The "Wait, I Know This!" Trivia Contest: WIN PRIZES!

We had a blast Sunday night for our first Trivia Game Show!! Maila and I would like to thank everyone who joined the room. Including the President and CEO of http://www.talkshoe.com/ Dave Nelson who stopped by.

I've gotta say that the response for our show was awesome and the trivia competition got heated. Our two winners who went to the final round were Greg Perkins and a guy who is always in our show every Sunday night....he logs in under the user name "Teacher Monkey".

If you think you are a trivia master listen to these guys! They were knocking it out of the park! We almost had to go to our tiebreaker question.

Listen to the episode and see how many questions you get right! We will do this occasionally so keep checking this website for updates.

Be sure to join us as I play the role of Bob Barker and host my own game show (a lifelong dream of mine) ...but my suits will look better than Gene Rayburn's on Match Game in the 70's!


See ya then.
Eric
www.waitiknowthis.com

Paul Peterson (The Donna Reed Show/Mickey Mouse Club)

Paul Peterson. A phenomenal interview.

What can I say about Paul Peterson. He was one of the most engaging, forthright and entertaining interviews we have done. This one is a must listen!
From meeting Walt Disney and being one of the first few Mouskateers to becoming the star of a number one ranked television show and having a top 10 hit on the Billboard charts, Paul Peterson has done and seen it all.
In addition, he has written several books that tell the story of child actors in the early days and the abuse they endured. He created an organization called "A Minor Consideration" that brings their plight to light.
Paul played Jeff Stone, son of Dr. Alex and Donna Stone on The Donna Reed Show in the late 50's and early 60's. The Reed Show was only on for 8 seasons but was a ratings hit for the then young ABC television network.
Although very similar to other sitcoms of the day, The Donna Reed Show was also different. Consider the fact that Donna WORKED! Gasp...what is this world coming to.
She was a nurse on the show. But with a cast like Carl Betz, Paul Peterson and Shelley Farbares it was destined for success.
Listen to our interview with Paul and hear how he launched a singing career and ended up with a hit record. "My Dad" went to #6 for Paul while Shelley's hit "Johnny Angel" made for two teen idols on the same show!!
Paul touches on all this and more in our 30 minute interview. He is fascinating and talented and the backstage trivia he gives us is well worth the "Wait, I Know This" seal of approval. Take a listen and let us know your thoughts. We will most definitely have Paul back later to talk more about his work with child actor rights.
Click here to Paul's Website Click Here to buy the Donna Reed Show's 50th anniversary DVD box set.

Bosom Buddies

Bosom Buddies was one of my favorites back in the day and I was ticked after they decided to cancel it.

Wikipedia says "It starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC and in reruns in the summer of 1984 on NBC.The series was originally conceived by Miller and Boyett as both a takeoff on the movie Some Like It Hot and a male counterpart to their hit farce show Laverne & Shirley. After the cast had been chosen, Miller and Boyett asked Chris Thompson, one of the writer-producers of Laverne and Shirley, to write the pilot and be the series showrunner. Thompson (who would go on to executive-produce such shows as The Larry Sanders Show), said later that he took the job purely for the money, but unexpectedly found it to be "my completely favorite experience in show business," because the network left him and his young cast free to experiment. "We were left alone," he recalled. "Nobody was paying attention to us. We were all really young, but it was like we had daddy's Porsche. We had $500,000 to play with every week." [1] The show became known for its quirky humor and its frequent use of improvisation, especially between stars Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. Though the show started out with good ratings, it failed to hold the public's interest and was canceled after two seasons".

Bosom Buddies aired for two seasons from 1980 to 1982. The premise was pretty unique in those days.

Henry and Kip are two advertising designers who had a real problem with finding a place to live. At the beginning, the sole place they could afford was condemned, but they only found out when the wrecking ball was smashing up the place while they were sleeping. A female friend suggested they stay at her building, but the snag is that the place is for women only. In desperation, they assume the identities of the women Hildegard and Buffy in order to rent a room. Now as they pursue their dream of success in the ad business, they also struggle to keep their deception at the apartment building so they won't be evicted, but the beautiful neighbours they have are a constant temptation.

I for one LOVED the show and had NO idea at the time that Tom Hanks would go on to be one of the power players in Hollywood. Here are some cool trivia facts from IMDB and Wikipedia.

· Main characters named after two bars in Berkeley, CA: "Kips's" and "Henry's."
· Theme song to the show was "My Life" by Billy Joel and is sung by the cast of the show. Tom Hanks is the foreground singer.
· The advertising agency where Kip and Henry worked in during the first season was Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin.
· The pilot episode was shot on film, the rest of the series was shot on videotape.
Bosom Buddies was taped on Stage 25 at Paramount Pictures. Stage 25 was also the home of The Lucy Show, Cheers, and Frasier.
Bosom Buddies reruns also aired briefly on NBC in the summer of 1984. Ratings were respectable and talks to bring the show back were mentioned; but by that time, Peter Scolari was on Newhart and Tom Hanks was just starting his film career.

You can still get the show on DVD and in my opinion....its worth the money.

http://www.waitiknowthis.com/

Nanooooo, Nanooooooo!

September 14th 1978. Earth is visited by a strange alien with powers that rival those of the Fonz and the quickest wit in the galaxy. Robin Williams and Pam Dawber soared in the ratings as the unusual couple of Mork from Ork and his best friend Mindy McConnell. Of course, we all wondered if there would ever be sparks between the two. Was Mork falling for the beautiful girl next door? I know the rest of us were!! LOL.

It was truly one of my favorite shows. I thought Robin Williams was a comic genius. I have read over the years that he was into cocaine during that show but who knows...all I know is that he was at the top of his comedy game in my opinion.

Interesting that Pam Dawber never auditioned with Robin in person. She actually sent a videotape that showed her reacting to a few edited scenes of Robin as Mork on Happy Days. The producers thought she would make the perfect straight-gal role next to the wacky comedy of Robin Williams.

During Robin's Interview it has been said that when he was asked to sit down he sat on his head in the seat and producer Gary Marshal said, "What can I do, he was the only alien to audition."

At one point, co-stars Conrad Janis and Elizabeth Kerr temporarily left the show but it was explained from a storyline standpoint that the two left to join the orchestra.

I always loved Tom Poston as the downtrodden neighbor who wrote greeting cards...he was fabulous. Who could forget Johnathan Winters as Mearth! What a great show!

Do you remember this trivia bit? What were folks from Ork direct decedents of? Chickens!!!

The show lasted only four seasons but introduced America to one of its most creative and talented actors in Robin Williams. How sad we all were when in 1982 we discovered that the bumbling alien Mork would leave us and blast off into the galaxy of stars on the big screen.

So, the next time you're in Boulder Colorado go to Pine Street and gawk at the home used for exterior shots of Mork and Mindy's house...it is the most visited site in the entire city, I read.

Until then...NONOOO NANOOOOO!

http://www.waitiknowthis.com/

A timeless classic. Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou)

We've got Thelma Lou!!! I screamed this the other day when we booked the beautiful and talented Betty Lynn of Andy Griffith fame for our TV trivia show "Wait, I Know This!" (http://www.waitiknowthis.com/) Betty is best remembered for her role as the sweet, small town beauty who had the patience of a saint to love the bumbling Barney Fife. Thelma Lou was breaking hearts of guys all over the country and who could blame them, what a cutie! I have to admit... your wanna be host here had a major crush of Thelma Lou. :)

The Andy Griffith Show debuted in October of 1960 and suddenly the town of Mayberry became a household word. Now, get ready for this next tidbit of info...sit down. Thanks. I am from Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, NC. Many of the characters and places are REAL....actually from Andy's past. For example, Mount Pilot the small area near Mayberry on the show is actually Pilot Mountain...a REAL town about 15 minutes from Mount Airy. Also, Emmett's Fix It Shop is named after my good friend and Andy's childhood best friend Emmett Forrest. I am proud to say that Andy is from the Mount Airy High School class of 1944 and I am from the class of 84! OOPS...sorry I got carried away. Back to Betty Lynn. When we interview her this weekend I will be in heaven. If you grow up in Mount Airy it's almost unwritten law that you know every episode of the show...in fact, in our area of North Carolina the CBS affiliate (WFMY) where my REAL job is, has aired the show continuously SINCE it was on in the 60's.

Betty Lynn loved the town so much that a few years ago she actually MOVED to Mayberry. We will talk about that this weekend for sure. Her career has spanned decades and every project reflects her professionalism. I think you'll be surprised at some of the backstage stories we get from Betty. Be sure to join us and see why the "beauty behind the Barney" has wow-ed folks from stage to the small screen. See ya then.

Eric

DON GRADY: MY THREE SONS' Robbie Douglas

Let me tell you how excited Deidre and I were to have the one and only Robbie Douglas from My Three Sons himself on Wait, I Know This! He was a fabulous guest and let me just say this...the secret backstage trivia that we live for on this show was delivered in full by Don Grady. I am not going to spoil it for you here. You have to click on the player to hear this episode. You won't believe it. If that's not enough for you then let me continue with the facts about one of americas most beloved TV family's ..The Douglas Family.

I was a big fan of My Three Sons back in the day. I actually wanted to name my first dog Tramp...but that's another story for another day! The show starred Fred Mac Murray and Don Grady, to name a few but on our last show it was Don Grady's turn to let us in on a little backstage trivia that we live for.

We'll get to that in due time...first of all lets travel back to September 29th 1960, the release date for the long running hit.

Little did america know that it would be watching a show that would be known for some unusual trivia facts.

The show was originally to be called The Fred MacMurray Show but MacMurray didn't like it. (By the way, Eddie Albert of Green Acres fame was considered for the lead role as well). This show seemed to have legs of steel for it went through some things that would've killed most shows dead in their tracks. For example, the original grouchy but loveable character of Bub played by William Frawley (Yes, Fred of I Love Lucy fame) was eventually replaced by Uncle Charley (William Demerest) because of Frawley's declining health. A major character change usually doesn't help a show at all. Now, throw in the original son "Mike" played by Tim Considine who also left the show quickly and you have several cast changes that would doom most sit-coms. (Considine left after 5 seasons because he wanted to direct more episodes. Writers said Mike married his girlfriend and left town. LOL)

How bout this one.... After 5 seasons the show switched networks and ran for 7 more!!!! It was a heck of a survivor that's for sure. It ran for 369 episodes or 12 years and was second to only Ozzie and Harriett at the time for the longest running live action comedy in US history.

IMDB has done a heack of a job with some great little known trivia. Check this page out for more. CLICK HERE.

Don is a fabulous musician. He was once in a rock group that soared up the charts in the mid 60's but he went under a fake name and disguise so people wouldn't know it was really "Robbie Douglas" in that band. He proved his talents for sure! Please check out his website to hear what he's up to now. it's an easy one... http://www.dongrady.com/

What do we do, Baby...without THE KEATONS

On September 22, 1982 one america's favorite families was born. Thanks to the mind of Gary David Goldberg The Keaton's showed us how a former hippie couple dealt with the new "money generation" of the 1980's. With their son Alex P. Keaton leading the charge into capitolism and their dim-witted but down-to-earth daughter Mallory Steven and Elise Keaton had their hands full.

It was absolutely one of my all time favorite shows. I did a little digging to find out some interesting trivia about the show. Did you know that the series was originally set in Cleveland but after a few seasons they were magically located in Columbus, OH with no explanation given.

And what would have happened if the producers had gone with their first choice for Alex Keaton, Matthew Broderick. Producer Gary David Goldberg thought Michael J. Fox's audition was horrible. He thought Fox came across too smart alleck but casting director Judith Wiener begged him to see Fox a second time and this time he took a different approach and won him over.

By the way, the P in Alex's name was an ad-lib by Michael J. Fox and the producers loved it and decided to keep it.

IMDB did a great job in looking up obscure trivia (which of course I live for) and here's some of what they had.

· Stars Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter share the same birthday: 21 June 1947. Gross was born in Chicago and Baxter was born in L.A.

· The producers originally wanted Matthew Broderick to play Alex P. Keaton, but the actor had to decline the role when his father became terminally ill.

· Alex's hero is Richard Nixon. Skippy (the perpetual Alex wanna-be) admired 'Gerald Ford'.

· Ed O'Neill was considered for the role of Steven Keaton.

· The black Labrador that appeared after the closing credits with the voice over 'Sit Ubu, sit' was producer Gary David Goldberg's dog, Ubu.

· The show was modeled after producer Gary David Goldberg and wife Diane's real-life experiences as former 'hippies' transforming into suburban family life

· According to Michael J. Fox's last "Spin City" (1996) episode, Alex P. Keaton became a Junior Congressman from Ohio.

· One year before playing Michael J. Fox's father in Back to the Future (1985), Crispin Glover played Alex P. Keaton's friend in the episode Birthday Boy.

· When Meredith Baxter became pregnant during the hiatus between the second and third seasons, her pregnancy was written into the show. However, she still was written out of several episodes after giving birth to twins in real life.

· Elyse's maiden name was Donelly.

· Tom Hanks played Elise Keaton's brother Ned.

· Alex was born in Africa when Elyse and Steven were serving in the Peace Corps.

· Skippy was adopted as a baby by his parents.

· Jennifer was born on Election Day 1972.

· The name of the public television station that Stephen Worked for was WKS.

· Alex attended Leland University.

· Alex, Mallory and Skippy attended Harding High School, Jennifer went to Rudolph elementary school.

· The character 'Steven Keaton' was ranked #12 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).

· Throughout the series' run, exterior establishment shots of the Keaton home were never used in any of the episodes, which is very unusual for a family sitcom. The vast majority of all scenes were played out in the kitchen.

· US President Ronald Reagan declared "Family Ties" (1982) his favorite TV show during the 1980s.

· In March 2008, creator Gary David Goldberg wrote an essay for The New York Times speculating about what Alex Keaton's political beliefs would be now. Goldberg said that Keaton, as a "true Conservative Republican," would probably no longer feel comfortable in the Republican Party of the late 2000s, "a party whose legacy will include Terri Schiavo and Hurricane Katrina, [and]...waging war against science." Goldberg said that Keaton would have supported McCain in 2000 but no obvious candidate in the 2008 race. He also said that he and Michael J. Fox have different ideas about Keaton's current career; Goldberg thinks Keaton is a pro bono lawyer for the Children's Defense Fund, while Fox believes Keaton is finishing a prison sentence.

And finally one piece of trivia that shocked me. The cast wanted to end the show with the entire family being killed in a plane crash because they didn't want to EVER do a reunion show...thank goodness it didnt end that way. I would've been crushed. Anyway here's a great You Tube video of the last show. It still brings tears to my eyes.

Wait, I DIDN'T Know This...about All In The Family

On January 12th 1971 television audiences were introduced to the man we called the "lovable bigot"...if there is such a thing. Carroll O'Conner came into our avocado, orange and creme living rooms as Archie Bunker with his dizzy wife Edith, semi-dizzy daughter Gloria and her hippie liberal protesting boyfriend Mike Stivic.

But did you know that legendary producer Norman Lear, known for his edgy writing and brash delivery of controversial topics almost made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He almost cast Mickey Rooney as Archie Bunker. Rooney went on record saying that the show might not be accepted for the racy topics of rape, homosexuality, racial issues...etc. Obviously he was wrong and although Carroll O'Conner agreed, he thought the role was fascinating and accepted the role. Thank goodness.

O'Conner reportedly argued the most with Normal Lear. In fact during a stalemate over his contract negotiation O'Conner went on a strike. The writers had to write three episodes where Archie disappeared on his way to a convention. He finally showed up in time to appear in the last few minutes of the third episode. Rumor had it that if he hadn't comeback the writers were ready to kill off the character of Archie Bunker....again thank goodness.

Some other interesting facts: Penny Marshall was considered for the role of Gloira Stivic. Ironic that she married Rob Reiner later.

Speaking of Rob Reiner...Richard Dryfuss was reported to be extremely interested in that role at the time but Lear chose Reiner.

You may remember Betty GArrett who played neighbor Irene Lorenzo. She was on the show from 1973-1975 but resurfaced later in Laverne and Shirley.

All In The Family was the first show to use the sound of a flushing toilet on air.

The Bunkers last name was originally The Justices in the pilot but later changed.

OK...there's more than you ever wanted to know about the show that broke more ground than any other before its time....and if you don't believe that remember, it was ranked #4 on TV Guide's 50 Best Television Shows of all time and was number one yearly from 1971 to 1976. No other sitcom except the Cosby Show has achieved that level of success.

It was and is a classic.

Stay tuned to http://www.waitiknowthis.com/ as we effort a chat with ANY of these stars. It is truly one of our favorite all time shows.

Happy Days: A Look Back

I remember those weeknights back in the mid 70's when I couldn't wait to see my hero, The Fonz, walk into Arnold's and utter the sound that sent uproarious laughter up from homes all over the country. Looking back, I'm not sure why every sitcom character in the 70's and 80's had to have a catch phrase but they did. And no one did it better than Henry Winkler when he professed his approval with a resounding "Ayyyyyyyyyyyy".
By the way, you better be tough acting if your name is Henry Winkler. LOL.
Anyway, shows like Happy Days, All In The Family and Dallas were so popular that they were the birthplace of MANY a spin-off. All In The Family spun off Maude and The Jeffersons as well as the sequel Archie Bunker's Place. Happy Days spun off Mork and Mindy and Laverne and Shirley...not to mention Joanie Loves Cha Chi.
But it was also a birthing room for the future's stars and nothing cracks me up more than to see today's superstars in bit parts from the past.
Check out this You Tube video that I love where we see a young Tom Hanks give his best to de-throne The Fonz as the coolest guy around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46oAEdudoDk
OR maybe you'd like to see a youthful David Letterman being even more aloof than his usual self in this rare glimpse of Letterman in his acting days with a small role on Mork And Mindy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFavsfq3wjo

I am forever trying to catch these moments when I watch old shows. I'm the guy who refuses to leave the movie theatre until ALL the credits are over in case I see someone in a bit part that I find int resting.

So I hope you enjoy these videos...thank God someone has the time and resources to put these nuggets on You Tube. If you find more of these please forward them to me by commenting here or sending me a message at echilton@waitiknowthis.com.

Happy surfing!!

The Andy Griffith Show

Well, its time to talk about one of my favorite shows of all time...The Andy Griffith Show. There is good reason for my love of this show...you see my hometown is Mount Airy, NC the actual hometown of Andy himself. In fact, I graduated from Mount Airy Senior High in 1984 and Andy graduated in 1944! The stories that fly through Mount Airy about Andy have survived decades and nowhere else is he more loved and appreciated. The show which sprung from a skit about a small-town sherrif without a gun on The Danny Thomas Show took on a life of its own. Here's a good trivia nugget. Did you know that The Andy Griffith Show has run continuously SOMEWHERE on television since its original run in the 1960's. I am currently the chief meteorologist/Host for the CBS affiliate in Greensboro, NC and we have run the show since it went into syndication. As a matter of fact we run it at 5:30 pm and it BEATS other newscasts! Needless to say I am a huge fan of Andy's and will always hold this show close to my heart. Let me reccomend catching it on TV Land whenever possible. Especially, "Opie The Bird Man" Episode number ....but bring a few tissues. Ron Howard hasn't made you cry like this since you were Opie's age.

This week on "Wait, I Know This" we will be chatting with a very special actress from "Mayberry" who actually MOVED to Mount Airy becasue of its small town charm and resemblence to the fictional town we love.

So be sure to tune in with all your questions. We hope to see you on Sunday night at 7pm eastern time. Until then keep whistling the theme. LOL

The Beautiful and Talented LANA WOOD

We were very excited to get the always beautiful Lana Wood as our first guest. Lana's career goes back to when she was 8-years-old and she is, to this day, one of the most remembered Bond girls. Her toss-from-the-window scene in "Diamonds Are Forever" is classic.

Lana was a regular on the steamy 1960's prime-time soap "Peyton Place" where she co-starred with a young Ryan O'Neal. Who, by the way, tried to date Lana but as she says in our interview, "He wasn't the one for me."

Posing for Playboy in the April 1971 issue sent this star to the A-list and believe it or not went on to star in a Disney movie not long afterwards. How does one go from being a character called "Plenty O'Toole" to a Disney movie! Ha Ha. Lana has remained a true "classic". She has appeared in more than 20 movies and countless TV shows from Wild, Wild West to Fantasy Island.Please take the time to listen to our interview with her. Our time with her made us BIG FANS!! She is a truckload of fun and brutally honest at times! We love that, by the way. And here's the trivia question about Lana that you can only find the answer to in our interview. What actress did Lana and a few others on "Peyton Place" aggravate just to get a rise out of her? Very funny.

Anyway, give a listen to our show and interview by clicking on the widget on the right side of the page and maybe you'll say "Wait, I know this" before the show is done. Later.

Not so "Good Times" behind-the-scenes

Have you ever heard the behind-the-scenes trivia of the actors versus producers battle of the CBS 1970's hit "Good Times"? No, then listen up. But first, do you remember what series "Good Times" was a spin off from? Esther Role was the no-nonsense maid from Bea Arthur's hit show "Maude". Audiences liked her so much that they gave her a spin off. Created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans (the original Lionel on "All In The Family and The Jeffersons) the show hit the airwaves in 1974 on CBS. It was one of the first TV shows that featured the struggles of a lower income african american family in which the mother and father were strong and upheld good values for their kids. The show wasn't afraid of taking chances with controversial topics like race and unemployment.

Apparently, as the show progressed John Amos and Esther Role were fighting to keep the show's reputation of pushing-the-limits in tact. But as Jimmie Walker's character of JJ began to take-off the plots began turning more toward his goofy character and away from those social issue based episodes.

As a result John Amos left after 2 seasons and Esther Role left after 3. The show's last episode aired on August 1st 1979 but it still rings as a groundbreaking show from the 1970's that still has legs today. You can still see it on TV Land to this day ( www.tvland.com )

....and don't forget to look for Janet Jackson's adorable Penny.

Oh...one last thing. Walona, played by Janet Du Bois sang the theme song for another great sit-com in the 70's...what was it? Answers in the next blog. Until then...don't change the channel.

Eric Chilton

A TRIVIAL LABOR OF LOVE

Quick, name your favorite television show growing up! I'm sure it didn't take long for a few titles and names to fly into your head. Isn't it funny how the invention of television has shaped pop culture and the way we get our entertainment. I was a complete television junkie as a kid. I watched WAY too much television. (And no, I don't allow my kids to watch as much as I did. LOL) I actually had the weekly television schedule pinned to my bulletin board in my room. (geek) But I couldnt miss the Six Million Dollar Man or Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Or what about Love Boat or Fantasy Island...Ok, Ok I'll stop now.

You get the idea. I love this little idiot box that has lit our living rooms for decades. It's why I do what I do now. I would've never guessed that as a kid I would eventually have a small role on television as a local weatherman/host/feature reporter. I absolutely LOVE what I do and every night before the little red light goes on I try to remember the scene at my house growing up when the local news came on. Mom and Dad on the couch...me on my stomach doing homework and our local funny-guy weatherman Frank Deal making us all smi le and laugh. I hope I can be that guy now that Frank has long since retired from the market.

Anyway, I hope you love television as much as I do because if that's true you have found your blog home. If you check out our podcast weekly we will be delving into lots of old TV shows. From the early days with Sid Ceasar and Jackie Gleason through the decades to the shows we loved in the 80's like Growing Pains.

Join us as we turn on the flux capacitor and visit our favorite shows and the stars that made them famous. Drop me a comment on this post with an old TV show you would like us to "trivialize".
See ya soon.

Eric Chilton