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| 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. |
You Can Browse Old
News By Month...
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Gearing
Up For Big Brother 3 |
 [February
27, 2002] CBS will be doing a third installment of
"Big Brother." The reality show that follows
12 houseguests every move will return. Would you like to
be on it? CBS is looking for the next group on
uninhibited cohabitatants to live in the
studio/guesthouse. Applications are available at CBS.com.
Would-be contestants also have to send two color photos of
themselves and a two-minute video explaining why they should
be on the show. All materials are due Friday, April 5.
The new "Big Brother" is slated to begin around July
1st, and just like last year, Ask Morty will have daily
updates. |
|
As
the 'Three's Company' Anniversary Approaches... |
 [February
26, 2002] Pavan Badal, the New Jersey student that
keeps Morty advised of all classic TV schedule changes, may
just be the web's biggest fan of "Three Company."
It's no wonder that he's excited about the upcoming 25th
Anniversary of the series. Pavan runs "Jack's
Bistro," a web site tribute to the "Three's
Company" TV series. Recently, the web site
got a make-over for the anniversary.
Of course Pavan was very pleased that TV Land won't be
ignoring the silver jubilee, and will present a
three-hour mini-marathon on Friday March 15 9:00PM. – 12AM
that includes the Brit-com "Man About The
House," the series that "Three's
Company" was based on. You can read
more about this event here.
TV Guide hasn't forgotten the famous trio, and will have a
two-page tribute to "Three's Company" in its
March 9-15 issue, on sale Monday, March 4. Chris
Mann (author of the "Three's Company" book, Come
on Knock on Our Door) wrote the story which includes
interviews with John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt and
promotes the TV Land marathon.
What more could you ask for? Pavan's asking
fans to e-mail DLT
Entertaiment and tell them you would like to see a
TV-Movie AND a Reunion. They are very close to making it
happen later this year. ABC is working on a 3 hour
event--2 hour TV-Movie and 1 hour reunion special. So
let's make this happen, e-mail DLT and tell them how
much you want this! NBC is also making a TV-Movie (more
about that here), which should also help getting an ABC
reunion made. |
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Is
'The Gong Show' Classic TV? |
 [February
19, 2002] After inventing "The Dating
Game," "The Newlywed Game," and other
popular game shows, in 1976 Chuck Barris gave us "The
Gong Show." Then the life of Chuck Barris
became a book, and we found out that Barris had been a CIA
hit-man. Now the life of Barris is soon to be a
movie. Sam Rockwell (Eric Knox in the "Charlies
Angels" movie) will play Barris. Julia Roberts
plays a mole for the CIA. George Clooney will play a CIA agent
and direct the picture titled "Confessions of a
Dangerous Mind".
So what's Barris been up to since then? He's been
enjoying his millions, living in St. Tropez France, until
about a year and a half ago when he found out he had cancer,
and beat it. So the movie comes out later this year, and
before a certain someone writes me, I've got to add that
Barris also produced "Three's a Crowd."
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|
Kevin
Smith, of Xena Fame Dead at 38 |
 [February
19, 2002] On late Friday, February 15, Kevin
Smith, the man who played Ares, God of War, on "Xena:
Warrior Princess" died in a Beijing, China hospital
from head injuries he suffered in a fall while working on a
movie. Smith's was to have started working on Bruce
Willis' next movie, "Man of War," in Hawaii
next month. He is survived by his wife Sue and sons
Oscar, Tyrone and Willard. |
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Current
TV News Headlines |
 [February
16, 2002] The Ask Morty site is devoted to Classic
TV, and frankly, I don't have the time to cover
current TV, nor could I do it as well as Zap2It. Zap2It
is my favorite site to get current TV news. Now you can
check the TV headlines from Zap2It right here on Ask
Morty. Check out the new TV
Headlines Page. |
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'Diff'rent
Strokes and 'Three's Company' on TNN Daytime |
[February 15,
2002] Starting Monday, February 25th TNN will
change it's daytime line-up, adding "The A-Team,"
"Three's Company," and "Diff'rent
Strokes."
| 9:00AM |
"Judge
Mills Lane" |
| 9:30AM |
"Judge
Mills Lane" |
| 10:00AM |
"Kids
Say the Darndest Things" |
| 10:30AM |
"Kids
Say the Darndest Things" |
| 11:00AM |
"Hangin'
with Mr. Cooper" |
| 11:30AM |
"Hangin'
with Mr. Cooper" |
| NOON |
"Diff'rent
Strokes" |
|
12:30PM |
"Diff'rent
Strokes" |
| 1:00PM |
"Three's
Company" |
| 1:30PM |
"Three's
Company" |
| 2:00PM |
"Real
TV" |
| 2:30PM |
"Real
TV" |
| 3:00PM |
"Miami
Vice" |
| 4:00PM |
"A-Team" |
| 5:00PM |
"Baywatch" |
| 6:00PM |
"Real
TV" |
| 6:30PM |
"Real
TV" |
| 7:00PM |
"Mad
TV" |
| 7:30PM |
"Mad
TV" |
| 8:00PM |
"Star
Trek: The Next Generation" |
| 9:00PM |
MOVIE |
| 11:00PM |
"Star
Trek: The Next Generation" |
| MIDNITE |
"Mad
TV" |
| 1:00AM |
"Baywatch" |
| 2:00AM |
"Miami
Vice" |
Please note that "Three's Company" will
air on both Nick at Nite and TNN. |
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TV
Land Schedule Changes |
| [February 13,
2002] Wow! Just when you thought you knew
what was on TV... TV Land has a new line-up starting
February 25th. Someone asked me if "Gilligan's
Island" would be coming back to TV Land soon, and I
said that it was unlikely, well the unlikely has
happened. And you can kiss "Happy Days" and
"Laverne and Shirley" goodbye. I've
also posted the tentative schedule for the "Oscar"
boxed sets. Well don't just sit there, click
here to see the new schedule. |
|
'Friends'
and Rumors |
 [February
12, 2002] The hit show "Friends"
my not yet be classic TV, but so many have written to me, that
I felt I should include this information. On Monday's
Howard Stern show, Robin Quivers read an article from the
"Star" that reported that if an agreement could not
be reached with the "Friends" cast, the last
episode would deal with Rachel dieing in childbirth.
Today, Zap2It
reported the story was completely untrue. By the end of
the day, E! had reported that the cast has signed contracts
for $1,000,000.00 per episode, and "Friends"
will return for one more season. Also, "Friends"
fans will also want to check out the "Friends"
page at Morty's Mall. |
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Recent
Passings in Classic TV |
| [February 9,
2002] Sheldon Allman:
When Mister Ed spoke, his voice was provided by former western
star Allan "Rocky" Lane, but when he sang those hit
tunes like: "Pretty Little Filly With the Pony
Tail," "The Empty Feedbag Blues," and of
course the theme song, the voice was all Sheldon
Allman. Allman, actor, songwriter,
nightclub performer and recording artist died January 22 of
heart failure at his home in Culver City.
Not only did Allman sing the theme songs for "George
of the Jungle," "The Dudley Do-Right Show,"
and "Super Chicken," he wrote
them too. He wrote such songs as "A Quiet Kind of
Love" and "Christmas in the Air," and recorded
such albums as "Folk Songs for the 21st Century" and
the monster-spoofing "Sing Along with Drac,"
including the songs "Don't Maim Me," "A Coffin
for Sale" and "These Ghoulish Things Behind Me Were
You." Allman also wrote theme songs for a number of
TV game shows, including "Let's Make a Deal,"
"Split Second" and "Your First
Impression."
Guy Stockwell: Stockwell appeared in nearly 30 movies
and 250 television series episodes,. He had roles in
such TV series as "Simon and Simon," "Knight
Rider," "Magnum P.I.," "Murder She
Wrote," "Quantum Leap," "Adventures in
Paradise," "Richard Boone Anthology" and "Return
to Peyton Place." In films, Stockwell was in "The
War Lord" with Charlton Heston, and "And Now
Miquel," a 1966 remake of "Beau Geste."
Stockwell died Thursday, February 7th at Yavapai Regional
Medical Center, he was 68. The cause of death was not
released.
Irish McCalla: Irish McCalla, an actress best
known for her title role in the 1950s television series "Sheena,
Queen of the Jungle," died February 1 of
complications from a brain tumor and stroke She was 73.
Sheena, a female version of Tarzan, that originated as a comic
book heroine in 1938. She did her own stunts, swinging
from vine to vine and wrestling mechanical alligators.
After Sheena, McCalla had parts on TV's "Have Gun with
Travel" and "Route 66," and appeared
in five movies "Five Bold Women," "Five
Gates to Hell," "Hands of Strangers," "The
Beat Generation" and "She Demons," a
horror film that became a cult classic.
George Nader: Actor George Nader, whose good
looks made him a beefcake star in more than 50 films,
who was an heir of his friend Rock Hudson's estate, died of
pneumonia at the Motion Picture Country Home near Woodland
Hills, California on Monday, February 4th at the age of
80. In the 1960s, Hollywood gossip swirled about Nader
and Rock Hudson being romantically involved. Nader was in fact
involved with Hudson's secretary, Mark Miller, who became
Nader's longtime partner. In 1954, Nader won a Golden
Globe award as the most promising new actor. He starred in "Six
Bridges to Cross" with Tony Curtis, "Lady
Godiva" with Maureen O'Hara and "Sins of
Jezebel" with Paulette Goddard.
Fans of classic TV might remember him as Dr. Robert Benson
on "The Andy Griffith Show," and two
appearances on "Alfred Hitchcock
Presents." He retired from acting in 1974
and came out of the closet in 1986. He spent the last years on
his life writing books with Miller. Nader
wasn't really a TV actor, but a guest spot on "Andy
Griffith" ranks pretty high on the Morty-Meter
of fame. |
|
Rerun
Notes |
[February 9,
2002]
|
Amen
on TBS
|
| "Amen"
will air mornings at 6:30AM on TBS
starting Monday, February 11th.
Sherman Hemsley plays the insufferable
Deacon Ernest Frye whose father had
founded the First Community Church of
Philadelphia, and who intended to keep
it under his thumb. Click
Here for the schedule. |
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The
Cosby Show Kick-Off
|
  |
| "The
Cosby Show" will premiere on Nick
at Nite on Sunday, March 3rd.
Frankly, I don't see what the big deal
is. "The Cosby Show"
is still going to be on TBS,
WGN, and local stations. Nick is
running a week-long marathon to
celebrate. Click
Here for the Schedule. |
|
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|
Classic
TV Miscellany |
[February 6,
2002]
|
I
Dream of Jeannie
|
| Sidney
Sheldon, creator of "I
Dream of Jeannie" and
numerous salacious novels, is going to
turn his hit TV show into a Broadway
play. Plans were recently
announced the series will become a
feature film. |
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|
|
The
Lone Ranger
|
| Who
was that masked man, well masked
boy? Just like
"Superman" got the
"growing up" treatment in
"Smallville," the WB is
planning to do the same to "The
Lone Ranger." and his faithful
sidekick Tonto. |
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Starsky
& Hutch
|
| Ben
Stiller will produce and star in the
big screen version of "Starsky
& Hutch." Stiller will play
Detective Dave Starsky, David Duchovny
just signed up to play Detective Ken
'Hutch' Hutchinson and Huggy Bear will
be played by Chris Rock. |
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Aaron
Spelling Stars on 'Millionaire' |
| [February 4,
2002] On Wednesday, February 13 at 10:00PM, Regis
will host a celebrity edition of "Who Wants to be a
Millonaire" featuring the stars of Aaron Spelling
Productions as contestants. Included are: Shari
Belafonte, Thomas Calabro, Gabrielle Carteris, Stephen
Collins, Bernie Kopell, Cheryl Ladd, William Shatner and
Robert Urich. |
|
TV
Land Presents Oscar Worthy Casts in March |
 [February
4, 2002] March Box Sets feature Oscar Winners in
TV Land Shows. Each weekend’s Box Set will feature a
different decade of Oscar winners in great TV Land shows. We
begin with the 1950’s and go all the way through the 90’s.
Oscar Winners from the 1950’s 3/3 (features William Holden,
Donna Reed, Kim Hunter) Oscar Winners from the 1960’s
3/10 (features George Kennedy, Estelle Parsons, Ruth Gorden,
Jack Albertson) Oscar Winners from the 1970’s 3/17
(features John Wayne, Art Carney, Cloris Leachman, Eileen
Heckart) Oscar Winner from the 1980’s 3/24 (features
Lou Gosset Jr. Anjelica Houston, Jodie Foster, Martin
Landau) Oscar Winners from the 1990’s 3/31 (features
Jack Nicholson, Jodie Foster, Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt) airs:
Sundays 3p – 5p Shows and episodes to follow shortly. One
show that will be in it for sure is "The Donna Reed
Show." |
|
Three's
Company 25th Anniversary |
 [February
4, 2002] Come and knock on TV Land’s door to
help celebrate the Silver Anniversary of Jack, Janet and
Chrissy…or was it Cindy…or Teri. Happy Anniversary to them
all and to the Ropers and Mr. Furley too.
On Friday March 15th from 9pm –12am, TV Land celebrates
the "Three’s Company" 25th
Anniversary with a three-hour mini-marathon on Friday March 15
9:00PM. – 12AM. At 9PM "Three's
Company" was based on the Brit-com "Man
About The House." starring Richard O'Sullivan
as Robin Tripp. TV Land will showcase the first
episode of the British series in which Robin thinks he's gone
to heaven when he finds himself sharing a flat with Chrissy
and Jo. Unfortunately for him, sharing a flat is as close to
heaven as he gets with either of the girls. Meanwhile,
landlord George Roper and his wife Mildred are always on hand
to keep everyone on the straight and narrow.
Also on the subject of "Three's
Company," early on Valentines Day (2:00AM,
February 14th) you can catch an appropriate episode for the
day, "Cupid Works Overtime" in which
Janet announces her engagement to Phillip. This episode
is followed by the series first episode, "Man About the
House," named after the Brit-com the series was
based on. On the following night, (February 15th,
late Valentines Day) the episodes "Friends and
Lovers" parts 1 & 2 will be shown. |
|
Actress, Bibi
Osterwald, 83 |
[February 3, 2002] Bibi
Osterwald, 83, a stage, film and TV actress who often played
brash characters in a career that spanned more than 50 years,
died January 2. Although her film credits include "The
World of Henry Orient," "Parrish" and "As
Good as It Gets," Bibi would be known to TV
fans for her numerous guest roles. She played Mrs.
Penrose on "Three's Company," Mrs.
Henshaw on "All in the Family," Mrs.
Minter on "Mama's Family" and about a dozen
others. She even did guest voices on "Rugrats."
One of her rare reoccurring roles was that of David Birney's
Jewish mother in "Bridget Loves Bernie,"
although she was not Jewish. On Broadway in the 1950s,
Osterwald appeared in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,"
"Bus Stop," "Look Homeward Angel"
and "The Golden Apple," for which she
received an Outer Critics Circle Award in
1954. She died of a lung ailment in a
Burbank hospital. She is survived by her husband
and son. |
|
Bob
Crane of 'Hogan's Heroes' Movie |
 [February
1, 2002] The 1978 murder of "Hogan's
Heroes" star Bob Crane has been the subject of many
tabloid stories and investigative reports. Now the story
of Crane's sex-filled lifestyle and death is the subject of a
new movie titled "Auto Focus: The Bob Crane
Story" written by Michael Gerbosi. The
film, which began shooting in November, stars Greg
Kinnear as Bob Crane. "Hogan's
Heroes" was cancelled in 1971 after a six-year
run. In 1975 he appeared in "The Bob Crane
Show" which only lasted one season. By 1978 he
was living on the residuals from 'Hogan' and doing dinner
theatre to pay for his addiction to the video and photo
equipment he used to record his sexual escapades. His
life ended in a Scottsdale, AZ motel room. Crane
was found brutally murdered, his head bludgeoned by a blunt
object. The murder mystery remains unsolved.
A & E Biography is also running their program "Bob
Crane: A Double Life" on Monday, February 4,
at 8:00PM and Tuesday, February 5 at
12:00AM. |
|
Morty
Has a New Web Site! |
 [February
1, 2002] It's colossal, it stupendous, it's
downright mediocre! I've designed a new website for TV fans to
find all kinds of cool stuff related to their favorite TV
shows. If you enjoyed looking through the shopping section
here, you're going to love this new site. It's not just stuff
to buy, it's trivia, pictures episode guides, links and
more. There are showcase pages on over twenty classic TV
shows, and there's more to come. My goal was to put the
fun back in shopping. Even if you never buy anything, I
wanted to make a site you'd enjoy browsing through. Check
it out! |
|
'Julia'
on 'The Court' |
| [February 1,
2002] It looks like ABC's "The Court"
is becoming a showcase for classic TV stars. First they
added "The Flying Nun's" Sally Field and
starting in April, Diahann Carroll of "Julia"
will play a liberal Supreme Court Justice. "Julia"
was part of the TV Land line-up, when the network
premiered. Both "Julia" and Diahann
Carroll are featured in "Inside TV Land: African
Americans" which airs this
month. |
|
CBS
Reality Show Schedules |
| [February 1,
2002] This site gained a lot of readers with my
coverage of "Big Brother." So to keep
all you reality fan informed, Here's what CBS has coming
up: "SURVIVOR: Marquesas" will premiere
on February 28th. This time around the "Survivor"
season will wrap on a Sunday; May 19th. "The
Amazing Race 2" will premiere on March 13th, and the
new reality series "AFP: American Fighter Pilot"
on March 29th. In AFP, three men training to become F-15
fighter jet pilots are followed at work and at home as
they try to pass an elite fighter pilot training
program. No word on my favorite, "The
Mole." |
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