Tom Poston 1921-2007 - To Tell the Truth with guest Stan Lee

This is a great deal of fun. This episode of To Tell The Truth with mainstay panelists like Tom Poston and Bill Cullen features Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee. Tom Poston guesses wrong, choosing number one - who is a dead ringer for Russ Meyer. This is from the early seventies - probably 1971 or so.

Tom Poston 1921-2007

Mark Evanier's Tribute, Tom Poston's Wikipedia Page, Tom Poston Official Website, Tom Poston at IMDB, Hollywood Reporter Obit.

Tom Poston 1921-2007 - Zotz! (1962)

According to the Leonard Maltin Guide: "Zotz! (1962) 87m. ** D: William Castle. Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Fred Clark, Cecil Kellaway, Margaret Dumont. Goofy attempt at humorous chiller with Poston a teacher who finds strange coin that gives him mystical power over others." This footage contains three William Castle film trailers. The first is for Mr. Sardonicus (1961), the second is Tom Poston in Zotz! (appearing approximately three minutes in) and the last is for Homicidal (1961).

Tom Poston 1921-2007 - Game Show Appearances

Peter Marshall, the host of The Hollywood Squares from 1966 through 1982, wrote in his autobiography that Bert Convy was the only man he truly hated. He found him to be an arrogant scumbag or something to that effect. He also had disdain for Dan Rowan of Rowan and Martin because he had apparently stolen comedy material from Peter in the 1950s when Rowan and Martin were first starting out. Peter Marshall had been in a modestly successful comedy team with Tommy Noonan. They even made a couple crap movies together like The Rookie (1960).

The female panel contains a woman Tom Poston was very familiar with, Jayne Meadows, the wife of Tom's one-time employer - Steve Allen.

Just go ahead and smack her, Tom! Below is Tom Poston sitting in his familiar panel seat on To Tell The Truth. He comes in at approximately the four minute mark.

And don't forget about Tom Poston together with David Letterman on this episode of Mork and Mindy.

Tom Poston 1921-2007

Tom Poston plays straight man in this sketch from The Steve Allen Show. Allen's great ensemble of comedy actors come together to play a series of beatnik jazz musicians with Louis Nye, Don Knotts, and Pat Harrington Jr.

The Tonight Show with Steve Allen with guest Pat Harrington Jr.

Pat Harrington Jr. was just one of several comedy regulars on the roster of Steve Allen's Tonight Show (and later The Steve Allen Show). Here he does his most famous character, the stereotyped Italian caricature of Guido Panzini - Don Knotts is his caddy in this clip.

Tom Jones and Friends - Footage Offline 01/29/08

This awful variety show which featured "comedy" and "music" occasionally plays at odd hours of the morning on obscure Canadian television stations. It was originally filmed in Vancouver - probably for tax reasons of some kind - in the late seventies and early eighties. Here Donny Osmond and Tom Jones seem to be singing along with the world's first kareokee machine. That's what it sounds like anyway. Here's five bucks saying you can't sit through the whole thing.

The Tommorow Show with guest Elton John

Tom Snyder is his normal obtuse self interviewing Elton John in this brief clip from The Tomorrow Show in 1980.

We'll Be Right Back with the Partridge Family - Footage Offline - 11/19/07

A 1979 commercial break that aired during a syndicated episode of The Partridge Family on station WFLD.

NBC 1965-66 Fall Preview

Here's an end of summer special to get you all excited about the new shows and the return of your old favorites to NBC in fall of 1965. Blurry as hell, but worth it. Speaking of Get Smart, FYI, The Complete Get Smart is now available on DVD, you may have missed that news since it's mail-order only.

The Joe Franklin Show opening sequence (1977) - Footage Offline - 10/20/07

Joe Franklin is regarded as the first person to host a television talk show. The station was the primitive WJZ-TV in 1950 which would become New York's well known WABC. You may recall his showbizzy office appearing in the documentary The Aristorcrats. This is some hokey footage from latter-day and less notable incarnations of his show.

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with guests The Turtles

This is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. The Turtles are one of the best, and perhaps most underrated, pop groups of all time. A Guide For the Married Man was one of the few songs they didn't write themselves but they did wonders with it. This tune was the theme song to a Walter Matthau picture of the same name. The movie had an incredible cast of comedy stars second only to It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1964). Directed by Gene Kelly the film featured Robert Morse, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Wally Cox, Sid Caesar, Joey Bishop, Art Carney, Jayne Mansfield, Phil Silvers, Louis Nye, Ben Blue, Carl Reiner, Terry Thomas, and countless other instantly recognizable character actors. This Turtles appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour took place in 1967. Tommy Smothers promises me the show will be on DVD soon!

Advertisement for NBC 1967 Afternoon Line-up

"If you hurry up with your ironing ... you'll have time to watch me!"

Television Advertisement for White People

Here's an advertisement for NBC's 1967 weekday morning line-up. Ed McMahon and Hugh Downs were both sidekicks moonlighting - or perhaps sunlighting since it was during the day - as game show hosts. Oooh, Pat Boone singing too? Have I died and gone to ...

The Mike Douglas Show with guests The Chambers Brothers

Valentine's Day, 1972. Columbia Records recording artists The Chambers Brothers were not as popular as they had been a couple years earlier when they had their huge smash Time Has Come Today (not to mention great songs like Going Uptown to Harlem) but they still knew how to rock. Their days with Columbia were numbered, however, and soon they would be recording for the small time Embassy label. This appearance came shortly before their final Columbia recording was released

The Mike Douglas Show with guests Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Don Rickles (1981)

The Mike Douglas Show with guests the Happy Days cast

The Mike Douglas Show with guest Donna Summer (and Gabe Kaplan)

I always prefer finding clips of music acts on old talk shows being interviewed rather than just seeing them perform. Here we have disco diva Donna Summer on The Mike Douglas Show in 1977. The panel includes Gabe Kaplan nodding in silence with the rest of the Welcome Back, Kotter cast.

The Mike Douglas Show with guest Moe Howard - Footage Offline - 10/20/07

This is one of Moe Howard's final appearances on television as he died not too long after. Seventies icon Ted Knight is here as Mike's week long co-host and we also see an appearance from Soupy Sales! From June 8, 1973 and September 11, 1973.

Part Two - How to Throw a Pie:

The Mike Douglas Show with guest Patrick Duffy

Most know him from Dallas, younger folk may remember him from a sitcom he co-starred in with Suzanne Sommers called Step By Step. This is long before any of that. Of all The Mike Douglas Show footage sitting out there in the netherworlds, why is this one of the only things we can come up with? Jesus.

If you really care to continue with Duffy, then follow these links where you can watch part two, part three, and part four.