mattbaume
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Bonus video! Liberace, Dr. Smith from Lost in Space, and Charles Nelson Reilly Meets Madame
🕑 Added 2022-08-14 16:01:02 +0000 UTCHello there! I've got a whole bunch of fun stuff for you this week -- starting with a fabulous discovery about a Liberace biopic from the 1980s. You'll never GUESS who played his mother!!! Also I found some extremely fun interviews with Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Smith on Lost in Space, and less notably Basil Bitterbottom on Uncle Croc's Block. Croc, of course, was played by America's gay uncle Charles Nelson Reilly, who's been everywhere and done everything -- thanks to everyone who sent me fabulous clips of him being wacky and talented over the decades.
Backup link for the video: https://youtu.be/VnfYCaMO0BY
Jonathan Harris interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hg9LPr-Glc
Jonathan Harris on Conan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlU0hs5j-W0
CNR on Madame's Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62slMThnTaM
Comments
JordanL
Loved the Reta Shaw shoutout! She was great in everything. Interesting to know she grew up with mysticism, considering she actually plays a spiritualist in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (a Don Knotts comedy I loved as a kid).
Matt Baume
Haha yes I'm realizing just how disorganized that shelf is now, I think the organizational scheme is "British sci-fi and fantasy published in sizes other than trade paperback"
James Higgins
It’s our first time heading to PTown so mainly going with the flow, though a friend of ours is djing at the crown & anchor and his vibe is disco and kitsch classics so you’d be welcome to join us there or a drink elsewhere
Kris Olsen
SOOOOO looking forward to the CNR video! YES! Have a good time back east! Also did I see Anansi Boys by Neil Gaimon on the shelf above your head? ❤️
Matt Baume
Just one of those universally beloved actors. There are some really nice videos of Burt Reynolds of all people talking about how JH inspired him to become an actor.
Matt Baume
Oh nice! Let me know if you have recommendations, I'll be on the Cape from the 20th to the 27th.
Matt Baume
I love how many people have Jonathan Harris impressions! And how curious that he was, by all accounts, straight -- his characters are so often cited as the definition of queer coding.
Overdone Skeleton
Such an entertaining person in Harris! I love Lost in Space so much, Harris is so close to my heart
James Higgins
Have a great time in PTown! My husband and I are heading there on Tuesday, so hope to bump into you there! Safe travels!
Trevor
Great stuff, Matt. Uncle Croc’s Block was a huge failure and ABC’s Fred Silverman severed all ties with Filmation as a result. It really is awful. It feels like a Krofft show but without the benefit of drugs. Jonathan Harris is always a treat. Like Charles, he was also from the Bronx, though he was 16 years older than Charles. In addition to Croc, Harris starred in Filmation’s Ark II series. It’s a live-action sci-if series but Harris plays his role quite straight (in all ways). If you come across any interviews of Billy Mumy talking about Harris, you’ll find he does a fantastic impression. He obviously loved him a lot.
