NEW BLOG SITE AND WEBSITE

Starting today we are pleased to announce our brand new blog site! We have combined our blog and websites into one so you dont have to ping pong between two seperate sites. From now on go to www.waitiknowthis.com for your one-stop retro fix.
We have also added a LIVE video element so you can watch our tapings live and send us your questions to be asked of our celebrity guest. See ya at our new diggs.

NEW BLOG SITE AND WEBSITE UPGRADE

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ
If you follow our blog here then you need to know of a change effective immediately. We have combined the website and the blog at www.waitiknowthis.com. This blog will not be updated after the month of August. Please head to our website and follow us there if you can. ALSO, we are implementing video to our site and possibly making the podcast a VODCAST....a video podcast. No worries if you still prefer to hear us in audio only form because we will be producing BOTH audio and a video version.
Thanks!!

Erin Walton: Tonight!

Mary McDonough can say she grew up as a Walton. Yes, the squeaky clean rural family that made The Brady Bunch look like pimps and prostitutes. LOL. The CBS drama that had everyone yelling goodnight to each other from their bedrooms in the 70s was a phenomenon in the tv industry at the time but some behind the scenes truths were shocking. Our guest tonight got to be a part of that piece of television history.....good or bad. Mary McDonough played Erin Walton and says she learned a lot about life in general on the set of that show. Her latest book chronicles her struggle to remain a normal kid while balancing being on an A list show.
Join us tonight as we delve into the Waltons. A show that was a part of the fabric of the american family in the 1970s. We kick off at 7:30pm. Just Do a SKYPE search for "waitiknowthis" and call in.
Hope to see ya then!

EC

ON THIS DAY in American Bandstand history

1961 - Conway Twitty performed "The Next Kiss (Is the Last Goodbye)" on "American Bandstand."

1968 - Jon & Robin & the In Crowd performed "Dr. John, the Medicine Man" on "American Bandstand."

1974 - Jim Stafford performed "My Girl Bill" on "American Bandstand."

1974 - The Ohio Players performed "Jive Turkey" on "American Bandstand."

Here's a cute clip from the old Crook and Chase show talking about fashion on American Bandstand.



"I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too."
- Conan OBrien

RIP JEFF CONAWAY

Im posting this image of Jeff because this is the way I'd prefer to remember him. Either this or as Bobby on "Taxi". He led a sad life after a massive back injury that led to constant pain and addiction this actor ended up as the sad center of the reality show with Dr. Drew called "Celebrity Re-hab". It broke my heart to see him as destroyed as he was on that show. So this post I will keep short and simple. Lets remember him the way he would have wanted to be remembered. Here's a great clip from Taxi and one from Grease.

Thanks Jeff. We are glad your suffering is over. Rest in peace.

PAUL LYNDE: TALENTED.....and TROUBLED

"Hello, Sammy!" I absolutely loved when Paul Lynde would show up unannounced on "Bewitched" and utter those words to Samantha Stevens. (Be still my beating heart. Ahhh Liz Montgomery) Uncle Arthur was a great character portrayed by a great character actor. Paul Lynde worked his way into america's heart through Hollywood Squares where he was the best "center square" in history. His quips and quotes from the night before were passed along at the watercoolers across the country everyday at work. My personal favorite...

Peter Marshall: "Paul, is it true that there is a musical bra?"
Paul Lynde: "The hills are alive!..." (Sung to the Sound of Music tune)

But did you know that the handsome, flamboyant comedian/actor was once a heavy set guy from Ohio who struggled with self-confidence? I watched a special on Paul Lynde recently and was blown away when I saw the images of him when he had a serious weight problem. (Check it out HERE) I dont think its a shock to anyone that Paul was gay but in those days it just wasn't as accepted so he had to live with that demon as well.
When you watch the special I linked you to in the last paragraph you'll here the story of how one night Paul and his partner were out partying when his partner, intoxicated, decided to hang out of their hotel window as a goof. He slipped and Paul watched him fall to his death.

Obviously he had a lot to process. Paul Lynde had a difficult personal life. Some say his alcoholism held him back while others talked of his quirky hang ups like when he would buy a new home and decorated it he wouldn't allow folks to come inside during his housewarming party.

But all that aside....I loved the guy. Whether he was the voice of Templeton the rat in the animated Charlotte's Web or Uncle Arthur...he was hilarious. One of the best.

Paul Lynde left us suddenly on January 10th 1982 5 months shy of his 56th birthday. He died of a heart attack. But we will never forget him.

Classic TV Christmas Specials

I remember it like it was yesterday. Hearing the CBS intro music for their holiday specials like Frosty, The Grinch, Rudolph and more. I used to wait all year to watch those specials around Christmas. As if they were actually going to change plots or something I was GLUED to every frame of animation. I wonder if kids feel the same way today. With all the "On Demand" channels they really don't have to wait if they don't want to. I guess its just another of those outdated traditions that we have to hold close to our heart while the next generation develops their own. I can hear them now.....I used to keep Rudolph on my DVR all year and put a security code on it so no one could open it and watch it until December 24th! LOLOLOL.
As I sit here in my living room looking out at the 6" of snow we got on Christmas Day (A record Christmas Day snowfall for central NC by the way) I am reminded of how special this time of the year is for kids... the memories are still with me today. So in case you need a little "memory jogging"...here ya go.

Oh and make sure to listen to our upcoming shows. hoping for Stefanie Powers and maybe Peter Marshall.

Weve got Thindy Brady!!!

How excited are we that Susan Olsen a.k.a. Cindy Brady is stopping by on Tuesday December 21st just in time for the holidays! Make sure you bring your Brady questions as we go with Susan back to the early 70's and hear what the behind-the-scenes truths were about Americas favorite sparkly clean family where all family issues are solved in 30-minutes. If I'm lucky maybe she will let me borrow the pigtails. :) Ok that was stupid. Hee Hee.

Check us out at www.waitiknowthis.com or on Talkshoe.com where you just search for Wait, IKnow This!. Oh....and dont forget Itunes.

A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN A DECADE

I will never forget that night in 1980 30 years ago today when I heard Howard Cosell make the announcement during Monday Night Football.
Just 16 years before, America was invaded by The Beatles and was taken by storm. Hard to believe that one insane fan could change rock-and-roll forever. I choose to remember him other ways.

Family Ties: A battle between the 60's and the 80's

I remember the first time I met Alex P. Keaton. It was a Thursday night in 1984 when I latched on to one of the smartest shows on NBC. It was the summer before I would leave for college and Alex Keaton struck a chord with me. Being too young to understand the social irony of an ultra-liberal set of parents who were in the Peace Corps and former war-protesters who have a son in the young republicans at college and President of his school and who carries a briefcase and personifies the "money chasing" 1980's.
The show was created by Gary David Goldberg and was originally to be centered around Steven and Elise, the parents...but the commanding performance of Michael J. Fox drew audiences to his character. I read that producers actually went to Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter Birney and said with the focus changing to Alex P. Keaton they would understand if they wanted to quit. Thankfully, they didnt and the show went on to 7 years of success. Family Ties was the 2nd highest rated show on television for the first few seasons and was in the top twenty during 6 of its 7 seasons.

Timmy is outta the well and ready for action!

I just want to thank our most recent guest the one, the only Jon Provost "Timmy" from the "Lassie" show! Make sure you listen to this interview for the backstage stories that give you the best trivia around. Jon talks about how the only reason his mom had him audition for the role was to meet June Lockheart!! HAHAHA. He also touches on how being a celebrity in those days is so much different than being one now. One of my favorite topics we touched on was how compensation from that era compares to the stars of today AND how some child actors had such a rough go of it in those days.
So go get your checkered shirt and jeans and whistle the opening to Lassie right before you listen to this interview. Just use the grey player on the left side of our homepage at www.waitiknowthis.com


(or you can skip the whistling part and just listen to it from this YouTube clip! :))

Leslie Nielsen will SHIRLEY be missed

Very sad to hear about the passing of an acting and comedic legend. For older fans Leslie Nielsen may be remembered more for his role in the 1956 sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet" but for younger fans we will remember him from the "Naked Gun" series and of course, "Airplane!".
Recently Nielsen was admitted to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida hospital for pneumonia. Yesterday, Dr. Doug Nielsen, Nielsen's nephew, announced to a radio station that Nielsen had died in his sleep around 5:30 p.m. EST, surrounded by family and friends. He was 84 years old.
Here's a great collection of Leslie Nielsen moments.

ON THIS DATE (Nov 29)

1948 - "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie" debuted on NBC
1948 - 1st opera to be televised, "Othello," broadcast from the Met (NYC)
1963 - Beatles release "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
1968 - John & Yoko release their 1st album "Two Virgins" in UK
1969 - Beatles' "Come Together/Something" reaches #1

You may not recognize his face but I'll bet you know his work. When I researched Mr. Fox I found out that he wrote the themes for Laverne and Shirley, Happy Days and The Love Boat just to name a few.
And wait....that brings to mind a question I have had for years. What in the world was that saying that Laverne and Shirley said at the beginning of the theme. Listen to the YouTube video here if you've forgotten. I asked Charles that very question and he said it was a childhood saying that he and friends used to chant around the playgrounds! (Listen to the podcast for more details.)
You name em....he has worked with them. Everyone from Roberta Flack (for whom he wrote "Killing Me Softly") to Barry Manilow ("Ready To Take A Chance Again").



His book is a must-read. "Killing Me Softly" is basically a life-story and a career account of someone who has lived the dream of most composers. I love to hear how people got their start. It never ceases to amaze me how humble beginnings develop into such great careers. Charles is no exception. From the Bronx he rose to greatness through playing in many latin bands and working with the likes of Tito Puente. But his success with ABC really launched him into stardom. His creation of the famous ABC Wide World of Sports theme and the original Monday Night Football theme paved the way for the rest of his "must read" career.
Please take a listen to our time together on "Wait, I Know This!" and check out his book. You can see it on Amazon.com HERE.

June Foray Dies

Recently I was saddened bythe news of the passing of cartoon voice great June Foray. I interviewed her back in April of 2009 and she was fantastic!!! I truly believe she was one of the "unknown greats". And when I say that I mean NO disrespect to her....in fact quite the opposite. We ALL knew her work we just didnt know who it was. June was the voice of Natasha and Rocky the Flying Squirrel on Bullwinkle. She was also Rudolph in the stop-action classics we waited for on television every holiday season in the 60's and 70's.
I'll suggest that you listen to my interview with her to hear her wonderful stories but let me say this about June the person. She had more grace in her twilight years than just about anyone I have ever interviewed. She was a classy and sweet lady who deserves the world. I am proud to say that I got 30 minutes to spend with her. We all love her and her work...you are missed, Miss June. :(
Please check out the podcast when you can. Use the drop down menu on the player to the right and choose episode 23. Also here's the blog post as well. http://waitiknowthis.blogspot.com/2009/04/june-foray-our-time-with-legend.html

ON THIS DAY IN TELEVISION HISTORY

I love the little tidbits you can find online about history and in my case its always TELEVISION HISTORY. So here are a few online facts I dug up. Awesome.

1931 - NBC began putting a TV transmitter on top of the Empire State Building. The first experimental TV broadcast from the building was on December 22, 1931.

1978 - The movie "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" aired on NBC-TV.

1986 - The 100th episode of "Cheers" aired on NBC-TV.

1990 - The 100th episode of "Matlock" aired on NBC.

1992 - The Perry Mason TV movie "The Case of the Heartbroken Bride" aired.

You're a "senior citizen" Charlie Brown!

It is one of the most successful cartoon franchises of all time. The Peanuts gang warmed our hearts and made us laugh year in and year out since the 1950's. Creator Charles Schulz was the mastermind behind the cartoon strip that brought the likes of Linus, Lucy, Snoopy and Pig Pen into our world. From the psychiatric advice of Lucy to the "beyond-his-years" wisdom of Linus we all grew up feeling like we had we had a few extra friends in our childhood. This was an honor to chat with Jill Schulz, Charles Schulz's daughter about the beginnings of the strip.
I can tell you first hand that the moment I heard the music of the holiday Peanuts specials I was out-of-control with excitement. I used to check the TV Guide every week as Halloween, thanksgiving and Christmas approached so as not to miss the Peanuts specials.
I hop you enjoy our chat with Jill as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time.... the doctor is in. Now give me my 25=cents. :)

CLASSIC 70's TV CHAT

Our last recording was a "free-for-all" where we discussed everything 70's TV. Everything from Mork From Ork to Laverne and Shirley was discussed. OH... heres your first trivia question to lead you into the last show. What do those two sitcoms have in common? Mork and Laverne and Shirley? Give up? Then listen to our latest show for your answer. (And its not Garry Marshall...although that would be a correct answer as well. Ha Ha)
Just use the player to the right and click on play. :)

Beverly Washburn: The celebrity you didn't know you knew!

Old Yeller, Star Trek, Jack Benny or Loretta Young...they all have connections with Beverly Washburn. If you don't know her name odds are you know her face. She has had more bit parts than you can shake a stick at and is one of those celebrities that everyone didn't know they knew!!
In addition, and even more importantly she is one of the sweetest and classiest actresses we have ever interviewed. Her stories of Jack Benny and Loretta Young are amazing. She was a child celebrity and worked with some of the greatest stars of classic television. Her stories are filled with classic trivia...oh, and be sure to ask her about what Trekkies say to her at conventions! Hilarious!

ALSO, make sure to check out her new book "Reel Tears" on Amazon.com at this LINK

John Amos is awesome! But the set of Good Times was not.

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.

Eric Chilton