Classic TV | Hollywood Yesterday

Lena Horne, Redd Foxx, and Demond Wilson: One of Sanford and Son’s Best Episodes…

August 11, 2023 By Joi

Redd Foxx, Lena Horne, and Demond Wilson

While I love all of them (to the point of blissful addiction), one of my favorite episodes of Sanford and Son is “A Visit from Lena Horne.” The hilarious episode first aired on January 12, 1963 and it’s as funny today as ever.

In the episode, Fred Sanford (in an effort to get his son Lamont to have the chance to meet Lena Horne) leads her to believe that Lamont is a little boy. As they always are, Fred’s “fib” goes up in smoke.

LENA HORNE: (Asking about “little” Lamont): “Oh, is he asleep?”
FRED: “Just went to sleep.”
LENA HORNE: “Oh, I’m so sorry. I could’ve helped put him into his ‘jammies.”
FRED: “Yeah, he would have liked that.”

You can find Sanford and Son (Amazon link) on dvd and on Prime Video. I LOVE that seasons are available on Prime. It’s without a doubt one of the best series of all time – and no one (I mean NO ONE) is any funnier than Redd Foxx.

Lena Horne, Redd Foxx, and Demond Wilson

Rita Hayworth and Carol Burnett, The Carol Burnett Show (1971)

April 30, 2023 By Joi

Rita Hayworth and Carol Burnett, The Carol Burnett Show

Two of my favorite redheads are shown here and they couldn’t be more adorable if they had to. Rita Hayworth was a guest star on the wonderful The Carol Burnett Show in 1971 and I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from seeing one of the most glamorous actress the world has ever known, looking so… well… human!

So she really WASN’T an angel sent down from Heaven.. who knew??

You can find the complete series (or buy seasons individually) of The Carol Burnett Show on dvd or watch on Prime Video. (Amazon link)

Elvis Presley Behind the Scenes of The Ed Sullivan Show

December 7, 2022 By Joi

Elvis Presley

The adorable photo above is Elvis Presley behind the scenes of The Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis made three appearances on the iconic television show, twice in 1956 and once in 1957.

You can enjoy Elvis’ January 6, 1957 Episode on Prime Video. You can also find Elvis’ Ed Sullivan Show Appearances on DVD (Amazon link).

The Ridiculously Beautiful Julie Newmar as Catwoman (Also Ridiculously Talented!)

November 18, 2022 By Joi

Julie Newmar, Catwoman

One of my favorite classic television shows is Batman – my husband and I watch and rewatch the deliciously entertaining episodes regularly. We recently saw two of my favorite episodes back to back – Hot off the Griddle and The Cat and the Fiddle (part one and two of The Catwoman’s mischief!). These episodes originally aired on September 14 and 15, 1966.

While I find Julie Newmar’s performance as Catwoman to never be anything less than purrfection, I think she’s EVEN more remarkable in The Cat and the Fiddle. Catwoman disguises herself and impersonates a rich recluse, Minerva Matthews, and she is absolutely mesmerizing. The expressions, the things she does with her voice, her body movements… she showcases just how much comedic talent she has, and it’s considerable.

You can find the Batman Television Series on DVD (Amazon link) or watch each season’s episodes of Batman on Prime Video.

The Wonderful Adam West was BOTD in 1928

September 19, 2022 By Joi

Adam West as Batman

One of the most lovable and iconic television stars ever, Adam West, was BOTD in 1928 in Walla Walla Washington. While there are many things to love about this talented actor, one of the things I love most is the fact that he embraced his famous role and the series and movies that came with it. No pretentious “I deserved better” attitude or belittling Batman’s fanbase or anything of the kind.

Major respect for him and the way he treated his fans and the show that made him a household name.

You can find the Batman Television Series on DVD (Amazon link) or watch each season’s episodes of Batman on Prime Video..

Adam West, Eartha Kitt, and Cesar Romero

Barbara Hale: Born on this Day in 1922!

April 18, 2022 By Joi

Barbara Hale and Raymond Burr in Perry Mason

One of my favorites, Barbara Hale, was born on this day in 1922 in DeKalb, Illinois. While she is best-known (and loved) as Della Street from Perry Mason, Barbara Hale also made a great number of films, many of which were Westerns (which means I’m certainly familiar with her filmography!).

The most recent role I enjoyed her in was in A Lion is in the Streets (1953, directed by Raoul Walsh). The movie co-starred James Cagney, Jeanne Cagney, Anne Francis, Lon Chaney Jr, John McIntire, and Warner Anderson and was pretty good. However, make no mistake about it… Barbara Hale was (as was the case with quite a few of her movies) better than the film she was in.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I don’t recommend watching this film (or any of the others). In fact, the opposite is true. I’d LOVE for more people to see this remarkable actress in her film roles. She’ll blow you away. You won’t believe the number of times she steals scenes right out from under movie legends.

Truth is, she kind of made a habit of it!

The photos in this post are of her and the wonderful Raymond Burr in the roles they made famous: Perry Mason and Della Street. The extraordinary television series ran for 9 seasons, from 1957–1966. There were also many “Made for TV” Perry Mason movies which were all out of this world.

Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale

You can find Perry Mason on Prime Video (the series and movies) and, if you’re also a collector, the dvds are also available on Amazon (Amazon link).

You can also find the Complete Perry Mason Movie Collection (Amazon link) – the next purchase I, personally, plan to make!

Barbara Hale and Raymond Burr

Picture of the Day is Back, Starting Today… May as Well Start Back with a Bang!

January 7, 2022 By Joi

Cesar Romero and Eartha Kitt

Last week I gave a list of my New Years Resolutions for Hollywood Yesterday…

A quick review:

move old Hollywood and classic tv biography and reference book reviews
more old movie reviews
more classic television pictures and posts
more collectibles…

I also kind of flirted with the idea of changing Picture of the Day to Picture of the Week, but (after thinking about it a while), I’ve decided to stick with Picture of the Day and simply add more content WITH the pictures. I already went back and edited that nonsense out of the Resolutions post!

What was I thinking anyway….. LESS pictures of old Hollywood and classic TV? Ridiculous idea!

So, long story short (I know, too late for that), Picture of the Day starts back today and we’re doing it with a BANG… the wonderful Cesar Romero and the wonderful Eartha Kitt.

You can find the Batman Television Series on DVD (Amazon link) or watch each season’s episodes of Batman on Prime Video..

The Complete Series of Batman on DVD:

Batman: The Complete Series (Amazon link)

Adorable Promotional Photo for Bewitched

November 22, 2021 By Joi

Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, and Erin Murphy

The adorable Bewitched publicity photo above is, I believe, a promo shot for season five. Don’t hold me to that or anything, but judging by Erin Murphy’s age, here, I’m almost certain it was season five.

Did you grow up watching this wonderful sitcom? I certainly did – heck, who am I kidding – I still watch it regularly! When you’ve seen as many episodes (over and over and over…) as I have, the characters almost seem like family.

The Complete Series of Bewitched on DVD (Amazon link) is available for as cheap as I’ve ever seen it right now. THIS is absolutely the time to grab the magic!

Wonderful Behind the Scenes Photos from The Addams Family

October 17, 2021 By Joi

Lisa Loring and Ted Cassidy

The extraordinary series The Addams Family ran from 1964 to 1966. At the time, many people fell in love with these larger than life, lovable characters and the actors and actresses who portrayed them. Since then, even more of us have fallen under their spell.

This truly was one of the cutest, most entertaining, and funniest series ever made.

The behind the scenes photos, here, are just wonderful… they remind us of the characters we fell in love with so long ago and realize that we have never quite fallen out of love. Far from it!

I can’t tell you how much I wish the photo of Margaret Hamilton (Granny Frump) and Felix Silla (Cousin Itt) below were large enough to include ALL of the great Margaret Hamilton. This is how I got the photo… with only 1/3 of her.

Margaret Hamilton and Felix Silla

Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster, The Munsters

October 16, 2021 By Joi

Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster

One of my favorite classic television shows is The Munsters. Few things are as enjoyable as sitting back and visiting with Herman, Lily, Grandpa, Marilyn, and Eddie. The series ran from 1964 to 1966 and while I wasn’t quite old enough to enjoy it in its first-run, I have made up for lost time in reruns!

My favorite character is Lily and the main reason is Yvonne De Carlo. She portrayed her to absolute perfection. The entire cast was phenomenal.

You can find the complete series of The Munsters on dvd (Amazon link)!