Friday, September 16, 2022
The CW's A Waltons Thanksgiving Airs Nov. 20; Rewind TV's A Week of Very Special Episodes Includes Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life and More; Remembering Mark Miller of Please Don't Eat the Daisies

The CW Network announced that the new, original made-for-television movie A Waltons Thanksgiving will premiere Sunday, November 20 (8:00-10:00pm ET/PT). A follow-up to the highly successful The Waltons' Homecoming, the movie reunites the Walton family as they prepare for Thanksgiving in 1934. The Depression has affected everyone, but John Walton (Teddy Sears) has found a way to provide for his family through the farm and by picking up odd jobs from the eccentric Baldwin Sisters. It’s also the time of year for the Annual Harvest Festival Fair, where carnival rides, talent shows and pie contests become the center of attention for the Waltons. As the story unfolds, John Boy (Logan Shroyer) learns the true meaning of taking responsibility, Mary Ellen (Marcelle LeBlanc) comes to understand patience and collaboration, Grandma (Rebecca Koon) finds that winning can be complicated, and Olivia (Bellamy Young) shares her healing heart with every other Walton family member — at a time when each of them need it most. And when a young boy enters the Waltons' world, everyone's life is changed in ways they could never have imagined — transformed forever through love, faith and kindness!
A Waltons Thanksgiving stars Bellamy Young as Olivia, Logan Shroyer as John Boy, Teddy Sears as John Sr., Marcelle LeBlanc as Mary Ellen, Christian Finlayson as Jason, Tatum Matthews as Erin, Samuel Goergen as Jim Bob, Calloway Corrick as Elizabeth, Alpha Trivette as Grandpa Walton, Rebecca Koon as Grandma Walton, with special guest stars Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Richard Thomas, who originally starred as John Boy Walton in the beloved television series The Waltons, as adult John Boy, who narrates the movie. The television movie is produced by Magnolia Hill Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producer Sam Haskell, writer/co-executive producer Jim Strain, co-executive producer Hudson Hickman, producer Billy Levin, and producer Bobby Kelly. Joe Lazarov is the director/co-executive producer and Grammy® winner Tena Clark is the composer. The Waltons original series was created by Earl Hamner.
Rewind TV will air "A Week of Very Special Episodes" next week (Sept. 19-23). It will be a week of special episodes featuring very tough topics. You can catch these special episodes in all your favorite Rewind TV shows timeslots from 11am-6pm. Shows featured are The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties, The Hogan Family, Growing Pains, Who's the Boss? and Head of the Class. Episodes include Diff'rent Strokes two-part episode "The Bicycle Man," where a neighborhood merchant who is actually a child molester plans to make his move on the unsuspecting Arnold and Dudley; The Facts of Life episode "Fear Strikes Back," where Natalie is attacked while returnign from a party; Family Ties episode "Say Uncle," where Alex discovers Uncle Ned's (Tom Hanks) serious drinking problem, and Who's the Boss? episode "Boozin Buddies," where Tony gets a lesson in peer pressure after Samantha comes home drunk.
Actor Mark Miller, who starred as Jim Nash on Please Don't Eat the Daisies, has died. He died on September 9 of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Miller was 97.
Miller's first starring role was as Bill Hooten on the 1960-1961 ABC sitcom Guestward, Ho!. The premise revolves around a New York City family, the Hootens, who tire of the urban lifestyle and relocate to operate a dude ranch in New Mexico. It was based on the 1956 comic memoir of the same title by New Mexico dude ranch operator Barbara "Babs" Hooton, written in cooperation with Auntie Mame author Patrick Dennis. The series also starred Joanne Dru, J. Carrol Naish, Flip Mark, Earle Hodgins, Jolene Brand and Tony Montenaro, Jr.
He starred as English college professor Jim Nash on the 1965-1967 NBC sitcom Please Don't Eat the Daisies. Jim and Joan Nash (Patricia Crowley) are a married couple who live in an old, turreted house in Ridgemont, New York, with their four rambunctious sons (Kyle, Joel, and identical twins Trevor and Tracy), a very tolerant live-in maid, and an enormous Old English sheepdog named Ladadog. The series ran for two seasons and 58 episodes. Miller received an Emmy nomination for writing the 1966 episode "The Magnificent Muldoon," which guest starred Burgess Meredith. The series also starred Kim Tyler, Brian Nash, Joe Fithian, Jeff Fithian, Shirley Mitchell, Harry Hickox (1965-1966), King Donovan (1966-1967), Dub Taylor (1965-1966), Ellen Corby, Bill Quinn (1966-1967) and Jean VanderPyl (1966-1967).
Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Stanley, The Andy Griffith Show, The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie and That Girl.
Miller guest starred in six episodes of NBC's The Name of the Game from 1969 to 1971. Four of those appearances was as Ross Craig, Glenn Howard's (Gene Barry) other executive assistant. He appeared as Howard Jones in 13 episodes of Bright Promise in 1970. He played J.R. Barnett in 17 episodes of Days of Our Lives from 1975 to 1976.
Some of his other drama guest appearances included I Spy, Gunsmoke, The Millionaire, The Tall Man, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Stoney Burke, Hawaiian Eye, The Twilight Zone, The Invaders, The Smith Family, The F.B.I. (1972), Adam-12, Cannon, Emergency!, Barnaby Jones, Kung Fu, The Waltons, Marcus Welby, M.D. (2 episodes), Harry O and The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes).
Miller's other writing credits included The Jeffersons, Diff'rent Strokes (3 episodes), Together We Stand (2 episodes), What a Dummy (2 episodes) and The Munsters Today (4 episodes).
He wrote, produced and starred in the 1982 family film Savannah Smiles. It was about two vagabonds named Alvie (Miller) and Boots (Dononvan Scott) who befriend six-year-old Savannah (Bridgette Andersen). He wrote, produced and appeared in the 1974 comedy-drama film Ginger in the Morning, which starred Sissy Spacek. He wrote and starred as Gabe Sweet alongside Slim Pickens in Christmas Mountain: The Story of a Cowboy Angel (1981). Some of his other film credits included Youngblood Hawke (1964), Mr. Sycamore (1975) and Dixie Dynamite (1976).
Survivors include his three daughters Savannah, Penelope Ann (actress) and Marisa and his granddaughters: Amelia, Eloisa, Gretta, Sophie, Maria and Celeste.
Mr. Miller was a talented and versatile actor. He made more than forty appearances in television series and films. Please Don't Eat the Daisies is a wonderful show that should be available on DVD, streaming or aired on a channel. It has been many years since it was last shown in syndication. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.
Share your memories on our Please Don't Eat the Daisies message board. View photos in our galleries.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, May 28
The Conners - "Possums, Pregnancy and Patriarchy" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris makes a big announcement. Meanwhile, Ben is overwhelmed with family responsibilities.
The Conners - "Hiding In and Moving Out" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris takes her anger out on Darlene. Elsewhere, Dan and Louise spend an entire day in bed together.
The Conners - "The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mark fights for a spot in the Lanford High chamber orchestra. Elsewhere, Jackie puts a lottery machine in the Lunch Box.
The Conners - "Road Trip and Guilt Trip" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan and Jackie take a road trip to a hardware wholesaler in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Darlene heads out of town and leaves behind a plethora of to-do notes for Becky and Ben.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 22)
Friday, May 26
- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ali Wong (Big Mouth/American Housewife/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Ali is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (How to Be a Bookie) - Sebastian talks about his new film About My Father on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Ming-Na Wen (The Single Guy) and BD Wong (All-American Girl) - Ming-Na and BD talk about Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Hailee Steinfeld (Dickinson) - Hailee and actor Shameik Moore sit down together to talk about their new film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, in theaters on June 2 on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Leslie Odom Jr. (Love in the Time of Corona/Big Dady) and Nicolette Robinson (Love in the Time of Corona/Perfect Couples) - Leslie and Nicolette chat with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Daniel Wu (American Born Chinese) - Daniel talks about American Born Chinese on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) - Kimberly is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
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