Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Sundance Celebrates Father's Day with Father Knows West Stunt; Remembering Michu Meszaros of ALF and Janet Waldo, the Voice of Judy Jetson
SundanceTV celebrates Father's Day with a "Father Knows West" marathon featuring beloved Westerns, including some classic Clint Eastwood films and the iconic TV series The Rifleman, on Sunday, June 19th at 6:00 AM EST/5:00 AM CST. The festivities begin at sun-up with ten back-to-back episodes of the The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford, followed by Joe Kidd, The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven. The schedule has The Rifleman from 6am-4pm, Joe Kidd, The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgivenfrom 4pm-12am. An encore of The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven will air from 12am-6am.
Hungarian-born actor and circus performer Michu Meszaros, the man inside the costume in ALF, has died. He died on June 13 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was discovered on his bathroom floor by his manager Dennis Varga in a comatose state last week. He had suffered numerous health issues since a stroke eight years ago. Mr. Meszaros was 76.
Meszaros was a member of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus beginning in 1973 as the former "smallest man in the world". He trained and presented a dog act with white Standard Poodles. He was 2 feet 9 inches tall.
He wore the full-body costume of ALF during the first season of the series. Meszaros was used where scenes of ALF walking, running, or standing were required. He can be seen in the first season intro when he walks over to be part of the photo with the Tanner family. An ALF puppet was used for the half-body shots. Series creator Paul Fusco provided the voice of ALF.
In 1991, he guest starred as Mishka in an episode of Dear John. His film credits included Waxwork, Big Top Pee-wee, Warlock: The Armageddon and Freaked. He was a stunt double for Mikey in Look Who's Talking.
Actress Janet Waldo, who provided the voice of Judy Jetson in The Jetsons, has died. She died on June 12 at her home in Encino, California. She had been diagnosed with a benign but inoperable brain tumor five years earlier, according to her family. Ms. Waldo was 96.
Waldo's early television guest appearances included I Love Lucy, The Phil Silvers Show, The Lucy Show and The Andy Griffith Show. She appeared in various roles, including five episodes as Janet, in The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet from 1953-1965.
She starred as Libby Freeman in the short-lived 1964-1965 ABC sitcom Valentine's Day. Some of her later sitcom guest appearances included Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Get Smart, Petticoat Junction and Julia.
Waldo provided the voice of Judy Jetson in all versions of The Jetsons except Jetsons the Movie. The teenage daughter Judy attended Orbit High School. The series aired on ABC for one season in 1962-1963 before new episodes began airing in syndication in 1985-1987.
She provided the voice of Nancy in Shazzan. She voiced Penelope Penelope Pitstop in Wacky Races and the spin-off The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. Waldo was the voice of Josie in Josie and the Pussycats. She provided the voice of Princess/Susan in Battle of the Planets.
Some of her other voice work included The Flintstones, The Atom Ant Show, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, The Addams Family, Inch High, Private Eye, Jeannie, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Alvin & the Chipmunks and The Smurfs.
We thank them for the entertainment they brought us over the years. They will be deeply missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Wednesday, January 20
The Conners - "Young Love, Old Lions and Middle-Aged Hyenas" (ABC,
10:00PM ET/PT)
Harris brings home her new friend, Josh, leaving the family questioning his intentions. Meanwhile, Becky and Ben’s attempt to build a closet stirs up family drama.
Call Your Mother - "Distressed Jean" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Jean attempts to hang out with her kids but quickly realizes they have jobs and lives of their own. She soon finds herself lost navigating the streets of Los Angeles and discovers a new friend along the way.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 18)
Wednesday, January 20
- Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Watch Dakota on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood/New Girl/Modern Men) - Max appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Thomas Middleditch (B Positive/Silicon Valley) - Thomas is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Son of Zorn/Suburgatory) - Cheryl appears on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Michelle Buteau (Enlisted) - Michelle is a guest on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Phoebe Dynevor (Younger) - Phoebe talks about Netflix's Brigerton on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-January)
09/01 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 14
09/01 - What We Do in the Shadows - The Complete Second Season
09/01 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)
09/15 - Mom - The Complete Seventh Season
09/15 - South Side - Season 1
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Second Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Third Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Fourth Season
09/22 - Man with a Plan - Season Three
09/29 - The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
10/13 - The Jetsons - The Complete Series (Diamond Collection)
10/13 - Our Cartoon President - Season Two
10/23 - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - The Complete Collection
10/27 - The Flintstones - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/27 - Head of the Class - The Complete Second Season (WBShop.com)
11/10 - Letterkenny - Seasons 5 & 6
11/10 - The Office - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/10 - Schitt's Creek - The Complete Collection
11/17 - Carol's Second Act - The Complete Series
11/17 - Robbie - Season 1
11/24 - Corporate - Season 1
11/26 - Man with a Plan - Season Four
12/01 - The Neighborhood - Season Two
12/15 - Avenue 5 - The Complete First Season
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
