Doris Day: An Animal’s Best Friend
Posted on January 30, 2016 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
A hugely popular singer and actress throughout the 50s and 60s, Doris Day first became interested in animal issues on the set of a 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film. “One of my first profound experiences working with animals in my films was in Morocco on the set of The Man Who Knew Too Much,” recalled Ms. […]
The Other Six Million Dollar Man
Posted on December 1, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Richard Anderson appeared in more than 200 films and TV shows throughout his career. But it’s not just his well-known role as security chief Oscar Goldman in “The Six Million Dollar Man” that elicits fan questions on the classic film/television convention circuit. “They always ask about ‘Curse of the Faceless Man’ which we made in […]
A “High Chaparral” Thanksgiving
Posted on November 3, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Come November, Henry Darrow’s thoughts typically turn to turkeys … and burros. Darrow, who turned 82 in September, played Manolito in the popular 60s western television series High Chaparral. He recalls the memorable Thanksgiving episode, “For What We Are About to Receive,” first broadcast on NBC on November 29, 1968. “We spent that episode looking […]
Joyce Randolph: Last of “The Honeymooners”
Posted on October 4, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
From “I Love Lucy” and “All in the Family” to “Married with Children” and “Seinfeld,” structuring a sitcom around four lead characters has often proved a successful formula. “It was the perfect format for ‘The Honeymooners,’” said Joyce Randolph, who starred as Trixie in the popular 1950s series based on two tenement-dwelling couples — the […]
Partridge Family Matriarch: Shirley Jones
Posted on August 31, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Laughter is often cited as a key ingredient for a successful marriage. Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels would agree. In 1974, Jones (“The Partridge Family”) was leaving an art exhibit at Michael Landon’s home when Ingels bumped into her. Literally. “I was getting into my car and as Marty was arriving, he knocked me over […]
Hollywood and Beyond: Arlene Dahl
Posted on July 31, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Generally regarded as one of the classic beauties to grace the big screen throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s, Arlene Dahl’s career extended beyond the reach of the camera. “I’ve had many different careers,” said Ms. Dahl, who turns 87 this month, from her home in New York. “I was a writer for twenty years with […]
The Original “Cat Woman”
Posted on July 2, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
This summer Julie Newmar turns 82, but it seems like just yesterday she was prowling across our TV screens as the original Catwoman supervillainess in the ‘60s TV series “Batman.” In addition to her acting career, Newmar has long taken an interest in gardening, beauty, and health. “If something bothers me, I try to live […]
“Captain Kirk’s” Daughter
Posted on June 2, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Captain Kirk & Fatherhood Her father commanded a spaceship in a popular 60’s television series. Two decades later, in 1988, Melanie Shatner was featured alongside her dad in an Oldsmobile TV commercial revealing her own desire to zoom around in something “space age.” But itwouldn’t be the last time father and daughter acted together. The […]
Leslie Caron: Dancing to Success
Posted on April 30, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Only a handful of actresses danced in feature films with both Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. One was Leslie Caron. Although her last feature film was a decade ago, she hasn’t been exactly idle since. “I won an Emmy in 2007 for a guest role on ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ which was a […]
Keeping Up Appearances: Again
Posted on April 1, 2015 by bob in Tinseltown Talks
Produced from 1990-1995, the British sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances” quickly crossed the Atlantic, bringing smiles to viewers of American Public Television where the show was widely broadcast. The success of the series, still seen on limited PBS stations today, was mainly due to the formidable acting skills of Patricia Routledge who created the ludicrously snobbish […]
