Tuesday, May 29, 2012

05/29 Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall (born March 30, 1926) is an American television and radio personality, singer, and actor.

He was the original host of The Hollywood Squares, from 1966 to 1981. He has almost fifty television, movie, and Broadway credits. His stage name, Peter Marshall, reportedly derived from the college in his home town (Marshall College, which became Marshall University in 1961).

Peter Marshall was born Ralph Pierre LaCock in 1926[1] in Huntington, West Virginia, to a show business family. Following his father's death, he moved to New York City to be with his mother, a costume designer. His elder sister, Joanne Dru, was an actress who is best remembered for her roles in the films Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and All the King's Men.

Although Marshall occasionally worked in film and television, he could not find regular work in the industry until his friend Morey Amsterdam recommended him to fill in for Bert Parks (who emceed the pilot) as the host of the game show The Hollywood Squares in 1966.[2]

The show had a long run on daytime network TV and in syndication, making Marshall as familiar to viewers as the celebrities who appeared on the show. The easy-going and unflappable Marshall was a perfect foil for the wicked wit of such panelists as Amsterdam and his Dick Van Dyke Show castmate Rose Marie; Paul Lynde, Jan Murray, and Wally Cox. The Hollywood Squares was canceled by the NBC network in 1980, but production continued in syndication into 1981.

Marshall grew tired of hosting the show after several years and wanted to leave. Toward that end, he would make outrageous salary demands whenever his contract was up for renewal, hoping that he would be fired for doing so, but his demands were always met.

In 2002, he published a book about his show business experience, Backstage With The Original Hollywood Square.[14]

In 2002, he returned to the new version of The Hollywood Squares[15] as a panelist during a Game Show Week hosted by Tom Bergeron. Marshall occupied the prestigious center square. For one day that week, Marshall took his old position at the podium to host while Bergeron was the center square.
In addition to having played a radio host in Annie, Marshall has been a radio personality in real life, hosting a popular mid-day show on the Music of Your Life adult standards national radio network, which is also live-streamed via the internet here.

On October 13, 2007, Marshall was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

In 2009, Marshall appeared on television promoting compact disc hits from the Big Band era, and also hosted a two hour PBS special, The Big Band Years.[16]

In 2010, Marshall, along with Monty Hall and Wink Martindale, appeared with their wives on a special Game Show Legend version of The Newlywed Game. The special was hosted by Bob Eubanks; the Martindales won the game.



 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

05/22 Carrol Connors!

Carol Connors (born Annette Kleinbard, November 13, 1940, New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a retired American singer-songwriter. She is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist on The Teddy Bears' single, "To Know Him Is To Love Him", which was written by her band mate Phil Spector.
She was the lead singer of the pop vocal trio known as The Teddy Bears, which also included Phil Spector. The Teddy Bears' only major hit, "To Know Him Is To Love Him", which Spector wrote specifically to showcase Connors' singing voice, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1958.[1] Immediately upon hearing the song, 23 year old Elvis Presley, who was then serving in the United States Army in Germany, requested his aides to contact her, eventually getting his wish to meet her personally when he returned to the US, in March 1960. A serious relationship between them followed, which lasted several years. After their initial hit, the trio disbanded because of the failure of their follow-up singles, and the fact that Spector preferred working behind the scenes to performing.

Some years later she legally changed her name to Carol Connors. She co-wrote (with Ayn Robbins and Bill Conti) "Gonna Fly Now", the theme song from the film, Rocky, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. Carol Connors sang the theme to the cult film, Orca, called "We are One".

Other songwriting credits include the Rip Chords' 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra", plus the 1980 Billy Preston/Syreeta Wright duet "With You I'm Born Again". In addition for "Madonna in the Mirror"; the 1994 title track "For All Mankind" on the debut album of Italian singer Guendalina Cariaggi, which was used as the theme song for a documentary produced by Pier Quinto and Lara Cariaggi, on the legends of soccer and the FIFA World Cup;[2] plus the finale song on A&E's 15 Films About Madonna;[3] and three songs - "Condi, Condi", "I Think of You so Fondly", and "Chill, Condi, Chill" - for Courting Condi (2008).

She also co-composed three songs for the soundtrack of the 1977 Disney film, The Rescuers: "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "The Journey" and "Someone's Waiting for You". In 1983 Connors was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award, for the 'Worst Original Song' for "It's Wrong for Me to Love You", from Butterfly, which she co-composed with Ennio Morricone.


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

05/15 Phyllis Davis!

Phyllis Davis (born July 17, 1940, in Port Arthur, Texas) is an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She was most notably a part of the cast of Aaron Spelling's dramatic series Vega$, playing the character Beatrice Travis.

She studied at Lamar College and attended acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse.
She appeared in "Love, American Style" (1969) for five seasons. Some of her film appearances include Lord Love a Duck (1966), Spinout (1966), Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), The Choirboys (1977), and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).

Davis also appeared in television series such as Knight Rider: she played the role of the villainous Tanya Walker in the pilot episode "Knight of the Phoenix." She had guest roles in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Magnum, P.I., The Love Boat, and was a regular performer in the vignettes in Love, American Style. She was a Match Game panelist on occasion and appeared on a Battle of the Network Stars special.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

05/08 Steve Lawrence, Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant!

Born Stephen Leibowitz, 8 July 1935, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. The son of a cantor in a Brooklyn synagogue, Lawrence was in the Glee club at Thomas Jefferson High School, where he began studying piano, saxophone, composition and arranging. He made his recording debut for King Records at the age of 16. The record, "Mine And Mine Alone", based on "Softly Awakes My Heart" from Samson & Delilah, revealed an remarkably mature voice and style. Influenced by Frank Sinatra, but never merely a copyist, Lawrence's great range and warmth earned him a break on Steve Allen's Tonight television show, where he met, sang with and later married Eydie Gorme. He recorded for Coral Records and had his first hit in 1957 with "The Banana Boat Song". It was the infectious "Party Doll" which gave him a Top 5 hit in 1957 and he followed that same year with four further, although lesser successes, namely "Pum-Pa-Lum", "Can't Wait For Summer", "Fabulous" and "Fraulein". During his US Army service (1958-60) he sang with military bands on recruiting drives and bond rallies.

Back home he and Eydie embarked on a double act, their most memorable hit being "I Want To Stay Here" in 1963. As Steve And Eydie they made albums for CBS Records, ABC Records and United Artists Records, including Steve And Eydie At The Movies, Together On Broadway, We Got Us, Steve And Eydie Sing The Golden Hits and Our Love Is Here To Stay, the latter a double album of great George Gershwin songs, which was the soundtrack of a well-received television special. Lawrence, on his own, continued to have regular hits with "Portrait Of My Love" and "Go Away Little Girl" in 1961/2, and enjoyed critical success with albums such as Academy Award Losers and Portrait Of My Love. As an actor he starred on Broadway in What Makes Sammy Run?, took the lead in Pal Joey in summer stock, and has acted in a crime series on US television. During the 70s and 80s he continued to record and make television appearances with Gorme, with the couple gaining a record-breaking seven Emmys for their Steve And Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin special. The couple also joined Frank Sinatra on his Diamond Jubilee Tour in 1991.
www.steveandeydie.com



Larry Congratulates Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant on their 70th Anniversary.
www.geneandgeorgetti.com

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

05/01 Roger E. Mosley, Magnum P.I.

Roger Earl Mosley (born December 18, 1938) is an American actor best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I., which starred Tom Selleck as the title character.

Mosley was born in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the Imperial Courts project with his mother Eloise Harris in Watts, one of the most dangerous parts of the inner city. In 1974, he founded the Watts Repertory Company.

Mosley's most prominent film role to date was his 1976 starring turn as the title character in Leadbelly, directed by Gordon Parks. He has guest starred on shows such as Night Court, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, and Sanford and Son; he also had a role in Roots: The Next Generation. He also made a memorable appearance in the 1973 film The Mack, as the militant brother of the main character Goldie, and played officer Roy Cole alongside Kurt Russell and Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry (1992).

Most recently he appeared in season five of Las Vegas as the billionaire friend of Montecito owner AJ Cooper (Tom Selleck). There is a vague homage to his Magnum P.I. days as his character 'Roger' is worth more than $2bn and owns a fleet of jets having started with a single helicopter in Hawaii.