TV Sidekick Blogathon: F TROOP's Corporal Randolph Agarn

This is the first of two Horn Section contributions to the TV Sidekick Blogathon, hosted by Rick at the Classic Film and TV Cafe.  This three day blogathon covers Classic (pre-1990) television's greatest sidekicks; be sure to check out all of the entries to read about twenty-two of these memorable characters who never failed to make the top banana look good.

For today's entry, we visit the pride of Passaic, New Jersey.  Betty Lou's hero.  The Joe Biden of O'Rourke Enterprises--Corporal Randolph Agarn.

"Think BILKO!"  That was the motto on the set of F TROOP, the side-splitting military farce that was the spiritual heir to the original Nat Hiken/Phil Silvers classic.

It was Larry Storch himself who revealed this tidbit during his DVD commentary for the episode Bilko Joins the Navy for THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW's 50th Anniversary Boxed Set.  It's somewhat ironic that it was Storch confirming the extent of Fort Baxter's influence on Fort Courage, for the mere presence of Storch's iconic Corporal Randolph Agarn represented a key way in which F TROOP one-upped its inspiration: Sergeant Morgan Sylvester O'Rourke had a far superior sidekick to either of Ernest T. Bilko's henchmen.

I mean, could Barbella or Henshaw do this?? I think not!

Not to dismiss the solid efforts from Bilko's Corporals (played by Allan Melvin and Harvey Lembeck), but how many times did either of Bilko's right-hand men steal an episode--or even a single scene--from the star?   Did that ever happen?  While BILKO had a fine, high energy ensemble, the show's star dominated the proceedings week after week.   Neither of Fort Baxter's two-stripers left the indelible impression given by Larry Storch as Corporal Agarn.

Most familar to TV audiences at the time for his recurring role as Charlie the Drunk in Nat Hiken's BILKO followup CAR 54, Storch was originally up for the role of Sgt. O'Rourke.  Forrest Tucker won that role (and headlined the series) but the producers couldn't bear to let Storch go, so the role of Agarn was created specifically to team the comedian with long-time film star Tucker.

And....TV history was made.

As the assistant schemer and Vice President of O'Rourke Enterprises, Agarn was a classic second banana.  The quintessential sidekick--let us count the ways:

Like his Hekawi counterpart Crazy Cat (Wild Eagle's apprentice), Agarn wishes to prove his ability to run the show.  Unfortunately, while Randolph is every bit as devious as O'Rourke, he's nowhere near as bright.

Agarn gets fleeced when the Sarge isn't around, Dahling!

He gets his chance while O'Rourke is on assignment in Play, Gypsy, Play, and forms a temporarily lucrative partnership with titular gypsy Zsa Zsa Gabor (who has Jackie Loughery as one of her sidekicks).  Temporarily, because Agarn ends up conned out of his half of the profits by the traveling Hungarians.

Undeterred, the Corporal again tries to go it alone as the Brian Epstein of his day in That's Show Biz, managing the Bedbugs.  The guitar-driven music group is too far ahead of their time for the saloon circuit, but once they reach the Hekawi camp, they find the Natives to be a much more progressive and appreciative audience.  Alas, Agarn is in over his head again, making the disastrous choice to let the Bedbugs go and manage the bickering Termites instead.

Agarn ends That's Show Biz back at Fort Courage, and the Bedbugs end up knighted in England.  Some guys are Vice President for a reason--it's a good thing that Agarn didn't end up taking over O'Rourke Enterprises in How to be F Troop Without Trying.

The Peter Principle is also on display when Corporal Randolph Agarn is briefly kicked upstairs, becoming Fort Courage's top ranked NCO.  In Lieutenant O'Rourke, Front and Center Agarn finally gets his opportunity to make Sergeant when O'Rourke is temporarily commissioned by Major Duncan.  The promotions of Agarn and Dobbs manage the unthinkable--actually making F Troop less competent than before--but O'Rourke is able to re-establish the status quo by episode's end.

Agarn is a Bumbling Sidekick at times (such as when he blows up the NCO Club in The Courtship of Wrangler Jane) and a Cowardly Sidekick even more often ("He who quits and runs away lives to quit another day!").  He might not be very adept at thinking on his feet (i.e. hiding the whiskey in a less than ideal location in The 86 Proof Spring).  But lest you start to question Agarn's usefulness to O'Rourke's side business, the Sarge himself can set you straight.

When faced with losing his Vice President to a 99 year prison sentence (The Day They Shot Agarn), O'Rourke goes after a dangerous criminal alone to exonerate his buddy, admitting: "I can't run O'Rourke Enterprises without your shifty, conniving help!"  Indeed, Agarn brings loyalty and a unique set of skills to the usually thriving side business.  He's more than just the guy who waters down the whiskey (a.k.a. putting the chaser in the bottle).

That's supposed to be kept hush-hush!

In just the second episode (Don't Look Now, One of Our Cannon Missing) we find out the depth of that loyalty as well as one of those oft-used talents.  Technically treasonous acts are frequently required to keep the Hekawi merchandise plentiful, and after loaning out the cannon goes awry, Agarn risks the additional charge of impersonating a General to set things straight.  And not just any General, but THE General:

Could it be?  Why, yes  it is Sir!  GENERAL GRANT!

Agarn's ability to don disguises is right up there with Artemus Gordon's.  George Washington?  Check.  A member of the Hekawi?  No problem.  A Shug?  Likewise.  One of the wanted Colton brothers?  Aces.

Even donning drag for the cause would bring a full commitment from the self-described 'crooked Corporal".

Corporal Agarn also had a genuine knack for giving his boss the inspiration needed to solve the duo's latest dilemma.  One of the best examples occurs in Bring on the Dancing Girls.  Larcenous Dan Larson takes over the key component of O'Rourke Enterprises--the Fort Courage Saloon--through blackmail.  Larson proceeds to bring in the titular dancers and overcharge outrageously.  "At those prices he won't go out of business until the building collapses!"  Agarn's astute observation is all O'Rourke needs to engineer a rigged "building inspection".

"Agarn, I don't know why everyone says you're so dumb!"  F TROOP's most famous catchphrase always popped up in reaction to the Corporal's ability to catalyze.  While Agarn would always give that perception some justification by taking several minutes to realize the insult, O'Rourke's point remained.

It might not be unquestioned (Agarn usually protested exposure to the more serious charges like desertion or fraud) but it was loyalty.  And one of prime time's great friendships to boot.  Even when the tantalizing opportunity to gain that third stripe was staring him in the face, Agarn would flawlessly execute O'Rourke's plan to maintain the profitable status quo at Fort Courage.

And, to be fair, some of O'Rourke's schemes did come with fringe benefits.

Go Randolph...go Randolph.....

While Agarn fit all the classic attributes of a first-rate second banana, the actor playing him actually transcended the status.  Legendary stalwarts like Art Carney, Don Knotts and Jason Alexander always received their Emmy nominations in the Supporting category, but Larry Storch's 1966-67 performance got him nominated for the Emmy as Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.  Yes, Agarn finally ascended to Top Banana status in the end, and whenever you watch F TROOP, you'll see it was an honor well deserved.  Enough to make a grown man cry.

Well, then again, I guess just about anything was enough to make Agarn cry.  Maybe he wore his heart on his sleeve sometimes, but after a half century of near continuous reruns, it's safe to say he belongs on any list of television's truly legendary sidekicks.  Corporal Randolph Agarn, we salute you!

Thanks, fellas!

FIVE AGARN ESSENTIALS:

The Day They Shot Agarn: Randolph never seems to win a raffle, but he does "win" the booby prize of escorting dangerous prisoner Matt Delaney to territorial prison.  The result jeopardizes O'Rourke Enterprises and Agarn's life as he faces the firing squad in Delaney's place.

The Singing Mountie: Agarn disappears for the final half of this installment, but it's OK, because it gives us ample time with his lookalike Cousin Lucky Pierre Agarniere.  The best of Storch's three dual roles, and Paul Lynde guest stars.

The Courtship of Wrangler Jane: Agarn is a smoothie wooing Janie away from the Captain, but he's no cad--it's for the good cause of making him jealous enough to propose.  And yes, it's to set up another money making scheme by moving the Captain in evenings.  "All I want is for you kids to have a lifetime of happiness--off the post!"

Is this man a smoothie or what?

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop: Corporal Agarn is a lousy cook, but he's willing to grab a cookbook and learn when the opportunity arises to pad the army supply list with saloon items.  Unfortunately, Major Duncan really likes the food at Fort Courage.....

The Ballot of Corporal Agarn: Our boy Randolph gets the deciding vote in the Passaic, New Jersey mayoral race !  And if you think his vote is for sale, well....you're right.

Look for those five Storch-centric installments and other memorable Agarn moments on MeTV!  F TROOP currently airs on Me-TV for a full hour each Saturday morning at 5 AM ET/4 AM CT and on Sunday mornings at 7 AM ET/6 AM CT.

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "The Wolf Sitter" (1955)

LOVE THAT BOB: "The Wolf Sitter" (Original Air Date: December 8, 1955) Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret Collins MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, May Wynn as Jean Blackburn, Sheila James as Gertrude, Claire Kelly as Miss Kelly.  Written by Paul Henning, Shirley Gordon and William Cowley.  Directed by Rod Amateau.


Series overview of LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW at this link. 


Everyone around swinging photographer Bob Collins is seeking a little extra cash.  Schultzy needs to borrow $19.98, but it is to buy a sweater for "the Boss", ever the object of her pursuit.  Margaret offers to loan it to her--as soon as she can borrow it from her brother.  Bob's nephew Chuck seems to have the most urgent need: he's making wooden spoon sets out in the garage in an attempt to bolster his college fund.

Bob counsels Chuck to find a less noisy venture, and to make himself "the brains" instead of the brawn.  The successful shutterbug has more counseling to do at work: after going through Collins' binders full of women, Schultzy has selected gorgeous Jean Blackburn as the model for his afternoon shoot (a skin oil ad).  What's the problem?  Blackburn is "the one girl the Boss just can't get a date with", according to Schultzy--which leads to a bet that he can do just that, with $19.98 at stake.

While the show's template is already well established in this early outing, the almost hyper pace of later seasons isn't.   Bob is quite the stinker this time out, taking "all's fair in love and war" to a new level.  To thwart Jean's honest (and unseen) scheduled date, Bob intercepts every phone call and telegram sent by his hapless rival, stretching the truth much further than we're used to seeing from him.

In later seasons, Bob would be misleading, sure.  But he would almost never tell an out and out lie.  To name two examples, his statements that he beat Pancho Gonzalez at tennis in Bob Gets Out-Uncled and his claim to have made "literally hundreds of pictures" in Bob Gives S.R.O. Performance were at least technically true.  Claiming to be sent overseas the next day by the Air Force here is not only blatantly dishonest but disappointingly uncreative in comparison, which makes you less invested in Bob's quest this time out.

As for Chuck, he's still in high school at this early stage, and curiously seems more concerned about earning money for college than trying to get in on Uncle Bob's action.  This innocence at least gets him as far as helping Bob relax his model before he's sent elsewhere.  Stories concerning Bob's influence became much more common during Chuck's college years.

Half the fun of any LOVE THAT BOB episode is spotting the starlets of the Fifties, and twenty-one year old Claire Kelly (SNOWFIRE, GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN) made her debut with a brief appearance as Collins' outgoing model (and prior night's conquest).  Unattainable Jean Blackburn appeared in multiple second season installments, played by May Wynn (a.k.a. Mrs. Jack Kelly, at least until 1964).  Best known for her appearance in THE CAINE MUTINY, Wynn's acting career ended in 1960.

To the modern eye, both starlets are likely upstaged by fourteen year old scene stealer Sheila James, later to become most familar chasing after Hickman's DOBIE GILLIS from 1959 to 1963.  She essentially gets The Wolf Sitter's punchline, giving Bob his comeuppance after the playboy photographer weasels his way past Blackburn's honorable suitor.  Her brief appearance is the most memorable thing about a decidedly below average early installment.

Damn cockblockers!

WHO WAS "BLOCKING"?

As usual, Schultzy was--subtly, by calling the one model uninterested in Bob "after hours" for the skin oil ad.  Later, after Bob bucks the odds and gets a date, niece Gertrude plays goalie at Jean's apartment.  But the ultimate blocker turns out to be Bob's nephew.  It gets Chuck literally (if not violently) sent to the woodshed.

DID BOB SCORE?

It's certainly implied that Bob scored the day before with Miss Kelly, and obstacles notwithstanding, it's his own damn fault and he doesn't score on the day we're watching.  I mean, c'mon Bob, all those models, with only one resisting your charms, and she's the one you're focused on?  Pride is one of the seven deadlies, you know.

Pretty familiar early outcome, with all that maneuvering resulting in Bob running afoul of his own advice to his nephew.  The show wouldn't really hit full stride until Cummings took over the director's chair during the third season.  While The Wolf Sitter boasts a decent punch line, the journey there gets a labored at times.  Additional interest for viewers in seeing the future Zelda Gilroy and the future Dobie Gillis in giving Bob his just desserts.  Who says youth isn't served here?   (*1/2 out of four)

The Horn Section Salutes: Clarence "BLOWFLY" Reid (1939-2016)

It's been a very bad month to be a legend in the music industry.  First Lemmy, then David Bowie, and now, sadly, the death trifecta strikes us again with very sad news today.  Legendary soul writer and singer Clarence Reid, perhaps even better known by his X-rated alter ego Blowfly, has passed away from liver cancer at the age of 76.

The photo above is from his February 2013 Dallas show as Blowfly, my fourth and final time to see Mr. Reid and his funky band live.  It was truly an honor to be there, and to meet him for the second time.

During my childhood, Blowfly tapes were definitely an underground item.  Part of the fun was the knowledge we weren't supposed to be listening to them, and I have to say, Mr. Reid's alter ego seemed much more forbidden than George Carlin or Richard Pryor to us southern Oklahoma kids.  The next link is NSFW, be advised:

Blowfly was the subject of the 2010 documentary, The Weird World of Blowfly--also the title of the 1971 debut LP by Reid's alter ego.  I previously wrote a bit about this in my 2012 Film Discovery list for Rupert Pupkin Speaks.  Suffice to say I highly recommend checking it out.

But Reid as Blowfly has a lot more to check out--though be warned, most of it is definitely NOT safe for work.  The Weird World LP's from the 1970's (i.e. Blowfly at the Movies, Blowfly Disco) boasted a great backing band (something that Papa Fly would maintain for the rest of his career, including the past decade under the management of "Uncle" Tom Bowker): Willie "Little Beaver" Hale on guitar, Timmy Thomas on keyboards and George "Chocolate" Perry on bass just for starters!  Check out the work of the latter especially on this opening track from 1977's Porno Freak (need I add it is NSFW?)

Oh, and that aforementioned 2013 concert I attended?  The entire show is available for your viewing pleasure, thanks to YouTube!

Prior to that concert, we saluted him here at the Section, with a half dozen more of his greatest hits from the 1970's and 1980's.  Back in the Horn Section's infancy, way back in 2006, we reviewed the second LP of his comeback, Blowfly's Punk Rock Party.

The next two video links are from Clarence Reid under his own name, doing the straightforward Miami R&B that he was excellent at.  He co-wrote classics like "Rockin' Chair" and "Clean Up Woman", and was one Hell of a singer of songs both PG and X-rated.

For all the wonderful years of entertainment and all the soul classics, The Horn Section salutes Clarence "Blowfly" Reid on the day of his passing.

R.I.P. Mr. Reid. Thanks for all the laughs and memories.

Television Review: GET CHRISTIE LOVE!: "Fatal Image" (1974)

GET CHRISTIE LOVE! "Fatal Image" (ABC-TV/Wolper Productions: Original Air Date: November 6, 1974) Starring Teresa Graves as Detective Christie Love, Charles Cioffi as Captain Reardon, Andy Romano as Caruso, Dennis Rucker as Belmont.  Guest Stars: Richard Rust as Johnny Morris, Claire Brennan as Lisa Morris, Max Gail as Mark Richie, Jared Martin as George Lennox, Vito Scotti as Emilio, Richard Lawson as Don Allen, Robert Yuro as Tom Holland, Donald Mantooth as Ken, Ann Coleman as Kay Burton.   Directed by Richard Compton.  Written by Larry Alexander and Robert Earl.

Series overview for GET CHRISTIE LOVE! and introduction to the episode guide at this link. 


After being tailed back to his house by Detectives Love and Caruso, mobster Johnny Morris ends up murdered in his swimming pool once he's away from the watchful eye of the surveillance van.  Morris was handling millions in stolen bonds for money launderer Tom Holland, and after initial investigation reveals that Johnny had been cheating on his wife, Christie Love is assigned to the case.

Looks like he wants to, uh, get Christie Love if you ask me...

Journalist George Lennox is allowed to tag along during Christie's investigation while working on his upcoming article on "the female Jackie Robinson of the LAPD".  Christie enjoys bantering with the writer, fully aware of their chemistry--and fully unaware that Lennox is actually moonlighting as the killer she's after.  After Christie discovers that Morris' mistress also perished recently (in a car accident), more of Holland's underlings are added to the body count under mysterious circumstances.

A month before the series premiered, Graves told the Lakeland Ledger that GET CHRISTIE LOVE! would be "more like a Columbo than a Mannix".  Fatal Image partly realizes that ambition: the murderer is identified before the cold open fades, and Detective Love spends three full acts asking questions before she flips a single interviewee.  Director Richard Compton compensates for an often talky teleplay by frequently drawing the viewer's attention to the attraction bubbling under the chaste flirtation between Christie and Lennox throughout.

Chemistry between Graves and Jared Martin is considerably more convincing than that between the star and much older (and gruffer) Harry Guardino in the show's pilot.  Neither hints at being unprofessional, but the mutual admiration is palpable throughout the first three acts of Fatal Image.  Their playful banter provides the Alexander/Earl script with plenty of zip, though the exploration of Love's background unfortunately brings out a cliche or two--were all television law officers "mischievous kids saved from trouble" by a cop mentor back in the day?  Sure seems like it.

Refreshingly, a situation that seems ready-made for making Detective Love either a damsel in distress or a superwoman takes neither route.  She solves the mystery through good old fashioned questioning, with only one brief skirmish with Lawson (SUGAR HILL) along the way.  True, Christie's fellow detectives are almost nonexistent between the slide showing early and the finale, and Detective Love requires no help to free herself from brief capitivity.  She's still the first to acknowledge her shortcomings afterward: solving the puzzle sooner would have stopped additional carnage, and she did allow the murderer to get the drop on her at a critical point.

Let's face it, there's no show that Vito Scotti doesn't help

Compton mainly handled features (MACON COUNTY LINE and its sequel) throughout the 1970's; in fact, Fatal Image was his only foray into episodic TV of the entire decade, and it's an impressive one.  One might have guessed then that Compton would become one of the go-to directors of prime time crime in the Eighties (most frequently on THE EQUALIZER and MIAMI VICE).  The nighttime dropoff via helicopter and the construction site visit are both well staged; judicious use of inserts hints at the big reveal in the fourth act without giving too much away.

The one real flaw in Fatal Image has to do with that revelation about George, as he just doesn't look the part.  That said, it isn't completely unconvincing--that it works as well as it does is a tribute to Jared Martin's charismatic, intense performance.  Martin gives his all, subtly but noticeably changing both voice and personality and passionately defending his actions after Christie figures out his secret(s).

The efforts of Martin, Compton and Graves elevate this installment.  Watch for Max Gail (soon to score his signature role on BARNEY MILLER) and character actor extraordinaire Vito Scotti, who as usual leaves an impression in his scene as the faintly flamboyant clothing designer who employed Morris' modeling mistress.

ONE LUMP, OR MORE?

Only two "Sugars", both directed at Allen after his initial lack of cooperation.  Seems to be a rule: the stronger scripts don't need as many catchphrases.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Putting a crime drama with a sexy lead on at 10 PM without a lot of violence or skimpy outfits was no small challenge, but to David L. Wolper's credit, he found ways to adjust.  In this episode, it's the intriguing relationship between Christie and her suspect.  Also helping a great deal: enough background information on the latter to explain both his resourcefulness and the emotional damage he's suffered.  Martin's intensity helps the suspension of disbelief immensely and Compton effectively handles a somewhat talky script.  Christie's colleagues are given less to do than usual, but Fatal Image is entertaining on repeat viewings despite its imperfections. (*** out of four)

F TROOP Fridays: TV GUIDE, December 11-17, 1965

With apologies to Mitchell Hadley of the excellent (and highly recommended by yours truly) blog It's About TV, I'm going to take an excursion into what is normally his territory with a look back at a classic issue of TV Guide.

It was 50 years ago this Friday that television's all time greatest series, F TROOP, made the cover of the venerable U.S. television weekly for the first time.

F Troop would soon be overshadowed by the smash mid-season replacement Batman (which debuted January 12, 1966) but at the time of this issue, it was ABC's biggest new hit of the 1965-66 season. Airing in what had been a death slot for ABC (Tuesdays at 9 PM ET) since the turn of the decade, F Troop managed to stand its ground and then some.  In fact, the episodes Scourge of the West, Don't Look Now, One of our Cannon Missing and Old Ironpants cracked the Nielsen top 10 despite airing opposite CBS' seemingly invincible The Red Skelton Show.

It's series star Forrest Tucker who is the subject of this cover story, profiled by Leslie Raddatz (whose tenure at the weekly lasted from 1962 to 1976).  Actors Should Act Like Actors is the title of Raddatz' article and also our patron saint's credo.  Tuck learned it from his early show business mentor, Jimmy "Carnation" Lake, who unknowingly hired a fifteen year old Forrest to emcee at the Old Gayety burlesque theatre in Washington, D.C.  Whether this happened circa 1930 or circa 1934 depends on the source: Raddatz gives Tucker's birthdate as February 12, 1915 (though 1919 is the most widely reported year).

The interview takes place at Tuck's longtime favorite hangout, the Lakeside Country Club, so it isn't surprising that the star's prowess at golf gets almost as much mention as his chosen vocation.  Tuck's apartment is three blocks from Warner Brothers' backlot and from Lakeside, and he often drives from place to place in his customized golf cart.  While Tucker probably played more rounds at Lakeside than anywhere else, we learn that it wasn't the site of his greatest round ever (at least, as of late 1965)--a stellar 9-under-par 63 at a pro-Am in Stockton.

Professionally, Tuck's long run as Professor Harold Hill onstage in The Music Man (2,008 performances from 1958-1963) gets prominent mention in Raddatz' article.  "The part is so tough you have to spend all of your time between shows lying down.  For four years I saw nothing but the theatre and a ceiling."  Tucker is perhaps overly modest about a career on the big screen that at the time included 91 feature film credits:   "I never really made it in pictures--I was the other guy, the one who didn't get the girl." (Not always, Tuck!)  Marilyn Fisk is his third wife ("I like dancers because of their discipline") and ends up making three appearances on F Troop.

Marilyn Fisk Tucker on F Troop

The other cover story involves what, in 1965, was still being referred to as the UHF Gamble.  The All-Chanel Receiver Act of 1962 had gone into effect in May 1964, requiring all television manufacturers to include UHF tuners so that channels 14 through 83 could be received by the public.  David Lachenbruch's article looks at this "$200,000,000 Experiment" (the rough estimate of the added cost of said UHF tuners) after the first eighteen months.  More than 35 percent of the nations estimated 53.8 million households "already have at least one set" that can access the additional 70 channels.

Independent producer David L. Wolper (Get Christie Love!) was prescient: "Another network will be formed.  It's inevitable now that the stations are there."  He's far from the only prognosticator proven correct about where television would be headed: more choices, more programming variety. KWEX-TV in San Antonio "saw the light almost from the beginning", broadcasting 14 1/2 hours a day "for the last ten years".  Thus began what we now know as Univision.  WKBD in Michigan carries University of Michigan sports along with the Pistons and Red Wings in prime time.  ESPN, of course, was still fourteen years away.  Lachenbruch concludes that the all-channel experiment "cannot yet be called a success" but notes that UHF broadcasters insist that it must succeed, for the sake of television's future.  For the record, my issue, covering the Philadelphia area, carries listings for a mere by modern standards nine stations: 3 UHF independents (17,29,48); one UHF CBS affiliate (15), educational Channel 12, and four more network affiliates, with last-place ABC having only one (6) to the two for both NBC (3,8) and CBS (10,15).

Two stars whose best days were ahead of them also have articles about their respective shows that didn't survive the 1965-66 season: Peter Falk's Trials of O'Brien and Sally Field's Gidget.  ABC cancelled Gidget but had Field back on the air more successfully in 1967 as the star of The Flying Nun.  Falk would begin his epic run as Columbo in the 1968 TV-movie PRESCRIPTION: MURDER.  One can see elements that Falk would bring to that iconic portrayal in lawyer Daniel J. O'Brien's office, though none of these props could compare with that raincoat.

The office of Daniel J. O'Brien, attorney at law

Capping off an issue with most impressive star power, Charles E. Alverson interviews the legendary Gypsy Rose Lee, former burlesque queen and now host of her own syndicated TV talk show based in San Francisco (where it airs on WCO-TV).  Alverson reports that the transition from "take it off!" to "keep them talking!" hasn't been without its problems.  Used to being the interviewee, she started out "rattling away for the whole show".  The three page profile isn't the most flattering: "there are few signs that Miss Lee has given up running her guests off the conversational road".  Alverson almost grudgingly concludes that despite the problems, Miss Lee "can so far rest easy", since she has fans ranging from John Wayne to the secretary of a chapter of the Hell's Angels, "a band of California bike riders often in the headlines".

Gypsy Rose Lee on the set of her talk show, 1965

KCO-TV was an ABC affiliate, and Gypsy Rose Lee would make appearances on the network's Batman and The Pruitts of Southampton the following year.  She died in 1970.

Rounding out the feature articles, Pep Pills for Dr. Kildare, reviews NBC's attempt to reinvigorate its aging hit.  "Romance and a format change" didn't work; the doctor was out after this fifth season.

Inside: For The Record reports that ABC expects to debut two hour-long British TV series in the summer. The Avengers, noting that "Honor Blackman stars on British TV, but she won't be in the version shown here".  No mention whatsoever of Patrick MacNee or then-current costar Diana Rigg!  The second, Court-Martial, is far less remembered despite the bigger American name in Peter Graves, already familiar then from Fury and about to score his signature TV role in Mission: Impossible.

The British imports were two for two at hitting prime time, a much better batting average than the four reported projects from the "Comeback Quartet" for 1966-67: Phil Silvers in Help (Bilko as a chauffeur), Pat Boone in The Perils of Pauline (with Pamela Austin in the titular role) and 74 year old Lowell Thomas' planned documentary series all failed to make the schedule.  Only the return of The Garry Moore Show did, and thanks to competition from Bonanza, it barely lasted into 1967.  One last note, Roger Miller and Jonathan Winters are both "under consideration" for a summer series by NBC.  Miller ended up on the network's fall schedule in 1966, and Winters made it onto CBS' the following year for a two year run.

Interesting letters as always, with one blasting the unsuccessful format change for Amos Burke: Secret Agent (formerly Burke's Law, and off the air three weeks later) and two panning the salute to Stan Laurel that had aired on CBS November 23rd.  Perhaps most interesting of all is the opinion of V. Smith from Hamilton, Ontario: "Since playing Las Vegas, Johnny Carson's head has certainly swelled.  He is not nearly as interested in his guests as he is in setting his facial expressions for the camera.  Merv Griffin has him beaten by miles."  While Griffin didn't quite match Carson's run, The Merv Griffin Show had 21 more years to run, not far behind Carson's 27.

Despite Mr. Smith's non-endorsement, Carson's guest appearance on Get Smart was notable enough to give the December 11 episode a TV Guide Close-Up:

Mr. Hadley compares the lineups for Hollywood Palace (Saturday) and The Ed Sullivan Show (Sunday) each week that he reviews an issue from the Sixties, so just for fun, I'll take a shot at it too:

Palace: Host Caterina Valente, Bill Cosby, Bill Dana as Jose Jimenez, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Brazilian guitarist Luis Bonfa, magician Channing Pollock, the Black Theatre of Prague (pantomimists) and the Freedonias (German tumblers).

Alan King

Sullivan: Alan King, Al Hirt, Barbara McNair, Wayne Newton, the Swingle Singers (who adapt jazz styles to classical music), clown/juggling troupe The Gomberts and the Bratislova Slovokian Folkloric Company.

Alpert and the Brass play two songs from the legendary Whipped Cream and Other Delights LP, Valente gets four songs, Cosby does a presumably shortened version of "$75 Car" from his Why is There Air? LP, and Dana's Jose is a flamenco dancer.  It's enough to outweigh Hirt and McNair for me, so I'm going with Palace.  Besides, Caterina Valente is much easier on the eyes than Alan King.

Caterina Valente

On Sunday, the annual rerun of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors (first telecast live in 1951 as the very first Hallmark Hall of Fame) is NBC's counter-programming to the football games on CBS and ABC.  This is a taped repeat of the 1963 production, and the last before the TV rights reverted back to Menotti in May 1966.  Menotti, who never approved of the 1963 version, refused to allow it to be rebroadcast again.

Not to sound lowbrow or anything, but I probably would have chosen the football game between the New York Jets (led by rookie QB Joe Namath) and the Oakland Raiders instead.  (The Raiders prevailed 24-14 behind QB Tom Flores despite Namath's 280 yard, 2 touchdown day.)

The seasonal mood is being built on Monday night with the annual Andy Williams Christmas show, with Andy's special guests The Osmonds.  The aforementioned David L. Wolper also gets a TV Guide Close-Up for his ABC documentary airing at 10:00, In Search of Man.  Van Heflin narrates.

On Tuesday our cover show F Troop has one of its funniest episodes of the season, The 86 Proof Spring.  Competition: Red Skelton has Tallulah Bankhead as his guest and Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers are playing Cincinnati on UHF Channel 17.  (Oscar Robertson's Royals upset Wilt's 76ers 112-109: sounds like an exciting game.)

The Bob Hope Comedy Special gets Wednesday night's Closeup, bringing the star power with Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Janet Leigh and singer Nancy Wilson joining Bob.  Probably a top draw, especially with Benny having given up his series after 15 years the preceding season.

There's no review from critic Cleveland Amory this issue, though Thursday night's listing for Amory's creation (with Abe Burrows) O. K. Crackerby includes a blurb that the critic will discuss the show's failure in next week's issue.  Crackerby, which starred Burl Ives, has only three episodes left after tonight's installment guest starring Aliza Gur, Miss Israel of 1960 and a finalist in that year's Miss Universe pageant.

Aliza Gur

Aliza Gur was a popular guest star in 1965-66, popping up on six different series, including the aforementioned Amos Burke just four weeks earlier in an episode entitled Deadlier Than the Male.  

Capping off the week, low-rated Camp Runamuck and Hank are pre-empted by NBC Friday night for Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.   As always, Jim Backus is Magoo and Jack Cassidy voices Bob Cratchit.  It's a repeat, having first aired in 1962.  Magoo goes head to head with ABC's long-running The Flintstones, and this week Fred and Barney are utilizing robot doubles to go bowling and take their wives out simultaneously.  If you dislike cartoons, The Wild, Wild West still airs as usual on CBS.

Before we leave Friday and the listings: The Trials of O'Brien has two of the longest running TV sleuths of all time facing off, as Peter Falk is joined by guest star Angela Lansbury.

TV Teletype: Hollywood has the following tidbits:  Jack Webb has been recently signed by Universal to produce a two-hour Dragnet, which "may again become a series".  (It did, a year later as a mid-season replacement in 1966-67 and became a long-running hit again.)  Webb won't be joined in the new version by Ben Alexander, who's busy with 20th Century Fox's pilot, Men Against Evil with Howard Duff and Jeanne Crain.  That became the long-running (until 1969) hit, Felony Squad (sans Crain) the following fall.  Finally, Andy Griffith has decided to stay on CBS for a seventh season in 1966-67, which will "probably be the last".  (It wasn't--he was back in 1967-68.)

No review from Cleveland Amory this week.  Vacation, or mourning that cancellation of O.K. Crackerby?  

Finally, you know it's still the Sixties when you're encouraged to give the gift of Pall Mall this Christmas:

If that doesn't get you into the Holiday spirit, nothing will!


F Troop had two more TV Guide covers in its future, so hopefully this is the first of a trilogy here at the Section.  And if you like vintage TV Guide reviews, It's About TV has a new one each Saturday, and you'll find one periodically at Retrospace also.