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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, May 18
The Simpsons - "Estranger Things" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Bart and Lisa stop watching Itchy and Scratchy together, Marge fears that they'll start to drift apart.
Family Guy - "The Fat Lotus" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Peter suspects Lois of betraying his trust with Quagmire at a swanky vacation resort.
Krapopolis - "Ty Died" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Ty is tired of his family thinking he's not important enough to be assassinated.
Bob's Burgers - "Mr. Fischoeder's Opus" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tina becomes the new advice columnist for the school newspaper; Teddy takes on more than he can handle when he volunteers to build a float for the Bounty of the Bay Parade.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)
Friday, May 16
- Lunell (Lopez) - Watch Luenell on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. She will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:39am.
- Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) and Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Mayan and Jerry are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Luke Kirby (Étoile) and Gideon Glick (Étoile/The Other Two) - Luke and Gideon talk about Étoile on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley talks about his new series Tucci in Italy with GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. He will also be on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - Howie talks about America's Got Talent on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your lcoal listings.
- Marissa Jaret Winokur (What We Do in the Shadows/Retired at 35/Stacked) - Marissa talks about her latest project Mama I'm a Big Girl Now on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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