jakeem

That's almost as eerie as the timing of the deaths of the two actors who played Henry Blake. On February 15, 1996, McLean Stevenson, who appeared as the Army lieutenant colonel in the long-running CBS sitcom version of "M*A*S*H," died of a heart attack. One day later, Roger Bowen, who played Blake in Robert Altman's 1970 film, died of a heart attack.

It's easily explained. It was a genius move for Fess Parker to go from Davy Crockett to Daniel Boone and continue wearing coonskin caps on television. NBC's "Daniel Boone" aired for six seasons -- most of them in glorious color -- and remains a television staple thanks to MeTV!

Dargo, That dancing Kim Jong-un is the funniest thing I've seen since the North Koreans found out the hard way that American cyber mojo is stronger than theirs!

I was a proponent of the 1951 version until I saw George C. Scott as Scrooge in CBS' 1984 made-for-television production of "A Christmas Carol." I love the supporting cast, which includes Susannah York, Frank Finlay, David Warner, Roger Rees, Michael Gough, Joanne Whalley (before she married Val Kilmer) and Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Plus, it's a feast for the eyes!

Tell it to the North Koreans.

Johnny Lee and Nick Stewart also played Calhoun and Lightnin', respectively, on "The Amos 'n' Andy Show," but their talent didn't make the characters less offensive.

TCM On Demand for December 23, 2014 The following features are now available on TCM On Demand for a limited time: 1. Bringing Up Baby (1938) -- Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Barry Fitzgerald, May Robson, Fritz Feld, Leona Roberts, George Irving, Tala Birell, Virginia Walker, John Kelly. Uncredited actors: Ward Bond, Jack Carson, Billy Bevan, D'Arcy Corrigan, Frances Gifford, Paul Guilfoyle. This screwball comedy was directed by Howard Hawks ("His Girl Friday," "Monkey Business"). The movie follows the unlikely relationship between Dr. David Huxley (Grant), a funds-seeking paleontologist, and ditzy heiress Susan Vance (Hepburn). The "Baby" of the title turns out to be a pet leopard that sometimes can be soothed by hearing the song "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby." This was the second of four films that Grant and Hepburn did together between 1935 and 1940. The others: "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935), "Holiday" (1938) and "The Philadelphia Story" (1940). In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked the film No. 97 on its list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. When the AFI updated the list in 2007, the film rose to No. 88. Meeting cute: David first encounters Susan when she inadvertently picks up his golf ball while he is playing with another group on a golf course. She begins using it herself, despite David's protestations. She then gets into his car erroneously and begins smashing it. Memorable quote: "It isn't that I don't like you, Susan, because after all, in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn toward you; but, well, there haven't been any quiet moments!" -- Dr. Huxley. About cats: A trained leopard named Nissa had the dual roles of the docile Baby and the surly cat that escaped from a circus. Hepburn got along with Nissa, despite one close call. But Grant wasn't comfortable around the feline, and a double was used for his scenes with it. Clever editing and special effects also helped restore Grant's peace of mind. "Cary had always refused to work with the leopard. Didn't care for it at all," Hepburn recalled in "Me: Stories of My Life," her 1991 autobiography. "Once, to torture him, we dropped a stuffed leopard through the vent at the top of his dressing room. Wow! He was out of there like lightning." About dogs: George, the wire fox terrier in the film, was the same dog that appeared as Asta in the first two "Thin Man" movies. The dog's real name was Skippy, and it also appeared with Grant in "The Awful Truth" (1937). Lookalike terriers were used for the four other "Thin Man" movies and the 1950s television series that starred Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk. Expires December 29, 2014. 2. Holiday (1938) -- Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker, Binnie Barnes, Jean Dixon, Henry Daniell. Uncredited: Ann Doran. George Cukor's romantic comedy was a remake of a 1930 film that starred Ann Harding, Mary Astor, Robert Ames, William Holden and Horton, who played Nick Potter in both versions. The source material for both films was a 1928 play by Philip Barry, who later wrote "The Philadelphia Story," a stage production that became a 1940 Oscar-winning film starring Hepburn, Grant and James Stewart. Hepburn stars as a wealthy family's black-sheep daughter who falls for a Wall Street financier (Grant) engaged to her sister (Nolan). The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction (Stephen Goosson and Lionel Banks). Expires December 29, 2014.

Did you mean Davy Crockett? Parker didn't portray Daniel Boone until the '60s.

Don't forget his version of "The Letter." Cocker covered songs about as well as anyone ever did.

Cocker and Jennifer Warnes performed the No. 1 hit "Up Where We Belong," the theme song from "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982). The song won Oscars for its writers -- Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings.

British singer Joe Cocker has died at the age of 70. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30582761 He provided some of my favorite moments in Michael Wadleigh's Oscar-winning 1970 documentary "Woodstock." And then there was the amazing time that John Belushi did his Cocker imitation alongside the man himself on a 1976 edition of NBC"s "Saturday Night Live."

Tina Fey's "30 Rock" did a number on Comcast, too, when "Kabletown" bought General Electric and NBC.

British actress Billie Whitelaw, who played Damien's protective nanny in "The Omen" (1976) and co-starred in Sir Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" (1972), has died at the age of 82. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30571601 Here is one of her creepiest scenes as Mrs. Baylock from "The Omen": And here's a scene from her final film, "The Fuzz" (2007), in which she wielded impressive firepower as a member of a neighborhood watch group.

I'll say it again: The crows in Disney's "Dumbo" are worse.

I'm surprised TCM showed the compilation of Davy Crockett episodes. Ben Mankiewicz seemed stunned by some of the depictions and attitudes toward Native Americans. Special co-host Leonard Maltin explained that Crockett had to be cleaned up a bit when Disney later produced prequel episodes about the legendary Tennessee frontiersman.

TCM On Demand for December 22, 2014 The following features are now available on TCM On Demand for a limited time: 1. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) -- Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, Robert Shayne, Una O'Connor, Frank Jenks, Joyce Compton, Dick Elliott. Uncredited: John Dehner, Jody Gilbert, Kurt Kreuger. Directed by Peter Godfrey ("The Two Mrs. Carrolls," "The Woman in White"), this holiday classic stars Stanwyck as a magazine food writer whom the world believes is living on an idyllic Connecticut farm with her husband and infant son. Actually, she is unmarried and resides in New York -- and she cannot cook. Her double life is jeopardized when her publisher (Greenstreet) demands that she prepare a holiday meal for a war hero (Morgan) at her farm. And the publisher, who doesn't know about her ruse, announces that he plans to spend Christmas at the farm, too. The film was remade for television in 1992 with Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis (it was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger). Actress Jennifer Garner reportedly tried to update the story in a 21st century film version. Expires December 28, 2014. 2. Holiday Affair (1949) -- Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey, Gordon Gebert, Harry Morgan, Griff Barnett, Esther Dale, Henry O'Neill, Larry J. Blake, Helen Brown. Uncredited: Jack Kelly, Chick Chandler, Jimmy Hawkins, James Griffith. Romantic comedy that has become a Christmas season perennial on television, thanks to its frequent airings on Turner Classic Movies. Directed by Don Hartman ("Every Girl Should Be Married"), the film stars Leigh as a widowed New York mother who must choose between her current beau, an attorney played by Corey, and the headstrong war veteran (Mitchum) who lost his department store job because of her. Gebert, who did not have a long career as a child actor, is a delight as Leigh's wide-eyed young son. The movie's screenplay was adapted by Isobel Lennart (1915-1971) who wrote the book for the 1964 musical "Funny Girl" and the screenplay for the 1968 movie version -- both of which starred Barbra Streisand. A 1996 television version of this romantic triangle tale starred Cynthia Gibb of TV's "Fame" and David James Elliott, who was in the long-running military drama "JAG" on NBC and CBS. Expires December 28, 2014.

I use it all the time, particularly if I don't want to stay up for movies scheduled for the early morning hours. The best thing about the LIVE feature is you can tap into the West Coast feed, too.

TCM On Demand for December 21, 2014 The following features are now available on TCM On Demand for a limited time: 1. Santa Claus (1959) -- José Elías Moreno, Pulgarcito (Cesáreo Quezadas), José Luis Aguirre, Armando Arriola, Lupita Quezadas, Antonio Díaz Conde hijo, Ángel Di Stefani, Ken Smith (narrator). In this Mexican holiday tale, Santa Claus (Moreno), who lives in a sky palace above the North Pole, must find a way to foil the Devil's diabolical plot to ruin Christmas. He turns for help to the wizard Merlin (Arriola), who provides some magical devices. The film was directed by René Cardona; Smith is credited as the director of the English version. Expires December 27, 2014. 2. The Thin Man (1934) -- William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Edward Ellis, Cyril Thornton. Having previously played the New York-based sleuth Philo Vance four times on film, Powell took on the role of Dashiell Hammett's master detective Nick Charles and gained great popularity. He co-starred with Loy (as Nora Charles) in this comedy-mystery-drama based on Hammett's 1934 novel and earned his first of three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor. The film also received Oscar nominatons for Best Picture, Best Director (W.S. Van Dyke II) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett). Although the title refers to a missing man -- inventor Clyde Wynant (played by Ellis) -- it eventually became associated with Nick Charles in the public mind. The success of this series led to five sequels -- "After the Thin Man" (1936), "Another Thin Man" (1939), "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941), "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1945) and "Song of the Thin Man" (1947). The first four films in the series were directed by Van Dyke, who tragically died by suicide on February 5, 1943. The movie's scene stealer is Skippy, the wire fox terrier that appears as the Charles' dog Asta. The canine also appeared in "After the Thin Man" and other films, including two starring Cary Grant -- "The Awful Truth" (1937) and "Bringing Up Baby" (1938). A television version of the movie series starred Peter Lawford as Nick and Phyllis Kirk as Nora, and aired on NBC from 1957 to 1959. In "Murder By Death," Neil Simon's 1976 spoof of murder mysteries, David Niven and Dame Maggie Smith played the married couple Dick and Dora Charleston. Memorable dialogue: Detective Guild (played by Pendleton): You got a pistol permit? Nick: No. Detective Guild: Ever heard of the Sullivan Act? Nora (apparently confusing the Sullivan Act with the Mann Act): Oh, that's all right. We're married. Memorable quote: "The murderer is right in this room, sitting at this table. You may serve the fish." -- Nick, presiding over a dinner party in which he has gathered all major suspects in a murder. Expires December 27, 2014. 3. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) -- Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane, Alfonso Bedoya, Arturo Soto Rangel, Manuel Dondé, José Torvay, Margarito Luna. Uncredited: Robert Blake, Ann Sheridan, Jay Silverheels. John Huston won two Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay) for this tale of greed based on B. Traven's 1927 novel. He also directed his father, Walter, to a Best Supporting Actor win. The film, which was only John Huston's third complete screen effort after "The Maltese Falcon" and "In This Our Life," also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It lost to Sir Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet." Bogart stars as Fred C. Dobbs, an American looking for work in Mexico. He and an equally desperate compatriot named Curtin (Holt) join forces with an old prospector (Walter Huston) to search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. Although they hit the jackpot, the Americans wind up with more problems than they expected, including bandits and poisonous bouts of discord and paranoia. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked the film No. 30 on its list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. When the AFI updated the list in 2007, the film dropped to No. 38. An oft-quoted line -- delivered by Mexican actor Bedoya -- was ranked No. 36 in the AFI's 2005 list of the 100 greatest movie quotes of all time. Like grandfather, like granddaughter: John Huston not only directed his father to an Academy Award, but he also did the same favor for his daughter Anjelica almost 40 years later. She received the 1985 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Prizzi's Honor," which was directed by her father. Only the Coppola family -- musician Carmine and directors Francis Ford and Sofia -- duplicated the feat of Oscar wins by three generations. Memorable quote No. 1: "Say, mister. Will you stake a fellow American to a meal?" -- Dobbs, down on his luck at the beginning of the movie, addressing a well-dressed gent from the U.S. (played by John Huston). Memorable quote No. 2: "I'll tell you what. I'll make you a little bet. Three times 35 is, uh, 105. I'll bet you $105,000 you go to sleep before I do." -- Dobbs, who fears Curtin will try to harm him and steal his gold, declares his intention to stay awake all night. A beautiful friendship: This was one of six screen collaborations between director Huston and Bogart that included "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), "Key Largo" (1948), "The African Queen" (1951, featuring Bogart's Oscar-winning performance) and "Beat the Devil" (1953). The sincerest form of flattery: A key scene involving a telltale brand on a burro is virtually identical to a pivotal moment in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969). Meanwhile, the Mexican actor Torvay played bandits in both movies. Expires December 27, 2014. 4. A Visit to Santa (1963) -- Film short by producer Clem Williams that tells the story of two youngsters, Dick and Ann, who receive a special surprise from the North Pole. After Ann writes a letter to Santa Claus requesting a pre-Christmas visit, Ol' Saint Nick himself sends an elf to escort them to his northern castle by a magic helicopter. Expires December 27, 2014.

Yeah, he was pretty consistent about those.

This one grabbed my attention from the moment it used the Paramount logo as part of the opening scenery... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM--kXnx5MY

I suppose NBC will air it on Christmas Eve as usual.

The amazing thing is how Thomas managed to keep embellishing the story over the years. It's almost as if he found new ways to tell the same basic tale!

3. And Darlene Love sings "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the final time on "The Late Show"...

For the record, here are some highlights from David Letterman's final Christmas show: 1. Jay Thomas tells his story about The Lone Ranger... 2. Thomas vs. Letterman in the Quarterback Challenge...

Gloria DeHaven was in "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976) with Virginia Mayo. Virginia Mayo was in "The Silver Chalice" (1954) with Paul Newman. Next: Idris Elba.