TV Obits: Goodman, Wilson, Love
A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.
- Dody Goodman: She was a comic and character actress who appeared on several TV shows, including Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Tonight Show, St. Elsewhere, Diff’rent Strokes, Murder, She Wrote, The Phil Silvers Show, Punky Brewster, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and The Love Boat, and was in movies such as Grease and Splash. She died at age 92.
- Gerald Wilson: He was an editor on several TV shows over the years, including Bewitched, Serpico, Adventures in Paradise, Gunsmoke, and The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, as well as the miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors. He was also an editor on movies such as A Farewell To Arms and Mind Over Murder. He died at age 93.
- Kermit Love: He was the co-creator of the Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus. He also played Willie the Hot Dog vendor on the show, and Jim Henson named Kermit The Frog after Love.. He was also an acclaimed choreographer and costume designer. He died at age 91.
Jim Henson Predicts The Future
Jim Henson Predicts The Future
The Pitch: In this 1982 interview, Jim Henson talks about how High Definition Video is the Future of both Filmmaking and Cable Television, and how we’ll eventually have widescreen televisions in our homes.
Fraggle Rock Rolls, Electric Resparked
For the little kids in grown-ups who have yet to grow up, good news is on the horizon: A double helping of nostalgia will soon be making its way to screens both big and small.
Kid-friendly TV series Fraggle Rock and The Electric Company are being steamrolled back into production, the former in a live-action musical film, and the latter in an updated run on PBS.
According to Variety, the Weinstein Co. secured rights to the puppet-starring Jim Henson brainchild, announcing plans for a Fraggle Rock movie reuniting Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red. No plot has been revealed, though the big-screen adventure will take the characters outside their home turf, where they have brief interactions with humans whom they believe to be aliens.
The show debuted on HBO in 1983 and ran for five seasons.
The Electric Company, meanwhile, dates back even further, though skewed to roughly the same under-10 demographic, beginning its six-year run in 1971.
A freshor at least slightly fresherfaced Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno starred on the literacy-advocating series, produced by the Sesame Workshop.
Per the trade, PBS will begin airing 26 all-new episodes of the reading-, music- and dance-friendly show in January, with a cavalcade of branded books, games and digital media to follow.
If only enforced nap time could have the same resurgence.
Farscape going to comics
Add another television show to the list of those heading to the comic-book afterlife. The Jim Henson company has just made a deal with BOOM! Studios to create several four-issue series adapted from Farscape. The series of books will take advantage of webisodes that will be featured on SciFi.com, created by Rockne S. O’Brannon, the original series creator.
I know at least a few people who are huge fans of Farscape. It’s one of those shows that, I have to admit, I never even attempted to watch. At first glance, I didn’t like the idea of crazy-looking aliens and thought it would just be too, I dunno, silly to get into. I know — this coming from a guy who thinks Buffy is one of the greatest shows ever. Now that the show is gone and sci-fi fans still speak longingly about the series, I keep thinking I need to get the DVDs (all four seasons are, incidentally, already available). Might make a cool Retro Squad series here someday, no?