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The seven lead characters in Sherwood Schwartz's 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island" have become an indelible part of the world's pop consciousness, emerging as a new canon of distinctly American Commedia del'arte archetypes. The Professor (Russell Johnson) is the updated version of Il Dottore. Mr. Howell (Jim Backus) is the new Pantolone. The Skipper (Alan Hale) is clearly a modern Scaramuccia, and Gilligan (Bob Denver), well, he's Arlecchino. Additionally, Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) is likely Colombiana, Ginger (Tina Louise) is Gianduja, and Mrs. Howell (Natalie Schafer) is ... I guess another Pantolone.

It's hard to imagine a world where the seven stock "Gilligan's Island" characters were dramatically altered, as the seven characters audiences saw were downright perfect. One could always predict how one character might interact with any of the others.

Of course, it took a little trial and error to get the characters right.

Alan Hale Jr. was a showbiz veteran before he could speak. The son of Alan Hale, a popular character actor best known for his portrayal of Little John in Michael Curtiz' classic "The Adventures of Robin Hood," Hale Jr. appeared in silent films as a baby and made a few war movies as a young man before serving in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Once the war was over, Hale Jr. worked steadily in film and television, turning up on episodes of "Gunsmoke," "Mister Ed," and "Lassie" while landing supporting roles in movies starring John Wayne, Gregory Peck, and Randolph Scott.

Hale Jr. would be castigated as a nepobaby today, but while being literally born to the business didn't hurt his cause, he was a natural in front of the camera and a welcome presence in just about everything. So, it's no surprise that, after a difficult casting process,...

Movies and television have often had a push-pull relationship. When brands and intellectual properties became king near the start of the 21st century, TV became the place to go for creatives who wanted to tell bold and original stories to a mainstream audience. In contrast, the social revolutions of the 1960s saw networks burying their heads in the sand, serving up a buffet of conservative-leaning sitcoms where just about everybody was white, straight, and Christian, nobody had sex or cursed, and things like the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War might as well be happening on Neptune. Meanwhile, the pictures swung in the opposite direction; the rise of New Hollywood meant that the escapist studio fare of yore was no longer fashionable.

It was in this climate that Norman Lear came up with the idea for "All in the Family," inspired by the British dramedy series "Till Death Do Us Part...

One of the most famous moments in TV history came on September 26, 1962 with the airing of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" episode "Never Name a Duck," the first episode of the second season. During the opening credits of the show, Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) entered through his front door while the upbeat theme music (composed by Earle Hagan) played on the soundtrack. The announcer shouted out the names of the stars: Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Matthews, and Mary Tyler Moore. Rob stepped out of a foyer and immediately tripped over a large ottoman in his way. Van Dyke, a brilliant physical comedian, tumbled all the way over, rolling over his shoulder and landing on his back. It remains, to this day, one of the most celebrated pratfalls in the history of the medium.

For many years, certain audience members assumed the fall was accidental and that the show's creator,...

While Gary Larson's The Far Side is known for its surreal sensibilities and bizarre insights into nature, it also takes its fair share of shots at pop culture - including Disney. Starting in 1980, some of its references - such as the talking-horse sitcom Mister Ed - are now dated, but Disney's longevity means Larson's strip still has plenty to say about the movies and shows that fans know and love.

Here, then, are the ten funniest The Far Side strips which take a swipe at Disney, including everything from Dumbo to The Mickey Mouse Club, and a surprise bonus inclusion that puts a genuinely weird spin on Disney and The Far Side's relationship.

Jiminy Cricket

Gary Larson is particularly beloved by scientists, as his fascination with the natural world and the scientific process can be surprisingly deep. Larson has had multiple insects named in his honor, and his...

When I saw that both the Golden Globes (coming to a TV set or streaming monitor near you next Tuesday) and the Critics Choice Awards had nominated “The Bear” and its lead actor Jeremy Allen White — and in the case of the Critics Choice, supporting actress Ayo Edebiri, too — in Comedy categories, I thought maybe there was something wrong with my laugh detector. So I sat my wife down to watch a couple of episodes of the FX on Hulu freshman series about the drama inside a Chicago sandwich shop so we could find the hilarity together. We emerged pleasantly exhausted from the experience of taking in the show’s excitement, intensity and superb performances — but we didn’t laugh once. In point of fact, we didn’t even crack a smile.

“What’s wrong with us?” I asked Jill.

“Nothing,” she replied. “This show is a lot of things,...

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” has been off the last couple of weeks, so Colbert didn’t get to comment on one of the biggest, and saddest/most enraging stories of the last few weeks: People who refuse to take a Covid-19 vaccine but will take medicine intended for livestock when they catch the potentially deadly illness.

So when he returned on Tuesday night, Colbert kicked off the new episode with a cold open gag that mocked those people, via a parody of the 1960s sitcom “Mister Ed.”

As you certainly know by now, the newest quack medical advice being propagated by people who refuse to take a vaccine is that Covid-19 can be treated using Ivermectin, a de-worming medication primarily used to treat livestock. Health authorities have warned people not to take the medication, which has not been proven to have any effect on Covid. In addition, several...

You’d be forgiven for not knowing what’s going on with The Walking Dead at the moment.

Once TV’s most-watched series, AMC’s long-running zombie drama is…still one of TV’s most-watched series but significantly less so than it was at its peak. The show, based on Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s 193-issue comic of the same name, still receives plenty of active fans and bemused weekly onlookers. Here at Den of Geek we’re a bit of both.

We know people are still watching The Walking Dead, now three episodes into its 24-episode final season. And yet, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the average TV viewer’s knowledge of the show ended years ago. (Perhaps not coincidentally right around the time that Glenn died and actor Steven Yeun began his rightful ascent as a movie star).

Consider this feature a public service announcement then.

There weren’t many other figures of old Hollywood like Mae West, a bold comic performer who was at least 50 years head of her time in terms of her material and command of her career.

She was born August 17, probably in 1893, though accounts differ. Variety covered her vaudeville appearances starting in 1911, describing her as a “cyclonic young singer” in shows like “Big Gaiety Review.” In 1912, Variety tried to discreetly describe her specialty act in Philadelphia, which was called “A Muscle Dance in a Sitting Position.” The PR stated: “It is all in the way she does it, and her way is all her own.”

That doesn’t provide a lot of clues, but the phrase “her way is all her own” sums up her style and her work. West took charge of her life and career. She challenged taboos by dealing with sex in a comic tone, when America’s...

Back in 2013 — fresh from playing bass on what would turn out to be one of Van Halen’s final tours — Wolfgang Van Halen turned his attention to his own music, demoing a song he called “Mammoth,” a nod to one of the early names of his father’s band. “It was the first time I felt like, ‘Yeah, I’m ready to do this,'” Van Halen recalls.

Seven years later, that song is finally coming out on the self-titled debut from Mammoth Wvh, his one-man-band. It drops on June 11th.

The Thief of Baghdad

Blu ray – All Region

Colosseo Film

1961 /100 min.

Starring Steve Reeves, Georgia Moll, Arturo Dominici

Cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli

Directed by Arthur Lubin

When he shuffled off this mortal coil in 1995, Arthur Lubin’s New York Times obituary was titled “Arthur Lubin, 96, Director Of ‘Mr. Ed’ TV Series, Dies.” It’s doubtful the prolific Lubin would have complained about that particular credit headlining his accomplishments; the man who directed Karloff and Lugosi, jumpstarted Abbott and Costello’s film career and gave Clint Eastwood his first break, also had a thing for talking animals. In 1950 he bought the rights to a book about a talking mule and began a series of hit comedies starring a four-legged chatterbox named Francis and his two-legged pal played by Donald O’Connor.

Industrious to a fault, Lubin’s career was spent crisscrossing from theater to film to television and back again yet...

Richard Erdman, a film and TV actor who made a long career as an affable sidekick and character actor, has died. He was 93 and no cause of death was given.

An Oklahoma native, Erdman was the consummate secondary player. His venues ranged from the original Twilight Zone, where he played a man with a timepiece that could freeze the world, to Fred Zinneman’s The Men, where he played an easy-going paralyzed veteran who helps Marlon Brando adjust to life as a paraplegic.

Other notable roles by Erdman included his stint as an alcoholic ex-Marine in Cry Danger, and Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17, where he played a barracks chief.

Erdman moved to Los Angeles in 1941, enrolling in Hollywood High School. He was offered a Warner Bros. contract and appeared in Mr. Skeffington and later as Scooper Nolan in Janie (1944). He made 30 films at Warners, including an appearance in The Time of Your Life...

Guillermo del Toro's back with a superb horror romance starring Sally Hawkins. Here's our review of The Shape Of Water...

Director Guillermo del Toro applies his off-kilter sensibility to this horror romance, which reads like an idiosyncratic collision of Edward Scissorhands, Amelie and The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Like del Toro’s Spanish-language, out-and-out classics, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, The Shape Of Water is a fairytale studded with sharp barbs of horror - and a timely underlying theme about ‘forbidden’ love.

Sally Hawkins stars as Eliza, a mute, lonely woman whose only close friend is the eccentric neighbour in the next apartment - Giles (Richard Jenkins), a gay commercial illustrator who, like Eliza, lives alone. Each day, Eliza wakes up, puts some eggs on the boil, has a bath, enthusiastically pleasures herself, and then heads off to work on the bus.

Eliza does the...

Producer whose hirings and firings resulted in a string of hit TV shows and films of the 1960s and 70s

Martin Ransohoff, who has died aged 90, was a hands-on film producer, who had to fire directors and actors from time to time. These cruel-to-be-kind executive decisions were justified by his having a string of hits in the 1960s and 70s. Ransohoff is also remembered for having discovered the actor Sharon Tate, whom he introduced to her future husband, the director Roman Polanski.

Tate was 20 and had previously worked in television and magazine advertisements when she met Ransohoff, the chairman of the production company Filmways in 1963. Although she had no acting experience, Ransohoff signed her to a seven-year contract, taking three years to groom her for stardom. In the meantime, he gave her small parts in his company’s television productions of Mister Ed and The Beverly Hillbillies, and walk-on roles...

Sharon Tate was 26 in 1969 and about to begin a new chapter of her life: The successful actress was married to director Roman Polanski and eight-and-a-half months pregnant with their first child.

But that was all cut short when Sharon was killed — along with Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent — in a horrific stabbing at her Los Angeles-area home by followers of cult leader Charles Manson.

Manson, whose name became synonymous with evil after his arrest in connection with the 1969 murders of Tate and eight others, died of natural causes on Sunday night. He was 83 and serving a...

Joe Fleishaker, an actor who weighed in at 500-pounds and became Troma Entertainment’s biggest action star, has died. He was 62. He passed away Monday at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Fleishaker made his name starring in the cult “Toxic Avenger” franchise, along with films including “Poultrygeist,” “Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.,” “Terror Firmer” and “Tromeo and Juliet.” Also Read: Alan Young, Star of 'Mister Ed,' Dies at 96 The cause of death has not yet been determined, but the Brooklyn native suffered from morbid obesity and congestive heart failure, and his family suspects it was a heart attack.

Actor Alan Young has died at the age of 96. Born Angus Young, on November 19, 1919, Young is perhaps best known as Wilbur Post, from the Mister Ed TV show, which began in syndication and was picked up by CBS. Young also provided the voice for Scrooge McDuck on the DuckTales TV show and other Disney properties.

Mr. Young's other TV series work includes House of Mouse, The Ren & Stimpy Show, The Smurfs, Coming of Age, Alvin & the Chipmunks, The Dukes, The Incredible Hulk, and Battle of the Planets.

Read More…...

Comedic actor Alan Young, who for six seasons starred opposite a talking horse in the classic ’60s sitcom Mister Ed, died Tuesday of natural causes. He was 96.

On Mister Ed, which ran on CBS from 1961-1966, Young portrayed architect Wilbur Post. Prior to that he was best known for headlining CBS’ The Alan Young Show, which netted him a Best Actor Emmy.

His other TV credits included guest appearances on The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote, St. Elsewhere, Party of Five and ER. On the big screen, he co-starred in such films as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, Tom Thumb, The Time Machine...

Alan Young, the actor who played Wilbur on "Mister Ed" ... has died. The character, whom the horse, of course, of course, called "Wilburrrrrrrrrr" ... became one of the most popular on TV from 1961 - 1965.   As you know, Mr. Ed would only speak to Wilbur, and they kept their secret throughout the run of the series. As you know, no one can talk to a horse, of course, that is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr.

Alan Young, the Canadian-English actor best known as Wilbur on CBS’ 1960s talking-horse sitcom Mister Ed who also provided the voice of Disney’s Scrooge McDuck for more than three decades, died Thursday. He was 96. He had been living at the Motion Picture and Television Fund campus in Woodland Hills. Born in 1919 in North Shields, Northumberland, England, his family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, when he was a small child and shortly after to Vancouver, B.C.. After an…...

Alan Young, the Canadian-English actor best known as Wilbur on CBS’ 1960s talking-horse sitcom Mister Ed who also provided the voice of Disney’s Scrooge McDuck for more than three decades, died Thursday. He was 96. He had been living at the Motion Picture and Television Fund campus in Woodland Hills. Born in 1919 in North Shields, Northumberland, England, his family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, when he was a small child and shortly after to Vancouver, B.C.. After an…...

Alan Young, a veteran actor who played Wilbur Post on the hit sitcom Mister Ed, died Thursday at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 96. Young died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his adult children, according to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which announced his passing. Young starred on the CBS comedy for five seasons from 1961-66, playing the married architect who owned a talking horse named Mr. Ed (voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane). In 1995, Young opened up to People about his time on the show and working with his equine costar,...

Alan Young, a veteran actor who played Wilbur Post on the hit sitcom Mister Ed, died Thursday at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 96.

Young died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his adult children, according to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which announced his passing.

Young starred on the CBS comedy for five seasons from 1961–66, playing the married architect who owned a talking horse named Mr. Ed (voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane).

In 1995, Young opened up to People about his time on the show and working with his equine costar,...

Alan Young, a veteran actor who played Wilbur Post on the hit sitcom Mister Ed, died Thursday at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 96. Young died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his adult children, according to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which announced his passing. Young starred on the CBS comedy for five seasons from 1961-66, playing the married architect who owned a talking horse named Mr. Ed (voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane). In 1995, Young opened up to People about his time on the show and working with his equine costar,...

Alan Young, a veteran actor who played Wilbur Post on the hit sitcom Mister Ed, died Thursday at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 96. Young died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his adult children, according to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which announced his passing. Young starred on the CBS comedy for five seasons from 1961-66, playing the married architect who owned a talking horse named Mr. Ed (voiced by Allan "Rocky" Lane). In 1995, Young opened up to People about his time on the show and working with his equine costar,...

Alan Young, who starred as Wilbur Post on the 1960s TV series “Mister Ed,” died Thursday, a spokesperson for the actor told TheWrap. He was 96. Young also voiced the character Scrooge McDuck in numerous Disney films and TV series. Born in North Shields, Northumberland, England, Young and his family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, and later to Canada. After a stint in the Royal Canadian Navy, Young landed his own radio series on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Also Read: Guy Clark, Grammy-Winning Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 74 After moving to the U.S., he starred on NBC’s “The Alan Young Show.” Young gained his greatest fame,...

Marking one of the first celebrity deaths of 2015, Donna Douglas died in her Louisiana home on Thursday (January 1). According to reports, the beloved “Beverly Hillbillies” actress’ cause of death has not been disclosed. She was 81.

Ms. Douglas is best-known for her role as Elly May Clampett, though she also starred on shows like “The Twilight Zone,” “Mister Ed” and “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”

In addition to her acting gigs, Donna also made headlines for unsuccessfully suing Disney, Whoopi Goldberg and Bette Midler for $200 on grounds that they stole her idea for “Sister Act.” She also won a settlement with Mattel after they used her “Beverly Hillbillies” name and likeness for a Barbie doll.

Donna Douglas, best known for playing Elly May Clampett in the classic sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, died on New Year’s Day at the age of 81.

Douglas passed away in her Louisiana home, surrounded by friends and family, her granddaughter tells TMZ.

In addition to her turn as the Hillbillies‘ resident tomboy, Douglas’ extensive television resumé includes roles in McMillan & Wife, Twilight Zone and Mister Ed.

She also opposite Elvis Presley in the movie Frankie and Johnny.

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Donna Douglas -- who famously portrayed Elly May Clampett on the legendary 60s TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies" -- passed away Thursday at her home in Louisiana with friends and family by her side. Douglas' granddaughter confirmed the death to TMZ. Donna starred on "The Beverly Hillbillies" for all nine seasons and even returned for the 1981 reunion TV movie. Douglas also appeared in several other iconic TV series, including "Mister Ed," "The Twilight Zone," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,...

Donna Douglas, best known for her role as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, has died, TMZ and other outlets reported on Friday, Jan. 2. She was 81 years old. Family members reportedly confirmed her death to both TMZ and local news station Wafb in Louisiana, where Douglas lived and died. Born in Pride, La., in 1933, Douglas made her first appearances on screen in the late 1950s. Throughout her career, she had parts on the TV series Mister Ed and Twilight Zone, as well as in [...]...

We were saddened by the news that Gandalf's faithful grey horse Shadowfax - real name Blanco - had died after suffering from an illness last week.

So we thought we'd take the opportunity to stop mourning and instead celebrate Shadowfax and ten other great fictional horses on TV and the silver screen below:

1. Silver

"Hi-Yo Silver! Away!" were the trademark commands of the Lone Ranger to Silver, the magnificent fictional white stallion from the iconic Us radio show and TV series.

A chestnut mare called Dusty was Silver's original predecessor, which is revealed in the 1938 episode The Legend of Silver. When the Lone Ranger saves Silver's life from a savage buffalo, Silver gives up living in the wild, wild west to instead carry the masked former Texas Ranger as his loyal equestrian companion.

2. Seabiscuit

"Let's go, Pops!" Seabiscuit was a real racehorse during the Great Depression in the Us who...

We were saddened by the news that Gandalf's faithful grey horse Shadowfax - real name Blanco - had died after suffering from an illness last week.

So we thought we'd take the opportunity to stop mourning and instead celebrate Shadowfax and ten other great fictional horses on TV and the silver screen below:

1. Silver

"Hi-Yo Silver! Away!" were the trademark commands of the Lone Ranger to Silver, the magnificent fictional white stallion from the iconic Us radio show and TV series.

A chestnut mare called Dusty was Silver's original predecessor, which is revealed in the 1938 episode The Legend of Silver. When the Lone Ranger saves Silver's life from a savage buffalo, Silver gives up living in the wild, wild west to instead carry the masked former Texas Ranger as his loyal equestrian companion.

2. Seabiscuit

"Let's go, Pops!" Seabiscuit was a real racehorse during the Great Depression in the Us who...

July 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of "Free Willy," the emotional family film which stole the hearts of viewers. Starring Jason James Richter as a young man who becomes friends with an Orca whale named Willy (played by famous whale Keiko), "Free Willy" brought in $77.69 million at the box office and was followed by two sequels: "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" and "Free Willy 3: The Rescue."

In celebration of the anniversary of "Free Willy," remember Keiko the Orca Whale and eight other famed animal actors.

Keiko the Orca Whale: Fans fell in love with Keiko when he starred in "Free Willy."

Buddy the Golden Retriever: Buddy starred as the family dog Comet in "Full House," as well as the athletic pup in the "Air Bud" movies.

Uggie the Jack Russell Terrier: A campaign was launched after Uggie starred in the Oscar-winning film "The Artist" to give the dog an Academy Award.

So sad. ‘The Waltons’ star Joe Conley died of complications from dementia at the age of 85 at a California care facility.

Joe Conley, best known for his role as a small town storekeeper in the 1970s television series The Waltons, died July 7 in Newbury Park, Calif. at age 85.

Joe Conley Dies — Waltons Co-Stars Remember Actor On Facebook

Joe played good-natured storekeeper Ike Godsey on the CBS family drama The Waltons from 1972 to 1981. He was well-loved by his co-stars, who took to social media to honor his memory.

Joe’s former co-star Mary Beth McDonough, who played Erin Walton on The Waltons, confirmed his death in a Facebook post.

Mary Beth wrote, “It is a sad day. So sorry to let you know Joe Conley, our beloved Ike Godsey, passed early this morning, please keep him, (wife) Louise, and his family in your prayers. Rip Mr. Godsey.”

Actress Ronnie Claire Edwards,...

Joe Conley, best known for playing the kindly storekeeper Ike Godsey on the popular TV series The Waltons, died on Sunday. He was 85. News of the veteran actor's death was confirmed by his wife, Louise, who told the Los Angeles Times that her husband had dementia and passed away at a care facility in Newbury Park, Calif. Conley began playing Godsey in 1972 and remained with the hit CBS program until it ended in 1981. He also appeared in all six of the show's reunion movies that were made following its run. The Buffalo, N.Y., native began his acting career in the 1950s and appeared on several TV series prior to The Waltons including Mister Ed, Lassie, Make Room for Daddy, Dragnet, Dennis the Menace,...

The veteran character actor who played shopkeepeer Ike Godsey on CBS‘ period family drama The Waltons died Sunday at a care facility in Newbury Park CA. He was 85. Joe Conley appeared in episodes of dozens of TV shows during the 1950s and ’60s, including Lassie, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Dennis the Menace, Gunsmoke, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mister Ed and The Brady Bunch. Then he landed the Waltons gig, appearing in more than 170 episodes during the show’s 1972-81 run and some subsequent reunion movies in the 1990s. Conley continued to act sporadically into the 21 century, including a small role in the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away. His autobiography, Ike Godsey of Walton’s Mountain, was published in 2009...

The veteran character actor who played shopkeepeer Ike Godsey on CBS‘ period family drama The Waltons died Sunday at a care facility in Newbury Park CA. He was 85. Joe Conley appeared in episodes of dozens of TV shows during the 1950s and ’60s, including Lassie, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Dennis the Menace, Gunsmoke, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mister Ed and The Brady Bunch. Then he landed the Waltons gig, appearing in more than 170 episodes during the show’s 1972-81 run and some subsequent reunion movies in the 1990s. Conley continued to act sporadically into the 21 century, including a small role in the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away. His autobiography, Ike Godsey of Walton’s Mountain, was published in 2009...

"A horse is a horse, of course, of course, And no one can talk to a horse of course. That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed." And Mister Ed is ready to talk again. Waterman Entertainment announced today that they are now developing a new feature film based on the series that ran from 1958 to 1966. Staring Alan Young, the show followed the friendship between Wilbur Post and his horse Mister Ed, an equine that somehow had the ability to talk. and would only speak to Wilbur. Episodes would feature Mister Ed causing some kind of mischief, leaving his klutzy owner to try and fix things. The plan is to make the film into a live action/CGI hybrid movie, meaning that there's a chance no actual horse will be involved. The studio sees the property as a platform to build a number of family-friendly franchises...

Emmy Award-winning director John Rich has died at the age of 86.

He passed away after a brief illness at his Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Born in Rockaway Beach, New York, Rich studied at the University of Michigan and served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.

He went on to direct a number of popular U.S. TV shows throughout his career, among them The Brady Bunch, Mister Ed, Gilligan's Island and The Jeffersons, and he won two Emmy Awards for episodes of All in the Family and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Rich also directed Elvis Presley in hit movies Roustabout and Easy Come, Easy Go.

He later teamed up with Happy Days star Henry Winkler to produce the series MacGyver and eventually retired from the industry in 1999.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course as Fox 2000 confirms they will develop the 1960's TV sitcom "Mister Ed" as a big screen comedic feature, to be produced by Jim Mahoney.

The original Filmways, CBS TV series, featured 'Mister Ed', a palomino horse (Bamboo Harvester) who could talk (Allan Lane) and his owner, eccentric architect 'Wilbur Post' (Alan Young).

The show was derived from a series of short stories by author Walter R. Brooks ("Freddie The Pig"), that debuted in the September 1937 issue of Liberty Magazine with the story "The Talking Horse".

Most of the humor stemmed from the fact Mister Ed would speak only to Wilbur, a concept also similar to a series of low-budget 1950's "Francis the Talking Mule" features.

Legend had it that the crew were able to get Mister Ed to move his mouth by applying peanut butter to his gums in...

Fox 2000 to use real horse with CGI-animated mouth in big-screen adaptation of 1960s talking horse sitcom

All aboard the War Horse bandwagon! Studio Fox 2000 has snapped up the big-screen rights to chatty equine sitcom Mister Ed, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Elizabeth Gabler is the woman with her hands on the executive producer's reins: she previously took charge of 2006 horse flick Flicka, and is described as an "equestrian enthusiast".

Almost 150 episodes of the sitcom screened on CBS between 1961 and 1966, inspired by a series of short stories by Walter R Brooks called The Talking Horse. Much of the comedy stemmed from the fact that Mister Ed, who combined a wry sense of humour with a troublemaking streak, would speak only to his owner, a klutzy architect called Wilbur.

As in the original show, Fox 2000 will use a real horse, but while the studio will use CGI to animate its mouth, the...

Fox 2000 has plans to bring the 1960's sitcom Mister Ed to the big screen, says a story at The Hollywood Reporter . The original series, which ran for six seasons, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its pilot broadcast last Saturday. The show starred Alan Young as Wilbur Post, an architect who winds up owning a talking horse, Mister Ed (voiced by Allan Lane) that tends to speak only to him, constantly putting Wilbur in embarrassing situations. Jim Mahoney is set to produce the adaptation, of which few details are currently known outside of the fact that Ed will be a real horse with CGI lip movements.

U.S. TV actor Bill Erwin has died at the age of 96. Erwin passed away at his Los Angeles home on December 29, 2010, reportedly dying of natural causes. Best known for his role as angry old man Sid Fields in an episode of "Seinfeld", for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award, Erwin was a familiar face on U.S. TV, working continuously on the small screen over five decades.

He was a regular in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", playing Dr. Dalen Quaice, and throughout his career he appeared in a number of successful shows, including "Mister Ed", "Married with Children", "Growing Pains", "The Golden Girls", "Moonlighting" and most recently, "My Name Is Earl".

Erwin also enjoyed a handful of film roles, starring opposite Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in 1980's "Somewhere in Time", as well as appearing in a number of movies directed by John Hughes, including "Planes,...

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV News

Bill Erwin, a veteran character actor probably best known for his Emmy-nominated guest role on 'Seinfeld' as old man Sid Fields, has passed away.

Erwin died in Studio City, Calif. on Dec. 29. He was 96.

Before 'Seinfeld,' Erwin had already had a long career on TV, appearong on shows including 'Hallmark Hall of Fame,' 'Studio 57,' 'Highway Patrol,' 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents,' 'I Love Lucy,' 'The Twilight Zone,' 'Sea Hunt,' 'Leave it to Beaver,' 'The Andy Griffith Show,' 'Mister Ed,' 'Maverick,' 'Lassie,' 'Perry Mason,' 'The Fugitive,' 'Get Smart,' 'Gunsmoke,' 'The Waltons,' 'Moonlighting,' 'Star Trek: Tng,' 'Growing Pains,' 'The West Wing,' 'Monk,...

U.S. TV actor Bill Erwin has died at the age of 96.

Erwin passed away at his Los Angeles home on 29 December, reportedly dying of natural causes.

Best known for his role as angry old man Sid Fields in an episode of Seinfeld, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award, Erwin was a familiar face on U.S. TV, working continuously on the small screen over five decades.

He was a regular in Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing Dr. Dalen Quaice, and throughout his career he appeared in a number of successful shows, including Mister Ed, Married with Children, Growing Pains, The Golden Girls, Moonlighting and most recently, My Name Is Earl.

Erwin also enjoyed a handful of film roles, starring opposite Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in 1980's Somewhere in Time, as well as appearing in a number of movies directed by John Hughes, including Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Home Alone.

He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.

Pahrump - Call it Hof Vegas. Dennis Hof of HBO’s Cathouse no longer wants me to warn readers that his Bunny Ranch empire is in only Reno and not Las Vegas. He’s bringing his style of adult fun to the outskirts of Sin City. He called up the hotline from the middle of Crystal, Nevada to spread the news. The sounds of hammering and drills came from his end of the phone.

“We’re moving around here and getting some things done,” Dennis Hof said. “I bought two 35 year old rundown, rat trap brothels. What you’re buying is the licenses.”

The two old names were Cherry Patch Ranch and Mabel’s Whore House. The new places are Love Ranch and Dennis Hof’s Cathouse. “Those are name that are synonymous with good times.”

There are no good times for the former owner. He got arrested for bribing a county official.

My Son, The History Lesson

On his debut album Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening recorded in July of 2009, comedian Aziz Ansari presents a veritable torrent of pop culture references throughout the hour-long routine. He jokes about harassing his cousin Harris on Facebook, pokes fun at Cold Stone Creamery, Cvs Pharmacy and Craigslist and then finishes with two big pre-encore bits involving Kanye West and R. Kelly, including an extended impression of R&B singer Kelly both in concert and then getting lapdances at the after-party. He even makes fun of himself for being tongue-tied around M.I.A.

It’s a great album from a very funny comic who, given his ongoing role in Parks & Recreation, his hosting this past summer of the MTV Movie Awards and parts in movies like Get Him to the Greek, Funny People and the upcoming 30 Minutes or Less (which will be his first...

Milwaukee - Henry Winkler is not the Fonz.

He played the coolest guy on Happy Days for eleven seasons. But he doesn’t wear a leather jacket, ride a motorcycle or fix things by bumping them with his elbow. He’s not even Italian. He’s got a life that has gone beyond the Fonz. There’s probably a generation that knows him better for Adam Sandler movies and Arrested Development. On a May evening at the Quail Ridge bookstore in Raleigh, there is a group of kids under 12 years old that know him as the author of the Hank Zipzer books (along with co-writer Lin Oliver).

Many stars of the ’70s sell their tawdry memoirs of behind the scenes perversions. Winkler created a young adult book series that taps into grade school life instead of the action in Arnold’s bathroom. We’ll have to wait for lurid tales of the Hooper triplets.

Concord, Nh - The Rad Girls prove that women can be out of control without beating each other senseless. The trio of Ramona Ca$h, Munchie and Darling Clementine are in the midst of their third season of mayhem on MavTV. How could I refuse a chance to talk women who figured out how to give themselves bikini waxes using a car bumper?

Ouch. The trio called the Party Favors hotline from various parts of the Southwest including the lonely highway from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Munchie swore they were just in a convenience store that seemed a location from The House of a 1,000 Corpses. Please excuse me if I attribute a quote to the wrong member since the conversation moved fast and furious.

The outrageous series wasn’t always on MavTV. Clementine explained, “We had a really fun run on Fuse. We got a lot of fans. They were like,...

More Mister Ed has come to DVD, and while the show has become a staple of modern day television mockery, the good-natured humor of the talking horse has a lot to recommend. 26 episodes of early 60's zaniness come to your home in the 2-dvd set with some interesting special features, and great guest stars. Architect Wilbur Post (Alan Young, The Time Machine) and his wife Carol (Connie Hines) are once again up to their ears in trouble with all the misadventures brought on by the troublemaking Mister Ed. Season Two, the first for CBS, of Mister Ed features a star-studded array of celebrities that appeared on the show, including George Burns (the show’s original producer), Zsa Zsa Gabor and Clint Eastwood.