Sad news: Van Williams dies at age 82

We'd heard it earlier, but the confirmation just came through. Our condolences to the wife and family of Mr. Van Williams, known to us as the great "Green Hornet" of the 1966 TV series. He was a gracious man that this author had the privilege to interview, and he will be missed by fans everywhere.

Read more at Variety's website.

The cause of death is stated as renal failure, although the star had been struggling healthwise for at least a couple years and lamented to me that he had stopped doing the cons he had enjoyed so much. He loved meeting fans.

Images from Wikipedia / public domain.

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Batgirl figure from Figures Toy Co.

The moment this author was waiting for finally arrived just a few weeks ago ... The Figures Toy Co. interpretation of the Barbara Gordon Batgirl as portrayed by Yvonne Craig on the 1960s "Batman" TV series was in my hot little hands at last. And on this week's episode of the Terrific TV Toys series, you get to see it up close and personal! We talk a little history of the Bat-ladies from the 1950s onward, as well. There have been other "Batgirls" over the years in the comics (Steph Brown, Cassandra Cain, whatever), but the Barbara Gordon Batgirl remains the best known ...




We're thinking this concludes a very big Season 3 of T3. After the volume we've pushed out this year, we're due a little break! Stay tuned for new episodes in January, for Season 4!

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

With her pert little hairstyle, she was the adorable daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon, mentioned a couple times in foreshadowing toward the end of Season 2 of the 1960s "Batman," before her big debut in the first episode of Season 3. That debut was on September 14, 1967, and the episode was "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin." We saw the lovely Yvonne Craig as Barbara first, kidnapped by the Penguin, before we saw her transform into the purple-metallic-clad crimefighter.

We lost Yvonne Craig last year, but her legacy as Batgirl -- and as Barbara Gordon -- lives on, half a century later. This week's episode of Terrific TV Toys shows you another installment in Figures Toy Company's line celebrating the "Batman" series ...



Next week: Batgirl!!! 

Terrific TV Toys: '66 Chief O'Hara figure by Figures Toy Co.

He stands at the ready, at Commissioner Gordon's side, ready to brief Batman on the latest criminal antics in Gotham City. He's Chief Miles Clancy O'Hara, a character created specifically for the 1960s "Batman" TV series and now celebrated with a figure in the ever-growing line by Figures Toy Co. As played by Stafford Repp, Chief O'Hara was a dyed-in-the-wool Irish cop, and to this day whenever we hear or think of the phrase "Saints be praised!" we think of him.

This week on Terrific TV Toys, Billie Rae Bates of BRBTV shows you the Chief O'Hara figure in living color ...

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

We're not a huge fan of variants here at BRBTV (well, at least this author isn't -- maybe my co-author Will is!). Figures Toy Co. has been churning them out, along with the new figures, as part of its line celebrating the 1966 "Batman" TV series. Some of them you'll see on the Terrific TV Toys series, and some you won't. But because our procurement chief Mike tends to procure these figures in the full sets of four, we really couldn't beg off this particular variant the way we were able to with an earlier series that had not one but two variants. If three out of four figures in the series is a new one, and only one is a variant, then weeeelllll ... guess you gotta go and buy the whole series and not break it up, right?

Anyway ... after that long diatribe, we present to you this week's Terrific TV Toy ... the Batman figure with removable cowl from FTC's Series 5, not to be confused with the straight-up Batman figure from their first series, or the "Surf's Up" variant Batman, or even the Batman with different head sculpt from Series 3 that we didn't buy ... sigh ...

Sometimes you find General Lees in surprising places

One "Dukes of Hazzard" fan we know can't seem to go too far without bumping into something "Dukes"! Our roving reporter Jason, who drives truck cross-country, sent us these photos of what's billed to be a screen-used General Lee in Murdo, South Dakota, originally built by Ray Claridge of Hollywood's Cinema Vehicles for the show.

"This place was featured on 'American Pickers,'" Jason tells BRBTV. "I remember the episode. It is some kind of barn. I regret that I was there just for the General. There is just way too much to see in an hour. This place is way, way out in the middle of nowhere. GPS can't find it. I just happened to see a billboard and it happened to be the same exit the truck stop was at. Even better it was directly across the street!"

But Jason has his doubts about the General (and hey, comment below if you know more!). "The store employee said the car has a 340 engine," Jason says. "That is what makes me think it's not a real one. The 340 was not in those years of Chargers."

"There was just way too much to see in the time I gave myself," Jason says. "There is a ton of things in there besides cars. A lot of the cars are in disrepair because you can tell they've been sitting for a very long time. Also some of the buildings they were in were dilapidated; it was hard to get pics because everything was crammed together. They have everything from apple peelers to Zippos."

Thanks, Jason, for sharing this little "Dukes" adventure with us!

Photos by Jason G.; please do not copy without permission.

Congratulations to Jim and Leslie -- it was a "Dukes of Hazzard" wedding!

What a nice weekend, and what a nice time in the Great White North -- Ontario, specifically -- for a wedding, "Dukes of Hazzard" style. Congratulations to Jim and Leslie on their nuptials, and we just had to offer you a glimpse of the décor. So fun! These are hard-core fans of our beloved "Dukes."

We profiled Jim and his art in our posts on March 29, 2013, January 28, 2015 and October 15, 2015, and it was added to the "Them Dukes! Them Dukes" fact book. His friend Jason, whose art we also profiled in 2013, supplied the General Lee for this event (a culmination of many years of work on the car). There was also a Cooter's tow truck in attendance, as well as a Boss Hogg Caddy (owned by friend Rob) and a Hazzard County Sheriff's car (owned by friend Paul).

The cake was simply amazing ...

This author with the happy couple!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Terrific TV Toys: Wonder Woman Barbie doll by Mattel

Mattel has made a few different Wonder Woman Barbie dolls over the years. The 1999 model you'll see profiled in the latest episode of Terrific TV Toys takes a classic approach to her costume -- even with a luscious, red-white-and-blue satin cape that will have you thinking about Lynda Carter in her iconic 1970s role. In fact, though this lovely lady is not a TV-related toy on paper, we still tie it in to that classic superhero series. We can't help ourselves!

"Dynasty" reboot in the works at the CW

Wow! We've heard rumors for years, but it's nice to see something a tad more concrete in print. Thanks to our buddy Brian for the heads-up on this one: The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that a reboot of our beloved "Dynasty" is in the works at the CW network.

The plotline has Fallon Carrington front-and-center in this new take. Hmmm ... Does that mean Fallon is assuming her mother's throne, so to speak, as resident conniving bad gal? And is there any hope of either of the original actresses, Pamela Sue Martin or Emma Samms, reprising the role? And in general, will this one follow the model of TNT's "Dallas" reboot in bringing the original cast on, too, while mixing in new faces? We would love that. Continuity is king, with many fans!

A dazzling "Dynasty" gown collection continues to grow ...

In this July 2015 post, we showed you the amazing costume collection of a diehard "Dynasty" fan. Well, that same fan has acquired a couple more lovely pieces and is graciously sharing his photos once again. He's also thrown in some shots of the ladies who originally wore these amazing pieces ...

Do you have your own collection of "Dynasty" goodies to share? Contact us at brb@brbtv.com, or comment below! We'd love to see what you have!

 Photos courtesy of Anonymous; please comment to this blog for permission to copy.

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con: Russ McCubbin talks about his time on the "Dukes" and more

Russ McCubbin must be a VIP at his local Wendy's -- he's got a burger named after him there! We learned about that and more as we chatted with him at last weekend's Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con in Hunt Valley, Maryland. We often like to hear what a day-in-the-life is like for some of these actors we talk to, and we get some interesting answers!

McCubbin has starred in a lot of great TV over the years -- "Matt Houston," "Adam-12," "Daniel Boone" -- but what this author wanted to ask him about was his episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard." It was "The Ghost of the General Lee," definitely a favorite with a lot of the fans we've talked to, and his character was Phil, who stole the General Lee ...



To learn more about the actor or for signed photos, check out his official site.

A peek at the fun Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con

Another weekend, another cool show. This author ventured to the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland, once again this year and had a nice time. Here's a glimpse ...

This was the third and final day of the show, and things were still hoppin'. Stars of classic TV and movies, authors and others were chatting it up, and the shopping was good, as usual! We spotted lots of fun TV-related toys and other tempting stuff ...

Robert Conrad, who was James West on "Wild, Wild West," was there to greet fans, above, as was Robert Fuller of "Emergency" and "Laramie," below. The lines for both these guys were loooooonnnggg. We could've guessed that about our dreamy Jim West, but Fuller's popularity surprised at least one vendor we talked to, since these exhibitors aim to bring a selection of merchandise to complement the event's guest lineup. This vendor's Fuller stuff sold right out!

Above, a kind and lively "Blues Brother" and vendor who sold this chick the "Dallas" pictorial coffeetable book by Laura Van Wormer for just a buck. Rock on, dude!

Look for more from the show later this week -- an interview with Russ McCubbin about his time on "The Dukes of Hazzard"!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Heroes and Icon TV -- rivaling MeTV as best network EVER with its fall lineup!

Ooooh, we knew there was something about this TV network we liked ... We only discovered it by flipping through the channels and occasionally seeing some cool show airing on it. Knew nothing about it whatsoever, except that it seemed to be airing classic TV shows. So now, Heroes and Icons TV rolls out a fall schedule that knocks our socks off!

"The Green Hornet," airing again??? Sign us up! "Star Trek: The Animated Series"? Meow!!! "Sheena" and "Xena," together on one schedule??? Bonus!!!

 


Learn more at H&I's website.

Announcing "Let's Roll, Kato: A Guide to TV's Green Hornet" !!!

Two blog posts in one day!!?? Why yes, when it's such a big TV anniversary week! BRBTV is happy to announce a new entry in its product line this week, the culmination of a research project that began a couple years back after an interview with the very kind and gracious Mr. Van Williams, and it's now timed with the 50th anniversary of "The Green Hornet" TV show ...

"Let's Roll, Kato: A Guide to TV's Green Hornet" is the latest in the BRBTV fact book series, and it's an in-depth examination of the show that aired on ABC in the 1966-67 TV season. Though this was a series that ran only one season, you just wouldn't believe the information and fandom that exists on it to this day. It was, after all, the series that launched Bruce Lee's acting career. But this show -- 26 serious-toned, half-hour episodes -- certainly struck a chord with fans. This author talked to several of those fans, along with writers and artists who have been inspired by the series, plus other cast and crew members -- as many as we could find, for a show that's half a century old!

You'll find all sorts of goodies in this one:

• A history of the development of the series, as well as background on each of the principal stars
• Cast list and character guide
• Episode synopses, plus background on the storylines and scripts
• A look at the Black Beauty car, with input from owners of both screen-used and replica vehicles
• A listing of the many gadgets used by the Hornet, both inside the car and out
• An in-depth look at the books and comics that sprung from the series, with input from the writers and artists who helped produce them
• Detailed guide to the vast and varied merchandise celebrating the series, with plenty of photos (color in this Kindle edition!)

With beautiful cover art by Baltimore artist Dale Cuthbertson, “Let’s Roll, Kato” is jam-packed -- this e-edition clocks in at the equivalent of 435 letter-sized pages in Microsoft Word (648 pages by Kindle count)!

Snag it exclusively on Amazon's Kindle platform, readable on any device! And look for a print edition of "Let's Roll, Kato" next year ...

HAPPY 50th TV ANNIVERSARY, "GREEN HORNET"!!!! We celebrate with a special anniversary episode of Terrific TV Toys!

It's the second part of this week's double-header for Terrific TV Toys, and it's another 50th anniversary ... It's the "Green Hornet" TV show that debuted on September 9, 1966, as a sort of companion series to the popular "Batman" on ABC. Produced by the same company, "The Green Hornet" presented another crimefighter in disguise, but one with an edge, posing as a criminal in his dark-green mask and trenchcoat. This series also launched the career of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who starred as Kato alongside Van Williams' Britt Reid.

Today T3 celebrates that big milestone! The series only lasted a season, but it's beloved by many and joined the ranks of other great shows rising from radio series, such as the Lone Ranger, who was created by the same folks and is actually a relative of the Green Hornet.

Photo by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY, "STAR TREK"!!!! We celebrate with a special anniversary episode of Terrific TV Toys!

It may seem hard to believe that 50 years ago today the original "Star Trek" series first debuted on network TV, introducing the world to what would become a pop-cultural behemoth. September 8, 1966 was the date that Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and the crew took on "The Man Trap" and set us off on an adventure that hopefully will never end! If any television show would seem to live on forever, it would definitely be "Star Trek," with so many big-screen movies, spinoff series, merchandise, cosplaying and general all-around fandom in the five decades hence.

The Terrific TV Toys series celebrates this half-century mark today with a special episode. In it, we look at an anniversary toy for "Trek," but not for its 50th anniversary -- for its 30th in 1996. This cute little Vina figure commemorates Susan Oliver's performance as that green Orion slave girl in the original pilot episode, "The Cage," as well as the first-season two-partner, "The Menagerie."

This T3 episode is actually the first part of a double-header this week ... hmmmm ... what other great classic television show celebrates a half-century mark this week? Find out tomorrow ...