# Odd television facts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833 "2011-06-17T14:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/241 "2011-06-23T15:16:47Z")
Further Frawley Factoids: A known alcoholic, people tried to persuade Desi not to use Frawley. He talked to Frawley, who promised that he would not be a problem. Desi said he showed up on time and sober for every day of work and had his lines down pat. One reason Vance hated him was that he didn’t participate in optional read throughs. His comic timing was perfect, and he didn’t need the practice. Frawley is reputed to be part of an old meme, a drunk shouting “Play Melancholy Baby”. The story goes that a young Frawley sang this song in a Broadway show (actually _My Melancholy Baby_), and a drunk in the audience, Damon Runyon, began the shout outs. Another Hollywood story that crosses over into TV land is about an old Borscht Belt comedian who went by the moniker Parkyercarcass. His real name was Harry Einstein. He was attempting to make a comeback, and appeared in a Friar’s Club Roast in Hollywood. Some called it his best night ever. After finishing his bit, he sat down, and minutes later slumped over dead. The headlines followed with ‘Parkyercarcass kills, dies, at Friar’s Club’. Harry left a legacy though, his sons Bob and Albert. Albert Einstein changed his name because it would obviously be a problem in the entertainment industry. He chose the name Albert Brooks, and won an academy award for his performance in Broadcast News. His brother Bob kept his name, but is better known for a character he plays, Super Dave Osbourne. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/242 "2011-06-23T16:49:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > , and he didn’t need the practice. > > Frawley is reputed to be part of an old meme, a drunk shouting “Play Melancholy Baby”. The story goes that a young Frawley sang this song in a Broadway show (actually _My Melancholy Baby_), and a drunk in the audience, Damon Runyon, began the shout outs.. He appeared on I’ve Got a Secret and introducing that song was his secret. [Video](http://www.yourememberthat.com/media/2195/William_Frawley_sings/). ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/243 "2011-06-23T17:15:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Another Hollywood story that crosses over into TV land is about an old Borscht Belt comedian who went by the moniker Parkyercarcass. His real name was Harry Einstein. He was attempting to make a comeback, and appeared in a Friar’s Club Roast in Hollywood. Some called it his best night ever. After finishing his bit, he sat down, and minutes later slumped over dead. The headlines followed with ‘Parkyercarcass kills, dies, at Friar’s Club’. Harry left a legacy though, his sons Bob and Albert. Albert Einstein changed his name because it would obviously be a problem in the entertainment industry. He chose the name Albert Brooks, and \*\*won an academy award \*\*for his performance in Broadcast News. His brother Bob kept his name, but is better known for a character he plays, Super Dave Osbourne. He was nominated. He did not win. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/244 "2011-06-23T17:24:16Z")
Another “Sanford & Son” name game: The actor playing Lamont [Grady Demond Wilson] went by his middle name, instead of his first “Grady.” In a Season 1 ep, Lamont is about to get married, and the rev introduces him as 'Lamont Grady Sanford," picking Wilson’s first name as Lamont’s middle. Later, they reused the Wilson name for Fred’s crony Grady Wilson. So, in a sense, Whitman Mayo was playing a character using Lamont’s real name. Finally, in the last season, Lamont asks Fred about why he never had a middle name. Fred tells him that “Lamont” was his middle name, that he and Elizabeth were never able to decide on a first. (Continuity back then was even dicier than today.) Other (somewhat) real names used: Don Bexley played Bubba Bexley. Melvin “Slappy” White played Melvin. Ernest “Skillet” Mayhand played Skillet. [He and Leroy ‘Sloppy’ Daniels, who also appeared in a few eps, were a real-life comedy team.] ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/245 "2011-06-23T17:34:20Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > He was nominated. He did not win. You are correct. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/246 "2011-06-23T17:45:40Z")
This [public service advertisement](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szZsKdJYR-A) from the Department of Labor has Batgirl showing up to rescue Batman and Robin from a bomb. Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig play Robin and Batgirl (along with Bill Dozier as the narrator), but the actor in the Batman costume is not Adam West, who declined to appear in the ad because he felt he was typecast and wanted to put some distance between him and the Batman character. A casting call went out for an actor who was approximately West’s size and would resemble him in the Bat-costume. Dick Gautier, who was well-known for playing Hymie the robot in “Get Smart,” showed up and was given the part. In addition, that’s Gautier imitating West’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/247 "2011-06-23T17:50:39Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Kind of like how _All In The Family_ spun off _Maude_ which spun off _Good Times_. > > And the original show was just a copy from England. I don’t considered _Good Times_ to be a spin-off. The only thing that was the same was the character’s name. Florida, was married to Henry (played by the same actor), she lived in NYC and wasn’t poor. Suddenly her husband has a different name and she’s in the ghetto in Chicago. And why was Wilona their neighbor. A young SINGLE female wouldn’t be in public housing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/248 "2011-06-23T19:46:34Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I might be misremembering because it’s been awhile since I read the books, but in one of the Star Trek nonfiction books written by David Gerrold, I believe it’s mentioned that both of these were factors in Chekov’s addition to the cast. Pravda actually complained about the fact that Star Trek didn’t contain a Russian character (with Russians at the time making big strides in space exploration) and Roddenberry agreed. But they also did want a young Beatles type. I believe Koenig wore a Beatle wig to his audition. Except nobody can find a Pravda article about this. And yes, the wig has been covered now. > [@kunilou](#): > > Not as wrong, however, as _Deep Space Nine’s_ episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” where Worf and the crew are looking at the 75 year old recording of Klingons without ridges on their heads. Worf dismisses the different appearance, saying “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” I thought that scene happened while they were in the bar. Someone observes other flat head Klingons, and Worf gives his brush off. > [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Incorrect. It’s the other way around. [Frasier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frasier) began Sept. 16th, 1993. While [Friends](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends) debuted Sept. 22nd, 1994 - a year later. You misunderstood. That is what he said. He was correcting _Mad About You_ as the show where Lisa Kudrow got hired after getting rejected from _Frasier_. > [@BigT](#): > > This isn’t the only color correction thing. You know the gold uniforms? They are about the same color green as the Captain’s Jacket appears–kind of an olive green. They only appear yellow on camera. Yes, that’s not a deliberate color correction, it’s the effect of how cameras pick up lighting differently from eyes. A buddy of mine had a “bridge set” that included the captain’s chair and Navigator’s station/Helm console, that he used for a variety of events before finally selling it. It was painted in such a way to appear correctly colored on the screen, but in person the colors were off. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/249 "2011-06-23T19:53:55Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I thought that scene happened while they were in the bar. Someone observes other flat head Klingons, and Worf gives his brush off. Yes. Worf, Odo, and O’Brien are drinking while looking for the Klingons. The waitress mentions that there are some in the bar - after Odo looks around, trying to find them, she points them out - O’Brien and Odo look at Worf for an explanation. He looks embarrassed, and says his line. (Then [del]Koloth[/del]Korax starts his fight with Scotty, resulting in O’Brien replacing one of the generic extras when Kirk is dressing down the crewmen involved.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/250 "2011-06-23T20:05:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Another Hollywood story that crosses over into TV land is about an old Borscht Belt comedian who went by the moniker Parkyercarcass. His real name was Harry Einstein. He was attempting to make a comeback, and appeared in a Friar’s Club Roast in Hollywood. Some called it his best night ever. After finishing his bit, he sat down, and minutes later slumped over dead. The headlines followed with ‘Parkyercarcass kills, dies, at Friar’s Club’. Harry left a legacy though, his sons Bob and Albert. Albert Einstein changed his name because it would obviously be a problem in the entertainment industry. He chose the name Albert Brooks, and won an academy award for his performance in Broadcast News. His brother Bob kept his name, but is better known for a character he plays, Super Dave Osbourne. There’s a story that Carl Reiner appeared on the Tonight Show shortly after Johnny Carson had taken over as host. They were talking about comedians and Reiner supposedly told Carson that the two funniest people he ever met were Mel Brooks and a twelve year old kid named Albert Einstein. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/251 "2011-06-23T20:16:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s a story that Carl Reiner appeared on the Tonight Show shortly after Johnny Carson had taken over as host. They were talking about comedians and Reiner supposedly told Carson that the two funniest people he ever met were Mel Brooks and a twelve year old kid named Albert Einstein. Maybe that’s how Albert picked his nom de drôle ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/252 "2011-06-23T20:29:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s a story that Carl Reiner appeared on the Tonight Show shortly after Johnny Carson had taken over as host. They were talking about comedians and Reiner supposedly told Carson that the two funniest people he ever met were Mel Brooks and a twelve year old kid named Albert Einstein. The first time I saw Albert Brooks on the Tonight Show, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, and I’ve never been able to find the routine again. It was a bit about a guy who did a great Ed Sullivan impression, and some producer saw it and hired him to do an important show. The problem was, Ed Sullivan was the only voice he could do, so everybody else he did — Cary Grant, Porky Pig, etc., sounded just like Ed Sullivan. I guess you had to be there, but it still makes me laugh just thinking about it, 40 or so years later. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/253 "2011-06-23T20:38:54Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Er…random free association aside…another interesting bit of trivia - Bull wasn’t initially conceived as being bald - Moll had shaved his head for another role (Hurok, in Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn), and everyone agreed the look worked for him, so, we got a bald Bull. One of Richard Moll’s favorite jokes to make when doing offseason interviews was, “I like to grow hair on my hiatus.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/254 "2011-06-23T20:56:53Z")
> [@Saltire](#): > > One of Richard Moll’s favorite jokes to make when doing offseason interviews was, “I like to grow hair on my hiatus.” Richard Moll later played Lincoln in a touring production of _The Lincoln-Douglas Debates_ and got great reviews. Another TV personality who got great reviews for his Lincoln was Fred Gwynne, who played him opposite Kate Mulgrew as Mary Todd. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/255 "2011-06-23T21:11:43Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Except nobody can find a Pravda article about this. And yes, the wig has been covered now. Interesting. [It appears that you’re right](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/chekov.asp)–I didn’t realize this. Also interesting that if this article can be believed, Chekov was planned as more of a “Monkees type” than a “Beatles type.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/256 "2011-06-23T21:37:14Z")
As I’ve said before, I wish, after all these years, some Russian-speaking Trekker would actually go and look in the _Pravda_ archives from 1966-69 to find the legendary editorial that supposedly led to the creation of the Chekov character. It’s either there or it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/257 "2011-06-23T21:42:58Z")
It seems odd, because Star Trek predated the movie Marooned. The Soviets were stunned that a Cosmonaut was the hero of that movie rather than a villain, and this was supposed to have opened the door to the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in the mid 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/258 "2011-06-23T21:47:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Richard Moll later played Lincoln in a touring production of _The Lincoln-Douglas Debates_ and got great reviews. Another TV personality who got great reviews for his Lincoln was Fred Gwynne, who played him opposite Kate Mulgrew as Mary Todd. And what role did Kate Mulgrew play? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/259 "2011-06-23T21:56:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > As I’ve said before, I wish, after all these years, some Russian-speaking Trekker would actually go and look in the _Pravda_ archives from 1966-69 to find the legendary editorial that supposedly led to the creation of the Chekov character. It’s either there or it’s not. Koenig started in season two. If the Pravda article is to have influenced anyone, it would have to have been written/read before then. (Season 1 was Sept '66 to sometime in '67.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/260 "2011-06-23T22:36:45Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > This might be true, but it seems a little odd. I would have expected the second unit to be filming the non-star scenes simultaneously. Second unit most often refers to the filming of stunts, precision driving; I would think that Star Trek didn’t have a second unit. Occasionally, when there’s no official second unit, a splinter unit will form to shoot something simultaneously - usually an insert, and one of the AD’s will act as director. Simultaneous filming for a show that is produced on a sound stage is virtually impossible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=14)