Tom McMahon

My Brother's 4th Grade Teacher Emma Wade, Nashville Puppeteer Tom Tichenor, and His Connection to the Late Jerry Orbach

My Brother's 4th Grade Teacher Emma Wade with Nashville Puppeteer Tom Tichenor

The young fellow on the left is a fellow named Mark Ketterson (don't know him). From my brother Tim:

Amazing. Found a photo of Emma (Hayes) Wade, my 4th grade teacher down at Eakin Elementary School in Nashville Tennessee. This photo is her with this puppeteer who came to our class in 1960. Years later I found a book he wrote about puppets and it was dedicated to her. We did a puppet play in French--I was Prince Charming (pause for spit take). We made our own puppets and I think mine is at my dad's place.

Tom Tichenor's imdb entry is very brief, but contains this nugget:

Constructed the puppets and trained the puppeteer (Jerry Orbach) for the Broadway Musical "Carnival".

I had never heard of that show (not surprising) but by golly the soundtrack is available on Amazon:

Carnival 1961 Original Broadway Cast Recording

Here's Broadway Veteran Orbach reminiscing about Carnival:

"Carnival! was a wonderful experience," recalls Orbach, "and a show that touched people in a very special way — especially young girls. Every now and then, somebody comes up to me and says it changed their whole life, and made them fall in love with the theatre."

His Broadway debut cast him as Paul Berthalet, a bitter puppeteer, who wins Lili (Anna Maria Alberghetti) through his puppets: Carrot Top, Horr'ble Henry, Marguerite, and Renardo. "It was slightly unrewarding. I did all the puppet voices and handled all the puppets — and the puppets were reviewed as a separate entity, as though it was Jim Henson and the Muppets. It was really me, but nobody knew it. They said, 'Oh, he's good, but the puppets are terrific!' I'd say, 'Wait a minute, I am the puppets.' That's the way it goes sometimes when you're the 'stealth bomber.' [Laughs]"

A Young Jerry Orbach With Puppets From The 1961 Broadway Musical Carnival

And if you hadn't guessed by now, there is no McMahon family Brush With Greatness too obscure to be included in this blog.

Actor Richard Yniguez, The Original Boulevard Knight

Excerpts from Herald de Paris:

If you have watched TV or have gone to the movies over the last thirty years you know his face, even his voice, but may not know his name. He is Richard Yniquez, a seminal, in-demand character actor who has appeared in more than one hundred prime time television programs and feature films. In the Latino community he is legendary for his leading role in the theatrical film Boulevard Nights. Produced by Tony Bill, Nights was the first major release film to topically explore the lowrider culture in the early 70’s.

So was it harder back then to get started in the business?

“Yes, it was a lot harder back then. Chicanos/Mexican Americans were not looked at in a positive way. Up to this time Latinos were played by non Latinos – mostly by Jews, Arabs, Italians, and even African Americans. It wasn’t until Ricardo Montalban, who formed Nosotros, and Ray Andrade, who formed Justica, that we started a serious trend in the industry and cast real Latinos in real Latino roles. Ricardo put his career on the line. I knew him very well and have had the chance to work with him up close and personal as an activist and as an actor. He didn’t shy away from controversy and was misquoted constantly. He never asked for actual Mexicans to play Mexicans. He only asked that we be given the opportunity to read for those important roles. They say that your ability to perform is determined by your last job. But we, Latino actors, don’t have those opportunities coming down the pike. People may read this and think it’s just sour grapes or that we have plenty of opportunities out there, just no actors to fill the parts. This is NOT true. And this is why we are creating our own films and internet websodes.”

Speaking of community, what did your family think about your decision to become an actor?

“My family didn’t think much about me becoming an actor. In fact I was laughed at. True story. They thought I was nuts. I don’t blame them. I thought I was nuts too. But there was something in me that persisted and I went on to work with some very wonderful people. Anthony Quinn, Robert Mitchum, Lucille Ball, Angela Lansbury, Glen Ford, Joan Plowright, and Ricardo Montalban, just to name a few. It was also nice to walk into an audition and be told that I had come highly recommended. I would ask by whom and the reply was always the same…Ricardo Montalban.

“There had been times when the role for a specific show was already cast. A young activist working with Ricardo would fight to get people to be seen by the production and try to get an Hispanic actor cast since the lead role was that of a Latino. All he asked for was a chance for Latino actors to read for the part. That young activist, an actor himself, was Jerry Velasco and I’ve always remembered his fight for all of us. Getting back to the family, once I started to work it was a different story. They didn’t laugh anymore. They wanted to visit the set and meet the other actors!”

See also my previous post A Post For Fans Of Veteran Film and TV Actor Richard Yniguez

When The A-Team Paid A Visit to Wheel of Fortune in 1986

When The A-Team Paid A Visit to Wheel of Fortune in 1986

Watch it on Hulu

Jerry Lee Lewis and Neil Sedaka Sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game on Shindig!

Jerry Lee Lewis and Neil Sedaka Sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game on Shindig!

Ren and Stimpy in Space Madness

Ren and Stimpy in Space Madness

It's available on Netflix for instant download. Season 1.

The Late Brandon Tartikoff on Television

From a NY Times article from 20 years ago:

The basic premise Tartikoff operates on is: ''Television's television. Doesn't matter if it's syndicated, local, network, news, entertainment or sports. It all operates on the same principle with the viewer: What is the compelling ingredient about the program? What is it that you're waiting to see happen?

'' '60 Minutes?' They're waiting on Mike Wallace to nail somebody. They're waiting on Mike Wallace the same way they're waiting on J. R. in 'Dallas.' They're waiting on Mike Wallace the same way they're waiting to see Archie give it to the Meathead on ''All in the Family.' ''

WHEN BRANDON TARTIKOFF was 10 years old and living in Freeport, L.I., his favorite comic strip was ''Dennis the Menace.'' When he heard that Dennis was going to be turned into a television show, his reaction was: ''Wow.''

Then he saw the show. ''It was horrible. I thought Jay North was completely the wrong casting.'' The young Brandon told his parents he knew how to fix it.

''I think that was the earliest sign that I was pointing in this direction.''

The Diversity of Storm Team 4

The Diversity of Storm Team 4

So why did they have to get rid of Paul Joseph and Jim Ott?

Many Moons Ago

From King of the Night: The Life of Johnny Carson By Laurence Leamer:

Whether the writing was good or bad or mediocre, that night's show was soon forgotten in the rush of new deadlines. Whenever the writers reminisced, it was usually the disasters they remembered. On one occasion a writer prepared a sketch commemorating the anniversary of Custer's Last Stand. In this version Colonel Custer, played by Johnny, survived after battling the last Indian to a standstill. The extra playing an Indian had to walk across the stage to Johnny, grapple with him, and fall to the ground, When the Indian reached stage center, he turned toward the camera. "Many moons ago," the actor said, beginning a lengthy soliloquy as Johnny watched incredulously. The speeched ruined the skit, and the phrase "many moons ago" became a code word for impending disaster.

House Hunters

An excerpt from Did You Ever....:

There are several consistent themes to this show that strike me. First. EVERYONE on this show entertains!! They are always commenting about how the kitchen is too small to entertain or the dining room is just the right size for entertaining or the deck / patio is a fantastic outdoor space to entertain. Do no introverts buy homes? I would love to see an agorophobic, introverted couple on the show who comment that the kitchen is tiny and there is no dining room and the backyard is microscopic but that is FINE because they never go out and have no friends. I just want some balance.

Second. what is it with the two sinks in the bathroom? "Oh, honey, the bathroom has a marble spa tub, the shower is the size of my parent's first house and the bedroom is 1200 square feet but there is only one sink in the master bathroom. Even though it is priced $50,000 below the assessed value I guess we will have to pass". Really?

Now I have been married for over 30 years and I can tell you that if I am in the bathroom using the sink, my husband / children can just wait. I don't need company in there. I don't want to watch you shaving anything or combing anything or washing anything. Maybe I am a wierdo but there are rules. Besides that, if you really need to get ready for work or whatever at the exact same moments that I am in the bathroom, use the other bathroom. Or wait. It'll be Ok, really.

Finally. is it just me or are people generally superficial? "I don't like the orange and green living room. I really prefer beige and purple". Someone painted it those ugly colors, you can cover it up with your ugly colors. After 25 years of home ownership, here is my advice to them. Don't look at the things that are easy to fix. Ask about the stuff that is going to cost you big $$. Here are some suggestions: how old is the furnace / air conditioner / water heater; how old are the windows; is the attic insulated; how old is the roof? These are things that matter but they probably arent good TV.

When Less Isn't More

One of my new favorite blogs is My View From The Shore, written by Harvey Briggs. Here's his latest post:

Ad Age reported that in the recent upfront for TV advertising, media buyers were paying more for shows this year that are expected to deliver fewer viewers than last year. Basically this demonstrates the broken model of media and advertising.

With the increased penetration of cable, satellite, DVRs, online programming and even people watching video on their smart phones, the days of tens of millions of people sitting down in front of their sets at once to watch the same program are over. So as inventories of shows with wide appeal dwindle, media buyers drive up costs for those few remaining hits.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to attract more viewers, Hollywood spends more money on star-studded casts and big production values, increasing the cost of the product that fewer consumers are willing to spend time watching. The system is unsustainable.

Maybe it's time for a new reality show. Desperate Television Executives.