Great. Now these songs will be on my mind 24/7. Not that I mind, I think the songs (and killer dancing moves) are adorable. They’re from the wonderful 1974 Christmas special The Year Without a Santa Claus. Enjoy – and good luck getting the tunes out of your head.
You know the old saying, “If I had a dollar for every ____,” filling in the blank with what ever excessive thing you could hit pay day with?! Well, the Brady Bunch would pay off big time for me. Truly, if I had a dollar for every Brady Bunch episode I’ve ever watched, I’d be a millionaire. Like Gilligan, Andy Griffith, Sanford & Son, I Love Lucy, and Good Times, I could trade my hours for oodles of cash.
Do you remember the scene above? It’s from a 1973 episode titled ‘Amateur Night.’ The kids want to buy a silver platter for their parent’s anniversary but fall short of the required money. They form a group, call themselves the Silver Platters, and enter an amateur singing contest. I actually really like their harmony and voices. ,’ Did you know that, in real life, the Brady kids recorded four albums and did a variety show?
I just can’t stay inside all day… I gotta get out, get me some of those ra-ays….
The following scene’s from the episode of The Golden Girls titled A Little Romance. The episode first aired on December 14, 1985. Wow, has it really been that long?!?!
In this episode, Rose is dating a Psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Newman. She has kept him a secret from Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia because the good doctor (played to hilarious perfection by Brent Collins) is a “little person” and she doesn’t know how they’ll react. The great Billy Barty (My Three Sons, Get Smart, The Waltons, 1978 The Lord of the Rings…) makes a memorable cameo in the episode.
In the scene below, Dorothy and Blanche are in the living room grilling Rose about her date when Sophia comes in… as Sophia usually does, at just the right time.
Dorothy: So, um, where are you going?
Rose: Out with a friend from work.
Blanche: Is it the same friend you’ve been out with 5 times in the last 3 weeks:
Rose: Yes.
Blanche: Alright, spill it. Who is he?
Rose: His name is Dr. Jonathan Newman. He’s a psychiatrist at the Grief Center.
Blanche: Soooo, you’re seing a psychiatrist?!?!
Sophia: (entering the room) It’s about time.
“The Other Richie Cunningham, Part 1″
You couldn’t possibly watch Tom Bosley smile without breaking out into a smile yourself. I was as big a fan of Happy Days as anyone and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross were two of the biggest reasons. Marion and Howard were so unbelievably cute and “frisky.”
In my opinion, they were amongst the best tv parents ever. The chemistry was just off the charts.
Sadly, Tom Bosley died on Tuesday at his home in Palm Springs, his family told TMZ. According to the report, Bosley had been battling a staph infection. He was 83.
“The Other Richie Cunningham, Part 2″
The lovable actor’s agent, Sheryl Abrams, told the AP that Bosley died of heart failure at 4AM Tuesday. She says he was also battling lung cancer.
Tom Bosley was born in Chicago in 1927. He served in the Navy during World War II, then gravitated toward acting.
Before he was cast in the role he’d forever be associated with (Happy Days), Tom Bosley appeared in Bewitched, The Mod Squad, Get Smart, ER, The Love Boat, Hotel, Perry Mason, Love, American Style, and others. In 1974 he landed the role of the wise, compassionate, and “frisky” father and husband Howard Cunningham on Happy Days. He starred alongside Henry Winkler, Ron Howard and Marion Ross, his onscreen wife.
I vividly recall his Bewitched appearance. He was hilarious as Esmerelda’s old boyfriend Ferdy. Esmerelda thinks she has to get her act together to impress Ferdy, but little does she realize Ferdy’s not much of a warlock!
I also fondly remember him as the voice of David the Gnome, one of my children’s favorite shows (and mine as well, if you want to know the truth! Dora had nothing on David).
Happy Days ran for 11 seasons and will forever be fondly remembered by those of us who grew up with the show. Happy Days launched the also successful Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy.
Many actors (with the exception of, say, Andy Griffith with The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock) have one role of a lifetime. However, in 1984, Tom Bosley hit the jackpot again with another great series, Murder, She Wrote. As the wonderful Sheriff Amos Tupper he starred alongside Angela Lansbury.
After Murder, She Wrote, Bosley starred as the title character in Father Downing Mysteries from 1987 to 1991.
Ron Howard (Richie Cunningham), tells PEOPLE, “Tom’s insight, talent, strength of character and comic timing made him a vital central figure in the Happy Days experience. A great father and husband, and a wonderful artist, Tom led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it. My last conversations with Tom reflected the love of life and peace of mind that he always maintained throughout his full and rewarding life. I miss him already.”
Henry Winkler (Fonzie) tells TMZ how impressed he was by Bosley on Broadway. “And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist … a great husband, and a fabulous father and grandfather. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.”
Scott Baio (Chachie) adds: “He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy … I’m sad.”
Tom Bosley’s last appearance on film or television was in the 2010 comedy ‘The Back-up Plan’ with Jennifer Lopez.
Tom Bosley is survived by his second wife, Patricia Carr, and a daughter, Amy.
The wonderful thing about actors and actresses is that their work lives on long after they’ve left us. Tom Bosley will be making people laugh and smile for years and years and years. As I’ve said before, I can think of no better legacy than that.
RIP Tom Bosley, but Long Live Howard Cunningham, David the Gnome, Father Dowling, and Ferdy the warlock.
“The Other Richie Cunningham, Part 3″
Ray Charles would have been 80 years old this year and there’s no doubt in my mind he would have still been smiling and making music!
Come to think of it… isn’t he? Whenever you see a picture of the legendary singer, he’s smiling and if you want to hear one of his heartfelt songs, they’re always within reach.
In fact, there’s a Ray Charles song very much within reach right now! To celebrate his 80th birthday, his life, and his legacy, a free Ray Charles song download is offered to fans. What a beautiful way to keep the music alive. Just click HERE for more information.
Ray Charles Sings America the Beautiful unlike anyone else ever could:
“People always ask me if I’m like Blanche. And I say, ‘Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern Belle from Atlanta — and I’m not from Atlanta!’” - Rue McClanahan
One of my personal favorite entertainers ever, Rue McClanahan, passed away from a stroke on June 3. Best known as the sexy Blanche Devereaux on Golden Girls, Rue also appeared on Maude as Vivian Cavender Harmon and Mama’s Family as Aunt Fran Crowley. Another early role was on the hugely popular All in the Family.
This hilarious and talented actress was born in 1934 in Oklahoma. In addition to her wonderful work on television, Rue McClanahan was also very well known (and respected) for her charitable work. She lent her hand to organizations fighting against cancer, AIDS, and cruelty against animals.
She was married to her sixth husband, actor Morrow Wilson, at the time of her death.
Did You Know?
It’s pretty depressing that two of the past posts on Hollywood Yesterday are centered around stars we’ve recently lost. But that’s really the whole idea behind Hollywood Yesterday – I wanted a place where the stars, movies, and shows of yesterday could live on forever and continue to touch lives.
This way we never really have to say goodbye. Mostly just, “Thanks.” And to Rue, of course, we have to add, “Thank you for being a Friend.”
I ordered Season 1 of an all-time favorite sitcom recently – The Golden Girls
In the video below, Blanche and Dorothy have agreed, as a favor to Rose, to be guests on a show for the station she works for. Rose, being Rose, completely missed the concept for the show, leaving Dorothy uncomfortable, Blanche panicking, and Sophia amused… temporarily.
Classic!
Roseanne’s Laurie Metcalf (Jackie) created one of the all-time funniest characters ever. Heck, the whole cast did! Roseanne, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, Alicia Goranson, Michael Fishman, Johnny Galecki – sheer brilliance.
I could watch the Conners all day and night, only quitting long enough to re-fill my Diet Dr. Pepper.
If you missed them the first time around and have never had the pleasure of enjoying their hilarious company, do your funny bone a huge favor and catch them in reruns or, better yet, buy the seasons on dvd. Or, you could do what I do – catch them on TV AND collect the seasons.
….. He’s got this.
What an amazing mark Don Knotts left on television’s history and on all of our lives, for that matter. Can you even imagine life without Barney Fife?!?!
One. Talented. Man. Amen.
