The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

To be honest, I do not get very excited about the Olympics.  I must admit, however, that, for me, the excitement does build as the games progress.  I’m sure part of the reason is that there is not much to watch in the way of sports when the Olympics roll around.  With all the hours of Olympic programming, that void is certainly filled.

With less than 50 days to go before the opening ceremonies (July 23), there are serious considerations about whether the Games should be held or not:

• Japan has actually seen four Covid surges, with the fourth now declining. May saw 7,000 cases per day; that number is now down to 3,000.

• Much like here, until the past week or two, restaurants and bars have been closed and outdoor spectator sporting events limited to 5,000.

• The citizens of Japan do not want the Games to happen now. Eighty-percent want the games postponed or canceled.  A petition to cancel the games garnered over 400,000 signatures.

• There will only be local spectators if they are allowed at all. Overseas foreign travelers will not be allowed to attend.  It is estimated Japan could lose $23 billion in consumer and business spending.

• The number of athletes, media, officials, coaches, and administrative personnel are expected to near 60,000 in number.

• Only North Korea has withdrawn from the competition claiming they want to protect their athletes – many believe it is more about the political environment between the two countries. This withdrawal has not led to other countries following suit.

• Only 5% of Japan’s population has been vaccinated. That number should increase dramatically with the donation of vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech.

• Athletes must have two negative Covid tests prior to arriving in Japan.

• The athletes will live in “bubbles” that are “sterile and secure”. They cannot arrive more than five days before their competition and must leave no longer than two after their competition is completed.

• NBC paid $7.75 billion to air the games through 2032. The company lost as much as $1 billion when the Games were postponed last year.  They claim to already have at least $1.25 billion already booked this year for advertising.  Insurance would cover their losses, but not the potential profit.  A huge void would be created in their programming schedule.

Suffice it to say, there is too much money to be made for the Games to be canceled.  They will go on and it will garner much of my summertime television viewing.  I am certain I am not alone.  “USA!”  “USA!”

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. How much will a “small tear” lead to a giant collapse is the question the 76ers will answer in the next week or so. Joel Embiid may or may not be available in the NBA series against the Atlanta Hawks because of a tear in his meniscus.  They will win with him, but not without him.

2. If you watch professional golf, you realize just how difficult it is to win. The competition is extraordinary, the courses are so difficult, and the mental aspect is so challenging.  Imagine having a 6- stroke lead going into the final round of a PGA tour event and finding out you tested positive for Covid.  That happened to Jon Rahm this past weekend.  He had to withdraw from the tournament.

3. The Phillies are certainly having an up and down season so far, but, thankfully, that could be said for the entire NL East. One Phillie who is not is Rhys Hoskins.  As I write this, he is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.  He needs some help, though.

4. I congratulated Emmaus for winning the EPC baseball championship, their first league title since 2005. Now, I must congratulate them again – this time for winning the District XI 6A baseball championship and heading to the PIAA state playoffs.  Their last District title was also in 2005.  They will be joined by the District runner-up Parkland Trojans.

5. The McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic will be played on June 17 at Nazareth’s Andrew Leh Stadium. We will have the game on a tape-delayed basis at 10:00pm.  Support a great cause and get out to the game.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

While there have been many versions of The Phantom of the Opera, the 1925 version of this classic story remains one of the best.

That being said, it’s safe to say that the production of this great silent film did not go very smoothly.

Produced and released almost two years before the first talking movie, The Jazz Singer, was released, this “Phantom” story stars Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kelly, John St. Poli, Arthur Edmund Carewe and Gibson Gowland.  The film is an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “Le Fantome De l’Opera.”

Chaney was highly sought after for the role, following his success in the lead role of 1923’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In addition to being arguably Lon Chaney’s greatest role, he was incredibly involved in many aspects of the film’s production.  At times, he directed scenes in place of official director Rupert Julian.  Chaney also created and invented many of the “make-up tricks” that he incorporated into his role as the deformed anti-hero, self-imprisoned in the French Opera House.

According to legend, Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal Pictures, took a vacation to Paris in 1922. During his vacation Laemmle met the author Gaston Leroux, who was working in the French film industry. Laemmle mentioned to Leroux that he admired the Paris Opera House. Leroux gave Laemmle a copy of his 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. Laemmle read the book in one night.  He later bought the film rights and soon became the film’s producer.

The original premise (and screenplay) stayed extremely close to the original source but subsequent script revisions strayed wildly after the initial first draft.

Production began in mid-October, 1924 and instantly found problems. According to director of photography Charles Van Enger in the 1970 book “American Cinematographer,” Chaney and the rest of the cast and crew had strained relations with their director, Rupert Jullian. Eventually the lead star and director stopped talking, so Van Enger served as a go-between. He would report Julian’s directions to Chaney, who responded “Tell him to go to hell.” As Van Enger remembered, “Lon did whatever he wanted.”

Despite having a great reputation with Universal, Jullian’s directorial mediocrity was obvious to the crew. For example:  according to Van Enger, Julian had wanted the screen to go black after the chandelier fell on the Opera audience. Van Enger ignored him and lit the set with a soft glow, so the aftermath of the fall would be visible to the film audience.

Furthermore, the ending to the movie was rewritten completely — at least four times.

The initial rough cut of the film came in over four hours long…completely unheard of for motion pictures in the 1920s.  Over two-and-a-half hours of the original prints ended up on the cutting room floor.

The initial screening of the film was so negative, that the premiere date was delayed (several times in fact) and the movie was constantly in a state of reshooting, rewriting and re-editing for months.

When the film was finally released, reviews were still mixed.  However, as time has marched on, the more contemporary reviews cite fewer flaws and more polish than the initial critics.

TV Guide gave the film 4-out-of-5 stars, calling it, “one of the most famous horror movies of all time. The Phantom of the Opera still manages to frighten (audiences) after more than 60 years.”  On Rotten Tomatoes, The Phantom of the Opera holds an approval rating of 90% following its most recent review in October 2020.

Film historians also have praised this version of the film, citing many innovative techniques, from Chaney’s own make-up skills to unique examples of camera positioning and lighting strategies throughout the film.  The fact that this picture had to overcome so many challenges to reach its initial release (and even then, has had to withstand reworkings several times thereafter) have only added to the picture’s lore.

(One more interesting note:  the last surviving cast member was Carla Laemmle, niece of producer Carl, who played a small role as a “prima ballerina.” She was 15 in the movie and passed on in 2014.)

Is it truly a classic masterpiece?  You can decide for yourself when you check out the original film version of The Phantom Of The Opera.  Tune in and set your DVRs for Friday, June 11th at 10pm on RCN TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

In the pre-coronavirus era, the hottest sports debate over the last couple years in the Lehigh Valley swirled around the new school, Executive Education Academy Charter School.

The Raptors were accused of allegedly taking top-tier players from other Lehigh Valley school districts…a charge that resulted in a public hearing.

While EEACS was not found guilty nor made any formal retributions, the local governing sports body (District XI) did recommend that some changes needed to be made by the academy to their “recruiting” practices, with a warning that penalties might be issued if they chose not to follow the suggestions.

This did not sit well with many surrounding school districts, who felt there was clearly enough evidence to warrant formal sanctions.

The result?

Not one Lehigh Valley basketball team had ever scheduled the school for any regular-season game the last few school years (prior to this current COVID-filled school year).

In fact, in its first year, the Raptors won the District XI 2A title without playing a single team from the Valley until the championship game.  Ironically, Executive Education Academy’s championship victory came over another “non-boundary” school, Moravian Academy.

While a few schools did play Executive this past basketball season, the common reason was, because of all the limitations placed on a number of school districts due to COVID, opponents were sometimes few and far between.  Most administrators and coaches have remained mum about the possibility of adding or resuming games with EEACS in the future.

In a completely separate news story, Allen High School anointed Randy Atiyeh as the school’s new athletic director a few months back.  A long-time assistant basketball coach and a tireless worker in the community, Randy was an obvious choice to take over the position and, so far this year, has done a tremendous job in that role.

But this hiring set up an intriguing decision for local sports fans now to ponder.

One of Atiyeh’s closest friends is former Parkland High School basketball standout player, Toomey Anderson, who is officially the assistant athletic director and a key figure at Executive Education Academy’s basketball program.  Both Atiyeh and Anderson have been co-directors of one of the annual summer basketball tournaments at Cedar Beach in Allentown–the same event that has seen most local schools drop out of competition because of Anderson’s involvement with the Raptors.

Furthermore, Allen’s new boys’ basketball Head Coach is Darnell Braswell, who is good friends with another former Canary great, Ray Barbosa – the boys’ basketball Head Coach at, you guessed it … Executive Education Academy.

The immediate question surrounding the Allen High School sports program now becomes, will Atiyeh break the unanimous, yet unofficial union of the local schools by putting the Raptors on the Canaries’ schedule in future seasons?

We asked Randy and Darnell that very question on a recent edition of “SportsTalk.”

Here is a portion of Atiyeh’s answer.

RCN customers can get more of Randy’s response, plus Darnell’s reaction and more of their opinions by watching the entire interview though RCN’s Video-on-Demand.  And keep checking back to our “SportsTalk” show for news and analysis as this story continues to evolve for future seasons.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

One of the new programs added to the RCN-TV lineup this year is a television show that excelled because of a comedian’s mediocrity on radio.  While Milton Berle was a popular entertainer, film star and comedian, he did not have the greatest success in radio in the 1930s and 40s. He was a hit as a guest, would get good reviews as a fill-in star, and had a two-year run as host on a panel show.  However, his physical brand of humor never could really resonate with audiences .. .until television came along.

Initially, The Texaco Star Theatre (the first name of his television program) targeted fellow comedian Jack Carter as the host — one of several the sponsor wanted to “try out” to lead their new 60-minute comedy show. However, Berle (comic contestant #2) was such a success when his “month” to host came, that they made Milton their permanent star.

The reason for his success?  Berle took all the physical comedy from his radio program, combined it with the pure slapstick from his vaudevillian days and mixed in some outrageous attire (Berle was frequently dressed in drag).

Berle dominated Tuesday night television for the next several years, reaching the number one slot in the Nielsen ratings. At his height he would also bring in as high as a 97% share of the viewing audience, meaning all but 3% of everyone whose TV was turned on, was watching Berle.

Here are a few other barometers that showed how popular his TV show was.

Movie theatres either closed or offered less showings on Tuesday nights because few people left home to see movies on the night Berle’s show aired. Restaurants and other businesses would also shut down for the hour or closed for the evening so their customers would not miss Berle’s antics.  According to his 1974 autobiography (co-written by Haskel Frankel), he notes that in Detroit, an investigation took place when the water levels took a drastic drop in the reservoirs on Tuesday nights between 9:00 pm and 9:05 pm.  It turned out that everyone waited until the end of the Texaco Star Theatre before going to the bathroom.

Wrap up your Memorial Day weekend with a mini-marathon of some of the best moments of Berle’s television show, starting this Monday at 9:00pm.  Make sure you tune in or set your DVRs to RCN TV.  And when you do, make sure to listen for a rather “unique” and quite loud laugh in the audience. It belongs to Milton’s mother, Sadie. She was often used as a “plant” by Berle to help ignite the audience to laugh at jokes Milton wasn’t sure about or to make sure the audience gave a wild reaction when he came out in some of his more bizarre costumes.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

I love high school baseball.

It’s a great sport with so many inside nuances if you are really into it…cat-and-mouse games between pitchers and hitters…or pitchers and baserunners…where to position your outfielders.  If you understand the game (and little patience is needed at times) and you have teams that play the game the right way, it’s really a lot of fun.

Fortunately in our viewing area, we have an abundance of teams that play fundamentally-smart baseball programs that makes for some very enjoyable viewing.  With the district playoffs upon us, it’s time to delve headlong into our discussion of teams and games in our viewing area.  In addition to recapping the regular season and the EPC championship game (which is now available on RCN On-Demand), we’ll be looking at the district baseball playoffs.

The brackets are out and we’re looking forward to all the matchups over the next 9 days, culminating with the District XI 6A title contest, which you will be able to watch live on RCN-TV (bookmark our broadcast schedule and keep checking back to our website for specific game information and “first pitch” time.

Meanwhile on this week’s “RCN SportsTalk,” RCN Sports Director Gary Laubach will join us to break down all the elements and preview the next week-and-a-half worth of games with Co-Host Keith Groller and myself.

We have some great storylines already in place:

Liberty’s dominating run through the regular season, only to be tripped up in the semifinal by Pocono Mountain East. Can the Hurricanes bounce back?

Emmaus won the EPC championship but it has been decades since the same team has won both the big schools’ league and district titles in the same season.  Can the Hornets break the curse?

Perennial power Parkland was also upset in the league playoffs and a few other schools who traditionally do well have been struggling of late.  Will one of those teams get hot in time to contend for a championship?

Plus, on the girls side, there’s some very intriguing matchups coming up after a very entertaining league playoffs in both the EPC and Colonial League.  We’ll talk about those storylines as well.

But baseball is not the only thing we are working on for our upcoming “SportsTalk” programs.  Here’s just a sample of the guests we are lining up over the next several weeks:

• PIAA Assistant Executive Director Melissa Mertz talks Pennsylvania state sports issues including the spring state playoff format, current rule and procedure adjustments in the works and possible changes for the fall and winter sports seasons

• Maret HS (DC) Head Football Coach Mike Engelberg talks about his undefeated spring sports season in the DMV after missing out on the entire fall campaign after his team won the DC state title in 2019.

• Allentown Central Catholic’s tennis team did something no other team in our viewing area did this spring and also accomplished another feat that no one in school history had ever done.  First year Head Coach Jared Smith will explain.

• Multi-sport Wilson HS standout Jeff Breidinger will return to his alma mater as the school’s athletic director after some successful stops as a coach at other schools and has some major changes in store for his new programs.

• The Morning Call’s Tom Housenick and Dante Terenzio will recap this spring’s track-and-field, tennis and volleyball seasons and also get us up to date on local golf, wrestling and other sports news and issues.

• First-time new HS football head coaches are taking over at Allen and Liberty high schools. We’ll introduce you to them and their captains — one already is making a guarantee about this fall’s season.
• Spring sports district champions and state playoff participants

• … and more!

Make sure you tune in, set your DVR or check out these guests and more over the next several weeks on RCN-TV and RCN On-Demand!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

Gary Cooper is known for some of the most iconic shots and soliloquies in cinema history.  From his long stare across the town in the famous, wide, crane shot ahead of the climactic showdown in High Noon, to his tear-jerking speech as Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees, you can’t examine Hollywood’s Golden Era without highlighting Cooper’s contributions to the industry.

Born Frank James Cooper on May 7, 1901 in Helena, Montana, Gary’s parents sent him overseas to gain an “English education.”  He returned to America before his 11th birthday and spent his teenage years living the life of a cowboy.

When he was 15, he was injured in a car accident.  According to Larry Swindell’s “The Last Hero: the Biography of Gary Cooper,” his doctor’s misguided recommendation included Cooper’s recuperation consisting of horseback riding.  This caused a permanent disability and left him with his characteristic stiff, off-balanced walk now so familiar to film followers.

While still attending high school he also enrolled in an art school where many of his drawings and watercolor paintings received acclaim and attention in the community.  While his credibility grew as an artist while enrolled in Iowa’s Grinnell College (he was named the school yearbook’s art editor), he ironically was turned down for a position in the school’s drama club.

Aside from selling editorial cartoons to a local newspaper, Cooper struggled to find work as an artist and, after two years, left to join Poverty Row, working silent film Westerns as an extra (for $5 a day) or as a stuntman (for $10/day).

Cooper’s first important film role was a supporting part in 1926’s The Winning of Barbara Worth starring Ronald Colman.  Cooper relied on his own persona for the role, and the film’s success, based largely on Cooper’s performance, helped garnish major attention.  MGM reportedly rushed to offer Cooper a long-term contract, but he held out for a better deal—finally signing a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures for $175 per week.

While Cooper had an unremarkable career in silent films, his first “synchronized sound” film, Lilac Times, proved to be one of the most successful pictures of 1928.

Cooper then starred in The Virginian a year later, directed by Victor Fleming (Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind) and helped to establish the standard Western codes and conventions that are still used to this day.

While other leading men struggled to adjust to “talkies,” Gary’s deep, clear and natural–yet understated–delivery endeared him to audiences worldwide.

Meanwhile, Paramount, anxious to cash in on Cooper’s popularity, began starring him in as many films as they could.

Just SOME of his films in 1931 alone include Fighting Caravans with French actress Lili Damita, the Dashiell Hammett crime film, City Streets, co-starring Sylvia Sidney and Paul Lukas, I Take This Woman with Carole Lombard, and His Woman with Claudette Colbert. The demands and pressures of making ten films in two years left Cooper exhausted and in poor health. He had lost thirty pounds during that period and left Hollywood for Italy, where he lived for the next year.

Rested and rejuvenated by his year-long exile, a healthy Cooper returned to Hollywood in April 1932 and negotiated a new contract with Paramount for two films per year, a salary of $4,000 a week, along with director and script approval.

Cooper would soon star in one of his most memorable roles in A Farewell to Arms, which would prove to be one of Gary’s most challenging performances.  The film also  ignited a long-standing relationship with the original story’s famous writer, Ernest Hemingway.  Plus, a series of iconic performances and film classics would soon follow–and several future Showplace blog entries about Coop, yet to come!

You can see Cooper star in 1932’s A Farewell to Arms this Tuesday, May 25, at 9am (also featuring Helen Hayes) on RCN-TV.  Also, keep checking back to the “Showplace” for more insights on this great actor in early Hollywood history.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

No, I did not make a typo and add a question mark by mistake when putting this week’s “SportsTalk Shop” blog title together.

This is normally the time of year when I check in with local spring and summer basketball coordinators to receive their schedules, talk with them about their plans for the next several months and perhaps get some insights (and usually a few juicy rumors) on some local storylines to keep an eye out for.

In doing that this week, there’s been a similar theme to what I heard last year:

Cautious optimism.

Regardless of these leagues and tournaments’ organizers’ background, everyone I’ve talked to is hopeful to get some semblance of summer action in. 

That being said, many were equally optimistic about last Summer, thirteen months ago.

This year some organizers are saying they are hearing positive, aka declining, numbers in terms of COVID cases and feel very strongly that the games can be played just as in previous years.  But the fact that the mask mandate will be lifted in a few weeks hasn’t kept some from getting overly hopeful things will go off as planned.

The “spring games” have already been postponed and, quite likely, games will not go regularly like they would in a “normal” year.  However, as of this moment, there is a schedule for local summer league games and tournaments in place for June and July within the RCN-Lehigh Valley footprint.

Last year, in lieu of bringing you pictures of the summer’s local basketball action, I uncovered many “never before seen” shots of the special people participating in summer games and tournaments in our viewing area.  Until we have games being played, and because I received some very nice comments about posting these images a year ago, I am bringing you more previously unpublished pictures from the prior summer’s basketball action.

Also, like in 2020, I’ll be checking in with local representatives as we get closer to the bigger summer tourneys in June and will present an update–one way or the other–on the status of this year’s local activities on the courts.

Stay tuned!!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows, key names in the “Golden Age” of entertainment history and legendary cinematic performances.

I hope everyone has been enjoying reading background insights and little known information about our classic programs and watching them on RCN TV. 

Now it’s time to test your knowledge by taking our first ever Classic Video Showplace quiz. 

See how you do answering the following questions and then check out the answers listed below. 

Have fun!

1. Richard Denning became the most successful actor to play the role of Mr. North on television. He also played the role of the husband for what famous comedian on radio’s My Favorite Husband?

2. Gail Davis was one of few non-comedic actresses starring in 1954 television by successfully portraying what popular Western hero?

3. Who was THE biggest movie box office draw in the world in the early 1970s who first starred in the hit 1950s show, Man With A Camera?

4. Name the actress who had regular appearances on classic shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Life With Elizabeth, The Match Game and Golden Girls.

5. Which stranded passenger on Gilligan’s Island got his first big TV break co-starring on I Married Joan?

6. Which supporting character from the radio edition of The Jack Benny Program made the most appearances on the television version of the show?

7. Which famous cowboy beat his contracted film company in the “race” to produce his own show for television?

8. What popular entertainer was the executive producer for Lucille Ball’s second television sitcom, The Lucy Show?

9. Name the three television programs that left the air rated number one in the Nielson Ratings at the time of their series finale.

10. Which show(s) were direct spin offs of The Beverly Hillbillies?

Answers:

1. Lucille Ball

2. Annie Oakley

3. Charles Bronson

4. Betty White

5. Jim Backus

6. Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

7. Roy Rogers

8. Desi Arnaz

9. I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Andy Griffin Show

10. Petticoat Junction, Green Acres

You can see many of the above mentioned television shows, along with other great TV and film classics everyday on RCN-TV.  To see the full listing of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

Don’t forget to keep checking back to the Showplace for more classic trivia and little-known bits of information about some of the greatest shows and movies of all time.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Recently, we highlighted the different all area teams for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Colonial League did away with their “all star teams” a few years ago — at least, those listings that were provided from the participating schools’ athletic directors and administrators.

However, that hasn’t stopped the “CLGBBA!”

The Colonial League Girls Basketball Coaches Association was formed in 2019-20 when the Colonial League decided not to recognize its student-athletes through the selection of All-League teams.  The GBB coaches have gotten together to continue the tradition of honoring the league’s best players by selecting, 1st and 2nd Team All-League Players as well as Honorable Mention Athletes. The Association consists of the head coaches from the Colonial League’s 13 member schools. 

So, here are their listings of top performers during this past season…

Colonial League Girls Basketball Coaches Association  ALL-LEAGUE Honorees 2020-21  

(All Selections Listed Alphabetically) 

FIRST TEAM 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 

TRINITY WILLIAMS, SR, PALISADES 

SECOND TEAM 

HONORABLE MENTION

Again, a big THANK YOU to those involved and in charge of these organizations for passing those lists along to us, so that we can put them in the spotlight here at RCN’s “SportsTalk Shop!”

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows, key names in the “Golden Age” of entertainment history and legendary cinematic performances.

His name may not resonate with most people but he’s certainly one of those actors when you see his face on screen, you’d say “oh yeah, that guy!”

Charles Lane made a career for over 50 years playing an old curmudgeon on some of the greatest television programs of all time.

In the 1930s and 40s he was featured in bit parts of some of the most memorable films ever produced.

He was evil Mr. Potter’s rent collector in It’s A Wonderful Life, a crooked lawyer in Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, as “Henderson” in You Can’t Take It With You, and as the nosy reporter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Heck, he was even a meanie in the feel-good holiday classic It Happened On 5th Avenue, playing a hard-nosed rent-collecting landlord.

But in the early 1950s, he began his transition of bringing his antagonist character acting to television.

Lane became friends with Lucille Ball and was used frequently by the Queen of Comedy anytime she needed a hard-nosed, stubborn antagonist to trigger some of her most elaborate schemes.

He had multiple guest starring appearances on I Love Lucy, throughout the show successful 6-year run – – always playing a different character yet providing a perfect foil for Lucy’s antics.  Probably his most memorable role was that of the no-nonsense passport clerk when Lucy was trying to go to Europe.  His stubbornness set up a classic Ball routine in which she’s forced to answer questions after mistakenly taking too many seasick pills.

He also appeared on the episode in which Lucy has a baby. That episode garnished a whopping 92% share rating and held the record for the most watched television episode for many years.

He continued a five decades-long span in which Lane was typecast as a mean-spirited villain, pitted against some of the most popular characters ever seen on the small screen.

He temporarily handled the role of the original banker on Ball’s second show, The Lucy Show, before Gale Gordon took over the Mr. Moody character once he was released from an earlier contract commitment.

Some of his other hard-nosed but memorable roles include the reoccurring Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction who would frequently come to keuterville with print plans to disrupt the town’s quiet lives.

His Bedloe character was just one of the various miserly roles he had on The Beverly Hillbillies.  He also characterized the stingy Mr. Fitzpatrick on the Burns and Allen Show.

He guest starred on other classic shows like The Andy Griffith Show , Gomer Pyle, Get Smart, The Munsters,  The Donna Reed Show, F Troop, Bewitched (playing six different characters over the show’s six year run), nearly always playing a “bad guy.”

Lane did take a turn as a nice guy for one chapter of The Twilight Zone in a segment featuring Orson Bean. Of course, it was in an episode employing a parallel universe.

He also had a recurring role as the town’s shopkeeper on Dennis The Menace and many other memorable TV performances.

Lane also continued appearing in movies in the ’60s, including playing the airport manager in the mega-star comedy film, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.   On the DVD commentary track, Historian Michael Schlesinger notes, “you do not have a comedy unless Charles Lane is in it.”

His on-screen persona was completely the opposite of how Lane was in real life. In his obituary in the Washington Post, his friends unanimously said that he was a warm, funny and kind person.

Upon reaching his 90th birthday, Lane decided to “slow down” and only performed in three films in the 1990s — his last on-screen performance was in 1995’s The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes starring Kirk Cameron. 

In 2002, his wife of 70 years, Ruth Covell, passed away.

His last role was in 2006, as the narrator in the short film The Night Before Christmas. He was 101 at the time.

Charles passed away a year later – he died of natural causes. 

In all, Lane worked for over 72 years as an actor. He performed in over 250 television shows and films.  From 1940 to 1942 alone, he acted in over 67 roles – sometimes acting in two different projects on the same day.

See if you can take the “Charles Lane Challenge” by watching classic sitcoms on RCN TV and see how long you go before spotting him on at least one program or film.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.