Those of us who grew up with "The Dukes of Hazzard" in the '80s ... would you ever have dreamed of watching an episode of your beloved classic TV show with one of its stars, at a place owned by another one of its stars? Well, Ben ("Cooter Davenport") Jones has lined it up for you at his Nashville location of Cooter's Place, which this author has visited, and thoroughly enjoyed on its own. The prettiest Duke will be there, Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach. You can get your tickets now for this event, which was just too good to not blog about.
This author can definitely say I've seen several of these wonderful goodies at many a show over the years. This collection belongs to our bud Byron ("Coy Duke") Cherry of "The Dukes of Hazzard," and BRBTV has had the pleasure to attend some great shows with him.
This show, however, was not a "Dukes" event but a private event attended by our friend Patrick Shawn Bennett, and it took place this past Saturday evening in southeast Texas. Call this post a follow-up from our March 6 post (next one below, conveniently!), where we discussed Byron's latest film project "The Not So Great Outdoorsmen." Patrick had Byron and other cast/crew from the film as guests on his podcast, "Filmsquatch."
"We’re setting up a table so he can do some autographs tonight," Patrick told BRBTV just before Saturday's event. "It’s a dinner and concert. There will be about 100 people here. It’s a fundraiser for a local cat shelter."
Well, that's just awesome. We love to see both Byron and Patrick out and about, supporting a cool cause. That's them in the photo below, joined by a couple guys from the film's cast / crew. Patrick is on the far right, and Byron is next to him, then there's Michael Murray (who plays Bigfoot in the film) and Tony Lawson.
I feel like I'm getting a bit of a scoop here -- some "Dukes"-related content you won't see anywhere else, so thanks, Patrick!
Photos courtesy of Patrick Shawn Bennett; please don't copy without permission
We love to see our bud Byron Cherry, aka Coy Duke of "The Dukes of Hazzard," out and about, nabbing new roles. He's honestly one of the nicest and most accessible celebs BRBTV has ever had the pleasure to meet. The latest film he's done is a short exploring Bigfoot lore, called "The Not So Great Outdoorsmen," and Byron was just yesterday featured on a podcast discussing the film.
This podcast happens to be from another bud of BRBTV, Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast. He does another podcast called Filmsquatch with his friend, Kendall Fontenot. Patrick and Kendall are big Bigfoot fans and determined to watch any and all movies that feature this mythical (?) creature.
Shot in Missouri and released at the end of January, "The Not So Great Outdoorsmen" depicts two inept outdoorsmen who find themselves on a quest to find the elusive Bigfoot. The film also includes Mountain Man from "Duck Dynasty," Tim Guraedy. The film's small crew shot the movie in just five days. Pratfalls, favorite scenes, "The Three Stooges" and all kinds of other stuff comes up in this conversation with not only Byron but with a few others from the movie's production.
The crew is planning some showings, promotion and distribution for the film. To learn more about the Filmsquatch podcast series, check out the Facebook page, and you can listen to the episode from the show's website. Also, like and subscribe at the podcast's YouTube channel, where you can see the visual version of this episode, which, heck, we'll just include below!
Ahoy, there, and welcome to a whole new season of the Terrific non-TV Toys series. First up for this fresh new season is an adorable plush Batman that's been circulating out there for a few years, actually. This author received it as a Christmas gift from a family member, and it is chubby and Chibi and oh-so cute. It's a version of the Caped Crusader that commemorates the various Bat-emblems that he has worn on his chest over the decades, and it was released in summer 2019 to also celebrate the DC superhero's 80th anniversary.
Indulge your love of the Caped Crusader with "Batman: The Animated Series, A BRBTV Report," a short, snappy, exploration of the landmark TV show in e-book format for your Kindle or tablet -- and at only a buck and a half!
Visit BRBTV.com for more books celebrating the great classic TV shows you grew up with!
We had a great time this past Saturday at the Unity Temple Church in Detroit for a showing of the latest episode of "The Rapture Chronicles." This episode is called "Trapped," and it tells the story of a husband who is a believer, whose young wife has some very challenging views of church. It's the third time this episode has been shown live in Metro Detroit, and it has been released on YouTube, and will be released soon on a variety of other streaming platforms such as Fawesome.
This author has had the privilege of being involved with this ministry project for several years, since a couple years before COVID, and the director / producer / writer, Dray Hill, asked me to share a few words on Saturday about the impact it has had on my life.
Above and below: Billie Rae Bates with Metro Detroit actress Emily Buckner, who has appeared in several "Rapture Chronicles" episodes including this latest one.
From left: producer Dray Hill, Billie Rae Bates, Drs. Carol and Gerald Ervin, Emily Buckner, Monica Hill and Cornelius Sims.
"The Rapture Chronicles" is from Churchouse Productions and offers up, in each episode, a different slice of normal life, with normal people, caught in the circumstances of Jesus' return and the rapture of His church. It explores a lot of interesting themes between the believers and nonbelievers shown in their different lives. The series has been seen by millions of viewers around the world. That's real impact. It has won some awards, too. At its heart is the crucial question ... Are you rapture-ready?
It's one of the most well-known episodes of classic "Twilight Zone" ... the one with the ... (spoiler alert!) cookbook. So these aliens arrive, and they just want to help, right? (Help themselves!) They want to "serve man," as they say. To bring peace and all that. Did you know that, although you see longtime actor Richard Kiel in various Kanamit roles during the episode, you never hear the actor's voice? Brian and Bruce discuss that and more in the latest episode of the web series "Just Beneath the Surface," which takes on classic "TZ," an episode at a time ...
We've just gotta throw in this tidbit, from the episode's Wikipedia page:
The arriving Kanamit ship is shown as scenes extracted from "The Day the Earth Stood Still," but with different sound; the departing Kanamit ship is shown as a scene extracted from "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers," also with different sound.
He calls it "Dynapoly," and it's essentially a "Dynasty"-themed Monopoly game. We showed you some images of it in the September 14, 2022 post on this very blog, and it was hand-crafted by our friend Bjørn, a hard-core fan of our beloved 1980s primetime soap who has for years been collecting amazing wardrobe pieces used in the series. Unfortunately, this wonderful board game is no longer available to purchase -- all of the limited number were sold -- but it's still a sight to behold ...
Just look at this amazing animated glimpse at Bjørn's collection:
Bjørn offers a lot of "Dynasty"-themed goodies on his RedBubble account, so check that out.
It's that sweet season we refer to as Valentine's, and Terrific TV Toys is marking it in Snoopy style. This mug set was a gift from my friend that I tend to refer to as the Mysterious Claw-Game Avenger Who Shall Remain Nameless. It was two years ago that he snagged it for me, February 2024, though the set is marked 2023. Snoopy is certainly timeless! And BRBTV is considering this "toy" a celebration of the 1975 TV special "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" ...
I'm calling this one the world's largest action figure of the Yvonne Craig-portrayed Batgirl of the 1960s "Batman" TV series starring Adam West. She is big, and she's actually life-size, because she's a mannequin! She's expertly styled by a true-Bat-fan, my buddy Michael Knight of Motor City Reel Rides. He put together her costume and her look, and it was not a simple matter of assembly. It required a bit of craftmanship, as well! You can see her up-close and personal on the very first episode of the new season of BRBTV collectible series:
And as we look forward to new seasons for both of the BRBTV collectibles series, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys, here is your recap of this past season's episodes. Have you checked out the T3 Facebook page? If not, head on over there and share the love of these toys related to our beloved classic TV shows. It passed 10K follows this year! T3 also has a Pinterest page, so check that out, too!
And remember that you can catch other great videos on the BRBTV YouTube channel, plus subscribe to this author's secondary YouTube channel to see travel clips, interviews, acting clips, and crazy stuff like 1990s episodes of local TV shows!
We had so much fun opening the mystery box of last month's Terrific non-TV Toys episode that we decided to do another blind-box opening. This episode was actually shot earlier, when artist Jim of Jim's Creations in Canada sent this author some art for the wall of her home's "Wilson Room." I mean, I knew it was art for my wall, going in, because obviously it's in a long mailer tube, and Jim has sent me prints of his amazing art several times before. But what this art actually was, I had no idea until I opening it. So step along with this #unboxing!
And that's going to round out the year for the two BRBTV collectibles series! Wow that flew by fast, didn't it? Look for the updated episode guide on New Year's Day here on this blog, and have a wonderful, happy holiday season, however you celebrate it.
A man roaming the African desert, his WWII bomber plane having just gone down. He's looking for his crew. He's calling out their names. They're nowhere to be found. He's all alone in this bleak 1940s landscape. But why? Where did they go? It's the classic "Twilight Zone" episode "King Nine Will Not Return," and it was the opener for the iconic series' second season. It was also based on real-life events -- at least the foundation of the story was. Rod Serling certainly put his own twist on it -- took a news headline and gave it a "what if?" scenario. The episode's lead actor is Bob Cummings of 1950s TV fame.
Brian and Bruce discuss this episode -- and whether or not it's worthwhile to watch -- in the latest episode of "Just Beneath the Surface" ...
This author just may happen to accidentally be rewatching the CW's "Dynasty" remake that ran for five seasons -- rather recently, 2017-2022. And that rewatching is for a particular purpose that has heretofore been unmentioned, but perhaps you can guess. But that's for a future post. This post is about how much I am truly loving this show all over again. And I feel compelled to write it after the episode I rewatched just now, Season 3's “Something Desperate,” a musical episode originally airing in November 2019. Yes, if you're unfamiliar with the show, they did a musical episode, kinda like another CW show, "Riverdale," and probably quite a few others. Musical numbers have been a part of this modern "Dynasty" series here and there, but to have several of them in one episode is truly a delight: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Against All Odds," “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Burning Down the House.”
From the synopsis for this episode I wrote for the Kindle edition of "Dynasty High" (soon to be incorporated into the print edition as well -- ooops, did I say that out loud?):
The soundtrack of the show has been classic pop tunes – heavy on the ‘80s – and this episode really cements it. The whole cast shines in the musical numbers, but Sam Underwood just kills it. His chemistry with Grant Show during the first number is palpable as the two open up their own boys’ club in front of Fallon at the piano. And he’s got the moves during “Burning Down the House.” He earns the MVP award for this episode. The framework of Fallon slowly getting dosed from the leaking gas in her bedroom and thereby hearing others breaking out in song (when they’re evidently not) or breaking out into song herself is clever. BRBTV votes this one best episode of the season (so far, and we think it will stick).
Daniella Alonso as Cristal and Grant Show as Blake.
I mean, seriously, Grant Show? Whom we knew chiefly as the rugged biker Jake on the '90s "Melrose Place" before he took on the role of Blake Carrington??? They got him to friggin' sing in this episode??? I had already been impressed with how Show carved his own Blake out of this series -- so different from John Forsythe of the original series but so commanding in his own right -- call him highly dignified and hunky.
And the younger cast members, just so talented. Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon steals the show, rather overtly, from the first episode and from her top billing, and she is a talented songstress, crooning in several episodes over the five seasons. She has all the tartness of the original Fallon (the original-original Fallon, if you're a fan of the show and know what I mean), but she takes it further. Narcissism is so glam with her -- and somehow OK.
But Sam Underwood ... ooooohhhh, Sam Underwood. I hope he has gone on to other great roles, because he deserves it. It occurs to me that he demonstrates just how hard it is to make it in Hollywood -- you're competing against guys like this, so you better really be talented and better really bring it, all you prospects out there. It's not enough to be able to act well -- sometimes you've got to be able to sing and have the moves to get a role! Underwood as Adam has the creep factor mastered, and I say that in a good way! Frankly, Adam is my favorite character on the show.
Sam Underwood as Adam.
Yes, this is not the original "Dynasty." And I know some hard-core "Dynasty" fans can't stand the remake series. But I found myself continually and increasingly enthralled from the very first ep in 2017, appreciating it for what it was. A fresh take. A modern telling. A twist on the original. A tribute.
Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon and Rafael de la Fuente as Sam.
Have a little taste of the ep and the dynamite performances (at least this YouTuber appreciated it!):
So I receive a package in the mail, which is not an unusual occurrence, and that package is from my artist friend Jim of Jim's Creations, making its way from the Great White North. That's not too unusual, either. But Jim hadn't let on at all that he was sending me something. OK, maybe that has happened a time or two before, as well.
But what's unusual about this time is I think, hey, I should shoot a video of me opening this mystery box! That would be fun. Then whatever it is, I will make it an episode of either the Terrific TV Toys or Terrific non-TV Toys series. I did do that once before, with some art that Jim sent me (clearly it was art for my wall, as it was in a long tube), and that video is also coming up on the BRBTV collectibles series soon. But for now, let's indulge a little intrigue, shall we? Let's step through opening this box with unknown contents and see what amazing collectible(s) await us ...
Well, OK, it's not actually the Hoff -- more like a standie of him. It's the latest (and final for now) clip that BRBTV has fished out of the archive. This little glimpse comes from the 2014 Wizard World show in Philadelphia, where you could get your picture taken with the fabulous "Knight Rider" KITT car. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof? We're not sure. But that cardboard cutoff of David Hasselhoff is certainly a reasonable facsimile thereof!
This author knows that Erik Estrada, our beloved Ponch from classic TV's "CHiPs," is quite boisterous with the ladies at public appearances. I had the fun of hanging out with him at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, Michigan, a little more than a decade ago. When Estrada came to the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland, in 2017, it was the first time I had seen him since that crazy time in Metro Detroit when he hijacked a staffer's golf cart and wheeled around the convention floor yelling "I've fallen and I can't get up!!!" He was a bit more buttoned down in Maryland, but still likin' the ladies, and we know the ladies have always liked him! I was a little girl quite smitten when "CHiPs" originally aired.
But hey, enough about Ponch -- maybe his former colleague, Larry Wilcox, is the better subject to discuss these days. I saw a video recently where he explained his perspective of his relationship with Estrada with such grace and humility. I was quite impressed. So let's salute Mr. Wilcox, the other guy from "CHiPs," as an honorable man, and hearing his words in that other interview really made me watch my own clip here in a new light. I will say, too, that when I rewatched the series on streaming a couple years ago, I got a whole new appreciation for Jon.
Here, in what I realized is the most recent time I've been at this wonderful event in Maryland (I miss that show -- I really plan to return, one of these years!), Mr. Wilcox answers my question about what he's been doing in more recent years ...
I got to wear my "Dallas" T-shirt -- hey, that alone was worth the time! I had that thing tucked away in a drawer for years after snagging it at a collectibles show in Metro Detroit ... Anyhow, wow, what a nice talk I had with Josh Eilberg of the Ewing Barbecue Podcast. He and his fellow podcasters do great things in the fan community for our beloved classic TV show "Dallas." They discuss the episodes of the original series, one at a time, and Josh covers events like the recent reunion at Southfork. Josh was also kind enough to loan some wonderful photos of "Dallas" cast members to my recent (final!) update to the print edition of "Destination: Dallas."
Here we talk about what went into the book, where the idea for these crazy BRBTV books even came from, and different aspects of this TV series that we love ...
Awwww, we love seeing our friend Ulysses Campbell again, and we love seeing the floor at the Baltimore Comic Con again, even if it is only virtually. Here's another clip from times past, freshly posted on the BRBTV YouTube channel ...
A Shakespearean background that served him well, self-deprecating comedy albums, salty poetry, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and a dad convicted of bird-smuggling (there's a joke in there somewhere) ... all of that marks the life of Victor Buono, that landmark villain of 1966 "Batman" and even "The Man from Atlantis" years later. Brian explores the actor's life as he shows you were Buono's body was laid to rest:
BRBTV has had the privilege to profile on this blog multiple collectors who buy up wardrobe items from our beloved (original) "Dynasty" TV series. One of those collectors has just let us know of some updates in his amazing collection. He's at NolanMillerCollector.com, and you can see some of his collection in the July 24, 2015, September 23, 2016 and March 27, 2018 posts of this blog (so yeah, it's been a while since we've checked in with him!).
For one thing, he says, "Since we last spoke I reunited the Alexis lily pond catfight hat to the dress! I now have the full outfit." Awesome. He has also added some items from outside the "Dynasty" realm.
Here's one glimpse of a couple new additions to his collection, the "nude" beaded gown worn by Linda ("Krystle") Evans and the blue number adorning Catherine ("Amanda") Oxenberg (and Karen Cellini, actually) in the show's opening credits:
Here are a few more additions:
Just incredible. Click on over to NolanMillerCollector.com for a lot more photos of the collection itself and a detail page for each piece. And thanks so much, [name redacted for privacy], for sharing with us!!!! LOL.
Last month's installment of Terrific non-TV Toys showed you some great Bat-vehicles (not all Batmobiles) from various movie (and video) franchises. For this month's ep of Terrific TV Toys, let's return to TV land -- specifically the 1966 "Batman" series as well as the 1990s "Batman: The Animated Series." We've got the straight-up Batmobile that Adam West so happily drove, as well as a golden version of the wheels in "B:TAS."
Indulge your love of the Timmverse with "Batman: The Animated Series, A BRBTV Report," a short, snappy, exploration of the landmark TV show in e-book format for your Kindle or tablet -- and at only a buck and a half!
Visit BRBTV.com for more books celebrating the great classic TV shows you grew up with!
Last week, BRBTV dropped a recently unearthed video clip of our pal Brian wearing his Gilligan cosplay while meeting Dawn ("Mary Ann") Wells of "Gilligan's Island" at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in 2017. This week, we travel back in time a little further. This almost-forgotten clip was in the BRBTV archives from 2014, and it's a visit to the signing table of Dirk Benedict of "The A-Team." Here he autographs a copy of his book for Brian and talks a little about it.
We're not done yet! Look for more classic clips in the coming weeks.
A Japanese man in the 1960s era grabbing a Samurai sword and vowing to kill an American man? Then, the two men talk, their dialogue loaded with ethnic issues ... Do they come to understand each other? But wait, one is revealed as a traitor to his country's cause in WWII. Plus, there's the fact that the Japanese man was portrayed by a legendary "Star Trek" actor who has spoken about a childhood in interment camps. It's an episode of classic "Twilight Zone" considered controversial, and it was actually banned from airing for decades. Brian and Bruce take on this episode as well as a couple others of Rod Serling's groundbreaking classic TV series regarded as controversial.
This author went fishing through the BRBTV archives recently -- or really, the broader archives of all videos and photos I have -- to find cool stuff for my secondary YouTube channel (subscribe and like and help a sister out, BTW!). Some interesting video clips emerged that have not seen the light of day until now. They're too precious not to post, especially the one dropping today!
BRBTV contributor Brian, whose photos have been featured in the BRBTV fact book series over the years and whose writing has graced this very blog, enjoys cosplaying. One of his fave costumes is that of Gilligan of "Gilligan's Island," and BRBTV captured the very first time he did this cosplay at a con. This was at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland, in September 2017. He wore it in honor of Dawn Wells, and she was rather enthused to meet him!
Look for a few other recently unearthed video clips in the coming weeks!
I just rewatched the 2012 TNT "Dallas" reboot series, rapid-fire, an episode a day -- sometimes two or three or more episodes in a day. I rewatched it all, and I loved it, and I missed it when it was gone. Why did I do it? Because I decided a few months ago to do something I had been wanting to do for years but just didn't really want to, in a way, because I knew it would be a bit of an ordeal. I decided to finally update the print edition of "Destination: Dallas" to include the continuity of the 2012 series.
I had done it for the e-book (Kindle) edition a few years back. That was easy enough. That was just copying and pasting some text I wrote and re-uploading. Amazon does the rest. But the print edition ... ugh ... I had used an older desktop publishing program to set it up (it was quite a few years ago), and the update required setting up the text in a whole different program and totally reformatting everything. Fairly laborious, though, alas, rewarding.
But hey, enough whining! It thus has been done, and I am very thankful. And it was super-wonderful to watch the reboot series again and recheck / edit my episode synopses. I am an editor at heart, and I can edit something within an inch of its life, and believe me, that hard-copy proof from July / August is full of red. But it means a better product, and I'm glad for that. It is the final-final-final (!) of this book. I really don't like updating these books, because I never want to make a reader buy two versions. But I swear it's final! Pinky-swear or whatever!!!! Even if they were to reboot the series again, or produce some new product of it, I just cannot. I really cannot. (I am smiling as I say all of this!)
Anyway, it's here, my new bouncing baby book, and I hope you will enjoy it. I've gotten some great feedback from folks over the years, and some have even asked if I would update the print edition to include the later series. This print update added 138 pages -- from 312 to 450 -- so it's a monster. And it's still very affordable. I really don't adjust my book prices much -- I'm fond of lower prices. So many, many thanks to all who have contacted me about "Dallas" and the book over the years, and who have been so kind with their content suggestions / contributions! You out there are always welcome to contact me. :)
