TERENCE STAMP DEAD AT 87

 

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Best known as Zod from the Superman films, he also played Professor Menace in an episode of Static Shock.

HULK HOGAN DEAD AT 71

 

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One of the most prolific wrestlers that helped usher in the wrestling boom of the 1980s, the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) used him as the face of their multimedia efforts; which included the animated series Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling that used his name, likeness and featured him in the intro and live-action segments. He also appeared on the Saturday morning edition of WWF’s broadcasts in the early 90s. 

MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER DEAD AT 54

 

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Best known as Theo Huxtable from The Cosby Show, he was also the replacement host for the 1993 reruns of CBS Storybreak; The Producer in The Magic School Bus; Lester Biggs in an episode of Static Shock; Floyd in an episode of Puppy Dog Pals; and appeared on Sesame Street.

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE

 

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE
(NBC, July 16-October 8, 1955)
 
Republic Pictures

 

            Commando Cody was a rocket-powered science-fiction action hero appearing in serials produced by Republic Pictures. Cody (George Wallace) was a civilian researcher and inventor from the near future assisted by Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne), Ted Richards (William Bakewell) and Dick Preston (Gayle Kellogg) and often tasked by the government to defend the world from alien invaders. The characters first appeared in Radar Men from the Moon, where Cody discovered the Earth was under attack by Retik, the ruler of the moon (Roy Barcroft). The 12-chapter serial began in theaters on January 9, 1952. It would be re-released in 1957 and on television under the title Retik the Moon Menace in 1966. The serial would often be confused with 1949’s King of the Rocket Men due to its liberal use of that serial’s flying sequences and costumes to save money.

Cody with Joan and Ted.

            Republic’s next Cody project was a television series that would serve as a prequel to Radar Men. Cody (now Judd Holdren) was tasked by the U.S. government to investigate strange climate changes affecting the planet. Joan and Ted (now William Schallert) applied for jobs with Cody as the story began, and together they discovered that the disasters were being caused by space alien forces led by The Ruler (Gregory Gaye) from the planet Venus. However, production on the series was put on hold after the first three episodes to work on a direct sequel, Zombies of the Stratosphere. While the serial still starred Holdren and Towne (Schallert was replaced by Wilson Wood due to availability), it was decided shortly before shooting to completely rename the characters--with Cody now “Larry Martin”--and make the film its own distinct thing. It was also released in 1952 to a cooler reception than its predecessor, and was later edited down and re-released as the 1958 feature film Satan’s Satellites. Notably, Zombies marked one of the earliest film appearances of actor Lenoard Nimoy. Production resumed on the television series, with Schallert having been replaced by Richard Crane (future star of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger) as Dick Preston, and The Ruler gaining a new henchwoman played by Gloria Pall.

The Ruler getting an update from his men.

            Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe ended up having to receive a theatrical release due to contractual issues. It debuted in 1953 and ran as a typical serial. However, a debate has arisen among film fans as to whether Sky Marshall should be classified as a serial or not since it lacked the cliffhanger endings at the end of each episode that defined the genre. Sky Marshal eventually made its way to syndication on July 16, 1955 through Republic’s TV arm, Hollywood Television Service, and aired on NBC stations. Ultimately, this wound up being the final Commando Cody project. The series has seen numerous home media releases, including on Blu-ray for the first time in 2016 by Olive Films.

JAMES CARTER CATHCART DEAD AT 71

 

You can read the full story here.

Also credited as Jimmy Zoppi, he was one of the longest-tenured actors in the Pokémon franchise voicing Gary Oak, Gary Oak, James, Professor Oak, Butch, Mirror James, Todd Snap, Charles Goodshow, Kurt, Dr. Namba, Mr. Briney, Pryce, Koga, Samurai, Tomo, Cleavon Schpielbunk, Mayor of Trovitopolis, Kenzo, Infernando, Mr. Gan Gogh, Jack Pollockson, Captain Marius, Wings Alexander, Kaburagi, Sigourney, Evan, Oriba, Zeus, Fergus, Godey, Carn Russet, Meowth, Aggron, Crawdaunt, Gengar, Blaziken, Banette, Lairon, Ninjask. Shelgon, Bronzong, Quagsire Rattata, Spearow, Grimer, Muk, Shellder, Dustox, Shieldon, Foongus, Seismitoad, Lairon, Snubbull, Raticate, Probopass, Mareanie, Toxapex, Aron, Slowpoke, Cloyster, Darmanitan, Seaking, Swampert, Granbull and other minor roles; Buchie in One Piece; Lumus, Weevil Underwood and Hobson in Yu-Gi-Oh!; Mong, Cerebrix and Mixmutt’s Owner in Cubix: Robots for Everyone; Cinnamonkey in Fighting Foodons; Cyniclons Tarb in Mew Mew Power; Chef Nagoya and Sir Gallant in Kirby: Right Back At Ya!; Raz and Sleeg in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003); and Vector the Crocodile, Construction Worker A and various small roles in Sonic X. 

CB BEARS

 

CB BEARS
(NBC, September 10-December 3, 1977)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Daws Butler – Hustler, Blast-Off Buzzard, Stick, Big Duke, Undercover Elephant
Chuck McCann – Boogie, Blubber
Henry Corden – Bump
Susan Davis – Charlie
Lennie Weinrib – King, Yuka Yuka, Rattle, various
Sheldon Allman – Big H
Don Messick – Clyde, various
Marvin Kaplan – Skids
Ginny McSwain – Sheena
Susan Silo – Zelda
William Woodson – Sheriff of Saddlesore
Paul Winchell – Shake
Joe E. Ross – Roll
Alan Oppenheimer – Sidney Merciless
Bob Hastings – Loudmouse
Michael Bell – Chief
Scatman Crothers – Segment Title Narrator
 

 

CB Bears was a Hanna-Barbera anthology series featuring six different segments: Blast-Off Buzzard; Heyyy, It’s the King!; Posse Impossible; Shake, Rattle & Roll; Undercover Elephant; and the titular CB Bears. Each one was directly inspired by other shows and movies popular at the time.

The CB Bears and the Perfume Wagon.

CB Bears was a spoof of the hit series Charlie’s Angels and infused with elements of the CB radio culture that had gained popularity during the decade. Three bears—Hustle (Daws Butler impersonating Phil Silvers), Boogie (Chuck McCann), and Bump (Henry Corden)—were detectives that disguised themselves as trash collectors. They received their missions from the unseen sultry-voiced Charlie (Susan Davis) through the CB radio in their beat-up garbage truck, the Perfume Wagon. While it may not have seemed like much, their truck was loaded with plenty of devices that could be called upon in a pinch. Each of the bears’ names were taken from a popular disco dance, and their character models were reminiscent of the crew from the earlier Help! …It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!; from which Butler recycled the same voice for Hustle that he used there. Early promotional art for the series had Charlie’s face seen on a TV screen before they decided to make her only a vocal presence like its inspiration.

Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazylegs.

Blast-Off Buzzard was Hanna-Barbera’s answer to Warner Bros.’ Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner series. Blast-Off Buzzard (vocal effects by Butler), who wore an aviator hat with goggles and a scarf, wanted nothing more than to catch Crazylegs, a speedy football helmet-wearing snake, in a desert setting. Blast-Off used a variety of schemes and devices in his attempt to nab the pesky snake, but was always thwarted by his plans backfiring or Crazylegs just outsmarting him. Crazylegs was originally pitched as being a rabbit, but NBC rejected the idea. Artist Jerry Eisneberg offered the solution of making him a snake, which the network approved.

King, Big H, Skids, Clyde, Sheena and Zelda.

Heyyy, It’s the King! was inspired by Happy Days; the title taking a cue from star Henry Winkler’s catchphrase as Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. King (Lennie Weinrib) was the cool leather-jacket wearing lion leader of his motley crew that included Big H (Sheldon Allman), a hippo that was always hungry; Clyde (Don Messick), a dopey gorilla with questionable athletic ability and a large ego; Yuka-Yuka (Weinrib), a hyena who was a practical joker; Skids (Marvin Kaplan), a crocodile that drove a jalopy and wore a bucket on his head; and cheerleaders Sheena (Ginny McSwain), a puma, and Zelda (Susan Silo), an ostrich. Most stories centered King’s schemes at acquiring money and fame and his friends’ attempts to help. Originally the segment was meant to be set in the jungle with their usual hang out, a malt shop, being the only building, but was changed to them living in the city. While the series featured a 1950s aesthetic reminiscent of its inspiration, it still very much took place in the modern 1970s.

The Posse Impossible: the Sheriff, Stick, Blubber and Big Duke.

Posse Impossible stemmed from an idea first explored in the final episode of Hong Kong Phooey. The Sheriff of Saddlesore (William Woodson) set out to protect the west with his posse of bungling cowboys: Stick (Daws Butler, using a hillbilly voice), Big Duke (also Butler, impersonating John Wayne who was known as “The Duke”), and Blubber (Chuck McCann). They pursued the most notorious outlaws in the territory and managed to bring them in by out-bumbling them.

Shake (yellow), Rattle (purple) and Roll (blue) rocking out with ghost mouse and their poltercat.

Shake, Rattle & Roll, titled after the 1954 hit penned by Jesse Stone (as Charles Calhoun) and first recorded by Big Joe Turner, was set in the rundown Haunted Inn managed by three ghosts: Shake (Paul Winchell), Rattle (Weinrib), and Roll (Joe E. Ross). Along with the hijinks that followed dealing with their clientele of supernatural entities and creatures, they often had to deal with a pesky Ghost Mouse (with the aid of their Poltercat), a ghost exterminator named Sidney Merciless (Alan Oppenheimer), and hotel inspectors.

Undercover Elephant and Loudmouse picking out his next disguise.

Undercover Elephant starred the mystery-solving titular character (Butler) and his sidekick, Loudmouse (Bob Hastings). Working for Central Control, they would receive their instructions from the Chief (Michael Bell) via exploding messages (ala Mission: Impossible) that Undercover would fail to avoid. Another recurring gag was that Undercover regarded himself as a master of disguise, but his disguises tended to give him away (usually blamed by him on their being of the mail-order variety) as did Loudmouse, living up to the term that inspired his name: “loud mouth”.

Cooking up trouble.

CB Bears debuted on NBC on September 10, 1977. Each segment would feature its own brief intro leading to the episode’s title card with narration by Scatman Crothers. The series was written by Bill Ackerman, Haskell Barkin, Barry Blitzer, Tom Dagenais, Karl Geurs, Orville Hampton, Don Jurwich, Jon Kubichan, Joan Howard Maurer, Ray Parker, Howard Post, Dick Robbins and Jerry Winnick, with Parker serving as story editor. Bob Singer, Willie Ito and Marty Murphy handled the character designs. Hoyt Curtin was the musical director while Paul DeKorte was the musical supervisor. Bill Perez designed the opening titles.

On the case?

The series only lasted a single season of 13 episodes. Reruns of the CB Bears segment would be included on its own in the package program Go Go Globetrotters (which replaced it on the schedule) and with Undercover as part of the 1980s episodes of Captain Kangaroo. Undercover would also serve as one of the filler segments for the Disney Channel run of Jump, Rattle and Roll. When the series entered syndicated reruns, it was halved into two distinctive programs: CB Bears included the titular segment with Blast-Off and Posse, and Heyyy, It’s the King included that segment with Shake and Undercover. These half-hour versions would air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the 1990s and early 2000s before disappearing from the airwaves entirely.

Hanna-Barbera TV Stars #2.

CB Bears, Undercover, and Shake all had featured stories in Marvel Comics’ short-lived Hanna-Barbera TV Stars comic anthology series, which were reprinted in Australia by KG. Murray. King, while appearing on two covers, never had a story inside. That segment did get its own coloring book, published in 1978 by Rand McNally and featuring artwork by Alex Toth. Interestingly enough, it featured a lot of the early concepts for King such as the gang living in the jungle and Clyde having his original intended name, “Square”. Rand McNally would produce two other coloring books featuring the CB Bears paired up with either Blast-Off Buzzard or Undercover Elephant. The bears were on their own for a lunch box and a Mexican coloring book published in 1983 by Fernandez Editores, and King received two puzzles by Hestair. All of the characters were also featured in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera Stamp Album.

The complete Posse Impossible series.

Only Posse received a complete release onto VHS in 1988, while three Shake, Rattle and Roll episodes were included on the 1990 compilation tape Scooby-Doo & Friends: Mostly Ghostly; both from Hanna-Barbera Home Video. The rest remained largely forgotten until fan uploads began making their way to the internet in 2022. However, Warner Archive did include King on a poll deciding their next releases in 2012 (obviously it didn’t win).

King and his gang in Jellystone!

Undercover the character would make appearances in two episodes of Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and a cameo in the “Agent Penny” episode of the Super Secret Secret Squirrel segment of 2 Stupid Dogs. Blast-Off and Crazylegs would receive two more shorts as part of the final season of Tom & Jerry Kids, this time with voices provided by Lewis Arquette and Charlie Adler, respectively. The Bears, Undercover (Dana Snyder) and King characters would appear in Jellystone! Skids and Big H were reimagined as girls, and King’s (Bernardo de Paula) gang were depicted as more villainous, while Zelda (Nicole Thurman) was depicted as an actress. One-off King antagonist Cool Cat (Frank Welker) also made an appearance in the episode “Disco Fever”, voiced by Snyder.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Missing Mansion Mystery / Buzzard, You’re a Turkey / The Blue Kangaroo / Big Duke and Li’l Lil / Guess What’s Coming to Dinner / The Sneaky Sheik” (9/10/77) – The Bears discover a lost mansion in the middle of an alligator-infested lagoon. / Blast-Off tries multiple schemes to catch Crazylegs. / King and his friends must protect a Blue Kangaroo being pursued by a hunter. / Duke’s fancy footwork helps save dance hall girl Li’l Lil. / Shake and Rattle come across a baby creature that keeps growing whenever it eats. / Undercover and Loudmouse go after a jewel thief posing as a sheik.

 

“The Doomsday Mine / Hard Headed Hard Hat / The First King on Mars / Trouble at Ghostarado / The Ghostly Ghoul is a Ghastly Guest / Baron Von Rippemoff” (9/17/77) – The Bears head out to Arizona to investigate strange lights and people changing color from a deserted mine. / Blast-Off invites Crazylegs to work on a construction site as a ploy to trap him. / King and his friends’ plan to get to Mars lands them on the set of a Martian movie. / The Posse goes after a thief that’s turning Mother Lode’s silverware into silver to sell. / The trio try to remove a guest that keeps scaring off the others from the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse are sent to North Africa to retrieve a stolen experimental aircraft.

 

“Follow that Mountain / Hearts and Flowers, Buzzards and Snakes / The Riverbed 5000 / The Not So Great Train Robbery / There’s No Pest Like a Singing Guest / The Moanin’ Lisa” (9/24/77) – Investigating vanishing mountains leads the Bears to being chased underground by giant gophers. / Blast-Off builds a female robot snake to lure in Crazylegs. / King and his friends enter a race to win prize money and a kiss from actress Raquel Wrench. / The Posse go after Tiny Tex and the Toe Dance Kid for robbing the same train 47 times. / The trio must figure out how to get rid of the Phantom of the Opera as his singing is disturbing the other guests. / Undercover and Loudmouse must retrieve a famous painting from a notorious art thief.

 

“Valley of No Return / The Egg & Aye Aye Aye / Surf’s Up / The Alabama Brahma Bull / Shake, the Lion-Hearted / Pain in the Brain” (10/1/77) – The Bears investigate what’s driving animals out of a valley. / Blast-Off must protect an egg he found from Crazylegs. / Big H uses Skids’ customized surfboard to enter a competition at the beach. / The Posse attempt to arrest a couple of bull thieves—if Big Ben Cartwheel’s other bull will let them. / Rattle and Roll create a potion to cure Shake of his fear, but it ends up turning him into a fearless bully. / Undercover and Loudmouse must protect a scientist from being abducted by his rival.

 

“The Fright Farm / Testing 1-2-3 / King and His Jokers / The Crunch Bunch Crashout / The Real Cool Ghoul / The Great Hospital Hassle” (10/8/77) – The Bears track an old man who’s been stealing animals from the zoo to populate his huge ark. / / King and his friends form their own band to compete with Cool Cat’s after they’ve stolen the attention of all the girls in town. / The Posse set after capturing a gang of escaped stagecoach robbers. / A heatwave sends the Abominable Snow Ghost to the inn and he threatens to freeze out all of the other guests. / Undercover disguises himself as a patient to capture a thief robbing wealthy patients at a hospital.

 

“Drackenstein’s Revenge / Ho, Ho, Ho, It’s the Buzzard’s Birthday / Hot Gold Fever / One of Our Rivers is Missing / Spooking is Hazardous to Your Health / Latin Losers” (10/15/77) – While investigating why a town is fast asleep, the Bears discover its valuables are all missing. / It may be Blast-Off’s birthday, but he wants to give Crazylegs the surprise. / King and his friends’ camping trip becomes a treasure hunt when they find a map. / The Posse investigates Saddlesore’s water shortage. / An inspector threatens to shut down the inn if the trio don’t bring it up to code. / Undercover must rescue a famous detective after he’s kidnapped.

 

“Water, Water…Nowhere / Wheelin’ and Reelin’ / The Carnival Caper / Sneakiest Rustler in the West / Spooking the Spooks / Dr. Doom’s Gloom” (10/22/77) – The Bears try to save the world’s water supply from an ex-sea captain seeking to turn it all into sand with his device. / / King and his friends must free Yuka Yuka’s cousin Elmo from imprisonment at a carnival. / The Posse tries to catch an elusive cow rustler. / Sidney employs a robot to get rid of all the ghosts at the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouth must stop Dr. Doom’s evil plans.

 

“Wild, Wild Wilderness / Buzzard, Clean Up Your Act / The Unhappy Heavy Hippo / Bad Medicine / From Scream to Screen / Chicken Flickin’ Capon Caper” (10/29/77) – Charlie warns the Bears to be on the lookout for strange creatures as Boogie is taken by a giant vine. / / Needing to lose weight, Big H is put on a diet and rigorous exercise program. / Crooks secretly rob the town under the guise of selling medicine. / The trio try to scare off the movie crew attempting to film at their inn. /

 

“Island of Terror / Backyard Buzzards / King for Prez / Busting Boomerino / Gloom and Doom-De-Doom / Undercover Around the World” (11/5/77) – The Bears must deal with a giant octopus to get to a sinking island. / / King runs for student body president against an unscrupulous rival. / The Posse guards the bank to try and keep it from being robbed 20 years in a row when the circus comes to town. / Shake and Roll attempt to cheer up Rattle with a picnic and cruise that ends up being constantly interrupted. / Undercover’s disguises constantly failing causes him and Loudmouse to have to chase spies around the world.

 

“Go North, Young Bears / Spy in the Sky / Snowbound Safari / Roger the Dodger / Polt R Geist / Irate Pirates” (11/12/77) – The Bears head to the North Pole to investigate mysterious floods. / / King and his friends go hunting for Bigfoot in order to cash in on the reward for him. / The Posse must re-apprehend a sneaky bandit. / The trio eagerly await a hotel critic to rate their inn, but he ends up being frightened by its inhabitants. / Undercover seeks to challenge himself by capturing a gang of pirates.

 

“The Invasion of the Blobs / First Class Buzzard / Great Billionaire Chase Case / Riverboat Sam the Gambling Man / Too Many Kooks / Perilous Pigskin” (11/19/77) – The Bears investigate giant monsters swallowing up the town of Fool’s Gold. / / King decides to get an interview with the world’s most reclusive eccentric millionaire. / The Posse goes after a cheating riverboat gambler. / The trio hire a temporary cook to deal with the ravenous appetites of the Abominable Monsters Association. / Undercover and Loudmouse must apprehend Microfilm Freddie.

 

“Disaster from the Skies / Freezin’ and Sneezin’ / Boat Fever / The Invisible Kid / A Scary Face from Outer Space / Swami Whammy” (11/26/77) – The Bears investigate the source of mysterious destructive rays threatening a city. / / King and his friends try to raise money to buy a boat. / The Posse attempts to capture an invisible bandit. / Aliens come to Earth looking for humans to abduct and end up landing at the inn as it hosts a costume ball. / Undercover and Loudmouse must stop Swami Salami from hypnotizing people into his slaves.

 

“Disappearing Satellites / Cousin Snakey is a Groove / Go for It, King / Calamity John / Health Spa Spooks / The Disappearing Duchess” (12/3/77) – The Bears follow a spacecraft below a lake to discover a giant underground space station. / / King attempts to set a new world record. / The Posse must arrest a bandit that causes bad luck wherever he goes. / The trio hire a physical education teacher to try and bring new life to their inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse head to London to protect the Duchess from an evil scheme.

JIM SHOOTER DEAD AT 73

 

You can read the full story here.

He began his career at DC Comics at just 14-years-old and went on to revitalize rival Marvel Comics as editor-in-chief. His adherence to absolute editorial control made him a polarizing figure to other creatives and he was eventually fired. He then found Valiant Comics and later Defiant Comics. Characters and concepts he created went on to be featured in various media, including Secret Wars and the Beyonder in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, with the latter also a central character in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur; Esper Lass, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, Nemesis Kid, Controller, Grimbor the Chainsman, Mordru, Chemical King, The Dark Circle, The Fatal Five, and The Dominion alien race in Legion of Super Heroes; Parasite (Raymond Jensen) in Young Justice; Tabitha Smith in X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men; and Henry Peter Gyrich in X-Men: The Animated Series.

75TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Finally, the granddaddy of them all--the O.G. national line-up. These are the shows turning a whopping 75!

65TH & 70TH ANNIVERSARIES

 It's the Golden Age of television, and these shows are turning 65 and 70 this year!

55TH & 60TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Believe it or not, these shows are turning 55 and 60 this year!

45TH & 50TH ANNIVERSARIES

 Along with our anniversary, these shows are turning 45 & 50 this year!

35TH & 40TH ANNIVERSARIES

 The anniversaries continue with the shows turning 35 & 40!

25TH & 30TH ANNIVERSARIES

 

Our anniversary celebration continues with the shows turning 25 & 30 this year!