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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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Nick
at Nite Summer Camp |
 [May
30, 2002] Nick at Nite is calling the Summer
schedule "Summer Camp" this year, but I'm
sticking with "Block Party Summer." This year
the new twist is "Double Verti-Vision," two vertical
programming blocks per night, with "Double Take"
(same as Twice as nice) on Fridays & Saturdays between
10:00PM - 2:00AM and a "TV Land Sampler Block" on
Friday & Saturdays between 2:00AM -6:00AM with "The
Andy Griffith Show" on July 12th, "Leave It
to Beaver" on July 13th, "The Munsters"
on July 19th, "The Beverly Hillbillies" on
July 20th. Upcoming weekends include "I Love
Lucy," and "Leave It To Beaver."
Pretty cool if your cable company doesn't carry TV Land.
Click Here |
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Thunderbirds Are
GO! |
  [May
29, 2002] TechTV acquired the rights for the 32
episodes of the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation production, "Thunderbirds"
from Carlton International. The action-packed fantasy
adventure series set in 2065 that inspires and ignites the
imagination with its ingenuity, exciting story lines, strong
characters, unique humor and glorious special effects.  The
original series, first shot on 35mm film in 1965, has been
digitally re-mastered This is the sort of cool Saturday
morning programming I expected on TV Land, but TechTV to the
rescue! Visit
the Official 'Thunderbirds' Website |
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Dark
Shadows on DVD |
 [May
27, 2002] Many of you know that one of my favorite
shows is "Dark Shadows," so I'm very excited
that Volume I of the series will start shipping
tomorrow. The '60s supernatural soap opera that brought
us vampires, witches and ghosts is now on DVD.
This volume includes episodes 1-40 on four discs, these
episodes begin with the discovery of Barnabas, not Vicki's
arrival. There's also a "featurette" that sets
it all up. You can order this title now from the "Dark
Shadows" shop at Mortys
Mall, and pre-order Volume II that will be out on July
30th. Each set is $45, a 25% savings over the list price of
$60. |
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VCR
ALERT! |
 [May
27, 2002] The new TV Land schedule starts today.
Don't forget to set your VCR some you don't miss any of the
cool shows that start today, or your old favorites that might
have moved. "The Donna Reed Show," "Dennis
the Menace," and "The Rookies" will
air seven days a week. "Gidget,"
and "The Flying Nun." "The Monkees,"
"Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," "Hazel,"
and others are also scheduled. Check
it out Here! And Please, as I always tell
you: If you see something listed that you like, TAPE
IT. All good things must come to an end, and at some
point these new shows will be old, and cancelled. |
|
Passings |
[May 26, 2002]
Jack Kruschen, who may be best known to you as 'Papa'
Papadapolis on "Webster," a character actor with a
flair for dialects who received an Oscar nomination for best
supporting actor for his 1960 role in "The
Apartment," has died. He was 80. In addition to
appearing in over 50 feature films, he made dozens of
appearances on shows like "Murphy Brown,"
"Full House," "Emergency!," and "Batman."
He died of natural causes on April 2, 2002.
Joe Cobb played the fat kid in
the "Our Gang - Little Rascals" series.
No, not Spanky, Joe. Although many current viewers of
these old comedies produced at Hal Roach Studios, originally
shown in movie theatres, are only familiar with Spanky, the
original fat kid was Joe, from 1927 through 1937. Cobb
was 85 |
|
Where's
Morty? |
 [May
23, 2002] What's Morty doing here? Where's
AskMorty.com? Beats me. Due to a clerical
error, the domain name wasn't renewed, and is now owned
by a company in China that buys expired domains. As I
own the the name, my lawyer is trying to get it back,
but whenever you do something legal, it takes time.
There's also a matter of money. Just because you're
right, doesn't mean it's free. The cost of getting back
my name, a property that is rightfully mine, could exceed my
budget. In the meantime, I've copied everything
from the original site to this new address. If I've
goofed and missed something, please let me know. |
|
New
TNN lineup starting Monday June 3rd: |
[May 20, 2002]
"Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" and "Kids
Say the Darndest Things" are gone and "American
Gladiators" reruns are in.
| 9:00AM |
Judge
Mills Lane |
|
4:00PM |
A-Team |
| 9:30AM |
Judge Mills Lane |
5:00PM |
Baywatch |
| 10:00AM |
Diff'rent
Strokes |
6:00PM |
Mad
TV |
| 10:30AM |
Diff'rent Strokes |
6:30PM |
Mad TV |
| 11:00AM |
Three's
Company |
7:00PM |
Real
TV |
| 11:30AM |
Three's Company |
7:30PM |
Real TV |
| 12:00PM |
Mad
TV |
8:00PM |
Star
Trek: TNG |
| 12:30PM |
Mad TV |
9:00PM |
VARIOUS
(WWE, Movie, etc.) |
| 1:00PM |
Real
TV |
11:00PM |
Star
Trek: TNG |
| 1:30PM |
Real TV |
12:00AM |
VARIOUS (Mad
TV, TNN originals, etc) |
| 2:00PM |
American
Gladiators |
1:00PM |
Baywatch |
| 3:00PM |
Miami Vice |
2:00PM |
Miami Vice |
All times are Eastern Daylight Time. |
|
Passings |
| [May 18, 2002]
Alan P. Horowitz A producer involved with such motion
pictures as "The Longest Yard" and such TV
series as "CHiPs," died May 6 of
complications from a fall at his Los Angeles home. He
was 72.
Howard Merrill Started as a child actor in 58 silent
movies by age 11 who went on to write for radio and TV,
including such shows as "Get Smart,"
"Gilligan's Island," "I Love Lucy,"
"Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Odd
Couple" died of undisclosed causes April 20 at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 85.
Ray Stricklyn, An actor who scored his greatest
triumph in the mid-1980s after abandoning his once promising
acting career a decade earlier and becoming a highly respected
Hollywood publicist, has died. One of his last appearances was
on "Seinfeld" in 1996 playing
"Clarence" in the episode: "The Andrea Doria."
He was 73.
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CBS to
Turn 'I Love Lucy' and 'Ozzie and Harriet' into Movies |
  [May
17, 2002] CBS is working on TV movies that will
feature two of the most loved TV families of the 50's; the
Ricardos, and the Nelsons. "The I Love Lucy
Movie" (working title), will be an inside
account of the celebrated, complex, passionate and tumultuous
relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, as well as a
fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of
television's most successful shows.
"The Nelsons" (working title), is based on
the true story of one of the most famous families in
television history -- Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky
Nelson. Before Ozzy, there was Ozzie! Unlike Ozzy,
Ozzie carefully scripted every move his real-life family made
in the series "The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet." |
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Holy
Reunions, Batman! |
 [May
17, 2002] Did you think we've seen the last of
classic TV reunions? CBS is bringing Adam West and Burt
Ward back for a reunion movie. More than just a clipfest,
the show will bring the dynamic duo back to solve a case in
which they stumble upon a diabolical plot to steal the
original Batmobile from a charity event. The working
title is "Back to the Batcave: The True Adventures of
Adam West and Burt Ward" and is billed as a
comedy-adventure.
Although an air date hasn't been set yet, the news followed
a Viacom press release heralding the ratings success of "Batman"
on TV Land and a week of record breaking boxoffice figures for
a feature film superhero, something to do with bugs, or
spiders.... |
|
John Kohn
Gave Us "Bachelor Father" |
| [May 13, 2002]
John Kohn, 76, a writer, producer and production executive
whose credits include television shows such as "Bachelor
Father" and films such as "Racing With the
Moon" and the cult favorite "Theater of
Blood," died of cancer May 4 at his home in Sherman
Oaks. During the golden age of television, Kohn worked
as staff writer on shows such as "Bachelor
Father," "How to Marry a Millionaire,"
"The Ann Sothern Show," "My Little
Margie" and "Dobie Gillis." |
|
Just
Some Stuff |
 [May
12, 2002] I've got some tid-bits that don't
really fit anywhere, so here goes: "Bosom
Buddies" will air on TBS Saturday mornings at
7:00 and 7:30AM starting June 1st!
 Somehow,
I omitted the "M*A*S*H
30th Anniversary Reunion"
from the Viewer's Guide,
it's on Friday, May 17, don't want to miss that.
 A
date has been announced for the return of "The
Mole II: The Next Betrayal" I know many of you
were fans before they pulled it from the schedule. It will air
on Tuesdays, with a kick-off on May 28th.
ABC is working on an updated new version of "Dragnet."
The series is being produced by Dick Wolf, producer of "Law
and Order." It will be a mid-season
replacement, so no date is set.
Richard Karn, who starred as
Tim Allen's sidekick, the flannel shirt-clad Al Borland, on
ABC's hit comedy "Home Improvement,"
has been named as the new host for the nationally syndicated
game show "Family Feud," production on
its fourth season starts early this summer.
I reported a while back that
a remake of the 1960s "Family Affair,"
is being produced by Turner TV. The series was sold, and will
air on The WB It stars Gary Cole as Uncle Bill and Tim Curry
as his butler, Mr. French.
And lastly, "Miami
Vice" is being made into a movie by
Universal. According to Variety, the movie will
only retain the show's geographical location and theme song,
and not necessarily replicate the characters.
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Max
is B-B-Back |
 [May
10, 2002] Max Headroom, the original virtual
character, is coming out of retirement today on TechTV.
Max was a brief hit in 1984. The story began when
Channel Four in Britain wanted to produce a really unusual
music-video show. It decided to use a (fake)
computer-generated host. It invented the character of Max
Headroom and commissioned a screenplay describing the
fictional story of his origin. The original plan was to split
up the story into five-minute segments and scatter them among
the music videos, but Channel Four soon realized that this
would be impractical. Instead, "Max Headroom" was
produced as a feature-length made-for-TV movie and was shown
as a pilot for the music series to critical acclaim. Max
Headroom, played by a heavily made-up Matt Frewer, went on to
host the series. (Although both the British series and the
later American one featured computer graphics on a large
scale, Max himself was never an actual computer image.)
Anyway, TechTV is airing the series again. It's on
tonight at 6:00PM, but it's cable, so the same episode will
repeat several times, check listings for other times. |
|
TV
LAND: More in Store |
| [May 7, 2002]
Having fun with all the new TV Land
shows? Well there's more to come. As always, these
shows are planned to air, and things could
change. When these changes occur, I'm not privileged to
the reasons, or any other information that's not posted
here... So please don't write and ask.
July: "Archie
Bunker's Place" The spinoff from the
legendary series, "All in the Family,"
features Carroll O'Connor in his signature role as Archie
Bunker. Martin Balsam, Anne Meara, and Abraham Alvarez
co-star.
 August:
"S.W.A.T." his
one-hour drama featured the highly-skilled S.W.A.T (Special
Weapons And Tactics) team as they fight big-city crime with
army-style tactics. Steve Forrest, Rod Perry, and Robert Urich
star.
 "Soap"
The wealthy Tates and the working-class Campbells are the
focal point of this satire on soap operas starring Katherine
Helmond and Robert Mandan with Richard Mulligan, Billy Crystal
and Robert Guillaume.
"Head
of the Class" Howard Hesseman stars as
substitute teacher Charlie Moore who assigned to a group of
overachieving high school students in Manhattan and helps them
learn their academics and life lessons.
 "Perfect
Strangers" This slapstick comedy centers around
the relationship between Balki Bartokomous, a young
sheep-herder who has migrated from the Mediterranean island of
Mypos, to find his cousin Larry Appleton, a hyper, single
photojournalist. The show stars Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson
Pinchot.
 "Just
the Ten of Us" A spin-off of the sitcom "Growing
Pains," this comedy focuses on the zany misadventures
of Coach Graham Lubbock, his wife and their eight
children, who move to California from Long Island.
 "Square
Pegs" This 80's themed sitcom explores the pop
culture of the decade and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Jamie
Gertz and Tracy Nelson as teenagers going through the trials
and tribulations of finding the right cliques in high
school.
October:
"Crazy Like a Fox" Jack Warden stars
as a lovable private-eye, Harry Fox, who solves murder cases
with the help of his reluctant attorney son, Harrison K. Fox
(John Rubinstein).
 November
"Fish" Abe Vigoda reprises his role from the
hit series "Barney Miller," as a lovable, yet
worn-down cop.
|
|
The
Summer of Lucy in Morty's Mall |
  [May
4, 2002] It's the Summer of
Lucy in Morty's Mall with the first two volumes of "I
Love Lucy" being released on DVD. On July 2nd
these first two "I Love Lucy" DVDs will begin
shipping, and you can pre-order your copy now. Volume
One begins with the series' pilot episode that finds showbiz
wannabe Lucy stepping into the big shoes of a clown (guest
star Pepito), without Ricky's knowledge. Next, "The Girls
Want to Go to a Nightclub" for the Mertzes' anniversary;
Lucy tries to "Be a Pal" when she thinks Ricky's
growing tired of her; and Lucy goes on "The Diet" to
squeeze into the costume of a singer in Ricky's nightclub act.
over 100 minutes with the series original opening; bloopers;
special footage; radio shows; more.
Volume Two: "Lucy Thinks
Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" after misunderstanding a
talk between him and his agent, then the cash-strapped redhead
agrees to appear on "Females Are Fabulous" in
"The Quiz Show." Also, things backfire in "The
Audition" when the producers want Lucy over Ricky, and an
astrology-mad Lucy turns to "The Séance" to save
Ricky's career after she messes up a business call. Over an
hour and half of and includes original opening; bloopers;
special footage; photo gallery; radio shows; more. Each Volume
is only $11.24, 25% off the suggested retail.
Morty's Mall also features other great Lucy
collectible and videos. |
|
Ritter
Talks for the Animals |
 [May
3, 2002] John Ritter's never going to give you a
chance to ask "What ever happened to him?"
After giving us a "TV Road Trip" (which will
repeat on May 26th, see Viewers Guide),
appearances on "Entertainment Tonight" and
the "CBS Salutes 50 Years at Television City,"
you can hear John narrate a special on Animal Planet, titled "The
Power of Play".
The program takes a
look at the ways in which playful displays by animal and human
young - as adorable as they may be - are actually a key
factor in their development. Viewers see how the dolphin, the
polar bear, the wolf, the sea otter and several other
animals learn by playing and how animals that are deprived of
the play experience lack the skills they need to survive.
"The Power of Play" will premiere
May 12 at 8:00PM, (repeats listed in guide).
Of course this information was brought to my attention by
Pavan, web host of "Jack's
Bistro" and guru of everything, even remotely related
to "Three's Company." |
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