I wonder if there was a spot in Collinsport, Maine which was NOT haunted? 

I noticed that the writers of this article selected the Pine Barrens, also known as “The Pineys,” a vast area of marshland not far from Atlantic City, as the scariest area in New Jersey. This area was also the alleged birthplace of the Garden State’s most famous monster, The Jersey Devil, a chimerical creature with the head of horse, wings, talons and a tail. This mythical creature has supposedly been spotted over the years throughout southern New Jersey. Apparently, The Jersey Devil has displayed enough common sense NOT to fly near either Satriale’s Meat Market in Kearney, NJ or the Bada-Bing Men’s Club in beautiful Lodi, NJ on Route  17 South, knowing that Mr. Anthony Soprano of North Caldwell, NJ would NOT be pleased at all with The Jersey Devil’s presence in either of those two northern New Jersey
communities.

If DS had remained on the air after 1971, I wonder if Dan Curtis might have “borrowed” the Jersey Devil concept on the show, possibly renamed as “The Collinsport Chupacabra”? 

Oh yeah, both Christopher Moltisanti and the irrepressible Paulie Walnuts once spent an extremely terrifying and absolutely frigid night in The Pineys in, arguably, the greatest Sopranos’ episode of all time, “Pine Barrens.” 

This is shocking news. First, it was Terry Kirkman, leader of The Association, then actress Suzanne Somers and now the beautiful, talented and unfailingly gracious Lara Parker.

Requiem aeternam, Ms. Parker.

$62.00 for a lousy book; talk about chutzpah! 

Why, Sarah Johnson and Judith Collins-Trask, those two notoriously “frugal,” longtime residents of Collinsport, Maine, would be ABSOLUTELY turning over in their graves if they knew someone was charging such an outrageous fee for some book about a tv show most Americans under the age of thirty probably never even heard of!!! 

Hey gang,

So, I’m watching an episode of the great comedy series, “Frasier,” on COZI-TV the other night, and we see the unfailingly urbane Dr. Frasier Crane enjoying dinner at a Seattle restaurant with his attractive date, when the owner of the upscale Italian restaurant informs his customers that it’s the 50th anniversary of his wedding day, resulting in enthusiastic applause from the diners. Now, I’m looking at this older man with the gray hair and beard and he looks very familiar to me. And, suddenly, it hits me, it’s the flamboyant, sartorially-splendid and eternally ESL-challenged King Johnny Romano!

Yes, it was DS actor Paul Michael, who was killed off far too soon as King Johnny Romano, leader of the Romani tribe. Mr. Michael appeared in an especially memorable episode of DS during the 1897 storyline, when he (as King Johnny) and Istvan, the mute and muscular gypsy, were about to enter the secret room of the Collins Family Mausoleum to put Magda Racosi on trial for stealing the fabled Hand of Count Petofi. Well, just as King Johnny says to Magda, “Open the door, Magda. Open the door,” a studio light literally explodes rather loudly, and we see Paul Michael, Grayson Hall and Henry Baker noticeably flinch as the d@mned light goes kaboom! I always found that to be very funny and one of DS’s great unscripted moments!

Paul Michael, much like fellow DS actor Dennis Patrick, appeared in many television shows, like “Kojak,” Hill Street Blues” “Seinfeld” and “Dragnet” to name a few. Mr. Michael also appeared mfrequently on stage in plays like “Zorba the Greek” and as Tevye in “Fiddler in the Roof.” Mr. Michael was married to actress Marion Ross, who portrayed the beloved Mrs. Marion Cunningham on “Happy Days” for many years and also appeared on stage in “Arsenic and Old Lace” with Jonathan Frid.

Even though Mr. Michael appeared in only a few episodes of DS as the “slightly” over-the-top King Johnny, and much like fellow DS actor Michael Hadge in his portrayal of the immortal hippie/motorcyclist Buzz Hackett, I believe that DS fans will never forget the larger-than-life King Johnny Romano! 

Were there any 1960s/1970s/1980s American tv shows that the late, great Dennis Patrick was NOT on? 

Okay, Mr. Patrick might not have guest-starred on “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Montefuscos” or “Punky Brewster,” but, I’m not even sure about that. Nevertheless, Mr. Patrick truly was “Mr. Ubiquity of American Television.” 

PS Nancy Kulp, a/k/a “Miss Jane,” I’m in love! 

Not sure I get it -- did Anderson look like him?  I have a vague recollection of what he looked like, but not enough to tell if there was a similarity.

Josette,

John Anderson and Barnaby Jones (Buddy Ebsen) could have been twins! There’s a picture of John Anderson over on his page on the Wikipedia site.

Bob

PS I remember seeing the great Robert Klein just before the 2012 US presidential election and Mr. Klein commented that he thought Mitt Romney looked “like a spoiled fraternity boy.” So, I guess that there’s a similarity (facially and otherwise) between the retiring US Senator from Utah and renowned publisher Schuyler Rumson, Angelique Bouchard’s former “better” half. 

Josette,

Belated Happy Birthday Wishes!

Hey, I saw that the New York Yankees were playing your beloved Pittsburgh Pirates last night. It immediately brought back memories of when I was a little boy in 1960, visiting at my friend’s house, where his family, all diehard Yankee fans, were watching game number 7 of the World Series. Let me tell you, I have NEVER seen people SO upset after seeing Bill Mazeroski hit that game-winning, World Series-winning home run off of Yankee relief pitcher Ralph Terry. Talk about the agony of defeat!  .

Bob

Another performer, who transitioned from acting to psychotherapy is Regina Baff. I saw Ms. Baff in the Ira Levin play, “Veronica’s Room,” an eerie production, which both Nicholas Blair and Judah Zachary would have thoroughly enjoyed. The great Arthur Kennedy and the great Eileen Heckart (also of “The Bad Seed” fame) also appeared in this gripping and disturbing thriller.

Regina Baff appeared as a partygoer in “The Great Gatsby” along with KLS and Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. You might also remember Ms. Baff as the kindhearted wife of the suicidal law student in “The Paper Chase” with Timothy Bottoms and John Houseman.

Anyway, Ms. Baff attained a Ph.D. in psychology and is now a psychotherapist in NYC. Maybe she’s also been a guest on Robin Lane’s radio program?