Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Double Dare Turns 30 and Nick at Nite Will Celebrate; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Austin "Rocky" Kalish
On your mark, get set, go! In celebration of the 30th anniversary year of Double Dare, which originally launched on Oct. 6, 1986, Nickelodeon will reunite original host Marc Summers with his beloved announcer Harvey and right-hand woman Robin, for a brand-new commemorative special premiering Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nick at Nite. Featuring vintage footage, behind-the-scenes content and messy new games taped this year, the half-hour special will let fans revisit their favorite game show from their childhood. The special will encore at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon's The Splat, the network's programming block dedicated to Nick's legendary library of hits from the '90s and 2000s. Double Dare originally aired from 1986-1993 on Nickelodeon, making it the network's longest running game show. Hosted by Summers, the series consisted of two-member teams of kids competing to win cash and prizes by answering trivia questions, completing messy, physical challenges and facing the infamous obstacle course.
The Double Dare special will kick off a holiday weekend that also includes the premiere of Legends of the Hidden Temple, an original TV movie inspired by the '90s game show of the same name, on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). The new action-adventure TV movie follows three siblings who break away from a lackluster tour in a jungle, finding themselves immersed in a high-stakes adventure comprised of obstacles that they must complete in order to escape alive. The TV movie will feature many elements from the original game show including: Olmec, the legendary talking head; The Steps of Knowledge, the entrance to the temple and launching pad for the mission; and appearances from a green monkey, red jaguar, and silver snakes, among others.
Sitcom writer and producer Austin "Rocky" Kalish, who worked on Maude, All in the Family and Good Times, has died. He died on October 5 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California. Mr. Kalish was 95.
Kalish married his wife Irma in 1948. They wrote for The Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Show for radio before moving to television. His early television credits included Meet Corliss Archer, The Colgate Comedy Hour and Johnny Staccato.
The couple co-wrote the pilot episode of Gilligan's Island with Elroy Schwartz. They created the show's characters and named them. They named the damaged boat the S. S. Minnow, which was named after former F.C.C. chairman Newton Minow. Kalish also co-wrote the episodes "Voodoo Something to Me" and "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk."
Some of his other sitcom writing credits in the 1960s included The Bob Cummings Show, The Donna Reed Show, Glynis, The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Gidget, My Favorite Martian, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, That Girl, F Troop, The Flying Nun, Family Affair, My Three Sons and Nanny and the Professor.
Austin and Irma Kalish worked together on the Norman Lear sitcoms Maude, All in the Family and Good Times in the 1970s. In 1972, they wrote "Maude's Dilemma," in which Maude decides to have an abortion after an unexpected pregnancy.
They wrote four episodes of All in the Family, including "The Blockbuster," "Archie Goes Too Far," "Gloria the Victim," and "Edith's Christmas Story." In "Gloria the Victim," Gloria is a victim of attempted rape and must decide whether to notify the police or keep quiet. In the cancer-focused "Edith's Christmas Story," Edith tries to get in on the joy of Christmas even though she has a lump in her breast.
They wrote five episodes of Good Times in 1976-1977. They co-produced a total of 48 episodes of the series in Seasons 4 and 5. Some of his other sitcom writing credits in the 1970s included The Bob Newhart Show, Dusty's Trail, Good Heavens and Carter Country.
The couple worked as executive producers for Too Close for Comfort from 1980-1982. They also wrote eight episodes of the series. Mr. Kalish co-wrote four episodes of The Facts of Life and one episode of 227. Ms. Kalish worked as an executive producer for The Facts of Life and 227.
The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with the couple on December 21, 2012.
Survivors include his wife Irma, their son, TV producer Bruce Kalish, their daughter Nancy, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mr. Kalish was a legendary sitcom writer. He and his wife Irma were a great writing team who worked on many groundbreaking episodes. We thank them for the many hours of entertainment they brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, October 13
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the new Normals" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Johnsons and Butlers face big changes and unexpected challenges as Tina discovers a new passion, Malcolm navigates work and family boundaries and Courtney takes a major step with Marty. Meanwhile, Dave’s tech experiment backfires and Gemma’s parenting plan goes awry.
DMV - "Pilot" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
East Hollywood Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) driving examiner Colette pines for her coworker Noa while enduring teasing from colleagues Gregg, Vic and Ceci. Also, new manager Barb rallies the crew to save their branch from government shutdown.
TV We Love - "I Love Lucy" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A deep dive into "I Love Lucy," widely regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time; exploring the groundbreaking partnership of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, whose comedic brilliance and bold business moves forever changed television.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 13)
Monday, October 13
- Kat Dennings (Shifting Gears/Dollface/2 Broke Girls/Raising Dad) - Watch Kat on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building), Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/I'm a Big Girl Now/The Associates) and Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building/Wizards of Waverly Place) - Steve, Martin and Selena are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Keanu Reaves (Swedish Dicks) - Keanu and Alex Winter are guests on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Laverne Cox (Clean Slate) - Andy Cohen intervews Laverne on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
- Patricia Arquette (High Desert) - Patricia talks about Murdaugh: Death in the Family on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Bradley talks about The Diplomat on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Colin Hanks (Life in Pieces) - Colin chats with the hosts about John Candy: I Like Me on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Michael discusses his new book Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth/The Bear) - Co-host Gayle King sits down with Ayo and Julia Roberts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Tim Meadows (DMV/Schooled/No Activity/Son of Zorn/Mr. Box Office/The Bill Engvall Show) - Tim talks about DMV on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Brian Baumgartner (The Office) - Brian talks about the We Need A Fourth podcast on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri talks about The Sunshine Queens on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel joins Sherri to talk about the new season of his hit game show Flip Side on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Vanessa Lachey (Truth Be Told/Dads) - Vanessa and Nick Lachey talk about Netflix's Love is Blind on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela talks about Netflix's Stay Classy on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is showing Drew how to make the perfect pumpkin spice meatballs on The Drew Barrymore Show, 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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts