Monday, November 02, 2015
2015 ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule; Remembering Happy Days Star Al Molinaro
ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas," cable's biggest programming event of the year, returns with 25 continuous days of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family. From December 1 - 25, viewers can ring in the holidays with holiday specials, classic holiday movies, and returning favorites. As you all know, ABC Family is becoming Freeform in January 2016. This year, "25 Days of Christmas" will feature classic Jim Henson Christmas specials The Bells of Fraggle Rock and Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, which have been remastered and are returning to television after several years. Additionally, December 13 features a marathon of Disney·Pixar's Toy Story films. Also, the network will air Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters, which gives an inside look at the upcoming saga series.
Other faves airing this year include The Polar Express, The Santa Clause, Mickey's Christmas Carol, A Very Brady Christmas, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, Holiday in Handcuffs, Christmas Cupid and Snowglobe. View the full 25 Days of Christmas schedule, so you don't miss any of your favorites!
Actor Al Molinaro, who was best known for his roles as Al Delvecchio in Happy Days and Murray Greshler in The Odd Couple, has died. He died on October 30 in a Glendale, California, hospital. His son, Michael, said his death was the result of complications from an infected gallbladder. Mr. Molinaro was 96.
Molinaro played the supporting role of Murray the cop in The Odd Couple from 1970-1975. Murray Greshler was one of Oscar's (Jack Klugman) poker partners. He appeared in 73 episodes of the series. His early sitcom guest appearances included Get Smart, Green Acres, That Girl and Bewitched.
Garry Marshall hired him to replace Pat Morita in Happy Days in 1976. Molinaro played Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold's drive-in, beginning in the fourth season. He appeared in 146 episodes of the series. His character was known for the catchphrase "yep-yep-yep-yep." He married Chachi's mother, Louisa (Ellen Travolta).
Molinaro left Happy Days in 1982 to star in the spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi, which aired for 17 episodes. He returned to Happy Days to make three guest appearances in 1983 and 1984. In 1987, Anson Williams and Molinaro opened a chain of diners in the Midwest called appropriately enough, Big Al's. He appeared in the Happy Days Reunion Special on ABC in 1992.
He starred in The Family Man in 1990-1991 on CBS. He played the grandfather, Joe Alberghetti, in the sitcom which aired for one season. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Punky Brewster and Step by Step. His film credits included Freaky Friday and Gridlock. He also starred in TV commercials for On-Cor frozen dinners for 16 years from 1987-2003.
In the 1995 Weezer video, "Buddy Holly" directed by Spike Jonze, vintage Happy Days footage was intercut with shots of Weezer performing on the original Arnold's drive-in set. The introduction of the video was delivered by Molinaro as Al Delvecchio and seizing the opportunity to ad lib, Al plugged his hometown--and his words "...from Kenosha, Wisconsin: Weezer!" ended up in heavy rotation on MTV for weeks during 1995.
Survivors include his wife, Betty; son, Michael; a brother, Oliver; and three grandchildren.
Mr. Molinaro was a talented character actor. His roles as Murray the cop and Al Delvecchio were very funny and memorable. He was great at playing the second banana. We thank him for the many laughs and memories he brought us. He lived a long and good life. Big Al will be greatly missed.
Share your memories on our Happy Days message board. View photos in our photo galleries.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, May 11
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Goodbye" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Two joyful wedding celebrations bring loved ones together while old tensions and heartfelt confessions surface one last time. Meanwhile, tough goodbyes loom and the family looks ahead to a new chapter shaped by love, growth and change.
DMV - "Impact Will Be Felt" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A long‑awaited achievement sparks an office celebration that brings unresolved feelings and difficult realizations to the surface. Meanwhile, high‑stakes decisions and unexpected shifts in power shape the future of the workplace, leaving the team to face major change ahead.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 11)
Monday, May 11
- Steve Carell (Rooster/Space Force/The Office/Come to Papa/Watching Ellie) - Watch Steve on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Annaleigh Ashford (B Positive), Christopher Jackson (And Just Like That...) and Bernadette Peters (High Desert/Mozart in the Jungle/All's Fair) - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has a special Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt and Patrick Wilson at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth/The Bear) - Ayo is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Comedian CP (Love Life) - Comedian CP appears on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) and Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun/The Girl with Something Extra) - Andy Cohen interviews Lisa and Sally on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo. All Access with Linsey Davis sits down with Lisa Kudrow to talk about her career, including her iconic roles in Friends and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and the series finale of The Comeback on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Katherine LaNasa (Three Sisters) - Katherine talks season two of the hit show The Pitt and helps Drew surprise a deserving nurse on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia talks about Broad Trip on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and 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)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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