Synopsis: Bewitched by Television

Some film actors found steady work and more exposure with the advent of television. 

Dick York (1928-1992)

For those who remember actor Dick York, he has been pigeon-holed as Darrin Stephens, the mortal, suffering husband of Samantha on the fantasy-comedy series, Bewitched (1964-69). His comedic double-takes, being frequently frustrated, and often angry with the physical transformations thrust upon him by his ungrateful mother-in-law, were classic trademarks of the character. Without his perfect comedic timing, the series would not have been the hit that it was. But there was much more to the versatile actor.

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and growing up in Chicago, Dick York eventually handled drama and comedy with equal ease. After a stint in radio, his movie roles gained momentum by 1950, and four years later, he was cast as a teenager in the classic science fiction film, Them!. He co-starred in three famous movie productions in the Fifties and Sixties, notably They Came to Cordura (1959) with Gary Cooper, The Last Blitzkrieg that same year with Van Johnson, and a visible role as a teacher for Inherit the Wind a year later.

By far, his television work brought the most notoriety, however. He performed on the most popular series of the era. There were multiple appearances on the Kraft Television Theatre, Studio One, Playhouse 90, The Twilight Zone, and six episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents that provided some comedic and dramatic stand-outs. 1959 was a pivotal year for York. While filming the Cooper film above, he completely severed his right lower back muscles during a physical scene. An injury that would plague him the rest of his life, and eventually force him to bow out of Bewitched in 1969.

Note: Before television dominated the airwaves, radio reigned supreme. The above inset is a capture of fifteen-year-old Dick York in the situation comedy, “That Brewster Boy” (1941-45). York was the third Joey Brewster, following in Eddie Firestone Jr. and Arnold Stang's footsteps. To his right is co-star Jane Webb.

The Flour Child Grows Up

General Mills, Inc. is an American manufacturer and marketer of well-known brands of processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Although General Mills's single flour factory can be traced back to the Minneapolis Milling Company of 1866, with the merger of four additional mills, the company was officially established in 1928. In the 1930s, engineer, Thomas R. James, created the puffing gun, which inflated or distorted cereal pieces into puffed-up shapes. This new technology was used in 1937 to create Kix cereal and in 1941 to create Cheerioats—renamed Cheerios in 1945. In 1939, another GM engineer, Helmer Anderson, created a new device that sealed bags of flour with glue instead of being tied with a string. In 1947, the first Betty Crocker cake mix was introduced. Well before its buyout of Pillsbury in 2001, the pudgy Doughboy made his first commercial debut in 1965. And it was only the beginning of this widely diversified company. Their drive for innovation propelled General Mills into many new territories over the years, highlighted below.

Perhaps the most surprising is that General Mills established their Aeronautical Research Division with chief engineer Otto C. Winzen in 1946. This division developed high-altitude balloons in conjunction with the United States Navy Office of Naval Research, such as the project Skyhook balloons for atmospheric research. In 1956, hundreds of General Mills balloons carried reconnaissance equipment by the United States under Project Genetrix to survey the Eastern bloc country's nuclear capabilities. The now famous Black Box for airplanes was developed in 1953 in partnership with the University of Minnesota.

Also unknown to the average citizen, General Mills acquired many famous businesses starting in 1968 with the acquisition of Gorton's frozen seafood, though spun off to other companies by 1995. Also in 1968, the toy and game manufacturers Rainbow Crafts—the makers of Play-Doh, Kenner, and Parker Bros. were acquired. The following year, they moved into specialty retailing with purchases of Lacoste clothing, Monet Jewelry, and the Red Lobster restaurant chain. By 1970 Hamburger Helper made its way onto grocery shelves. The apparel company, Eddie Bauer, was purchased in 1971—later acquired by Spiegel in 1988—as well as the U.S. rights to the Yoplait yogurt brand. By 1983, The Olive Garden Italian restaurant chain was launched, later to be spun off to shareholders in 1995 as Darden Restaurants. More recent history was the joint venture with Nestlé S.A. called Cereal Partners in 1990, which markets many existing General Mills cereal brands outside the US and Canada under the Nestlé name. As per other lucrative multinational manufacturers, further acquisitions continued through 2023.

Anonymous Versatility

Norma Crane (Norma Anna Bella Zuckerman 1928-1973) was an American actress on stage, in film, and a frequent performer on television. She had the ability to transform into multiple characters to the extent one might not readily recognize her. Her supporting roles in television never made her a household name, however. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared in a variety of live television dramas. One of her earliest appearances was a five-episode stint as a fellow teacher on the live Mr. Peepers comedy show starring Wally Cox in 1952. In 1956, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, and four times in Have Gun - Will Travel. Crane found steady work on nearly every major television series in the 1950s into the 1970s such as The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Flying Nun, just to name a few. Most were single appearances. Though she did little on the big screen, she landed roles in the films, Penelope (1966), They Call Me Mr. Tibbs! (1970), and most famously as Golde in Fiddler on The Roof (1971).

Broadcast Pioneers

Roger Mudd (1928-2021) was an American broadcast journalist who was a correspondent and anchor for CBS News and NBC News. He was the recipient of the Peabody Award for his interview with Sen. Ted Kennedy, the Joan Shorenstein Award for Distinguished Washington Reporting, and five Emmy Awards. His smooth, comforting delivery added credence to his long-standing career of accurate and unbiased reporting. 

"Journalists, who are skeptical to begin with, simply do not like to be lied to or made fools of." ~Mudd

The Washington, D.C. native graduated from Wilson High School in 1945, later earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington and Lee University. Mudd began his journalism career in Richmond, Virginia, as a reporter for The Richmond News Leader and for radio station WRNL. In the late 1950s, Mudd moved back to Washington, D.C., to become a reporter with WTOP News, the news division of the radio and television stations owned by Washington Post-Newsweek. Mudd quickly came to the attention of CBS News and joined the Washington bureau in 1961. For most of his career at CBS, Mudd was a Congressional correspondent. He also was the anchor of the Saturday edition of CBS Evening News and frequently substituted on the weekday and weeknight broadcasts when regular anchormen Douglas Edwards and Walter Cronkite were absent.

"The relationship between press and politician - protected by the Constitution and designed to be happily adversarial - becomes sour, raw and confrontational." ~Mudd

After losing the CBS sole anchor position to Dan Rather, Mudd went to NBC in 1980. He was co-anchor for the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw until Brokaw became the sole anchor. Beginning in 1987 Mudd was an essayist and political correspondent with the MacNeil–Lehrer Newshour and a primary anchor for over ten years with The History Channel. Though Mudd retired from full-time broadcasting in 2004, he remained involved with documentaries for The History Channel.

Broadcast Pioneers: The NBC Three

Edwin Newman (1919-2010) was an American newscaster, journalist, and author, known for a 23-year career in television news with NBC beginning in 1961. Newman specialized in reporting breaking news, reporting for Republican and Democratic conventions, and as a moderator for Presidential debates. He was also known for his dry wit on and off camera.

Sander Vanocur (1928-2019) was an American television journalist who focused on U.S. national electoral politics, primarily for NBC News and ABC News. He served as White House correspondent and national political correspondent for NBC News in the 1960s and early 1970s. After his service in the United States Army, he began his journalism career as a reporter on the London staff of The Manchester Guardian and also did general reporting for The New York Times.

Garrick Utley (1939-2014) was an American television journalist and reporter, joined NBC News in 1963 as a researcher in Europe for The Huntley-Brinkley Report as a Foreign and Principal correspondent. His reporting on the Vietnam War has the distinction of being the first full-time television correspondent to cover the war on-site. The versatile Utley was also an anchor, frequently substituting for NBC's John Chancellor. 

From left to right above, Edwin Newman, Sander Vanocur, and Garrick Utley

Parallel Siblings

The Brothers Morgan
From left to right, it is Ralph Morgan (1883-1956) and Frank Morgan (1890-1949). Both were involved in radio, stage, silent, and talkies. The more drama-oriented Ralph is notable for 1937's Anthony Adverse and numerous forgotten films. He had few if any comedic roles unlike his brother Frank, who is famously noted for his hesitantly flustered, comedic delivery. None more iconic than his role as the great and powerful Oz.

Two Good Reasons
From left is Rex Reason (1928-1915), best known for low-budget films, the classic This Island Earth (1955) being his signature role. He was on the  ABC series, Roaring Twenties. His brother, Rhodes Reason (1930-1914) was an actor in television, film, and stage. The ABC network cast him on the limited-run series, Bus Stop. Both were tall, handsome leading men with distinctive baritone voices, yet not well-known to the general public. 

Television Talkers

 

John Lewis Gilbert III (1928-) aka Johnny Gilbert, was originally a nightclub singer and entertainer. He has worked mainly on television game shows as far back as the 1950s. He is known primarily for his work as the announcer and audience host for countless game shows. Gilbert was selected by Mark Goodson to replace Don Pardo as the announcer and audience host for the original version of The Price Is Right when it moved from NBC to ABC in 1963. Merv Griffin's quiz show Jeopardy! was reintroduced to television in 1984. Its new host, Alex Trebek, convinced Griffin to hire Gilbert as the announcer. His list for hosting game shows is staggering and can be found elsewhere online.

Gilbert's voice was heard on the CBS ceremonies, the People's Choice Awards and Emmy Awards. In addition, he added his distinct voice to episodes of the animated series, The Angry Beavers and Johnny Bravo.

Above, Gilbert was Dinah Shore's announcer and sidekick for Dinah!, beginning in 1974.

Television Transition

 

Don Dubbins (1928-1991)

The television medium offered a career shift for some movie character actors. Many were kept busy, becoming a household face if not a name.

Don Dubbins was an American television actor in westerns and dramas from the early days of the medium throughout the 1980s. His film credits after signing with Columbia Pictures are sparse but James Cagney took a liking to him and he garnered roles in two of his films, one being, Tribute to a Bad Man. He made a quick transition to the small screen where his boyish good looks provided the best benefits. As he matured, his roles were varied, working non-stop throughout his forty-year career.

The Brooklyn-born Marine veteran typically made single appearances on most shows in such classics as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Twilight Zone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Rockford Files, and Murder, She Wrote. Additionally, he also appeared in other popular series ranging from the comedy Mork & Mindy to the police drama Hunter. However, Dubbins spent extra time with Perry Mason for seven appearances, and five roles each for Dragnet 1967 and Barnaby Jones.

Approved by Dale Evans

Penny Edwards (Millicent Maxine Edwards 1928–1998) was an American actress on stage, film, and television. The particularly obscure actress was performing on Broadway at twelve before being cast about a decade later in her first film, My Wild Irish Rose in 1947. Around this time, during Dale Evans' pregnancy leave, the vivacious blue-eyed blonde filled Evan's role opposite Roy Rogers in several B-movie western films, Trail of Robin Hood, Spoilers of the Plains, Heart of the Rockies, and In Old Amarillo, among others. Evans specifically requested her. She took a break from the saddle with two 1951 crime noir films, Missing Woman and Million Dollar Pursuit.

Though Edwards announced her retirement in 1954, she returned to appear in a number of television shows, among them were Cheyenne, The Restless Gun, Bachelor Father, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Perry Mason, before ending her career with two appearances on Death Valley Days in 1958 and 1961. Her main focus after retirement was devoting herself to Christian service.

Charles Wysocki

 

Charles M. Wysocki, Jr. (1928-2002) was an American painter, whose works depict a stylized version of American life of yesteryear, mostly during the horse and buggy era. Born in Detroit, Michigan, in spent a two-year hitch in the US Army before entering the Art Center School in Los Angeles under the G.I. bill. There, he focused in the field of commercial art, spending four years in Detroit where his illustrations were used in Dodge trucks, Unocal, Carnation, and Dow Chemical Company advertisements. He returned to Los Angeles where he helped to form a freelance advertising agency. Because of his wife's heritage in the San Fernando Valley, Wysocki came to appreciate a simpler, more rural life. Together they made many trips to New England, which served to nurture his interest in early American folk art. He continued his lucrative commercial artwork for a time, but eventually devoted all of his attention to this new interest. In his Americana paintings, Wysocki usually included an American flag, something many admires enjoyed locating.

Logging Her First Atlantic Crossing

 

On this day in 1928, American aviator Amelia Earhart became the 1st woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by aircraft. After Charles Lindbergh's May 20 solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, Amy Guest (1873–1959) expressed interest in being the first woman to fly (or be flown) across the Atlantic Ocean. She deemed it too perilous so the project coordinators sought out Earhart, who had no training for instrument flying, so she accompanied co-pilots, Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon on the flight. Her duty was to log the entire flight. She became an overnight celebrity, partially due to her slim physique and facial resemblance to Lindbergh. On May 20, 1932, Earhart did fly solo across the Atlantic using a considerably shorter route than Lindbergh's 3,600 miles plus, landing after approximately 2,000 miles near Londonderry, Northern Ireland.