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

Saturday, March 28

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 23)

Friday, March 27

  • Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Watch Chelsea on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Creators of South Park) - Trey and Matt are guests on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John talks about ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Jon Bernthal (The Class) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear/Girls) - Jon and Ebon talk about Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew has a special food news with Joey Chestnut, Sunny Anderson and Valerie on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place/Young Sheldon/Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Kit and Melissa check out How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

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