This Hazzard Fest is going to hit all the high notes

This author must admit I remain a bit skeptical when I see events scheduled while we're still in the thick of the Plague That Changed Our Lives, but lots of folks are getting vaccinated, right? And this is an outdoor event, not an indoor one. AND it's all the way over in October. So that means it will happen, right? We certainly hope so, because this "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed show is looking really big.

Scheduled for October 8-9 in Tennessee, Hazzard Fest bills not only Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach and Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat on its site, but also Chris ("Jeb Duke") Hensel, Rick ("Cletus Hogg") Hurst, stuntman Angelo Lamonea, and we saw our buddy Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry talking about being there on his Facebook yesterday. Jam-packed!!! But THEN there is a large assortment of other stars of TV and the like, from shows like "Duck Dynasty" "Moonshiners." There are WWE stars and there's even UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, which is motivation enough for me to hop in the car and
drive down there!

It happens at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Greeneville, Tennessee. Get your tickets on the event website.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Dawn dolls, case and clothing, 1970s

Alas, the moment has arrived, and it's a long moment -- our longest episode so far in the Terrific non-TV Toys series. It's the Dawn dolls of this author's childhood, and it's something I have looked forward to showing for so long! When I was a kid, Dawn dolls were absolutely *it* for me -- I loved them more than any other dolls. They were basically Barbies but in roughly half-size, and they had all kinds of groovy fashions to wear, plus some other amazing accessories. A beauty pageant playset, a dancing platform, and more. Why did these dolls only stay on store shelves for about three years? Who knows, but they're fairly valuable now, among collectors. Let's step inside the world of Dawn ....

Six Feet Under Hollywood: "It's a Cookbook!" A look at the career of Lloyd Bochner

We know the stately Lloyd Bochner from "The Twilight Zone" and "The Green Hornet," but we know him best as Cecil Colby on "Dynasty." Did you know that the way Cecil met his death in that very memorable scene with Alexis would seem a sort of harbinger to a lost role for him later? He was also cast as C.C. Capwell just as our beloved daytime soap "Santa Barbara" was about to debut in summer 1984, but a heart attack derailed those plans. His "Dynasty" castmate Peter Mark Richman took the role instead. Well, our friend Brian has done it again, profiling another great star of classic TV on his Six Feet Under Hollywood blog, showcasing a career that went so far beyond "Dynasty" ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: It's a Cookbook!: Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was born in Toronto on July 29, 1924.  He was born to a middle-class Jewish family and knew from a very young age that ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Paul Winfield

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Paul Winfield: Catch the latest blog post from our buddy Brian, who profiles prolific TV and movie actor Paul Winfield ... "I was given a lot of prestige as a distinguished black actor but very little power.  They give prestige out by the buckets, but they give power by the teaspoon, just enough to stroke your ego."
  -- Paul Winfield

"The Rapture Chronicles" returns for Season 2

In the age of COVID-19 and Zoom meetings, director Dray Hill and his "The Rapture Chronicles" web series have adapted: The first episode of the second season occurs on Zoom! See just how this online meeting goes, as the leaders of a church discuss something important that's come up. How do their priorities rate? Are they #RaptureReady? Watch it at the series' Facebook page or via the YouTube embed ...

Also catch my own interview preceding the episode!

Cooter plans Hazzard Run in October

Passing along a note from Cooter's Place and Ben (“Cooter Davenport”) of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” who has revved up plans for the return of his popular Hazzard Run for later this year ...

 

Y'all Join Us...

in a convoy through the beautiful mountains of Virginia and the scenic Shenandoah Valley! We will be meeting at Cooter's Place in Luray, Virginia on October 1, 2021 for a 3 day celebration of the Dukes of Hazzard and Hazzard Nation. It's going to be a blast. We will keep you updated on the planned festivities throughout the year. Vehicle registration is free. Simply add the free product to your cart along with any Hazzard Run 2021 merchandise you want. Please add a separate registration for each replica vehicle or hot rod you plan to bring. That will help us plan and organize the convoy.

For More Info On Hazzard Run:
Bobby Scott (765) 341-6949

Terrific TV Toys: Electra Woman figure by Living Toyz, 2000

Here's a blast from the past that we have not yet explored on Terrific TV Toys ... "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl," a perhaps tad obscure part of our Saturday mornings in the 1970s but nonetheless fondly remembered by hardcore Gen-Xers. They were sort of a female Batman and Robin, triapsing around solving crimes with some fab gadgets. They didn't have superpowers or anything -- they relied on their ingenuity. 

Electra Woman was portrayed by a very young Deidre Hall, who would go on to great fame on "Days of Our Lives." Her heroic spirit is captured here in a figure by Living Toyz, part of a larger set celebrating the characters of "The Krofft Supershow" (which even had comic books back then as it brought live-action kids' entertainment to Saturday mornings).

 

Terrific non-TV Toys: "Wizard of Oz" music box, 2009

Just how do you get home from the Land of Oz? By clicking together the heels of your ruby slippers, of course. And lest we ever forget that trick, this lovely music box by the San Francisco Music Box Co. is there to remind us. Released at the 70th anniversary of the famous flick, this beauty features sculpted images around the base and a couple shiny, glittery slippers atop. It's the star of the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys ...

“Dynasty” cast virtual reunion set for next month

A virtual reunion of a delightful bevy of “Dynasty” cast members? Why, that’s the best idea this author has heard all pandemic long! And just look at the lineup. Can’t wait to see (and hear). This is a benefit for research into what’s being called Long-Covid, which Emma (second Fallon) Samms has been dealing with for months. Evidently a quiz and auction are involved? Sounds great. Head over to DynastyReunion.com for the deal, Neil.

Catch BRB's new interview on Detroit talk show

Many thanks to Ms. Marguerite Bonner, producer and promoter extraordinaire, for the opportunity to interview via Zoom on her new Detroit-based talk show with IPTV / Urban Information Network. Marguerite, of FaceCast Media, serves as the host of the show, "A Talk with the Producer," working with executive producer Matt Martin, and a variety of guests will be featured as the episodes roll out. In the episode we shot last Thursday evening, social media influencer Tsunamiho also guested. Stay tuned for where / when this episode airs and gets posted!

Terrific TV Toys: Scooby-Doo Valentine gift set, 2020

No one's sweeter than our favorite mystery-solving canine, so what better gift for Valentine's Day than this Scooby plush set? This set actually was on the store shelves for Valentine's Day 2020, and tucked away for a special Valentine episode of Terrific TV Toys. It gets opened live (sorta) in this video ...

Collector James shares photos of his "Six Million Dollar Man" figures and more

This author loves hearing from fellow collectors, and I recently got an email from James, or J. for short. He collects "Six Million Dollar Man" and Batman-related stuff and shared these photos with BRBTV.

"As a kid, I had nearly EVERY item from the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and BIONIC WOMAN toy lines," J. says. "Sadly, like most kids' toys back then, they were sucked up by the garage sale vortex (LOL!).  Recently, I began re-acquiring SMDM items.  Currently, I have 3 STEVE's and 3 JAMIE's in various states of completeness.  In researching what "complete" versions of these figures/items should be, I was led to your videos.  They have been a tremendous help to me.  But, they've, also, been very entertaining."

(Well, thanks so much, J.! We love to hear from viewers as well as fellow collectors!)

"Of course, I'm a huge STAR WARS and STAR TREK fan, but I, also, loved watching reruns of  '66 Batman.  Batgirl's first episode appearance blew my mind!  I love what Yvonne Craig brought to the character.  I had several Batman/Batgirl MEGO figures in the '70's, but, you guessed it ... the garage sale vortex.  Currently, the only thing Batman-related in my collection is a Yvonne Craig Batgirl statue.  I bought it at a discount because the left-hand was broken.  I still need to repair it."

"I never was much of a comic book collector," J. says, "other than an occasional read here and there.  My mother would not let me spend much money on them.  Also, I never liked the cliffhanger aspect of comics. I prefer a beginning and an end as found in a graphic novel. But, back then in rural Mississippi, graphic novels were not available. So, my very first introduction to BATGIRL was through '66 BATMAN reruns. First, it was cool BATMAN had another sidekick, and it was a GIRL! Yeah, I admit, I had a little TV crush on BATGIRL (LOL!). Everything about her sizzled my senses -- the color of her costume, red hair, the kicks,  etc. But, what I really dug was her secret room with the revolving wall.  And, at the time, I was a HUGE Evel Knievel fan. So, when it was revealed BATGIRL drove a motorcycle -- my mind was blown! It was just totally freakin' awesome! I watched your review video of the anniversary BATGIRL statue. That's a great statue, but what made me decide to purchase the statue in my collection was not only the amazing likeness to Yvonne Craig, but that hatch door that leads to the motorcycle room."

Thanks so much, J., for sharing the love!

Photos courtesy of James; please do not copy without permission.

Green Hornet marks a whopping 85 years, and he still looks great

BRBTV passes along this special anniversary release from the family of Green Hornet creator George Trendle. Thanks, Mary Kay!

....,

(January 31, 2021 – Los Angeles, CA) – 

  The last day in January 2021 marks the 85th anniversary of the first appearance of The Green Hornet. A year-long virtual celebration to one of America’s earliest superheroes, his most powerful sidekick Kato, and the world’s first supercar, the Black Beauty.

  George W. Trendle wanted a timely, relevant, hero character on the radio at WXYZ-Detroit to appeal to voting age Americans, as opposed to his earlier creation, The Lone Ranger, created for children. 

  In an era without television or internet, news traveled slowly, primarily printed in a newspaper. Britt Reid, the alter ego of The Green Hornet, published such a newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, where he receives inside information about corruption and organized crime from his reporters’ sources. With his sidekick Kato, The Green Hornet uses his non-lethal weapons to subdue the criminals and leave them for law enforcement to arrest and prosecute. Because police see The Green Hornet as a vigilante, therefore a criminal, both sides of the law are after him, which forces him to wear a mask, so no one discovers his true identity.

  Whether it is an original radio broadcast, one of the serials, a TV episode, an issue of a comic book or a movie; the plot usually consists of corrupt government officials or organized crime leaders who seem innocent and above reproach. 

  George W. Trendle’s creation of The Green Hornet introduced many firsts to the American audience. The masked avenger in a modern city, Bruce Lee as a martial arts sidekick, and a black stealth supercar to keep Americans safe.

 

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl Universe bust by Eaglemoss

This nifty little 2020 item comes from BRBTV's honorary chief of procurement, Mike, and it is rather lovely and fun. And it might just accidentally be the last Batgirl item until this fall. This author can't guarantee it, but she's pretty sure. Since the Backlog of Batgirls miniseries began last year on both the collectible series, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys, these Batty gals have done a bit of a multiplying act. But we're basically caught up! Really!

This gal is straight out of recent DC Comics, and she's even doing a selfie.

Branson offers up some great '80s TV-related toys

This author's friend Patrick Shawn Bennett, creator, along with Lisa Everetts, of the Pop Ninja podcast you've seen highlighted on this very blog, took a trip to Branson, Missouri, during the holidays and saw all kinds of '80s goodies (we bet it will lead to material on the '80s-themed podcast!) and a lot of it was related to the TV shows we know and love from that era and beyond. He shares these cool photos with us -- thanks, Patrick! He visited the toy store "80s World" that you see pictured first below, and a Hollywood wax museum (the "Star Trek" transporter room, with one photo of Patrick himself!), and a toy museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few items shown above that you have seen on the Terrific TV Toys series, and there's one particular item (a set, if that's a clue) that you will see on an upcoming episode!

 

On New Year's Day, Patrick was at Cooter's Garage in Nashville, and he snapped this photo for us while he was standing at the register. Thanks so much, Patrick, and thanks, Cooter's, for continuing to carry "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" along with these other great "Dukes" books. This author really appreciates it.

 

 

 

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

Canadian artist Jim Wilson crafts Mr. Dressup's treehouse for a good friend

For any of the Canadian readers out there (like you, Wendy! :) ), you might have grown up with "Mr. Dressup," a Canadian children's television series that originally ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996. As Mr. Dressup, actor Ernie Coombs would lead children through a series of songs, stories, arts, crafts and imagination games, with the help of his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan, Wikipedia says. This author's good friend Jim Wilson of Canada, whose fine art you've seen on this blog before -- art of "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Green Hornet" and more -- has now turned his creative eye to the beloved TV icon of his youth. He has crafted a replica of the treehouse featured on "Mr. Dressup" for his friend, Rob. 

This is the treehouse where those puppets Casey and Finnegan lived, on the show. How fun! If you're sensing some "Mr. Rogers" vibes, those of you in the U.S., it might be because Coombs and Fred Rogers once knew each other as colleagues, and yes, they took very similar career paths.

Here's the real thing as seen on the show:

And here are shots of Jim's work on the replica:

 

 

Thanks, Jim, for sharing these photos with us! And congratulations, Rob (that's him below), on a one-of-a-kind piece! By the way, be sure to like Jim's new Facebook page to see more of his work!

 

Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: Curious George plush by Gund, 1990s

Let's start out the new year on a bright note, for the series! What can be brighter than the adorable Curious George and his pal the Man With the Yellow Hat? That little monkey loves to get into trouble, and did you know he's a world traveler? Well, find out more in this week's episode, examining a plush toy from Gund that was purchased new in the 1990s ... 

A channel showing just "Three's Company" 'round the clock? How can that be?

Yea, that's what this author thought, when her pal Brian gave her the heads-up on Pluto TV, which, truth be told, I'd heard of but just hadn't really watched. Maybe I even added the app to my Amazon Firestick. But nonetheless, now I have checked it out more fully, and it is a veritable smorgasbord where classic television is concerned. "Happy Days," "The Love Boat," "Family Ties," "One Day at a Time" ... too many to mention, really. Even the "Dark Shadows" episodes I've been watching on Tubi! Just oodles of classic TV shows there at your fingertips, 24-7, and free! No subscriptions! You can watch on your laptop, phone or tablet. So crazy. Somebody get these guys some revenue, because we don't want this to stop!!! Gives a whole new mechanism for binge-watching, for sure. (Oh, and there are movies there, too, along with documentaries, reality TV, and other assorted goodies.)

Happy new year! Here's your updated episode guide for the two BRBTV collectibles series

Congratulations! If you're reading this, you just survived a difficult year. And it's all about survival, right? Time marches on here at BRBTV, thank the Lord, and the two collectibles series on YouTube, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys, have marched on, as well. As is our custom, we present the updated episode guide for the two series, as we look forward to highlighting many more great toys in the 2021. We've got a packed schedule! And the plan is to continue one episode per month for each series on the BRBTV YouTube channel. Until then, here's your recap ...

Terrific TV Toys

Season 7

150. Batgirl figures from "DC Super Hero Girls," Part 1 

151. Batgirl figures from "DC Super Hero Girls," Part 2 

152. "DC Super Hero Girls" book and Pez 

153. Wonder Woman Hallmark ornament, 2020 

154. Scooby-Doo playsets by Playmobil, Part 1: Mystery Machine 

155. Scooby-Doo playsets by Playmobil, Part 2: Mystery Machine cont'd, plus Scooby and Shaggy

 
Season 6
Season 5
Season 4
Season 3
Season 1 and 2  

Terrific non-TV Toys

Season 3

25. Batman Black and White blind bags, Series 1-3 

Backlog of Batgirls Series:

26. Batgirl "DC Bombshells" statue 

27. Batgirl DC Core statue 

28. Batgirl on scooter, DC Artists Alley series, 2019 

29. Batgirl figure by Funko / 5 Star, 2018 

30. Batgirl and Donatello from DC Collectibles, 2020 

31. Batgirl Multiverse figure by McFarlane Toys, 2020

Season 2

Season 1

May 2021 be blessed for you and your family!

It's collage time again! How about a few Angels and some "Trek" ...

"A few angels in your corner is always a plus," says C.J., whose creative collages you have seen on this blog. How about a few more? This time we'll start with the lovely ladies of "Charlie's Angels" then go into more and more original "Star Trek"! Thanks again, C.J.

 

 

(These images are arranged in a certain order -- did you catch on yet?)

In case you didn't notice, each one of these collages is a spotlight on a particular "Trek" episode, and they're arranged in alphabetical order by title (including the "The" at the beginning of the title, if there was one!)

Yes, as with the other collages by C.J. posted on this blog, you are free to copy and share!

 

Images courtesy of and crafted by C.J.