Monday, October 23, 2006

Remembering 'Father Knows Best' TV Mom Jane Wyatt; 'Doris Day Show' DVD Delayed

Jane Wyatt from 1957

We have lost one of the great TV moms of all-time. Jane Wyatt, the actress who for six years on Father Knows Best (starring Robert Young) was one of TV's favorite moms, has died. Wyatt died Friday in her sleep of natural causes at her Bel-Air home, according to publicist Meg McDonald. She experienced health problems since suffering a stroke at 85, but her mind was sharp until her death, her son Christopher Ward said. She was best known for her role on the family sitcom as Robert Young's TV wife, Margaret Anderson that brought the actress her lasting fame. She appeared in 207 half-hour episodes from 1954 to 1960 and won three Emmys as best actress in a dramatic series in the years 1958 to 1960. The show began as a radio sitcom in 1949; it moved to television in 1954. After its run ended, it continued in reruns on CBS and ABC for three years in primetime, a TV rarity. The show came to an end because Young, who had also played the father in the radio version, had enough. Wyatt remarked in 1965 that she was tired, too. Besides this show, she did mostly movies, but she did have some other TV works (mainly one-hour dramas) such as Star Trek, Love American Style, Here Come the Brides, Marcus Welby, Owen Marshall, Alias Smith & Jones, The Virginian, Medical Center, Quincy, St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hotel, and even Happy Days. She will be deeply missed and here is hoping we see Father Knows Best on DVD soon. Ms. Wyatt lived a long life and was 96.

Related Links:
Internet Movie Database entry for Jane Wyatt
Father Knows Best Message Board
Father Knows Best Photo Gallery

And staying in the '50s/'60s decade, the fourth season DVD of The Doris Day Show has been delayed, MPI Home Video tells us. The set was scheduled for release on October 31, but no retailers I believe ever put it up for sale, so we asked MPI and they told us the set has been delayed until February 27, 2007. So, fans of this classic sitcom take note of this but rest assue we will get this season in the coming months. MPI is still on schedule for the Family Affair release in November.

We shall return if we have more news to share.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, October 26

Krapopolis - "Ty Died" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ty is tired of his family thinking he's not important enough to be assassinated.

The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Giant monsters created by political rage threaten to tear the town apart; a Victorian Mr. Burns is jump-scared on Thanksgiving by the ghosts of his abused workers; Homer bonds with a pair of extra-terrestrial jeans.

The Simpsons - "Men Behaving Manly" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Springfield's men are in crisis.

Universal Basic Guys - "Down the Shore" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The Hoagies go down the shore; Tammy tries to make amends with her estranged sister.

Krapopolis - "There's Something About Viscera" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Shlub's Endless Wine, Cheese, and Pita Festival causes a famine; Stupendous and Deliria have a girls weekend.

Bob's Burgers - "The Skids in the Hall" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Louise and Gene try to help Tina clear her name after she is fired as a hall monitor.

Electric Bloom - "How We (Sorta) Got Our First Big Break: Part One" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The girls get a potentially life-changing audition, but get asked to perform at a wedding at the exact same time; what do they do?

Electric Bloom - "How We (Sorta) Got Our First Big Break: Part Two" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Electric Bloom gets the opportunity of a lifetime, to meet with a famous music producer; the experience is not at all what they expected.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 20)

Sunday, October 26

  • Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) - Catch Glen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

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