Wednesday, December 31, 2014
In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2014
Today we remember the sitcom actors, actresses, producers, directors, writers and other crew members who died in 2014. We lost stars from The Brady Bunch, Designing Women, Gilligan's Island, McHale's Navy, Mork & Mindy, The Partridge Family, Welcome Back, Kotter, and many more who are greatly missed. We thank them for bringing us many laughs.
Names are listed in alphabetical order by surname. Visit the IMDB and Wikipedia links for a full listing of their credits and other biographical information. View video interviews at the Archive of American Television links.
Cuban character actor Luis Ávalos made many television appearances. He died on January 22, 2014, of heart failure in Burbank, Calfiornia. Mr. Ávalos was 67.
Ávalos appeared as Dr. Sanchez in the short-lived 1979 sitcom Highcliffe Manor. He played the next-door neighbor Jesse Rodriguez in the short-lived 1983 ABC sitcom Condo, which starred McLean Stevenson. He starred as Dr. Thomas Esquivel in the 1984-1985 CBS sitcom E/R. In 1986-1987, he appeared as Louis Robles in You Again?, which starred Jack Klugman and John Stamos. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included A New Kind of Family, The Jeffersons, Benson, Soap, It's a Living, Archie Bunker's Place, Barney Miller, Mama's Family, Jennifer Slept Here, Full House, Empty Nest, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and Working. He starred in The Electric Company in seasons two-six from 1972-1977.
Francine Beers (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Francine Beers' career spanned nearly six decades. She died on March 27, 2014, in her apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York. Ms. Beers was 89.
Beers starred as Mrs. Green, the owner of the apartment building, in the short-lived 1982 NBC sitcom One of the Boys. The series starred Mickey Rooney, Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane, Scatman Crothers and Meg Ryan. Some of her other television guest appearances included All in the Family, The Edge of Night, Kate & Allie, Chicken Soup, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Law & Order and Sex and the City.
Emmy Award-winning actress Polly Bergen appeared in many television series. She died of natural causes on September 20, 2014, at her home in Southbury, Connecticut. Ms. Bergen was 84.
Bergen starred as Doris Campbell in the second season of the ABC sitcom Baby Talk. Her sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat and My Two Dads. She had a recurring role as Kate Allen in Commander in Chief in 2005-2006. She played Stella Wingfield, Lynette's mother, in 10 episodes of Desperate Housewives from 2007-2011.
Ted Bergmann (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Television producer Ted Bergmann worked on Three's Company and its spinoffs. He died on March 2, 2014, following surgery at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Bergmann was 93.
Bergmann worked at the Dumont Television Network beginning in 1947. He sold commercial time to clients for such early Dumont TV shows such as The Original Amateur Hour, Fashions on Parade, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, The Arthur Murray Party, Cavalcade of Stars and Life Is Worth Living. He later worked as a producer of the Grammy Awards for seven years.
He was an executive in charge of production for Three's Company for all eight seasons on ABC from 1976-1984. He worked in the same capacity on its spinoff series The Ropers and Three's a Crowd. In 1998, he was interviewed for the E! True Hollywood Story on Three's Company.
Sid Caesar (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Emmy-winning comedian, actor and writer Sid Caesar was best known for his variety/sketch series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He died on February 12, 2014, at his home in Beverly Hills, California, after a short illness. Mr. Caesar was 91.
Caesar was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, winning twice in 1952 and 1957. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included That Girl, Make Room for Granddaddy, Love, American Style, When Things Were Rotten, Good Heavens, The Love Boat, Love & War (Emmy nominated), and Mad About You (Emmy nominated). His film credits included It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Silent Movie, Grease, Grease II, History of the World, Part I and Cannonball Run II.
Mary Grace Canfield (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Character actress Mary Grace Canfield was best known for her recurring role as Ralph Monroe in Green Acres. She died from lung cancer on February 15, 2014, in Santa Barbara, California. Ms. Canfield was 89.
Canfield appeared as Ralph Monroe in more than forty episodes of Green Acres, which ran on CBS for six seasons from 1965-1971. Ralph and her brother, Alf (Sid Melton), were quarrelsome carpenters hired to rebuild the Douglas' house and barn. Her signature greeting to fellow Hootervillians was "Howdie Doodie!" In 1990, she reprised her role in the TV movie Return to Green Acres.
Her first television appearance was in March 1954 on Goodyear Playhouse. She had a recurring role as a housekeeper, Amanda Allison, in the 1961-1962 ABC sitcom The Hathaways. She appeared as Mrs. Hanley in two episodes of Family in 1976. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Hazel, The Joey Bishop Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Farmer's Daughter, Bewitched (four episodes as Abner Kravitz's sister, Harriet), Love, American Style, The Love Boat, Tabitha, Alice and The Jackie Thomas Show. Her other television credits included Thriller, The Eleventh Hour, Adam-12 and General Hospital.
Christine Cavanaugh (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Christine Cavanaugh provided her voice in many animated television series. She died on December 22, 2014, at her home in Cedar City, Utah. Ms. Cavanugh was 51.
Cavanaugh's voice credits included Darkwing Duck, Rugrats, The Critic and Dexter's Laboratory. She was also the voice of Babe in the 1995 film Babe.
Character actor Booth Colman made guest appearances in many sitcoms. He died on December 15, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Colman was 91.
Colman played Zaius in the short-lived 1974 Planet of the Apes television series. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Family Affair, The Flyning Nun, My Three Sons, Frasier and My Name Is Earl.
Hal Cooper (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Television director and executive producer Hal Cooper worked on many sitcoms. He died of heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on April 11, 2014. Mr. Cooper was 91.
Cooper directed 54 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie between 1966-1969. He directed 126 of the 141 episodes of Maude, on which he also served as an executive producer from 1975-1978. He received two Emmy nominations for his directing work on Maude in 1976 and 1978. Cooper was the primary director of Gimme a Break! from 1983-1987, with 81 episodes to his credit. He also served as an executive producer from 1983-1987.
Some of his other sitcom directing credits included The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gidget, Gilligan's Island, That Girl, Mayberry R.F.D., The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Odd Couple, The Brady Bunch, Empty Nest and Dear John. He also worked as an executive producer on Empty Nest and Dear John.
Ann B. Davis (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Emmy-winning actress Ann B. Davis played the beloved housekeeper Alice Nelson in The Brady Bunch. She died on June 1, 2014, at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. She had suffered a sustained a subdural hematoma from a fall at her residence. Ms. Davis was 88.
Davis first appeared on television as a musical judge in the 1953-54 season on ABC's Jukebox Jury. Her early television appearances included Matinee Theater and Lux Video Theatre. Davis's first starring role was as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz in the sitcom The Bob Cummings Show (also known as Love That Bob). The series ran for five seasons on NBC and CBS from 1955-1959. It also starred Bob Cummings, Rosemary DeCamp and Dwayne Hickman. Davis played the razor-tongued secretary, who had a crush on her boss. She was nominated four times for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role. She won Emmys in 1958 and 1959. On February 9, 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Her second starring role was in the NBC sitcom The John Forsythe Show in 1965-66. She played Miss Wilson, a physical education teacher at a private girls' academy. Her television guest appearances in the 1960s included Wagon Train, The New Breed, McKeever and Colonel, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, The Pruitts of Southampton and Insight. She also appeared in commercials for the Ford Motor Company. Her other commercials over the years included Minute Rice, Shake 'n Bake and Swiffer.
Davis's best known role was as the devoted housekeeper Alice Nelson in The Brady Bunch, which aired on ABC from 1969-1974. Alice was known for her blue and white maid's uniform. She did it all for the Brady family. She was always there to clean the house, tell jokes and give advice to anybody who needed it. Davis reprised the role of Alice Nelson many times over the years. She appeared in The Brady Bunch Hour in 1976-1977. In 1981, she appeared in the TV movie The Brady Girls Get Married and the spin-off series The Brady Brides. She returned in the 1988 CBS TV movie A Very Brady Christmas. In 1989, she guest starred in a very funny episode of the NBC sitcom Day by Day, titled A Very Brady Episode. She appeared in four episodes of the 1990 CBS dramedy The Bradys. In 1991, she guest starred as Alice Nelson in an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home. Her final appearance as Alice was in the 1994 film Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. She appeared as a trucker named Schultzy in the 1995 film A Very Brady Movie. One of her final television appearances via tape was a Brady Bunch reunion on The Talk in February to celebrate Florence Henderson's 80th birthday.
Geoff Edwards (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Geoff Edwards was an actor and game show host. He died of complications from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California on March 5, 2014. Mr. Edwards was 83.
Edwards hosted game shows such as Hollywood's Talking, Jackpot, The New Treasure Hunt, Shoot for the Stars, Chain Reaction, Starcade and Play the Percentages.
His sitcom guest appearances included That Girl, I Dream of Jeannie, Good Morning, World, Petticoat Junction (recurring role as Jeff Powers), Diff'rent Strokes, Madame's Place, Double Trouble and Small Wonder.
Theodore J. Flicker (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Theodore "Ted" J. Flicker was the co-creator of Barney Miller. He died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on September 12, 2014. Mr. Flicker was 84.
Flicker wrote and directed the pilot episode of Barney Miller. His directing credits included The Bill Dana Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Dream of Jeannie. His writing credits included Night Gallery, Mod Squad, The Streets of San Francisco and Banacek.
James Garner (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Television and film actor James Garner starred as Bret Maverick in Maverick and as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. has died. He was found dead of a heart attack at his Los Angeles home on July 19, 2014. Mr. Garner was 86.
Garner's television career began with appearances in Warner Brothers Presents, Zane Grey Theater, Conflict, Cheyenne and Sugarfoot. He got his big break in 1957 when he landed the role of professional gambler Bret Maverick in the western comedy series Bret Maverick. The series ran from 1957-1962 on ABC. It also starred Jack Kelly as his brother, Bart Maverick. Garner left the series after the third season due to a contract dispute. Roger Moore was brought in to play cousin Beau Maverick. Another brother, Brent Maverick, was played by Robert Colbert.
Garner and Kelly reprised their roles in the 1978 TV movie The New Maverick. Garner returned to the role again in the 1981-1982 NBC western Bret Maverick. The show was canceled after only one season despite decent ratings. He played Marshal Zane Cooper in the 1994 film adaptation Maverick, which starred Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster.
He starred in the 1971-1972 NBC western series Nichols. Garner played the motorcycle-riding anti-hero sheriff named Nichols. It was set in the fictional town of Nichols, Arizona, in 1914. The series also starred Neva Patterson, John Beck, Stuart Margolin, Margot Kidder and Alice Ghostley. It ran for one season and 24 episodes.
Garner's next big television role was as private detective Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. The popular detective drama ran for six seasons on NBC from 1974-1980. The series, which was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell, also starred Noah Beery, Jr., Joe Santos, Gretchen Corbett and Stuart Margolin. Garner won an Emmy Award in 1977 for Best Actor. There were eight Rockford Files TV reunion movies made for CBS from 1994 to 1999.
In 1991, he starred in the NBC sitcom Man of the People. Garner played Jim Doyle, a con man chosen to fill an empty seat on a city council. The short-lived series, which ran for only 10 episodes, also starred Kate Mulgrew, Corinne Bohrer, Taylor Nichols, George Wyner and Romy Walthall.
He provided the voice of God in the 2000 NBC animated series God, the Devil and Bob. He had a recurring role as Hubert 'Hue' Miller in the final season of Chicago Hope in 2000. In 2002, he starred as Chief Justice Thomas Brankin in the CBS legal drama First Monday. The short-lived series, centered on the U.S. Supreme Court, also starred Joe Mantegna, Charles Durning, Randy Vasquez, Hedy Burgess, Christopher Wiehl and Joe Flanigan.
Garner joined the cast of the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules after the sudden death of John Ritter in 2003. He played Grandpa Jim Egan, the father of Cate Hennessy (Katey Sagal), in the final two seasons of the series. Suzanne Pleshette appeared as his estranged wife, Laura.
He starred in more than 50 films. Some of his more notable credits included The Great Escape, The Americanization of Emily, Grand Prix, Victor Victoria, Murphy's Romance, My Fellow Americans, Space Cowboys and The Notebook. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his role opposite Sally Field in Murphy's Romance.
Actress Louan Gideon was best known for her role as antagonist Danielle Atron on Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack. She died of cancer on February 3, 2014, in Asheville, North Carolina. Ms. Gideo was 58.
Gideon appeared in the sci-fi/fantasy comedy/drama series The Secret World of Alex Mack on Nickelodeon from 1994-1998. Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Princesses, Who's the Boss?, Get a Life, Night Court, Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, The Home Court, Seinfeld, The Tom Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Titus and Malcolm in the Middle.
Actor Bob Hastings starred as Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter in McHale's Navy. He died from prostate cancer on June 30, 2014, in Burbank, California. Mr. Hastings was 89.
Hastings' early television appearances included Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Atom Squad, The United States Steel Hour, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, The Edge of Night, The Big Story and Deadline. His first recurring role was as a lieutenant in The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko). He appeared in a total of eight episodes.
He made guest appearances in many sitcoms in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including The Real McCoys, Hennesey, The Donna Reed Show, Window on Main Street, The Gertrude Berg Show, Car 54, Where Are You?, Pete and Gladys (three episodes), Room for One More, Dennis the Menace (five episodes) and Petticoat Junction.
Hastings starred as the yes-man Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter in ABC's McHale's Navy. The popular sitcom ran four seasons from 1962-1966. His character was Binghamton's (Joe Flynn) sycophantic aide. He was humorously called "Carpy" and "Little Leadbottom" by McHale and his men. Hastings reunited with other cast members for "The Crew Remembers" special feature on the McHale's Navy - Season One DVD release in 2007.
Some of his other sitcom work included the voice of The Raven in The Munsters. He also played "Cousin Phantom of the Opera" in the TV movie The Munsters' Revenge in 1981. Hastings made guest appearances in Hogan's Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, The Good Guys, The Flying Nun, Here's Lucy, Green Acres, Nanny and the Professor, My Three Sons, Love, American Style and The Odd Couple.
He had a recurring role as bar owner Tommy Kelsey (or Kelcy) in All in the Family from 1973-1977. His other sitcom guest appearances in the 1970s included Karen, The Love Boat, Szysznyk, Operation Petticoat, Alice and Three's Company. He provided voices for many animated series, including Beany and Cecil, The New Adventures of Superboy, Jeannie, Clue Club, Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.
Edward Herrmann (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Television and film actor Edward Herrmann starred as Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls and guest starred in several sitcoms. He died of brain cancer on December 31, 2014, in New York. Mr. Herrmann was 71.
Herrmann played Richard Gilmore, the father of Lorelai and grandfather to Rory, in Gilmore Girls from 2000-2007. His other drama roles included St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Practice, Oz, Crossing Jordan, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order, Harry's Law and The Good Wife.
He played Herman Munster in the 1995 TV movie Here Come the Munsters. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included M*A*S*H, Wings, 30 Rock, Better with You and How I Met Your Mother.
Actress and comedian Jan Hooks was best known for her work on Saturday Night Live for five seasons and her starring role on the final two seasons of Designing Women. She died on October 9, 2014, of cancer at her home in Woodstock, New York. Ms. Hooks was 57.
Hooks joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1986. One of her best known characters was Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters." Her sister Liz was played by Nora Dunn. Hooks' notable impressions included Bette Davis, Ann-Margret, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster, Tammy Faye Bakker, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kitty Dukakis, Diane Sawyer and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She continued to make cameo appearances on the show until 1994.
She left Saturday Night Live after five seasons in 1991 to join the cast of Designing Women. Creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason had asked her to join the series after Jean Smart left. Hooks starred as Carlene Dobbler in the final two seasons of the show from 1991-1993. Carlene was Charlene's (Jean Smart) dim-witted, newly divorced younger sister.
She had a recurring role as Victoria Marie "Vicki" Dubcek, the daughter of Ms. Dubcek (Elmarie Wendel) and Harry's (French Stewart) on-and-off girlfriend, in 3rd Rock from the Sun from 1996-2000. Hooks received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for the role in 1998. She provided the voice of Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons in six episodes from 1997-2002. Her final television appearances were two episodes of 30 Rock in 2010 as Verna Maroney, the mother of Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski).
Some of her other television roles and appearances included Not Necessarily the News, Dear John, The Martin Short Show, The Dana Carvey Show, Hiller and Diller, Providence, Futurama (voice), Primetime Glick and Game Over (voice). Her film credits included Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Wildcats, Batman Returns, Coneheads, Simon Birch and Jiminy Glick in Lalawood.
Russell Johnson (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Actor Russell Johnson was best known for his role as "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow Gilligan's Island castaways supplied with gadgets. He died from kidney failure at his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington, on January 16, 2014. Mr. Johnson was 89.
During its three-season run on CBS, critics repeatedly lambasted Gilligan's Island as insipid. But after its cancellation in 1967, it found generations of new fans in reruns and reunion movies in the '70s and '80s (Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, and animated series Gilligan's Planet). One of the most recent of the reunion films was 2001's Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History, in which other actors portrayed the original seven-member cast while Johnson and two other surviving cast members narrated and reminisced.
Before Gilligan's Island, Johnson had appeared in dozens of films and television shows. His TV credits included 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Wagon Train, The Lone Ranger, The Twilight Zone, Ben Casey, Hawaiian Eye and Death Valley Days. Although he didn't work as often after Gilligan's Island, Johnson remained active into the late 1990s, appearing on such shows as ALF, The Jeffersons, My Two Dads, Dynasty and Newhart.
Character actor Don Keefer starred in the 1960s sitcom Angel. He died in Sherman Oaks, California on September 7, 2014. Mr. Keefer was 98.
Keefer played George, the next-door neighbor and husband of Susie (Doris Singleton), in the 1960-1961 CBS sitcom Angel. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Car 54, Where Are You?, The Real McCoys, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Petticoat Junction, Bewitched, That Girl, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres and Alice.
Jim Lange hosted game shows such as The Dating Game and $100,000 Name That Tune and appeared in several sitcoms as himself. He died of a heart attack at his home in Mill Valley, California on February 25, 2014. Mr. Lange was 81.
Lange's other game shows included The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, Hollywood Connection, Bullseye and the ABC version of The Newlywed Game. His sitcom guest appearances included Bewitched, Laverne & Shirley, Parker Lewis Can't Lose and Moesha.
Latvian-born actress Cynthia Lynn was best known for her role as Colonel Klink's secretary Fraulein Helga in Hogan's Heroes. She died on March 10,2014, in Los Angeles, California, from multiple organ failure after being stricken with hepatitis. Ms. Lynn was 77.
Lynn appeared as Colonel Klink's secretary Fraulein Helga during the first season of Hogan's Heroes in 1965-1966. She returned in an uncredited part in the 1968 episode Will the Blue Baron Strike Again?. She played Eva in the 1971 episode Easy Come, Easy Go. In 1998, she was interviewed in the E! True Hollywood Story on Bob Crane.
Her sitcom guest appearances included The Farmer's Daughter, Mr. Terrific, The Odd Couple and Love, American Style. Other television shows on which she appeared included Surfside 6, The Eleventh Hour, Dr. Kildare, Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man and Harry O. She appeared in the 1964 film Bedtime Story. In 2000, she released Escape to Freedom: An Autobiography of Cynthia Lynn.
Sheila MacRae (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Sheila MacRae starred as Alice Kramden in The Jackie Gleason Show. She died on March 6, 2014, at the Lillian Booth Actor's Home in Englewood, New Jersey. She suffered from dementia but was otherwise in good health and died of natural causes. Ms. MacRae was 92.
MacRae's early television credits included Search for Tomorrow, I Love Lucy (as herself), Lux Video Theatre, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Trials of O'Brien. She played Alice Kramden in around 50 episodes of The Jackie Gleason Show (aka The Color Honeymooners) from 1966-1970. She later co-hosted The Sheila MacRae show in 1971. Her other guest appearances included The Love Boat, General Hospital and Murder, She Wrote. In 1990, she played Marilyn Buckman in the NBC dramedy Parenthood.
Canadian-born American actor was best known for his role as the group's manager Reuben Kincaid in The Partridge Family. He died on January 16, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida of complications of myelodysplastic syndrome. Mr. Madden was 82.
Madden's career in Hollywood began with appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. His first starring role was as Counselor Pruett in the 1965-1966 NBC sitcom Camp Runamuck. He had a regular role as a milk-drinking, confetti-throwing sad sack on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968–1969 on NBC. His other early guest appearances included Accidental Family, Bewitched and Love, American Style.
Madden played the fast-talking, child-hating agent/manager Reuben Kincaid in The Partridge Family. The popular sitcom ran for 4 seasons and 96 episodes on ABC from 1970-1974. He appeared in a 2003 Biography special on the series. The C'mon Get Happy fan site conducted an extensive interview with him in 2009. Our friends at Just My Show interviewed him in 2007.
He later had a recurring role as Mel's Diner customer and Tommy's basketball coach Earl Hicks in Alice from 1978-1985. His other sitcom guest appearances included Happy Days, Barney Miller, The Love Boat, The New Leave it to Beaver, Life with Lucy, Herman's Head (as the opening narrator), Married with Children, Boy Meets World and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He released his memoirs, Reuben on Wry: The Memoirs of Dave Madden, in 2007.
Larry D. Mann (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Canadian character actor Larry D. Mann guest starred in many sitcoms. He died of natural causes on January 6, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Mann was 91.
Mann had a regular role as Marty Warren, Jerry Webster's (Jerry Van Dyke) friend and lawyer, in the 1967-68 NBC sitcom Accidental Family. His many sitcom guest appearances included My Favorite Martian, Get Smart, Rango, Hey Landlord, He & She, Hogan's Heroes, Bewitched, Green Acres and The New Leave it to Beaver. Other television credits included Columbo, Night Gallery, Gunsmoke, Get Smart, Bonanza, Ironside, Dragnet and The Big Valley. He was also in The Sting as the train conductor/poker game dealer. He was the voice of Yukon Cornelius in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Sarah Marshall (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Sarah Marshall appeared in many popular classic television shows. She died after a lengthy battle with cancer on January 18, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Marshall was 80.
Marshall starred in the short-lived 1979 CBS sitcom Miss Winslow and Son. She played Evelyn Winslow, the mother of Susan Winslow (played by Darleen Carr). Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Peter Loves Mary, F Troop, My Favorite Martian, The Donna Reed Show, Get Smart, Three's Company, The Jeffersons, Small Wonder and Cheers. Her other television credits included Thriller, Perry Mason, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, I Spy, The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Ironside, The F.B.I., Daniel Boone, Hart to Hart and Remington Steele.
Character actor Frank Marth appeared in The Honeymooners and many other sitcoms. He died of died of congestive heart failure and Alzheimer's disease in Rancho Mirage, California on January 12, 2014. Mr. Marth was 91.
Marth was a cast member of Cavalcade of Stars, especially segments of The Honeymooners, which later became a television series. He played various recurring and one-time roles in The Honeymooners in 1955-1956. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Phil Silvers Show, Car 54, Where Are You?, The Patty Duke Show, My Favorite Martian, Here's Lucy, Hogan's Heroes, M*A*S*H, Sara and You Again?.
Arlene McQuade (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Arlene McQuade was best known for her role as Rosalie in the 1950s sitcom The Goldbergs. She died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease on April 21, 2014, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ms. McQuade was 77.
McQuade played Rosalie Goldberg, one of the children, in The Goldbergs. The series aired from 1949-1954. Her other television guest appearances included Texaco Star Theatre, Telephone Time, The Lawless Years, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun - Will Travel, Hawaii Five-O and Death Valley Days.
Judi Meredith (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Judi Meredith appeared in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. She died on April 30, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ms. Meredith was 77.
Meredith had the recurring role of Bonnie Sue McAfee in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show in 1957-1958. She starred as Monique Deveraux in the 1959-1960 CBS western series Hotel de Paree. Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Blondie, The Gale Storm Show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and Please Don't Eat the Daisies.
Rick Mittleman (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Emmy nominated writer Rick Mittleman worked on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Bewitched and many other television series. He died after being involved in a traffic accident in Los Angeles on July 30, 2014. Mr. Mittleman was 84.
Mittleman's other sitcom writing credits included The Dick Van Dyke Show, Good Morning, World, That Girl, The Doris Day Show, The Odd Couple and What's Happening!!. He received Emmy nominations in 1963 for The Red Skelton Show, in 1971 for the sitcom Arnie, and in 1976 for Van Dyke and Company.
Mary Ann Mobley (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Mary Ann Mobley appeared as Maggie McKinney Drummond in the final season of Diff'rent Strokes. She died at her home in Beverly Hills, California on December 9, 2014, from breast cancer. Ms. Mobley was 77.
Mobley won the Miss America crown in 1959, the first Mississippian to achieve this honor. Her film credits from 1964-1968 included Get Yourself a Girl, Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley), Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley), Young Dillinger, Three on a Couch and For Singles Only. She won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 1965.
She made multiple guest appearances in Burke's Law, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, Run for Your Life, The Sixth Sense, Love, American Style, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Falcon Crest. Some of her other television guest appearances included General Hospital, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Virginian, Iron Horse, Ironside, Police Story, Vega$, Matt Houston, Hotel and Dead Like Me. Her sitcom guest appearances included The Partridge Family, Designing Women, Hearts Afire, Hardball and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Mobley had a recurring role as Maggie McKinney Drummond, the wife of Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain), in ten episodes in the final season of Diff'rent Strokes, which aired on ABC in 1985-1986. She replaced Dixie Carter in the role. Mobley had previously played Arnold's teacher and Drummond's love interest Nancy Osborne in the second season episode "Teacher's Pet."
Elizabeth Peña (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Elizabeth Peña starred in the short-lived sitcom I Married Dora. She died on October 14, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was reported as cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol. Ms. Peña was 55.
Peña starred as Dora Calderon in the 1987-1988 ABC sitcom I Married Dora. Her other television roles included Shannon's Deal, L.A. Law and Boston Public. She guest starred as Pilar, Gloria's mother, in two episodes of Modern Family.
Mickey Rooney (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Actor and entertainer Mickey Rooney made film and television appearances in ten decades. He died at his home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on April 6, 2014. Mr. Rooney was 93.
Rooney had starring roles in three sitcoms. His first television starring role was as Mickey Mulligan in The Mickey Rooney Show (aka Hey Mulligan). He played an Irish American television studio page at the fictional International Broadcasting Company in Hollywood. The 1954-1955 NBC sitcom ran for 33 episodes. He next starred in the 1964-1965 NBC sitcom Mickey for 17 episodes. He appeared as Mickey Grady, a retired businessman, who inherits the luxury Newport Arms Hotel in Newport Beach, California, and decides to run it. His real-life son, Tim, played his 16-year-old son Timmy. Rooney won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor in a Television Series" in 1964. His final sitcom starring role was in the 1982 NBC sitcom One of the Boys. He played Oliver Nugent, an energetic senior citizen who moves in with his college-aged grandson. The 13-episode series also starred Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane, Scatman Crothers and Meg Ryan. His sitcom guest appearances included December Bride, The Phil Silvers Show, Hennesey, Pete and Gladys, The Lucy Show, The Love Boat, The Golden Girls, Full House and Norm.
Rooney's other main television role was as Henry Dailey in The Adventures of the Black Stallion. The Family Channel adventure series ran for 78 episodes from 1990-1993. He had previously played the role in the 1979 film The Black Stallion. Rooney received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His other television guest appearances included Wagon Train, Checkmate, The Investigators, Naked City, The Dick Powell Theatre, The Twilight Zone, Burke's Law, Rawhide, The Fugitive, Night Gallery, Jack's Place, Murder, She Wrote, ER, Chicken Soul for the Soul and Safe Harbor. He won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for his role in the 1981 television movie Bill.
Richard Schaal (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Character actor Richard Schaal had roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda and Phyllis. He died on November 4, 2014, at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California. No cause of death has been announced. Mr. Schaal was 86.
Schaal appeared in five episodes as four different characters in The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970-1974. He played Howard Arnell, his brother Paul, Chuckles the Clown (the first on-camera appearance of Chuckles in "The Show Must Go On") and Dino. Schaal also appeared as three different characters in three episodes of The Bob Newhart Show from 1972-1974. He guest starred as Charlie Burke, an annoying friend of Rhoda's husband, in three episodes of Rhoda from 1974-1976.
He starred in the first season of the 1975-1977 CBS sitcom Phyllis. He appeared as Leo Heatherton, a well-meaning but bumbling photographer who worked with Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) and Julie (Liz Torres) at the studio. Schaal also directed one episode of the series in 1976.
In 1983, he had a recurring role as Chuck, Keith Burrow's (Richard Gilliand) neighbor, in the short-lived ABC sitcom Just Our Luck. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl, The Doris Day Show, Love, American Style, The Partridge Family, Here We Go Again, It's a Living, The Two of Us, Harper Valley P.T.A. and Sydney.
His drama credits included a recurring role as Dr. David Sandler in eight episodes of Trapper John, M.D. from 1981-1985. He appeared as Dick Long in the 1988-1989 CBS series Almost Grown, which starred Tim Daly and Eve Gordon. Some of his other drama guest appearances included East Side/West Side, The F.B.I., Banacek, Shaft, The Rockford Files, Harry O, Police Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard. His film credits included The Russians Are Coming, the Russians are Coming, Slaughterhouse-Five, Americathon, The Hollywood Knights and Once Bitten.
Abby Singer (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Abby Singer was a production manager and assistant director who worked on many television series. He died of cancer on March 13, 2014, in Woodland Hills, California. Mr. Singer was 96.
Singer worked as a production manager for The Doris Day Show from 1968-1973. Some of his other sitcom credits as production manager included Phyllis, Mary Tyler Moore, The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, WKRP in Cincinnati, Newhart and Major Dad (where he was also a coordinating producer). His other television production manager credits included The Virignian, It Takes a Thief, Gunsmoke, The White Shadow, Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues, Remington Steele and St. Elsewhere.
Ben Starr (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Ben Starr was a television writer, producer and creator. He died on January 19, 2014, at his home in Los Angeles, California of congestive heart failure. Mr. Starr was 92.
Starr's early sitcom writing credits included Duffy's Tavern, My Hero, I Married Joan, The Ray Milland, December Bride, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Bachelor Father. He wrote 40 episodes of Mister Ed from 1961-1963. Other sitcoms he wrote multiple episodes of included My Favorite Martian, Petticoat Junction, The Brady Bunch, Chico and the Man and All in the Family.
He worked as a writer and producer for Diff'rent Strokes from 1978-1982. He was instrumental in inadvertently coining the famous "Whatchu talking 'bout Willis?" catchphrase by Gary Coleman. The line was originally written as "What are you talking about, Willis?" before Coleman gave his classic delivery. He was interviewed in the E! True Hollywood Story specials on Diff'rent Strokes and Dana Plato in 1998 and 1999. In 1979, he helped develop the spin-off series The Facts of Life with Howard Leeds and Jerry Mayer. The popular series aired on NBC for 9 seasons and 209 episodes. Starr later helped create Silver Spoons with Leeds and Martin Cohan in 1982. The series, starring Ricky Schroder, Joel Higgins and Erin Gray, aired for five seasons (four on NBC and one in first-run syndication).
Marcia Strassman (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Marcia Strassman was best known for her role as Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter. She died on October 24, 2014, of breast cancer at her home in Sherman Oaks, California. Ms. Strassman was 66.
Strassman's early television guest appearances included The Patty Duke Show and Ironside. She had a recurring role as Nurse Margie Cutler in six episodes of the first season of M*A*S*H in 1972-1973. Other guest appearances in the early 1970s included Love Story, Police Story, Marcus Welby, M.D. and City of Angels.
She landed the breakout role of Julie Kotter, Gabe Kotter's (Gabe Kaplan) wife, in Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The popular ABC sitcom ran for four seasons and 95 episodes from 1975-1979. It also starred John Travolta, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Ron Palillo and John Sylvester White. Julie and Gabe had twin girls Rachel and Robin in the third season. She worked as a secretary and later as a substitute teacher at Buchanan High after Gabe was promoted to vice-principal. Strassman was interviewed in the Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals 5 and the E! True Hollywood Story on Welcome Back, Kotter in 2000.
Her other starring roles included the short-lived NBC sitcom Good Time Harry in 1980. She played a reporter named Carol Younger in the series which starred Ted Bessell and Eugene Roche. She co-starred as Alicia Rudd, Dennis Booker's (Richard Grieco) boss, in the 21 Jump Street spin-off series Booker on Fox in 1989-1990. She appeared as the mom Martine Beznick in the 2000-2001 Nickelodeon sitcom Noah Knows Best. In 2003, she starred as Nancy Sterngood in the Sci-Fi Channel series Tremors.
Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, At Ease, E/R, I Married Dora, Phenom, Odd Man Out and Twenty Good Years. Her television drama appearances included Fantasy Island, Time Express, The Rockford Files, Magnum, P.I., Shadow Chasers, Stingray, Amazing Stories, Civil Wars, Sweet Justice, Touched by an Angel, Murder, She Wrote, Highlander, L.A. Heat and Baywatch. She had a recurring role as Meredith in Providence in 2001-2002. In 2004, she had a recurring role as Sergeant Laura Wynn in four episodes of Third Watch.
She was also well known for her role as Diane Szalinski in the the 1989 feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; its 1992 sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid; and the 1994 3-D film spin-off Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, which was shown at several Disney theme parks through mid-2010.
Elaine Stritch (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Emmy Award-winning actress Elaine Stritch played the recurring role as Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) mother in 30 Rock. She died in her sleep at her home in Birmingham, Michigan, on July 17, 2014. Ms. Stritch was 89.
One of Stritch's earliest television appearances was in the 1949 sitcom The Growing Paynes. She starred with Shirley Bonne in the 1960-1961 CBS sitcom My Sister Eileen. She appeared as Sydney Brewster, Ellen's acerbic mother, in The Ellen Burstyn Show. The series aired on ABC in 1986-1987.
Stritch had a recurring role as Jack Donaghy's mother, Colleen, in 30 Rock from 2007-2012. She won an Emmy for the role in 2007. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Head of the Class, The Cosby Show, Bless This House, Soul Man and 3rd Rock from the Sun. In 1993, she won an Emmy for her guest role on Law & Order.
Carol Ann Susi (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Carol Ann Susi was best known for providing the voice of the unseen Mrs. Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. She died of cancer on November 11, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Susi was 62.
Susi provided the voice of Mrs. Debbie Wolowitz, the mother of Howard (Simon Helberg), in around 40 episodes of The Big Bang Theory. She first did the voice in "The Dumpling Paradox" in the first season on November 5, 2007. Her character was known for her raspy voice. She would often talk to Howard off-screen by yelling at him from another room.
Susi's sitcom guest appearances included My Sister Sam, Who's the Boss?, Growing Pains, Night Court, Murphy Brown, Head of the Class, Cheers, Doogie Howser, M.D., Seinfeld, A Different World, Mad About You, Blossom, Married... with Children, Something So Right, Just Shoot Me!, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Becker, The Drew Carey Show, The King of Queens, Out of Practice and That '70s Show.
She made her first television appearance as Monique Marmelstein, Kolchak's secretary, in three episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker in 1974. Some of her other drama guest appearances included McMillan & Wife, Simon & Simon, Jake and the Fatman, NYPD Blue, ER, Six Feet Under, Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy. Her film credits included The Secret of My Success, My Blue Heaven, Death Becomes Her, Cats & Dogs and Just Go with It.
Meshach Taylor (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actor Meshach Taylor was best known for his roles as Anthony Bouvier in Designing Women and as Dr. Sheldon Baylor in Dave's World. He died from colorectal cancer on June 28, 2014, at his home in Altadena, California. Mr. Taylor was 67.
Taylor's early television career included guest appearances in Barnaby Jones, The Incredible Hulk, The White Shadow, M*A*S*H, Barney Miller and Cagney & Lacey. He landed his first starring role as Tony in the 1983-84 NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill. The short-lived series starred Dabney Coleman, Joanna Cassidy, John Fielder, Max Wright, Geena Davis and Charles Robinson. The critically-acclaimed series received 11 Emmy Award nominations, including two for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Taylor starred as Anthony Bouvier in the 1986-93 CBS sitcom Designing Women. The popular series ran for 7 seasons. It starred Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Jean Smart and Annie Potts. Anthony was an ex-con who worked as the deliveryman-handyman at the interior decorating business, Sugarbakers. He later became a partner of the design firm. Taylor received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989. He reprised his role of Anthony Bouvier in an episode of the spin-off series Women of the House in 1995. In 2003, he appeared in The Designing Women Reunion on Lifetime.
He next starred as Dr. Sheldon Baylor in the 1993-97 CBS sitcom Dave's World. The series was based on the writing of Pulitzer Prize-winning Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry. It focused on the daily trials and tribulations of Barry and his family. The series starred Harry Anderson, DeLane Matthews, Shadoe Stevens, J.C. Wendel, Zane Carney and Andrew Ducote. Sheldon (Shel) was their neighbor and Dave's best friend from high school. He was a recently divorced plastic surgeon.
Taylor had a recurring role in the 2004-07 Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. He played Alastair Wright, the social studies teacher and later school principal. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Golden Girls, ALF, What's Happening Now!!, Punky Brewster, Caroline in the City, The Drew Carey Show, All of Us, Hannah Montana and Jessie. His best known film role was as Hollywood Montrose, a flamboyant window dresser in Mannequin. Some of his other film credits included Damien: Omen II, The Howling, Explorers, The Allnighter and Mannequin Two: On the Move.
Stanford Tischler (IMDB/Wikipedia/Archive of American Television)
Stanford Tischler was an award-winning film editor and producer. He died on January 15, 2014. Mr. Tischler was 92.
Tischler worked as an editor for the entire run of M*A*S*H from 1972-1983. He was nominated for an Emmy ten times and won in 1976. He also worked as an associate producer of 130 episodes of the series from 1977-1983.
His other sitcom editing credits included Leave it to Beaver, Bachelor Father, Nanny and the Professor and AfterMASH (where he also worked as an associate producer).
Ken Weatherwax (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actor Ken Weatherwax played Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family. He died on December 7, 2014, of a heart attack at his home in West Hills, California. Mr. Weatherwax was 59.
Weatherwax appeared as Puglsey Addams, the oldest child of Morticia and Gomez Addams, in The Addams Family. The popular sitcom ran for two seasons on ABC from 1964-1966. Pugsley was known for wearing striped shirts and shorts. He reunited with the cast in the 1977 NBC TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. He played Puglsey Addams, Sr., who had become a witch doctor.
At the age of 17, he entered the U.S. Army. He later worked in Hollywood behind the camera as a movie studio grip and set builder. He also made appearances at fan conventions and Addams Family-related events.
Robin Williams (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Oscar-winning actor and stand-up comedian Robin Williams rose to fame as the alien Mork in Mork & Mindy. He died as a result of suicide on August 11, 2014, in his home in Paradise Cay, California. Mr. Williams was 63.
Williams' television career began in 1977 with two appearances in the NBC comedy variety series The Richard Pryor Show. His other early television guest appearances included Laugh-In, Eight is Enough and America 2-Night. He first appeared as Mork in the fifth season episode of Happy Days titled "My Favorite Orkan," which aired on ABC on February 28, 1978. After the success of the appearance, Williams was given his own spin-off series.
Mork & Mindy premiered on ABC on September 14, 1978. Williams played the alien Mork from the planet Ork. He met the pretty Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber) after he landed in a giant egg-shaped spacecraft near Boulder, Colorado. Mork was known for putting on his suit backwards. He would often wear rainbow suspenders later in the series. The crazy character would sit in a chair upside down. He had a hand gesture similar to Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute from Star Trek combined with a handshake. His catchphrases were "Shazbot" (an Orkan profanity) and "Na-Nu Na-Nu," which meant goodbye in the Orkan language. Williams was known for improvising much of his dialogue and physical comedy.
The series became an instant hit in the first season when it finished tied in third place with Happy Days in the Nielsen ratings. The series was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Robin Williams received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1979. Some changes to the stories and cast were made in the second season. It was also moved to a different night and timeslot. The show never recovered in the ratings. Williams' idol Jonathan Winters was brought in the final season as Mork and Mindy's child, Mearth. They still had a nice run for four seasons and 95 episodes. Williams also appeared as Mork in the premiere episode of the ABC sitcom Out of the Blue. He returned as Mork in the sixth season Happy Days episode titled "Mork Returns." He also voiced the character in the animated series the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour in 1982-1983.
Williams had guest appearances in many television series. His comedy guest appearances included The Larry Sanders Show, Friends, Life with Bonnie, Wilfred and Louie. Some of his other television credits included Faerie Tale Theatre, SCTV Network, Pryor's Place, Saturday Night Live and L.A. Doctors. He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin in 1987 and Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for ABC Presents: A Royal Gala in 1988. In 1995, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor for his role as Robert Ellison, a grieving widower and father, in the episode "Bop Gun" of Homicide: Life on the Streets. He received another Emmy nomination in 2008 for Outstanding Guest Actor for his role as Merritt Rook in the episode "Authority" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2013, Williams returned to a series regular role in the CBS sitcom The Crazy Ones. He played Simon Roberts, a father who works with his daughter (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) in a Chicago advertising office. The series also starred Richard Wolk, Hamish Linklater and Amanda Setton. Despite good reviews and respectable ratings, it was canceled after one season.
He was also known for his stand-up comedy. He had three HBO comedy specials in the late 1970s and 1980s: Off the Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1982), and Robin Williams: Live at the Met (1986). He later appeared on HBO in his one-man show called Robin Williams: Live on Broadway in 2002. In 2009, he had a 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self-Destruction".
Williams had roles in more than 75 films. He received Academy Award nominations for his work in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King. In 1998, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Sean Maguire, a psychiatrist who helps a genius (played by Matt Damon) realize his potential, in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He won Golden Globe Awards for his roles in Good Morning, Vietnam, The Fisher King and Mrs. Doubtfire. Some of his other acclaimed films and financial successes included Popeye, The World According to Garp, Awakenings, Hook, Jumanji, The Birdcage and Night at the Museum. Other film highlights included Moscow on the Hudson, Flubber, Patch Adams, What Dreams May Come, Bicentennial Man, Insomnia and One Hour Photo. He provided his voice in Aladdin, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Robots and Happy Feet.
Carmen Zapata (IMDB/Wikipedia)
Actress Carmen Zapata appeared in over one hundred films and television shows. She died on January 5, 2014, in Los Angeles from heart problems. Ms. Zapata was 86.
Zapata starred in the short-lived 1976 ABC sitcom Viva Valdez as the mother, Sophia Valdez. She appeared as Josefina in the 1971-1972 ABC drama The Man and the City, which starred Anthony Quinn and Mike Farrell. She played Mrs. Chavez in the short-lived 1980 CBS detective drama Hagen. Zapata had a recurring role as Carmen Castillo in Santa Barbara from 1985-1990. Her longest-running role was on the bilingual children's program Villa Alegre, where for nine years she played the lead character, Doña Luz.
Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Room 222, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Chico and the Man, Archie Bunker's Place, a.k.a. Pablo, Foley Square, Married with Children, Homeroom, Fudge and Common Law.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
New Year's Eve 2014 and New Year's Day 2015 TV Marathons
Welcome to a special New Year's style edition of the News Blog! As we end 2014 and start 2015, today we will give you a marathon recap on TV tomorrow and Thursday (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day)! Some of the major TV stunts we mentioned already were Antenna TV's New Year's Eve marathon of Burns & Allen and Jack Benny Program beginning at 7pm Wednesday and lasting into New Year's Day morning at 3am. On New Year's Day, they will have their annual The Three Stooges marathon starting at 3am and running to 11am, as the network celebrates its fourth birthday (and enters its fifth season)! But that's not all...they will also bring in once again "The Fresh Start Marathon," which will be pilot episodes of your favorite shows followed by another "first" that happened on each show from 11am ET-5am ET. The MeTV Network will show yours firsts, too. Tune in all day on Thursday, January 1, for MeTV's "Classic Firsts on the 1st." UP TV will have a launch marathon for Growing Pains on New Year's Day with a marathon from 8am-2pm. Hart to Hart joins the Hallmark Mystery & Movies Network with a New Year's Day marathon from 6am-5am. TV One will have a New Year's Eve marathon of Martin starting at 10am through 1am to ring in 2015 and then on New Year's Day, TV One will hand it over to Girlfriends from 10am-1am. Lifetime will showcase a How I Met Your Mother New Year's Eve marathon from 9am-2pm. We mentioned that WPIX in New York will of course have their annual The Honeymooners marathon starting at 11pm on New Year's Eve through 5pm on New Year's Day (only a break from 5am-9am for news). Also in New York City, WLNY-TV 55/10 will have a marathon of The Odd Couple once again starting at midnight on New Year's Eve night through 6pm on New Year's Day for the third straight year.
FX will have a Mike & Molly New Year's Eve marathon from 6pm-1am to ring in 2015. Sister network FXX will bring us another marathon of The Simpsons that starts on New Year's Eve at 9am and runs through New Year's Day at 12am. IFC will turn it over to some slapstick on New Year's Eve with a Three Stooges marathon from 7pm-5am. Then on New Year's Day, we have a 24-hour marathon of Portlandia beginning at 6am. Comedy Central rings in the new year with South Park on New Year's Eve from 8pm-5am and then Futurama on New Year's Day from 9:21am-5:56pm. MTV2 will have a Saved by the Bell marathon from 9am-2pm on New Year's Eve, followed by Everybody Hates Chris from 2-6pm and Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out from 6pm-1am. USA Network has a Law & Order: SVU Resolve to Watch New Year's Eve marathon starting at 12am tonight actually through 6am on Thursday, while a NCIS marathon airs on New Year's Day marathon from 6am-4am. CMT will have a New Year's Eve marathon of Cops from 10pm-1am, but then a bigger marathon on New Year's Day from 11am-10pm. Syfy has its annual Twilight Zone New Year's Eve marathon starting at Wednesday 8am and continuing into New Year's Day as well into Friday morning at 5am.
Some others include: A&E spends New Year's Eve with Duck Dynasty starting at 6pm. ION Television will have a New Year's Day marathon of Criminal Minds from 11am-1am. Universal HD will have a marathon of Burn Notice on New Year's Eve starting at 6am, followed by a House New Year's Day marathon starting at 6am. BBC America has a Doctor Who marathon on New Year's Eve beginning at 8am and a Tudors marathon on New Year's Day. AMC has a Walking Dead marathon beginning today actually (Dec. 30) at 9am and lasting all the way to 5am on Saturday as every single episode to-date will air. Boomerang once again has a 24-hour Scooby-Doo marathon on New Year's Day starting at 6am. Reality wise, E! has a Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons marathon on New Year's Eve beginning at 7am.
Other notable TV marathons and specials include ABC's Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2015 special tomorrow from 8pm-10pm, followed by its annual specials at 10pm and 11:30pm. Movie wise, TBS, ABC Family and many others will air movies on new Year's Day, while Hallmark Channel continues to air Christmas movies on New Year's Eve. Tune in tomorrow and Thursday for all of this!
FX will have a Mike & Molly New Year's Eve marathon from 6pm-1am to ring in 2015. Sister network FXX will bring us another marathon of The Simpsons that starts on New Year's Eve at 9am and runs through New Year's Day at 12am. IFC will turn it over to some slapstick on New Year's Eve with a Three Stooges marathon from 7pm-5am. Then on New Year's Day, we have a 24-hour marathon of Portlandia beginning at 6am. Comedy Central rings in the new year with South Park on New Year's Eve from 8pm-5am and then Futurama on New Year's Day from 9:21am-5:56pm. MTV2 will have a Saved by the Bell marathon from 9am-2pm on New Year's Eve, followed by Everybody Hates Chris from 2-6pm and Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out from 6pm-1am. USA Network has a Law & Order: SVU Resolve to Watch New Year's Eve marathon starting at 12am tonight actually through 6am on Thursday, while a NCIS marathon airs on New Year's Day marathon from 6am-4am. CMT will have a New Year's Eve marathon of Cops from 10pm-1am, but then a bigger marathon on New Year's Day from 11am-10pm. Syfy has its annual Twilight Zone New Year's Eve marathon starting at Wednesday 8am and continuing into New Year's Day as well into Friday morning at 5am.
Some others include: A&E spends New Year's Eve with Duck Dynasty starting at 6pm. ION Television will have a New Year's Day marathon of Criminal Minds from 11am-1am. Universal HD will have a marathon of Burn Notice on New Year's Eve starting at 6am, followed by a House New Year's Day marathon starting at 6am. BBC America has a Doctor Who marathon on New Year's Eve beginning at 8am and a Tudors marathon on New Year's Day. AMC has a Walking Dead marathon beginning today actually (Dec. 30) at 9am and lasting all the way to 5am on Saturday as every single episode to-date will air. Boomerang once again has a 24-hour Scooby-Doo marathon on New Year's Day starting at 6am. Reality wise, E! has a Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons marathon on New Year's Eve beginning at 7am.
Other notable TV marathons and specials include ABC's Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2015 special tomorrow from 8pm-10pm, followed by its annual specials at 10pm and 11:30pm. Movie wise, TBS, ABC Family and many others will air movies on new Year's Day, while Hallmark Channel continues to air Christmas movies on New Year's Eve. Tune in tomorrow and Thursday for all of this!
Monday, December 29, 2014
Interviews with Cast of Baby Daddy, Melissa Joan Hart, Emily Osment and More from ABC Family's 2014 Winter Wonderland in New York
ABC Family had its annual Winter Wonderland event in New York earlier this month (Dec. 7) and we were on hand to talk to all of the stars on some scoops from their shows, what they're up to, and of course their plans for the holiday season! ABC Family's upcoming winter premieres start next week (Jan. 6), so it's the perfect time to remind you all of the upcoming returns. We spoke to the following stars: Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Ben), Tahj Mowry (Tucker), Chelsea Kane (Riley), Derek Theler (Danny), Melissa Peterman (Bonnie) of Baby Daddy; Melissa Joan Hart (Mel) of Melissa & Joey; Emily Osment (Gabi) of Young & Hungry; Katie Leclerc (Daphne) of Switched at Birth; Maia Mitchell (Callie), Cierra Ramirez (Mariana), David Lambert (Brandon) of The Fosters; and Italia Ricci (April) of Chasing Life!
Unfortunately, we didn't get to speak to the stars of Pretty Little Liars (Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell and Tyler Blackburn), but the show is back next Tuesday (Jan. 6) at 8|7c to kick-off the ABC Family winter premieres!
Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Tahj Mowry, & Chelsea Kane (Baby Daddy)
SitcomsOnline.com: We love this show, it is so funny and each character shines. Last season's finale had a lot of cliffhangers, can you guys give us some hints? Is Danny in Paris and are Ben & Riley together?
Chelsea Kane: Aw, thank you! Well it picks-up, right where we left off so Danny just left for Paris and Ben & Riley are really going for it.
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: They're together for the first time, yeah.
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, so your questions will be answered pretty quickly in the first episode where it's going...but not in the Christmas episode. The Christmas episode is stand-alone, which is also really nice, we don't really touch on the drama...
Tahj Mowry: Yeah, it's all about Christmas.
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, and about how much we all need each other.
SitcomsOnline.com: How will Christa B. Allen's (Revenge) character play into the storyline? Is it going to be a quadrangle between Ben/Riley/Danny and her? And I guess Danny's back from Paris (laughs)?
Tahj Mowry: Oh! She plays Danny's love interest in season four.
Chelsea Kane: For a couple episodes. I set them up...and yeah Danny's back from Paris but not right away. So yeah, I set them up and then I decided I wanted to destroy it (laughs) from being together. So, yeah it's fun!
SitcomsOnline.com: Tucker and Bonnie are hilarious when they are together. Any more antics in store for them this season?
Tahj Mowry: Thanks! Oh gosh yeah, they're always up to something. Up to no good, all the time. They kind of love each other secretly, I feel, so they should just hook up and get it over with (laughs). So just get it out the way, but yeah a lot of funny stuff going around with them as always.
SitcomsOnline.com: Tucker's past is finally coming into play, what can we expect from his ex-wife?
Tahj Mowry: (laughs) Oh man, that's a very funny episode. Tucker is a character. Something is always happening to him and I feel like he has a lot of secrets that he just doesn't share.
Chelsea Kane: Deep-rooted issues (laughs)!
Tahj Mowry: Yeah, deep-rooted issues that need to be handled and it's such a funny episode, because no one knows about this ex-wife at all. So, I don't want to give too much away though but it's hilarious.
SitcomsOnline.com: Who knew he was married!
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Yeah, no one knew!
Chelsea Kane: Me either!
Tahj Mowry: Aisha Dee is amazing and it's a great episode!
SitcomsOnline.com: Jean-Luc, We loved Kyle XY and it was so great seeing some of the stars guesting so far. Are there more stars coming like April Matson, Jamie Alexander?
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Oh nice!
Tahj Mowry: I did too (laughs)
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Yeah, it was a great sitcom (laughs). I'm kidding. Honestly, I don't know, Dan our executive producer came up to me and asked if Matt (Dallas) was a great guy and fun to work with and I said yes. Please get him on the show; he's such a sweetheart, so that was really seamless. He came in and did what like 6 or 7 episodes or whatever and had a blast.
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, and so did your dad.
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Yeah, and Bruce (Thomas) also came for one episode. So honestly like a character pops-up of that same age and that same look, I mean there's no reason...
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, we always try to throw in suggestions, but it's a small a community, too, the acting community, so anytime something comes up, 'oh my friend would be great for this' or we try to surround ourselves and fill the show with people we really love.
SitcomsOnline.com: That's right; Mark Ballas did the show, too right?
Chelsea Kane: No, no, Dmitry (Chaplin) did. I tried to get Mark on there but he wasn't the right look unfortunately, which (laughs) he still has yet to forgive me for (laughs).
SitcomsOnline.com: Maybe in the future (laughs)?
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, exactly of course.
SitcomsOnline.com: I loved the Christmas episode. How was it like taking on a story similar to It's A Wonderful Life?
Chelsea Kane: Aw thanks...um daunting cause it's a classic. I mean it's such a serious storyline for a comedy, so it was kind of hard to navigate so it wasn't super depressing all the time. But I think we pulled it off.
Tahj Mowry: It was all him (points to Jean-Luc) actually.
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, he had...how many lines did you have?
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Oh I had...typically I have about like 80 lines maybe like on a busy episode. No, no, I usually have like 60-70 lines for a busy episode for me but this one I had like 130-140 lines.
SitcomsOnline.com: You did a great job!
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Thanks man.
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, it was a big episode for him.
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Yeah it was fun!
Chelsea Kane: We loved shooting it.
SitcomsOnline.com: What are you all doing for Christmas?
Chelsea Kane: I'm going home to Arizona, so it will be warm.
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: Sun tanning (laughs).
Chelsea Kane: Yeah, I'm going to be tanning on Christmas...and in the pool (laughs).
Jean-Luc Bilodeau: I'm going to go back home to Vancouver and go snowboarding, and hang with the fam and chill out.
Tahj Mowry: I'll be in L.A., sweating. Maybe it'll rain?
Chelsea Kane: I know (laughs)...any sort of weather change in L.A. is nice.
Derek Theler & Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy)
SitcomsOnline.com: I just talked to these three. We love this show, it is so funny and each character is awesome...can you guys give us some hints on the upcoming season? The love triangle?
Melissa Peterman: You're always so good to us! Like you're always on it, I love it! For the love triangle, there is definite declarations are made. Things are out of the dark, the feelings are said out loud.
Derek Theler: Everyone understands how everyone feels. Danny gets several new girlfriends, as does Bonnie with boyfriends.
Melissa Peterman: Christa B. Allen, we've got great guest stars. Lindsey Gort, Peter Porte is back and is always delightful. Who else have we had this season? We've had a lot. Oh Isaiah Mustafa from Old Spice.
Derek Theler: Old Spice, hello?
Melissa Peterman: Who is just wonderful and smells delicious. And Bonnie is broke in the beginning of the season.
SitcomsOnline: Yeah, she has moved in with these guys, right?
Derek Theler: Yeah, couch-crashing.
Melissa Peterman: If you've watched episodes, she is clearly living beyond her needs for years (laughs) as a divorced woman living in New York, but she's got to definitely to step up her career game. So you know, real estate, I'm back in it, not good at it, but money is an issue, which really doesn't stop her from dressing quite extravagantly and going out a lot.
SitcomsOnline: Is Danny coming back from Paris?
Derek Theler: No, Danny is staying in Paris forever (laughs). Just kidding, he comes back.
SitcomsOnline: Christa B. Allen is in play, so Georgie (the girl he went to Paris with) must be gone then?
Derek Theler: Uhhh, (laughs) yeah that's what it seems like. Yeah, Danny is back in the picture. By the middle of the season, he is back playing for the Rangers and it is fun. It's a lot of fun, it's all high stakes shenanigans.
Melissa Peterman: I think the writers have really upped the game this year for a lot of physical comedy, which we all discovered we love to do. More and a lot of this sort of Noises Off and old school hijinks, that we were in trouble and have to get ourselves out of even crazier situations this season. It's always super fun.
Derek Theler: Stunts, fights, falls!
Melissa Peterman: We have Fleet Week. We recreated it you know in a studio in L.A. but I'd love to experience the real deal here (NY). We have Jon Bon Jovi's apartment...
Derek Theler: Madison Square Garden, a really big hockey set.
Melissa Peterman: Yeah, we've done some big shows, in terms of locale and all that, so we're excited, we're super thrilled.
SitcomsOnline.com: So is Danny jealous of Ben and Riley?
Derek Theler: Yeah, I think he is always dealing with his feelings because his girl, the girl he grew up in being love with his whole life is dating his brother and he has kind of kept those feelings to himself for the most part and it's an interesting moment in the middle of the season when everyone's feelings are out in the open.
Melissa Peterman: There's also a built-in brother rivalry anyway. Brothers are so naturally competitive anyway.
Derek Theler: Danny is used to winning everything. And this one is probably the most important and he's not winning.
Melissa Peterman: Yet. So far...we don't know.
Derek Theler: Yeah, tune in.
Melissa Peterman: Yeah, we pick-up right where we left off last season.
Derek Theler: Yeah, it's a week later.
Melissa Peterman: I love that we don't disappoint. We don't skip ahead; we keep telling them the same story even when we take a break.
Derek Theler: Yeah, we don't fast-forward at all.
SitcomsOnline.com: I just told Tahj that Tucker and Bonnie are hilarious when they are together. Any more antics in store for them?
Melissa Peterman: We have a lot more great moments. He's my comedy soul mate! During Fleet Week, we get ourselves in a little bit of a bind.
Derek Theler: It's a small space.
Melissa Peterman: We share a small bunk together in Fleet Week and as always we antagonize each other and at the same time, we're always on the same team. Like we have the same goal usually, like we always end up helping each other in the worst case scenario. All of us have such good chemistry, which is why this show works so well. I mean obviously it's great writing and all that is the real reason but having chemistry you can see that in the final product, so I feel lucky that we like each other.
SitcomsOnline.com: Melissa, how do you juggle two shows, especially two shows with "Baby" in title? And is there going to be a third season of (game show) Bet On Your Baby?
Melissa Peterman: Well Bet On Your Baby, we just shoot on the off days when I'm not doing this. We only do 8 episodes and it only takes me 10 days. It looks busier on TV. I don't know about a third season, I don't think so but I don't know for sure. I love it too. I love shows with baby in the title...I have had good luck.
SitcomsOnline.com: And finally, what are you two doing for Christmas?
Melissa Peterman:I'm going to Minnesota to be with my family.
Derek Theler: I'm actually going to be in Spain. I'm always at home in Colorado with my family but I'm going to Europe for the first time over Christmas this year.
Melissa Peterman: I think it'll be exciting!
Derek Theler: I'm excited, it's an adventure .
Baby Daddy returns Wednesday, January 14 at 8:30|7:30c on ABC Family! Tune in for all the fun and laughs!
Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey)
SitcomsOnline.com: Mel and Joe finally got married in last season's finale, any hints on what is in store this season? Melissa Joan Hart: Yeah! We have this really fabulous Christmas episode coming up this week, which we're so excited about. It's really funny. We had a blast, we were in tears backstage. So for the season premiere itself, it starts off with a kind of failed honeymoon attempts and attempts to consummate the marriage, and his daughter moves in with us and she's pretty much a naughty girl. She succeeds in making Lennox (Taylor Spreitler) feel like an old lady in the house, even though she is only 20. She makes her feel uncool and an old lady. And Lennox has some great storylines going on between Marco, her new current boyfriend who is Joe's nephew, and her ex Zander, played by Sterling Knight. And Nick Robinson's character is off doing AmeriCorps most of the season because he is actually off shooting this big movie The Fifth Wave and the Jurassic Park sequel (Jurassic World), so he's been busy (laughs). He'll come back at the end of the season, but we have great episodes about...there's a lot of sex in this season and a lot of great...like 'what happens in the first year of marriage' and 'what happens when you're in a relationship' and the typical things that go awry. It feels like a much racier version of Everybody Loves Raymond.
SitcomsOnline.com: And how will Joe's daughter play into this season?
Melissa Joan Hart: Just in her naughty behavior and how she gets us in trouble and she pits me against him and that kind of thing. You know, she gets caught drinking and things like that.
SitcomsOnline.com: We loved the Halloween episode! Any more Sabrina references, guests or storylines planned?
Melissa Joan Hart: Oh thank you so much. Well, just the Christmas episode is our one-off special. The rest of them all sort of go in a linear... there is a through line in the stories...those are two that stand-alone, the Halloween and the Christmas, so we sort of ignore the fact that this is the first time you see them as a married couple and that kind of thing, but yeah that was fun, the writers tricked me into doing a little Sabrina reunion. I didn't realize it until later on, but it was fun. It was a blast doing it. It was a lot of work though, I had to direct it.
Melissa & Joey returns Wednesday, January 14 at 8|7c on ABC Family! Tune in for all the fun and laughs!
Emily Osment (Young & Hungry)
SitcomsOnline.com: We loved the first season. So funny! Any idea when the second season will launch and what is in store? Is there any hope for Gabi and Josh? Or is Cooper (Jesse McCartney) in play?
Emily Osment: Oh thank you! Yes, we start back in production tomorrow (Dec. 8) on season two and we're planning on airing in the spring (hopefully around March). Season two picks-off right where we left off in season one, which is great. I love when a show does that. There's been so many times where you have huge cliffhangers in season one and you go back four months later and everything has changed. This (show) really picks-up right where we left off, so happy to say that! There's always hope for Gabi and Josh, whether they know it or not, there is. I think Gabi is the only person that doesn't know that Josh is madly in love with her, which is always fun. And I think this (upcoming) season is kinda about protecting her heart and her friends are trying to decide what's best for her because she has no idea, and all she wants to do is cook. And yes Cooper is back in season two and he definitely is playing a catalyst in the relationship and she is definitely torn between the two people.
SitcomsOnline.com: Are you like Gabi in the sense that you know a lot about food? Will you be doing any cooking this Christmas?
Emily Osment: I cooked a lot for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas my family usually goes out to eat on Christmas Eve, so I'll probably be doing a little bit more baking, which is in my forte and more of my style. And I'm like Gabi in the sense that I'm manic in the kitchen...everything is a mess. If you're making a huge mess, usually what you have at the end is pretty delicious.
SitcomsOnline.com: How is it like working on a sitcom again and with this cast? Rex Lee and Kym Whitley are sitcom vets and are hilarious!
Emily Osment: Yes, yes definitely. Actually this is Rex Lee's first (traditional) sitcom. It's very very fun to watch everybody struggle with trying to adapt to the new style of shooting because it is its own world. Single camera and four-camera is very different and we have a live audience, which helps a lot because every Friday nights it's like a party.
SitcomsOnline.com: Any upcoming guest stars that we can look forward to? Perhaps some of your former co-stars like Miley Cyrus or maybe your brother (Haley Joel Osment)? Ashley Tisdale and Jessica Lowndes were great last season.
Emily Osment: Um, I don’t know if you watch Mystery Girls but we have Miguel Pinzon of Mystery Girls who is playing Rex Lee's love interest this year. So, that will be very fun because we love him.
Young & Hungry returns Spring 2015 on ABC Family! Stay tuned for a premiere date!
Katie Leclerc (Switched at Birth)
SitcomsOnline.com: Congrats, by the way on the wedding! What is like being a newlywed?
Katie Leclerc: Thank you so much! It's been amazing; it has been like three months and not a whole lot has changed, not a whole lot feels different, but it feels like that's how it should be.
SitcomsOnline.com: The Christmas episode looks great. It looks like a Freaky Friday type of episode, with the switch that never happened? Can you share some info from the episode?
Katie Leclerc: It's one of those one-off episodes, because it doesn't really have anything to do with the big storyline of the show. There's Santa Claus, there's a twinkle in the eye, like the Christmas magic and that's what I really liked about that episode. All of the family kind of gets spread out but in the end we all come together and you're reminded what the season really is and the values of who is important in your life and focusing on that.
SitcomsOnline.com: What's in store for the return in January for Daphne and the gang after Bay's shocking decision?
Katie Leclerc: Oh Bay (laughs)! She made a really hard choice, so the season picks-up as soon as that (decision) happens and then we kind of fast-forward like ten weeks and we get to see the characters in dealing with the choices that everybody has made now. She really saved Daphne, Bay did, and I think Daphne owes her for that so she has a lot of guilt and she's trying to make it up to her. This season though, we're all off to college and we're dealing with like kids making adult decisions. There's one topic that we bring up and it's very...it has the potential to be uncomfortable, but we bring it up because it's an important conversation to parents to have with their children and it's real life and it is something that happens every day. So when we're talking about the really heavy issues, I appreciate our show because we don't hold back and we show real consequences of things that really happen and I really appreciate that from our writers.
SitcomsOnline.com: You guys are moving to a new night and time for season four? Excited or nervous about that?
Katie Leclerc: Yeah, I'm excited for Tuesdays. Pretty Little Liars is one of ABC Family's strongest shows and I think it is really great to be paired up with them. So Tuesday nights is a big hitting night. And Chasing Life and The Fosters are also great shows and I love the cast of those shows as well, so I don't know I feel like we're at a really great place now.
SitcomsOnline.com: How is it like working with such a great cast? Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie and Lea Thompson?
Katie Leclerc: We have the best cast in the world. I am so thankful that my breakout, my first like big role, was with a group of people who I really see as my family. Even like Lucas (Grabeel) and D.W. (Moffett), the entire cast was at my wedding. I mean like every single person was at my wedding and being silly, like the highlight of my extended family was like Lea Thompson and Constance Marie had a dance battle! And they really danced their butts off...it was awesome! We're silly and we're like dumb and fun and I love our cast, we're so lucky!
SitcomsOnline.com: Can you share some of your Christmas plans to our readers?
Katie Leclerc : My family is in San Antonio and my husband's family is in San Antonio also, so we get to like switch back in forth between the two families and there's lots of chaos in the best way and kids running around and it's great!
Switched at Birth returns on a new night & time on Tuesday, January 6 at 9|8c on ABC Family!
Maia Mitchell, Cierra Ramirez and David Lambert (The Fosters)
SitcomsOnline.com: Congrats on the show, it is really good TV. It really fits ABC Family well, with the new kind of family theme. Can you guys tell us what is coming up on the new episodes in January? Any good guests?
Maia Mitchell: Thank you! I think so, too! First, we have a Christmas episode coming up tomorrow (Dec. 8); basically it is kind of a stand-alone episode. It picks-up where the season finale ended where Callie and Brandon are making out and they're kind of are dealing with the repercussions of that and figuring out whether they are going to move forward with it. You also are taken back in time with one of the characters' flashbacks and you're experiencing Callie and Jude's first with Christmas with the Fosters. And I think like any family Christmas, there's a lot of stuff that you know maybe dynamics and issues that get swept under the rug but come out at Christmas when everyone is together, so you really see the family working through that. And I come out of the other end of it much stronger and much more unified.
David Lambert: In terms of the season that is coming up, Brandon sort of I guess faces a decision with music. He's kind of playing around with a band right now and then he gets an opportunity from possibility a school that wants to look at him for classical music, so he has to sort of figure out what he wants to do in terms of that. As far as guest stars, Ana Gutierrez might be showing back up in some ways. We are actually almost done in production for season two...we finish shooting Dec. 19.
Cierra Ramirez: You can definitely look forward to Rosie O'Donnell coming back.
SitcomsOnline.com: Callie and Jude are celebrating their first Christmas with the Fosters. What can fans expect on this Christmas episode?
Cierra Ramirez: It's all about bringing the family close together and Jesus is decorating the house and he enters a competition to win the best decorated house in the neighborhood. And Marianna is kind of dragged into it. She loves being in charge anyway, so I'm sure she loved it but it's really interesting she makes a comment about giving terrible gifts but she kind of realizes that's not what it's about, it's about the gifts she is giving and all about the family.
SitcomsOnline.com: Ratings are very good. You guys are going to be leading off Monday nights now in January. How exciting is that and what do you think about the move to 8?
Maia Mitchell: I don't know, I don't really pay much attention to ratings and stuff like that. But I heard it's doing well and that's good and we keep working and putting the show on television then I'm happy (laughs).
SitcomsOnline.com: How often do you guys see executive producer, Jennifer Lopez?
Maia Mitchell: I've seen her a few times. She is really really cool, she's always very personable. I went to her Halloween party, which was fun. She's really fun...she's sweet and really smart obviously and a smart businesswoman.
SitcomsOnline.com: There are three types of children on this show. Biological, adopted, and a foster child. Who has it best on the show you think?
David Lambert: I don't know, they're all really equal in the house.
Cierra Ramirez: I mean my favorite line from the show that I have taken is definitely "DNA doesn't make a family, love does." So I don't know, I think they all have it pretty good, even though Callie has had her issues with being adopted and whatnot, you can still tell how loved she is and how wanted she is, so I don't know, I don't think it really even matters like legally if she is a Foster cause she is in their eyes.
SitcomsOnline.com: Annie Potts is back and in the Christmas episode. How is it like working with her?
Maia Mitchell: I love Annie. She's I mean such a kind of inspiration to me, she's so strong and so smart and so talented. She's a really cool lady and dignified. She's a legend...she's Annie Potts. She's been incredible to our group, she always has really good advice, not just about acting but how to carry yourself in this industry and she is definitely a role model of mine.
SitcomsOnline.com: What are you all doing for Christmas?
Maia Mitchell: I'm going home for the holidays to Australia. So I'll be home for a month, so I'm very excited!
Cierra Ramirez: I'm going back home to Texas cause that's where I'm from, so I'm going to see all my family and friends...get my Texas fix, hit up all of the restaurants I love, so excited.
David Lambert: My family is all in California right now so we're all there, we'll just be together, hanging out and enjoying it together.
The Fosters returns Monday, January 19 at a new time 8|7c on ABC Family!
Italia Ricci (Chasing Life)
SitcomsOnline.com: You're amazing on this show. It's such a unique show with a storyline many people can somehow relate with. Did you do any research prior in getting the role on cancer or leukemia?
Italia Ricci: Thank you! That's so kind of you. At first I wanted to learn everything I could about cancer and become like an expert so I knew what to expect but then I realized that my character didn't know everything about cancer so I didn't want to anticipate anything with my performance, so I learned as I was going along. So when she went for the bone marrow biopsy, I leaned what that was like and did my research and watched videos. When she was in chemo I talked to survivors about what it physically feels like and all of those sorts of things, but at the same time, no two people deal with cancer the same way so it was sort of liberating to know that I could make a bunch of different choices and it could all still work because everybody reacts differently to it.
SitcomsOnline.com: What's in store for the new season? Last we saw Dominic broke up with April because of the Leo situation, will they get back together? Will we find out right away about Leo and the voicemail?
Italia Ricci: Maybe! Well there forced to be together again because of work so you get to see the tension there. And yes it will pick-up directly with that phone call during the Christmas episode.
SitcomsOnline.com: In the upcoming Christmas episode, your grandparents come to visit, played by the legendary Ed Asner and Marion Ross. How was it like working with them? Were you a fan of their sitcoms?
Italia Ricci: Oh my gosh, it was insane. They're so funny and gracious and down-to-earth and humble, you know for being such legends you know just talking to them in between scenes is like they're just regular people but they're so cool... it was such an honor. I was never a crazy fan of their sitcoms, but of course I was familiar with them.
SitcomsOnline.com: Congrats on the engagement by the way, any idea yet of when the big day is going to be? And any other upcoming projects coming up on the horizon?
Italia Ricci: Thank you! Not for another couple years (on the big day). As for other projects, nothing that I'm allowed to talk about yet (laughs).
SitcomsOnline.com: So, what will you be doing this Christmas?
Italia Ricci: We'll be going back home to Toronto and hanging with families and doing all the freezing-cold Christmas stuff.
Chasing Life returns on a new night Monday, January 19 at 9|8c on ABC Family!
That's a wrap for the 2014 ABC Family Winter Wonderland. Be sure to watch your favorites return this January and hopefully you learned some tidbits for Baby Daddy, Melissa & Joey and the rest of the shows! Follow us on Instagram for more pictures from this event. We'll once again cover this event next year. Happy Holidays everyone and have a safe 2015!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, December 19
Ghosts - "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1" / "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A leaky water heater mishap threatens to ruin holiday plans as Sam and Jay prepare to host Jay’s hard-to-please dad, Mahesh (Bernard White), difficult-to-impress mom, Champa (Sakina Jaffrey), and sister Bela (Punam Patel), on a one-hour GHOSTSMAS special.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)
Thursday, December 19
- Ralph Macchio (Eight Is Enough) - Catch Ralph on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/I'm a Big Girl Now/The Associates) - Martin appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- John Mulaney (Mulaney) - John stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jade Catta-Preta (American Housewife/Manhattan Love Story) - Jade is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about her new show Fast Friends on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings. She can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
- Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie tells Sherri about starring in the new Apple TV+ thriller Before on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Chloe Bailey (grown-ish) - Chloe joins the Tam Fam for an epic hour on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana is sharing her hilarious take on the hottest news topics on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Christina Milian (Grandfathered) - Christina talks about Netflix's Meet Me NExt Christmas on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) - Danica McKellar and Gleb Savchenko discuss their A Cinderella Christmas Ball movie on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) and Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Nicole share shoppable must-haves for the holidays on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris discusses his television series Watson on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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