An Archive for TV news from April 2002

NEWS ARCHIVE

April 2002

Morty's News Archive

Friday, June 13, 2025

This is a collection of old news and obituaries from the Ask Morty TV News page. Dates, where shown, represent the date the story was originally posted on the web site. Because these are old stories, links within the stories may no longer be active. For current news and schedules, click here.

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Blues Clues

[April 29, 2002] Six years ago, 23 year Steve Burns showed up at an audition at Nickelodeon Studios with shoulder length hair, an earring and wearing camouflage clothes. Despite the fact the image wasn't what they were looking, his personality and interaction was just what they wanted as the host of a new children's show, "Blue's Clues." Since then the show has won numerous awards, and Steve, himself was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

Now it's time for Steve to move on and Nickelodeon is worried that without him, the show (and the ratings) won't be the same. They auditioned thousands for the role of "Joe," Steve's brother. 24 year old Donovan Patton got the part based on how well he did in his screen test with Steve Burns. His dances on "Blue's Clues" were inspired by the classic "Saturday Night Live" skit "Wild and Crazy Guys".

Tonight at 7:00PM we'll get to "Meet Joe" in a 90 minute special. The episodes "Joe's First Day," "Joe Gets a Clue" and "Steve Goes to College" will also air as separate episodes on CBS. So why am I telling you this? I know you all cheat and watch Nickelodeon during the day. "SpongeBob SquarePants" couldn't get ratings that high if adults weren't watching too.

The TV Land Schedule

[April 28, 2002] Although I gave you the highlights of the new TV Land schedule, my mailbox is full of requests to see the whole schedule. There are probably a few things that will change before it starts (that's why I didn't post it), but here's a preview. Still to be announced, is whether "Superman" will be on the schedule, you might say "he's up in the air."

In addition to all the cool stuff listed, TV Land has lots of stuff on the back burner. They bought rights to: "Soap," "Square Pegs," "Hazel," "S.W.A.T." and several others not yet scheduled. Please don't ask me when they're coming, I don't know, I don't hold back.

Also look for new installments of the documentary series "Inside TV Land" Inside TV Land, will take in-depth looks at: Cops on TV (October, 2002); Taboo TV (November, 2002); TV Theme Songs (December, 2002) and Fashion on TV (February, 2003.) Inside TV Land is a production of Gay Rosenthal, creator of MTV's "Behind the Music" series.

"TV Land Legends: The 60 Minutes Interviews," a collection of interviews with TV stars from the CBS newsmagazine, is planned for November of 2002. The 60 Minutes Interviews - a joint venture between TV Land and CBS News, will be hosted by Ed Bradley and features archival interviews with celebrated television personalities culled from more than 30 years of 60 Minutes.

Once and Again and Again

[April 24, 2002] So many people have asked, I tell you all I know. ABC told the producers of "Once and Again" not to tear down the sets. Although the series finale aired last week, there's still hope it may return, and that's all that's been said. For more info, visit: www.saveoanda.com

Nick at Nite to Get a "Coach"

[April 24, 2002] Starting in September Coach Hayden Fox will be joining the line-up on Nick at Nite. Craig T. Nelson stars as the coach of the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles with Jerry Van Dyke as Luther Van Dam, Shelley Fabares as his gal Christine, and Bill Fagerbakke as Dauber. The series ran on ABC from 1989 thru 1997. And before you write and ask, the name of the dog Luther pulled around in a wagon was "Quincy."

TV Land & Nick at Nite News for 2003

[April 24, 2002] 2003? Yep, Pavan's sent me info that includes some plans for 2003! In the Spring of 2003 TV Land will honor both vintage programs that have made their way into pop-culture history and current shows that have shown the ability to attract audiences over a number of years with The Classic TV Awards, which will also include inductions into the TV Land Hall of Fame and the presentation of the "Future Classic" award, given to a current show the network believes is destined for all-time status. Past recipients of the award include "Scrubs," "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Sopranos" and "Sports Night." Venue and other details yet to be decided.

And "Roseanne," starts in September 2003

Huge News for Fans of Karen Grassle

[April 24, 2002] A few years ago I answered a "where are they now" email about Karen Grassle,Caroline Ingalls on "Little House on the Prairie" . Since then, tens of thousands of people have come to this site to read my reply. I never expected that kind of response and I added a message box so people could write to me and tell me why that page is so popular. I've received thousands of replies.

Well have I got news for you! The TV shy Karen Grassle will be appearing on Game Show Network’s Mothers Day salute on Saturday May 11, 2002. A three-hour event, The Mother of All Game Shows showcases women who are not only moms in real life, such as Florence Henderson, Shirley Jones and Marion Ross, but also played them on TV! The event combines classic episodes of "Hollywood Squares," "Password Plus," "Tattletales," and "Family Feud," where TV moms compete both with their television brood and actual family members, as well as a special episode of Game Show Network’s newest original, "Whammy!" "The All-New Press Your Luck," featuring appearances by television moms from "Little House on The Prairie," "Seinfeld" and "Dharma & Greg."

TV Land to Come Through

[April 24, 2002] TV Land went shopping for new shows last year, and I was pretty excited about the shows they had in their cart. We expected these shows to start in October of 2001, but what happened? Beats me. But we're going to give it another try.

I'm going to wait a few days before I make a grid for this, but here's the scoop: "The Donna Reed Show" and "The Rookies" will air seven days a week. "Dennis the Menace," "Gidget," and "The Flying Nun." "The Monkees," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "Fernwood2Night" on weekends (and maybe late nite weekdays)

The June schedule goes into effect on Memorial Day Monday May 27th, 2002

Looking Ahead at Hallmark

[April 24, 2002] This is getting good... No dates yet, all TBA, but The Hallmark Channel is dipping into the Paramount well, and coming up with: "The Lucy Show," "Hogan’s Heroes," "Mork and Mindy" and "The Beverly Hillbillies." They're also scheduling a Western block, among those titles: Clint Eastwood's "Rawhide" and "Have Gun Will Travel." The deal also includes rights to 30 of Paramount's "Perry Mason" mystery titles, which will likely air in primetime. So OK, we know the "Hogan" and "Hillbilly" episodes by heart, but look, "The Lucy Show" is coming!

ET in TV Land

[April 24, 2002] Stephan Strong of www.clasictvhits.com sends us this report:

If you're a fan of nostalgia and watch Entertainment Tonight, you'll be ecstatic to know that cable net TV Land has partnered with the syndicated entertainment-magazine show to telecast ET in TV Land beginning in fall 2002. The weekly series will take a behind-the-scenes look at classic shows like "Saturday Night Live," "M*A*S*H," "Dynasty," "The Partridge Family," "Moonlighting," "Dallas," and much more. ET has partnered with the music network MTV already. Of course, if you watch E! Entertainment you probably already know about TV Tales, a similar appeal series that has already taken us on a nostalgic trip to both "Saturday Night Live" and "M*A*S*H." If you missed the debut of TV Tales: "M*A*S*H." this past Sunday, don't miss the encore telecast tonight at 8 p.m. ET on E!

Lisa Bonet Speaks Up About Reunion

[April 20, 2002] Last month I mentioned the Lisa Bonet would not be part of "The Cosby Reunion," which airs nest month on NBC. E! Online has an article about her where she she explains her dislike for the project and NBC.

Full Details.

Robert Urich Dies From Cancer

[April 16, 2002] Robert Urich, an Emmy-winning actor best known for his starring roles in "Soap" and "Spenser: For Hire," died today after battling cancer . He was 55.

In 1996 Urich announced that he was suffering from synovial cell sarcoma, a rare cancer that attacks the body's joints. The cancer went into remission after he underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatments and two operations.

Urich's first television role was in the 1973 comedy series "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice." He also appeared in the TV series "S.W.A.T" before being cast as Peter Campbell in "Soap." In 1978 Urich began one of his most recognizable roles as private detective Dan Tanna in "Vega$." He later starred in another detective series "Spenser: For Hire," which was based on Robert Parker's novels. Most recently, Urich appeared in "The Lazarus Man," and the brief NBC sitcom "Emeril." Full Details.

Here's Your Chance to Buy the Desilu Studios

[April 10, 2002] And all you need is an estimated $100 Million! Sony Pictures currently owns the historic Culver City lot that was once home to Desilu Productions (Desilu later moved to what is now part of the Paramount lot.). Sony Pictures Entertainment, needing less studio space due to recent cutbacks in TV production, is trying to sell this excess space with 14 sound stages and 150,000 square feet of office space.

The studio opened in the 1920's as Thomas H. Ince Studios. The property has also served as a home base for famous film and TV names, including RKO and David O. Selznick It was used to shoot the famous scene of Atlanta burning in "Gone With the Wind," as well as such classic films as "Citizen Kane" and the original "King Kong." Many classic TV shows were filmed on the back lot here as well, including "Superman," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Lassie" and "Batman." Some of the very same buildings seen in "Superman" as Metropolis were seen later as shops in Mayberry. You won't find any of them there today though. There's great web site with photos of the studios history at: The Adventure Continues

TV Land Schedule Adjustments

[April 5, 2002] Don't say you weren't warned. The reason the schedules that are posted here are not official, is that they are so new, they are "works-in-progress." So you might want to wait before you start programming your VCR or planning your days off from school. Some re-arranging has been done on the TV Land Schedule, and I'll warn you again, there could be more. The only notable change is that "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." is no longer scheduled. Click Here

Hallmark Programming

[April 5, 2002] This job's getting easier with more people writing in to let me know of programming changes. Today, Hunter wrote to tell me the "The Rifleman" will return to the weekend line-up on April 13th at 11:00 and 11:30PM. Thanks for the tip, Hunter.

Also, fans of "Bewitched" that want to tape the series in order, should set their VCRs for Wednesday, April 17th at 4:00PM to catch the first episode. Hallmark is running the first two seasons colorized. Although I'm not a fan of colorization, these are better than other colorizations I've seen.

Three TV Pioneers Pass

[April 8, 2002] Louis Heyward Over the years I've received a lot of questions regarding a kids show called "Winky Dink and You" The show was created by Louis Heyward. For 50¢ kids could send in to receive a kit that included a clear plastic sheet that you'd place over your TV and "magic" crayons to draw the things that would help Winky Dink and his dog Woofer out of the trouble he'd get into. Louis "Deke" Heyward died of complications from pneumonia March 26 in Los Angeles. He was 81. In addition to "Winky Dink," Heywood's other credits include writing for "The Garry Moore Show," "The Ernie Kovacs Show," producing "The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show," as well as executive producing in movies.

Full Details. [Correction, August 3, 2002] In an April 7 obituary, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Louis "Deke" Heyward created "Winky Dink and You," a pioneering interactive TV show. Heyward was the show's first writer, but the show credited Harry W. Prichett and Edwin Wyckoff as having originated the series, according to the Museum of Television & Radio in New York.

Roy Huggins, the prolific writer-producer whose name is associated with many of television's biggest hits, including "Maverick," "The Fugitive" and "The Rockford Files," died on Wednesday, April 3rd, he was 87. Beginning in the mid-1950s at Warner Bros., where he helped the movie studio make its transition into television production, Huggins produced "Cheyenne," a Western starring Clint Walker. The show, which debuted in 1955, was television's first filmed hour- long series. In addition to "Maverick," Huggins created the Western "Colt 45" and the hit detective show "77 Sunset Strip," "Run for Your Life" and served as executive producer of "Alias Smith and Jones, " "Baretta," and others. Full Details.

Clark Jones who directed many of television's early arts and variety programs died Thursday, March 28 at his home in Key West, Fla. Jones directed many variety programs, including "The Carol Burnett Show" and "The Perry Como Show," and a number of specials including "Peter Pan" with Mary Martin, and a Royal Ballet production of "Cinderella." Full Details.

Retro-May Reunions

[April 5, 2002] May is going to be classic TV reunion/clipfest heaven. ABS News reported a May13th airdate for a "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." reunion, "The Honeymooners," on May 6th, "American Bandstand" on May 3. And on May 7, ABC will air a "Laverne & Shirley" reunion, followed by a "Favorite Stars Then and Now" special

Full Details. I've tried to keep up with this in the Viewers Guide, check it out. In a related ABC News story, a May21st airdate was announced for the Gilda Radner special, and biopic.

On the list of things you won't be seeing: The live action version Bill Cosby's "Fat Albert" has been shelved because of "creative differences." Full Details.

TV Land Changes in May

[April 2, 2002] Some more of the changes to the TV Land schedule for May came in yesterday, here's what's up so far: Starting May 1st, "Gunsmoke" will replace "Mannix" and "Hogan's Heroes" will also depart after a six year run.

So what are we getting? Starting May 6th, "The Waltons" will air seven days a week at 1:00PM, two episodes of "Batman" will air at 7:00PM and 4:00AM weekdays, with boxed sets and 4:00AM shows on weekends. "The Adventures of Superman" will air in boxed sets and at 3:30AM on weekends. Look for "Taxi," "Father Knows Best," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in some boxed sets, and "Gilligan's Island" on weekends. Click Here to see what the new schedule is expected to look like. But please remember, in the 30 days until this schedule takes effect, there could be more changes.