Mick of the Hill:
I never thought Boston Blackie was too cool. A lot of those programmer B films were right at one hour, so I can understand your confusion. FYI, Chester Morris was the son of actor William Morris, who founded a fairly successful talent management firm. As a kid, he was in silent films, the first one in 1917. He died in 1970 of a barbituate overdose; cool huh? Always remember that once though, he was Lt. Roger Craig in COCK OF THE AIR (1932). The Boston Blackie series ran something like: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (`1942), BOSTON BLACKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943), ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944), BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945), BOSTON BLACKIE RENDEZVOUS (1945), A CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BLACKIE (1946), BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1946), TRAPPED BY BOSTON BLACKIE (1948), BOSTON BLACKIE'S CHINESE VENTURE (1949), and that was cool with BOSTON BLACKIE the TV series starting in 1951.
The last role had was as Pop Weaver in THE GREAT WHITE HOPE (1970). I wonder if he was approached to do the TV series?
You skipped over my movie quote questions, AGAIN! here's another good one.
He: Let me run my fingers through your hair.
She: Because my hair is so silky?
He: No. There are no towels in the bathroom.
Eddie Cantor to Joan Davis in SHOW BUSINESS (1944)
Who said,"I'm not the heroic type. I was beaten up by Quakers."
So your production of GYPSY has started your rehearsal period. Yes, let me know which part you are playing. That of course is not relevant to your importance to the show, nor my need to see you tred the boards.
Thanks for clearing up the screw up on CRIMEFIGHTERS, which was a great title, but non-existant show. The TV series MAN AGAINST CRIME ran from 1949-1952, and you are so very correct, sir, it was Ralph Bellamy who played Mike Barnett, private investigator. The show was filmed in NYC, at first live. It was intially called FOLLOW THAT MAN, and then it changed its name a few episodes into it. It always opened the same way. A man is running breakneck down a deserted dark NY street late at night, being pursued by a shadow figure in a black sedan. The man ducks into a building, and runs up the stairs to the office of Mike Barnett,PI. Mike opens the door just in time to see the man being riddled with machine gun bullets. He too is almost shot as he ducks behind cover. Gun drawn, he pursues the felon. Then the words FOLLOW THAT MAN would appear with the opening credits rolling under it. I don't know why they changed the title. I did not have a TV set yet from 1949-1952, so I never saw Ralph Bellamy in the role. After Bellamy left the role, there was a lame attempt to revive the series, MAN AGAINST CRIME, was a limited series, like 10 episodes in 1956, with Frank Lovejoy playing Mike Barnett. I may have seen that once or twice. It seems to ring a bell. It was shot in NYC, but probably on a sound stage, like a lot of the live TV done during the golden age of television. I think NAKED CITY was the first to go to the streets, first the film, and then the series.
Rocky Graziano once said,"When I was a kid I stole everything that began with the letter "A"; as in a car, a jacket, a dog, etc.". His autobiography was written in 1955, and Paul Newman played him in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME in 1956. He was good friends with Martha Raye and Frank Sinatra. Your question probably pertains to he appearing as himself on THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (1953), THE MARTHA RAYE SHOW (1955), or THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW in 1956. As an actor, before NAKED CITY, he was the host of THE HENNY AND ROCKY SHOW in 1955, was on STUDIO ONE in 1956, and COUNTRY MUSIC HOLIDAY in 1956. He was a great middleweight champion, that is for sure. His professional record ran like 67-10-6, with 52 KO's, 11 of them in the first round. Of his 10 losses, he reversed 9 of them later. He died of a stroke at 68 years old in 1990. His last role as an actor was on THE MOD SQUAD in 1971. He spent his golden years running his own restaurant in North Miami, called ROCKY GRAZIANO'S. That's probably where Stallone got the idea for his Rocky to run a restaurant in Philly. Or maybe it was the one Jack Dempsey had. Stallone stole a lot from Graziano. Rocky's real name was Thomas Rocco Barbella.
As to EAST SIDE/WEST SIDE, the other social worker might have been Richard A. Dysart, who did some episodes. You are not mixing up Val Avery are you? He was the police Lt. I think the actress was Barbara Feldon you are referring to. EAST SIDE/WEST SIDE in 1964 were her first film roles. GET SMART ran from 1965-1970. I liked her wise-assing with Dick Van Dyke in FITZWILLY (1967). Did you remember they revived GET SMART the TV series in 1995. They got her and Don Adams to be in it, but their time had past. It only ran for 6 episodes. The buzz is that in 2008, producer Mel Brooks will release GET SMART, the movie, with Steve Carell playing Maxwell Smart, and Anne Hathaway playing Agent 99. It will co-star the Rock, and Terence Stamp. Oh, what was Feldon's famous commercial?
A word about RICHARD DIAMOND, Private Detective (1957-1960). In the early 1950's it was a radio show with Dick Powell. He was approached to do the TV series, but he felt he was already too old to do the part. He recommended David Janssen. So yes, those legs and that voice was Mary Tyler Moore as Sam. But she was Sam #1. What actress played Sam #2?
Janssen always talked to her while he was driving around in his convertible, talking on a strange new contraption called a car phone. What kind of a car was it? The series had 30 minute episodes, and it ran for 77 of them. Some are on DVD now. Regis Toomey was a regular as Lt. Dennis "mac" McGough. Russ Conway was Lt. Peter Kile. Guest stars included Jack Elam, DeForrest Kelley, and Ross Martin.
Yes, trivia master, you and I had already discussed that fact that Lawrence Tierney was Scott Brady's brother; lol. Kudos on getting from Tuesday Weld to Glenn Buttkus.
Tuesday Weld in THE CINCINATTI KID with Steve McQueen.
Steve McQueen in THE MAG SEVEN with Eli Wallach.
Eli Wallach in CINDERELLA LIBERTY with Glenn Buttkus.
I took the more direct route.
Tuesday Weld in I WALK THE LINE with Ralph Meeker.
Ralph Meeker in MY BOYS ARE GOOD BOYS with Glenn Buttkus.
Even more kudos for you getting Tony Shalhoub to Humphrey Bogart.
Tony Shalhoub in MEN IN BLACK with Tommy Lee Jones.
Tommy Lee Jones in THE BETSY with Laurence Olivier.
Olivier in SPARTACUS with Peter Ustinov.
Ustinov in WE'RE NO ANGELS with Bogie.
Our minds ran in similiar directions though.
Tony Shalhoub in MEN IN BLACK with Rip Torn.
Rip Torn in CINCINATTI KID with Edward G. Robinson.
Eddie Robinson in KEY LARGO with Bogie.
You neglected to leave me a titty twister this time, sir, but here is a fine one for you.
Get from Chill Wills to Winona Ryder.
Thanks for caring and thanks for the memories:
Glenn Horn :"If I shot that kid at that distance, it was either the best shot I ever made, or the worst thing I ever did."
Mick
My first rehearsal is tonight at 6 bells and I will either play Jocko or the crusty old stage manager or both, news at ten film at eleven. Good to hear Melva will tear up NEW YORK. NEW YORK!
Yes it was Chester Morris who played Horatio Black "Boston Blackie" and because they were short movies, as a kid, I thought they were saturday serials when they showed them on tv. Kudos on Kent Smith with the tv role and remembering the Rough Riders and there destiny riding with Teddy up San Juan Hill which never did happen but PRINT THE LEGEND. My humble apology on Crimefighters, the title of the show was Man Against Crime and it starred Ralph Bellamy, again it was my oops oops oops! Kudos on Naked City and I thought Harry Bellaver was the other detective so again you have my ass in the rack and I should receive 50 lashes with a cat-of-nine-tails for such rampant memory loss and misplaced trivia! If I was really trying to mess up your already clustered cranial cavity I WOULD YANK YOUR CHAIN with much better S@#$%T. Yes it was our old buddy Rocky Graziano who was a semi regular on the half hour show and I loved them both. I saw many great character actors and actresses on that show of 8 million stories. What comedy show was Rocky Graziano a regular on before Naked City? Rocky GRaziano was the best loved homegrown NYC athlete because he truly was one of them who came from the wrong side of both tracks growing up in NYC tough neighborhoods and rising above it and NY people loved him more than any other athletic son of New York of his time.
I remember WO Fat as the bad guy in the Manchurian Candidate and what a great bitch Angels Lansbury played. Yes it was Hawaii-five-o that was the longest running police detective show in tv antiquity. Good job on Hoss in Cimmaron. Who played the other regular social worker with George on East Side West Side? I fell in love with an actress who played in several episodes in that show and went on to do a famous commercial and co-star in a comedy series, who was she? Kudos of the wives of the Rat Pack and again I had a trivia faux-paux because I thought Peter Falk was married to Geraldine Fitzgerald. Oh, poop poop bedoop said Betty Boop. I saw Lawrence Tierney again and he must have been Scott Bradys brother because of the family resemblance. I'm off to rehearsal, more later.
Tuesday to Glenn:
Tuesday was in Cincinatti Kid with Steve McQueen,
Steve was in Magnificent Seven with ELi Wallach,
Eli was in Cinderella Liberty with the inimitable Glenn Buttkus!
TOny Shalhoub was in Men in Black with Tommy Lee Jones,
Tommy was in the Betsy with Laurence Olivier,
Larry was in Spartacus with Peter Ustinov,
Peter was in WERE NO ANGELS with Bogie.
Regards: The Man of LaMunchy, overweight but always lovable, Micknodiet!
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