Jim Varney was a childhood favorite of mine! Such a gentle man, with such a quiet charm about him. I could never have seen anyone else in the role of Jed Clampett in the film version of the "Beverly Hillbillies", but Mr. Varney. He was perfect...
[+] Read Full Review

Jim Varney was a childhood favorite of mine! Such a gentle man, with such a quiet charm about him. I could never have seen anyone else in the role of Jed Clampett in the film version of the "Beverly Hillbillies", but Mr. Varney. He was perfect as Jed, even if the film was a real box-office flop. I enjoyed the "Ernest" character to a point, but I really liked Mr. Varney when he branched out into other roles that showed him to be a much better actor than he was ever given true credit for. I just wish that he had been able to stay around with us a little longer, he was just grand!!!

Red Buttons will always be remembered as the gentle little comedian, but I think his best work was in drama. His supporting role in Sayonara, was just riveting. He held his own against Brando, when a lot of actors were afraid even to try. The...
[+] Read Full Review

Red Buttons will always be remembered as the gentle little comedian, but I think his best work was in drama. His supporting role in Sayonara, was just riveting. He held his own against Brando, when a lot of actors were afraid even to try. The emotion coming from the screen when he realized he was going to have to leave his young bride behind was devastating. Buttons won an Academy Award as Best Supporting actor for Sayonara and it was richly deserved. It is just a shane that Buttons didn't stick to more dramatic roles in his latter career. He shined in just that...........

There is no doubt that James Dean was one of the most talented actors of his generation, of any generation for that matter, but was he really the "Rebel Without A Cause"? I think not, I believe that the whole rebel persona that James Dean, so...
[+] Read Full Review

There is no doubt that James Dean was one of the most talented actors of his generation, of any generation for that matter, but was he really the "Rebel Without A Cause"? I think not, I believe that the whole rebel persona that James Dean, so rightly performed on screen, was not the exact James Dean of the real world. He was just too poetic a soul to really put forth the emotional acrobatics of a true rebel-that role was already taken by Brando. Dean was too smart, and too crafty, to fall into the trap of trying to be a carbon copy of an original model. I believe, that had James Dean survived, we would have seen a much different person in the years that would have come. James Dean was adaptable and that would have kept him much more in the limelight than playing the same role for thirty or forty years. He would not have become a sterotype of himself, but would have evolved as the times and situation called for, that was the true power of a young man named James Dean.

Cara Williams endured something most women should never had to have: marriage to John Drew Barrymore. She went through hell with him and still managed to produce a son and work as a creditable actress. Ms. Williams starred in two series over the...
[+] Read Full Review

Cara Williams endured something most women should never had to have: marriage to John Drew Barrymore. She went through hell with him and still managed to produce a son and work as a creditable actress. Ms. Williams starred in two series over the years: Pete and Gladys and The Cara Williams Show. Cara was at one point being groomed as the next Lucille Ball, when her namesake series was canceled. Ms.Williams retired from the entertainment business in the 1980's and became an interior decorator with quiet a following. She remarried a third time after her divorce from John Drew Barrymore.

John Glover's acting career can be summed up in one word: Character!!! He is such one................LOL!!! I simply love every role I see him in and do wish he had a series of his own or at least a supporting role in one! His characterization of...
[+] Read Full Review

John Glover's acting career can be summed up in one word: Character!!! He is such one................LOL!!! I simply love every role I see him in and do wish he had a series of his own or at least a supporting role in one! His characterization of the profiler on "Criminal Intent" was astounding! Just absolute perfection, in my humble opinion! My favorite role of John Glover's was as Satan in the short-lived Fox Horror fest, "Brimstone". I used to hang on every episode waiting for his character of Satan to appear and spout off some of those devilish one-liners! Just yummy!!! He also did a great job in the film, "Automatic", as a corperation CEO-scientist. I would have missed him in that one, but my boy Jeff Kober, was also in it and they played very well off one another! John Glover, is an American treaure, that should be seen a lot more often! He is just so worth the watch!

Dr.Smith-That self-serving rogue, from the 1960's series, "Lost In Space", will forever be the the character that Jonathan Harris is remembered for. Good? Bad? Indifferent? It doesn't matter, when one supporting character is able to take over an...
[+] Read Full Review

Dr.Smith-That self-serving rogue, from the 1960's series, "Lost In Space", will forever be the the character that Jonathan Harris is remembered for. Good? Bad? Indifferent? It doesn't matter, when one supporting character is able to take over an entire series, then they have power, in the writers, but most of all in the actor, behind the role. No one will ever be associated with the role of Dr.Smith, but Jonathan Harris. Gary Oldman, a consumate character actor, couldn't bring any life to Dr.Smith, in the film version, of "Lost In Space", at all. He was "lost", in a role, that was lost to him to begin with!!!

Ray Walston was a consumate actor that had the misfortune to be typecast during a period when it was even harder than now to break a mold. Uncle Martin, arrived just in time for the 1960's space race and plus there were those...
[+] Read Full Review

Ray Walston was a consumate actor that had the misfortune to be typecast during a period when it was even harder than now to break a mold. Uncle Martin, arrived just in time for the 1960's space race and plus there were those antennas........Novel, without a doubt, but a trademark not going anywhere, anytime soon. Walston, commented that he didn't work for three years after, "My Favorite Martian", and his career was harmed for years, by the characterization. However, we might never have noticed Walston, without Martin, so as always, this is a double-edged sword. Besides, I always remember Mr.Walston, as Mr.Hand from "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". Martin would have run back to Mars, rather than take on the chiddings of Mr.Hand!!!

I have always admired Cint Eastwood's acting. "The Dirty Harry" series of films are some of the best "shoot'em ups" ever, but as a director is where this man truly has shown absolute genius. From "The Unforgiven" to "Million Dollar Baby", he has...
[+] Read Full Review

I have always admired Cint Eastwood's acting. "The Dirty Harry" series of films are some of the best "shoot'em ups" ever, but as a director is where this man truly has shown absolute genius. From "The Unforgiven" to "Million Dollar Baby", he has consistently produced motion pictures that are at a level of near perfection. The only complaint I have with Mr.Eastwood is that he did not start directing sooner! His ability to pull a performance from other actors is amazing. My favorite film, Mr.Eastwood has directed remains, "The Unforgiven", an account of the Old West that reveals things as they really were, not Roy Rogers singing on Trigger. Clint Eastwood has won two Academy Awards for directing, I hope there is room for many more in his trophy case.

Robert Donat managed to do the impossible when he beat out Clark Gable for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The competition was fierce for the award in 1939 and it came as quiet a shock when Donat won with "Goodbye, Mr.Chips" over Gable in "Gone...
[+] Read Full Review

Robert Donat managed to do the impossible when he beat out Clark Gable for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The competition was fierce for the award in 1939 and it came as quiet a shock when Donat won with "Goodbye, Mr.Chips" over Gable in "Gone With The Wind". Doant, was a bit of an oddity in the film world of his day. He was just a lovely man of British nationality, who was not a great debonair hero or a sarcastic wit. Donat only made twenty films over the course of his career. The small number being his unwillingness to work in America and his fragile health. His most famous fole was in Hitchcock's "39 Steps". Robert Donat died in 1958 at the age of 53. He had long suffered from chronic asthma.

Buddy Ebsen was such a lovable character actor. He was always the epitome of the the homespun grandfather that knew how to fix any problem. His work as Jed Clampett on "The Beverley Hillbillies", was just the tip of the iceberg for this...
[+] Read Full Review

Buddy Ebsen was such a lovable character actor. He was always the epitome of the the homespun grandfather that knew how to fix any problem. His work as Jed Clampett on "The Beverley Hillbillies", was just the tip of the iceberg for this wonderfully talented man. "Barnaby Jones" was another side of Ebsen that allowed viewers a chance to see what Ebsen was more capable of as an actor. Ebsen's movie work back in the day was slao very good, but it just hard to picture him as the dancer he once was! I will always remember him as the grandfather figure I so wished had been real!!!

Danny Bonaduce has been run over enough and I am not going to be another Mac truck. Danny is Italian, I am Sicilian, and we tend to have a larger than life zest for life. Not thay can't get you in trouble, lord knows that it certainly can, but...
[+] Read Full Review

Danny Bonaduce has been run over enough and I am not going to be another Mac truck. Danny is Italian, I am Sicilian, and we tend to have a larger than life zest for life. Not thay can't get you in trouble, lord knows that it certainly can, but it can also give you a drive to do important things in life. Danny, has just got to turn his zest in the right direction. He can act, that is a proven fact, the question is, is he ready to get serious and really try to make an honest career again? Hit the summer stock and work back up the ladder. I truly, believe that this man has it in him for one more try, if he will only give himself the chance!

Drew Barrymore is a true suvivor, comimg from a family that bsides having prominence in the acting world, were legendary for alcohlism and drug abuse. Drew's grandfather, John Barrymore was a alcoholic, that died a sad, sad parody of himself,...
[+] Read Full Review

Drew Barrymore is a true suvivor, comimg from a family that bsides having prominence in the acting world, were legendary for alcohlism and drug abuse. Drew's grandfather, John Barrymore was a alcoholic, that died a sad, sad parody of himself, after once being considered, one of the greatest actors on the planet. Drew's father, John Drew Barrymore was an alcoholic, drug addict, and suffered from severe mental illness. Drew's aunt, Diana Barrymore, was a suicide, at age 38. Drew, should be hailed that she survived childhood with a family history like hers. This young woman is a fantastic talent and appears to be a kind, caring person. She has herself, to thank, for who she has become, as her parents had little to do with the matter. I admire this lady so much! She has triumphed over such adversity and brought the Barrymore name back to the place it deserves in Lalaland!!!

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore was the perfect example of what too much money and too many drugs can do. The only son of John Barrymore, this man was doomed from the start to fail at all that he tried, like his older sister Diana, "Too Much" came...
[+] Read Full Review

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore was the perfect example of what too much money and too many drugs can do. The only son of John Barrymore, this man was doomed from the start to fail at all that he tried, like his older sister Diana, "Too Much" came real "Too Soon"! This brother and sister acting duo were given as wrong a start in life as parents can give children and yet, were expected to be great performers like the previous generation of Barrymores. Was not happening, not with booze at breakfast, booze at lunch, and booze for dinner. John Drew Barrymore, was not only a classic alcoholic like dear old Dad, but was a drug addict as well. He was arrested numerous times on charges ranging from spousal abuse, to public drunkeness, to possession. He managed to marry four times and father another generation of Barrymores. Only daughter Drew has managed to break the "Barrymore curse" and actually do well in her personal life and career, but she too, was beset with early addiction to alcohol. Drew's brother John Blyth Barrymore has been rumored to have suffered with drug and alcohol problems also, but, again is supposedly now clean and doing well in life. The other two daughters of John Drew Barrymore seemed to have chosen a life out of the spotlight. John Drew Barrymore died from cancer. Three years before his death, he was ruled incompetent and daughter Drew ended up paying his expenses the last part of his life.

Diana Barrymore's life is a true testament to what parental neglect and too much money can do to a child! This pathetic creature was ignored by her self-absorbed parents John Barrymore and his second with Blanche to the point of child abuse....
[+] Read Full Review

Diana Barrymore's life is a true testament to what parental neglect and too much money can do to a child! This pathetic creature was ignored by her self-absorbed parents John Barrymore and his second with Blanche to the point of child abuse. Raised by nannies and boarding schools, Diana spent her entire life trying to get the attention of her famous parents in any way she could. She failed at being an actress and sank into a downward spiral of drug and alcohol abuse that ended in her death by suicide at age 38. John Barrymore's legacy to his children was a shameful one, alcohol and drugs destroyed all their lives.

Peter Cushing always seemed to me to be aa actor that was overshadowed by the great Christopher Lee. Cushing had immense talent. I oft wondered why he didn't do more theatre. I can just see him as " Richard III. Perhaps he played this part and...
[+] Read Full Review

Peter Cushing always seemed to me to be aa actor that was overshadowed by the great Christopher Lee. Cushing had immense talent. I oft wondered why he didn't do more theatre. I can just see him as " Richard III. Perhaps he played this part and I didn't know, but he would have been perfect in the role. Peter Cushing had the ultimate relationship with his wife. He often commented after her death that he was just biding time until he could be with her again. Now that is the kind of love that all of us strive for. Peter Cushing was a gentleman, something missing in society today!

Dennis Farina has to be one of the most gorgeous creatures that God ever decided to put on planet Earth. I am I gushing, you bet I am!!! From the first time I ever saw this embodiment of male eye candy, in "Crime Story", I have been a fan. The...
[+] Read Full Review

Dennis Farina has to be one of the most gorgeous creatures that God ever decided to put on planet Earth. I am I gushing, you bet I am!!! From the first time I ever saw this embodiment of male eye candy, in "Crime Story", I have been a fan. The topper is that Farina is a decent actor also. He has stated that he doesn't get too worked up about the seriousness of acting, just tries to get it right the first time and go home. That to me is very refreshing as Farina was a law enforcement officer for eighteen years in Chicago before doing the acting gig and he has seen a side of life in a capacity that most of us would not care to view. I was thrilled when he joined the cast of "Law and Order" as Detective Joe Fontana and cried when he made the decision to leave the series after only two seasons. It was mighty nice knowing I was finally going to get a chance to see Farina on a weekly basis and boy, was it ever cool! Shame on you Mr.Farina for getting we females used to seeing you and then splitting! Nah, just joking! I could never stay mad at a man as hot as Farina!

John Fogerty and his band CCR were the very best of their generation! "Swamp Rock" as the CCR sound was called, represented the only American mega-band that could hold their own in song writing and overall musical ability with the boys from...
[+] Read Full Review

John Fogerty and his band CCR were the very best of their generation! "Swamp Rock" as the CCR sound was called, represented the only American mega-band that could hold their own in song writing and overall musical ability with the boys from Liverpool, "eight days a week". Even with the death of Tom Fogerty and the demise of the original CCR, John Fogerty has carried on the legacy of CCR with great heart and continued vocals that have not lost an ounce of strength. Fogerty endures like a fine bottle of Black Label Jack, he just gets better and better with age!!!

Boris Karloff, is without a doubt, the greatest Horror actor of the 20th century. From his days as traveling stock player to his wonderful roles in such films as "The Black Cat" and my personal favorite, "The Tower Of London", Karloff has proved...
[+] Read Full Review

Boris Karloff, is without a doubt, the greatest Horror actor of the 20th century. From his days as traveling stock player to his wonderful roles in such films as "The Black Cat" and my personal favorite, "The Tower Of London", Karloff has proved his mettle. "Frankenstein", will never be anyone else, but Karloff. He brought such a sensitivity to the role that no other actor could have ever equaled. It is a shame that Karloff could not have been recognized for the sheer talent he was during his lifetime. He is now an icon and remembered as being the best "Monster" of all. Bravo, Mr.Karloff, I salute you, Sir!!!

Christine Baranski, in the co-starring role of Maryann, was the only true reason to watch the mdeiocre series "Cybill". Baranski's Maryann was just about perfect with her sarcastic wit and great comedic timing. Baranski stole every scene she was...
[+] Read Full Review

Christine Baranski, in the co-starring role of Maryann, was the only true reason to watch the mdeiocre series "Cybill". Baranski's Maryann was just about perfect with her sarcastic wit and great comedic timing. Baranski stole every scene she was in from"the star of the show" Cybill Shepard. There were rumors flying during the run of the series that Shepard wanted Baranski fired. I guess when you are getting showed up every week by a superior talent, that it would make the "star" a bit edgy on the set. Baranski stayed, but even her considerable talent couldn't save "Cybill" from a short run!

Jared Martin should have been a much larger presence in Hollywood than he ever was. Smart, a graduate of Columbia University, and a real looker, Martin never seemed to catch on fire, even in his heyday as the love interest of Suellen Ewing on...
[+] Read Full Review

Jared Martin should have been a much larger presence in Hollywood than he ever was. Smart, a graduate of Columbia University, and a real looker, Martin never seemed to catch on fire, even in his heyday as the love interest of Suellen Ewing on "Dallas" in the 1970's and 1980's. Martin also appeared on the science fiction series, "The Fantastic Journey". This series only lasted two months, but brought Martin to the attention of"Dallas" producers and it looked for awhile that J.R.Ewing might just lose his wife to Dusty Farlow, the son of Jock Ewing's arch-enemy Clayton Farlow. Next, Mr. Martin appeared as Dr.Harrison Blackwell on the series version of "War Of The Worlds" from 1988-1990. Jared Martin continued to guest star on a number of series up through the mid 1990's. Today, Mr.Martin is involved with "The Big Picture Alliance" in Philadelphia. He is married to Yu Wei, a classical dancer.

I have had a huge crush on Mr.Spock since I first saw the original Star Trek series in reruns as a young girl in the 1980's. Something about that stoic manner and super intelligence that makes Mr.Spock one very attractive alien. I began to do...
[+] Read Full Review

I have had a huge crush on Mr.Spock since I first saw the original Star Trek series in reruns as a young girl in the 1980's. Something about that stoic manner and super intelligence that makes Mr.Spock one very attractive alien. I began to do research on Leonard Nimoy and found that he had not embraced the character with the same enthusiasm as the other cast members and I was not surprised at all by this. Nimoy was, certainly more interested in a varied career, it would seem. He went straight to another series when Star Trek ended in 1969 (Paris on Mission Impossible) and even went so far as to write a book called "I Am Not Spock". However, in later years it would seem that Nimoy has had a change of heart and is more willing to make his peace with the character that he will always be remembered for. He even went reprised the character of Spock for an arc of episodes on Star Trek:The next generation. I am so glad as it was like seeeing an old friend return home. Thank you, Mr.Nomoy, for letting us see Spock that one last time. Bravo!

George Carlin is the best comedian on the planet in my humble opinion! I seen have Carlin live many times and he puts on a show that will have the audience rolling in the aisle with laughter every single time! Carlin has been around for a long...
[+] Read Full Review

George Carlin is the best comedian on the planet in my humble opinion! I seen have Carlin live many times and he puts on a show that will have the audience rolling in the aisle with laughter every single time! Carlin has been around for a long time and there have been instances where he has taken film roles (Dogma comes to mind) that just were wrong for his hard bitten style, but he has never failed in a live show to live up to his considerable reputation for a sarcastic wit and urban style that bring down the house! His "Seven Words" routine that was banned for many years from the airways is a true classic in comedy history!

Jeff Foxworthy is a true "Son of the South" and a true original in comedy! I always laugh at his gentle humor and folksy way of recounting a tale. He makes being a "redneck" cool. I first encountered Mr.Foxworthy at a live concert several years...
[+] Read Full Review

Jeff Foxworthy is a true "Son of the South" and a true original in comedy! I always laugh at his gentle humor and folksy way of recounting a tale. He makes being a "redneck" cool. I first encountered Mr.Foxworthy at a live concert several years ago and was just blown away by his comedic style and timing. The man is a master storyteller and I wish that he would do more CDs. His voice and manner are just about perfect for the vocal medium. It is a hame that his ventures into television were not more inviting. The recent series on Comedy Central was not his best work. Mr.Foxworthy belongs in front of a live audience. He shines in that position!

I adore William Shatner for the simple reason that he is not afraid to try anything and he can laugh at himself! I wish more of the"stars" in Lalaland were are real as Mr.Shatner. He will always be Captain Kirk, but is that such a bad way to be...
[+] Read Full Review

I adore William Shatner for the simple reason that he is not afraid to try anything and he can laugh at himself! I wish more of the"stars" in Lalaland were are real as Mr.Shatner. He will always be Captain Kirk, but is that such a bad way to be remembered? As a hero to a whole generation of children and young folk? If we ever do get the chance to travel to new worlds, I hope that they name a planet or some such heavenly body after Mr.Shatner. A fitting tribute to an actor that did as much for the space program in some ways as John Glenn.