tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post618740593153672346..comments2024-03-04T17:06:55.232-08:00Comments on Classic Television Showbiz: An Interview with Bill DanaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-31764749462094545932015-01-29T04:55:20.350-08:002015-01-29T04:55:20.350-08:00What a great interview! Back in 1968 and 1969, I ...What a great interview! Back in 1968 and 1969, I wirked as an executive secretary for Jack Kinney and Bernie Wolfe at Kinney-Wolfe Productions Animated Film. I was a singer but day gigs were my bread and butter. Bill Dana used to be in the office and would flirt with me. He was always funny but I was in my twenties and thinking only of music and taking care of my children. I knew who he was. but took those things in stride when it came to celebs and used to date a comedian when I was singing and living in Vegas. At any rate, what an interesting life he has led. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12759144791409490520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-46426660695575454692014-02-17T10:50:08.213-08:002014-02-17T10:50:08.213-08:00My uncle was Joe Smith of Smith & Dale fame an...My uncle was Joe Smith of Smith & Dale fame and I recall that he was not a big fan of Ed Sullivan. Now I know why!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-91368142265841809822012-06-08T21:39:23.922-07:002012-06-08T21:39:23.922-07:00Still fighting on the losing side of the Cold War....Still fighting on the losing side of the Cold War.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-69675472073305183732012-06-08T21:37:59.715-07:002012-06-08T21:37:59.715-07:00Still fighting on the losing side of the Cold War....Still fighting on the losing side of the Cold War.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-62498431939259521692011-05-17T12:28:25.385-07:002011-05-17T12:28:25.385-07:00Two minor (yet major) corrections as regards THE N...Two minor (yet major) corrections as regards THE NEW ALICE IN WONDERLAND or: WHAT'S A NICE KID LIKE YOU DOING IN A PLACE LIKE THIS? Either you misheard/mistranscribed or -- more likely -- Bill just inadvertently misspoke. He did indeed write the book (aka libretto, script) for the animated special, but he was not the lyricist; that was Lee Adams. And the composer's name is spelled Strouse. Adams and Strouse were a fairly hot Broadway team at the time, having created the score for BYE BYE BIRDIE (as well as ALL AMERICAN [which they wrote with Mel Brooks] and GOLDEN BOY); the year ALICE was Broadcast they were also on Broadway with IT'S A BITRD...IT'S A PLANE...IT'S SUPERMAN! They would go on to write APPLAUSE, and Strouse, sans Adams, would write the score for ANNIE (lyricist Martin Charnin).<br /><br />You might also be intrigued to learn that Hanna-Barbera also released an audio adaptation of the ALICE special. It retained the complete score but, probably due to fees and royalties involved, lost all of its celebrity guest star voices -- except for Dana, who recreated his performance as the White Knight. In place of celebrities, HB tapped their "repertory company" of A+ voice over artists; thus Don Messick stood in for Howard Morris (The White Rabbit), Scatman Crothers for Sammy Davis Jr (the Cheshire Cat) and Henry Corden provided not only Fred Flintstone's singing voice (as he had in the special) but the speaking voice as well, in place of Alan Reed. (Corden also played Fred on the FLINTSTONES record that guest starred Dana). Janet Waldo (speaking) and Doris Drew (singing) reprised the title role of Alice, while Messick, Mel Blanc, Daws Butler and Allan Melvin likewise reprised (and in some cases added to) roles they played in the film. It's likely too that Dana didn't write the audio version of the script -- that was probably Charles Shows, who seems to have written (or at the very least supervised the writin of) all the HB records that featured stories starring their stable of characters.<br /><br />There's a downloadable MP3 archive of the LP version here:<br />http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C9MST6UWPelaphushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10525399094995683291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-75861039572223515632011-02-26T01:15:37.851-08:002011-02-26T01:15:37.851-08:00I am looking into it. So far it appears to be so c...I am looking into it. So far it appears to be so complicated as to be impossible. Blogger is junk software. You'll notice a lot of spacing glitches within these interviews as well, and they are not fixable.Bob Bournehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06173098298949183691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-87978982180467932412011-02-25T23:22:12.333-08:002011-02-25T23:22:12.333-08:00... yes please- switch to black type- or anything ...... yes please- switch to black type- or anything but white on black- I'm going blind!james vaughanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10257538676931882302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-21755758086425165122011-02-19T20:37:13.723-08:002011-02-19T20:37:13.723-08:00Kliph, great stuff again here in the Bill Dana int...Kliph, great stuff again here in the Bill Dana interview, but I have a complaint/suggestion. Large amounts of text in white type on a black background are very hard to read, even with the larger-than-usual font size. It might be OK for a headline or a couple of lines of text, but these long interviews are tough going. <br /><br />Any chance you'd consider switching to black type on a white background, or some other color scheme that's easier on the eyes when reading lots of text?Dean Mindermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849119270850790787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-28127621839667928722011-02-19T18:16:51.265-08:002011-02-19T18:16:51.265-08:00Another first-rate interview! Minor correction: wh...Another first-rate interview! Minor correction: while I've never encountered the commercials in question, I'm pretty sure that he would have been pitching VERNOR'S ginger ale, rather than "Verna's."Devlin Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358271733393938491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-4317319789864457922011-02-19T17:28:57.093-08:002011-02-19T17:28:57.093-08:00Was only dimly aware that Bill Dana did as much be...Was only dimly aware that Bill Dana did as much behind the scenes as in front of a camera. Very entertaining interview.Michael Powersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-5550060152439709342011-02-19T15:16:10.003-08:002011-02-19T15:16:10.003-08:00Anyone else notice the arrow in Spike Jones' b...Anyone else notice the arrow in Spike Jones' back? Who is Spike talking with?<br /><br />The woman kissing Spike in the other picture is his sister-in-law, Betty (Greco) Sirpico.Ted Heringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544804467197208320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-35055100865165311042011-02-19T15:14:30.851-08:002011-02-19T15:14:30.851-08:00Any clue who Spike Jones is talking to?
Ha! Any...Any clue who Spike Jones is talking to? <br /><br />Ha! Anyone else notice the arrow in Spike's back?<br /><br />The woman kissing Spike in the other picture is his sister-in-law, Betty (Greco) Sirpico.Ted Heringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11544804467197208320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-9606430381042819582011-02-19T10:03:06.694-08:002011-02-19T10:03:06.694-08:00Great work, as usual, on your Bill Dana piece. A c...Great work, as usual, on your Bill Dana piece. A couple of minor corrections- Sullivan's bandleader was Ray Bloch, not Block. Also, the Ginger Ale that Dana had a deal with Vernor's, not Verna's. Dana did the TV spots as Jose Jiminez. They were very clever.Ed Golickhttp://www.detroitkidshow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-50855530406670567572011-02-19T09:45:11.273-08:002011-02-19T09:45:11.273-08:00Hal Block was fired from "What's My Line?...Hal Block was fired from "What's My Line?" because his somewhat crude style did not go with the rest of the panel. It was Louis Untermeyer who got canned off the show because he appeared in Red Channels. He was replaced by Bennett Cerf.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714977807912464533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-51781028635762323252011-02-19T08:09:42.911-08:002011-02-19T08:09:42.911-08:00Bill Dana also wrote the finest episode of "A...Bill Dana also wrote the finest episode of "All in the Family", with Sammy Davis Jr. as Archie's house guest. Mr. Dana should have won an Emmy for that but someone didn't put his name in nomination.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-36175894987502267102011-02-19T07:31:48.010-08:002011-02-19T07:31:48.010-08:00Bill Dana is right. You do your homework. Bravo.
...Bill Dana is right. You do your homework. Bravo.<br /><br />And thank you.bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-23173143684932421202011-02-19T06:40:58.199-08:002011-02-19T06:40:58.199-08:00I always wondered if Don Adams' hotel dick on ...I always wondered if Don Adams' hotel dick on the Dana show was the basis for Maxwell Smart. When I watched them back then, it sure seemed to be.<br /><br />Oh, another first-rate interview, by the way. The Beatles/Dana connection is mindboggling.Kevin K.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-72086010787552051592011-02-18T23:52:47.115-08:002011-02-18T23:52:47.115-08:00Another grand slam home run. Bill Dana is one of ...Another grand slam home run. Bill Dana is one of the funniest people and minds on the planet. Thanks so much for interviewing him! What a true comic legend he is!Tom Rueggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16509448730816934205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-58323705518190394332011-02-18T23:17:53.769-08:002011-02-18T23:17:53.769-08:00I had the pleasure of getting to know Bill when we...I had the pleasure of getting to know Bill when we worked together on "The Golden Girls" - what a great and wonderful guy.<br />Thanks for your terrific interview, Kliph.Lex Passarisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-34485009293379074032011-02-18T15:45:28.387-08:002011-02-18T15:45:28.387-08:00Fantastic series of interviews. I remember many of...Fantastic series of interviews. I remember many of these greats from my youth, and I'm pleased to see they are still appreciated. So few of them are still around. Keep up the good work.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17961223725054818029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-18857305209984035942011-02-18T14:21:46.818-08:002011-02-18T14:21:46.818-08:00Thanks so much for this! I knew, and briefly worke...Thanks so much for this! I knew, and briefly worked with, Bill in the mid-1970s, but lost touch long ago. He was the greatest, most generous of guys; I loved him, and owe him, a lot. Glad to see he's still got it!Jonathan F. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12876169521766892619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2398796842887862508.post-39527050205379186232011-02-18T09:45:47.496-08:002011-02-18T09:45:47.496-08:00Wow, just wow.
You continue to dazzle. I had no c...Wow, just wow.<br /><br />You continue to dazzle. I had no clue Bill Dana had ties to my other heroes like the Three Stooges and Spike Jones.<br /><br />Another great read.<br /><br />Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com