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The Great American Traffic Jam
''The Great American Traffic Jam'' (alternate title ''Gridlock'') is a 1980 American made-for-television movie which first aired on NBC on October 2, 1980. The comedy revolves around a large "all-star" cast getting stuck in a massive Los Angeles area traffic jam, with multiple interweaving story lines among those stuck.(26 September 1980History's Worst Traffic Jam ''Suffolk News-Herald'' Background and reception The movie debuted on NBC on Thursday October 2, 1980.(28 September 1980)We Interrupt to Bring A Traffic Bulletin ''San Bernardino Sun'' The ''TV Guide'' summary of the week's TV movies described it as a film that "provides stale characters in staler situations,"(Sept 27-Oct 3, 1980)This Week's Movies ''TV Guide'', p. A-6, A-23 but another promotional blurb in the same issue stated "what sets this 1980 TV-movie apart are its flashes of wit, delivered in a running commentary by a glib disc jockey (Howard Hesseman) and its satirically staged sequences--such as a helicopter's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Hackel
Dave Hackel is an American producer and screenwriter. He is best known for creating, writing and producing the CBS sitcom ''Becker'', which starred Ted Danson and ran from 1998 until 2004. Hackel grew up in Delaware, Ohio. He later moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1970s, where he had started working as a game show staffer. He started writing with Steve Hattman as a writing partner for television shows and for projects such as the 1980 television movie ''The Great American Traffic Jam''. Aside from all his work on ''Becker'', Hackel has also worked on episodes of ''Frasier'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Wings'', '' Dear John'', '' Out of This World'', ''Webster'', ''9 to 5'', ''Fish'', ''LateLine'', ''Harper Valley PTA'', ''Gridlock'', ''Shirley'' and '' The Pursuit of Happiness''. Hackel wrote columns for ''The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with loca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noah Beery Jr
Noah Lindsey Beery (August 10, 1913 – November 1, 1994) was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, Beery Jr. seldom broke away from playing supporting roles. Active as an actor in films or television for well over half a century, he was best known for playing James Garner's character's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, in the NBC television series ''The Rockford Files'' (1974–1980). His father, Noah Nicholas Beery (known professionally as Noah Beery or Noah Beery Sr.) enjoyed a similarly lengthy film career as an extremely prominent supporting actor in major films, although the elder Beery was also frequently a leading man during the silent film era. Life and career Beery was born in New York City, New York, where his father was working as a stage actor. He was given his nickname "Pidge" by George M. Cohan's sister Josie. The family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Wesley Waggoner (; April 13, 1935 – March 17, 2020) was an American actor, sculptor, presenter, travel trailer salesman and model, known for his work on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor and Steve Trevor Jr. on ''Wonder Woman'' from 1975 to 1979. In his later career he founded a company, Star Waggons, which rented luxury trailers to studios. Early life Waggoner was born in Kansas City, Kansas on April 13, 1935, the son of Marie (Isern) and Myron Waggoner, and spent part of his childhood in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. On an episode of ''The Carol Burnett Show'', Waggoner stated he had three sisters and one brother. In 1953, he graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, and then studied briefly at Washington University in St. Louis. He then joined the United States Army, serving two years in West Germany as a radio operator. Following his military discharge, Waggoner studied mechanical engineering in the ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vic Tayback
Victor E. Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He is known for his role as Mel Sharples in the film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974) and the television series '' Alice'' (1976–1985). The latter earned him two consecutive Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Life and career Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Helen (née Hanood) and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. He moved with his family to Burbank, California during his teenage years and attended Burbank High School, from which he graduated in 1947. He also attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick A. Speare School of Radio and TV Broadcasting. Tayback served in the United States Navy before beginning his acting career at the age of 25. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, he was a familiar face on television in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on numerous series, including ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Sues
Alan Grigsby Sues (March 7, 1926 – December 1, 2011) was an American actor and comedian widely known for his roles on the 1968–1973 television series ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''. Sues's on-screen persona was campy and outrageous. Typical of his humor was a skit that found him following a pair of whiskey-drinking cowboys to a Wild West bar and requesting a frozen daiquiri. His recurring characters on the program included "Big Al the Sportscaster", "Uncle Al the Kiddies' Pal", and "Jo Anne Worley", after Worley left the show. Early life Alan Grigsby Sues was born on March 7, 1926, in Ross, California, to Alice (née Murray) and Melvyn Sues, who raised racehorses, requiring the family to move frequently. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. Career Sues used his GI Bill benefits to pay for acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he performed, later making his Broadway debut in the stage play '' Tea and Sympathy'', directed by Elia Kazan, which had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Norris (actress)
Christopher Norris is an American movie and television actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of nurse Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi in the television series ''Trapper John, M.D.''. She attended Los Angeles Valley College. Early notable roles include the wild girl Miriam in ''Summer of '42'' (1971); a heroic young flight attendant in the disaster film ''Airport 1975'' (1974), and as a hot girl in Roger Corman's ''Eat My Dust!'' (1976). Early in her career, Norris typically played wholesome, "girl next door" types, and, later in her career, she got more "vixen" type roles, including the role of loony Laura Simmons Asher on the daytime soap '' Santa Barbara''. Her other daytime credits include '' Another World'' and ''Guiding Light''. In 1980, Norris married Walter Danley, a businessman and later novelist. They divorced in 1998. Due to their physical resemblance, Norris is frequently mistaken for Melanie Griffith. Because of this, Griffith was mistakenly interviewed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Napier (actor)
Charles Lewis Napier (April 12, 1936 – October 5, 2011) was an American character actor known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in '' Something Wild'' (1986), ''Married to the Mob'' (1988), '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991), ''Philadelphia'' (1993), ''Beloved'' (1998), and ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (2004). Other notable roles include the short-tempered country singer Tucker McElroy in ''The Blues Brothers'', gruff army Commander Gilmour in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Molinaro
Albert Francis Molinaro (born Umberto Francesco Molinaro; June 24, 1919 – October 30, 2015) was an American actor. He played Al Delvecchio on ''Happy Days'' and Officer Murray Greshler on ''The Odd Couple''. He also appeared in many television commercials, including On-Cor frozen dinners. Early life Umberto Francesco Molinaro was born and raised in the Columbus Park neighborhood of Kenosha, Wisconsin, the second-youngest of ten children of Raffaele and Teresa Molinaro, who had emigrated from Marano Principato in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. Molinaro's father was a prominent tavern/restaurant/hotel owner, and a leader of the Kenosha Italian community who financially sponsored hundreds of Italians to immigrate to the United States. Molinaro's brother Joseph was Kenosha County's longest-serving district attorney and retired as a municipal judge, and his brother George served 30 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, including one session as Speaker. At school Al dis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James McEachin
James McEachin (born May 20, 1930) is an American author and retired actor. Military career McEachin served in the United States Army before, and then during, the Korean War. Serving in King Company, 9th Infantry Regiment (United States), 2nd Infantry Division, he was wounded (nearly fatally) in an ambush and nearly left for dead. McEachin was one of only two soldiers to survive the ambush. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and Silver Star in 2005 by California Congressman David Dreier after McEachin participated in a Veterans History Project interview for Dreier's office and Drier's staff, Carlos Cortez, discovered McEachin had no copies of his own military records. Dreier's staff quickly traced the records and notified McEachin of the Silver Star commendation, then awarded him all seven of his medals of valor shortly thereafter, fifty years after his service. Civilian career Following his military career, McEachin dabbled in civil service, first as a fireman and then a pol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Lerner (actor)
Michael C. Lerner (born June 22, 1941) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''Barton Fink'' (1991). Lerner has also played Arnold Rothstein in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Phil Gillman in ''Amos & Andrew'' (1993), The Warden in '' No Escape'' (1994), Mayor Ebert in Roland Emmerich's ''Godzilla'' (1998), Mr. Greenway in ''Elf'' (2003), and Senator Brickman in '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' (2014). Life and career Lerner was born on June 22, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York City, of Romanian-Jewish descent, the son of Blanche and George Lerner, a fisherman and antiques dealer. He was raised in Red Hook, Brooklyn and in Solon, Ohio. His brother Ken and nephew Sam are also actors. Lerner began his acting career in the late 1960s at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco. At the age of 24 he appeared as "Hieronymous the Miser" in a KPFA radio production of Michel de Ghelderode's Breugelesque play, ''Red ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lisa Hartman Black
Lisa Hartman Black is an American actress and singer. Career After some minor television appearances, Hartman starred on the short-lived ''Bewitched'' spin-off, ''Tabitha (TV series), Tabitha'' during 1977–78. She subsequently appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and appeared in the 1981 CBS TV remake of Jacqueline Susann's ''Valley of the Dolls (novel), Valley of the Dolls'', as Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls, Neely O'Hara. She was on WLS-TV's 1979 special "You're Never Too Old" recorded at Six Flags Great America, Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Hartman's breakthrough as an actress came in 1982 when she began appearing on the prime time drama ''Knots Landing'', playing rock singer Ciji Dunne. Her character engaged in romances with the characters played by Ted Shackelford and Michael Sabatino. Hartman was popular with audiences, and when Ciji was murdered off-screen in 1983, there was a public uproar. As a solution, Hartman was brought back ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Gregory (actor)
James Gregory (December 23, 1911 – September 16, 2002) was an American character actor known for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as Schaffer in ''Al Capone'' (1959), the McCarthy-like Sen. John Iselin in ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (1962), the audacious General Ursus in ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' (1970), and crusty Inspector Frank Luger in the television sitcom ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1982). Career In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in a production of ''Key Largo'' and worked in about 25 more Broadway productions over the next 16 years. He served three years in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps during World War II. His early acting work included army training films; one such appearance is excerpted in '' The Atomic Café'' (1982). He also worked in radio, including a year (1955–1956) on '' 21st Precinct''. Gregory was the lead in ''The Lawless Years'', a 1920s-era crime drama which aired 45 episodes on NBC. In t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
