on-location sale in Agoura Hills, California, on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16. Many items being sold will be personally authenticated by Schneider. Visit Paragon's site for the auction to see more (there's a Corvette big-block engine there -- that's more up your alley, right?).

And check out Schneider's latest TV project: "Trick My What" debuts on CMT at 10 p.m. Eastern on Friday, October 7. As CMT says, the show features Schneider on a mission to trick out any vehicle that will help a family make a living. Now that sounds like it's right up his alley!

John Wesley Shipp joins the guest list at GMX

We told you back in June all about how you should make your travel plans for the Geek Media Expo -- GMX for short -- in Nashville in October. Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV is going to be there signing copies of all of the BRBTV reference guides in print: "Destination: Dallas," "Dynasty High" and "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" (Soon to be joined by another title next year -- can ya guess what it will be? Bet not!)

If you're a fan of "Santa Barbara," though, and especially if you're a fan of the '90s "Flash" series, you've got another great reason to attend the show: John Wesley Shipp, whom us "SB" fans know as Martin Ellis, will be there. Shipp joins BRB, "Shazam!" star Jackson Bostwick, '80s pop star Tiffany, and a host of other geek-magnet guests.

Incidentally, Shipp, the GMX site reports, also co-starred with our own Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," John Schneider, in a feature film shot entirely in Geelong, Austra, called "The Ninja." He played Det. Matthew Reynolds. The film started shooting in early 2009 and wrapped up in May.

Larry Hagman takes a little drive down Memory Lane at Toronto event

mail

As we mentioned on this very blog, Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden of our beloved "Dallas" appeared at the Fan Expo Canada last weekend, doing a little meeting and greeting with fans. And as these fan cons go, the two had lots of time to reminisce with longtime viewers about not just their "Dallas" days but also that other little show they just happened to do together years earlier, "I Dream of Jeannie." BRB's friends Mike and Krista of Metro Detroit traveled to the event and got a chance to chat with them about something that we're guessing has never come up before at these events ... the story of the blue Pontiac GTO car used for "Jeannie" -- and where it might have ended up.

You see, once upon a time, well, just a couple years ago, a guy named Mel, also from Metro Detroit and a friend of Mike's, purchased his dream car at the famous Barrett-Jackson Car Auction. It was a Monkeemobile, one of the two screen used cars built by designer Dean Jeffries for the '60s TV show, and since that purchase, it's made a lot of rounds at car shows and cons (see our May 19, 2008 post as well as the photo below). But before it went through its creative conversion process to be used on "The Monkees," what was it? Mike thinks he knows.

"They had two of them for Larry," Mike says of the blue "Jeannie" GTO below. "Detective work has led us to believe this was the Monkeemobile -- before becoming the car we now know. Is this 100 percent for sure? No. No car DNA available yet. BUT, with the pre-build pics and the build sheet decoded and those in the know (namely the builder himself) we are 98 percent sure. The two 'Jeannie' GTOs were turned into the two Monkeemobiles. Before Mel's car was restored four years back, they removed the old interior and the blue paint was found."

 

So at the event in Toronto last weekend, Mike and Krista told Hagman the story, and he was very intrigued, indeed. He was kind enough to sign the visor from Mel's Monkeemobile. And Eden signed it, as well. In the top photo, you can see Mike showing a cell-phone photo of the Monkeemobile to Hagman. So fun.

Toronto photos courtesy of Mike; please do not copy without permission

The "Dukes" cast takes to the stage as our Hazzard Homecoming video walk-through concludes

It's clear the cast members of "The Dukes of Hazzard" have a great time with the fans, and August's Hazzard Homecoming near the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in Sperryville, Virginia, certainly proved that out. The event featured not only host Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones, but also John ("Bo Duke") Schneider, Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach, James ("Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane") Best, Sonny ("Enos Strate") Shroyer, and Rick ("Cletus Hogg") Hurst. On the Sunday evening of the event, they all took to the stage, as you'll see in the very last part of our six-part video series ...






Included with the final part are Jones' words about the show, including a mention of this year's departed cast members, Peggy Rea and Christopher Mayer.

John Schneider thrills the fans as our tour of Hazzard Homecoming continues ...

BRBTV had a great time at this month's Hazzard Homecoming in Sperryville, Virginia, hosted by Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones of "The Dukes of Hazzard" and his wife, Alma Viator. And we captured a bunch of those fun "Dukes" moments so you could experience them, too! Continuing on with the six-part video series from our walk through the event, here are Parts 3 and 4 ...



Part 3 concludes Day 1 of the event, including a chat with Miss Jo of Covington, Georgia, whose flower shop provided Boss Hogg's boutonnieres in the show's first five episodes in the late '70s. Jo gives an update on the "Dukes" display that for years was a tourist attraction at the A Touch of Country shop on the Square, as well as what's filming in Covington these days.




Part 4 takes you to Day 2 of the event, including the addition of John ("Bo Duke") Schneider to the signing tables. What happens when a fan asks if she can kiss our beloved Bo Duke? His wife, Elly, has an answer or two ... Later on this warm August day, John takes to the stage to sing "Country Girls," and when he takes off his overshirt ... there's a reaction!

Stay tuned for Parts 5 and 6 later this week ...

Walk through the Hazzard Homecoming with BRBTV video series

If you didn't get to Sperryville, Virginia, a couple weekends back for the Hazzard Homecoming, don't you worry none. BRBTV was there, and we did plenty of walkin' around! And since we just happened to have a camera attached while we were a-walkin', now you can get a view of the event, too!

This week we're highlighting our new six-part video series full of fun images of the event, just posted to the BRBTV YouTube channel. Today, it's Parts 1 and 2.



Part 1 includes:
- A look at some of the cars on display
- A peek at the signing tables of cast members Ben Jones and Rick Hurst
- A little chatting here and there with friends such as Rusty (aka "Boss Hogg"!), and Paul of the Canadian Dukes of Hazzard Fan Club
- Stunt BMX biking




Part 2 includes:
- A peek at the signing tables of cast members Catherine Bach and Sonny Shroyer
- A visit to the merchandise table (love that moonshine jar!)
- A moment at author Jon Holland's table as he signs a copy of his latest book, "A Moonrunner's Tale"
- The view from atop the "01" bus
- Stella Parton on stage and at her table


Tune in later this week as the video series continues ...

Missing Barbara Eden in Toronto this weekend? Think New Jersey in October!

Woo-hoo! While BRB's buds Will and Andrea and Mike and Krista are meeting Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden at Fan Expo Canada today (and hopefully getting a nice shot for the next Kindle edition of the BRBTV fact book "Destination: Dallas"!), fans who missed the chance can plan for another opportunity coming up, at least where Eden is concerned. The star of the latter seasons of our beloved "Dallas" will be coming to the Garden State in October.

The Garden State Comic Con happens October 8-9 and will feature not only Ms. Eden but also Jonathan Frakes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fame, who also appeared in a great episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard" when he was a young pup, playing a well-regarded character named Jamie Lee Hogg. Jackson Bostwick, the original star of the '70s live-action "Shazam!" who has been interviewed on this very blog, will be meeting and greeting there, as well.

Check out the rest of the guest list for the event; it's pretty good.

Timothy Gibbs stars in "11-11-11"

It's nice to see Timothy Gibbs, the onetime Dash Nichols of our beloved "Santa Barbara," so front-and-center in a new flick. He's ready to roll in high-profile form in "11-11-11," which releases -- you guessed it -- on November 11.

You can catch Gibbs -- still so hunky, and really only in his mid-40s -- in the movie's trailer on the official site. This supernatural thriller comes from Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of some of the "Saw" movies, and plays with the concept of the number 11:11 being repeatedly seen in random places, like clocks, license plates, price tags. Folks have been sharing their own 11:11 stories on the site's message board.

Filmed in Spain, the movie concerns "an entity from another world that enters the earthly realm through Heaven's 11th gate," the IMDb says. Michael Landes, that darling ole Jimmy Olsen on the '90s "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," shares the screen with Gibbs for this one.

Gibbs seems to be splashing out with a few new projects this year, after several years away no doubt concentrating on his construction company, as we've reported on in this blog. You can catch our BRBTV interview with Gibbs in the "Send Me to Santa Barbara" fact book.

(And frankly, we don't see 11:11 -- but we sure have been seeing 444 constantly for several years! Look that one up!)

Spotted: Jerry Rushing

OK, so ... There we are the other night, all enraptured watching Johnny Cash play the tough rural Georgia sheriff Lamar Potts in 1948, in fervent pursuit of Andy Griffith's evil mobster boss John Wallace in "Murder in Coweta County" (that's ki-eta, by the way -- the name doesn't moo). Tall, handsome, hardened Johnny Cash ... Ahhhhh ... We loved the man and everything he stood for. Anyway ... Griffith is in a car chase, and who's driving his car but ... Jerry Rushing? Well, it sure looks like him!

We check the IMDb (aka, "the oracle," according to our bro), and sure enough, that's our man behind "The Dukes of Hazzard" who's behind the wheel in that scene of the 1983 TV movie, based on a true story. It seems rather appropriate, since Griffith's Wallace makes a reference to "revenuers" a few scenes before. Rushing's character, Herring Sevill, ends up in the cell right next to Wallace's, and Herring gets increasingly nervous about his obligations to the sinister country mobster.

It's out-of-the-way Meriwether and Carrollton, Georgia, where this action takes place. So wonderful to see homespun Andy Griffith showing his range with a evil turn, and so wonderful to see Jerry Rushing in one of his roles, just a few years after he helped create "The Dukes" and guest-starred in the 1979 "Dukes" episode "Repo Men."

Hazzard Homecoming hits the high notes

Well, they went and threw a little "Dukes" shindig, and a few people done showed up. OK, more than a few. Make that thousands. "Dukes of Hazzard" fans from all over the country and even other countries (that's you, Paul and Zealand!) made it out to Sperryville, Virginia, today for the first day of the Hazzard Homecoming at the Thorton Hill Hounds Raceway. Guess us fans were just craving a big "Dukes" event -- it's been a while. And rain? Yea, there was a little rain. In fact, it lightly rained for a half-hour or so. Did anybody notice? Maybe. Did anybody stop what they were doing? Not even a little.

The spacious, hilly grounds off Highway 522, with the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains rising up in the distance, provided the perfect setting for Hazzard's fans to come "home" to this city where the very first Dukesfest occurred back in 2001. Everything from General Lees to Hazzard County sheriff's cars to Boss' big long white convertible to Cooter's tow trucks and more covered the landscape. Stella Parton, who guested on one episode of the original series, took to the stage in the afternoon, even doing a little "church" with "This Little Light of Mine." And Cooter's Garage Band performed later on.

Much of the original "Dukes" cast was there: Sonny Shroyer, Catherine Bach, host Ben Jones, James Best and Rick Hurst. Stella Parton signed autographs as well as her new book, "Tell It Sister, Tell It: Memories, Music and Miracles," just released a couple months ago and with proceeds supporting domestic violence shelters.

Lines were loooooong -- one lady told us she waited in Bach's line for five and a half hours! Tomorrow, John Schneider is scheduled to arrive for the meetin' and greetin,' and we can only imagine how long his lines will be.

It was nice and warm (not as deadly hot as it has been up here in the greater D.C. area) with a strong, cooling breeze a-blowin'. And BRBTV got to chat with a lot of good folks we only see every so often, like Miss Jo McLaney, below, who traveled all the way from our beloved Covington, Georgia, to say hello to her "Dukes" pals.

Weary, grimy, a little sunburned and definitely wind-blown beyond recognition, we didn't stick around for the fireworks tonight, but we're going back tomorrow! We'll be posting more photos to Facebook, and look for full video coverage of the event on the BRBTV YouTube channel in the next week or two.

Yeeee-haaaaaa!!!!

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV 

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand