News

Alfie Wise, the actor who showed up in Smokey and the Bandit, The Cannonball Run and eight other films with his fun-loving pal Burt Reynolds, has died. He was 82.

Wise died July 22 of natural causes at Thomas H. Corey Va Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, his longtime fiancée, Stephanie Bliss, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Wise played a trooper in the prison-set The Longest Yard (1974), his first onscreen collaboration with Reynolds, and he worked with the movie star in The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Paternity (1981), Stroker Ace (1983), City Heat (1984) and Heat (1986) as well.

The 5-foot-5 Wise also was the butt of Reynolds’ jokes as marina owner Oliver Wardell on all 12 episodes of the 1989-90 ABC crime series B.L Stryker, and he appeared on a 1991 installment of Reynolds’ longer-lasting CBS sitcom, Evening Shade.

“He loved his friends, and he really kept us very close,” Wise said of Reynolds in an...

Actor Tom Troupe, known for his many roles on television and on the stage, has died. He was 97 years old.

Per CBS News, Troupe died on Sunday morning, though no other details were revealed about the circumstances. His passing was confirmed by his representative.

Troupe was born on July 15, 1928. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Troupe relocated to New York in 1948 with dreams of a career in show business. He took a break from his journey to serve in the Korean War, earning a bronze star, before returning to acting in New York. He'd make his Broadway debut in 1957 with a role in The Diary of Anne Frank. He'd later move to Los Angeles where he started picking up television roles, appearing in over 70 TV shows over the course of his career, most often for single-episode appearances.

One of Troupe's most well-known roles was in the original Star Trek series, playing Lt.

Cagney & Lacey actor Tom Troupe has passed away at the age of 97. The Korean War veteran acted in several stage and screen projects, including shows like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. The actor celebrated his 97th birthday just a few days ago on July 15. A family spokesperson revealed that the actor died of natural causes (via THR).

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was part of local theater productions. He moved to New York in 1948, where he studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio. He received a scholarship from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? actress Uta Hagen.

Before he could take further steps in acting, he went to serve in the Korean War. For his brave service to the country, he was reportedly given a bronze star. After returning from the war, he continued pursuing his interest in acting. He made his Broadway debut with an appearance in the production,...

The best X-Files episodes combine Monster of the Week tales with alien mythology episodes to further the overarching story of the entire series. Chris Carter created The X-Files in 1993, and the show was an instant success, running for nine seasons before finally ending in 2002. The series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as two FBI agents who take on cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder (Duchovny) is a believer, and Scully (Anderson) is a skeptic.

The series also received two movies and was picked up again for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018. While other FBI agents joined the show when Duchovny left the series, fans mostly focused on Mulder and Scully, and the best X-Files episodes are mostly centered on those two individuals, their relationship, and how they grew and developed as the show wore on. Whether hunting down monsters and saving people's lives or exploring government conspiracies involving alien invasions,...

Before Burt Reynolds was doing voice roles for a quick buck later in his career, he had a true passion for the art…or maybe just acting like a dog. His first foray into voice work was as Charlie 1989’s All Dogs Go to Heaven. While the character was written with Reynolds in mind, he brought a little something extra to the part, which resulted in none other than Dom DeLuise (who voiced Itchy) being recruited to help.

In a recent social media post, All Dogs Go to Heaven director and animation legend Don Bluth remembered Burt Reynolds going full German Shepherd. “When he first came to the microphone he made up what he called, ‘My wonderful dog voice.’ He was very proud of it, but it was awful.” As such, Bluth asked DeLuise (a longtime pal of Reynolds’) to help out, which he did…for a price. “Then I...

For over a century, LGBTQ+ performers have made audiences laugh while pushing boundaries and advancing social progress. Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution shines a light on this important history, telling the story of pioneers who paved the way for openly queer comedians today.

The documentary follows a momentous 2022 reunion show bringing together icons like Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, and Lily Tomlin with newcomers at the famed Greek Theatre in LA. Through interviews and clips, we learn what it took for these talented individuals to find success despite facing adversity. While acceptance has grown, prejudice has caused many to maintain “double lives” or stay closeted for fear of backlash.

Backdrops of political unrest, like the Lavender Scare targeting gays after WWII or the AIDS crisis, reverberate as comedians recall turbulent eras. Even icons faced career threats if they revealed their true selves. The documentary gives voice to valiant veterans who persevered, honoring...

In the opening section of Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, you might be forgiven for thinking this is an extended Pride Month promo to breathe new life into Netflix’s 2022 special, Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration. But in a Q&a following the rousingly received opening-night screening at the Provincetown Film Festival, director Page Hurwitz clarified the chicken-and-the-egg situation, explaining that she produced the event at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, which assembled 22 prominent queer comics on the same bill, as a foundational building block for this documentary surveying the rich history of LGBTQ+ comedians.

At a time when a new generation of queer comics from across the sexual and gender identity spectrum has emerged into what appears to be a thriving scene, this is an invaluable primer on the many performers who kicked down resistant doors to make today’s greater representation possible.

Even if it only served as...

With the 96th Academy Awards in the history books, it’s time to become obsessed over the 77th Tony Awards. Nominations are April 30th with the awards set to air on CBS on June 16 from Lincoln Center. Among the contenders for Tony nominations are many musicals based on movies including “Back to the Future,’ “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Outsiders”: high profile revivals such as Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” with Jeremy Strong; “Cabaret” with Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and the Who’s “Tommy”; imports from London and transfers from off-Broadway.

Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...

Eddie Driscoll, the veteran character actor who appeared on shows including Sex and the City, Boston Public, Entourage, Mad Men, The Last Ship and This Is Us, has died. He was 60.

Driscoll died Dec. 15 in Los Angeles from a saddle pulmonary embolism after months of fighting stomach cancer, actor Jimmy Palumbo announced.

Driscoll had a recurring role as East Coast leader Randall Croft in 2016 on the TNT sci-fi series The Last Ship, and he portrayed the loan shark Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo in a West Coast touring company of Jersey Boys.

Driscoll also showed up on episodes of Days of Our Lives, Tracey Takes On …, The King of Queens, Cold Case, 24, Heroes, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, 24, Medium, Heroes and Desperate Housewives and in films including Lansky (1999), Boat Trip (2002), Pavement (2002), Cellular (2004) and Blast (2004).

Born in New York on Sept. 26, 1963, Edward Driscoll graduated from Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope,...

Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg

But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”

Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.

Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...

Marty Krofft, who with his brother Sid produced memorable kids shows “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost” — as well as the 2009 feature based on the latter — has died. He was 86.

Krofft died of kidney failure Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif., a family representative told Variety.

Often referred to as the King of Saturday Mornings, Krofft and his brother also produced a number of primetime variety shows, including “Donny and Marie” and “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.”

Sid and Marty Krofft began their careers producing children’s television with “H.R. Pufnstuf,” a live-action program about a boy (played by British actor Jack Wild) in a fantastic land with a dragon for a friend and a witch — Witchiepoo, played by Billie Hayes — for an enemy; as conceptualized, the show followed the interactions between human actors; actors in colorful, oversized costumes; and life-size puppets with enormous heads.

The Kroffts were proudly...

Sometimes, game shows are at their best when things don’t go according to plan.

James Holzhauer lost his 33rd game of “Jeopardy!” after wagering an uncharacteristically modest $1,399 in his final “Final Jeopardy” round on June 3. He was expected to beat Ken Jennings’ all-time highest winnings record of $2.5 million that day, but lost in a shocking turn of events to opponent Emma Boettcher. Holzhauer, a professional gambler, explained why he bet so low, telling The Action Network, “I knew I could only win if Emma missed Final Jeopardy, as there was no way she wouldn’t bet to cover my all-in bet. So my only concern was getting overtaken by third place, and I bet just enough to make sure of locking him out.”

Bob Barker Is a True Professional, Exhibit A: The host dealt with a dopey “Price Is Right” contestant who prematurely reveals the correct answer.

It’s...

Welcome to this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have to be quiet, or the monsters will get us. Bob: What?!?!?!?!?! Me: Shut up asshole! Bob: What?!?!?!?!?!?! Me: Shut up! Bob: What?!?!?!?!?!?! Me: Shut…up! Bob: Mustard’s comin’? Me: No! Monsters! They hate sound! We are in a quiet place! Bob: Mobsters wanna go out on dates? Me: Monsters are going to kill us! Bob: Salmon salad sandwiches? Me: Shut The F–K Uuuuuuuuup!!!!!!!!! Oh s–t. They’re here. Charles Nelson Reilly: You’re too loud! Harumphf! Truman Capote: You called us monsters. That’s rude you prude. Rip Taylor: You hunk of s–t! Ladedededededaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! Me: Okay. I’m just gonna stop this whole thing. I apologize if I insulted anyone. Tc: That’s all good and well, but I wanna get back...

Billie Hayes, whose portrayal of the flamboyantly and comically wicked witch Witchiepoo on the 1969-70 Saturday morning live-action children’s classic H.R. Pufnstuf, died of natural causes April 29 at Cedar’s Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 96.

Her death was announced by her family.

A Broadway veteran by the time she reached national fame as the flute-stealing nemesis to a psychedelic dragon, Hayes had starred as Mammy Yokum in both the Broadway and film versions of the popular late-1950s musical Lil’ Abner. She’d made her Broadway debut in New Faces of 1956 along with an ensemble that included actress Maggie Smith.

Following a couple of guest appearances on episodic TV in 1967 – including a Mammy Yokum-type matriarch in the “Hillbilly Honeymoon” episode of The Monkees – Hayes endeared herself to a generation of glued-to-the-tube Saturday morning viewers in 1969 as the eccentrically costumed, ever-cackling and always bumbling Witchiepoo (full name: Wilhelmina W.

Welcome to this week’s Aew: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Christian Cage’s return to the ring. I…what the… Paul Lynde: I’m 1000 feet tall! Rip Taylor: I’m bigger than you asshole! Me: Oh no! It’s…Lynde versus Taylor! Pl: Bitch! Rt: Whore! Rt & Pl: Skank! Me: They’re evenly matched! What’re we gonna d…oh God. Charles Nelson Reilly: Queens! Hahmraufrahum! Bruce Vilanch: Sluts! Leslie Howard: Tramps! Me: It’s…the sissy titans! Mecha-Tom Cruise: I’m not gay! Rt: That’s such bull-s–t! Ladeedadeedadadaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! M-tc: Shut up! Me: Well, while that S–t happens, let’s get to Dynamite.

Match #1: Christian Cage def. Frankie Kazarian The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

They locked up with a collar and elbow tie-up, feeling each other out. Cage...

Alex Trebek, television’s consummate quizmaster and the host of Jeopardy! for 35 years, died Sunday morning at the age of 80 following a lengthy battle with cancer. The man with the answers for more than 35 years turned 80 in July and released his memoir The Answer Is… Reflections on My Life this summer as well. Gavin Edwards has been a longtime Rolling Stone contributor who appeared on the show on June 19th, 2000. While he didn’t win, his Final Jeopardy knowledge on who Venetians called “Il Milione,” the man of the million...

Burt Reynolds would’ve celebrated his 84th birthday on February 11, 2020. The Oscar-nominated actor remained active up until his death in 2018, starring in dozens of movies and TV shows. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

In the 1970s, Reynolds was arguably the biggest movie star in the world. He had made his name through television, appearing as a regular for 50 episodes on the hit series “Gunsmoke,” then headlining his own series, “Hawk” and “Dan August.” But then Reynolds got his big break in feature films, co-starring in the John Boorman classic “Deliverance” (1972).

Though Reynolds was soon starring in such box-office hits as “The Longest Yard” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” he never abandoned television, utilizing such talk shows as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (where he was one...

Who wants to meet Eddie Munster? Lucky St. Lous-area fans of The

Munsters will have the chance this Sunday when he makes an appearance at Cosmic Comics (132 West Main Street in downtown Belleville). He’ll be there from 12-4pm and will be bringing along his Munster’themed autos ‘Dragula’, and ‘The Munsters Coach’ That’s Mother’s Day, so take your Mom to meet Eddie! A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here

Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to Los Angeles to test for the role of Eddie Munster at CBS Studios. “I went in and an hour later I came out with the job” he recalls. Although a cute little kid, he could play brat parts easily.

Louisa Moritz, an actress who appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and brought a good-natured joy to a stereotypical blonde bombshell persona in early ’70s fare like Love, American Style and Match Game but in more recent years joined other women in accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, has died from a longstanding heart ailment, her longtime friend and publicist Edward Lozzi announced.

Moritz was 72 and died at her home last week in Los Angeles of natural causes.

In Cuckoo’s Nest, Moritz played Rose, a small but pivotal performance in which her good-time pal of Jack Nicholson’s R.P. McMurphy sneaks into the mental hospital for the against-the-rules party that leads to tragedy. In one memorable moment, she slow-dances sweetly with Danny Devito’s childlike Martini, his head resting upon her breast.

Moritz had already become a recognizable, if not quite name-famous, presence on many...

In the 1970s, Burt Reynolds was arguably the biggest movie star in the world. He had made his name through television, appearing as a regular for 50 episodes on the hit series “Gunsmoke,” then headlining his own series, “Hawk” and “Dan August.” But then Reynolds got his big break in feature films, co-starring in the John Boorman classic “Deliverance” (1972).

Though Reynolds was soon starring in such box-office hits as “The Longest Yard” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” he never abandoned television, utilizing such talk shows as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (where he was one of the funniest guests ever) to hone his image, strutting on as a sex symbol and then acting like an utter goofball once he sat the guest’s chair. The contrast between the Cosmopolitan centerfold and the delightful talk show guest endeared Reynolds to moviegoers.

In between his more serious films, such as 1979’s “Starting Over,...

You bet your blankety-blank bleep that Wednesday’s all-new episode of “The X-Files” was written and directed by fan-favorite Darin Morgan. In honor of the occasion, it’s the perfect time to look back at all of the auteur’s episodes through the years. Morgan’s quirky style is one of a kind on the show, and he was even rewarded with an Emmy in 1996 for writing the Season 3 classic “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose.” Despite his renowned reputation among fans, Morgan has only written six episodes of “The X-Files,” just a drop in the bucket when you consider there’s been more than 200 (and counting). Click through our photo gallery above to see all of Morgan’s “The X-Files” episodes, or read the descriptions below.

“Humbug” — Season 2, Episode 20 — March 31, 1995

Set in the world of a traveling carnival, “Humbug” was Morgan’s first solo script after previously receiving a “story...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to...

Broadway’s delightful — but wickedly accurate — satire of big business was brought to movie screens almost intact, with the story, the stars, the styles and dances kept as they were in the long-running show that won a Pulitzer Prize. This is the place to see Robert Morse and Michele Lee at their best — it’s one of the best, and least appreciated movie musicals of the 1960s.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Anthony Teague, Maureen Arthur, Sammy Smith, Robert Q. Lewis, Carol Worthington, Kathryn Reynolds, Ruth Kobart, George Fennemann, Tucker Smith, David Swift.

Cinematography: Burnett Guffey

Film Editor: Allan Jacobs, Ralph E. Winters

Original Music: Nelson Riddle

Art Direction: Robert Boyle

Visual Gags: Virgil Partch

From the play written by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows,...

When Jerry Herman was pegged by producer Gerard Oestreicher to write the score for a Broadway musical set in the fledgling State of Israel, he was a 28-year-old composerlyricist mostly known for writing clever lyrics and snazzy tunes for Greenwich Village topical reviews like Nightcap and Parade. But now, instead of writing for hip, downtown performers like Charles Nelson Reilly and Dody Goodman, he'd be penning a romantic score for opera stars Mimi Benzell and Robert Weede, with special comic relief material for Yiddish Theatre legend Molly Picon.

A version of this article originally appeared on Time.com.

In just a few weeks, Alec Baldwin will return to Saturday Night Live to host for the 17th time, though he’s made waves this season with his ripe parody of Donald Trump, another broad-shouldered New Yorker who also doesn’t mince words.

Every time SNL’s host with the most drops in, the guy’s a total pro. The thing that makes the Baldwin, 58, effect reliably funny isn’t just his self-assured stature: he’s an experimental team player, and everyone around him is funnier for it.

Whenever he...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to...

Rolling Stone just issued their list of the 'Top 100 Television Shows of All Time.' The rankings, which came from a survey of actors, writers, critics, and producers, includes all the shows you’d expect like Seinfeld, The Simpsons, The Sopranos. And a bunch of other programs that don’t start with the letter “S.” It’s a pretty comprehensive list and a reminder of how many great shows there have been even before what we’re now calling the Golden Age of television. Like any “top” anything list, there’s controversy. And we’re more than happy to dive into that topic. One thing we didn’t do is re-rank everything. If we did that, we’d be here forever and you wouldn’t want to read any further. So rather than that, we’ve just picked three shows that made the list that shouldn’t have and three replacements to fill those gaps.

Sometimes, TV game show moments head into the bizarre. Bob Barker Is a True Professional, Exhibit A: The host dealt with a dopey “Price Is Right” contestant who prematurely reveals the correct answer. It’s rare but not unheard of for “Jeopardy!” episodes to end with all three contestanta going all in on Final Jeopardy and losing. Here’s the most recent example of such a humiliating triple defeat from January 2016. You could always count on “Match Game” for some wild times, and one of the highlights was when host Gene Rayburn attacked the cameraman for not allowing Charles Nelson Reilly to prep.

With this Sunday’s simultaneous launch of $100,000 Pyramid and Match Game, ABC has upped its retro game show reboot roster to a full four shows, if one lumps in (Celebrity) Family Feud with the recently premiered To Tell the Truth.

RelatedSummer TV Schedule: 110+ Dates to Save in June and July

Celebrity Family Feud is now in its second season (and the “civilian” flavor has been in and out of syndicated TV), so there’s nothing much to discuss on that front — save for Kelli Pickler seemingly thinking the final round poses essay questions. To Tell the Truth meanwhile revived an oldie but goodie,...

[Originally appeared in Deadly Magazine #5] While fans of The X-Files may have been drawn in by the conspiracy theory plots interwoven throughout the series’ nine seasons, there’s a lot to be said for Chris Carter’s “Monster-of-the-Week” approach, which gave us some of the greatest creatures and oddities to ever grace the small screen.

If you’ve ever wanted to check out The X-Files, but don’t necessarily desire the shadow government and alien cover-up mythologies, here are several great stand-alone episodes that can be enjoyed as mini-horror and/or sci-fi movies—even if you aren’t well-versed on all things Mulder and Scully.

“Humbug” (Season 2, Episode 20): In “Humbug,” FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully are called down to a trailer park in Florida where a string of mysterious murders have targeted a community of retired freak show performers for years. What they uncover is something akin to the cult classic film Basket Case...

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Forget No Holds Barred, Ready To Rumble and The Wrestler. Pretty much every wrestling fan has seen them, for better or for worse, and they’ve penetrated mainstream pop culture through cable reruns and award shows.

However, there’s a whole world of bizarre, terrible and oddly wonderful wrestling films that once seen, cannot be unseen. There’s vanity biopics, Japanese science fiction, and family-friendly dog shenanigans (seriously), but the common thread that stretches between them all is our beloved pseudo-sport.

I’ve included Immortal Dialogue for all of these cinematic treasures, and I want you to know that I didn’t just crib these from an IMDb quotations page. Don’t get me wrong, I totally would have, but most of these movies are so obscure that they don’t even have quotations on their IMDb pages!

You’re welcome.

Proceed at your own risk, friends.

Theater Talk celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hello, Dolly with a trio of guests, each with a different association with the long-running show. Actress Sondra Lee was the production's original Minnie Fay Lee Roy Reams was Cornelius in the 1978 revival and directed the second revival in 1995 and dancer Marge Champion, married to the show's director-choreographer Gower Champion, was present at the show's creation. The 1964 mega-hit was a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, with a book by Michael Stewart, score by 26-year-old Jerry Herman and produced by the notorious David Merrick. The show's original cast included Carol Channing, David Burns, Charles Nelson Reilly, Eileen Brennan and Ms. Lee. It ran for a record-breaking 2,844 performances from Jan. 15, 1964 to Dec. 27, 1970 and won 10 Tony Awards, a record it held for 35 years.

Tonight, when Jimmy Fallon takes over The Tonight Show, it may sound woefully out-of-date to suggest that he in any way wants to be, or should be, or is going to be “the new Johnny Carson.” The very phrase reeks of Vegas mothballs. Over the last two decades, starting with the moment when Jay Leno launched his Attack Of The Nice Guy blandified makeover, The Tonight Show has effectively been de-Johnny-fied, and Fallon, who is 24 years younger than Leno (and would be 49 years younger than Carson if Carson were still alive), represents a brand new generation — or maybe I should...

Growing up, Saturday nights were usually spent with the NBC peacock. Their sitcom lineup during the 1960s included Flipper, Get Smart, Adam-12, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. The latter lasted just a season on the network, moving to ABC for its second and final season. It was the first time I recall learning that the series was based on a film, one I never got to see.

Thankfully, 20th Century Home Entertainment remedied that this holiday season with the release of the 1947 film, starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, on Blu-ray.

While the sitcom played it for family friendly yucks, with an over-the-top performance by Charles Nelson Reilly as the ghost’s descendant, the film, written by Philip Dunne, is something far different. It is a story of love and loss, missed opportunities and evokes reminders of the overlooked romance Somewhere in Time.

A warning from Jane Lynch about NBC’s upcoming Hollywood Game Night (premiering Thursday, July 11, 10/9c): “There are cocktails, and some people get a little glassy-eyed during the show.”

Related | So You Think You Can Dance Responds to Fan Outrage, Changes Season 10 Results Format

Fret not, though, the pre-competition drinks — served on the poolside patio where a live band is playing — actually enhance the game instead of hindering it. “[Alcohol] increases everyone’s ability to particpate — and to do so joyfully. We haven’t had it turn bad on us yet,” Lynch says with a laugh.

As emcee for the...

Dumb Dora was so dumb that she didn’t realize this week marks the 40th anniversary of Match Game‘s ’70s incarnation. That’s right: The game show that brought you Gene Rayburn’s Neanderthal posture, that funky think music, and the exploits of Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson and many more is 40 years old. It’s an irreplaceable treasure. There is no show like it, and I’m including other celebrity-dappled games like Hollywood Squares and Tattletales in that estimation.

Let’s celebrate with an old-fashioned countdown: the 10 best celebrities in Match Game

10. Gary Burghoff

Always the most cherished understudy in the ever-important Top Right chair, Burghoff was pleasant and game without being histrionic. Always on my Radar.

9. Elaine Joyce

Once and for all, the only Bottom Left-seated celebrity who could be both the ditzy blonde and a self-aware, naughty player too. She married Neil Simon, guys.

Big bucks, expensive vowels, and a million cackling Whammies.

The Daytime Emmys are this Sunday, and for the first time ever, there’s a gay nominee for Best Game Show Host — the marvelous and frightfully funny Billy Eichner. Wahoo! To celebrate, let’s rank the 25 best game shows of all time. Get out your purse and prepare to buy some vowels, gents.

25. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?: Sorry Double Dare, but Carmen Sandiego is the greatest kids’ game ever. It made geography cool while highlighting the glamorous felonies of a femme fatale. I wish more TV shows concluded with the entire cast yelling in unison, “Do it, Rockapella!”

24. Let’s Make a Deal: Carol Merrill and Monty Hall could woo you into anything. Though if you’re already wearing a chicken outfit, you probably don’t need much coercing.

23. Sale of the Century: Jim Perry...

Acting guru and ex-Parisian pimp — seriously — James Lipton has never had trouble attracting big names to Inside the Actors Studio, which began airing on Bravo in 1994. Lipton’s first interview was with former Actors Studio president Paul Newman; the show’s first season also featured heavy hitters like Alec Baldwin, Sally Field, Dennis Hopper, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, and Stephen Sondheim.

Nearly 20 years later, Lipton has chatted with hundreds of boldfaced names both awe-inspiring (Meryl Streep! Morgan Freeman! ) and… occasionally less awe-inspiring (was anyone really yearning to hear J. Lo describe her craft?). And naturally, those visits have produced days...

Game shows owe much of their success to their predictability. When turning on Jeopardy! each night or spending a Saturday morning watching the classics on the Game Show Network, one knows exactly what to expect: some kind of gimmick, a big winner.

A show with a winning formula can be on the air for decades, and all that really changes are the hairstyles. Still, it’s the moments that take viewers (and, often, those involved) completely off-guard that can immortalize a show.

From big wins to host flubs to plain old dumb answers, we now explore these unexpected gems:

10. Match Game- Sammy the Songwriter

A decade before Pat Sajak and Vanna White went for cheap margaritas on their meal breaks, Match Game viewers were often left wondering what exactly Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly were sipping from their mugs. There are countless examples of host Gene Rayburn, and his panel of B-list celebrities,...

I can't help that I'm obsessed with lists, so look out: 60 Minutes conducted a poll in tandem with Vanity Fair that asked viewers to name their favorite sitcom of all time. Here were the seven available options and the percentage of votes each garnered: 

1. Seinfeld 22%

2. The Honeymooners 20%

3. Friends 16%

4. Cheers 14%

5. Arrested Development 7%

6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show 6%

7. 30 Rock 5%

Am I the only one who would rank those in the exact opposite order? It's never not alienating to see people line up and agree that your taste is diametrically opposed to theirs. My instinct is to invite all gay men under this pariah umbrella, but fine, maybe you think Seinfeld is the best too. But do you? I wonder if you do.

I know Seinfeld has long been declared the greatest sitcom ever (TV Guide ranked the Top 50 sitcoms in 2002 and Jerry came out on top), but this poll is yet another...

Hope you're still enjoying the bundle of joy that is Logo's Wednesday night Bewitched block. Obviously Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead are treasures, but never overlook the deeply funny, unendingly wicked, quite obviously gay Paul Lynde. He never publicly came out, but the fact is, his penchant for racy punchlines and hammy crudity was relatable specifically to gay viewers the world over. He is irreplaceable. Here are ten elite-level facts that all great Paul Lynde fans should cherish.

1. We love him in Bye, Bye Birdie, but don't forget his even funnier cameo in Son of Flubber.

In just a few short lines, he establishes that he's funnier than Fred MacMurray ever was.

2. He graduated as part of one of Northwestern's most esteemed drama classes with Cloris Leachman and Patricia Neal

Lynde, a vaunted stage actor at Northwestern, graduated in 1944 along with his peers Patricia Neal (the Oscar-winner for Hud), Charlotte Rae...

Chicago – With shows like “Archer” and a still-creative “South Park” leading the way in TV animation along with all of the fascinating risks being taken by Adult Swim, what are we to make of a Sunday night lineup on Fox that feels more creatively stagnant than ever? There are still some laughs to be had here after a long day of drinking to the rhythm of professional football but none of the shows are at their peak and it feels like the night needs something new to force everyone to up their game. And, no, it’s not “Bob’s Burgers.”

Which is not to say that “Bob’s” is a “bad” show. None of the animated offerings that kick off the new Animation Domination block on Sunday on Fox are anything less than mediocre. And there’s something numbing about watching all four season premieres in a short period...

In this YouTube age, a time when I can find any episode of Peyton Place or Herman's Head with a few simple clicks, it's hard to tell what kinds of old TV shows I genuinely miss and which I just like to revisit for kitsch value. Every year I feel like I'm slipping away from regular TV viewing and losing myself more and more in ancient YouTube footage, which is both edifying and horrifying. I think it's time that TV programmers start minding my departure and adjust TV schedules to accommodate more of the stuff I miss.

Thus, I'm counting down five old -- and perhaps outdated -- genres of television series that I still miss. I'd personally love if some wild TVLand exec could exhume them promptly. Let's begin.

1. Variety specials

Every Thanksgiving someone like Carrie Underwood will land a primetime special and sing a few standards, but I'm...

Sesame Street remains the gold standard for children's television, but it also boasts some of the best original music and parodies of the past 43 years. It's garnered more Emmys than can fit in Hooper's Store, and it's phalanx of celebrity guests is staggering. Last week writer Judy Freudberg, who wrote for the show for 35 seasons, died of a brain tumor at age 62, which got me thinking about the show's wonderful past. Today, let's revisit the show's 10 greatest (and arguably, in many cases, gayest) musical moments. Those hyperlinks within the subheads link to the original video. Jamming yet, fellow Cookie Monsters?

1. Neil Patrick Harris finally admits that he's the Shoe Fairy

Yep, that's Neil Patrick Harris adorned in wings and a creamy suit (with some nutty Charles Nelson Reilly neckwear!) singin' about shoes. He's like Telly's personal shopper here, which is nothing short of spectacular. If he were an official pop star,...

After 30 years in showbiz, Alec Baldwin has had plenty of onscreen alter egos: mobster, brain surgeon, ghost, CIA agent, Charles Nelson Reilly… But it’s safe to say we’ve never seen the Emmy winner looking like he does in Rock of Ages (out June 15), the musical based on the hit Broadway show about the ’80s metal scene on the Sunset Strip.

Baldwin sports feathery shoulder-length locks and glam rock-inspired outfits to play Dennis Dupree, the owner of a club where Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), the world’s biggest rock star, puts on a one-night-only show. The actor’s 30 Rock...

Los Angeles – Richard Dawson, who had distinction in two areas of television – in his supporting role on the 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes” and as a game show host in the 1970s with his trademark of kissing contestants on “Family Feud” – died Saturday from complications due to cancer. He was 79.

Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm to an American father and English Mother in Gosport, Hampshire, England in 1932. After running away from a poverty-ridden childhood to join the Merchant Marines at the age of 14, Dawson pursued boxing and entertaining once he was discharged. He first went on stage as comedian Dickie Dawson, but revised the name to Richard Dawson once he became established.

Survey Says!: Host Richard Dawson on the Set of the Game Show ‘Family Feud’

Photo credit: ABC-tv

Gaining popularity as a comedian in England, Dawson married Diana Dors – called the British Marilyn Monroe – in 1959 (the marriage...

Longtime Family Feud host Richard Dawson died Saturday of complications from esophageal cancer. Dawson, 79, died in Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles. His son Gary said on Facebook that Dawson “was surrounded by his family” when he died. Dawson, born in England and named Colin Lionel Emm, had a small role in The Dick Van Dyke Show but became famous in Hogan’s Heroes in which he played the pickpocketing Pow Corporal Peter Newkirk. Dawson later was a regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and The New Dick Van Dyke Show. He also served as a panelist on the game show I’ve Got a Secret and subsequently on Match Game ’73 along with Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly. Dawson hit the game show jackpot when he became the host of Family Feud and gained a reputation for kissing the female guests “for luck and for love.” The network...

Well hello, my Wildlings! Yes, our Crown Prince has heard your pleas and we will, indeed, be recapping the second season of HBO's dragontastic Hair Opera Game of Thrones. You may know me from my liveblogs of As the World Turns or recaps of American Horror Story, the combination of which makes me uncannily well-suited for covering such a complex, melodramatic, and patently batsh*t series. And I am well-versed in the ins and outs (and ins and outs) of the series, so never fear - I will have no trouble keeping my Bannisters straight from my Targomuffins.

We didn't recap the first episode, but I can sum it up in one animated Gif:

"You Get A King! And You Get A King! And You Get A King!"

That's right - since Gossip Girl Baratheon decided to spill the Lannisters' sister-lovin' beans via raven text, everyone has decided that Lady...

Do kids today know who Charles Nelson Reilly is? If not, the joke was on them this weekend when Nickelodeon aired special April Fools' Day episodes of two of its biggest shows, Victorious and iCarly. Not only were they a week early, but the random absurdity of the episodes featured a slew of dated film and TV references that the average tween enjoying the show would have no way of understanding.