I read recently that they are holding casting calls to audition a new lonely Maytag Repairman for the Maytag television commercials. The article brought back a flood of memories. Who could forget the lonely and bored Maytag repairman, waiting in the hope that someone would call for repairs? Of course, no one ever did - Maytags were just too reliable it seems.

The brilliant character actor, Jesse White, originated the character in 1967 and starred in the commercials for 21 years. Jesse was one of those actors, enormously gifted and always having work, but not deemed by Hollywood to have “star” qualitites and so was relegated to bit parts. Jesse was the kind of guy who took those small character bits and made them sing. Watch this clip from the movie Harvey.

When Jesse retired in 1988, the role was taken over by Gordon Jump, best known for playing Aruthur Carlson, the bemused manager of WKRP in Cincinnati. Jump had a naturally lonely face and was a fairly good replacement but it just wasn’t the same without Jesse White.

Jesse White died in 1997.

Chiropractor Tom Payne was glad to have finally found Bigfoot, although the creature’s famed 16-inch appendages were missing.

Bigfoot, an 8-feet-tall carved wood statue was stolen from the end of Payne’s driveway where the imposing creature had stood for 5½ years. When they located the statue a block away from Payne’s office, his big feet had been sawn off.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the case but they offered no motive for the theft. The feet were not recovered.

Now, if the next Bigfoot evidence comes in the shape of 16-inch footprints…

Yvonne De Carlo (1922-2007)

Lily Munster, matriach of the strange sitcom family known as The Munsters was an attractive, strong, loving mother and vampire. Remarkably vibrant for one of the undead, she stood by her man - ahem, monster - through hare-brained scheme after goofy foul-up. Lily was the glue that held her eccentric family together.

Yvonne De Carlo, who played Lily, was born Peggy Yvonne Middleton but took her mother’s maiden name as her professional name. Half Italian, Yvonne had the kind of exotic beauty that shone through even the thick horror film makeup she wore for the show.

The Munsters were a less sophisticated version of another unusual group, The Addams Family. They were silly and corny and a part of everyday life for baby boomers. Amazingly, although the show only lasted two years on the network (1964 - 1966), they made 70 episodes in that short time, allowing it to remain on the air in reruns for years.

Munsters Trivia

Marilyn Munster, the only non-monster Munster and considered “plain” by the rest of the family, was played by two actresses. Beverley Owen originated the role and Pat Priest took over in Episode 14.

Munster Links:

The Munsters Theme

Another version of The Munsters opening theme

Yvonne’s page on Munsters.com

I was reading a lament about modern sitcoms and the author mentioned The Brady Bunch, that iconic family sitcom of the 70s. It reminded me of a conversation I had a few days ago with some friends.

We grew up with The Brady Bunch, a blended family that managed to blend within only two episodes, and rarely if ever, had the usual problems of blended families. In fact, the natural mother of the boys and the natural father of the girls (we assumed deceased) were never mentioned except for one brief scene in the first episode. The only rivalries were between the genders, and were soon resolved - always in under 30 minutes. Of course, there was always the sibling rivalry between Jan and Marcia as Jan struggled against her perceived invisibility in the shadow of her older sister, leading to the well-known cry: “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”.

The show was hokey, unrealistic and didn’t really try very hard to be otherwise as we watched the boys play football on the astroturf back lawn. So why is it so addictive?

The brilliance of 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie was in placing this square 70s family in the 90s without changing a thing about them. The cast was brilliant in their portrayals of the characters and those of us who watched the original series were those who laughed the most.

It is easy now as adults to disdain the simplistic plots and innocent fun but have you ever accidentally come across the show while channel surfing? Have you noticed that you can’t seem to go any further? It’s like an obsession. For some reason you are transfixed and must watch the entire episode. I was remarking on this phenomenon to some friends, aged 50 and 55 and they both related having the same experience.

I wonder if it is a universal experience for those of our generation? We never seem to get over The Bradys. What about you?

For those who never get enough Brady Bunch, here’s a few links:

The Brady Bunch Theme Song

The Bradys sing on Amateur Night

The Brady Bunch Episode Guide