More Classic and Modern TV Happy Birthdays - January 8th - 1/8

Welcome to more classic and modern TV birthdays!

Elvis Presley - 1935-1977 - One of the most famous people of the 20th Century was born on this day in Tupelo, Mississippi. He would go on to be one of the most successful recording artists of all-time, but he also made several iconic television appearances over the years in three different decades. His appearance in the 1950's on The Ed Sullivan Show (don't show those hips) became one of the most watched programs of the era. His 1968 comeback special still resonates as pure Elvis in his prime and of course, his concert from Hawaii from the 1970's. He died young, but his music lives on.

David Bowie- Another rock star born this date in 1947. Bowie would eventually make multiple television appearances, including a well-known appearance singing with Bing Crosby in a 1977 Christmas special. His appearance in a tribute to Freddie Mercury had Bowie reciting the Lord's Prayer in front of thousands of people -- making it one of the most viewed Bowie appearances from television. From Golden Years to Fame to Heroes - a significant recording career.  A superb and noteworthy artist. 

Larry Storch - Storch gained fame on the 1960's comedy series, F. Troop. He was born in 1923 and lived until 2022. A long life. During his long career he made multiple appearances in television, on the big screen and in theaters. 

Stuart Martin - Martin is a masculine, manly Scottish actor who has gained quite a following with his appearance in the PBS series, Miss Scarlet & The Duke. He's a terrific actor, both skilled in drama and comedy. Born this day in 1986. He normally plays action types, but he is quite good playing the brains along with the brawn. 

Yvette Mimieux - The stunning Mimieux is one of those actresses who should have had a bigger career. She was gorgeous and talented. Her appearances in some 1960's films, Where The Boys Are and The Light in the Piazza proved she could act. Born in 1942 and passed in 2022. After her film career she made several appearances on various television dramas over the years.  

Robby Krieger - Another rock star born on January 8. He was born in 1946. He was the guitarist for the famed American band, The Doors. Krieger was also the songwriter behind many of their biggest hit singles, including Love Her Madly and Light My Fire. The Doors made several television appearances in their relatively short four year career, including a famous one time only appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. They also appeared on American Bandstand. 

Ron Moody - British actor Ron Moody made many television appearances in his long career. His appearances were all on British dramas and comedies. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1968 film Oliver. Born in 1924. He passed away in 2015.

Bob Eubanks - Easily one of the most famous game show hosts of all-time, including a long run as the host of The Newlywed Game. Born in 1938.

Soupy Sales - Mr. Sales was born in  1926 and he passed away in 2009. He is remembered fondly by many older baby boomers who laughed at his antics on series television from the 1950's and 1960's.

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Summer Nose-talgia #33: "One Step Beyond" & Pippo the Clown! Scary!

People always get a few shows mixed up in their memories.  Lots of folks conflate episodes of Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, Thriller and The Outer Limits, especially the first two because they were (mostly) half-hours and shared a lot of actors.

Whereas Twilight Zone had writer Rod Serling's acerbic gloomy presence looming over its introductions to the dramatic delights to come, One Step Beyond had the far more gentle John Newland -- he directed most of the episodes -- to lead us into what were very often touted as real-life stories of the supernatural.  Genre fans will also note that Newland directed the very good "Errand of Mercy" episode of Star Trek: TOS in 1967.

Despite decent syndicated exposure One Step Beyond never quite achieved the high visibility and genuine cult status of Twilight Zone, but those of us who watched both found ourselves loving quite a few of the episodes.  They were a little nuttier than Twilight Zone, often had an international flair -- not a TZ trait at all -- and then there was that frisson of authenticity that often made them genuinely spooky.

One of the most memorable episodes perfectly combined a straight-up creepy subject matter -- a clown! -- with a gritty urban sensibility which honestly could have come from the Twilight Zone.  You can understand why people think this might be a TZ except if it were it would certainly end up in "best of" marathons on holidays and would be better known.

Christopher Dark & Yvette Mimieux

Shaughnessy as Pippo

Shaughnessy as himself

From 1960,  it's called "The Clown" and stars an 18 year-old Yvette Mimieux in one of her first acting roles; her big break in The Time Machine would come later that same year.  Veteran actor Mickey Shaughnessy played the clown named Pippo, and actor Christopher Dark (a very frequent guest star on TV until his death in 1971 at the age of 51) played Yvette's hot-tempered husband.  There's a short history of clowns at the beginning of the episode, and it's interesting to note that the name Pippo is a traditional clown name used over the years by various performers (even after this episode!).  Enjoy!