THE FLOOR IS LAVA!

Recent activity from the Popo volcano, about 32 miles from my home, have set the red alert warning all over the area. Of course, no lava yet in my living room which, incidentally, is on a third floor.

Statler and Waldorf Advice for the Holidays

The Holiday Season is upon us now, so I think it is essential to post this piece of sound advice: 

Would you believe GET SMART premiered 57 Years Ago?

 On September 18, 1965, the celebrated, funny, Emmy Award winning and still famous TV series GET SMART premiered on NBC. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, produced by Leonard B. Stern, Arne Sultan, Jay Sandrich, Jess Oppenheimer, Burt Nodella, Chris Hayward and starring Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of CONTROL, Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Edward Platt as the Chief, ran for 5 seasons and 138 episodes until 1970.

The premise of course was simple: a spoof of James Bond films and the entire spy thriller genre, featuring a bumbling secret agent working for an ultra-secret organization known as CONTROL. The series would feature memorable characters sharing the TV screen with Maxwell Smart such as Agent 99, a beautiful female spy who's smarter than Smart; The Chief, head of CONTROL who keeps sending agent 86 on important and delicate missions in spite of Smart's customary bungling; Hymie the Robot, an almost human robotic agent; Larrabee, an agent who is even dumber than Max; Ludwig Von Siegfried, a recurring archvillain who is the vice president in charge of public relations and terror at KAOS, the comedy counterpart of 007's SPECTRE; Stryker, his henchman, among several other equally remarkable characters.

Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) and Don Adams (Agent 86)

The (perennially out-of-order) Cone of Silence

Edward Platt as the Chief, head of CONTROL

Bernie Kopell as KAOS chief operative Ludwig Von Siegfried

The great theme song written by Irving Szathmary:

GET SMART opening credits

Dick Gautier as Hymie The Robot

Robert Karvelas as Larrabee

Many catchphrases from the show became part of American pop culture like:

 "Sorry about that, Chief!"

Maxwell Smart: You see the moment I suspected there was something wrong with this old scow, I immediately telephoned headquarters and I happen to know that at this very minute seven coast guard cutters are converging on this boat. Would you believe it? Seven.

Mr. Big: I find that pretty hard to believe.

Maxwell Smart: Would you believe six?

Mr. Big: I don't think so.

Maxwell Smart: How about two cops in a rowboat?

Beautiful Barbara Feldon in the premiere episode of GET SMART

The TV Show also spanned a series of comic books and paperbacks.

There is an almost infinite list of great bits of dialogue, funny gags, ridiculous gadgets, hilarious characters and bits of business to write about but the best way to remember GET SMART is by watching and rewatching the show which I never get tired of doing!

YESTERDAY, LOVE WAS SUCH AN EASY GAME TO PLAY!

On tour in Guadalajara with actress Irlanda Mora and an unidentified girl, many, many, many years ago! We were appearing with a comedy play in a local night club and we were taping some promo footage for local TV channels to advertise the show. 

 This photo also proves I've met some women in my time! 

THE CORONAPRISONER!

TRUTH HURTS!

THE MUNSTERS!

                                                  "America's First Family of Fright!"
During the Monster Craze of the mid-sixties, television became the resting ground for many supernatural and horror-inspired shows. My favorite one was, without any doubt, THE MUNSTERS, which were an average and typical American family, except for the fact that Father Herman looked like the Frankenstein monster, Mother Lily and Grandpa, were vampires and their son Eddie was a werewolf. The 'different"one in that family happened to be young Marilyn, who was a beautiful blonde girl, with normal looks which the rest of her family accepted lovingly.

Fred Gwynne, who previously had starred in the comedy series "CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?", portrayed Herman Munster. Beautiful movie siren Yvonne De Carlo gave life to Lily Munster while Al Lewis, also from "CAR 54", inhabited the role of Grandpa Munster. The rest of the cast was completed with Butch Patrick who played little Eddie Munster and lovely Beverley Owen as Marilyn Munster.

THE MUNSTERS lived in 1313 Mockingbird Lane which was located on the backlot of Universal Studios, the same place where the original Universal monsters were created, back in the 1930s and 40s.

The show was successful enough to span lots of toys and collectible merchandise which, to this day, is still sought after by memorabilia enthusiasts.

After 13 episodes of the first season, Beverley Owen left the series to join her boyfriend and was replaced by Pat Priest, who did a marvelous job as Marilyn until the show ended in 1966.

As of this writing, only Butch Patrick and Pat Priest are still the only living members from the series.

Fred Gwynne passed on in 1993; Yvonne De Carlo died in 2007, Al Lewis left us in 2006 and Beverley Owen joined them February 21, 2019.

However, the show is still well remembered and running in syndication on several TV channels. 

THE MUNSTERS were also featured in a Gold Key comic which published 16 issues during the 60s and two reunion movies followed, one right after the show was cancelled in 1966, MUNSTER, GO HOME and a TV special in 1988, THE MUNSTERS' REVENGE.

 

                      

   

And with these images of the TV show and the Gold Key comics, we bid farewell to that typical

 All-American family, THE MUNSTERS, wishing you a very Frightful and Happy Halloween!

As a bonus, here are the openings of both seasons: