June 30: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on June 30. Discuss or comment as you please……

1936: Actress Nancy Dussault (The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Too Close for Comfort) is born in Pensacola, Florida.

1952: Long-running soap opera The Guiding Light airs its first episode on CBS. (The serial had been a radio staple since 1937.) To date, the show has aired well over 15,000 episodes.

1953: WKOW-TV (channel 27) signs on in Madison, Wisconsin as a CBS affiliate. It is Madison’s first TV station. They would switch affiliations to ABC when WISC-TV (channel 3) came on in 1956.

1959: Actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1981: Fred Silverman is fired as president of NBC after failing to improve ratings. He is replaced by Grant Tinker.

1987: Daytime television fans suffer withdrawal as a month of pre-emptions begin due to coverage of the Iran-Contra hearings.

1993: George “Spanky” McFarland of “Our Gang”/Little Rascals fame dies in Grapevine, Texas, aged 64. In the 1950’s, he hosted the kiddie show Spanky’s Clubhouse on KOTV Tulsa, the show (naturally) including Little Rascals shorts among its fare.

1995: TV gets just a little less cheesy as Love Connection, hosted by Chuck Woolery, airs its final episode. Of the thousands of couples who met on the show, just 31 eventually married.

1995: Actor Gale Gordon (Dennis the Menace, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy, Life with Lucy) dies in Escondido, California, aged 89.

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)

 

[landtuna]

Gale Gordon was one of my all-time favorite character actors and was a fixture on TV of the 50's and 60's. But his roots were in radio:

Got his break on radio as "Mayor Latrivia" on the ever popular "Fibber McGee & Molly Show" which was on the radio from 1935-1959.

Was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999.

He had some experience with banks before he played Theodore J. Mooney on "The Lucy Show" (1962). He portrayed bank president Rudolph Atterbury on CBS Radio's "My Favorite Husband" (1948-1951).

Portrayed principal Osgood Conklin on CBS Radio's "Our Miss Brooks" (1948-1957).

He was the Rexall Drugs spokesman for NBC Radio's "The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show" (1948-1950). His part was integrated into the actual scripts.

 

[wbhist]

1936: Actress Nancy Dussault (The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Too Close for Comfort) is born in Pensacola, Florida.

I.I.N.M., Ms. Dussault was also David Hartman's first co-host on Good Morning America when ABC launched it from the ashes of AM America in 1975.

 

[Stanislav]

Gale Gordon was one of my all-time favorite character actors and was a fixture on TV of the 50's and 60's. But his roots were in radio:

Got his break on radio as "Mayor Latrivia" on the ever popular "Fibber McGee & Molly Show" which was on the radio from 1935-1959.

I had forgotten about his connection with that show until you mentioned it. Haven't heard any old "Fibbers" in quite a while, but I remember the first time I heard one of the shows, and the instant Mayor LaTrivia began to speak, there was no doubt who was behind that very familiar voice!

He and Lucy really had wonderful chemistry together on-screen, and were very fond of each other off-screen. That's why when Lucy went forth with the ill-advised "Life with Lucy," she simply did not want to do it unless Gale was involved. And Gordon, who at the time was comfortable and happy in retirement, would have done it for no one else.

 

[bpatrick]

Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet were actually Lucy's
first choices to play Fred and Ethel Mertz. But Gordon
was playing Osgood Conklin, the principal on "Our Miss
Brooks," and Benaderet was playing Blanche Morton on
George Burns and Gracie Allen's show, so neither was
available. But as all "I Love Lucy" fans know, Gordon
made two appearances as Alvin Littlefield, owner of
the Tropicana; and Benaderet appeared in an episode
with Edward Everett Horton, where Lucy tried to match
them up.

Re "Guiding Light": the show continued to air on both
television and radio until 1956. Although the same episode
aired on both (with visual elements eliminated or rewritten
for the radio show), they aired at different times: 1:45 on
CBS radio, 2:30 (then 12:45 beginning in late '52 or early
'53) on CBS television (the long-running "Our Gal Sunday"
aired on CBS radio at 12:45). And both versions of GL were
performed live to the bitter end.

 

[RicoGregg]

One of the hardest things to do in comedy, if not the hardest thing, is to be the straight man.

That said, Gale Gordon was arguably the greatest straight man, ever.

 

[nmoore6676]

One of the hardest things to do in comedy, if not the hardest thing, is to be the straight man.

That said, Gale Gordon was arguably the greatest straight man, ever.

I recall sometime in the '60s Gale Gordon appearing in a Kenley Players production of No No Nanette in which he played the father. A spectacular moment had him doing sommersalts across the stage. He was the consummate comedic actor. His way of saying "yeeeess" and the facial expression with it were classic bits.

 

[Stanislav]

One of the hardest things to do in comedy, if not the hardest thing, is to be the straight man.

That said, Gale Gordon was arguably the greatest straight man, ever.

I recall sometime in the '60s Gale Gordon appearing in a Kenley Players production of No No Nanette in which he played the father. A spectacular moment had him doing sommersalts across the stage. He was the consummate comedic actor. His way of saying "yeeeess" and the facial expression with it were classic bits.

He had consummate timing and a great deadpan. I loved those inevitable moments in the Lucy shows when Lucy would be going nutso over the top about something or other, and Gale would just stand there until she was done, pause for just the right amount of time, then deliver one of his devastating, dripping-with-sarcasm comebacks in that calm, dignified manner. Perfection.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Re "Guiding Light": the show continued to air on both
television and radio until 1956. Although the same episode
aired on both (with visual elements eliminated or rewritten
for the radio show), they aired at different times: 1:45 on
CBS radio, 2:30 (then 12:45 beginning in late '52 or early
'53) on CBS television (the long-running "Our Gal Sunday"
aired on CBS radio at 12:45). And both versions of GL were
performed live to the bitter end.

And sadly, that last bitter end for GL is only 80 days from tomorrow.

 

[LKellerIII]

One of the hardest things to do in comedy, if not the hardest thing, is to be the straight man.

That said, Gale Gordon was arguably the greatest straight man, ever.

I'd refine that a little to say that Gale Gordon was the greatest ever at playing off others - it was so much more than just being a straight man. He was more of a straight man as Osgood Conklin...pompous, but kind of stiff and dry. He played Mr. Mooney much more broadly - pompous, yes - but louder and much more comical. And if the scene called for it, he could keep up with Lucy on the physical comedy.

My memory is that Gordon played John Wilson (on Dennis the Menace), very lightly with very little of his trademark exasperation. The producers may have decided to make him more kindly, so he wouldn't seem like a carbon copy of Joseph Kearns' George Wilson.

 

[mleach]

Gale Gordon in his later years became very anti-TV/radio speaking out against the garbage ( sex, dirty words, etc..) one can find on both. According to one of my "Whatever became of..."books that I had since lost..they claimed that Gale was offered guest starring roles on The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, Alice and even Diff'rent Strokes...but turned them all down because he considered such shows "dirty and trashy".Back in the mid 80s Gale also turned down a guest shot on some talk show on NYC's WABC radio because at the time WABC was airing some sex advice talk show ( Toni Grant? ).

Anyway I kinda question any of this since both Lucie Arnaz & Desi Arnaz Jr..and I think even Jay North had all made the claim over the years that Gale Gordon was known in private to tell some really dirty jokes and used some spicy language himself. Of course then again...maybe he did change by becoming more conservative in his later years.

 

[Stanislav]

Gale Gordon in his later years became very anti-TV/radio speaking out against the garbage ( sex, dirty words, etc..) one can find on both. According to one of my "Whatever became of..."books that I had since lost..they claimed that Gale was offered guest starring roles on The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, Alice and even Diff'rent Strokes...but turned them all down because he considered such shows "dirty and trashy".Back in the mid 80s Gale also turned down a guest shot on some talk show on NYC's WABC radio because at the time WABC was airing some sex advice talk show ( Toni Grant? ).

Anyway I kinda question any of this since both Lucie Arnaz & Desi Arnaz Jr..and I think even Jay North had all made the claim over the years that Gale Gordon was known in private to tell some really dirty jokes and used some spicy language himself. Of course then again...maybe he did change by becoming more conservative in his later years.

Or, perhaps, like Red Skelton, Gordon had the same dichotomy of being very ribald in private, while maintaining a moralistic persona for public consumption and avoiding doing any roles or appearing in anything risque?

What I find interesting (and there was a good discussion of this recently at the Termite Terrace Trading Post -- a classic animation board) is that, for some strange reason, Gordon had an long, ongoing feud with voice man Mel Blanc. He seemed to get along well with most everybody, but absolutely loathed Blanc, and no one can quite figure out why. The two men were never in competition for roles, and only rarely worked together in radio.

 

[mleach]

What I find interesting (and there was a good discussion of this recently at the Termite Terrace Trading Post -- a classic animation board) is that, for some strange reason, Gordon had an long, ongoing feud with voice man Mel Blanc. He seemed to get along well with most everybody, but absolutely loathed Blanc, and no one can quite figure out why. The two men were never in competition for roles, and only rarely worked together in radio.

Wow..learn something new everyday

This somewhat reminds me of the story I heard about Luclle Ball and actress Sandy Dennis. For decades Lucy hated Sandy and for years that was a mystery as to why that was. However that secret came out 12 years after Lucy's death when Lucie Arnaz did a Q&A during the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz festival in Jamestown, NY and someone asked her about this. According to Lucie, back in 1968 just after the start of Here's Lucy, Lucy was showing her kids Sandy's film "The Fox" thinking with a title like that it would be a family flick. Ah "The Fox" was a movie about two lesbians. Lucy was upset and so embarrised that she took it out on Sandy Dennis.

 

[bpatrick]

In his autobiography Mel Blanc said that after
his son Noel was born, he ran into Gale Gordon
one day. "Guess what, Gale, I'm a father!" Blanc
enthused. Gordon gave him one of his patented
contemptuous looks and answered, "Big deal!"
Although Gordon and his wife later adopted a child,
Blanc said he cared little for Gordon after that
encounter.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1970: Actor Brian Bloom (As the World Turns, and the 2009 Cadillac Escalade hybrid commercials, among other roles) is born in Long Island.

 

[Ultimajock]

What I find interesting (and there was a good discussion of this recently at the Termite Terrace Trading Post -- a classic animation board) is that, for some strange reason, Gordon had an long, ongoing feud with voice man Mel Blanc. He seemed to get along well with most everybody, but absolutely loathed Blanc, and no one can quite figure out why. The two men were never in competition for roles, and only rarely worked together in radio.

...and Blanc was on extremely good terms with Kenny Delmar, even though Blanc's voice for the Warner Brothers cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn was obviously cribbed from Delmar's Senator Beauregard Claghorn character on The Fred Allen Show...