tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73964000762897565562024-02-08T09:26:03.412-05:00Celebrity BlogsburgBlogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.comBlogger600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-12955734985497160672010-05-12T14:31:00.003-04:002010-05-12T14:56:55.069-04:00Blogger's noteGet set, blog visitors. What you'll see here is an offbeat informational blog, created and produced to supplement one type of celebrity described in the 2010 book "Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture," published by ABC-CLIO and edited by myself, Sam Riley.<br /><br />The idea behind the blog was to point out a variety of categories of temporary and one-shot celebrities who have provided an enormous quantity of "fodder" for our material-hungry news and entertainment media. <br /><br />Much attention has been paid to the major luminaries of our celebrity culture, people who need no introduction to anyone who hasn't been living on some other planet.<br /><br />This blog, which consists of a bit more than 600 posts, is geared to celebrities with a lower-case c, so to speak. The contents of each category represents a sample, not a census of individuals who fit into that category.<br /><br />Some categories are larger than others. Sadly, there are far, far more miscreants than heroes who gain temporary celebrity. Also, some categories enjoy far more public attention than do others. For example, media consumers show vastly more interest in actors, actresses and singers than in, say, inventors or whistle-blowers.<br /><br />The 21 categories that follow are arranged in no particular order other than to switch back and forth between entertainment and news figures.<br /><br />The first category of temporary celebrity as you scroll through this blog, which was created during 2009 and 2010, are 83 individuals whose claim to celebrity came about via having had one iconic TV role.<br /><br />Next come several types of miscreants, whose celebrity is of the notorious kind. Included are 26 miscellaneous miscreants, 36 mass or serial killers, 23 other murderers of note, 8 spies or traitors, 28 disgraced political figures, 15 disgraced business figures, 12 disgraced media figures, and 16 disgraced religious figures. <br /><br />After the above appear 46 individuals who didn't fit neatly into one of the 20 specific categories. Those are followed by 13 reality TV figures, 19 whistle-blowers, 33 inventors/innovators, and 16 sports/outdoor figures.<br /><br />Victims of various kinds make up rather a large category (54), and heroes a more modest 31. One-time movie icons number 26, hoaxers 20, advertising icons 26, femmes and hommes fatale 24, and one-hit recording wonders 54.<br /><br />Each of these interesting individuals was accorded a brief write-up and, where possible, a video clip or photograph.<br /><br />By way of a quick sample, a recent sensation on TV's "American Idol" was a middle-aged man who performed an unusual rap number poking fun at a style of dress favored by hip hop fans: pants worn very low in the back.<br /><br />Larry Platt, usually referred to as General Larry Platt, was a minor figure in the Atlanta, Georgia, civil rights scene many years ago. He became an overnight sensation in 2010 when he performed a snappy rap called "Pants of the Ground." He looked a bit stiff when he dropped to the floor for a bit of break dancing, but, hey, what could you ask of a man of 62?<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tMwhl4IrPNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tMwhl4IrPNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-84585155661402878412010-05-11T14:11:00.003-04:002010-05-11T14:19:32.848-04:00Iconic TV role: Betty AberlinPretty brunette actress Betty Aberlin, born Betty Ageloff, was a fixture on the long-running children's show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." For 33 years she appeared on Fred Rogers' program in the character of Lady Aberlin. <br /><br />Her career also included appearances in a number of musicals and on The Smothers Brothers Show," and she was a published poet. Her celebrity, however, was from her kindly, decorative appearances as Lady Aberlin on that gentlest of all kiddie shows.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S6M2ow5fbWA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S6M2ow5fbWA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-83627951199752281402010-05-11T13:52:00.003-04:002010-05-11T14:05:07.389-04:00Iconic TV role: Don AdamsBorn Donald Yarmy, comedic actor Don Adams is very nearly synonymous with Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, in the 1965-1970 series "Get Smart," a takeoff on the James Bond films so popular at that time.<br /><br />Although he looked fairly small and slight, Adams had fought in World War II and had been a Marine drill instructor. <br /><br />His start in show biz was as a standup comic doing impersonations. He appeared on the program "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" in 1954. In the early to mid 1960s he played a chucklehead detective on "The Bill Dana Show," after which he landed the role that gave him celebrity. <br /><br />As Maxwell Smart, he and his partner, Agent 99 (actress Barbara Feldon) fought international criminal masterminds; Adams' favorite spyware was his shoe phone, into which he would speak with his boss, "The Chief," using comically stylized catch phrases in a ridiculously nasal "professional" voice.<br /><br />He later hosted a short-lived game show, but his moment in the celebrity sun was as Agent 86.<br /><br />Adams died in 2005 at age 82.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AvMj5LuT5hk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AvMj5LuT5hk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-617443998086545632010-05-11T13:43:00.003-04:002010-05-11T13:52:05.030-04:00Iconic TV role: Alison ArngrimIt might be hard to be remembered as a bitchy little girl, but that's the situation for Alison Arngrim, who played the snippy, conniving Nellie Oleson on the series "Little House on the Prairie." <br /><br />Child actress Alison had hoped for the leading role of Laura Ingalls on that show, but instead became the wretched Nellie. The show ran from 1974 to 1981 and was especially popular with young girls. <br /><br />Thereafter, Arngrim appeared in several less than stellar movies and guested on "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat."<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YQkT8Ixap8s&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YQkT8Ixap8s&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-60132971437699443972010-05-10T15:37:00.003-04:002010-05-10T15:49:16.213-04:00Iconic TV role: Leon AskinActor Leon Askin was born Leon Aschkenasy in Vienna, Austria, and worked on stage for many years before coming to America. He escaped the Nazis and emigrated to New York in 1940, and soon thereafter enlisted in the U.S. Army.<br /><br />After leaving the service at war's end, he moved to Hollywood and began finding small parts in movies. He also appeared on TV in "The Adventures of Superman" and "Three's Company."<br /><br />His celebrity-creating role was as the stout and grumpy, yet funny General Albert Burkhalter on the series "Hogan's Heroes." <br /><br />He eventually moved back to Vienna, where he died in 2005 at age 97.<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZYgqRLABPGI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZYgqRLABPGI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-1825633736070663582010-05-10T15:29:00.003-04:002010-05-10T15:37:12.091-04:00Iconic TV role: Catherine BachCatherine Bach was born Catherine Bachman; her defining role was as Daisy Duke in the series "The Dukes of Hazzard." <br /><br />Bach had a remarkable figure and was much admired for wearing what came to be known as Daisy Dukes," which were very, very short, tight shorts. The show ran from 1979 to 1985.<br /><br />She also appeared in a number of movies and on a few other TV shows, such as "Police Woman" and "The Love Boat."<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BwyBapia11A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BwyBapia11A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-15053150493089754452010-05-10T11:17:00.003-04:002010-05-10T11:35:36.467-04:00Iconic TV role: Max Baer, Jr.Max Baer, Jr. was the son of former heavyweight champion boxer Max Baer and, like his dad, was a strapping fellow by the time he began acting in a variety of TV shows that included westerns "Cheyenne" and "Maverick" and detective shows such as "Hawaiian Eye" and "77 Sunset Strip." <br /><br />His big break came as Jethro Bodine on that silliest of sitcoms "The Beverly Hillbillies." Silly but hilarious, this show ran from 1962 to 1971. His role must surely have been modeled after the comic strip figure Li'l Abner. The character was a dim-witted yet friendly yokel of considerable size and strength. The storyline in general was about the misadventures of a backwoods Appalachian family that struck oil and decided to "move to Bev-er-ly--Hills, that is" and how the neuvo riche family interacted with the California sophisticates there.<br /><br />Baer was so thoroughly typecast in that role that when the show closed, he had severe difficulty getting other parts. Instead, he turned to producing and, in addition, got into the casino/gaming business.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zZp2JcmUU6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zZp2JcmUU6o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-36499900912620707252010-05-10T10:54:00.003-04:002010-05-10T11:17:08.919-04:00Iconic TV role: :Jon BaumanThose of us possessed of mature years can remember the "greasers" of our high school days, with their surly attitude, black leather jacket and longish, greasy hair. That persona brought a measure of celebrity to Jon Bauman, who himself was a high school boy in the Queens section of New York City. Bauman went on to earn a degree with honors from Columbia University.<br /><br />His celebrity-producing role was as the character Bowser with the retro rock and roll vocal group Sha Na Na.<br /><br />Bauman was a terrific bass with that group, although he was not one of its original members. The entire group dressed and acted like 1950s greasers or as gold lame-clad 1050s rockers, and Bowzer was its standout member. <br /><br />He would affix the viewer with an attitude-dripping look, run a comb through his oily hair, and flex a skinny bicep as he sang. His mouth could open wide enough to accommodate an entire chocolate cake at one bite, and his outfit varied but was invariably as tacky as can be imagined. The group had its own TV show from 1977 to 1981 and also made appearances on other programs. Their usual closing number was "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight," a song that had ended many a high school dance in the '50s. <br /><br />Bauman has continued to make appearances as Bowzer and the Stingrays and has done some producing of early rock and roll music.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1NyK3df0xaw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1NyK3df0xaw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-48444411084603070132010-05-10T10:46:00.003-04:002010-05-10T10:54:12.867-04:00Iconic TV role: Mayim Hoya BialikMayim Bialik, of East European descent, found American celebrity as Blossom Russo on the series "Blossom."<br /><br />She began acting in the 1980s as a small child, but her one big claim to fame came in 1991 in the role of Blossom, on a sitcom popular with youthful viewers.<br /><br />Since 1995, when that show closed, she has made occasional appearances on other TV shows and has earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/scFaf_n8ses&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/scFaf_n8ses&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-28494845751386545312010-05-07T15:43:00.004-04:002010-05-07T15:58:16.318-04:00Iconic TV role: Dan BlockerOne of the best-liked characters in the long history of TV westerns was Eric "Hoss" Cartwright, played by hulking but kindly Dan Blocker. <br /><br />Texas-born Blocker, born Bobby Don Blocker, was around 6'3" and weighed around 300 pounds. He had played football and worked as a bouncer in his younger days, then was an English and theater teacher in Los Angeles before getting into show biz in the late 1950s. <br /><br />His celebrity-earning role on the "family western" "Bonanza" was as the middle of three sons on the Ponderosa Ranch in 1800s Nevada. The show's immense popularity resulted in heaven only knows how many farms and even some actual ranches scattered in no doubt every U.S. state that even today sport a big sign proclaiming themselves "The Ponderosa," a sincere if remarkably unoriginal tribute.<br /><br />People always like a gentle giant, and Blocker's "Bonanza" character was nice as pie till riled, then lowered the boom on the bad guys most convincingly.<br /><br />Blocker served in the Army in Korea but became a highly vocal critic of America's involvement in Vietnam. <br /><br />The big guy died unexpectedly following surgery in 1972.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G8drRfQLRIw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G8drRfQLRIw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-78829677491014076682010-05-07T12:01:00.003-04:002010-05-07T12:12:27.994-04:00Iconic TV role: Sorrell BookeIt is one of TV's ironies that an intelligent, accomplished man like Sorrell Booke found his celebrity playing the part of a short, rotund, conniving, thoroughly dishonest, despicable, clownish, string-pulling small-town political boss on "The Dukes of Hazzard."<br /><br />Booke was a graduate of both Columbia and Yale and is said to have spoken five languages. Prior to "Dukes," he had made appearances on "Dr. Kildare, "Mission Impossible," "M.A.S.H." and "All in the Family." <br /><br />As fate would have it, however, Booke got the part of Boss (Jefferson Davis) Hogg and had to be considerably padded to look the part. <br /><br />He died of cancer in 1994 at age 64.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFzRAvgf6Cc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFzRAvgf6Cc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-85453804666092079922010-05-05T14:56:00.003-04:002010-05-05T15:05:21.545-04:00Iconic TV role: Hugh BrannumCelebrity never finds most of us, but for those it does locate, there's no accounting for how. Musician Hugh Brannum, who played bass, never became a celebrity in music, but he did as a children's show sidekick, Mr. Green Jeans on "Captain Kangaroo."<br /><br />Brannum was second fiddle to the show's host, Bob Keeshan, "The Captain." Brannum also played a painter named Bainter, a clown, a singer and a professor on this show, which ran from 1955 to 1984--a long span of years.<br /><br />Brannum died of cancer in 1987.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HHRkHRpSwaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HHRkHRpSwaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-15404322262613714802010-05-05T13:43:00.003-04:002010-05-05T13:55:05.863-04:00Iconic TV role: Foster BrooksHow strange that a handsome actor with a great voice would be remembered as a slurring, stumbling, word-mangling drunk; but that was Foster Brooks's claim on celebrity.<br /><br />Brooks, born in Kentucky, began his entertainment career doing stand-up comedy. His drunk act first appeared, in the 1960s, on the Steve Allen show and reappeared on singer Perry Como's show. It was "The Dean Martin Show," however, that cemented Brooks' claim to at least modest celebrity.<br /><br />Oddly, Brooks no longer drank during the part of his life wehn he was successful in show biz.<br /><br />After his frequent appearances in the 1970s with Dean Martin, whose TV persona also was built around love of strong drink, Brooks had a part in the zany series "Mork & Mindy," the show that propelled comic Robin Williams into major stardom.<br /><br />Brooks died in 2001 at age 89.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DkHjnA6myl4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DkHjnA6myl4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-17644108968158311342010-05-05T13:17:00.004-04:002010-05-05T13:42:35.957-04:00Iconic TV role: Gary BurghoffYou think Gary Burghoff, you think Radar O'Reilly on the series "M.A.S.H."<br /><br />As the ever-dependable company clerk at a medical field hospital during the Korean conflict, Radar resembled a large Cub Scout, was innocent as the driven snow, but had an other-worldly ability to sense when choppers were coming, bringing the wounded for treatment.<br /><br />Actor Gary Burghoff's mild-mannered Charlie Brown image was also put to excellent use when he played the title role in the off-Broadway production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." <br /><br />Since "M.A.S.H." he has done some commercials, has done game show work, and enjoys stamp collecting, painting, and drumming.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3T4ba6ucgI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3T4ba6ucgI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-18464495352877489982010-05-04T15:45:00.003-04:002010-05-04T15:57:56.926-04:00Iconic TV role: Darren E. BurrowsThe role of part-Native Alaskan Ed Chigliak, film buff/genius/shaman-in-training, bestowed celebrity upon actor Darren Burrows, who actually has partial Native American ancestry.<br /><br />The Ed Chigliak character was a regular on the inventive series "Northern Exposure" (1990-1995). Chigliak was an assistant to wealthy ex-astronaut Maurice Minnifield, played by Barry Corbin, and also worked part-time at Ruth-Anne Miller's general store.<br /><br />Like the show's other Native American character, Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles), Chigliak said little but knew much. In many of his scenes, he would just appear to materialize, not unlike the character Jeeves of Bertie and Jeeves fame.<br /><br />Burrows has made appearances in some quite good movies: "Casualties of War," "Amistad," and "Forty Shades of Blue," but his celebrity comes from his one iconic TV role.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iKszfxM3rlE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iKszfxM3rlE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-12655949970062437182010-05-03T15:44:00.003-04:002010-05-03T16:00:17.179-04:00Iconic TV role: Ruth BuzziSomehow, Ruth Buzzi sounds like a stage name, but it isn't. Her father, a sculptor born in the Italian side of Switzerland, settled in Rhode Island before Ruth's birth.<br /><br />Her iconic, celebrity-producing role was on the comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," where she played the grumpy, scary-looking spinster Gladys Ormphby. A hairnet with a knot in it gave the appearance of a hole in her forehead. Audiences laughed their heads off at her purse-wielding disgust when assailed by dirty-old-man Tyrone Horneigh, played by tiny Artie Johnson. Their little duets usually took place on a park bench.<br /><br />Although her celebrity came mainly from "Laugh-In," Buzzi had earlier played on Broadway and had appeared in "That Girl," "The Gary Moore Show," and with Steve Allen. <br /><br />"Laugh-In" ran from 1968 to 1973. Thereafter, Buzzi appeared in many other TV shows and in a modest number of movies. Below appears Buzzi with dashing actor Ricardo Montalban rather than Arte Johnson.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f_FM-RvLONU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f_FM-RvLONU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-86591921881930203182010-04-20T10:39:00.003-04:002010-04-20T11:09:16.684-04:00Iconic TV role: Judy CarnePeople old enough to remember watching "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" will remember Judy Carne as the English lass whose stock phrase was "Sock it to me," after which she would be pelted or soaked with water.<br /><br />She was born Joyce Botterill. After getting a few acting roles in her native England, she moved to the States and did the same. She also was for two years married in the early to mid 1960s to actor Burt Reynolds. <br /><br />In 1968 she became part of the "Laugh-In" cast, where she gained her own bit of celebrity. After the show closed in 1970,her career hit the skids. She developed a drug problem, was in a near-fatal wreck, and in that same year, 1978, was arrested on a drug charge in London. She now lives in England.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eUYAhgQT3ZU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eUYAhgQT3ZU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-79504451494237454112010-04-19T13:30:00.003-04:002010-04-19T13:47:27.408-04:00Iconic TV role: Christian ClemensonWell educated and highly talented character actor Christian Clemenson has had one iconic role: attorney Jerry Espenson on "Boston Legal," one of the cleverest, best-written comedies ever to hit television.<br /><br />Clemenson is a graduate of Phillips Academy; Harvard, where he began acting; and Yale's School of Drama. Before landing his celebrity-producing role as a multi-challenged yet brilliant lawyer, he had appeared on TV in "The Paper Chase" and "Family Ties" and in a few movies, including "The Big Lebowski" and "And the Band Played On."<br /><br />As Jerry, often referred to as "Hands," he brilliantly played an Asperger sufferer whose hands were usually glued to the front of his legs just above the knees. He also made curious and unpredictable popping sounds and whoops suggestive of someone with Turette's syndrome. The Jerry character was about as socially adept as a fence post but was hired by the firm Crane, Poole and Schmidt because of his matchless legal acumen and ability to research a case.<br /><br />Some of Clemenson's funniest moments as "Hands" came when he whipped out a wooden cigarette, a simple prop that somehow allowed him to break free of his usual diffidence, and turn into a fast-talking, dominant courtroom shark.<br /><br />Thanks to Clemenson's talent, the Jerry character deserves to be remembered as one of TV's best.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6--hvd3Pp-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6--hvd3Pp-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-66754839204609441062010-04-19T13:19:00.003-04:002010-04-19T13:29:16.795-04:00Iconic TV role: Yvonne CraigGorgeous brunette Yvonne Craig began performing on stage as a ballet dancer, got a few movie roles, and made a few TV appearances before landing the part that brought her a measure of celebrity: Batgirl in the series "Batman." <br /><br />Her a part in "Batman" came in the 1967 and 1968 seasons. Before then, Craig had appeared on "Star Trek," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E," " The Wild Wild West," and "The Big Valley."<br /><br />One aspect of the fun in her Batgirl role was that Batman and Robin did not know her identity, nor she theirs. In fictional reality, she was mild-mannered librarian Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, the man on the other end of the famous Batphone.<br /><br />After "Batman" folded, Craig appeared in a few more shows and movies, then went into real estate work.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jX1X18tyDZU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jX1X18tyDZU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-46971236546927991352010-04-19T13:03:00.003-04:002010-04-19T13:18:42.808-04:00Iconic TV role: Ken CurtisKen Curtis, born Curtis Gates, was a cowboy actor who in his younger days was a dashing, square-jawed, lady-killer leading man in Westerns, but whose real celebrity came from one role: the grizzled,illiterate sidekick Festus Haggen on TV's "Gunsmoke."<br /><br />Before acting in Westerns, Curtis sang with the Sons of the Pioneers and with Tommy Dorsey's big band. He dropped out of show biz to serve in the Army during World War II. Soon after the war's end, he appeared on Jo Stafford's radio show singing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," which became a big hit. <br /><br />Curtis acted in a number of Western movies directed by John Ford and, in addition, married Ford's daughter. <br /><br />In 1964, he replaced Dennis Weaver as Marshall Matt Dillon's deputy on the highly popular series "Gunsmoke." He played the rough-around-the-edges yet dependable middle-aged coot Festus until the show closed in 1975. That character was patterned after an actual man Curtis, the son of a real-life Colorado sheriff, had known in his youth.<br /><br />Curtis died at age 74 in 1991.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a8363Z3V0Es&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a8363Z3V0Es&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-24360879784016994272010-04-13T11:20:00.003-04:002010-04-13T11:31:03.670-04:00Iconic TV role: Calvert DeForestRelated to radio pioneer Lee DeForest, Calvert DeForest achieved his 15 minutes of fame as the enigmatic Larry "Bud"Melman on "The Late Show with David Letterman." <br /><br />DeForest began his career working for Big Pharma firm Parke Davis. The short, roundish, gnome-like man with a big, happy smile became interested in acting and found roles in a few less than notable movies before ending up on Letterman's show in the early 1980s. He was such a contrast to the svelte, toothpaste model-like celebrities who so often appear on that show that he was an immediate hit with the audience. <br /><br />DeForest appeared on that show until 2000, when, at 81, he retired. He died in 2007 at age 85. As an actor, he didn't really do much, but we were happier just from having seen him.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e6xytMiiD_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e6xytMiiD_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-60971296826408852772010-04-13T11:04:00.003-04:002010-04-13T11:17:21.125-04:00Icconic TV role: Diane DelanoActress Diane Delano is actually attractive, but as state trooper Sgt. Barbara Semanski on "Northern Exposure," she played a gruff, butch-looking toughie.<br /><br />She landed this excellent role after having appeared as a bailiff on the series "L.A. Law."<br /><br />Part of the fun she provided as Sgt. Semanski was the way her no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners approach to life appealed so strongly to another of the show's colorful characters: wealthy outdoorsman Maurice Minnifield, played by actor Barry Corbin. <br /><br />This inventive series ran from 1990 to 1995.<br /><br />Delano has appeared on "Dharma & Greg," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "ER," and a number of other shows since her celebrity-producing role on "Northern Exposure."<br /><br /><!-- LIFE IMAGE 57633390 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage2('57633390','260');</script>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-67223211429660707732010-04-12T13:12:00.003-04:002010-04-12T13:28:19.616-04:00Icopnic TV role: James DoohanYou know him as Scotty on the series "Star Trek." More completely, for Tekkies out there, he was Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott, chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise, which boldly went, etc.<br /><br />Born in Canada, Doohan served in World War II as an artillery lieutenant. He was wounded during the Normandy invasion but later became a pilot. <br /><br />After the war, he studied acting at New York's well known Neighborhood Playhouse and made many, many appearances on both radio and television.<br /><br />He landed his big role as Scotty in 1966 when the series began. He was stocky and dependable looking and was good at doing accents of various kinds. His stock in trade, though, was the Scottish accent he used as Scotty.<br /><br />Doohan also dreamed up the Klingon and Vulcan words used on the show.<br /><br />He is credited with having inspired many young viewers to study engineering. The redoughtable Dooghan had a variety of bad medical problems in his later years, including diabetes, Parkinson's and pulmonary disease. A year before his life ended, he also developed Alzheimer's. He died in 2005 at age 85. Some of his ashes were sent into space.<br /><br />Think about Doohan, and you automatically think of Capt. Kirk's stock line, "Beam me up, Scotty."<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bITjewkIRC8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bITjewkIRC8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-43083980834903623792010-04-12T11:10:00.004-04:002010-04-12T11:23:08.679-04:00Iconic TV role: Donna DouglasCute little Louisiana farm girl Donna Douglas, born Dorothy Smith,was annointed with celebrity by one TV role: Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies." She is said to have beat out around 500 other girls for that juicy, profitable part.<br /><br />She also was rather badly typecast by it.<br /><br />Douglas, in her youth, had been a beauty contest winner: Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans. At age 17, she moved to New York City and worked as a toothpaste model in TV ads, then got modest parts in several movies. <br /><br />"The Beverly Hillbillies" ran from 1962 until 1971, and Douglas rode its success the whole way. <br /><br />In 1966, she co-starred with Elvis Presley in "Frankie and Johnny," which was her only big movie role. As she aged, she got into real estate and began singing gospel.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LM2IWAeFUsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LM2IWAeFUsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7396400076289756556.post-33631094727698245582010-04-07T10:51:00.003-04:002010-04-07T11:05:35.160-04:00Iconic TV role: Jamie FarrBorn Jameel Farah in Toledo, Ohio,Jamie Farr was of Lebanese heritage and broke into show biZ in 1955 with a part in the movie "Blackboard Jungle."<br /><br />His celebrity, however, is derived from his one great TV role: Corporal Maxwell Klinger on the fantastic series "M.A.S.H."<br /><br />Klinger was willing to do darn near anything to get sent home from war-torn Korea and did his best to appear mentally unstable. His most frequent such device was dressing like a woman, and the show's audience chortled at the silly spectacle of Farr's hairy legs with his dress and high heel shoes. <br /><br />He landed character actor parts in several other quite notable movies and began appearing on TV on shows starring Danny Thomas, Danny Kaye and Dick Van Dyke. He also appeared in "My Three Sons," "The Lucy Show," "I Dream of Jennie," "The Andy Griffith Show," "F Troop," "Get Smart," "The Flying Nun," "Love, American Style," "Barnaby Jones," " The Love Boat," and other shows.<br /><br />But the one role ideal for him was Max Klinger, which he played to perfection--never quite managing to get that Section 8 discharge.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7TXTt1sEgg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7TXTt1sEgg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Blogsburg Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17506662697096861375noreply@blogger.com0