Dig A Hole: Character actor Henry Beckman, Hollywood cop
July 1st, 2008 by Scott Marks
Clockwise: Cmdr. Paul Richards in Flash Gordon (1955), Peyton Place’s George Anderson (1964) and as Alf Skully in Check It Out (1985)
Character actor Henry Beckman, a prolific 50s and 60s television staple, died June 17 in Barcelona, Spain. He was 86.
Mr. Beckman appeared in hundreds of TV shows, movies and commercials in the U.S. and Canada. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he served in the Canadian military during WWII and survived the Normandy invasion. After the war he married Cheryl Maxwell, a one-time actress and Broadway producer. She remained his bride up until the time of her death in 1998.
His first television appearance was in the Pretend I Am A Stranger episode of The Philco Television Playhouse (1951). Following their 1955 marriage, Henry and Cheryl eventually purchased The Dukes Oak Theatre in Cooperstown, New York. Two years after that, they sold the theatre and moved to Hollywood where Henry pursued an on-camera career.
His first recurring television role was as Cmdr. Paul Richards on six episodes of the ultra-cheapo TV version of Flash Gordon (1955). His two longest running TV hits were roles as George Anderson on Peyton Place and Colonel harridan in “McHale’s Navy.
Mr. Beckman was known for playing heavies or small roles that required regional dialects or foreign languages. Great gunsel that he was, Henry was at his best when he wore a badge and answered his call on the Hollywood squad roll. He played just about every type of hard-line lawman one could imagine: a Motorcycle Cop (Niagara), a Beat Cop (The Twilight Zone, Tashlin’s The Man from the Diner’s Club, I Dream of Jeannie, Sweet Charity), Lieutenants (My Favorite Martian and the mind altering Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre), Sheriffs (Mannix, The Rockford Files, Quincy), Detectives (Hitchcock’s Marnie, The X-Files), a Narc (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) even the D.A. in an episode of The Monkees!
In 1977, Henry and Cheryl were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for “contributions to Canadian culture and the esteem in which they were held by their peers”. (I wonder what the Queen thought of his performance in David Cronenberg’s The Brood?) His work in Canada earned two Canadian film awards in best-supporting actor category including a Genie in 1978 for Blood and Guts.
1979 the journeyman actor wrote and published How to Sell Your Film Project, a guide on how to make and market independent films.
Beckman also wrote film scripts, and was a member of the Writer’s Guild of Canada, the Screen Writers Guild of America, SAG, AFTRA, ACTRA and the Director’s Guild of Canada.
He is survived by two sons, Brian and Stuart.
Tags: Bob Hope, Character Actor, Cop, David Cronenberg, Henry Beckerman, Henry Beckman, Movies, Nova Scotia, Obituary, TVFiled Under Obituaries
Blazing Bob Hope Dr. turns up charred corpse
June 13th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Police are investigating the death of a person found burned in a far east El Paso neighborhood. Last night around 9 pm, a 911 caller reported heavy flames coming from an empty lot on Lorenzo Ruiz Avenue and Bob Hope Drive.
Bob Hope Dr. in El Paso?!? This confirms earlier reports of a thought transponder concealed in an earth station somewhere in Texas.
Officials said the body was so badly burned they could not tell if it was a man, a woman or a Republican. (Seaman Jacobs wrote that.)
Lt. Mario Hernandez, spokesman for the El Paso Fire Department initially “thought that it was some type of mannequin” possibly similar to the one the street is named after.
The spirit of Hope permeates the neighborhood. Guillermo Flores, who lives near the crime scene, said, “To know that there’s a dead body here it’s pretty crazy.” Hey, I wanna’ tell you, that’s a wild, nutty homicide, ladies and gentlemen.
Pulling a Will Jordan, part-time impressionist Flores shifted gears by instantly transforming himself into SCTV’s Count Floyd and saying, “This is pretty scary.”
Links
Bob Hope photos, right here
Bob Hope was a very old, not so funny, violently insane psychopath
Filed Under News
New Photos Added: Peter Bogdanovich, George Cukor, Howard Stern, THE COLOR OF MONEY, Norm and Bing Crosby, THE CONVERSATION, etc.
April 26th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Milton Berle - 3 rare candids at the Professional Children’s School, 1973
Peter Bogdanovich - 20 Photos
Celebrity Endorsements
Tuesday Weld for 7-Up
Peter Lind Hayes stops itching and relieves pain
Michael Redgrave, Imogene Coca, David Wayne, Jane Powell & Peter Lawford for Bad Meat in the Can, 1957
Judy Holliday for Brides Magazine
Tom Ewell for Chase and Sanborn Coffee
The Color of Money - 4 New Photos
Jennifer Connelly - 22 Photos
The Conversation - 6 Photos
Bing Crosby - 5 Photos
Norm Crosby - 2 Photos
George Cukor - 14 Photos
Jerry Lewis - 8 Photos
Howard Stern - Ad for the WOR Show featuring Bob Hope
Filter-tipped, Mashed or Au Gratin
Vintage Ads
Spud Cigarettes
Douglas Sirk’s Battle Hymn
Filed Under Image Blog, News
Dig A Hole: Sitcom writer (and Bob Hope gagman) Seaman Jacobs
April 19th, 2008 by Scott Marks
I don’t have any pictures of Seaman, so you’ll have to settle for one of me doing my Bob Dole impression
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is Bob “Speaking from the Grave” Hope and I wanna’ tell you that Colonna and I were at the Pearly Gates on April 8 to welcome the arrival of Seaman Jacobs, right here. Hey, at first there was speculation that gun play was involved, but don’t worry folks, nobody shot Seaman.
Actually, he died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles at the age of 96 and let me be the first to point out that I outlived him! Hell, I outlived all of you and I’m still more dangerous dead than I ever was alive, so watch your backs!
After serving in WWII, Sea began writing for Fred Allen and that crybaby liberal Jack Paar. He got his first break in 1949 scripting The Ed Wynn Show. Talk about perfect fools, those two nuts were made for each other. For more than fifty years this cat wrote for everyone from America’s favorite redhead to Hong Kong Phooey. Look at this list of shows he worked on folks: My Three Sons (they lost me after Bill Frawley croaked), Petticoat Junction (I dug those Hooterville hooters), The Addams Family (I never went in for that macabre stuff), Family Affair (it’s a shame what happened to little gal), I Dream of Jeannie (I’d like to spend some time in the garden of Eden, if you catch my drift), The Andy Griffith Show (his post-stroke Floyd the Barber material was killer), The Doris Day Show (that iceberg made Dolores look like Joey Heatherton), The Love Boat (I showed up at supermarket openings but drew the line when it came to being on the boarding list) and Different Strokes (that Gary Coleman was so cute when he was young, wadn’t he).
And, hey, it wasn’t just television. No sir. What about his movie credits, huh? Elvis never would have happened at the world’s fair without him and I don’t care what any of you say, Oh God! Book II was one sequel that far surpassed the original. (I outlived Burns, too!)
Yeah, but I wanna’ tell ya’ he saved his best work for yours truly. Jacobs was born in Kingston, NY, Jacobs attended Syracuse U. where he edited the campus humor magazine. I first met him after graduation when he became a Broadway press agent and I his #1 client.
I didn’t let him loose on any of my TV specials until he proved himself worthy of writing material that only canned laughter would love. After Temperature’s Rising, I knew he was ready and throughout the 80 and 90s he wrote some of the dullest, least though-provoking schtick this side of Max Alexander. Hey, who’ll ever forget Hope, Women and Song, Bob Hope’s All-Star Comedy Look at the Fall Season: It’s Still Free and Worth It!, that fantastic fascist foolishness All-Star Tribute to General Jimmy Doolittle (wadn’t Rex Harrison brilliant), Bob Hope’s Royal Command Performance from Sweden (Yeah, I knew two words in Swedish: Bjorn Borg and Vulva), Bob Hope’s Christmas Special from Waikoloa, Hawaii and who’ll ever forget Ooh-La-La: It’s Bob Hope’s Fun Birthday Spectacular from Paris’ Bicentennial? I banged me a boatload of bi-centenial beauties on that show.
Les!
Hey, it was fun talking to you all but I gotta’ go now. I’m lunching with Prescott Bush to discuss plans that will help secure John McCain a seat in the oval office. Great man that McCain. War is good for America and so are Easter Seals, ladies and gentlemen. They help crippled kids, and that’s a good thing. Drive safely. Good night.
Links:
Bob Hope interfered with the thought patterns of millions of Americans
Study Guide to BOB HOPE: THE VIETNAM YEARS (1964 – 1972) - Part 1
Bob Hope photos
Filed Under Obituaries
New Photos Added: Woody Allen, Bugs Bunny, HATARI!, Betty Boop, Jerry Lewis, Movie Paperbacks
April 12th, 2008 by Scott Marks
- Bud Abbott & Lou Costello for Popsicles - 1 Vintage 1954 Comic Book Ad
- Woody Allen - 74 Photos
- Cartoon All-Stars - 37 Photos
Aesop’s Fables ad
Fred “Tex” Avery model sheet
Batman & Superman for Sesame Street
Bob Hope
Betty Boop
Bugs Bunny
A Corny Concerto featuring Bugs and Porky Pig
DC Comics 1954 Line of Stars ad with Batman and Superman
Daffy Duck
Disneyland Color Television Only $1.00!!!
Felix the Cat
Gertie the Dinosaur
Ko-Ko the Clown
Looney Tunes title logo
Peter Lorre ?!?!?
Popeye the Sailor Man
The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote
Woody Woodpecker - Hatari! - 22 Photos (many in Technicolor) and 8 Lobby Cards
- The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon - 10 Photos
- The King of Comedy - 1 Photo (It’s a good one!)
- Jerry Lewis- 27 Photos
- See the Movie, Read the Book - 19 New Movie Cover Paperbacks
The trick is it makes you look like Hitler!- Vintage Newspaper ads - 7 Photos
Daisy Rifles, for kids who like to smoke!
Hercules Bicycles
Mr. X-Ray Specs
Monogram Models Rommel’s Rod, The Krazy Kommand Kar
Onion Gum
Thom McAn Shoes
Trick Black Soap
Filed Under Image Blog, News
HAPPY EASTER FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT EMULSION COMPULSION!
March 23rd, 2008 by Scott Marks
Or, as Elmer J. (for Judas) Fudd might say, “Wesuwwect INWI? There’s somethin’ awfuwy scwewy goin’ on awound here. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Enjoy your hammer and nails parties, kids. I’m about to resurrect the platter of greasy kishke I had for lunch at D. Z. Akin’s.
“Hey, hi, this is Bob ‘for Paas Dye’ Hope, right here, and I wanna’ tell ya’ that I’m just minutes away from coloring Wonder Woman’s eggs over there. You know, Easter Sunday means a lot to the decent, God-fearing residents of Toluca Lake, and the only “Peeps” I wanna’ see in my neighborhood are yellow, purple or pink and covered with granulated sugar. But seriously, this is a nutty day dedicated to all things that make the Republican States of America great: hocus-pocus resurrections, pastel bunnies, Kelly-green golf slacks pulled up to your chest with matching sky blue alpacas and yellow polo shirts, deviled eggs, eating ham like a pig, and banging a servant girl while Dolores is off hunting down eggs with the grandkids. It’s been another great show, ladies and gentlemen, but let’s take a moment to remember those Americans off in Iraq fighting a just and morally righteous war. Frankly, I’d love to go over and entertain our troops like I did in Nam, but I’ve been dead for years now. Come to think of it, that’s never stopped me before. Hey, I wanna’ thank Wonder Woman Linda Carter, Bea Lily, Jack Douglas and Rako, Piccolo Pupa, Jerry Colona, The New Christie Minstrels, President Bush and his gal Laura, and Les Brown and his Band of Renown for helping to make the last 90 minutes fly by. Sorry that we ran out of time for John Bubbles. Linda, remember to re-book him on my upcoming ‘Bob Hope’s Firecracker Fourth of July’ special. Next week I’ll be appearing at the George ‘Goober’ Lindsay Dinner Theater in Branson, Missouri with Nipsey Russell. Hope to see a lot of you dupas there. And don’t forget to buy Easter Seals, folks. They help crippled kids, and that’s a good thing. G’night!”
Filed Under Image Blog
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