Happy Friday! We're talkin' classic TV again on the Pop Ninja podcast

It was a great time once again on the Pop Ninja podcast, and this time around, this author got to chat about classic cop TV shows, more specifically "Adam-12" and the eternally lovable "Columbo." In the first part of this episode, part of the podcast's third season, Lisa and Patrick discuss some of the great cop movies of the '70s and '80s, then Patrick and I switch it over to the TV "channel." Be sure to listen for the secret code word and PM it to the FB page and you could win your favorite cop movie on DVD! Here's the link to the podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1265612/10952366-pop-ninja-podcast-season-3-episode-5

Hello to our friend Jim in Boss Hogg's Caddy

You might recognize this wonderful piece of machinery as a replica of the Caddy that Boss Hogg drove on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Well, hello to our friend Jim of Jim's Creations, an artist whose talent has been profiled on this blog and in the BRBTV books. He's driving this car today at the Swap Meet and Car Show in Chatham, Ontario. Wish we could drop by!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Archie bendy figure and fan club items, 1988-89

Since there's a backlog of non-TV-related collectibles here at the BRBTV headquarters, we're going to knock out several episodes of the Terrific non-TV Toys series before we get back to some Terrific TV Toys stuff. So this month, for the first of two episode of the non-TV variety, we return to Riverdale. Specifically, we've got some vintage items from the 1980s celebrating the Archie Comics lore. This bendy figure by Jesco was purchased recently but dates to 1989. And this little geeky kid once joined the Archies Fan Club and has most items from that still around.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

And this geeky girl hasn't just written letters to Archie Comics over the years -- read about the interview and friendship with longtime Archie artist Dan DeCarlo.

Just Beneath the Surface: Taking on the Twilight Zone episode "Howling Man"

Our friend Brian and his friend Bruce have dropped another episode of the "Just Beneath the Surface" web series, this time discussing the classic "Twilight Zone" episode "The Howling Man," which this author has always loved. If you want creepy, this TZ episode is creepy. And I actually got to talk to the star H.M. Wynant at the Motor City Comic Con a few years back. Bruce and Brian disagree on the merits of this episode, and you'll find out why as you listen in ...

Green Hornet and Lone Ranger star in exhibit at San Diego Fair

Special thanks to Mary Kay Johnson, granddaughter of Green Hornet creator George W. Trendle, for sending along these photos of items exhibiting at the San Diego Fair (formerly the Del Mar Fair) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. The theme of this year's fair is "Heroes Reunite!", and how appropriate it is to include the Lone Ranger and his nephew, the Green Hornet. The fair is going on now through this weekend.

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From the Trendle family:

G. W. Trendle (1884-1972) owned the first radio station in Michigan – WXYZ “the last word in radio” and knew children needed heroes so he created some: The Lone Ranger (1933), The Green Hornet (1936, descended from the Lone Ranger's brother who owned a silver mine and made The Lone Ranger’s bullets), and Challenge of the Yukon (1938, which became Sgt. Preston of the Yukon on TV in 1955).

The Green Hornet was also made into serials for movie theaters in the 1930’s. The Green Hornet’s car – The Black Beauty – was the first super car with radar, a drone, and rockets.

Ned Jordan Secret Agent (1939) was an undercover FBI agent.

Bob Barclay - American Agent (1950) was a CIA agent in Europe with the cover of a newspaper reporter. But the U.S. government asked that the program be discontinued when newspaper staff in Europe were arrested by governments who thought all the stories were true and all newspaper correspondents were spies!

In 1949 The Lone Ranger became a TV series, followed by Sgt Preston in 1955, and The Green Hornet in 1966.

The message in all of these is “one person can make a difference.” At a time in history when only Caucasians were portrayed in stories, these scripts had major characters that were of other ethnicities: Native American, Asian, , Eskimo, Irish, and Black.

www.greenhornet.com

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Photos courtesy of April Johnston and Mary Kay Johnson; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Daphne Barbie doll by Mattel, 2001

Anticipation was pretty high for the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie, released in 2002 and featuring Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, and Linda Cardellini as Velma. Mattel did a series of dolls as part of the merchandising effort for that big-screen release, and the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series highlights one of those dolls. It's Barbie as the beautiful Daphne, clad in fuchsia satin and accompanied by our favorite Great Dane. This is an out-of-the-box experience, so you can check out each and every accessory -- even the ones that fly across the room. LOL on that ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Linda Gaye Scott dishes on “Green Hornet,” “Batman” and more

BRBTV knows her as the beautiful blond alien-seeming creature clad in shimmering gold on the classic “Green Hornet” two-part episode “Invasion from Outer Space,” but since she’s been doing her podcast, we feel like we know her a whole better. With her gentle voice, Linda Gaye Scott invites you into the “Bumpy Road” of her world as she talks about her various roles over the years, her childhood in Hollywood, her parents, her school embarrassments, her bonding with Bruce Lee, the family’s chance roadside run-in with Frank Sinatra … all kinds of different stuff. If you are a fan of classic Hollywood, then similar to the autobiography of Yvonne Craig (which we also recommend), you will dig these fireside chats. There are lots of places to tune in:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lindas-bumpy-ride-on-bumpy-road/id1591376249

https://www.lindagayescott/podcast

https://rss.com/podcasts/lindagayescott/

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5yc3MuY29tL2xpbmRhZ2F5ZXNjb3R0L2ZlZWQueG1s/episode/ODhlYTNjMGItOTNiMi00OTEwLTk2ODktOTBlZjRiNmRhMDli?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjm2JeihOL2AhWPDkQIHTkDCkkQjrkEegQIAhAF&ep=6

https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08JJP3FYR#episode-list-preview

Linda Gaye Scott as Vama on “The Green Hornet,” 1967.

Terrific TV Toys: Riddler and Creeper figures by Kenner, 1998-1999

Kenner had a great run through the 1990s with action figures from the "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The New Batman Adventures" shows, and you've seen a few of them already on the T3 series. Now we turn our attention to the Riddler and Creeper figures by Kenner. The Riddler is part of a "Mission Masters" subseries Kenner released at the time, and he is officially the "Rumble Ready Riddler." The Creeper evidently had some kind of "Dynamic Decoder" / "Crime Solver" component that this author was unable to locate in the gizmos box downstairs, plus his microphone is missing. But hey, besides that these two are intact!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Southfork Ranch photos, part 2!

On Monday, we stepped inside Southfork Ranch, courtesy of our friend Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast. There were a lot of great photos there, but here are a few more ...

Look for a  new Kindle edition of the BRBTV book "Destination: Dallas" that will include a bunch of Patrick's photos and other updates!

Photos courtesy of Patrick Shawn Bennett; please do not copy without permission.

Fresh photos from Southfork Ranch (even with cows!)

Well, I have to admit when I first saw the first photo below I had to wonder if it was a postcard picked up at the Southfork Ranch giftshop and not an original photo taken by my friend Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast. The shot is so iconic -- so "picture-perfect"! But hey, that's just Patrick's talent for capturing the moment, because indeed, these are all Patrick's own photos, and he kindly offers them for this blog. He got a chance to tour Southfork a week or so ago. 

"I liked that they used the interior of it on the reboot series," he says. "That patio table is the original from the ‘70s where they would eat breakfast and argue." Yeah, and there's the famous pool that Ken ("Cliff Barnes") Kercheval was all too familiar with, along with Mary ("Kristen") Crosby. Super-cool. Thanks, Patrick!

There's so much good stuff here we've got to run this in two parts -- part 2 coming Wednesday!

Photos courtesy of Patrick Shawn Bennett; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Snoopy ceramic musical stein, 1971

Here's quite the vintage piece, dating back to 1971, one of a set of three by Schmid featuring our beloved Peanuts characters. This ceramic musical stein is a bright orange and depicts that crazy beagle as the World War II flying ace. So does it play its song ("Fly Me to the Moon") after all these years? Well, it did, when this author first got it. Watch the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series to see how this mug is holding up ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Catch the latest episode of "Reanimated"

Well, that evil Dr. Sworski has the upper hand no longer, as the action moves along in the apocalyptic zombie series "Reanimated." In previous episodes, we saw that the doctor had escaped a certain death at the hand of his former partner (turned "undead") and had insinuated himself into the company of a local farmer and his young associate. Blanche Lancaster, played by this author, was rescued from a helicopter crash only to find wake up inside her worst nightmare -- the evil doctor is not only alive, but must be the one to save her life. So now, in episode 6, the group is gelling together, reuniting with others who had gotten separated. They try to decide what to do with the doctor, now that all has been revealed, but danger closes in, as always ...

Come get your photo with the Mystery Machine and Scooby!

Happening right this moment: If you're anywhere near Metro Detroit, hop on down to the Motor City Comic Con and visit the Mystery Machine and a whole bunch of Scoobies ... In fact, if you are a viewer of the Terrific TV Toys series, then these Scoobies will look familiar to you. They've been featured in episodes of the show over the years. See the playlist that focuses on Scooby-Doo! These BRBTV-provided plush Scoobs are part of the display of Motor City Reel Rides at this weekend's con in Novi, Michigan.

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

Terrific TV Toys: "Dukes of Hazzard" sleeping bag, 1980

For your next camping trip, or perhaps when you just need an extra blanket around the house, it's this delightful vintage piece, a sleeping bag celebrating "The Dukes of Hazzard." This 1980 item, produced right when a slew of "Dukes" stuff was hitting store shelves to capitalize on the show's success on CBS, features Bo, Luke, Daisy and the gang and is the focus of the latest episode of the T3 series ...

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Behold these wonderful custom Wonder Woman dolls ...

... and we'll call them dolls, OK? They are Barbies or patterned after Barbies, after all! Special thanks to Martin, who is kind enough to share with us his collection of customized Wonder Women. And how lovely they are.

First up here is his custom of the 13-inch Tonner Wonder Woman doll. Then we have customs of the 2004 Wonder Woman Barbie, followed by customs of the 1999 Wonder Woman Barbie (which you can also see in her original form in this episode of the Terrific TV Toys series).

"Wonder Woman is my favorite comic character," Martin says, "but I'm also into DC Heroes in general. I started doing Wonder Woman custom dolls probably about 10 years ago. I started doing them because nobody was doing Wonder Woman the way I wanted to see her presented. The Barbies are beautiful but their bodies didn't look muscular enough for an Amazon warrior."

Indeed, in these customs you see a more realistic look. "The action figure companies like DC Direct, Sideshow and Hot Toys made Wonder Woman look strong," Martin says, "but the action figures lacked beauty. The faces looked harsh and unattractive in my opinion. I kept thinking - why is it so hard to make a large, somewhat muscular female figure with a drop-dead gorgeous face and hair? So, I took the Barbie world and the action figure world and merged them together to make my idea of what a Wonder Woman doll or figure SHOULD look like. Strong and beautiful at the same time."

"I also do other characters, and I'm in the process now of doing several of the really popular DC figures, both male and female," he continues. "I mostly like the classic versions." 

Martin also shares photos of his Power Girl, Zatanna, and Black Canary. "I'm really good at styling the hair (tooting my own horn, lol). All doll collectors have seen promotional photos of dolls where the hair looks so beautiful but then after you get the doll, the hair looks nothing like that. It gets all tangled and flat from being in the box. I would love to work with actual toy companies with styling doll hair."

Photos courtesy of Martin; please do not copy.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Marilyn Monroe musical figurine, 1982

Why, of course she plays "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" -- what else would a porcelain musical figure of Marilyn Monroe play, especially when draped in this divine white gown? She's lovely, though a little worse for wear. A bit loose in parts. She is from the '80s after all. She's an item once belonging to this author's mom, and we take a close look at her in the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Talkin' "Twilight Zone": Latest episodes of "Just Beneath the Surface"

If you're a fan of the original "Twilight Zone" series of the late '50s to early '60s, then you'll enjoy the discussion of the show on the web series "Just Beneath the Surface." Episodes 7 and 8 of the series are now up, and they explore the hourlong episodes of Season 4, along with the single episode "The Hunt." BRBTV's bud Brian co-hosts.

 

 

"Gilligan" fan and collector Bobby now has the full-on Skipper cosplay!

We've profiled our friend Bobby on this blog before; he's a big-time fan of "Gilligan's Island," particularly of the Skipper, as played by Alan Hale Jr.. (Check out the February 5, 2020 and April 30, 2021 posts.) Bobby has really dug into the details of the variations of captain's hats worn by the Skipper throughout the series and movies, and he has been collecting screen-accurate (and maybe not-quite-so-screen-accurate) replicas of these hats for years. Now, though, Bobby has branched out into other pieces of Skipper's iconic classic TV look.

"This is the hat from the Fun World 'Gilligan's Island' Skipper Halloween costume," Bobby explains. "It is a four-piece set. 1. Shirt 2. Pants 3. Hat 4. Stuffable Belly. I got the costume in 2010 from my local Spirit Halloween store. It was minus the hat. Someone opened it, stole the Skipper hat, and resealed the package, and left it looking untouched. I ended up with only a three-piece set of shirt, pants, stuffable belly."

"I have wanted the Fun World hat for 12 years since it was missing in 2010," Bobby says. "The Skipper and Promoter William Duff of the Illinois division of the 'Gilligan's Island' Fan Club and ventriloquist for Gilligan, www.gilligansisle.com, had the costume and sent it to me. My brother bought me my original set in 2010 that was missing the Captain/Skipper hat part of it. William gave me the complete set all four pieces."

Bobby now has what he needs to re-enact the Skipper's classic television poses and mannerisms! Bobby, you're the most devoted fan of "Gilligan's Island" we've ever met! You can check out his tribute page for Alan Hale to see more of his devotion.

Photos courtesy of Rob "Skipper" Broadhurst; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: Snoopy Easter PVC figures from Plastronics / Whitman's

It's Eastertime once again, and if you were a kid of the '70s and '80s, another tradition, along with coloring eggs and enjoying chocolate bunnies (besides the real reason for the season, of course -- our risen Lord and Savior) was watching the Peanuts holiday special "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown." It's been years since this author has seen it, and it really makes me want to watch it now. This time on T3, we take a look at the book adaptation of the TV special as we examine another set of  Snoopy holiday PVC figures that were once attached to mini-boxes of Whitman's chocolates.

(There is a bonus Snoopy Easter item in this episode; can you guess what that would be?)

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist. And keep it tuned here for the continuation of the Snoopy PVC series -- next up, Halloween!!!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl Funko Pop!, Breast Cancer Awareness edition, 2020

Who knew that Funko released a special set of its uber-popular DC Comics Pop! figures for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?! Well, my friend knew, as he snagged me this Batgirl Pop! from that collection. This gal is all pink in varying shades, clad in an otherwise very traditional Batgirl outfit. She's pert and pleasant and she's the focus on the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Terrific TV Toys: "Bionic Woman" figures by Super7, 2022

Hot off the press we've got two new "Bionic Woman" figures by Super7 as part of their ReAction line. You saw another Super7 ReAction figure on a previous episode of T3, an Alfred Hitchcok figure, and now we get back to the Bionics. These two gals are pretty small and quite simple, but the Fembot figure is interesting because it presents yet another take on this classic TV villainess. Whereas the original 1970s Kenner 12-inch figure / doll is clad in black jumpsuit, and the 2012 incarnation by Bif Bang Pow! wears a brown dress, this one wears a blue jumpsuit. What's the reference? You'll find out at the end of this one, courtesy of a couple of photos from the Fire Breathing Dimetrodon blog ...

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Cooter's Place has the "Dukes" stars lined up for spring and beyond

 

Ben Jones, our favorite mechanic Cooter Davenport from "The Dukes of Hazzard," will be hosting his "Dukes" castmates on several dates coming up this month and beyond. And he'll be appearing with his band, as well! Here's the schedule 'til the end of this year from the latest Cooter's Place e-blast:

.......................

March 5 • March 12 • March 19 • March 26
Cooter's Garage Band @ Cooters' Luray
LIVE EVERY SATURDAY!
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

March 26 • March 27
TOM WOPAT @ Cooters' Nashville
Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

APRIL 14 - APRIL 18
RICK "CLETUS" HURST @ Cooters' Pigeon Forge

Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

MAY 14 • MAY 15
CATHERINE BACH "DAISY DUKE" @ Cooters' Luray
Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

MAY 14
Cooters' Luray 5th Anniversary Car Show
Car Show
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

JUNE 30 - JULY 6
RICK "CLETUS" HURST @ Cooters' Pigeon Forge
Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 16 - 21
RICK "CLETUS" HURST @ Cooters' Pigeon Forge
Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

OCTOBER 14-16
HAZZARD RUN 2022 @ Cooter's Luray
Car Show
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

DECEMBER 26 - JANUARY 1
RICK "CLETUS" HURST @ Cooters' Pigeon Forge
Meet & Greet
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Terrific non-TV Toys: "Star Wars" AT-AT plush by Animal Magic, pre-2012

We say "pre-2012" for the timeframe of this "Star Wars" goodie because a release date doesn't seem to exist on the Internet! (But I only say that to thereby cause someone to provide it in a comment below to prove me wrong, LOL!) Anyway, this author knows it was manufactured before 2012 because that's when I snagged it! It was at the Star Wars Celebration con in Orlando, Florida, in August 2012, where my friend Andrea and I had a blast. We got to see a huge (maybe life-size?) AT-AT in the lobby of the event venue, which was super-cool. You'll see a clip of that at the beginning of this episode of Terrific non-TV Toys. So let's get up-close and personal with a lovable, soft, plush version of those fearsome AT-AT vehicles!

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Wendie Jo Sperber

You'll know her if you see her, and then when you see her you'll remember her from "Bosom Buddies," the "Back to the Future" movies and maybe even the "Hearts Afire" series. The latest post in the Six Feet Under blog focuses on '70s-'80s actress Wendie Jo Sperber ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Wendie Jo Sperber:   "I'm an actress who likes to say something funny.  Everybody laughs and your job is done." Wendie Jo Sperber was born in Ho...

Terrific TV Toys: Valentine Snoopy PVC figures by Plastronics / Whitman's, 2004-2012

This author is bummed that the adorable little Snoopy figures attached to small boxes of Whitman's candies have disappeared from store shelves. You used to see them at various holidays -- Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Easter. Wah. I was able to buy quite a few of them, though, while they were out there, a few years back. And I think I've picked up some others along the way at toy shows and places like that. This time on Terrific TV Toys, we're going to start an appreciation of the various Peanuts holiday TV specials, pinning them to these cute PVC figures. Next week is Valentine's Day, so that's where we will begin with this newest T3 episode. Let's look back on the TV special "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," which first aired on CBS in 1975, and get a close-up view of a few Valentine-themed Snoopy figures, along with the companion books for kids. (And thanks to Wendy for filling in some gaps on the timeframe of these -- some of them were released with Russell Stover candies, as well!)

 

Next up in our Peanuts TV specials miniseries, it will be the Easter Beagle, of course, in a month or two. In the meantime, see what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.