Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Remembering Abe Vigoda, Antenna TV and Cozi TV to Pay Tribute; Love Is in the Air on Antenna TV This Valentine's Day
Character actor Abe Vigoda, who was best known for his role as Detective Phil Fish in Barney Miller and its spinoff Fish, has died. He died on January 26 in his sleep at his daughter's home in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Mr. Vigoda was 94.
Vigoda landed the role of Detective Phil Fish in Barney Miller in 1975. Fish was the senior detective on the squad of the 12th Precinct station. He was crotchety, near retirement and always suffering through some physical ailment, such as bladder problems and hemorrhoids. Fish was frequently on the phone dealing with a minor marital crisis with his wife, Bernice (Florence Stanley).
Vigoda was a regular on the show for the first three seasons. He retired from the police force in the second episode of the fourth season, though he returned for two guest appearances later in season four and season seven. Vigoda received Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" in 1976-1977 and "Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series" in 1978.
Fish was such a popular character that he got his own spinoff series in 1977. Fish aired on ABC for two seasons from 1977-1978. It presented the domestic side of Fish's life, as he and his wife served as foster parents for a number of troubled children who were PINS (Persons in Need of Supervision). The series starred Florence Stanley, Lenny Bari, Todd Bridges, John Cassisi, Denise Miller, Sarah Nataolio and Barry Gordon.
Some of his other television guest appearances included Dark Shadows, Mannix, The Rookies, Toma, Hawaii Five-0, Kojak, Cannon, The Bionic Woman, Vega$, The Rockford Files, Fantasy Island, B.J. and the Bear, Superboy, Santa Barbara, MacGyver, Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder and Law & Order. His sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style, The Love Boat, Harper Valley, P.T.A., Weird Science, Wings, Mad About You and Norm.
His best-known film role was that of elder mobster Salvatore Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather in 1972. He also appeared briefly in The Godfather Part II in a flashback sequence at the end of the film. Some of his other film credits included Newman's Law, The Cheap Detective, Cannonball Run II, Keaton's Cop, Look Who's Talking, Prancer, Joe Versus the Volcano, Sugar Hill, Jury Duty, Good Burger and Witness to the Mob.
Survivors include his daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
Mr. Vigoda was a fine character actor. Fish was such a funny and memorable character. He lived a long, good life. He will be deeply missed.
Share your memories on our Barney Miller and Fish message boards. View photos in our galleres.
Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's digital multicast channel will commemorate the life of actor Abe Vigoda with "Remembering Abe Vigoda: Barney Miller Marathon" a 12-episode/6 hour Barney Miller marathon airing on Saturday, January 30 from 4-10pm ET. Antenna TV, which this year expanded to clearances on 125 stations across the country (including 49 of the top 50 markets) reaching 88% of TV households, will air the following episodes of Barney Miller:
4p The Experience
4:30p Hair
5p Discovery
5:30p Fish
6p The Kid
6:30p The Mole
7p Evacuation
7:30p Smog Alert
8p Group Home
8:30p Burial
9p Goodbye, Mr. Fish (1)
9:30p Goodbye, Mr. Fish (2)
Barney Miller regularly airs on Antenna TV weekdays from 12-1am and on Saturdays from 9-10p ET.
This week Cozi TV honors Abe Vigoda, a beloved actor and gentle man who captured the hearts of audiences on and off the stage. Starting Wednesday night and continuing into the weekend we will air special episodes Abe appeared in on The Bionic Woman, Murder, She Wrote, and Fantasy Island. Join us in bidding a true gentleman farewell.
Posted by Cozi TV on Tuesday, January 26, 2016
This week Cozi TV honors Abe Vigoda, a beloved actor and gentle man who captured the hearts of audiences on and off the stage. Starting Wednesday night and continuing into the weekend they will air special episodes Abe appeared in on The Bionic Woman, Murder, She Wrote and Fantasy Island. Join them in bidding a true gentleman farewell.
Sticking to Antenna TV, love is in the air this Valentine's Day on Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's digital multicast channel. Antenna TV will celebrate the most romantic day of the year with 24-hours of romance themed episodes of your favorite classic TV programs beginning at 5am ET on Sunday, February 14. Antenna TV will air its schedule in regular pattern from 5am-5am ET with timeless TV episodes featuring struggles of the heart. Programming includes: The Burns and Allen Show, Doogie Howser, M.D., Evening Shade, Dear John, Family Ties, The Jack Benny Program, Gidget, My Mother the Car, Mister Ed, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Green Acres, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, Newhart, Three's Company, The Jeffersons, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Johnny Carson.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, January 22
Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.
Abbott Elementary - "Strike" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Wednesday, January 22
- Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Watch Lucy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts/White Famous), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Utkarsh, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Andrew, Nick and Lin-Manuel Miranda are chatting with Drew about their Broadway show All In: Comedy About Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also talking to Drew about parenting advice, how they were raised and how comedy brings people together.
New on DVD and 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)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
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