Remembering Charles in Charge's James T. Callahan; Knights of Prosperity Returns TONIGHT!

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Remembering Charles in Charge's James T. Callahan; Knights of Prosperity Returns TONIGHT!

James T. Callahan best known for playing Walter Powell on the sitcom Charles in Charge, has died according to the LA Times. Callahan, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in February, died Friday at his Fallbrook home, said his wife, Peggy Cannon-Callahan. On the show, Callahan played Walter Powell, a retired Navy man he referred to as the "blustery old grandfather" in a 2000 People magazine interview. When CBS canceled Charles in Charge after one season in 1985, Callahan joined the cast for the syndicated version, which ran from 1987 to 1990. The role was a favorite that brought him wide recognition.
Scott Baio, who played Charles in Charles in Charge spoke to the LA Times yesterday: "As an actor, he was just an absolute pleasure. He wanted what was best for the team, and that's very rare. He loved hanging out with us and he loved, loved, loved working."
The youngest of three children, Callahan was born Oct. 4, 1930, in Grand Rapids, Mich., to William and Elenora Callahan. His father worked in sales. After serving in the Army in West Germany from 1951 to 1953, Callahan returned home to work at the post office. He discovered acting while attending school in the Midwest. On the advice of a teacher, he enrolled in the University of Washington to study drama and graduated in the late 1950s.
Between 1959 and 2007, Callahan appeared in more than 120 films and television shows. He got his start in guest starring stints on westerns such as The Californians, Two Faces West, and Have Gun Will Travel. His first sitcom appearance was in 1960 on an episode of Dennis the Menace. He co-starred in two short lived sitcoms Wendy and Me in 1964 and The Governor & J.J. in 1969. His long list of TV guest shots include Perry Mason, Combat!, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, My Favorite Martian, The Fugitive, The FBI, Adam-12, Marcus Welby MD, M*A*S*H, Love American Style, Barnaby Jones, Cannon, Police Story, The Rockford Files, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Dallas, The Ropers, Bosom Buddies, Lou Grant, Benson, Alice, Simon & Simon, Quincy ME, Remington Steele, Little House on the Prairie, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Newhart, Growing Pains, Doogie Howser MD, Highway to Heaven, Golden Girls, Nurses, Harry and the Hendersons, Picket Fences, Hope & Gloria, Caroline in the City, Cybil, The Practice, 7th Heaven, ER and Medium. Wow...what a list and that is just a partial one!
One of his favorite film roles was as the band leader in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), his wife said. He also portrayed a country-western singer in Outlaw Blues (1977) with Peter Fonda. He was in the TV-movie The Burning Bed with Farrah Fawcett in 1984 and Prison for Children with John Ritter in 1987. He co-starred in the Hallmark Channel movie Wild Hearts last year. Callahan's final film, a horror movie called Born, has not been released.
Mr. Callahan's vast TV work and his popularity on Charles in Charge will continue for many decades to come. He will be missed deeply and let's hope we get the second season (his first season) of Charles in Charge on DVD very soon! Mr. Callahan was 76.

Get those televisions on at 8:30pm ET and 9:30pm ET tonight as ABC brings back the fun sitcom The Knights of Prosperity! The sitcom is about a group of blue-collared workers trying to rob a celebrity. They failed doing so with Mick Jagger and now they have a new target...Everybody Loves Raymond's Ray Romano! Ray Romano will be guest starring on both episodes tonight. If you have never watched the show, it doesn't matter because a new chapter is about to begin with Romano. It is very fun and hilarious but it is too bad it was wasted and lost in the schedule. The two episodes tonight are the first two of four unaired episodes. The remaining two episodes air next Wednesday (Aug. 15) and the Wednesday after that (Aug. 22) at 8:30pm ET. Be sure to watch all four because you don't know what you're missing. If you're not home, record, DVR, TiVo it, or whatever.

We'll be back with more news, if anything.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, January 16

The Goldbergs - "The Pina Colada Episode" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Murray and Geoff team up to pull Beverly, Barry and Erica out of their shared misery that Lainey has left town. Adam’s dread of gym class is amplified when Coach Mellor’s brother, Coach Nick (guest star Bill Goldberg), arrives and uses fear as a motivator. Meanwhile, Coach Mellor (guest star Bryan Callen) prepares for the next step of his life.

Schooled - "Lainey's All That" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Hoping to gain respect among her colleagues at school, Lainey comes up with a misguided plan to give an awkward and insecure student a full makeover. Meanwhile, Principal Glascott and Coach Mellor take friendly competition to a new level when they are both romantically interested in the math teacher.

Modern Family - "Blasts from the Past" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Phil and Claire decide to take a cycling tour through Italy before they become grandparents, and Dylan (guest star Reid Ewing) introduces them to his mom who has an interesting past. Meanwhile, Cameron and Mitchell discover some interesting reading material in Lily’s room and decide to confront her about it, while Gloria and Jay discover their respective great uncles may have fought on opposing sides of a war.

Single Parents - "All Aboard the Two-Parent Struggle Bus" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Will’s ex, Mia (Vanessa Bayer), shows up unexpectedly for Sophie’s birthday, Will gets frustrated that she undermines his rules with Sophie. Angie tries to help Will cope by having a fun girls’ night at her place and by giving some co-parenting advice, but Poppy reveals and Will quickly learns that Angie isn’t the best advice giver. Meanwhile, inspired by Mia’s humanitarian work, Miggy and Graham decide to give some items to charity but regret it immediately and seek out help from Douglas to get the items back.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Grant Allocation Derivation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leonard is caught between a rock and a hard place when he’s responsible for distributing extra grant money. Also, Bernadette turns the backyard playhouse into a hideaway from her husband and kids.

Young Sheldon - "A Mother, a Child, and a Blue Man’s Backside" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mary bans Sheldon from reading a mature comic book, and Sheldon decides it’s time to stop living under Mary’s thumb.

Schitt's Creek - "The Crowening" / "Love Letters" (Pop, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Moira films a movie in Bosnia, hoping to revive her career, while David tries to take his relationship to the next level; Moira loses sleep stressing over old love letters, while David and Stevie get held up at the store.

grown-ish - "In My Feelings" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The gang waits for the mysterious drop of a modern-day musical genius.

You're the Worst - "The Pin in My Grenade" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Jimmy and Gretchen reveal that they're forgoing a traditional wedding, opting instead for a courthouse elopement.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 14)

Wednesday, January 16

Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie/Malibu Country) and Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - Watch Lily and Jane on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Don Cheadle (Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about Black Monday on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Pete Holmes (Crashing) - Pete is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Frankie Shaw (SMILF/Blue Mountain State) - Frankie stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. Frankie and Rosie O'Donnell (Gimme a Break!) also talk about Showtime's SMILF on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Cobie Smulders (Friends from College/How I Met Your Mother) - Cobie appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Keegan-Michael Key (Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael stops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Lena is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Andy drops by E!'s Busy Tonight at 11pm.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Molly Ringwald (Townies/The Facts of Life) - Molly talks about All These Small Moments on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings. She will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Allison is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl visits The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
The Cast of Schitt's Creek - Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Sam Richardson (Champaign ILL/Detroiters/Veep) - Sam talks about the YouTube original Champaign ILL on the BUILD Series at 5pm.