I Love Shanties

Ken Berry, star of such TV shows as Mayberry R.F.D., F-Troop, and Mama's Family has passed away at the age of 85. He became fascinated with dancing at the age of 13 and was entered into many variety shows. In 1955, at the behest of his army sergeant, Leonard Nimoy, he went to Los Angeles where he studied acting. It was at the Billy Barnes Revue that he caught the eye of Lucille Ball who offered him a job at Desilu Studios. The next several years would see him get the lead in the western comedy F-Troop and then as the replacement for Andy Griffith in the continuation series Mayberry R.F.D. He also appeared in the pilot for Kelly's Kids, a Brady Bunch spin-off that wasn't picked up.

The next few years were a little slow for him but he continued to travel the country and perform on stage. He had appeared numerous times as a guest on The Carol Burnett Show and was given the role of Vinton Harper on Mama's Family, a spin-off of one of the recurring sketches. While the series was canceled after two seasons, it was later picked up for first-run syndication, lasting three more seasons. After Mama's Family, Ken Berry all but retired from acting, his last role being in an episode of Maggie Winters in 1999.

"Yeah, that's funny. So are you really never eating lobster again or will you be joining us tonight?"

Seafood's not that great. There. I said it. And no amount of butter or fried bread coating will change my mind. Come at me!

If you would like to support my writing and research, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-Fi.

Wrong Side

Stan Lee
1922 - 2018

EXCELSIOR!

"Gee, you look awful, Thorny!"

"Thanks, dick."

Maybe Brutus and Gladys need a new mattress. Or, based on the bubbles above his head, he is horribly hungover from a night of drinking and debauchery. They usually do that on Saturday night but had to switch because the host couldn't get a sitter.

Yes, Stare At a Book

Yesterday, Asheville, North Carolina police found Night Court actor Harry Anderson dead in his home, he was 65. Anderson got his start as a street magician and self-proclaimed con artist who then made it big by performing his act on Saturday Night Live. He then landed a recurring role as Harry the Hat on Cheers in 1982 before becoming Judge Harold T. Stone on Night Court. After Night Court ended in 1992, Anderson took the role of Dave Barry in the series Dave's World until 1997. Since then, he's been relatively dormant making a couple guest spots on Son of the Beach and 30 Rock. His last major role was as Professor Kaman in the Christian film Leap of Faith.

Harry Anderson had a huge influence on me. His presence on Night Court helped mold me as a teenager when I watched in reruns. Because of Anderson, I wanted to get into law and become a judge. I wanted to start wearing fedoras. I wanted to learn magic. I wanted to start liking Mel Torme. The Mel Torme thing actually happened. I'm listening to Mel as I write this. Even after Night Court, he continued to inspire me. I wanted to be a syndicated newspaper columnist, a loving but sarcastic and lackadaisical father and husband. I wanted to convey professionalism but look like myself even if that wasn't professional. A lot of who I am is because of how much Harry Anderson inspired me.

Harry Anderson is the first celebrity death that makes me feel like I lost a member of my family. That's how important he was to my world. When I created a television series, I specifically based the father on Anderson and secretly hoped that if it was ever made, he would actually be cast. I named the main character in my Zeke & Harry stories after Anderson. When I had to create a pseudonym for one of my jobs, I chose "Brian Anderson". I am huge fan of the play "Harvey" because of Anderson. I read Stephen King's "It" because Harry Anderson starred in the television adaptation.

Even though I never met Harry Anderson, I always wished him a happy birthday on social media. Somehow, something I wrote or something I saw always came back to Harry Anderson. Even though he was mostly retired, I will miss his presence. The world of comedy and magic are a little dimmer now. Harry, my hat's off to you.

Here's to ya, here's toward ya, if I hadn't of met ya, I wouldn't'a know'd ya.

Harry Anderson

1952-2018

I am an advocate for reading. I try to get my kids and my students to read when they have nothing else to do. It can be so hard to do that because for a lot of my kids, the only time they read is when it is for a grade which makes reading not fun, work, and, sometimes, punishment. Unlike me, who grew up with books so reading is more fun than work.

I used to read to my son, usually before bed. Because of that, I think he has a decent respect for reading and can do it if he has to. Doesn't mean he wants to but being able to read is a huge step up from a lot of what I see.

Somber Saturday

I got some sad news yesterday. My old boss from Baldwin High School, special education teacher, Laura Beaulieu has passed away. She started working in the special education department at Baldwin High in 1995 and was there until she had to leave in December of 2015. She was an inspiration to her coworkers and her students through her passion in teaching and helping kids with disabilities. She began the annual Mardis Gras Diversity Day which celebrated a wide variety of disabilities inviting the special education departments from dozens of other school to celebrate with cajun food cooked by the kids, zydeco music, and a wide assortment of games and entertainment.

Her death comes after a short battle with breast cancer. The things I remember most were the looks she got when a struggling student was able to pass a class that was difficult for them and when she would talk about her children and grandchildren. Laura was definitely a soul taken from this world too soon. But, then again, aren't a lot of people?



Family Circus

PJ is right to look worried, not because his older brother is too weak and about to drop him but because Jeffy is clearly suggesting that Bil and Thel take their youngest to a shady doctor and have his pituitary gland removed.

Richard Thompson, 1957 - 2016

I began reading Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac toward the end of its run. I had started seeing a lot about it after Thompson won the Reuben for best cartoonist in 2011 and decided to check it out. Like everyone else, I fell in love with it and was saddened to see it come to an end in 2012 due to Thompson's battle with Parkinson's disease. Sadly, Thompson passed away yesterday at the age of 58. He had spent his retirement from cartooning advocating for a cure to Parkinson's. He worked with other cartoonists to get donations and funding and was even able to get reclusive Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson to not only re-enter the public spotlight but paint a portrait of Thompson's character Petey Otterloop.

Thompson had the rare distinction of being placed with Charles Schulz and Watterson as one of the most inspirational cartoonists of our time. Cul de Sac was as highly regarded as Peanuts and the art as unique as Calvin and Hobbes. It is sad that we won't be able to see Thompson triumphantly come out of retirement but we are glad that he is out of pain and that he may rest in peace.

The first Cul de Sac strip. September 10, 2007.

The last Cul de Sac strip. September 23, 2012.

The Lockhorns

Leroy and Loretta sure do like to smash things. Yesterday, it was the car. Today, the washing machine. I can only assume that Leroy is carrying the dryer someplace to throw it off a cliff.

Beetle Bailey

Why is it taking Beetle so long to realize that his watch isn't under there? His bed is the only thing in a twenty foot radius. You can literally stand five feet away and see everything under and around that bed.

Mark Trail

Pfft. I'm from Kansas and we have people greeting us by blowing conch shells as you drive up to our hotels too.

New Adventures of Queen Victoria

He Was the Greatest!

I'm not a boxing fan but how could anyone not like Muhammad Ali? He made sports more than just a game--he made them entertainment. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1984 but he continued to be active will into the 2000s despite a gradual decline in health. The most inspiring moment from him, and one that still brings tears to my eyes, was his lighting the Olympic torch at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. Even today, it's inspiring.

Rest In Peace, Champ.

Dennis the Menace

 Dennis attempts to ruin a guy's birdwatching by pointing out the different kinds of poo they produce. 7 of 10 on the menacing scale.

Family Circus

I could make a joke about the Keanes living in Colorado City, Arizona and the FLDS and Warren Jeffs and the rampant underage polygamy but I'm not.

Marvin

Ugh. Why is Marvin going to rub his feces on the computer. I know it just be a generic joke about how disgusting babies and toddlers are (which they are) but this is the comic strip Marvin. It's about poop.

Funky Winkerbean

Whoever placed that ad spent a lot of money for something that a very small minority would understand.

Mallard Fillmore

I find it hard to believe that there are 700 people who care that much about this strip that they would email Tinsley and/or the syndicate about it.

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1281: Jack Larson, 1928-2015

Jack Larson, who portrayed Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s "The Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves, has passed away. Larson is my personal favorite Olsen and it just seems like no other portrayal does Jimmy justice.

I would say that this will begin a new chapter in this long-running comic strip but Brutus has been fired before and the next day he's back at work with Veeblefester's arm awkwardly around his shoulder.

Dick Van Patten, 1928-2015

Dick Van Patten, best known as the patriarch Tom Bradford on the television series Eight Is Enough, has passed away. He was 86.

Anne Meara, 1929-2015

Anne Meara, wife to Jerry Stiller and mother to Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller has passed away. She had been married to Jerry since 1954 and was half of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara who made frequent appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Their careers declined along with variety shows but they continued writing and performing appearing in recurring and guest roles. Meara appeared in Rhoda, Sex and the City, and The King of Queens.

Stan Freberg, 1926-2015

Stan Freberg, noted comedian, voice actor, writer, radio personality and recording artist, has passed away at the age of 88. Freberg got his start at Warner Bros. in 1944 where he became a prolific voice actor both there and at Walt Disney. In 1951, he recorded "St. George and the Dragonet" with Daws Butler and June Foray, which became a hit in 1953. From there, Freberg started parodying hit songs from the time. Freberg became a huge inspiration to "Weird Al" Yankovic. Stan Freberg replaced Jack Benny on CBS Radio in 1957 but his own Stan Freberg Show was canceled after only 15 episodes due to Freberg refusing any advertisements from alcohol and tobacco companies.

On television, Freberg did voices on Bob Clampitt's Time for Beany, performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, appeared in a recurring role on Roseanne and did voice work on The Garfield Show.

We looked this up at work because some student was saying that he'd just fill out a bracket for every possible outcome and we were saying it would be impossible because it would be in the millions. He claimed it would only be in the hundred thousands. So we looked it up and discovered you would need to fill out over 9 quintillion (9,000,000,000,000,000,000+) brackets in order to get every single outcome. I can barely fill out two, let alone a hundred thousand, a million or 9 quintillion.

1158

1149: "What Was That Comic About the Boy?" "Thanks, Mom, That Really Narrows It Down."

When I first got my giant encyclopedia on comic strips, my mom asked me about "this comic strip about a boy." Well, that narrowed it down a lot but she was able to say that the boy had dark hair, and talked to animals. The only comics I could think of that even remotely matched her description were Wee Pals:

Will-Yum:

freaking Mark Trail:

and Dondi:

None of these strips were what my mom was talking about. One, being about a "dark-haired boy" is stretching it and, two, none of them talk to animals. I still think that my mom either made it up or she was talking about Dondi, a strip that ran from 1955 to 1986 so it's possible she may have seen it. I think she mixed it up with Mark Trail or something. Let's all remember that this is the same woman who asked me a couple days ago "who was that cartoon character on the glass who would help people?"*

Dondi was a World War II orphan created by Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen. Edson died in 1966 and Bob Oksner took over his duties with Hasen until the strip ended in 1986. Oksner passed away in 2007 and Hasen passed away yesterday, March 13, 2015, at the age of 96.

So I guess we are using the words 'quality' and 'food' loosely here.

Wait a minute, four days ago, Wilberforce was complaining about having to walk to school in the rain but now he wants to go play in it? I'd let him go then the next time he complains about walking to school in the rain, show him this strip then through him out the door.




*It was this guy:

1136: Gary Owens, 1934-2015

Gary Owens, voice artist extraordinaire whose trademark baritone voice was heard on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, cartoons like Space Ghost, Blue Falcon, Garfield and Friends, The Ren and Stimpy and numerous other guest roles, has passed away. He was 80.

Just take some flowers from the local cemetery. Gladys will never know the difference.*









*Note: I do not condone stealing flowers from a cemetery.

Mickey Rooney, 1920-2014

Mickey Rooney, one of the most famous child actors in entertainment history, star of the Andy Hardy series of films, has passed away as the age of 93.

Sid Caesar, 1922-2014

Sid Caesar, star of the 1950-1954 television series Your Show Of Shows, has passed away at the age 91. From the 1970s and for the rest of his life he made numerous appearances in television shows, movies, nightclubs. Caesar has been credited for making the variety show format what it is today.

Shirley Temple, 1928-2014

My favorite Shirley Temple movies is "Bright Eyes", the story of an orphaned girl embroiled in a custody battle between her godfather and the head of the family her mother worked for before being killed in a car accident. I haven't watched it in years but the plot of the movie is seered into my brain.

I don't think there is anyone out there who doesn't like Shirley Temple. Despite what you think about child stars, Shirley Temple became the epitome of child stardom. When a child wants to become a star, they want to become as big as Shirley Temple was. When you look at Temple's movies, she is a natural. She genuinely seems to enjoy performing and entertaining people. When you see her, your face lights up and you just want to be around her. Despite the times her movies appeared in, the Great Depression, Temple's movies were always optimistic, upbeat and hopeful. In 1937, British film critic Graham Greene called Temple a "complete totsy" and said she was too nubile for a 9-year-old. Temple and 20th Century Fox sued for libel and won. The money awarded was left in a trust for Temple and she opened a youth center in England when she turned 21 with it.

In 1940, Temple starred in two consecutive flops, The Blue Bird and Young People. Her parents then bought out her contract and sent her to a school in Los Angeles. At the studio, her bungalow was renovated, every instances of her were removed and it was turned into an office building. But Temple shortly signed with MGM who hoped to cast her alongside Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney but that never came to fruition and in 1941, Temple and MGM parted ways amicably. Temple tried again with United Artists in 1942 but then threw herself into school and other activities until 1944 when she appeared in two movies from David O. Selsnick, who told her she was now typecast and that she should move, gain maturity as an actress and even change her name. In 1950, Temple failed to win the role of Peter Pan on Broadway and officially announced her retirement December 16th.

After films and dipping her toe into television, Shirley Temple, now Shirley Temple Black after marrying Charles Alden Black in 1950, became actively in politics. She ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in California but when then appointed by Richard Nixon to the UN General Assembly. She then was appointed as an ambassador to Ghana (1974-1976 under President Ford) and Czechoslovakia (1989-1992 under President Bush).

Shirley Temple Black died at her home in Woodside, California. She was 85.

Until next time, I remain...
~Brian