Terrific TV Toys: "Dynasty" Barbie dolls -- Part 2, Krystle

This week, let's take a walk on the light side, shall we? Last week on the Terrific TV Toys series, we saw the "Dynasty" Barbie doll of the scheming Alexis Carrington Colby, so now we turn to the other doll manufactured by Mattel a few years ago ... the sweet Krystle. Catch the latest installment, as Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV shows you the Krystle Barbie doll she snagged at a toy show in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a few months ago. Krystle was the character played by Linda Evans on the classic primetime soap, and she tended to do the right thing -- the female powerhouse with morals. Until she was pushed too far, that is. Where does that dialogue quote on the box come from? You'll find out in this T3 episode ...

Terrific TV Toys: "Dynasty" Barbie dolls -- Part 1, Alexis

Those delightful dames of "Dynasty" -- who didn't adore them? Someone at Mattel must have, because the company issued a pair of "Dynasty" Barbie dolls out of the blue a few years back. Alexis and Krystle, our two headlining females of the show, are given the illustrious Barbie treatment in this collector set. Very nice.

As we take a break from the '66 "Batman" series on Terrific TV Toys, we turn our attention to this set of rare "Dynasty" toy merchandise. This week, it's the dark, scheming, calculating Alexis. Next week, we'll balance it out with the considerably lighter Krystle!



This is our longest episode yet -- 22 minutes -- because frankly, BRB had a lot to say!

Learn more about the Museum of Science Fiction with Billie Rae Bates' latest interview

The Museum of Science Fiction had a great display -- complete with a little virtual reality -- at D.C.'s Awesome Con. Billie Rae Bates chats with Mandy Sweeney, vice-president of operations for the museum, in this new interview for the "Fantastic Forum" TV show ...



Look for more Awesome Con location episodes of the show in the weeks to come. And here's your guide on where to catch the show if you're on the East Coast:

• Manhattan Neighborhood Network, New York, NY; Time Warner Cable MNN Lifestyle channel 2
• PhillyCam,  Philadelphia, PA; Comcast channel 66/966; Verizon FiOS channel 29/30.
• MCM  Montgomery County, MD; Comcast channel 21; RCN channel 21; Verizon FiOS channel 21.
• Arlington Independent Media (AIM), Arlington County, VA; Comcast channel 69; Verizon FiOS channel 38.
• FPA-TV,  Fairfax County, VA; Cox channel 10.
• DCTV, Washington, DC; Comcast channel 95; RCN channel 10; Verizon FiOS channel 10.
• Prince George’s Community Television (CTV), Prince George’s County, MD; COMCAST channel 76; Verizon FiOS channel 42.
• Community Media of Baltimore City (CMBC), Baltimore, MD; Comcast channel 75.
• Herndon Community Television, Cox channel 23, Verizon FIOS channel 28.

If there were a live-action "Super Friends," check out this dream team!

"I just acquired an Alex Ross Aquaman figure," author Will Rodgers says, "since his artwork looks like real people and since we never had a live-action Aquaman in the '70s, I thought he'd fill in nicely for my imaginary pic of the live-action 'Super Friends.' Too bad the figures all couldn't have been one size. But here in this great pic are the most powerful iconic actors in action figure form ever assembled. Christopher Reeve, Lynda Carter, Adam West and Burt Ward. I would have loved to have seen Ted McGinley as Aquaman and Donny and Marie Osmond as the Wonder Twins. That's a drawing I'd like to make someday."

Will has posted this photo and many other fun goodies on his DC Comics Classic Animation page on Facebook.

Photo by Will Rodgers; please do not copy without permission

Ben Jones, Miss Alma and Catherine Bach invite you to a Cooter's Place grand opening

From a Cooter's Place email ...
.................

You are invited to the following event: GRAND OPENING DAISY COUNTRY /BRUNCH WITH COOTER & DAISY / GENERAL LEE LEGO CLASS Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 9:00 AM - to - Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 8:00 PM (CDT) Cooter's Placei 2613-B McGavock Pike Nashville, TN 37214 View Map Attend Event Share this event: Join good ol'Cooter and Miss Alma as they welcome their great friend Catherine Bach "Daisy Duke" officially into The Cooter's Place Family. Together they are opening DAISY COUNTRY which will feature mementos from Catherine's personal collection and her inspired designs of clothing and jewelry and a collection of vintage memorabilia for sale. Events will include: Meet &Greet with Catherine Bach, Door Prizes, Car Show, Photo Ops with Daisy and "Dixie" Yummy Goodies--both days-- All Free Lego classes $35..two hours of training and prizes and build your own 1/64 Gen Lee Sat only 10am 1pm Brunch with Q&A featuring Catherine and Ben $30 /kids (2-12)$15..Sun 10:30am next door at The Nashville Palace  Hands on Hips line privileges and store discounts will be honored!!  Tickets are NONREFUNDABLE  Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it! Cheers, Ben Jones,Miss Alma & Catherine Bach

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Joker figure by Figures Toy Co.

Oh, that toy company we've had our eye on for a couple years now has churned out a marvelous line in tribute to the 1966 "Batman" TV series. We're focusing on a whole mess of those Figures Toy Co. figures in the latest series on Terrific TV Toys, and this week it's the Joker!

That completes Series 1 of our Bat-Blitz! We'll take a look at some other stuff for a couple weeks, then we'll be back for Series 2.

Stay at a Hilton, stumble across some Joan Collins gowns!

In our November 24 post we told you about the December auction of gorgeous belongings of "Dynasty" diva Joan Collins. Julien's has on its website the results of the auction, if you're curious to see what stuff went for, but imagine our surprise when a friend said he was staying at a Hilton in L.A. that had a bunch of Joan Collins gowns on display! Yes, items from the auction, and he snapped these shots for us to show. This is the Beverly Hilton, where the Golden Globes are held, and the hotel displays other famous pieces like a Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve and the pink satin dress worn by Madonna in her "Material Girl" music video. The items below, however, are so deliciously "Dynasty." Special thanks to Grigg for these ...

Photos by Grigg; please do not copy without permission.

"Batman v. Superman" with a taste of "Super Friends" -- collector Will Rodgers is at it again!

Well, that Will Rodgers, author of the recently released BRBTV guide to the "Super Friends," has got "Super Friends" on the brain, even when we're talking about the "Batman v. Superman" movie coming out later this month!

"I was in Wal-Mart and found the regular figure of Aquaman in the 'Batman v. Superman' line," Will says, "so I thought I'd snap a few pics, and I got out my Robin figure from 'Batman Forever' to make it 'Super Friends'-like."

"I also took one with the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern, so now I must find that Flash figure from the TV series to make Justice League pics."

The Super Friends get all edgy and cinematic -- yea, that's what you could call this!

You can keep up with Will and his action figure fun -- as well as discuss that great era of television history called Saturday morning -- at his DC Comics Classic Animation: The Saturday Morning Era Fan Page on Facebook!

Photos by Will Rodgers

Please do not copy without permission

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Riddler figure by Figures Toy Co.

March is upon us, and is spring in the air? Well, not quite, but we're still hopeful! What is marching on, however, is our series on the 1966 "Batman" figures by Figures Toy Co. on the Terrific TV Toys show. This week's it's Riddler, as played by the incomparable Frank Gorshin. While another man did don the question-mark leotard (John Astin of "The Addams Family"), it's Gorshin that fans and FTC recognize as the riddling villain. Join Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV once again as she shows you up-close and personal this cool toy commemorating a beloved classic TV show.



Next week, we round out this wave of our '66 "Batman" series with Joker, then we're going to take a little break before we look at some more figures by this same company!

Detroit's Autorama offers some TV-related goodies

We took in a great Autorama show at Detroit's Cobo Hall today, and we were delighted that in this sea of cool classic and custom cars there was a touch of television. The famed Farmtruck and its owners from the Discovery Channel's "Street Outlaws" were there, for one thing, and they drew quite a crowd. Gene Winfield, longtime car customizer who designed vehicles for shows like "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Bewitched" and even the Galileo 7 shuttlecraft from the original "Star Trek" show, was talking to fans, as well ...

What kid wouldn't like his own Mystery Machine????

And this .... can you believe it? Though the signage was careful not to word it so, it looks suspiciously like a very famous TV star car ...

Then there was a nice assortment of toy vendors (lots of Hot Wheels, of course). We saw a few things of interest ...

A John Travolta doll! Only $18, but his body was lightweight plastic. Maybe switched from another doll? Same thing with the Jaime Sommers doll, which we know Kenner made pretty solid originally -- see our Terrific TV Toys episode on it!

This author loves those vintage TV show novelizations!!!! Wow, just a buck for this one. What a deal.

Have you ever seen a poster like this? Barbies through the ages! So cool. Brings back memories.

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand 

Calling all General Lee owners: New Facebook page celebrates the replicas of Hazzard County

Our buddy Chad Fullerton of Georgia, such a big-time fan of "The Dukes of Hazzard," has launched a new Facebook page to showcase fellow fans and their own replicas of the General Lee and other cars featured on the classic '80s TV show.

The just-born Dukes of Georgia Auto Club serves as a sort of registry of General Lees, Hazzard County sheriff's cars, maybe the occasional Dixie Jeep for Daisy, and anything else you saw on the show and decided to build for yourself or purchase built by someone else.

"As you probably know, I have more or less had an unofficial local club of Hazzard replicas for several years now," Chad tells BRBTV. "I have always tried to help local owners book their cars whenever someone is looking for a Hazzard replica to participate in an event. With this page that I have finally started, I will have a registry of Hazzard replicas located within the state of Georgia."

But this is not just Georgia cars, Chad says. "I have also decided to have a registry for replicas located in other U.S. states as well as other countries. I am interested in knowing how many legitimate replicas are out there. Also, with 'The Dukes of Hazzard' being ousted from cable television several months back, I want the page to not only be for replica owners, I want it to be for all fans of 'The Dukes of Hazzard.'  If people want to discuss the cars from the show, that's great. If people want to discuss the series, that's great, as well. With the 'Dukes' falling victim to political correctness, it not only hurt the brand, it hurt the hobby. Hopefully, the page will be a positive experience and will be something that fans (young and old) will enjoy."

Thanks, Chad, for building another comfy online home for "Dukes" fans! We need it, in this day and age!

Ain't we lucky we've got 'em ... From "Good Times" to hard times for grave of beloved late actress

BRBTV welcomes guest blogger Brian Lombard once again for this special report from the field on a beloved actress from one of our favorite classic TV shows ...

Pompano Beach, Florida might not sound like somewhere you’d expect to discover a TV star’s final resting place. But its where you’ll find Westview Community Cemetery and its most famous resident, Esther Rolle. Rolle, who rose to fame in the 1970s as Florida, the matriarch of the Evans family on “Good Times,” passed in 1998, and was interred with her family, which had connections to both the community and to Westview itself.

Westview was founded in response to the segregation of the 1950s. It is considered to be an historically black cemetery, though cemetery officials have downplayed that moniker. One former board member (and Rolle family member) said “``there are some whites out there. It`s not many, two or three, I think, but there are some.”

A few years before Rolle’s passing, a community organization sought to revitalize Westview. After 40 years in service, it needed an upgrade. Tricky roads, outdated burial equipment, and a lack of greenery were all issues to be addressed. More than 20 years later, they’ve yet to be resolved.

As a result, visitors coming to pay their respects to “Florida Evans” don’t have any trouble finding her grave. Rolle’s grave is the only one that bears a headstone, and a recognizable one at that. It stands alone atop a sea of burial vaults, the likes of which this author has never seen (see second photo below). I’ve visited the final resting places of more than 200 celebrities in 17 states, and I’ve never seen vaults like this above ground.

The proposed repairs never took place, and eventually, the cemetery was closed by the city. Two entrances remain closed 24/7, while a third is kept open for family and loved ones of those already interred. In fact, as I was leaving that day, a man who identified himself as Westview’s business manager asked why I had been taking pictures. After explaining my interest in Rolle and “Good Times,” that seemed to satisfy him.

Just last month, the Sun-Sentinel published a story on the cemetery’s fate.

It’s a case of life imitating art. While you might expect to find Florida Evans in Westview, you would never expect to see Esther Rolle, who delighted and continues to delight fans to this day.

Rest in peace.

Brian Lombard is an avid fan of classic TV, and the author of the "Bradypalooza" guide to "The Brady Bunch."

Photos by Brian Lombard; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Robin figure by Figures Toy Co.

Last week, another big blitz began on the Terrific TV Toys series: To follow up the great Bionic Blitz of 2016, we now have the Bat-Blitz. And it could be called the 50th anniversary Bat-Blitz, since we just saw the half-century anniversary of the 1966 "Batman" TV show a few short weeks ago. Now, this week, we continue the Bat-Blitz with part 2, focusing on the Robin figure of the ever-growing set of action figures by Figures Toy Co.

Right down to his satin cape and stitched vest, he's all there, this representation of Burt Ward's iconic role. These figures are nicely detailed and in great abundance -- so stay tuned, because we're going to show a whole lot of them!

TGIF! Time for some more figures fun ....

Well, we made it to Friday once again, so how about a couple more shots of the ever-growing action figure collection of Will Rodgers, author of the new BRBTV guide to the "Super Friends." He just snagged a few more goodies from the Figures Toy Co. line, including some rather familiar staff members of the Daily Planet ...

Will says one photo is a nod to the 1950s World's Finest comics, while the other a tribute to the "Batman v. Superman" movie poster.

Photos by Will Rodgers; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Batman figure by Figures Toy Co.

If you haven't been living in a (Bat)cave, you no doubt have been hearing about the plethora of merchandise that's been released the past couple years celebrating the 1966 "Batman" live-action TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Finally, after years of legal discussions, the floodgates were opened and the merchandise is flowing into stores. We've shown a bit of it already on the Terrific TV Toys series, but we're about to open our own floodgates on some more of it.

This author is a huge fan of Mego figures and Mego-like figures, and a little company that seemed to come out of nowhere in the past couple years, Figures Toy Co., has delighted fans with all kinds of Mego repros and Mego-like stuff. I've indulged in it, to say the least. And one line I've been collecting is the 1966 "Batman" series, which is so prolific I can hardly keep up.

The T3 series is going to be offering up a bunch of these, in four-part segments, over Season 3 of the show. First up, it can be none other than Batman himself! As a follow-up to the just-concluded Bionic Blitz, T3 now gives you a Bat-blitz!!!

Terrific TV Toys: Bionic Transport and Repair Station by Kenner

As you've seen previously on the Terrific TV Toys series, Andrea Melchiori loved the Bionic shows as a kid: "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman." In Episode 24 of Season 2 you saw the Bionic Action Club Kit she mailed away for as a child, along with the Bionic Woman beach towel her parents got her, and a couple others things. This time, on the latest episode of the series, Andrea shows you a very cool accessory for the Kenner Bionic action figures of the 1970s: the Bionic Transport and Repair Station. Andrea has a few of these, and she tells you when she got each in this installment ...



This completes our Bionic Blitz 2016! What a way to start the new year!!! Stay tuned, because next up, we launch a larger series on a big heckin' set of (new) action figures on another vintage TV show so many of us love!

John Schneider has a new Hallmark movie coming up in April, among other things

Our ole Duke boy, John Schneider, aka Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," has some new stuff going on right now (besides that guilty pleasure we've been indulging in the past couple years, Tyler Perry's "The Haves and Have Nots" on OWN, which we highly recommend!!! Hanna is hands-down one of the greatest characters on television right now!). Thanks to Phyllis for passing along these updates ...

John will be meeting fans at the FanBoy Expo Comic Con in Lakeland, Florida, on March 12-13. For more information go to http://fanboyexpo.com/lakeland

John will be meeting fans at the FanBoy Expo Comic Con in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 24-26. For more information go to http://fanboyexpo.com/knoxville/

John's movie "Smothered" will be released on DVD and on demand on March 29.

The movie "White Hot," which John recently filmed in Canada, will be shown on the Hallmark Movie Channel on April 17.

Terrific TV Toys: Oscar Goldman figure by Bif Bang Pow!

"Gentleman, we can rebuild him ... We have the technology ..."

If you're a child of the '70s, you know those words. And you might recall that they were spoken by Oscar Goldman, as played by Richard Anderson, on TV's classic "Six Million Dollar Man." It was Goldman's guiding hand that kept Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers on track as agents for the OSI.

Our special five-part series on the 2012 Bif Bang Pow! figures celebrating "The Six Million Dollar Man" concludes with this episode focusing on the Oscar Goldman figure of the set. But this is not the end of the 2016 Bionic Blitz for the Terrific TV Toys series! We've got one more special thing to show you next week, so stay tuned!!!

Terrific TV Toys: Dr. Rudy Wells figure by Bif Bang Pow!

He was the guy who kept the Bionics working, Dr. Rudy Wells. He was played by three different men on the twin Bionic shows, "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman": Martin E. Brooks (who recently passed away), Alan Oppenheimer and Martin Balsam. As BRBTV continues its special Bionic Blitz on the Terrific TV Toys series, we take a look at a fourth figure in the 2012 collection by Bif Bang Pow!, that of Dr. Rudy Wells.



Special thanks to our bud Andrea Melchiori, as that goofy intro was shot at her place! Stay tuned for next week's conclusion of the five parts with the Oscar Goldman figure.

TGIF fun: A "Batman v. Superman" parody, courtesy of Will Rodgers!

We just love that great stuff Figures Toy Co. is churning out. The 1966 "Batman" series, the "Super Friends," the first comic book appearances of the major characters ... all great stuff in this large assortment of action figures patterned after the beloved Megos of the 1970s and 1980s. Will Rodgers, author of the brand-new "Ultimate Super Friends Companion" on Kindle, offers some fun for a Friday. How about a little representation of the trailers of the new "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" movie coming out in just a couple months, via Will's latest FTC acquisitions?

"Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. 

The bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy."

"Tell me. Do you bleed? ... You will!!"

"She with you?"

"I thought she was with you."

Photos by Will Rodgers; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: Fembot figure by Bif Bang Pow!

It took us a while, but we finally found the reference for the outfit worn by the 8-inch Fembot figure by Bif Bang Pow! / EMCE Toys. We just couldn't wrap our brains around it -- it didn't seem like a '70s-era fashion at all. But there it was, in living color (see the clip at the bottom) ...

This 2012 action figure, part of Bif Bang Pow!'s series on "The Six Million Dollar Man," is the subject of the latest episode of Terrific TV Toys series, the third part in our 2016 Bionic Blitz. The Fembot character was first introduced in a three-part story arc spanning both Bionic series, then brought in later for some more episodes. She's sexy, she's oh-so dangerous, she's the Fembot!!!



So as an addendum to this week's episode, we'll point you to the clip on YouTube that shows this very Fembot in action, from the episode "Kill Oscar," Part 2 on "The Six Million Dollar Man."



Stay tuned for next week's continuation of the series with the Rudy Wells figure.

Royal Oak toy show had lots of TV-related goodies up for grabs

We love the toy show at the farmer's market in Royal Oak, Michigan. The yearly event happened again yesterday, and we're always amazed that no matter how many of these great toy shows we take in, we always manage to see some cool unique stuff related to the classic television shows we love ...

"Dallas," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "The Archies," even "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "The Six Million Dollar Man" and a more obscure show or two -- they were all covered ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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

Announcing "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion"

Mr. Will Rodgers, who's been a part of BRBTV for a few years now, has always loved the Super Friends. He used to have his own website dedicated to the classic cartoon, which ran from 1973 through the rest of the '70s and well into the '80s. Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Wendy and Marvin and Wonder Dog, the Wonder Twins ... They are an indelible part of our pop culture. Even the younger kids these days can understand the phrase "Wonder Twin powers -- activate!!!" right?

Now Will has blessed the BRBTV family of products with all of his expertise in print form (well, electronic form right now -- print edition to come later). It's the fifth big book in the main BRBTV fact book series. It's "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion," and it's an amazing, meticulous and very thorough analysis of all incarnations of this Saturday morning TV show. In this mammoth Kindle book, you'll find lengthy synopses and commentary to each and every one of the 208 episodes and lots of other goodies:

• A character profile of each hero and villain
• A guide to each one of the 47 Super Friends comic books
• A look at the toy lines associated with the series
• Biographies of the voice cast
• An index of the episode appearances for each hero and villain
• Retrospectives of superhero teamups over the years and the history of DC and Warner Bros. classic animation

You may recall that Will's moniker is "The Voice Man," and for good reason. "Dukes of Hazzard" cast members have even called him "The Voice of Hazzard" because of his extremely talented renditions of the "Dukes" characters. Will works as a radio host by day, but in his off-hours you can hear all kinds of cool TV-related characters coming out of his vocal cords. He's geeky-cool, and we're glad to welcome his "Super Friends" guide to the BRBTV family!

Terrific TV Toys: The Bionic Blitz continues with the Bigfoot figure by Bif Bang Pow!

We love Bigfoot lore here at BRBTV. Television of the 1970s gave us quite a bit of it, with the mythical (?) creature being featured in many an episode of that era. "The Six Million Dollar Man" series made a regular recurring villain out of the Sasquatch thing, and the part was played by two different actors, Andre the Giant and Ted Cassidy. The latest episode of the Terrific TV Toys series serves up the 9-inch Bigfoot figure from the 2012 "SMDM" series by Bif Bang Pow! This is definitely an update -- and a departure -- from the larger Kenner "SMDM" Bigfoot figure of the 1970s. Step inside this out-of-the-box experience with BRBTV, as our special five-part series on the Bif Bang Pow! figures continues in this new year ...



Special thanks to our bud Andrea Melchiori, as that goofy intro was shot at her place! Stay tuned for next week's continuation of the series with the Fembot figure.

The BRBTV News Blog turns 10!!!

Wow!!! How many regularly fed 10-year-old blogs do you know out there???? We're talking regular posts on all kinds of yummy classic-TV news over the course of a whole decade!!!! Just look at all those posts on the right rail of this page!

Yes, it was 10 years ago, on January 10, 2006, that this blog launched, and what a fun ride it has been. We first set out to inform and entertain you on all things "Dallas," "Dynasty" and "Dukes of Hazzard," with lots of animated series and a few more live-action ones along the way. We're happy to have made it thus far. In Internet terms, 10 years is like an eternity, right?

Thanks for reading!!!