Remembering Russell Johnson and Dave Madden; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20, 2014)

Friday, January 17, 2014

Remembering Russell Johnson and Dave Madden; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20, 2014)

The castaways have lost another beloved member of their crew. Actor Russell Johnson, who became known to generations of TV fans as "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow Gilligan's Island castaways supplied with gadgets, has died. Johnson died Thursday morning (Jan. 16, 2014) at his home in Washington State of natural causes, said his agent, Mike Eisenstadt. 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.

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.

As far as TV marathon tributes, The MeTV Network will pay tribute to Russell Johnson by featuring four episodes prominently featuring the character Professor Roy Hinkley. Part one aired last night from 8:00- 9:00pm ET/PT (episodes: "Pass the Vegetables, Please" and "Forget Me Not") and part two will air Sunday morning from 11:00am-12:00pm ET/PT (episodes: "Ship Ahoax" and "V For Vitamins"). We will let you know if anything else comes up, as TV Land coincidentally just started airing the series again after a decade. Mr. Johnson will be deeply missed and now we are down to two Gilligan's Island cast members: Dawn Wells and Tina Louise. Mr. Johnson was 89.

Share your memories on our Gilligan's Island message board. View photos in our galleries.

Dave Madden

Canadian-born American actor, who was best known for his role as the group's manager Reuben Kincaid in The Partridge Family, has died. He died on January 16 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.

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.

Our friends at Just My Show interviewed him in 2007. Survivors include his wife, Sandra Martin; two children from his first marriage, Selena Madden and Michael Fox; a stepdaughter, Alexandra Martin; a sister; and two grandchildren. His characters on The Partridge Family and Alice were very memorable. The scenes with Reuben and Danny were always funny. He will be greatly missed.

Antenna TV will commemorate the life of Dave Madden (Reuben Kincaid) this Saturday, January 18th with a 7-hour Partridge Family marathon beginning at 1pm ET and running through 8pm ET. The following episodes will air: "What and Get Out of Show Business", "They Shoot Managers, Don't They", "Dora Dora Dora", "Home is Where the Heart Was", "Fellini, Bergman & Partridge", "Helllp", "Each Dawn I Diet", "Swiss Family Partridge", "Bednobs and Drumsticks", "Me and My Shadow", "Hate Thy Neighbor", "Reuben Kincaid Lives", "Al in the Family", and "Two for the Show."

Share your memories on our Partridge Family message board. View photos in our galleries.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Jan. 20-24, 2014, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Denis Leary (The Job) - Watch Denis on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Melissa Joan Hart (Baby Daddy/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Joey Lawrence (Baby Daddy/Brotherly Love/Gimme a Break!) - The stars of Baby Daddy will be guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Diane Farr (Like Family/The Job) - Diane surprises viewers with a "Mom's Weekend Challenge" on Katie, so check your local listings.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Reed Between the Lines/The Cosby Show/Malcolm & Eddie) - Malcolm-Jamal visits The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
Tasha Smith (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha is guest co-host and teams with Michael Symon to cook his own favorite hearty main dish—brown butter mash and burgundy beef stew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
Kim Richards (Hello, Larry) - Kim appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Catch Andy on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
Justin Long (Ed) - Justin appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Valerie Azlynn (Sullivan & Son/Welcome to the Captain) - Valerie drops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me) - David is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) - Busy is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy visits The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men/Spin City) - Watch Charlie on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison is a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jake Johnson (New Girl) - Jake stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Gabourey is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
Matt LeBlanc (Episodes/Friends) - Matt visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Seth Green (Dads/Greg the Bunny) - Seth stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Kirstie Alley (Kirstie/Veronica's Closet/Cheers) - Kirstie chats on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs) - Wendi appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Nick Kroll (The League/Caveman) - Nick is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Tia and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister) - Tia and Tamera will be guests on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Matt LeBlanc (Episodes/Friends) - Catch Matt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) - Martha appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph is a guest on Tavis Smiley on PBS, so check your local listings.
Joel McHale (Community) - Joel visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Ellie Kemper (The Office) - Ellie stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin talks about his comedy tour on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC at 12:30pm ET.
NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - NeNe opens up about the moment she was rushed to the hospital, and could have died on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Gabourey appears on The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
Kym Whitley (Let's Stay Together/Animal Practice/Sparks) - Kym is a guest on The Better Show, so check your local listings.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Watch Joseph on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Connie Britton (Spin City/The Fighting Fitzgeralds/Lost at Home) - Connie appears on a repeat of The Better Show, so check your local listings.
Bella Thorne (Shake It Up) - Bella is a guest on Pop Sugar on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.
Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret will be featured on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 9pm ET/PT on OWN.