Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con '18: Ricou Browning

As a follow-up to our weekend post from another wonderful Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con in Hunt Valley, Maryland, we present this chat with actor / writer / producer Ricou Browning. Mr. Browning is known as the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" in the famed movie series, and as such is actually the only surviving Universal movie monster. He was kind enough to take the time to tell us how the "Black Lagoon" gig came about for him all those years ago, as well as how he became involved in the "Flipper" movies / TV series.

Also included in this video is a quick glimpse of some great stars of '80s TV appearing at the show: Diahann Carroll of "Dynasty," Morgan Fairchild of "Dallas" and so much more, Robert Wagner of "Hart to Hart," whom we totally didn't realize has a modern gig on "NCIS" ...

Terrific non-TV Toys: Darci doll by Kenner

Whether is was the ‘90s print ad of Jenny McCarthy on the toilet or Deborah Harry on the ‘70s Blondie “Parallel Lines” album cover, you cannot argue the popularity of Candie’s shoes in modern fashion culture. This author would assert that the doll featured in the latest episode of Terrific non-TV Toys is wearing those iconic Candie’s slides. Essentially.

You can judge for yourself as we examine Darci, Kenner’s 1979 answer to the Barbie doll. Just a smidgen bigger and oh-so stylish, Darci attempted to give the Mattel bombshell a run for her money, but alas and alack did not last long on store shelves. She lives on in our hearts, however. And in our storage bins ...



Special shout-out to YouTuber BlytheWorld1972, who has a video of this blond Darci in the box, front and back:



And for good measure, here's an old TV commercial for Darci:

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con delivers up another great time

Robert Wagner, Diahann Carroll, Morgan Fairchild, Ed Begley Jr. ... lots of stars of great classic TV — and fantastic  shopping, too! This author is on the bus leaving out of Hunt Valley, Maryland, and the latest installment of the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con. Again this year, the show did not disappoint. Take this fun moment getting a signed shot with Robert Wagner for buddy Brian …

The event hosted a reunion of “WKRP in Cincinnati” stars, and here's a money shot with Tim Reid, Jan Smithers and Howard Hesseman.

We dropped in on Jan Smithers and Kristy McNichols to get some photos signed, too.

Lots of other folks were there greeting fans, as well. Look for our interview with Ricou Browning, the "Creature of the Black Lagoon," this week on the BRBTV YouTube channel.

Love the TV-related goodies at the vendor booths. From "I Dream of Jeannie" to "Happy Days" to "Scooby-Doo" and more, there were just all kinds of yummy items …

The beauties below are by TheOrnamentGuy.com and celebrate just about any kind of TV show you can name, plus lots of superheroes.

Wagner photos by Brian Lombard

Other photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is ok; a link would be grand

John Schneider has appearances planned in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahama and beyond

Our ole Bo Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard" stays busy, busy, busy. Thanks to Phyllis once again for updating us on the comings and goings of John Schneider.

John will be meeting fans at the Fandemic in Houston, Texas, on September 15-16.

https://www.fandemictour.com/houston/

John and Tom Wopat will meet fans and do a concert on September 28 at the TriCities Hazzard Fest in Bristol, Tennessee. 
http://tricitieshazzardfest.eventbrite.com

John will perform in concert on October 6 at the Storytellers Music Festival in Bon Aqua, Tennessee.

https://en-us.fievent.com/e/storytellers-music-festival/17759842?force_subdomain=true

John will perform in concert on October 11 at the Red Dragon Listening Room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

https://johnschneiderdragon.brownpapertickets.com/

John will be meeting fans at the Tulsa Pop Culture Expo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 2-4.

https://wwwtulsapopcuutureexpo.com

Bo's Christmas Bozaar will be November 30- December 1 at John Schneider Studios in Holden, Louisiana.

https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/3233117/bos-christmas-bozaar-at-john-schneider-studios-holden-john-schneider-studios

John will be appearing at the Nashville Elvis Festival on March 29-31, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee.  He will be a judge on March 29- 30 and will do a concert on March 31.

http://www.nashvilleelvisfestival.com/

Bo's Extravaganza is scheduled for April 6-7, 2019, at John Schneider Studios in Holden, Louisiana.

No tickets available yet.

Buy your merchandise at  https://johnschneiderstudiostore.myshopify.com. 

"The Haves And The Have Nots" continues on OWN right now on Tuesday evenings at 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 Central.

Make sure you purchase John's new songs on CB Baby https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/JohnRSchneider1.

So many great TV-related toys -- in stores now!

It's a great day when you can walk through the toy aisles at your local store and see so many toys dedicated to the TV shows you know and love -- even the vintage shows! But that's the way it is right now. And in case you haven't been to your local toy aisle lately, here are some snapshots of what this author found on a pleasant little stroll yesterday.

On this endcap, we've got some goodies from the revived Mego Corp. collection. You've seen a couple of these new Mego treasures on the Terrific TV Toys web series (that was the Kelly Garrett figure) and its sister series, Terrific non-TV Toys (Wonder Woman). Here we have playsets from "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Star Trek" (the "Mirror, Mirror" episode, no less!!!) as well as figures of Peg Bundy from "Married With Children" and even Piper from "Charmed"! Wow. Besides these, we saw Tootie from "The Facts of Life" and Fonzie from "Happy Days," plus the large Harley Quinn figure, which you'll see photos of on an episode of non-T3 next month.

Then, step around the corner, and you have these lovely variants from the DC Super Hero Girls collection and TV show on Cartoon Network. Harley Quinn and Batgirl figures in different outfits! I've got one of the Batgirls at home, which will be featured in a future episode of non-T3, but oh, my ...

And can we just add in these, too?? These are not for a vintage TV show or characters, but this author absolutely loves the "Stranger Things" series on Netflix. Check out these goods ... too tempting!!!!

And finally, these duds that are TV-related, as well. The very popular Harley Quinn (well, she's from the comics, too, but she started out on "Batman: The Animated Series") and the Charlie Brown Halloween special. Only 10 bucks at Walmart! (The other items above were spotted at Target, BTW.) I've got to add these pajama pants to my Christmas list for Bro and family!

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Terrific TV Toys: "Dukes" diecast cars by Auto World, Tomy

We half-jokingly call our buddy Jason the roving reporter of BRBTV, because he travels the open road for his work and he sees all kinds of interesting stuff. But it's not really a joke, because a lot of that great stuff he sees just somehow happens to be related to one of his favorite TV shows, "The Dukes of Hazzard." Then, the photos of a lot of that stuff end up on this very blog!

Jason takes a turn on the Terrific TV Toys series this week, showing you his collection of "Dukes" diecast cars, which he purchased at Cooter's Place in Nashville while traveling. At the time this video was shot, which was a couple months ago now, he had one car missing, the green Camaro that Cooter is seen driving on one episode of the series. But then after that, he made another trip to Cooter's Place and got that car, too! So now Jason has the entire set, and you'll see it, whether by video or photo, in this latest episode of T3 ...




Jason remembers a lot more about these "Dukes" episodes than this author does at any given moment, so we talk through some of the show production details while showing these cool cars. Thanks again, Jason, for taking the time!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Wonder Woman 14" figure by Mego

She's a big girl, that Amazon we know and love from the printed comics page. And in this episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys web series, this figure is a fitting tribute at a whopping 14 inches! Not even 12 inches like a lot of larger action figure, but 14 inches. Meow. She's part of the revived Mego Corp. and continuing Mego Month here at BRBTV. Last time, it was a Kelly Garrett "Charlie's Angels" figure from Mego's new license for Terrific TV Toys, so this time it's that wonderful Wonder Woman on the sister series ...

Terrific TV Toys: Mego "Charlie's Angels" figure Kelly

We just don't know how we're going to survive, here at BRBTV ... News of the return of Mego Corp. to the retail scene broke a few weeks ago, and we've been reeling ever since ... New figures, new licenses, far less space in the basement!!!! Oooohhhh, it's just overwhelming. We had two great episodes cued up for this month on Terrific TV Toys and the sister series Terrific non-TV Toys. But then this happened ... Two wonderful brand-new Mego figures dropped into our laps (thanks, Mike) ...

This week's episode shows you the first of Mego's planned series on 1970s TV series "Charlie's Angels." This is Kelly Garrett, as portrayed by Jaclyn Smith. She's a lovely lady, with a smashing outfit (amazing shoes!), and frankly, we like.



Thanks, as always, to my buddy Mike, our honorary chief of procurement at BRBTV! He's the one that finds this stuff.

Terrific non-TV Toys: "Wizard of Oz" Megos Part 2, Witches

The June episode of Terrific non-TV Toys began a miniseries on the "Wizard of Oz" Mego dolls / figures of the 1970s, wherein you saw this author's Dorothy doll from childhood, almost purloined from the local store (it's a long story -- you've gotta watch it). For July and the second of this four-part series, we're turning to the other two females of this Mego line -- Glinda, the Good Witch, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Just look at that pink sparkly dress ... Did you know it wasn't pink in L. Frank Baum's original book?

Another trip to Cooter's Place means some more fun "Dukes" stuff

Happy Friday the 13th! And it's now happy hour -- congrats, you made it through the workweek. BRBTV's roving reporter Jason loves to stop by Cooter's Place whenever he's in the area, whether it's Gatlinburg or Nashville or the newer store in Luray, to behold the cool "Dukes of Hazzard" merchandise. This author was delighted when he snapped this photo of "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" on display -- thanks very much to Cooter's for carrying our "Dukes" reference guide.

Jason also captured this new display item on his trip there this week. Hazzard Bridge ... hmmm, could that be what they've called Kingi Bridge, in honor of "Dukes" stuntman Henry Kingi, Jason wondered?

 

And finally, we're going to throw in a couple more photos from Jason, because this will give you a clue what you'll see on the August episode of the Terrific TV Toys web series ...

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

Announcing a new Kindle edition of "Dynasty High" to include the CW's reboot series!

The CW releases a reboot of our beloved "Dynasty" series, and this author's keyboard is clicking away, gathering all the details. A younger Blake? A sassier Fallon (as if that were possible)? A male Sammy Jo???? A blond Alexis? It was quite an interesting ride, wasn't it, this first season of the reboot. And now all the details, the continuity differences, the episode synopses, for the CW's "Dynasty" are captured in the latest Kindle edition of the reference guide "Dynasty High." It adds quite a bit of heft to this e-book.

While we were at it, we added in a good long look at the collections of two diehard "Dynasty" fans, who have both been profiled on this very blog: Bjørn and the owner of the Nolan Miller Collector Blog. LOTS of lush color photos of their amazing original "Dynasty" wardrobe pieces have been added to this fourth Kindle edition.

Check it out on Amazon! And thanks, as always, for sharing the love of this great show.

Terrific TV Toys: Mary Marvel original animation cel

Original animation cels are a real treat for collectors, a slice of the old days where production of a cartoon is concerned. Who can imagine the patience and diligence it requires to create and photograph all of the cels that come together to portray the action in a half-hour animated series, let alone an hourlong show or even a two-hour movie feature?

The latest episode of Terrific TV Toys shows you a tiny bit of the action of the "Shazam" segment of the 1981-82 Saturday-morning cartoon "Kids Super Power Hour." This is an original production cel used to depict the action for the Mary Marvel character in a scene -- though we have no idea what scene or episode it was, so if you know, comment below! This particular Filmation cartoon only lasted a season, 12 episodes, so it's a little more obscure, and it's only the second time we've ventured into Shazam / Captain Marvel territory for T3.

Bjørn shows us some more "Dynasty" delights

Here are some wonderful "Dynasty" collectibles you may have never seen: dishware, a beautiful pillow of our divas Dominique and Alexis ... and some original art by Bjørn, whose amazing wardrobe pieces from the classic TV soap you have seen on this blog before.

Images courtesy of Bjørn; please do not copy without permission.

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con delivers up "WKRP" and "Hart to Hart" stars and lots more

This author has really enjoyed the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Con for the past few years, planning one of my usual trips out to D.C. to coincide with it so I can take a couple trains and a bus or two up to Hunt Valley, Maryland, to see fabulous stars from classic TV shows so beloved.

Well, this year the show, happening September 13-15, 2018, is offering it up big-time: Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers from "Hart to Hart," Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson and Tim Reid from "WKRP," Diahann Carroll of our beloved "Dynasty," Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie" but whom we loved on original "Dallas," so much more ... Kristy McNichol, wow ... All these great stars are coming out of the woodwork to ride the wave of popularity of shows like this in recent years. And the trend doesn't really show any signs of slowing down, so yea -- we'll go with that!

Spotted: Barbara Stanwyck and Lloyd Bochner

Hey, "Dynasty" fans, what's more outrageous than a love scene between a young Constance Colby and ... a young Cecil Colby? Wow, yea, ewwww. But it happened, long before they took on their sibling roles on "Dynasty" and spinoff "The Colbys." Granted, they never shared any scenes on our beloved TV shows, since Cecil was deceased quite a while before Connie came along. But the movie we're talking is "The Night Walker," airing on "Svengoolie" on MeTV last night.

The year was 1964 for this one, and the movie is actually a lot of fun. Black and white and creepy with all the requisite 1960s aura, it actually feels like Hitchcock, which makes sense since it was penned by "Psycho" alum Robert Bloch. Barbara Stanwyck is married to a wealthy guy, but she's visited in her dreams by a mysterious, handsome, younger man, later shown to be Lloyd Bochner. Then her blind husband (yea, literally blind) dies, and there's a sinister plot afoot. Check it out yourself!

The latest from the Six Feet Under blog: Rod Serling

Six Feet Under: Rod Serling: Six Feet Under: Interlaken, New York is a quiet farming community cut off from the modern world.  The Amish call it home, as evidenced by the horse-drawn bu...

Check out the latest blog post from our friend Brian, chronicling the final resting place for "Twilight Zone" mastermind Rod Serling. Can you believe the creative mementos left at his grave?

Terrific non-TV Toys: "Wizard of Oz" Megos Part 1, Dorothy

We're not in Kansas anymore -- we're in the wonderful land of Oz, with this sixth episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys web series. Here we begin a four-part series on Mego's amazing Oz dolls and playsets of the 1970s. There are several we will look at in the BRBTV headquarters, beginning with the young lady that L. Frank Baum's story centered around, Dorothy Gale of Kansas, as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic film ...



Next month: Are you a good witch or a bad witch?????

As we move through Season 5 of Terrific TV Toys, let's recap what we covered in Season 4

In our December 17, 2015 and December 16, 2016 posts, we presented episode guides to the T3 series, listing out what fab toys were covered in Seasons 1-3 of the show. We have been a bit remiss, but alas, here is your Season 4 episode listing.

90. Batgirl statue by Diamond Select Toys
91. Mystery Machine bank by FAB NY / Starpoint
92. Some "Lion King" goodies
93. Batgirl figure by Vinyl Sugar
94. "Dukes of Hazzard" card game by IGI
95. Michael Jackson doll by LJN Toys
96. Batgirl bendy by NJ Croce -- '60s version
97. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman toys by Kraft Foods
98. "Green Hornet" View-Master set
99. Batgirl bendy by NJ Croce -- '90s version
100. Scooby-Doo gang microfigures by Character Building
101. "Three's Company" trading cards by Topps
102. Batgirl figure by Mattel
103. "Dukes of Hazzard" models
104. Isis figure by Mego, 1970s
105. Batgirl doll by Hasbro, 1998
106. A dazzling "Dukes of Hazzard" room!
107. "Price is Right" games and memorabilia
108. Batgirl Barbie by Mattel
109. Daphne of "Scooby-Doo" by Figures Toy Co.
110. Some more "Alf" goodies
111. Wind Blitz Batgirl and Sonic Stun Batgirl figures
112. "Dukes of Hazzard" cup by Deka
113. More goodies from "The Lion King"
114. Batgirl figure from "B:TAS" by DC Collectibles
115. "Batman: The Animated Series" talking alarm clock
116. "B:TAS" yoyo and frisbee
117. Batgirl 1960s figure by Funko
118. "Star Trek" claw-game plush, part 1
119. "Star Trek" claw-game plush, part 2
120. Batgirl figures by Mattel
121. "Charlie's Angels" doll fashion tote by Hasbro
122. Christmas episode, part 1 -- Snoopy Hallmark ornament
123. Batgirl figures from "The Batman" by Mattel
124. Christmas episode, part 2 -- Snoopy UNO card set
125. "Green Hornet" spoon, 1966

A little TV scene-stealing fun: From the amazing Angels to the Duke boys

It's a trip to Townsend Agency, where the vehicles of Jill, Sabrina and Kelly are parked outside as the girls listen to their next assignment. There's an extra non-screen vehicle thrown, but it's one we just know "Charlie's Angels" would have loved to drive!

Gotta love this scene, and thanks to Mike (who is BRBTV's honorary procurement chief, you know if you watch the Terrific TV Toys web series) for sending it to us. This is from a Metro Detroit collection, one that also includes a rather life-size replica of Farrah's Cobra, which we featured in an earlier blog post. If you want to recreate this yourself, you can nab the backdrop from this eBay seller.

Meanwhile ... in Hazzard County ... here's another scene from that same collection ...

Terrific TV Toys: Batman Ken and Catwoman Barbie dolls by Mattel

We made it to Friday once again. Woot-woot! And it's time for another episode of Terrific TV Toys, this time venturing back into "Batman" '66 territory. This is a special set of Barbie and Ken dolls by Mattel, released a few years back.

These two classic dolls are playing dress-up, Barbie donning a sleek black catsuit and Ken a cape and cowl. Yes, it's the purrfectly glamorous Catwoman and her upright adversary and not-so-secret crush, Batman! Mattel takes a nostalgic approach to bringing these two TV characters to life, with distinctly '60s molds. So fun!

John Schneider plans Country for a Cause and much more in the coming months

Thanks to Phyllis for passing along the latest appearance schedule for John ("Bo Duke") Schneider of "The Dukes of Hazzard," covering the rest of 2018 and beyond! Our Duke boy is pretty busy.
..............................

June 6 - Country for a Cause show benefiting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at Third and Lindsley in Nashville, TN

June 22-24 - Fandemic Tour in Sacramento, CA  

https://www.fandemictour.com/sacramento/

June 29 - Concert at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN  

https://www.franklintheatre.com

July 4 - Meeting fans and a concert at the Fourth of July Music Festival at Harris Park in Dunlap, TN

July 5 - Concert at the Smith County Fair in Lebanon, TN  

http://www.1041theranch.net

July 27-29 - Meeting fans at the London Film and Comic Con in Olympia, London, England https://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

August 10-12 - Meeting fans at the Steel City Con in Monroeville, PA  

http://www.steelcitycon.com

August 18 - Concert at the Nashville Palace in Nashville, TN 
https://www.nashville-palace.com

September 2 - Meet and greet and concert at the Winchester City Park in Winchester, TN; donations to the Multi County Cancer Support Network, 931-691-9715

September 14-16 - Meeting fans at Fandemic in Houston, TX  

https://www.fandemictour.com/houston/

September 22 - Concert at the Nashville Palace in Nashville, TN  

https://www.nashville-palace.com

October 13 - Concert at the Nashville Palace in Nashville, TN  

https://www.nashville-palace.com

October 26-28 - Meeting fans at the Big Red Con in Lincoln, NE

November 17 - Concert at the Nashville Palace in Nashville, TN   

https://www.nashville-palace.com

December 1 - Christmas Bozaar event at John Schneider Studios in Holden, LA 

https://johnschneiderstudiostore.myshopify.com/products/bos-christmas-bozaar-buy-2-get-4-special-the-perfect-christmas-gift

December 15 - Concert at the Nashville Palace in Nashville, TN  

https://www.nashville-palace.com

2019

April 6-7 - Bo's Extravaganza event at John Schneider Studios in Holden, LA

TGIF: A trip to Hazzard County! Sorta!

Our roving reporter Jason finds all kinds of things "Dukes of Hazzard" when he's driving across the country for his work. This time, though, he got quite literal in his hot pursuit of Hazzard County. Well, if you take away one "z" he did ...

 

So what do ya suppose ya learn at the Hazard Community and Technical College? The schematics for building a moonshine still? How to hot-wire a sheriff's deputy car? Hmmm ... we can only wonder ...

Happy Friday, Y'all!!! And a safe and pleasant Memorial Day weekend!

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