- Fun Fact About Fifi (#ageism): Sudie Bond, who played Fifi, was a New York stage actress whose specialty was playing old ladies, usually between 10-20 years older than she was. In the show, Fifi is 67; in real life, Sudie Bond was 55. Think that's something? Ten years earlier, Sudie Bond played Paul Lynde's mother in a short-lived sitcom - when she was two years younger than Lynde.
- Apologies to Amanda, but … Mako is a common Japanese man's name, pronounced MAH-ko (short 'a').
- As for Bourbon Street Beat: Next time you look at The Devil's Hand, check the director's credit. Oh, I won't make you look: it's the ever-popular William J. Hole Jr., who directed 12 episodes of BSB - but you knew that didn't you?
I'd forgotten that Mr. Hole did THE DEVIL'S HAND. He also made (around the same time) THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW. A favorite of mine.
I didn't know that about Sudie Bond, especially the Paul Lynde thing. It reminds me of Oliver only being about one year younger than his mother on Green Acres.
I hope you've been enjoying the episodes. Have you watched any Eerie, Indiana?
First time I saw Sudie Bond was in They Might Be Giants in 1971. That's the one where George C. Scott thinks he's Sherlock Holmes. Sudie Bond is the little old lady who's hooked on watching Westerns in the old movie theater with her friends. When she made this movie, she was 43 - a year younger than George C. Scott.
Sudie Bond died in 1984 - the year after she appeared on Masquerade. Cause of death: Cardiac arrest following an asthma attack. Sudie Bond was 59. (That's about ten years younger than I am right now.)
I might have looked at Eerie, Indiana some time during its initial run, but for whatever reason I never got into it. Sorry.
If you and Mitchell Hadley have not yet recorded your Bourbon Street Beat commentary for next time, in re "Target Of Hate": There's loads of stuff you can go to in this one, but I would call your attention to an actress named Saundra Edwards, who has the only female guest role here. If you've already watched the episode, I'd suggest that you check out Ms. Edwards's entry at IMDb. If you haven't yet watched - well, same suggestion. No spoilers - just do it. Looking forward to next time …
- The final producer of Twilight Zone was William Froug, who wrote of the experience in his memoir, How I Escaped From Gilligan's Island. Froug was an emergency replacement for Bert Granet, who had been TZ's network godfather for most of its run at CBS; he'd taken over as the showrunner during Season 4, and had been credited with saving the show. It was Froug who brought in a number of writers who were new to TZ, and therefore unfamiliar with it; at the same time, he also killed at least one script by Richard Matheson, had one by George Clayton Johnson heavily rewritten, and cut off the Charles Beaumont Group (accounts vary). In his book, Froug blames the JFK assassination for throwing everybody off, with an assist from Rod Serling's burnout (The book is even more self-serving than most first-person memoirs are, which is saying something), but nearly all accounts of TZ's last act pretty much agree that the end was near anyway, so there's that. (That said, you ought to read Froug's book, should you get the chance.)
- Police Squad tags: When the show was in its initial ABC run (trot?), I noticed something about those tag scenes, with thee roll call of culprits. What I noticed was that so,me of the names were from episodes that hadn't aired yet - you know, like the shows were being shown out of order. I've always wondered whether ZAZ did that deliberately … to send up the fact that series segments rarely aired in the order they were made in those "standalone" days. I guess we'll never know …
Waiting on tenterhooks for # 72 - I've also looked at the next Masquerade, and there are a few surprises there too.
Thank you, Mike! I'd always hoped the roll call of names being slightly off was a joke. I always felt like it probably wasn't meant to be. But, it kind of becomes one when you know about shows airing out of order. So, I'll say it's a joke. Yes, it's a joke.
Unfortunately, we had recorded our Target of Hate chat already. Thank you for the info though.
I will check out Froug's book. In my attempts to re-watch TZ over the past 15 years or so, I always stall before I get anywhere near season 5.
Still listening, but I had to get these in ASAP:
ReplyDelete- Fun Fact About Fifi (#ageism):
Sudie Bond, who played Fifi, was a New York stage actress whose specialty was playing old ladies, usually between 10-20 years older than she was.
In the show, Fifi is 67; in real life, Sudie Bond was 55.
Think that's something? Ten years earlier, Sudie Bond played Paul Lynde's mother in a short-lived sitcom - when she was two years younger than Lynde.
- Apologies to Amanda, but …
Mako is a common Japanese man's name, pronounced MAH-ko (short 'a').
- As for Bourbon Street Beat:
Next time you look at The Devil's Hand, check the director's credit.
Oh, I won't make you look: it's the ever-popular William J. Hole Jr., who directed 12 episodes of BSB - but you knew that didn't you?
Thanks, Mike!
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten that Mr. Hole did THE DEVIL'S HAND. He also made (around the same time) THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW. A favorite of mine.
I didn't know that about Sudie Bond, especially the Paul Lynde thing. It reminds me of Oliver only being about one year younger than his mother on Green Acres.
I hope you've been enjoying the episodes. Have you watched any Eerie, Indiana?
Just to bring you down a little further …
ReplyDeleteFirst time I saw Sudie Bond was in They Might Be Giants in 1971.
That's the one where George C. Scott thinks he's Sherlock Holmes.
Sudie Bond is the little old lady who's hooked on watching Westerns in the old movie theater with her friends.
When she made this movie, she was 43 - a year younger than George C. Scott.
Sudie Bond died in 1984 - the year after she appeared on Masquerade.
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest following an asthma attack.
Sudie Bond was 59.
(That's about ten years younger than I am right now.)
I might have looked at Eerie, Indiana some time during its initial run, but for whatever reason I never got into it.
Sorry.
Correction:
ReplyDeleteSudie Bond was 56 when she passed on (1928-1984).
*Goddamn QWERTYUIOP*
Off-topic (at least for now):
ReplyDeleteIf you and Mitchell Hadley have not yet recorded your Bourbon Street Beat commentary for next time, in re "Target Of Hate":
There's loads of stuff you can go to in this one, but I would call your attention to an actress named Saundra Edwards, who has the only female guest role here.
If you've already watched the episode, I'd suggest that you check out Ms. Edwards's entry at IMDb.
If you haven't yet watched - well, same suggestion.
No spoilers - just do it.
Looking forward to next time …
Just listened to the Tangent:
ReplyDelete- The final producer of Twilight Zone was William Froug, who wrote of the experience in his memoir, How I Escaped From Gilligan's Island.
Froug was an emergency replacement for Bert Granet, who had been TZ's network godfather for most of its run at CBS; he'd taken over as the showrunner during Season 4, and had been credited with saving the show.
It was Froug who brought in a number of writers who were new to TZ, and therefore unfamiliar with it; at the same time, he also killed at least one script by Richard Matheson, had one by George Clayton Johnson heavily rewritten, and cut off the Charles Beaumont Group (accounts vary).
In his book, Froug blames the JFK assassination for throwing everybody off, with an assist from Rod Serling's burnout (The book is even more self-serving than most first-person memoirs are, which is saying something), but nearly all accounts of TZ's last act pretty much agree that the end was near anyway, so there's that.
(That said, you ought to read Froug's book, should you get the chance.)
- Police Squad tags:
When the show was in its initial ABC run (trot?), I noticed something about those tag scenes, with thee roll call of culprits.
What I noticed was that so,me of the names were from episodes that hadn't aired yet - you know, like the shows were being shown out of order.
I've always wondered whether ZAZ did that deliberately … to send up the fact that series segments rarely aired in the order they were made in those "standalone" days.
I guess we'll never know …
Waiting on tenterhooks for # 72 - I've also looked at the next Masquerade, and there are a few surprises there too.
Thank you, Mike! I'd always hoped the roll call of names being slightly off was a joke. I always felt like it probably wasn't meant to be. But, it kind of becomes one when you know about shows airing out of order. So, I'll say it's a joke. Yes, it's a joke.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we had recorded our Target of Hate chat already. Thank you for the info though.
I will check out Froug's book. In my attempts to re-watch TZ over the past 15 years or so, I always stall before I get anywhere near season 5.