THE JEWELED GUN Original Airdate: November 24, 1957
Synopsis. Kathleen Crowley guest stars as Daisy Harris, a wealthy woman with many secrets. Daisy hires Bart to pose as her husband (“John Haskell”) and accompany her on a trip to Laramie, Wyoming. Bart doesn’t realize that Daisy plans to kill him—long ago, the real Haskell was murdered by Henrique Felippe, her attorney (and lover). Daisy and Felippe hope to cover their tracks by staging an elaborate murder (and burial) of “Haskell.”
While the script for “The Jeweled Gun” was completed in August 1957, filming did not begin until sometime in October, shortly after Jack Kelly joined the cast as Bart Maverick. Initially, the script was tailored for James Garner, with Kelly appearing only in the vignettes that open and close the show. However, a last-minute switch resulted in Kelly starring in the episode and Garner appearing in the vignettes. As a result, “The Jeweled Gun” became the first solo Bart adventure.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
A GOOD CLEAN BUST WITH SEQUEL RIGHTS Original Air Date: November 17, 1978 Synopsis. Jim becomes a temporary “babysitter” for Frank Falcone (played by Hector Elizondo), a superstar cop from Chicago whose legendary exploits have spawned a best seller, a major motion picture, a popular network TV series, and a new line of toys. While protecting the rambunctious celebrity, Rockford learns that Falcone may be the target of a contract killer.
According to the writer of this episode, Rudolph Borchert, the Hector Elizondo character in “A Good Clean Bust” was loosely based on David Toma, the New Jersey undercover detective whose exploits provided the basis for both the Toma and Baretta series. There is, of course, a direct line between Toma and the creation of The Rockford Files.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details.
THE AARON IRONWOOD SCHOOL OF SUCCESS Original Air Date: September 12, 1975
Synopsis. Aaron Ironwood, an orphan who once lived with the Rockfords for many years, is now a self-made multi-millionaire who travels around the country giving motivational seminars that promote “Dare to Win,” a $5,000 program that purports to teach people the secrets of his success. But Aaron (played by Jim Hampton) is also a fraud artist, and Jim becomes his latest victim. After agreeing to take over control of Aaron’s company temporarily, Rockford discovers that Ironwood is wanted by both federal agents and the mob.
According to this episode, Becker is fifth on the list for lieutenant (“If I do well, I can make lieutenant in two or three months”). Although it took him a little longer than anticipated, Becker finally earned his promotion in the fifth-season episode “Kill the Messenger.”
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details
Black Pawn Press, the publisher of #45YearsofTheRockfordFiles, #mavericklegendofthewest revised third edition,… Posted by Ed Robertson on Monday, November 23, 2020
If you grew up watching television in the ’50s, ’60s and early 1970s, you know that part of the fun of watching TV back then were the ubiquitous—and often ingenious—animated commercials for Cap’n Crunch, Sugar Crisp, Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Quisp and Quake, Trix, Count Chocula, Franken Berry and numerous other popular breakfast cereals made by Kellogg’s, Post, Quaker, Ralston-Purina and other manufacturers. Much of these appeal of these commercials is the host of animated characters that are still popular today, including Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Lucky the Leprechaun, the Trix Rabbit and the Cheerios Kid. These cereal characters became big stars not only through their TV commercials, but through merchandise such as comic books, stuffed toys and, in some cases, their own TV series.
We’ll talk about this, and more, in our second hour as we replay our conversation from September 2013 with author Tim Hollis. Tim’s book Part of a Complete Breakfast: Cereal Characters of the Baby Boom Era not only reveals the origins and appeal of these commercials, but discusses how changing times helped lead to the demise of some of these popular animated breakfast-cereal characters.
Speaking of savvy advertising, we’ll talk about Coca-Cola—a product that has used print, radio and television very effectively throughout its long history—in our first hour as we replay our conversation from September 2013 with Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It. What began as a medicinal product in 1886 gradually evolved into a refreshment beverage that not only became the dominant consumer product in the United States throughout the 20th century, but, in many respects, came to be identified with America itself.
Originally published in 1993, For God, Country and Coca-Cola has been revised and updated with new information on the history and future of Coca-Cola, including a look at how Coca-Cola and Pepsi, once rivals in the “cola wars,” are now united in the “new cola wars”—despite the fact that both are considered the primary culprits behind the obesity epidemic. The new edition also documents beyond the shadow of a doubt that Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine; discusses the origins of such famous TV campaigns as “The Hilltop Ad” (as well as the differences in how Coke and Pepsi advertise their products), and reveals the original formula used by Frank Mason Robinson, the man who not only gave Coca-Cola its name, but wrote the name in the Spencerian script that became the product’s trademark.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television Fri 9am ET, 6am PT on WBRT AM 1320/FM 97.1 (Bardstown, KY) Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org and CX Radio Brazil Fri 10pm ET, 7pm PT, Sat/Sun 11pm ET, 8pm PT on RadioSlot (San Francisco, CA) Sat 9am ET, 6am PT on WKXO 1500 AM and 103.5 FM (Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY) Sat 3pm ET, Noon PT on WTCA 1050 AM and 106.1 FM (Plymouth, IN) Sat 4pm CT, 2pm PT and Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KSCJ 1360 AM and 94.9 FM (Sioux City, IA) Sat 8pm ET, 5pm PT and Sun 10am ET, 7am PT on Indiana Talks (Huntington, IN) Sat 10pm ET, 7pm PT on 920 WON The Apple (Brooklyn, NY) Sun 5am ET, 2am PT on WLAD-AM 800 and FM 94.1 (Danbury, CT) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose/Santa Cruz/Salinas, CA) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KOMY-AM 1340 (La Selva Beach/Watsonville, CA) Sun 1pm ET, 10am PT on CROC Radio (British Columbia, Canada) Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KLTF (St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN) Sun 8pm CT, 6pm PT on KPLT AM and FM (Paris, TX) Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT on WDIG AM (Dothan, AL) Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM and FM (Half Moon Bay, CA) Various times throughout the week on the Entertainment Channel at Passionate World Talk Radio
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Join our mailing list and receive our weekly newsletter with news on upcoming guests and other things you’ll want to know. Best of all, it’s free! TV Confidential now has its own YouTube channel and TuneIn channel. Catch up on recent episodes, on demand, on the go, and for free. Alexa users: You can now listen to TV Confidential any time on your smart speaker just by saying “Alexa, play TV Confidential.” Become a TV Confidential Confidant and receive unlimited access to the last five years of TV Confidential and other Members Only privileges, including the opportunity to participate in select guest interviews, and more. Joining is easy. To find out how, go to TelevisionConfidential.com and click Become a Confidant.
Amy Stoch of Bill and Ted 3Original Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.4: Actress Amy Stoch (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dallas, the Gunsmoke reunion movies) talks to Ed about reprising her role as Missy, Bill Preston’s stepmom, in Bill and Ted Face the Music. She also shares the story of the wonderful compliment that Barbara Bel Geddes paid her early during her arc on Dallas. Bill and Ted Face the Music is now showing in select drive-ins and is available for viewing on demand on many platforms. Amy Stoch on working with TV legend James ArnessOriginal Airdates: Aug. 28-30, 2020 TVC 506.5: Actress Amy Stoch (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted Face the Music) shares a few memories of playing Matt Dillon’s daughter in the Gunsmoke reunion movies. She also talks to Ed about her second career as an adjunct instructor at four universities (and the challenges of teaching her students online this past semester, in light of COVID-19). Bill and Ted Face the Music is now showing in select drive-ins and is available for viewing on demand on many platforms.
Amy Stoch recently reprised her role as Missy in Bill and Ted Face the Music, the rollicking third film in the Bill and Ted series. She’ll tell us what it was like to revisit a character that she hadn’t played in thirty years, plus we’ll talk about her second career as an adjunct instructor at four universities (and the challenges of teaching her students online this past semester, in light of COVID-19), as well as ask her a few questions about her other movie and TV roles. Amy Stoch will join us in our second hour. Bill and Ted Face the Music will be released Tuesday, Sept. 1 by Orion Pictures.
This week’s program will also include a conversation with author, screenwriter, opinion columnist, and high school educator Larry Strauss. Larry has taught high school English in South Los Angeles for nearly thirty years. He has also written more than a dozen books—one of which, The Facts of My Life, he co-authored with his mother, stage and television actress Charlotte Rae.
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television Fri 9am ET, 6am PT on WBRT AM 1320/FM 97.1 (Bardstown, KY) Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org and CX Radio Brazil Fri 10pm ET, 7pm PT, Sat/Sun 11pm ET, 8pm PT on RadioSlot (San Francisco, CA) Sat 9am ET, 6am PT on WKXO 1500 AM and 103.5 FM (Lexington-Fayette/Richmond/Berea, KY) Sat 3pm ET, Noon PT on WTCA 1050 AM and 106.1 FM (Plymouth, IN) Sat 4pm CT, 2pm PT and Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KSCJ 1360 AM and 94.9 FM (Sioux City, IA) Sat 8pm ET, 5pm PT and Sun 10am ET, 7am PT on Indiana Talks (Huntington, IN) Sat 10pm ET, 7pm PT on 920 WON The Apple (Brooklyn, NY) Sun 5am ET, 2am PT on WLAD-AM 800 and FM 94.1 (Danbury, CT) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose/Santa Cruz/Salinas, CA) Sun 9am ET, 6am PT on KOMY-AM 1340 (La Selva Beach/Watsonville, CA) Sun 1pm ET, 10am PT on CROC Radio (British Columbia, Canada) Sun 6pm CT, 4pm PT on KLTF (St. Cloud/Little Falls, MN) Sun 8pm CT, 6pm PT on KPLT AM and FM (Paris, TX) Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT on WDIG AM (Dothan, AL) Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM and FM (Half Moon Bay, CA) Various times throughout the week on the Entertainment Channel at Passionate World Talk Radio
Did you miss last week’s show? Download the podcast by hitting SHARE and listen to it on demand:
Join our mailing list and receive our weekly newsletter with news on upcoming guests and other things you’ll want to know. Best of all, it’s free! TV Confidential now has its own YouTube channel and TuneIn channel. Catch up on recent episodes, on demand, on the go, and for free.
Alexa users: You can now listen to TV Confidential any time on your smart speaker just by saying “Alexa, play TV Confidential.” Become a TV Confidential Confidant and receive unlimited access to the last five years of TV Confidential and other Members Only privileges, including the opportunity to participate in select guest interviews, and more. Joining is easy. To find out how, go to TelevisionConfidential.com and click Become a Confidant.
Amy Stoch