This past weekend was a toy show double-header, and we sure love that. Saturday was one we have known and loved for a few years now, the show at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market. Then, on Sunday, we took in a new show up at Macomb Community College, one heavy on model cars that even featured a slot-car competition. Very cool, and thanks to Brian and Joe for their work on that one.
At the Royal Oak show, we saw lots of great stuff, so we just had to share ...
Had to love spotting this one! See the Terrific TV Toys episode on this author's childhood version of this doll.
Another marvelous Mego, just like Cher and Farrah!
This one is for you, Will! And it's a big box!!!
An original Jim Beam bottle like what they used to make the "I Dream of Jeannie" bottle -- a friend of ours snapped this one up.
Here's another one that has a Terrific TV Toys episode -- but can you spot the differences between that one and this one?
Can you believe that's a "Gilligan's Island" playset!? Ludicrous. We had never seen this treasure before.
Canadian artist and avid "Dukes of Hazzard" fan Jim Wilson is at it again, this time crafting a rather clever work combining two important elements of our beloved classic TV series ... the orange "01" of the General Lee and a moonshine jug!!!!
This week's episode of the Terrific TV Toys series starts out really quietly, and that may seem like an error (well, it basically is!). But we left off the background music, that jazzy tune by DanOSongs.com that you're used to hearing on this series, because the video-editing software stopped working correctly and would no longer save with the music attached! Alack and alas, we're going to have to figure out something else for future episodes, but for now, you can still enjoy this look at the View-Master set from the 1966 TV show "The Green Hornet" ...
There was a whole lot of merchandise for this single-season show, as this author details in the new print edition of the BRBTV guide "Let's Roll, Kato." There was just one View-Master set, detailing the action of the third episode to air, "Programmed for Death." It was the exciting story where a leopard prances through the Daily Sentinel newsroom, and as Britt investigates, he discovers a counterfeit diamond operation and a wealthy widow running her own biz around it. So fun.
Well, this author is geeked and psyched and all that once again to have been part of the "Fantastic Forum" TV show. The latest episode is now up and viewable, and it features a discussion about TV shows and movies related to comics that we all know and love. This was recorded at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., a couple years back, before the "Supergirl" series premiered on CBS (then later moved to the CW). Awesome Con was the most awesome of settings for this topic!
Keep your eye on the "Fantastic Forum" website for the latest on this D.C.-based show, which broadcasts on REAL TV, as well as on the Internet. If you're on the East Coast, catch it here:
Manhattan Neighborhood Network, New York, NY; Time Warner Cable MNN Lifestyle channel 2
Thanks to Phyllis for passing along the latest schedule for John ("Bo Duke") Schneider of "The Dukes of Hazzard" ...
Personal Appearances
John will meet fans at the MegaCon in Orlando, Florida, on May 27-28. For more information go to http://megaconorlando.com/.
John will meet fans at the Niagara Falls Comic Con in Niagara Falls, Canada, on June 2-4. For more information and tickets go to http://niagarafallscomiccon.com/.
John will meet fans at the Southern Wheels 'N Motion Car and Truck Show in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on June 17. For more information call 931-455-8096 or 931-247-2663.
John will meet fans at Cooter's Last Stand in Luray, Virginia, on July 29-30. For more information go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cooters-last-stand-in-luray-va-tickets-30474462939.
Concert
John will be part of the concert at SpringFest in Denham Springs, Louisiana, on April 29.
TV
The current season of "The Haves And The Have Nots" will resume on OWN on Tuesday evenings at 9 p.m. Eastern/ 8 Central on June 20. Next season's episodes will be filmed soon, as the series has been renewed for another season. (A big woot-woot on that! This author loves Tyler Perry and loves this show!)
Important Link
John's new official website is http://johnschneiderofficial.com/. Make sure you check there often to see what is available in his store and to stream his new movies.
Thanks to Cooter's Place for passing along this schedule of upcoming appearances for several cast members of "The Dukes of Hazzard" ...
March 31-April 1: Ben (“Cooter”) Jones will be in Boston at Town Fair Tire World of Wheels Car Show.
April 8-9: Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach will be signing autographs in Daisy Country at Cooter’s Place in Nashville.
April 11-16: Rick Hurst ("Deputy Cletus Hogg") will be signing autographs at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg.
May 6: Cooter’s Luray Grand Opening along with the opening of the Shenandoah Jamboree featuring Tom Wopat.
May 6-7: Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat will be at Cooter’s Place in Luray for a meet-and-greet.
July 1-8: Rick Hurst will be signing autographs at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg.
July 29-30: “Cooter's Last Stand" in Luray, Virginia (see the earlier post on this blog).
December 26-January 3: Rick Hurst will be signing autographs at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg.
And see our Monday post for the latest schedule for John ("Bo Duke") Schneider!
How interesting that the estate of James ("Rosco P. Coltrane") Best of "The Dukes of Hazzard" recently put up on eBay an animation cel that Best owned from his time on "The Dukes" Saturday-morning cartoon of the '80s. The cel went for $445, and that's no surprise -- original production animation cels can go for quite a lot as it is, let alone those owned by celebs. This one is a really nice shot, too, a good, centered close-up on Best's character. Congrats to the new owner!
Since the dawn of fast food, it seems, there have been fast-food toys. Happy Meals, Kids' Meals, whatever. Well, the set of toys from 1998 that we're looking at in this week's episode of the Terrific TV Toys series may appear to be fast-food toys, but they're actually not. Can you guess how folks acquired this Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman set back in the late '90s? They're drawn up in the Timmverse style that began with "Batman: The Animated Series" and continued with "Superman: The Animated Series "...
Last September 9, on the 50th anniversary of the "Green Hornet" TV series, BRBTV released the Kindle edition of its latest fact book, "Let's Roll, Kato." Now, we're excited to tell ya that the print edition has been released, delivering the content of the Kindle edition in a standard 6-by-9 trade paperback clocking in at 482 pages!
You'll find "Let's Roll, Kato" on Amazon and other e-tailers, and it can be ordered from your local bookstore, too. In it, you'll find these goodies:
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
The sixth big book in the BRBTV fact book series, "Let's Roll, Kato" features the beautiful cover art of Baltimore artist Dale Cuthbertson, just like the other BRBTV books! At just $17.50, we think it's a pretty good deal, though maybe we're a bit partial!
We probably have mentioned the Cooter's Last Stand event in Luray, Virginia, this July on this blog before, but even so, it bears repeating, especially considering this nice flier we picked up at the Detroit Autorama the weekend before last ...
Hearkening back to the Dukesfests of years past, as well as the more recent Hazzard Homecoming events, this one has all the usual trappings, with the core surviving cast scheduled to appear, and we expect to see a huge, huge crowd there. It's reputed to be the last major "Dukes" event, at least from Ben Jones and Miss Alma. Are ya comin'? Basically everybody we've talked to in the "Dukes of Hazzard" world is planning to.
The 50th anniversary celebration for the Barbara Gordon Batgirl continues on Terrific TV Toys, and this week, you'll see a bendy of Yvonne Craig's iconic portrayal of the character in the 1960s live-action "Batman" TV series also starring Adam West. This comes from NJ Croce, and there's another one (the 1990s version) following behind it in the next anniversary installment ...
Thanks to our "Dukes of Hazzard" buddy Jim Wilson (whose amazing "Dukes" art you've seen on this blog) for passing along this screenshot with all the details of this summer's Fleetwood Country Cruize-In at the Steve Plunkett estate in London, Ontario, Canada. It happens June 3-4, and again our beloved "Dukes" will be well-represented. This time it's Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach, Sonny ("Enos Strate") Shroyer and Rick ("Cletus Hogg") Hurst signing autographs for fans, as well as original "Dukes" show mechanic Tom Sarmento, whom we got the pleasure of chatting with at last summer's event, as well.
"The Dukes of Hazzard" added a nice element to this year's Autorama in downtown Detroit, beginning with the jump of a General Lee replica car outside the event venue, Cobo Center, and continuing on all weekend on the show floor, where you had Catherine ("Daisy Duke") Bach and Tom ("Luke Duke") Wopat signing autographs for fans, as well as another General Lee here and there and plenty of fun to be had. BRBTV has captured some moments for you to enjoy ...
Whew! This chick finally gets a chance to sort through videos and photos from this past weekend -- what a busy few days it has been, with all kinds of folks visiting from out of town, and all kinds of fun being had! It was centered around Autorama in delightful downtown Detroit, which kicked off late Friday morning with a jump of the General Lee, then continued with assorted "Dukes of Hazzard"-related stuff throughout the event (oh, and there was some kind of car show there, too, right?).
The General Lee jump happened right behind the event venue, Cobo Center, on the riverfront, orchestrated by the Northeast Ohio Dukes with stunt driver Ray Kohn behind the wheel. The sun was shining, the temp was so mild, and the crowd was robust -- lots of people turned out to witness the car soaring through the air above Atwater Street. Look for video of the jump, as well as several other "Dukes of Hazzard"-related goodies from Autorama, on the BRBTV YouTube channel in the next couple days. For now, though, we've got some photos, courtesy of our roving reporter, Jason ...
Photos courtesy of Jason G.; please do not copy without permission.
This author's mom sure could find some great stuff. Take the Marilyn Monroe doll, all outfitted in red, which was my favorite color. Then there's the Elvis doll in his famous gold lame suit -- oh, that was a nice one. But one particular item she bought for me, 'round about 1984, stands out in my mind and is the subject of this week's Terrific TV Toys installment. It's a 12-inch doll like the others, but it celebrates a true pop icon, a megastar of our time, a guy who achieved the superstardom he evidently set out to have: Mr. Michael Jackson, whose fame covered several decades of our pop culture, and who became so many things in our eyes over the years. Back then, though, in the glorious 1980s, he was simply Michael Jackson, pop superstar, not all that other stuff yet.
Can we make a Terrific TV Toy out of an MJ doll? You betcha. One particular TV appearance the pop idol made in 1984 really epitomized his success. There he was, receiving award after award that night, making a glittery fashion statement, with a lovely female fellow superstar on his arm, Ms. Brooke Shields. It was January 1984, and the American Music Awards ...
(You know, there's actually a Brooke Shields doll out there from that same time period. Wouldn't that just be funny to nab that and to totally recreate this iconic TV moment ...)
Are ya going to the jump of the General Lee in downtown Detroit this morning, right before Autorama opens? Great -- we'll see ya there!
We know that ole Boss Hogg is always playing games, but have we got one for him!!! This is a card game by IGI, the makers of the long-revered UNO (and believe me, UNO is definitely revered in this household!), and it dates to 1981, the height of merchandising for the beloved TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard." You've got your Bo cards, your Luke cards, your Daisy cards -- just about everybody from Hazzard County is in there! (Can you guess which characters were not included? Special points! There are several minor cast members and one more major one that weren't included, and bonus point if you speculate exactly why, for the more major one!!!!)
Our celebration of Batgirl's 50th anniversary continues this week on Terrific TV Toys. Next up is a figure by Vinyl Sugar, one in their set of Vinyl Idolz.
OK, wasn't "The Lion King" a movie not a TV show, you're thinking???? Well, it's been both over the years, with a second TV show, "The Lion Guard," even launching just last year. So Andrea Melchiori takes the helm of Terrific TV Toys again this week to show you an awesome collection of stuff from "The Lion King." She loves Simba and Co., and you'll see a little bit of everything in this assortment.
(That was the subject line of the email from Will Rodgers, and it warranted use as the headline!)
Will is at it again! The author of "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion" has just loaded up on some more Figures Toy Co. action figures celebrating that great '70s-'80s cartoon with the heroes we all know and love. The key thing is that there's now Wendy and Marvin! So cool. No Wonder Dog, but we can forgive that! "I also got the new Robin figure in the Teen Titans line and photographed him with the Neal Adams style Batman," Will says. "I might buy another figure and transfer the head and costume to an 8-inch body."
Photos by Will Rodgers; please do not copy without permission.
Clink-clank goes the spare change when you're banking on this beauty -- a model of the Mystery Machine, set in ceramic! It's the latest item up for review on the Terrific TV Toys series. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, too, and the rest of the gang are riding inside, ready to solve the latest mystery...
We've been celebrating anniversaries a lot recently on the Terrific TV Toys series. Last year, we marked the half-century point for "Star Trek" and "The Green Hornet," and we celebrated same for the 1966 "Batman" series all year long with the Figures Toy Co. figure set. Now, another 50th anniversary emerges, this month, actually, and it's for the character we hold in our highest esteem ... Batgirl, specifically the Batgirl whose alter ego is Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.
It was January 1967 when she first came on the scene, in Detective Comics No. 359, set to coincide -- roughly -- with her addition to the "Batman" TV series later that year, for the show's third season. Played by Yvonne Craig, she was forthright and bright, deftly landing her pointed kicks on criminals like Penguin and Joker and assisting the not-at-all-begrudging Dynamic Duo. She lit fanboy dreams everywhere, and she had this author dreaming of becoming her someday.
Diamond Select Toys crafted a wonderful statue in 2015 capturing the essence of Craig's portrayal of Batgirl, and it becomes the first episode of Season 4 as well as the launch of another year-long anniversary celebration. There's lots of Batgirl stuff down in the Batcave at BRBTV headquarters, so you'll be seeing one item a month or so all year long.
Franklin Canyon Park is a public park in the hills of Los Angeles. While you may have never heard of it, you’ve most likely seen it, as it has been used in countless films and television series. The iconic introduction to “The Andy Griffith Show,” wherein Andy and young Opie head out for a day of fishing, was filmed in the park. But it wasn’t Andy Griffith that drew me there on a recent visit to L.A.
My interest in the park was twofold, the first involving the final frontier, the second involving a very lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. Yes, both “Star Trek” and “The Brady Bunch,” two of my favorites series, filmed memorable episodes in the park, so I knew I had to see it firsthand.
In June 1968, “Star Trek” came to the park for production of an early third-season episode entitled “The Paradise Syndrome.” The story finds Captain Kirk joining a tribe of Native Americans after losing his memory on a doomed planet that the Enterprise has been sent to intercept. Much of the story was shot on the shores of Franklin Lake, including a specially designed set piece involving an obelisk. The piece is infamous among “Star Trek” fans, as its cost overruns resulted in the series ending location shoots with this episode. As a result, the third and final season would shoot exclusively indoors back at Paramount Studios, using pre-existing sets over and over (and over) again.
Finding the area where the obelisk once sat is fairly easy to do. Today, it's home to a picnic table and a trash can (below), belying its more popular position in pop culture history.
Look across the lake and you’ll see the area where the Indian village set once was, though it was only used for exterior shots. This is also the area where, just a year later, the Bradys would set up camp in the first-season episode “A Camping We Will Go.” (See the black box in the third photo below.)
Didja notice? Captain Kirk performs CPR on a boy who was pulled from the lake, and Cindy Brady is seen soaking wet after having fallen in herself. But no one is ever actually shown in the lake itself. That’s because back in the '60s, the lake was used as a backup water supply, and park rangers were quick to tell the productions no swimming. In the case of “Star Trek,” canoes were rented for the express purpose of filming on the lake, but instead were shown merely being cleaned on shore.
Today the park is home to locals out for a jog or letting their dogs stretch their legs. Even if you’re not a fan of these classic series, it’s still a scenic and beautiful way to spend an afternoon. But like the Bradys, better bring your own lunch, as there’s no fish to be found in that lake!
Once in a while a book comes along that the author was truly meant to write. "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion" is just such a book, because author Will Rodgers is a lifelong fan of the animated kids' TV show, which originally aired from 1973 through the 1980s, and he is no less than an expert on it. In early 2016, BRBTV announced Will's book as the fifth book in its fact book series, released on Amazon's Kindle format and readable on any mobile device. Now we are more than pleased, a year later, to unleash the print edition of "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion"!
Because Will wrote so long and hard on the subject, what was an e-edition that encompassed 800 pages in Microsoft Word has now become two big print volumes bursting at the seams (seriously, it would have translated to one print volume at nearly 1,000 pages -- actually too big to bind for a 6-by-9" paperback!). Volume 1 at 530 pages covers the 1970s run of the show, and Volume 2 at 448 pages covers the 1980s.
Lengthy commentary and analysis of each episode of the 1980s series
Character profiles of the heroes and villains
A rundown of the DVD content for each '80s series
An index to every character's appearances in the episodes
A look at the toylines pertaining to our heroes
A guide to all of the Super Friends comic books
At the same time that these two print volumes have been released, the Kindle edition has been updated to reflect them. And you still get all of this great content in one volume with the Kindle edition.
As a special treat to readers, Shannon Farnon, the original voice of Wonder Woman, writes the foreword of "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion," and talented Baltimore artist Dale Cuthbertson offers his own interpretation of our heroes for the book's cover!
We here at BRBTV love television. We always have. We love how it reflects who we are as human beings, how it moves us, motivates us, makes us get all emotional in a variety of ways, often provides simple mindless escape, and just plain entertains us! This author is thankful to have witnessed several truly history-making moments live, as they originally aired, on that thing that's been called a Boob Tube over the years. These key moments were all water-cooler talk the next day, for sure.
So as a special New Year's Day celebration, and to mark one full decade for this continuously operating news blog, we've assembled what we consider the top 10 iconic television moments, almost all of which this author witnessed as they originally aired (can you guess which one I didn't?) ...
10. Sinead O'Conner tearing up the photo of the Pope on "Saturday Night Live."
What the heck??? That's what we were all wondering, right? Ah, the marvel of live television ...
9. Farrah getting loopy on Letterman.
This author cringed for poor Farrah -- I've always loved her.
8. Sally Field: "You like me!" Oscar speech.
Quoted so many times since then, and often inaccurately, Field's acceptance speech nevertheless lives forever.
7. Geraldo Rivera opens Al Capone's vault ...
... and there's nothing there! Ooops, did we spoil that for you? Can't believe there could be somebody out there who hasn't heard the jokes about this one over the years. Don't need to explain it much more, because Geraldo does a pretty good job in this clip.
6. Alien Autopsy
All the more chilling because it's silent, this footage -- supposedly from the U.S. government's examinations of alien bodies after the 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, UFO crash -- was unleashed on the TV viewing world in the mid-'90s. We remember Jonathan Frakes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" hosting this primetime special, and boy, did we eat it up. Everybody knows that something did happen in Roswell back then, and whether or not it has been debunked over the decades since, this footage sure makes you wonder, doesn't it?
5. O.J. Simpson fleeing in the white Bronco
It's another one of those news moments -- like the Challenger crash or the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Tower, which would have made this list if it were longer! -- that you remember the physical place you were when you heard or when you saw it live on TV. O.J. Simpson, an all-American athlete, revered by so many, fleeing the law in the wake of some ugly charges.
4. Sophia coming out of the barn on "The Walking Dead."
Maybe there's some of you brainiacs out there who saw it coming, but this author sure didn't. Blown-the-heck-away. One of the best moments of scripted television, hands down.
3. Bobby's in the shower on "Dallas."
"Dallas" has to have two moments in this list because it showed every other TV series how it was done, as far as cliffhangers and bringing a character back from the dead. Continuity, schmontinuity! We don't need no stinkin' continuity -- we make our own!!!! Soooooo ... we forgave "Dallas" quite wholeheartedly for this major rewrite to resurrect Patrick Duffy's beloved Bobby Ewing. And because of that, this moment became a pop-cultural landmark. This plot point is continually cited, in terms of TV plot history. Plus, you've got to consider the fact that it was a grand TV production cover-up that would be a whole lot harder nowadays in the social media age.
2. Mary Lou Retton nailing a perfect "10" vault to win the gold in women's gymnastics in the 1984 Olympics.
Friggin' amazing, and my favorite gymnast forever. That moment lit the viewing world on fire, as we knew she'd clinched the medal.
AND FINALLY ... our vote for top 10 iconic moment of all time ...
1. J.R. getting shot on "Dallas."
You could argue that the big reveal of "Who Shot J.R." was the iconic moment here, as it got record-breaking viewership, but really, it was the moment the old dog slumped over the doorway to his office that really got us, thereby touching off the fervor in the ensuing months. A truly groundbreaking moment for the TV cliffhanger and the TV soap in general, from a historical perspective ...
What have been your own landmark or favorite TV moments?
And once again ... Happy New Year! Here's to a great 2017!
Oh, we are soooooo there, when two of our favorite things come together ... "The Dukes of Hazzard" and Deeee-troit!!! Who would've ever thought someone would jump a blazin' orange General Lee right downtown in the city we love? But it's happening, in February, as part of Autorama.
On Friday, February 24, at 11:45 a.m., just 15 minutes before the opening of the show for the weekend, the Northeast Ohio Dukes will offer up a stunt show on Atwater Street behind Cobo Center, where the show is being held. This will reportedly include a jump of a General Lee car. Plus, Autorama will feature Catherine (Daisy Duke) Bach and Tom (Luke Duke) Wopat greeting fans on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Woo-hoo! See ya there!
Many thanks to our buddy Grigg for fishing this one out of a used bookstore for us. We remember those celebrity "year" books that were popular in the '70s and '80s, geared toward younger readers, where you could learn more about your favorite TV or movie stars. (Yea, yea, there's the Internet for that now, but this really takes ya back ...)
"TV Superstars '82" by Ronald W. Lackmann (Weekly Reader Books) profiles a whopping 64 stars in a slim paperback -- 192 pages. That's about three pages each, with black-and-white publicity photos. It's soooooo super-cool. The actors from "The Love Boat," "M*A*S*H," "Happy Days," WKRP in Cincinnati," "The Greatest American Hero," "Little House on the Prairie," "Alice," "CHiPs," and so many other shows we love, including the shows we cover here at BRBTV ...
Some fun tidbits rising up from the pages:
"Dallas"
Larry Hagman once had the juvenile lead in a production of "South Pacific" in London, which starred his mother, Mary Martin.
Patrick Duffy was 6'2" and 195 pounds at the time.
Linda Gray as a child attended school across the street from the MGM studios where "Dallas" was filmed and would stand out there after school to meet stars.
Victoria Principal was studying to be a chiropractor at Miami Dade Junior College when she decided to go into acting after recuperating from a car crash.
Barbara Bel Geddes at the time lived in a "beautiful country house in Putnam Valley, New York."
Charlene Tilton was 5' tall and 95 pounds. Yea, you probably knew that one.
Leigh McCloskey studied acting at the Julliard in New York under John Houseman.
Ken Kercheval collected a bunch of stuff, including the glass he became known for later.
Steve Kanaly worked as a manager and instructor at a trap and skeet shooting club frequented by celebs before his break on "Dallas."
As a boy in Lodi, Wisconsin, Tom Wopat's original singing audience were the cows in the barn. He excelled in sports and other activities in high school, and his father is quoted as saying, "It was very important for Tom to win all the time. In his last year in high school, Tom even played football with a broken bone in his ankle."
Catherine Bach is quoted as saying, "I empathize with Daisy. She's my kind of people. She knows how to enjoy herself, and she's always ready to give everything she has to help out in whatever big problem comes up. And she's a bit reckless. That's me, too. I enjoy that. I like taking chances, not only in my acting life but in real life, too."
