Posted on 10/22/2006 4:26:57 PM PDT by lunarbicep
Jane Wyatt, the lovely, serene actress who for six years on "Father Knows Best" was one of TV's favorite moms, has died, said her publicist. She was 96.
Wyatt died Friday in her sleep of natural causes at her home in Bel-Air, according to publicist Meg McDonald. Her death also was confirmed by Bernard Johnson of the funeral home Gates, Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy Funeral Directors.
Don't forget who kick Perry Mason a** before Perry Mason series
GODZILLA
Wilford Brimley must be pushing 500. Eating his oatmeal must be the secret to his longevity. :)
ping
Gardiner McKay died five years ago of cancer. "A in P" was one of my late Dad's favorite shows, along with Lee Marvin's "M Squad" and "Topper". And we can't forget "Tugboat Annie".
I think it does. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046600/
I found this on IMDB. I just searched on the name Preston Foster.
Never be in doubt again.
Dead or Alive
Thank you.
I remember them all!
Yes, and now we have...?
It's not mentioned because you can't tell the difference between Jane Wyatt and Jane Wyman.
Those who listened to or saw the following programs (in or out of living colour, on NBC or elsewhere) or characters just might disagree that insults didn't become acceptable until All in the Family arrived:
* Easy Aces (1930-45)---The classic conversational comedy, with Jane Ace as the classic malaproprietress and her husband, Goodman (who wrote the show) as her wry husband.
Jane: Well, you could have knocked me over with a fender!
Ace: Mmmmmm, there's an idea.
---
Jane: Listen, dear, there's a time to joke and a time not. And this is it. Instead of complaining just think of the money we'll save by not having a maid. We're talking thousands.
Ace: Are you talking dollars?
Jane: I'm certainly not talking cents.
Ace: I pass.
* Abbott and Costello---It wasn't only Abbott's zingers that Costello was the butt of. This one was a personal favourite of mine when I happened upon a recording of the show, the plot of which was Abbott and Costello going to Palm Springs to try talking Veronica Lake into being part of their next film. (This show also premiered their famous "U-Drive" routine, by the way.)
Veronica Lake: Have you ever ridden on a donkey?
Costello: No, why?
Lake: Then you'd better get onto yourself.
* Fred Allen---He didn't confine his insults to Jack Benny during their longtime mock feud; nor did he mind being the butt of an insult. Not that his zingers at Benny were slouches: "Why, you fugitive from a Ripley cartoon!" Even better were Allen's zaps at overbearing network vice presidents.
* Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy---The second-best mock feud in classic radio: McCarthy v. W.C. Fields. (And it only began with Fields referring to McCarthy as "my little termite playground.")
* Fibber McGee and Molly---Wistful Vista was insult heaven, in its way, particularly when it was McGee v. Gildersleeve or Doc Gamble.
For that matter . . .
* The Great Gildersleeve---Gildersleeve v. Judge Hooker.
* The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show---Phil and Remley v. Julius the delivery boy (played by Walter Tetley, the same child impersonator who played wisenheimer nephew Leroy on Gildersleeve); and, come to think of it, even their on-air daughters were good for a few zingers, too.
* The Bickersons---The prototype for The Honeymooners and Married . . . With Children, among others; it was the breakout sketch from the variety show Drene Time (Danny Thomas was a co-star with Don Ameche and Frances Langford):
Blanche (played by Frances Langford): You used to be so considerate. Since you got married to me you haven't got any sympathy at all.
John (played by Don Ameche): I have, too. I've got everybody's sympathy.
Blanche: Believe me there's better fish in the ocean than the one I caught.
John: There's better bait, too.
Blanche: Is there any milk for breakfast?
John: No.
Blanche: Then you'll have to eat out.
John: I don't care, I've been doing it all week.
Blanche: What for? I left you enough food for six days. I cooked a whole bathtub fill of rice. What happened to it?
John: I took a bath in it.
Blanche: Why didn't you eat it?
John: I've told you a million times I can't stand the sight of rice!
Blanche: Why not?
John: Because it's connected with the saddest mistake of my life.
* The Jack Benny Program---Rochester v. Jack. Mary Livingstone v. Jack. Jack v. Phil Harris. Everybody v. Don Wilson, practically.
* The Big Show---NBC's short-lived but memorably 90-minute radio variety hour. Hosted by Tallulah Bankhead.
* The Honeymooners---Anyone who told you insults didn't become acceptable until All in the Family can't possibly remember Ralph and Alice, or Ralph and Norton. There were actually times they made Archie v. the Meathead or Archie v. the Dingbat or Archie v. the Jeffersons resemble Alphonse v. Gaston.
Ralph: You are the only man that can turn my stomach upside down!
Norton: There ain't a man in New York that's strong enough to turn your stomach upside down!
---
Ralph: What do you know about fishin', when did you ever catch anything?
Alice: Fifteen years ago---I caught three hundred pounds of blubber.
---
Alice: Your crazy hairbrained schemes. That's all I've heard since the day we were married.
Ralph: You heard one of my hairbrained schemes before we were married---I proposed to you.
---
Ralph: When you see me coming down the street, get on the other side
Norton: When you come down the street, there ain't no other side!
---
Ralph: This house is like a ship. And on this ship, I'm the captain. You are nothing but a lowly third-class seaman. And your job is to get the mess, and swab the deck, and see that the captain is happy.
Alice: (begins to leave for the bedroom).
Ralph: Where do you think you're going?
Alice (salutes sarcastically): Seaman Kramden Third Class is retiring to the poop deck until this big wind blows over!
* Our Miss Brooks---On radio or television, Mr. Conklin (Gale Gordon) taught Insults 101. And Miss Brooks herself wasn't above an insult or three, either.
* I Love Lucy---Fred v. Ethel. Ricky v. Lucy.
* Leave It to Beaver---Eddie Haskell v. everybody, unless Mrs. Cleaver happened to be home.
* The Dick Van Dyke Show---Buddy Sorrell v. Mel Cooley. Alan Brady v. Mel Cooley. Come to think of it, Alan Brady v. everybody.
* The Hollywood Palace---Especially when Dean Martin hosted. ("Now don't go away, everybody---you wouldn't leave me alone with the Rolling Stones, would you?" Not to mention the way he introduced a trampolinist on the same installment: "That's the father of the Rolling Stones. He's been trying to kill himself ever since.")
* The Munsters---Herman v. Grandpa.
* The Lucy Show---Lucy v. Mr. Mooney.
* That Girl---Donald Hollinger v. Lew Marie.
* F Troop---O'Rourke v. Agarn, Dobbs v. Agarn, Chief Wild Eagle v. Crazy Cat.
McHale's Navy---LtCmdr McHale v. Captain Binghamton.
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In---Rowan v. Martin.
The Odd Couple---Who else? Oscar v. Felix; or, if you prefer, Felix v. Oscar. (Forgotten: the television version premiered a year and a half, approximately, before All in the Family.)
I have the same complaint and sometimes it really makes me mad. (Even if I do find Everybody Loves Raymond hilarious)
Greatest sitcom of all time, imo. When I signed up here I nearly signed up as Laura Petrie. That woman pretty much had it all.
Hehe, one of the young little TV news anchors last night, when announcing Miss Wyatt's death, said she starred in "Fathers Know Best."
Wouldn't play today, would it?
She had a great life - no regrets, I'm sure. She was so much prettier in the old movie clips I saw today than what I remembered of her as Margaret Anderson.
Oooh, I had a crush on Bud, too. But then, there were those Nelson boys!
Oh, I remember all those - Waterfront, Adventures in Paradise, Sea Hunt. Remember "Lincoln Vale of the Everglades" and his airboat?
Wow, Hawaiian Eye - hadn't thought of that one in many years. Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens, wasn't it? Her character had a funky little name like Gidget .... hmmm ... Cricket???
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