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 ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

As part of ATVN’s celebration of Black History Month, here at the “Showplace” we are putting the spotlight on African American actors who excelled not just on the big and small screens but who also inspired change with their courage and perseverance.
For over 20 years, Earth Kitt had traveled the globe and found success as a singer, actress in film, television and theater and had become an active voice in speaking out against social injustice and as a proponent of peace.
In 1966, she established the Kittsville Youth Foundation, a chartered and non-profit organization for underprivileged youths in the Watts area of Los Angeles. She was also involved with a group of youths in the area of Anacostia in Washington, D.C., who called themselves “Rebels with a Cause”. Kitt supported the groups’ efforts to clean up streets and establish recreation areas in an effort to keep them out of trouble by testifying with them before the House General Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Education and Labor.
In her May 1967 testimony, Kitt stated that the Rebels’ “achievements and accomplishments should certainly make the adult ‘do-gooders’ realize that these young men and women have performed in one short year – with limited finances – that which was not achieved by the same people who might object to turning over some of the duties of planning, rehabilitation, and prevention of juvenile delinquents and juvenile delinquency to those who understand it and are living it”. She added that “the Rebels could act as a model for all urban areas throughout the United States with similar problems.”
“Rebels with a Cause” subsequently received the needed funding. Kitt was also a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; her criticism of the Vietnam War and its connection to poverty and racial unrest in 1968 can be seen as part of a larger commitment to peace activism.
Her career cooled for the first time following a 1968 invitation from Lyndon Johnson to the White House where she made anti-war statements about the American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Except for a few appearances in theatrical productions overseas, her career was nearly frozen for almost ten years before her job opportunities began to resurface.
Kitt made a successful return to United States audiences in a 1978 Broadway production of Timbuktu! Following that performance, she continued a busy schedule performing in film and theater, singing, doing voiceover work and activism. In her later years she expanded her support for social equality and became an advocate for LGBTQ rights and was a frequent speaker at fundraisers.
In the year leading up to her death, she performed live at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and did animation voiceover work for the films, My Life as a Teenage Robot and The Emperor’s New Groove, and for a guest starring spot on the television show, The Simpsons.
Kitt died of colon cancer at her home in Connecticut on December 25, 2008. She was 82.

Check back next week here at “The Showplace” for more stories of inspiration and achievement both in the entertainment industry and in the ongoing search for equality and social justice.
To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings 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 Astound Broadband 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 ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

As part of ATVN’s celebration of Black History Month, here at the “Showplace” we are putting the spotlight on African American actors who excelled not just on the big and small screens but those who also inspired change with their courage and perseverance.

Few entertainers have influenced the world for as many decades…and in as many ways…as Eartha Kitt.
Born Eartha Mae Keith on January 17th, 1927 in a small town of North, South Carolina, Eartha’s birth and early years are shrouded in a bit of a mystery. She did not know who her father was, and the person she believed to be her mother died at an early age. Her step-father refused her because he believed her skin was too light and she was sent to live with a relative named Mamie Kitt–who may have been her actual biological mother.
Kitt began her entertaining career in 1942 by joining the Katherine Dunham Company. The Chicago based company was the first professional-based organization in America to prominently feature African-American singers, dancers, musicians and entertainers.
While with the group, she recorded a number of songs that registered on national charts, including “Let’s Do It”, “Champagne Taste”, “Just an Old Fashioned Girl”, “Je cherche un homme”, “Love for Sale” and “I’d Rather Be Burned as a Witch.”
In 1945 she earned her first appearance on Broadway in the 1945 original theater production of the musical Carib Song. She left the company in 1948 but her success continued in the early 1950s, hitting charts in both the United States and overseas. She had six US Top 30 hits, including “Uska Dara” and “I Want to Be Evil”. Her other notable recordings include the UK Top 10 hit “Under the Bridges of Paris” and “Just an Old Fashioned Girl.”
Also in 1950, she secured her first starring role when Orson Wells spotted her, reportedly referring to her as the most exciting woman in the world. Wells cast her as Helen of Troy in the picture, Dr. Faustus. Two years later, she was cast in the revue New Faces of 1952, introducing “Monotonous” and “Bal, Petit Bal”, two songs with which she is still identified. In 1954, 20th Century Fox distributed an independently filmed version of the revue entitled New Faces, in which she performed “Monotonous”, “Uska Dara” and “C’est si bon,” as well as the now annual Christmas favorite, the original “Santa Baby.”
Throughout the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, she recorded; worked in film, television, and nightclubs; and returned to the Broadway stage, in Mrs. Patterson (during the 1954–1955 season), in 1957’s Shinbone Alley, and the 1959 production of Jolly’s Progress. In 1964, Kitt helped open the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California. In the late 1960s, Batman featured Kitt as Catwoman after Julie Newmar had left the show in 1967. Also in 1967, Kitt guest-starred on the popular spy-thrilling television show, Mission: Impossible, in an episode called “The Traitor,” portraying a contortionist.
Eartha was also very active in a number of major civil rights movements throughout the 1950s and 1960 and was just beginning to make her voice heard internationally fighting for civil rights and social justice. But in 1968 an event occurred that would attempt to silence her voice–both professionally and personally.
We’ll examine that event and feature many more hurdles Kitt had to overcome as well as many more glorious accomplishments that she would achieve, next week here at “The Showplace”.
In the meantime, be on the lookout for Eartha’s starring performance in Mark of the Hawk this month on ATVN.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings 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 Astound Broadband 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 ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

This week, on what would have been his 105th birthday, we continue our salute to the talented career of Ernest Borgnine.
Borgnine swept the award circuit with his 1955 portrayal of the titular character in the Academy Award winning film, Marty, but his career was far from over.
While not known for making an abundance of pictures, Ernest had very few films that were not successful in xterms of financial and commercial success. Furthermore, he was frequently praised for the depth and diversity of his work–both as an individual and in the genres of movies in which he worked.
Some of his highlights over the following three decades included the 1965 survival drama The Flight Of The Phoenix, the 1969 western classic The Wild Bunch, 1972’s epic disaster blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure, the 1973 action adventure movie The Emperor Of The North, the 1978 road adventure film Convoy and the 1979 Walt Disney sci-fi flick The Black Hole.
His performance in Poseidon was especially touching as he was one of the leaders of a small band of survivors fighting for their lives aboard a doomed, overturned luxury liner…only to (SPOILER ALERT)…lose the love of his life just before the film’s dramatic climax.
But one of his longest and most endearing roles was that of Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale on McHale’s Navy. People may not remember that this popular situation-comedy starring Borgnine that ran from 1962 to 1966 actually started as a serious hour-long program called Seven Against The Sea.
The show was quickly reworked for laughs and added TV veteran Joe Flynn and a relative newcomer to television, Tim Conway, playing McHale’s sidekick/ensign.
Borgnine and Conway formed an instant friendship and the chemistry between the two was evident from the earliest episodes of the program. In more than one interview, Conway would recall what a gregarious individual Ernest was to everyone on the Universal set. Recalls Conway: “It was the beginning of the trams going through Universal. Ernie was probably one of the few people at Universal who would stop the trams and say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ He would talk to everybody on the trams.”

The two remained close friends for over 40 years.
Borgnine would star in the 1980s adventure show, Airwolf. He also gave some of the most memorable guest-starring performances on some of television’s longest running shows including Little House On The Prairie, The Love Boat, Magnum P.I., Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, Touched By An Angel, Highway To Heaven and others.
His appearance on “Little House,” not only earned him an Emmy but the two-part episode he guest-starred in was later featured prominently in a retrospective look back at the show’s most special moments.
He also continued performing live action roles well up into his mid-90s. Among them was his fourth and final appearance on the series finale of ER, a guest role as a husband who’s lost his wife. Borgnine earned another Emmy award for this performance.
On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a sketch with Morgan Freeman on Saturday Night Live. On October 15, 2010, he appeared in Red, which was filmed earlier that year. In late 2011, Borgnine completed what would be his last film, playing Rex Page in The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez.
His voice also became synonymous with a popular character on one of the longest running cartoons of all time, SpongeBob Square Pants. Borgnine voiced the Batman-esque “superhero,” Mermaid Man, from the start of the series in the 1990s until his death in 2012. Mermaid Man’s trusty sidekick on the program? His old pal from his McHale’s Navy days–Tim Conway.
Borgnine died of lung cancer (he was a heavy smoker for many years) on July 29, 2012. He was 95.
Be sure to look for classic television and film performances from Ernest Borgnine on ATVN. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, 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 Astound Broadband 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 ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

As we approach the birth date anniversary of one of television and films great actors, we salute the talented career of Ernest Borgnine.

Born Ermes Effron Borgnino, Ernest on January 24th, 1917 in Harriden, Connecticut to the son of immigrant parents. When he was two years old, his parents divorced and Ernest went to live with his mother in Italy.
Four years later his parents reconciled and he grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. According to the book Real To Reel: 25 Years Of Celebrity Interviews, Borgnine (it was his father that changed the family name when the couple reunited) showed only interest in sports and had no thought whatsoever about working in the entertainment industry. Upon graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy. While he was honorably discharged in 1941, he quickly reenlisted when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

He was honorably discharged again after the conclusion of World War II and received a hero’s welcome when he returned home to his parents house in Connecticut. But after a few weeks his mother was strongly suggesting he move on with his life. He applied for a job as a factory worker but his heart wasn’t into his work and his mother suggested he try something more “glamorous.”

According to an interview with the British Film Institute conducted on October 7th, 2007, Borgnine outlines the path that led him to a successful career in acting and his mother’s role in making that happen: “She said, ‘You always like getting in front of people and making a fool of yourself, why don’t you give it a try?’ I was sitting at the kitchen table and I saw this light. No kidding. It sounds crazy. And 10 years later, I had Grace Kelly handing me an Academy Award.”

Just some of his early career highlights between his kitchen table and Grace Kelly, include the following….
He went to actors in Connecticut and then in Virginia, early small roles in State of the Union and The Glass Menagerie before playing the role of the Nurse in the Broadway runaway hit, Harvey. After one TV appearance in Captain Video and a handful of small films, Borgnine landed a major role in the film classic, From Here To Eternity.

In 1955, the actor starred as a warmhearted butcher in Marty, the film version of the television play of the same title. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor over fellow nominees Frank Sinatra, James Dean (who had died by the time of the ceremony), and former Best Actor winners Spencer Tracy and James Cagney.
For the same role, he also captured the following awards: BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a drama motion picture, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor.

But his stellar career and success on the stage, in television and in films was just getting started. We’ll continue our look at Borgnine’s career, next week here at The Showplace. In the meantime, you can see Ernest Borgnine in films like Laser Mission and other classic performances on ATVN.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, 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 Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The world recently lost one of the greatest entertainers in our history. ATVN’s own Artie Freeman was not only one of Betty White’s biggest fans but knew more about this legendary entertainer than any other person I know. Artie wanted to share his insights and opinions on this eight-decade star, in memoriam to her, with this week’s edition of The Showplace blog!

January 17th is a special day, as one hundred years ago the “First Lady of Television”, Betty White was born. Sadly, she passed away just seventeen days before her 100th birthday. Betty White was a fascinating pioneer whose career has spanned over ninety years; she remained relevant for as long as anyone can remember. Betty worked in the television industry longer than anyone else in history, earning her a Guinness World Record in 2018. In 1930, when she was only eight years old, she appeared on a radio show entitled Empire Builders. In 1949, she co-hosted variety show Hollywood on Television, first with Al Jarvis and then Eddie Albert. In 1951, she was nominated for her first Emmy Award as “Best Actress” on television. Neither man stayed onboard for the show’s duration. In 1952 she began hosting the show alone, making her the first female television talk show host.
That same year White co-founded Bandy Productions with George Tibbles and Don Fedderson. They created new shows using existing characters from sketches shown on Hollywood on Television. They also created the television sitcom, Life with Elizabeth, starring Betty, for which she won her first Emmy Award in 1952. Life with Elizabeth is an important show in television history because it’s the first sitcom to be produced by a woman.
In 1954, Betty hosted and produced her own daily talk/variety show, The Betty White Show. As was the case with her sitcom, she had creative control which allowed her to hire a female director. The show faced criticism from southern stations for the inclusion of Arthur Duncan, a black tap dancer, who was hired as a regular cast member. The stations threatened to boycott unless Duncan was removed from the series. Betty’s response was, “He stays; live with it”. Not only did she keep Duncan, she gave him more airtime. NBC repeatedly changed the show’s time slot which led to the show being cancelled after one season.
Following the end of Life with Elizabeth, she starred as Vicki Angel on the sitcom Date with the Angels from 1957 to 1958. Betty met Lucille Ball while working on this show, which was filmed on the same studio lot where “I Love Lucy” was filmed. The two became friends based on their successful commonalities in a male-dominated industry.
From the mid 1950s to early 1980s Betty was a constant presence on network game shows and talk shows. These shows included: The Tonight Show, all four versions of Password, What’s My Line?, I’ve Got a Secret, Match Game, To Tell the Truth, and Pyramid. She married Password’s host, Allen Ludden, in 1963. Betty made so many game show appearances she was the nicknamed “First Lady of Game Shows“. Let’s flash forward for a moment to 1983, Betty became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show, Just Men! With her extensive game show experience, it seemed natural for her to become a host.
In 1973, Betty joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and won her second and third Emmy Awards back-to-back. The year 2021 was a melancholy year for this show. We lost Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod, Ed Asner, and Betty White, who was the last surviving cast member, even though she was the oldest.
From 1983 to 1984, Betty had a recurring role on the series Mama’s Family, with future Golden Girls co-star Rue McClanahan. In 1985, Betty starred as Rose Nylund, the funniest “dumb blonde” of all time in The Golden Girls. She won another Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in the first season of the show and was nominated in that category every year of the show’s run. Betty White was the oldest, and last surviving, cast member.
After Playing Rose Nylund, Betty spent the next ten years making guest appearances on television shows. In 2010, White starred as Elka Ostrovsky in the comedy, Hot in Cleveland, she was originally only meant to be in the pilot but was asked to stay on for the entire series. She also launched her own clothing line in 2010, that featured shirts with her face on them. All of the proceeds went to various animal charities she supported.
Betty was the only woman to receive an Emmy Award in all performing comedic categories and she holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances. She received her first nomination in 1951 and her last was in 2014. In 2015, she received the Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy which if fitting, because her entire life was filled with incredible achievements.
In the near future, we will have a Betty White Night hosted by me, celebrating her life and airing a few episodes from two of her sitcoms, Life with Elizabeth and Date with the Angels.

You can see Betty White in featured and guest starring roles on ATVN, including her first ever show, Life With Elizabeth. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.
Be on the lookout for more contributions and insights from Artie Freeman in future blog posts. Artie provides great introductions to many of the classic movies airing weekly on ATVN and also hosts our “Take 5” interviews featuring unique people in our viewing area.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband 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.

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I hope all our readers had a wonderful holiday season and everyone has been enjoying reading background insights and little known information about our classic programs while watching them on RCN TV.

Now it’s time to test your knowledge by taking our Classic Video Showplace “winter 2022” edition of our quiz.

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

Have fun!

1. Which classic character actor from Wizard of Oz, also scored a hit in the 1946 film People Are Funny?

2. Who is credited with the first successful comedy television show in the medium’s history?

3. Which early television dramatic program frequently featured storylines taken directly from classic literary giants like Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe and others?

4. Name the actor who portrayed Dracula who also starred in classic films like Ghosts on the Loose, The Veiled Woman and White Zombie.

5. Which Gale Storm-led TV show excelled in the ratings on TWO networks during the program’s initial run?

6. Name the actor who starred in original versions of Moulin Rouge and Cyrano de Burgerac.

7. Which Bonanza star also had a hit movie and a Top 10 single on the charts during the classic television’s shows run?

8. What was the original name of The Mickey Rooney Show?

9. Which star of classic Charlie Chaplin films like Modern Times and The Great Dictator was also lauded by critics for her performance in the film, Second Chorus?

10. Name one of the earliest successful television shows on ABC that gained a wide audience because of its realistic science fiction elements, unique marketing approach, extensive (for its time) production elements and was one of the first dramas to break television’s “fourth wall.”

Answers:

1. Jack Haley / “The Tin Man”
2. Milton Berle
3. Suspense
4. Bela Lugosi
5. My Little Margie
6. Jose Ferrar
7. Michael Landon
8. Hey Mulligan
9. Paulette Goddard
10. Space Patrol

You can see many of the above mentioned classic films and television shows during this winter’s programming lineup on RCN-TV. To see the full listing of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings 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.

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.

It’s hard to get through the Christmas holiday season without seeing the annual classic White Christmas or humming a few bars from one of the unforgettable Irving Berlin penned songs from that film.

A large part of that movie’s success came from the outstanding song and dance talents of Danny Kaye, whose career spanned 54 years working in film, television, radio, theater, voice acting work and as a humanitarian.

David Daniel Kaminsky was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 18, 1911 (though he would later claim to be born in 1913).

According to Jack Benny’s autobiography “Sunday Nights at 7,” Benny saw Kaye performing stand-up in a small club in New York City and instantly found a kinship with him, citing the need to “help out a fellow Jew” in the entertainment business.

Benny ended up being a mentor for Kaye, helping him further his career in movies, paving the way for Danny to star in 17 films overall. Among his best include The Kid From Brooklyn, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General and Hans Christian Anderson.

Kaye’s movie success lent him to have his own successful radio program for two years in the mid-1940s, which did affect the performer’s ego.

Famed Hollywood biographer Arthur Marx (son of “Groucho”), retells a story in which Kaye gave his writers a tongue-lashing after a first-read of their script for his show, complaining that they gave all the best laughs to his guest stars and had too few funny lines for him.

Marx reports that Kaye ended his rant by sarcasting asking his writers if they thought he should become the highest paid straight man in the entertainment industry. After an extended, awkward silence fell over the room, one of his writers spoke up and quipped, “no, you’ll never be Jack Benny.”

One of Kaye’s biggest objectives in the early 1950s was to co-star with legendary actor/crooner Bing Crosby.

Kaye finally got his chance with White Christmas when Fred Astaire bowed out of the production. Astaire, who had previously retired but was considering a comeback before the film went into full production, said he couldn’t recreate his role as Crosby’s partner from Holiday Inn. He also said the scheduled dance routines were now too far beyond his abilities and would be able to star in the film. Then Donald O’Connor was cast but also had to drop out to do illness, opening up the door for Kaye to step in.

Although both the film and Kaye’s performances as both a singer and dancer were lauded, co-star Rosemary Clooney indicated that Kaye was overall saddened by one aspect of the holiday classic. On the film’s DVD in-movie commentaries, Clooney states that Kaye was extremely disappointed that he couldn’t strike up a long-standing friendship with Crosby and the two never worked together again.

Despite that personal setback, Kaye would continue to have great success in television, winning Emmy and Peabody awards for his own TV show in the mid-1960s and had a number of stellar performances on the silver screen until 1969.

He continued making guest appearances on television specials throughout the 1970s in addition to having success as a pilot, a chef and in several business ventures. He also endeared himself to a new generation by providing the voices for three different characters in the holiday cartoon, Peter Cottontail.

Kaye gave numerous performances for soldiers overseas during war time in the 1940s and 1950s and was very giving of his time through charitable efforts over the last three decades of his life. He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954 and years later received the French Legion of Honour for his years of work with the organization.

Kaye still showed great comedic timing in his final acting performance when he made a guest appearance on the nation’s number-one television show at that time, The Cosby Show, in 1986.

Kaye died less than a year later after complications from hepatitis C. He was 76.

Before you watch White Christmas this holiday season, be on the lookout for Kaye’s starring role in the 1949 film, The Inspector General, along with his guest starring roles on classic television shows on RCN-TV. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN-TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

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.

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.

“That’s it! Out you two pixies go… through the door, or out the window!”

“Get me. I’m givin’ out wings!”
–Nick the Bartender

Those are just two of the memorable lines from the great holiday traditional film you will no doubt see on your television listings this time of year, It’s A Wonderful Life.

While the owner of those lines, “Nick,” played a small part in that movie, the actor who played him, Sheldon Leonard, played a major role in shaping classic television comedies while also acting in and producing other great shows and movies from Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Born Sheldon Leonard Bershad on February 22nd, 1907 in Manhattan, New York, he quickly learned to utilize his heavy New York accent to play “gangster-type” bad guys or hard-nosed police detectives in various films throughout the 1940s. Successful movies featuring Leonard this decade included Guys and Dolls, The Gangster, Open Secret, Somewhere In The Night and Take One False Step.

Leonard parodied his own characterization on both radio and television versions of The Jack Benny Program, playing “the Tout.” He would open his appearances by asking Benny to “come here” to get him away from the rest of his cast and proceed to give him inside information–first on horse betting–with seemingly contradicting insights that always drew laughs. His later sketches had him “informing” the comedian of tips increasing outlandish inside information, like telling him what types of eggs he should order for breakfast.

His success with this character set the stage for Leonard to star as a “nice guy” in the popular radio show, The Damon Runyan Theatre. He also played against type in the 1950 movie adaption of The Iroquois Trail.

But Leonard would carve out a brand new career by creating some of the most successful television shows in the 1950 and 1960s.

As producer of The Danny Thomas Show / Make Room For Daddy, he created the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor and cast Andy Griffin in that role, in which Thomas is arrested for speeding while driving through the small town of Mayberry.

The episode was so successful that it spawned one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time with Griffith in the lead in The Andy Griffith Show The show also sparked the often-used idea of using a successful TV show to create a “backdoor pilot” for another –a technique used again by Leonard three years leader by sending Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle character off to join the Marines, which later became Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Among the other successful Leonard-produced (or “executive produced”) shows include The Dick Van Dyke Show, Lassie and the action-adventure series I, Spy.

Leonard, along with star Robert Culp, had difficulty in convincing network executives in having a mixed-raced co-star pairing, with both Leonard and Culp insisting on Bill Cosby for the show. The role of the tennis player was actually originally written for an older, caucasian character, but Leonard caught Cosby’s stand-up act. He then insisted on rewriting the role and wanted Cosby to play the part, despite extreme dissenting opinions by executives. (Cosby later paid tribute to his former boss at his passing by dedicating an episode of his “Cosby” TV show to his memory.)

Leonard’s name actually preceded the show’s main title for that series. He also played a gangster-villain role in two I, Spy episodes and poked fun at his own acting persona in a third episode in which he portrayed himself. In addition, he directed one episode and served as occasional second-unit director throughout the series.

Although he never reached the same level of success with any future acting or producing programs again after 1970, Leonard’s legacy was frequently tributed by more contemporary show creators who admired his work. One of the most recent examples was The Big Bang Theory, whose creators named their two lead characters, “Sheldon” and “Leonard.”

You can see Sheldon Leonard’s recurring appearances on The Jack Benny Program seen on RCN TV as well as his various guest starring roles and behind the scenes efforts on other classic programs and films.

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.

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.

Last week here at the Showplace we took a look at the early career of Milton Berle. Today we look at the “second act” of this legendary entertainer’s career.

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Despite success on the silver screen, nightclubs, live performances and popular guest stints on radio, Milton Berle languished for nearly 20 years in mediocrity with inconsistent gigs as a regular radio show host (none of his own shows lasted more than 14 months). While struggling on an audio-only medium, Berle believed that the invention of television would be the perfect place for his “physical comedy heavy” brand of humor.
He was right!
Milton became the first megastar of the medium (predating Lucille Ball’s I Love Lucy by three years) and was one of the most successful TV programs–comedy or otherwise–from 1948 to 1952.
Berle and his show each won two Emmy Awards after the first season (he added two more Emmys in 1950) and NBC signed him to a whopping 30-year, one million dollars per year contract! Television set sales more than doubled after Texaco Star Theatre’s debut, reaching two million in 1949. Berle’s stature as the medium’s first superstar earned him the nickname “Mr. Television.”
He also earned another nickname, “Uncle Miltie,” after ending a 1949 broadcast with a brief ad-libbed remark to children watching the show: “Listen to your Uncle Miltie and go to bed.”
Despite his popularity, NBC made a tragic and extremely costly mistake early during the show’s run. Berle asked the network to film the live show (which would have allowed many of his episodes to be saved in a high video quality and therefore available for full syndication), but NBC declined. This resulted in most of his show’s episodes being lost or saved only on poorer-quality kinescopes.
By 1953 his ratings started to decline and his sponsor, “Texaco” pulled out. Buick quickly became the program’s sponsor before they too dropped out. The show’s ratings continued to slide for two years, leading to the its cancellation.
According to the Encyclopedia of Television, “Berle’s persona had shifted from the impetuous and aggressive style of the Texaco Star Theater days to a more cultivated, but less distinctive personality, leaving many fans somehow unsatisfied.”
Berle followed that program with four failed attempts at his own television shows with none lasting more than a year, much to the dismay of NBC, who was obligated to keep paying him until 1980. In 1966, he opted out of the contract to try his own variety show again on ABC, but that too didn’t last a year. The most sustained success he had as a regular TV host for the rest of his career was as the emcee of bowling shows in which he would throw in jokes in between interviews with the sports’ competitors.
However, he still remained extremely popular in movies, television guest spots and performing in person in Las Vegas, Hollywood and around the world for the next five decades.
He starred in five made-for-television movies and 14 television specials and was featured in additional 14 movies between 1960 and 1995.
Berle was named to the Guinness Book of World Records for the greatest number of charity performances made by a show-business performer. Unlike the high-profile shows done by Bob Hope to entertain the troops, Berle did more shows, over a period of 50 years, on a lower-profile basis. Berle received an award for entertaining at stateside military bases in World War I as a child performer, in addition to traveling to foreign bases during World War II and the Vietnam War. The first charity telethon (for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation) was hosted by Berle. A permanent fixture at charity benefits in the Hollywood area, he was instrumental in raising millions for charitable causes.
In April 2001, Berle was diagnosed with colon cancer but was advised by his doctors not to undergo surgery as they estimated the growth was not serious nor would negatively affect his health for another 10-12 years.
Eleven months later, Berle died from that same cancer. He was 93.

Be on the lookout for “Uncle MIltie’s” unusual brand of comedy on the surviving episodes of his own television show that airs Sunday afternoons at 2pm. You can also spot his many guest appearances on other programs you can see 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.

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.

In an earlier “Showplace” blog entry, we focused on the success of the Milton Berle Television Show.
Today we focus on the man, the myth and the legend.
Milton Berle‘s career is one of the longest and most varied in show business, spanning silent film, vaudeville, radio, motion pictures, and television.
Mendel Berlinger was born on July 12, 1908 in Harlem, New York.
Berle entered show business in 1913 at the age of five when he won a children’s Charlie Chaplin contest. He also worked as a child model and was the first “Buster Brown” for “Buster Brown” shoes and as a child actor in many silent films. According to his own autobiography, his first pictures were in The Perils of Pauline, The Mask of Zorro (starring Douglas Fairbacks, Sr.) and Tillie’s Punctured Romance (starring Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand), although there is no formal record of him actually being a part of those pictures.
At the age of 16 he changed his name to Milton Berle (when he became famous, his mother, who was frequently in the audience and would help “inspire” the audience with her laughter, also changed her last name to “Berle.”)
Through the 1920s, Berle moved up through the vaudeville circuit, finding his niche in the role of a brash comic known for stealing the material of fellow comedians. He also became a popular master of ceremonies in vaudeville, achieving top billing in the largest cities and theaters. During the 1930s, Berle appeared in a variety of Hollywood films and stage musicals, wrote and performed comedic records and further polished his comedy routines in night clubs.
In radio, he never had the success that he would later achieve in television. His longest running gig was as a regular joke teller on The Rudy Vallee Show from 1934 to 1936. He attempted a number of different programs with himself in the lead–all with different formats and utilizing various different types of comedy, but none was renewed after its initial seasons.
In 1940, in an attempt to gain more popularity on radio, he cancelled all his personal appearances and scheduled entertainment shows in order to spend more time working on his radio program. While his last attempt as his own radio show did prove to be extremely successful in building the skills necessary to sustain a physical audience, The Milton Berle Show on radio never caught on with audiences and was cancelled after just a little over a year on the air.
The lack of radio success and the decline of movie offers left Berle questioning if his career and popularity as an entertainer was burning out in 1947.
But in reality, it was just getting started.
Join us next week to find out what historic event took place in 1948 and took Berle to heights he had never seen before courtesy of a brand new medium…one that would be linked to Berle for the rest of his life.
In the meantime, check out The Milton Berle Show every Sunday afternoon this fall at 2pm 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.