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I laugh when I hear people talk about how “The Bear” is a sure thing winner for Best Comedy Series and that it’s such a lock nothing whatsoever can derail it. Ha! Ha I say! Oh, it’s naturally the heavy favorite with its 23 nominations and has remained the overwhelming frontrunner clear through Emmy season, all right. In the Gold Derby combined Emmy odds, it’s running away with this race. The same is true of ““Shōgun” for drama after its giant haul of 25 Emmy bids. And nothing can beat “Baby Reindeer” for Best Limited Series, right? Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”) is a shoo-in for limited supporting actress, isn’t she? And no one could possibly beat Jamie Lee Curtis (“The Bear”) for comedy guest actress – could they?

But if Emmy history has taught us anything, it’s that upsets happen, even when it comes to shows and people considered locks.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now available on VOD. There’s no way around it – the film’s theatrical release was a huge disappointment, as it earned back only a fraction of its reported budget and has put the release of the second film in major jeopardy. However, now that it’s streaming, the hope is that people will be able to discover it at home, perhaps paving the way for this saga to continue. If you’ve watched Horizon and are jonesing for more modern westerns to check out, here are some we really like here at JoBlo.

Tombstone (1993):

This is perhaps an ironic one to put on a list that pays tribute to Costner’s Horizon, as the star’s own big-budget western epic, Wyatt Earp, was badly overshadowed by this competing story about the same historical events. The fact is, George Pan Cosmatos and Kurt Russell...

In 2019, Don Cheadle received his ninth career Emmy nomination for his work on the first season of Showtime’s “Black Monday.” Although he ultimately came up short in that year’s Best Comedy Actor race, he still made history as the 12th man to compete in that category as the star of multiple series, having previously earned four bids for the same network’s “House of Lies.” Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who else belongs to this special group.

Seven of the dozen actors on this roster took the gold for at least one of their nominated roles. This includes Richard Mulligan and Michael J. Fox, who each won for two series (“Soap” and “Empty Nest”; “Family Ties” and “Spin City”). Also listed is John Ritter (“Three’s Company”; “Hooperman”; “8 Simple Rules”), who remains the only three-show nominee in the history of either comedy lead category.

Although...

In 2019, Don Cheadle received his ninth career Emmy nomination for his work on the first season of Showtime’s “Black Monday.” Although he ultimately came up short in that year’s Best Comedy Actor race, he still made history as the 12th man to compete in that category as the star of multiple series, having previously earned four bids for the same network’s “House of Lies.” Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who else belongs to this special group.

Seven of the dozen actors on this roster took the gold for at least one of their nominated roles. This includes Richard Mulligan and Michael J. Fox, who each won for two series (“Soap” and “Empty Nest”; “Family Ties” and “Spin City”). Also listed is John Ritter (“Three’s Company”; “Hooperman”; “8 Simple Rules”), who remains the only three-show nominee in the history of either comedy lead category.

Although...

Nearly four decades ago, NBC brought Babes in Toyland back to life with an all-star cast.

The holiday project was based on the 1903 operetta, which features Victor Herbert’s score — including Christmas staple “Toyland” — and a libretto from Glen MacDonough that draws together numerous Mother Goose characters. It followed such previous adaptations as a 1934 Laurel and Hardy film, a 1960 Shirley Temple-led TV version and a 1961 Disney movie starring Annette Funicello.

Filmmaker Clive Donner — whose 1965 comedy What’s New Pussycat? marked Woody Allen’s first produced screenplay — directed Babes in Toyland from a script by Paul Zindel (Mame).

Shot in Munich, it starred 11-year-old Drew Barrymore as Lisa, who has no interest in toys until she gets magically transported to Toyland on Christmas Eve, where she teams up with the Toymaster (Pat Morita, fresh off The Karate Kid Part II) to stop the villainous Barnaby Barnicle (Richard Mulligan) from taking over the realm.

I laugh when I hear people talk about how “Succession” is a sure thing winner for Best Drama Series and that it’s such a lock nothing whatsoever can derail it. Ha! Ha I say! Oh, it’s naturally going to be nominated and will likely remain the overwhelming frontrunner clear through Emmy season and up to Emmy night, all right. In the Gold Derby combined Emmy odds, it’s running away with this race, with “The White Lotus” Sicily” a very distant second. But if Emmy history has taught us anything, it’s that upsets happen, even giant ones. So you can absolutely never say never.

What upsets are we talking about? Well, let’s flash back and check out 15 of them, shall we?

See‘Succession’ way out front to win Best Drama Series Emmy 1952: “The Red Skelton Hour” beats “I Love Lucy” for “Best Comedy Show” – “Lucy...

In 1953, Danny Thomas began his TV career as the star of ABC’s “Make Room for Daddy,” which eventually migrated to CBS and became known as “The Danny Thomas Show.” Thomas played family man Danny Williams for a total of 11 seasons, ultimately electing to end the show while its ratings were still high. Afterward, he earned an Emmy bid for producing “The Mod Squad,” guest starred on such programs as “Happy Days” and “Here’s Lucy,” and reprised his most well-known role on the single-season sequel series “Make Room for Granddaddy.”

Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...

In 1953, Danny Thomas began his TV career as the star of ABC’s “Make Room for Daddy,” which eventually migrated to CBS and became known as “The Danny Thomas Show.” Thomas played family man Danny Williams for a total of 11 seasons, ultimately electing to end the show while its ratings were still high. Afterward, he earned an Emmy bid for producing “The Mod Squad,” guest starred on such programs as “Happy Days” and “Here’s Lucy,” and reprised his most well-known role on the single-season sequel series “Make Room for Granddaddy.”

Thomas’s final role was on an episode of the NBC sitcom “Empty Nest,” which aired just four days before his death in 1991 at age 79. His portrayal of the mentor of lead character Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) resulted in an Emmy nomination – his first since earning four for his eponymous show over three decades earlier. He was originally the...

1986: Bobby was alive and well on Dallas; his death was a dream.

1994: All My Children's Erica visited her mother's grave.

1995: Another World's Grant shot his brother, Ryan, in the back.

1997: Days of our Lives recast the role of Jack...in a shower."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1938: Radio soap opera Houseboat Hannah premiered on the NBC Red Network. Hard working Dan O'Leary, who lost an arm in a factory accident, moved his financially strapped family aboard a house boat in Shanty Fish Row on San Francisco Bay.

Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves are taking a ride down memory lane. During the Dec. 21 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the two stars, who appeared in the 1986 Christmas movie Babes in Toyland, reminisced about their time working on what Drew described as an "obscure masterpiece." "We had so much fun making it," she said, as Keanu called the experience "crazy" and gave shout-outs to co-stars Richard Mulligan and Jill Schoelen. "I'm just looking back from 1986 until now, we have both had the privilege and fortune to keep going—what a blessing that is," Drew told the Matrix Resurrections star. "You're someone I think of, too, as being so gracious...

For most of the late 1970s, ABC essentially reigned supreme among TV networks with the hit series “Happy Days” and its spinoff, “Laverne & Shirley.” In the fall of 1977, new sitcoms “Three’s Company” and “Soap” were chosen to follow the sister series in the Tuesday night lineup, leading to an increase in the network’s popularity. Although “Soap” was the least favored of the four, it attracted a strong following due to its quirky premise. Presented a parody of daytime soap operas, the show focused on two sisters and their respective turbulent households.

“Soap” won four Emmys during its four-season run, half of which came in 1980 in honor of the acting work of one of its pairs of leads. The Best Comedy Actor prize went to Richard Mulligan (47), while the corresponding female award went to his TV wife, Cathryn Damon, who would turn 50 later that week. At the time of her victory,...

Last Year’s Winner: Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”

Still Eligible: No.

Hot Streak: Repeat winners are still trendy in the Best Comedy Actor category. Bill Hader won in back-to-back years for “Barry” (2018 – 2019), Jeffrey Tambor won twice for “Transparent” (2015 – 2016), and Jim Parsons saw repeat wins for “The Big Bang Theory” in 2013 and 2014, after doubling up in 2010 and 2011. With 2020 winner Eugene Levy out of the running, we won’t see a hot streak established in 2021, but there’s no reason to think this won’t be the year that starts one.

Fun Fact: Ted Danson has the most nominations in the Best Comedy Actor category with 14, spread across just two shows (three for “The Good Place” and 11 for “Cheers”). Overall, the walking, talking American treasure has 18 Emmy nominations and two wins (both for “Cheers”), with additional nods stemming from his work in the FX drama “Damages” and the 1984 TV Movie “Something About Amelia.

There is no doubt that Ted Danson is a talented actor who has had one heck of a career, but if you need the cold, hard facts, look no further than the Emmy nominations he’s accrued over the years. Of his 18 total bids, 14 have come in Best Comedy Actor, and now he’s eyeing a possible 15th in the category for his turn as a former businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles on NBC’s freshman comedy “Mr. Mayor.”

The former “Cheers” star is currently in fifth place in Gold Derby’s combined odds for Best Comedy Actor, sitting behind reigning Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild Award champ Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”), as well as Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”), Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”) and Kenan Thompson (“Kenan”). Ralph Macchio (“Cobra Kai”) rounds out the top six.

Should Danson receive his 15th comedy actor nom this summer,...

For the second year in a row, Don Cheadle has scored the sole Emmy nomination for “Black Monday,” in Best Comedy Actor. Hoping to score his first career victory, he has submitted the Halloween episode, “Who Are You Supposed to Be?”, for consideration, which Cheadle himself has dubbed as “crazy.”

In the episode, Mo (Cheadle) is dressed as Prince Akeem from the 1988 Eddie Murphy film “Coming to America.” The episode opens with Mo riffing and reminiscing with Dawn (Regina Hall) while spiking the punch. We then see him juggle relationships as he tries to make a deal with the FBI, get Blair (Andrew Rannells) caught for insider trading, convince Dawn to keep her hands clean, and try to figure out who Keith (Paul Scheer) is working for.

When Marcus (Dule Hill) arrives in a regal Prince Akeem costume, the two men fight over who can dance with Dawn. This results...

This year the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will look a little different in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting a virtual ceremony; exactly how this will be carried out will be another interesting and likely memorable part of our current times. However, there have been quite a few times the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has been challenged by an outside event affecting the ceremony, with one such event forty years ago also resulting in a largely empty auditorium – but for an entirely different reason.

An ongoing strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild resulted in a very small crowd at the 32nd gala, which was hosted by Steve Allen and Dick Clark at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on September 7, 1980. Most presenters and 51 of the 52 nominated performers opted to boycott the event, with the exception of one brave soul who chose to accept his statuette in person.

For the third consecutive year — and the final time for “The Good Place” — Ted Danson has extended his own Emmy record in Best Comedy Actor with his 14th nomination on Tuesday.

Danson is up against Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”), Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”), Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”), Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”).

The actor grabbed the solo record two years ago when he earned his 12th bid and the first one for “The Good Place,” following it up with another one last year. He was previously in a three-way tie at 11 nominations with Alan Alda and Kelsey Grammer for 14 years.

See Full list of 2020 Emmy nominations

Alda was the first to accrue 11 bids, all for “M*A*S*H,” prevailing in 1974 and ’82. Danson also went 11 for 11 for “Cheers,” with wins in 1990 and ’93. Grammer also headlined a 11-year show, “Frasier,” but he was only nominated for 10 of them, getting snubbed in 2003. His 11th bid,...

Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is the NFL! Foot 42! Foot 42! Hiiiiiiiiiiiike! On this week’s episode of “Soap”, What’s-His-Face talks to the stupid puppet again while Jimmy-Boy looks in an issue of Playgirl to see some dong. Will Richard Mulligan appear on this show? Will this week’s Monday Night Raw be any good? The answers to those questions are: no, and…Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!! (no).

Match #1: Andrade & Angel Garza (with Zelina Vega) defeated The Viking Raiders The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Erik & Ivar stopped Zelina Vega’s charges from attacking Big Show, but they could not overcome them inside the ring. Despite Andrade nearly walking out on the match, he and Garza were able to get back on the same page for a moment and pin Erik after Garza connected with the Wing Clipper to get the victory.

Ted Danson has two Best Comedy Actor Emmy nominations under his belt for “The Good Place,” but he’s lost both to “Barry’s” Bill Hader. With the two-time defending champ Mia this year, the third time could be the charm for Danson, who’d become just one of three men to win the category for multiple shows.

Sixteen men have won Best Comedy Actor more than once, but 14 of them did so for one show, including Danson, who triumphed in 1990 and ’93 for “Cheers.” Only Richard Mulligan and Michael J. Fox have managed to bag statuettes for two shows; the former won for “Soap” in 1980 and “Empty Nest” in 1989, while the latter three-peated for “Family Ties” from 1986-88 and then took home a record-tying fourth Emmy in 2000 for “Spin City.”

To be fair, a lot of these multiple champs were only ever nominated for one show, usually their best-known work,...

Michael Douglas had a very good Monday. Not only did he celebrate dad/icon Kirk Douglas‘ 103rd birthday, but he received his second straight Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Comedy/Musical Actor for “The Kominsky Method.” As the reigning champ, he now could do what no one has done in a decade: win back-to-back awards.

The last person to defend his comedy/musical actor crown was Alec Baldwin 10 years ago for the third-going-into-fourth seasons of “30 Rock.” That was actually his third Globe, following his first win for the first season. Not counting Douglas, everyone since has been a one-time champ: Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”), Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”), Don Cheadle (“House of Lies”), Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”), Gael Garcia Bernal (“Mozart in the Jungle”), Donald Glover (“Atlanta”), Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”).

See Here’s the full list of Golden Globe nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association...

Ted Danson is in a league of his own in the Best Comedy Actor Emmy category, having extended his own record to 13 nominations this year with a second straight bid for “The Good Place.” If he manages to take home the prize, he’d join even more rarified air as one of three men to have won the award for multiple shows.

The only two men to have to have been honored here for different shows are Richard Mulligan, who triumphed for “Soap” in 1980 and “Empty Nest” in 1989, and Michael J. Fox, who three-peated for “Family Ties” from 1986-88 and scored a record-tying fourth win for “Spin City” in 2000. All of the other 13 multiple Best Comedy Actor champs prevailed for one respective show, including Danson. He has two Emmys for “Cheers,” winning in 1990 and ’93, and was nominated for the entirety of the sitcom’s 11-season run. He returned to the...

It’s only happened 14 times that fictional TV husbands and wives have won Emmy Awards in the same year. Tour our photo gallery above to see who they were over the past 70 years. Our research is for drama and comedy series only (not TV movies or limited series).

And there are four possibilities that could join them at the 2019 ceremony: Jason Bateman and Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”), Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), and Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).

Here is a full list of the 14 couples who have achieved this before:

2014

Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”)

2011

Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”)

2003

James Gandolfini and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”)

2001

James Gandolfini and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”)

1993

Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences”)

1991

Timothy Busfield and Patricia Wettig (“thirtysomething”)

1986

Williams Daniels and...

It’s only happened 14 times that fictional TV husbands and wives have won Emmy Awards in the same year. Tour our photo gallery above to see who they were over the past 70 years. Our research is for drama and comedy series only (not TV movies or limited series).

And there are four possibilities that could join them at the 2019 ceremony: Jason Bateman and Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”), Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), and Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).

Here is a full list of the 14 couples who have achieved this before:

2014

Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”)

2011

Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”)

2003

James Gandolfini and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”)

2001

James Gandolfini and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”)

1993

Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences”)

1991

Timothy Busfield and Patricia Wettig (“thirtysomething”)

1986

Williams Daniels and...

After pulling off a minor surprise last year, Bill Hader looks poised to defend his Best Comedy Actor Emmy crown for “Barry.” He’s way out in front in our early odds, and should he prevail, he’d be the latest repeat champ in this category.

Fifteen men have won this category more than once and a whopping 10 of them did so with at least one run of back-to-back victories. All of the three-time and record four-time champs won at least two in a row. The five who defy this trend are all two-time champs: Jack Klugman, Alan Alda, Judd Hirsch, Ted Danson and Richard Mulligan.

Not counting Hader, in this century, just six people have won comedy actor once for the same role. This decade produced three sets of consecutive wins — two by Jim Parsons “The Big Bang Theory,” 2010-11, 2013-14) and one by Jeffrey Tambor. Only Jon Cryer and Donald Glover,...

Bill Hader pulled off a surprise Emmy win last year, beating favorite and defending champ Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) for Best Comedy Actor for “Barry.” But don’t be surprised in the least if he defends his title this year — not just because of his stellar performance or because he’s now the odds-on favorite — but because this category loves repeat champs.

Of the 15 men who’ve won more than one Best Comedy Actor Emmy, only five of them did so without at least one string of back-to-back wins — all of whom are two-time champs. Jack Klugman (“The Odd Couple”) won his two years apart in 1971 and ’73; Alan Alda (“M*A*S*H”) had an eight-year span between his 1974 and ’82 victories; Judd Hirsch (“Taxi”) prevailed in 1981 and ’83; Ted Danson (“Cheers”) triumphed in 1990 and ’93; and Richard Mulligan won for two shows, “Soap” (1980) and “Empty Nest” (1989).

See Guild awards scorecard: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Barry’ set...

Park Overall is best-known for playing wise-cracking country nurse Laverne Todd -- opposite Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston -- on the NBC "Golden Girls" spinoff "Empty Nest" that spanned the television airways from 1988-1995.  Park Overall went on to play Lori Ann in the southern TV show "Reba." Overall also made headlines back in 2012 after she entered the Democratic primary against Bob Corker with a focus on women's issues and the environment but was...

1986: Bobby was alive and well on Dallas; his death was a dream.

1994: All My Children's Erica visited her mother's grave.

1995: Another World's Grant shot his brother, Ryan, in the back.

1997: Days of our Lives recast the role of Jack...in a shower."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1938: Radio soap opera Houseboat Hannah premiered on the NBC Red Network. Hard working Dan O'Leary, who lost an arm in a factory accident, moved his financially strapped family aboard a house boat in Shanty Fish Row on San Francisco Bay. Resourceful and resolute Hannah O'Leary became...

Mini William Holden Centennial celebration. We're beginning, oddly enough, with his final film. Here's Tim Brayton...

The 1981 film S.O.B. wasn't meant to be William Holden's final film: the star died in a household accident a few months after the film premiered, at a mere 63 years old. But it offers a pleasing symmetry to his career to end this way: Holden's big breakthrough, in 1950, was the acid-laced Hollywood satire Sunset Blvd., and there's a comforting rightness that it was with an acid-laced Hollywood satire that his career would end.

Not that S.O.B. has anything on Sunset Blvd., though it's a compelling oddity, and it's one of the few films made by writer-director-producer Blake Edwards after his 1960s heyday that offers all that much to chew on. The film is a deeply caustic fable of how superproducer Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan) churned out the biggest money-loser in Hollywood history one day, went...

No series has won the Best Comedy Actor and Best Comedy Actress Emmys in the same year since “30 Rock” pulled it off for Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey in 2008. That’s partly due to people like Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) and Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) dominating without co-stars in the corresponding category. But Louis-Dreyfus is out this year, the Emmys haven’t nominated Parsons since 2014, and we have a few his-and-her contenders in the mix who could bring home double gold.

“Black-ish” is the safest bet for lead nominations for Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross; it would be the fourth for the former and the third for the latter. Though Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) and Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) are the odds-on favorites, Anderson is in second place and Ross is in third (behind “Mom”’s Allison Janney) — and they both have backers for the win.

Over his remarkable career on the small screen, John Goodman has earned a total of 11 Emmy nominations, including seven for his role as Dan Conner on “Roseanne,” the series that launched his career. However, none of those seven bids proved to be lucky for him. His sole Emmy win came in Best Guest Drama Actor for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” in 2007.

While Goodman never won an Emmy for his acclaimed turn on “Roseanne,” leading lady Roseanne Barr won once while scene-stealer Laurie Metcalf took home three Best Comedy Supporting Actress trophies. This year, with the much-anticipated revival of the series, Goodman could finally win an Emmy for portraying the Conner family patriarch.

Despite his unsuccessful run at the Emmys, Goodman was no amateur at selecting exceptional episodes of “Roseanne” for voters’ consideration.

See ‘Roseanne’: Which Becky is in opening credits for revival? [Watch]

For the show’s first season,...

Arthur Penn’s under-appreciated epic has everything a big-scale western could want — spectacle, interesting characters, good history and a sense of humor. Dustin Hoffman gets to play at least five characters in one as an ancient pioneer relating his career exploits — which are either outrageous tall tales or a concise history of the taking of The West.

Little Big Man

Region B Blu-ray

Koch Media

1970 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 139 147 min. / Available from Amazon.de / Street Date September 14, 2017 / Eur 17.99

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, Jeff Corey, Aimée Eccles, Kelly Jean Peters, Carole Androsky, Ruben Moreno, William Hickey, Jesse Vint, Alan Oppenheimer, Thayer David.

Cinematography: Harry Stradling Jr.

Production Designer: Dean Tavoularis

Art Direction: Angelo P. Graham

Special Makeup: Dick Smith

Special Effects: Logan Frazee

Film Editors: Dede Allen, Richard Marks

Original Music: John Hammond

Written by Calder Willingham from the novel by Thomas Berger

Produced...

What are two individualistic, highly motivated movie stars supposed to do when faced with an unimaginative studio system eager to misuse their talents? Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen collaborate with a great writer, director and producer for an urban romance with an eye on the sexual double standard. It’s a hybrid production: a gritty drama that’s also a calculated career move.

Love with the Proper Stranger

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams, Tom Bosley, Herschel Bernardi, Harvey Lembeck, Agusta Ciolli, Nina Varela, Marilyn Chris, Richard Dysart, Arlene Golonka, Tony Mordente, Nobu McCarthy, Richard Mulligan, Vic Tayback, Dyanne Thorne, Val Avery.

Cinematography: Milton Krasner

Film Editor: Aaron Stell

Original Music: Elmer Bernstein

Written by Arnold Schulman

Produced by Alan J. Pakula

Directed by Robert Mulligan

1963’s Love with the Proper Stranger is...

We all would like to believe that we have that someone special to look up to for guidance and direction. From time to time we practice the art of worship for the mentor that appears larger than life to us. Whether our designated mentors that we choose to follow are inspirational or insidious it does not matter because that yearning to follow in their footsteps are so great that we blindly give anything to replicate that original blueprint.

Maybe if one dreams of being a famous astronaut you designate Neii Armstrong or John Glenn as your mentoring heroes? Perhaps your foray into film criticism was ignited by Judith Crist, Vincent Canby or Siskel & Ebert? How about emulating your favorite actor or singer and following their paths to success?

In Follow My Lead: Top Ten Mentors in the Movies we will look at some movie characters that served as mentors to...

June 25, 1982, was a good day for genre fans. Hell, that summer saw a spate of genre classics released, including "The Road Warrior," "Poltergeist," and "E.T." But June 25th in particular saw not only the release, as we discussed earlier today, of "Blade Runner," but also another legendary sci-fi picture, which like Ridley Scott's film, wasn't well-received at the time, and flopped at the box office, but went on to be enshrined in the geek hall of fame. No, it's not Barry Bostwyck vehicle "MegaForce," but John Carpenter's terrifying "The Thing," which despite the efforts of last year's poor retread/prequel, remains one of the greatest sci-fi/horrors ever made.

Technically a remake of Howard Hawks' well-loved 1951 "The Thing From Another World," which Carpenter pays tribute to in the opening moments, the new film took a very different approach, ramping up both the paranoia and the eye-popping physical effects,...

Considered to be his finest film alongside "Bonnie and Clyde", director Arthur Penn's humorous and tragic 1970 American Western classic, "Little Big Man" is now available on Blu-ray.

"Little Big Man" is based on the 1964 novel by author Thomas Berger.

"..121 year-old 'Jack Crabb' (Dustin Hoffman), recounts his colorful life story to a curious historian (William Hickey).

"Among other things, Crabb had been a captive of the Cheyenne, a gunslinger, an associate of 'Wild Bill Hickok' (Jeff Corey), and a scout for 'General George Armstrong Custer' (Richard Mulligan).

"Having been adopted by the Cheyenne and reared in their culture, Crabb has perspective on both Caucasian and Native American life in the 19th century..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Little Big Man"...

Release Date: Nov. 8, 2011

Price: Blu-ray $24.99

Studio: CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment

Dustin Hoffman (r.) goes native in Little Big Man.

The well-respected 1970 revisionist Western film Little Big Man, directed by Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) and starring Dustin Hoffman (Straw Dogs) and Faye Dunaway (Network), makes its Blu-ray debut under the auspices of Native American Heritage Month.

Stunningly restored so that Harry Stradling Jr.’s amazing cinematography is shown to best effect, the movie follows the life story of Jack Crabb (Hoffman), a white man raised by the Native American Cheyenne tribes. Crabb recounts his life, often comically, through flashbacks of the many historic events he witnessed — including the battle at Little Big Horn led by the egomaniacal General George Custer (Richard Mulligan, S.O.B.) — as the West was won as the bloody result of American imperialism and genocide of Native Americans.

No are on the Blu-ray version of...

Ever pause an episode of Sex and the City halfway through, throw up all the ice cream you just ate, and think to yourself: “Man, you know what would make this episode exponentially better? A big steamin’ pile of Mr. Big’s Balls.” Followed by looking at your reflection in the bedside mirror, brushing your hair 900 times, and softly weeping yourself to sleep? We (I) know we (I) have! Well, start scratching those lotto tickets, world, because today is all about luck and balls. Chris Noth, nee Mr. Big, made an appearance at the 9th annual Dressed to Kilt charity fashion show. He joined the catwalk with a gaggle of other male celebrities in kilts, including Kiefer Sutherland and Jim Gaffigan. And then this happened: Let’s see: That’s Jason Patrick (far left), Jim Gaffigan (exhibiting restraint), Brian Cox (make it stop), Chris Noth (possibly half-horse), and Kiefer Sutherland...

It's easy to forget about "Empty Nest." The "Golden Girls" spin-off hasn't exactly thrived in syndication like so many of its contemporaries.

But The Hallmark Channel resuscitates the '80s/'90s comedy -- about a doctor whose two grown daughters move home -- with a Feb. 26 marathon.

Starring Richard Mulligan (R.I.P.), Dinah Manoff and Kristy McNichol, the show is perhaps best known for McNichol's sudden departure during the 1992.

So what happened to her? At the time, McNichol was becoming notorious for bad attendance and erratic behavior on the set of the show and several movies and she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and retired from acting altogether.

She returned for the series' finale in 1995, and it marked her last ever screen appearance -- though she did some voice work in the late '90s.

2001 was the last time she issued a public statement, offering some insight on...

Film director best known for the Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's and 10

The film-maker Blake Edwards, who has died aged 88, will be best remembered as the creator of the Pink Panther films, and as the husband of the entertainer Julie Andrews. But Edwards was a third-generation show-business figure whose complex and controversial career spanned more than 50 years, initially as an actor and writer and subsequently as one of America's most prolific producer-directors, primarily concerned with the popular genres of comedy and musicals and with creating television series.

Despite working in mainstream cinema, his maverick spirit and ego made him an uneasy partner with Hollywood studios. He famously savaged the hand that had fed him so well with S.O.B. (1981), a raucous, vitriolic attack on Tinseltown. His sophisticated work drew strongly on his love of early cinema (his stepgrandfather had directed silent films), and on his own life and psychological problems (he...

Today director/screenwriter Blake Edwards died at the age of 88. To those born in the 1980s and upward Edwards is likely a name that won't resonate with their generation, but for the older ones that came of age in the 1960s to the beginnings of the '80s, his movies are remembered. 10 with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews and which was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar. The creator of The Pink Panther and its hapless hero, Inspector Clouseau. The director of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which gave us the iconic image of a black-gloved Audrey Hepburn holding her fashionably long cigarette holder.

Edwards began his career writing the screenplays for two westerns of the late 1940s, Stampede and Panhandle. He went on to find regular work in the television shows of the 1950s, being a staff writer on The Mickey Rooney Show before selling his...

Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure (Dickensian Re-Do)

Nick, 7 Pm Et

When Swiper tries to steal Dora's Christmas Star, the duo travels to the past, present, and future.

Four Christmases (Family Dramedy)

MoreMAX, 7:30 Pm Et

When their plans for a holiday getaway fall apart, a couple (Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon) must spend Christmas Day trudging to a quartet of family get-togethers.

Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (Laughing All the Way)

MTV, 8 Pm Et

During Hanukkah, a temperamental lout (Adam Sandler) drinks, gets in trouble with the law, and performs community service.

Babes in Toyland (Mistletoe & Mayhem)

The Family Channel, 9 Pm Et

Lisa (Drew Barrymore) awakes in a magical world, then helps storybook figures fight off an evildoer (Richard Mulligan).

What else is showing this season? See our The 12 Flavors of Christmas - 2010 Holiday TV Movie Guide.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 12/5/2010 by reelz

Adam Sandler | Drew Barrymore | Reese Witherspoon | Vince Vaughn | Dora the Explorer...

Mixing Comedy & Soap: A History of the Serialized Situation Comedy

By Doug Prinzivalli

As one of the producers of the hit web series Pretty - a parody hybrid of reality TV and soaps - I thought it would be a fun idea to take a brief look at the long history of the serialized situation comedy. The idea of mixing comedy with soap elements is not a new one - in fact it started over 60 years ago.

The First Hundred Years (CBS 1950-52) was a mildly humorous daily soap about newlyweds who are gifted with a bat-infested Victorian mansion. Sounds pretty wacky to me. After less than two years, it was replaced by something called The Guiding Light.

The Egg & I (CBS 1951-52) Based on a book by Betty MacDonald and the 1947 film (starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray) that followed, this show followed the misadventures of city folk...

This is the second part of an interview with producer Marsha Posner Williams. In the first part, we discussed how Williams began her career in television, working on the legendary ABC sitcom, Soap.

As one of the few people to work on the show from the very beginning to its untimely cancellation, Williams shared some of the casting challenges behind the scenes, her first-hand experience with the picketing and controversy surrounding the show, production challenges, and personal memories of the very talented cast, like Katherine Helmond, Robert Mandan, Robert Guillaume, Cathryn Damon, Richard Mulligan, Jay Johnson, and Billy Crystal.

In the second part of the interview, Williams talks briefly about other Soap alumnae like Ted Wass, Jimmy Baio, Diana Canova, Arthur Peterson, John Byner, and Donnelly Rhodes. She also puts to rest the idea that Soap was intentionally ended with one of...

When Angels Come to Town (Wacky Wonderland)

Hallmark, 2 Pm Et

The third time’s the charm for angel Max (Peter Falk), who bungles his heavenly mission, not to mention shows up in drag.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Comfort & Joy)

CBS, 8 Pm Et

The most famous reindeer of all saves Christmas with his very shiny nose.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Laughing All the Way)

AMC, 8 Pm Et

The Griswold’s take on Christmas and their country cousin (Randy Quaid).

Babes in Toyland (Mistletoe & Mayhem)

ReelzChannel, 8 Pm Et

Lisa (Drew Barrymore) awakes in a magical world, then helps storybook figures fight off an evildoer (Richard Mulligan).

What else is showing this season? Check out the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 12/2/2009 by reelz

Drew Barrymore | Peter Falk | Richard Mulligan | Randy Quaid | When Angels Come to Town | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...

Actress Collin Wilcox was best known for her role as the young white woman whose false claim that she was raped by a black man served as the focal point in the 1963 Oscar-winning film To Kill a Mockingbird. She also starred in the classic Twilight Zone episode “Number Twelve Looks Just Like You” in 1964

Wilcox was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 4, 1935, and moved to Highlands, North Carolina, with her family as an infant. She studied acting from an early age and made her debut on the Broadway stage in the late 1950s.

She made her film debut as Mayella Violet Ewell in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Richard Mulligan and starring Gregory Peck as heroic lawyer Atticus Finch. Wilcox also became a familiar face on television, appearing in episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, the 1960 Dow Hour of Great Mysteries production of...

Steven Spielberg has decided on his next film project -- a contemporary adaptation of Mary Chase's play Harvey for 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks. The play first premiered on Broadway in 1944, and tells the story of an amiable eccentric, Elwood and his six foot three and one half inch tall rabbit imaginary friend Harvey, which causes problems for his family and friends. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and was performed 1,775 times between 1944 and 1949. The play was adapted for television a couple times, and once for the screen in 1950, with James Stewart in the lead role alongside Fred Gwynne, Richard Mulligan and Madeline Kahn. Spielberg released the following statement in a press release: “I am very happy to be working again with my friend Tom Rothman who shepherded us through ‘Minority Report,’ and with Elizabeth and Carla, who I’m looking forward to collaborating with,” said Spielberg. ...

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 Chicago – Maybe it’s because I was still young when it came out, but it seems like “Oliver and Company” has been unjustly forgotten by the Disney machine and family audiences in general. The 20th anniversary edition, newly released on DVD, might bring this lost comedy to a new audience.

Admittedly, “Oliver and Company” is far from one of Disney’s best, but it’s mostly been discarded by history because it came out just before the wave of massive success for the company that started with “The Little Mermaid,” continued with “Beauty & The Beast,” and went on to “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and many more. The mid to late-’80s were kind of a dark period for Disney and “Oliver and Company” was the end of arguably the company’s weakest trio of consecutive releases with “The Black Cauldron” and “The Great Mouse Detective”.

Oliver and Company...

Robert Mulligan, who directed "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Summer of '42," among other films, died Friday of heart disease at his Connecticut home. He was 83.

Mulligan received a best director Oscar nomination in 1963 for "Mockingbird."

The brother of actor Richard Mulligan, he also directed "The Great Impostor," "Love With the Proper Stranger," "Baby, the Rain Must Fall," "Inside Daisy Clover," "Up the Down Staircase" and "The Other." He also narrated "Summer of '42."

Known for his diffident nature and sensitivity toward players, Mulligan directed five different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Natalie Wood, Ruth Gordon and Ellen Burstyn, with Peck winning the best actor Oscar for "Mockingbird."

He also elicited consistently fine performances from a range of his players, including Anthony Perkins in "Fear Strikes Out," Jennifer O'Neill in "Summer of '42," Robert Redford in "Inside Daisy Clover" and Richard Gere in "Bloodbrothers."

Mulligan earned his...

Actor Richard Mulligan has died at the age of 67 - losing his hard-fought battle against cancer. Mulligan had a very successful career on the big and small screen, starring in two successful sitcoms and a number of films. Earlier this year the actor was diagnosed with colon cancer, and although no details have been released regarding the exact cause of death, it is expected to have been as a result of his cancer. Mulligan, who has been divorced five times, leaves a son and two brothers behind him.