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
Sunday, July 13
Ghosts - "Patience" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
While Sam and the ghosts race to find him, Isaac comes face to face with Puritan ghost Patience (Mary Holland) for the first time since she was lost in the dirt.
The Simpsons - "Homer and Her Sisters" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After a fight in an escape room, Krusty's aunt fixes Homer's relationship with Patty and Selma.
Krapopolis - "Ice Week!" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ty struggles to keep his cool when he gets the hots for a visiting reporter; Shlub is paid a visit by an old friend; Hippocampus and Stupendous risk missing the festivities altogether.
Animal Control - "Giraffes, Gorillas and Penguins" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The crew must contain a freak zoo break; Frank realizes that he needs to break up with Yasmin; Emily finds an unexpected benefactor in a celebrity businesswoman.
Going Dutch - "Pilot" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The colonel is reassigned to take emergency command of USAG Stroopsdorf in the Netherlands; Sgt. Conway provides the colonel and Shah with a tour of the things Stroopsdorf is known for... cheese, laundry and bowling.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Friday, July 11
- Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
- David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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)
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