Billie Rae Bates's Blog, page 4

Six Feet Under Hollywood: The Lost Grave of Andy Williams

His signature hit was "Moon River," but did you know that his ashes were scattered on Moon River, in a manner of speaking? The Six Feet Under Hollywood blog walks through the interesting grave of famed crooner Andy Williams in this latest installment …

 Six Feet Under Hollywood: The Lost Grave of Andy Williams:   "I still don't think I'm as good as anyone else." Every now and then in my research, I come across a grave so unique tha...

Terrific non-TV Toys: Uncle Sam's 3 Coin Register Bank, Western Stamping Corp., 1970s

This week on "Terrific non-TV Toys," a crazy thing this author dug out of storage, an item that was pretty beloved when I was a kid. Do you remember these? Ever have one? The history of this item actually goes back further than you think.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Terrific non-TV toys: Uncle Sam's 3 Coin Register Bank, Western Stamping Corp., 1970s

This week on "Terrific non-TV Toys," a crazy thing this author dug out of storage, an item that was pretty beloved when I was a kid. Do you remember these? Ever have one? The history of this item actually goes back further than you think.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Terrific TV Toys: Welcome back to my life, Kotter!!

Welcome back ... your dreams were your ticket out. Welcome back ... to that same old place that you laughed about ...

From the first "Oooo! Oooo! Oooo!" of Horshack to the last "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-barino" of Vinnie, the mid-'70s sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" was a smashing success. And it was rather smashing to rewatch the series on Tubi a few months ago. In fact, this author was so smashed by it that I had to do an episode of Terrific TV Toys dedicated to it, so I went to eBay and bought something "Kotter"! It's a patch that you can sew onto a piece of clothing -- remember when those were popular? It's evidently vintage, and I chose my favorite Sweathog of the four to grace it. You'll find out which Sweathog that was, and you'll see some great reading materials, in the latest T3 episode. As a kid I also had some "Welcome Back, Kotter" comics, and I bought one of the novelizations of the show in later years.

We're off to a rousing start for the 12th big season of the series! See everything on the T3 playlist.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Peanuts 50th anniversary kids' meal toys, Wendy's, 2000

A spinning top, a jigsaw puzzle and a few other tricks -- none needing batteries, thankfully! In the first episode of the eighth season of Terrific non-TV Toys, you get a quick look at a couple toys from each of two sets released by Wendy's in 2000 for their popular Kids' Meals. One is branded for the 50th anniversary of Peanuts, which of course first hit our pop culture back in 1950. The other set is simply called "Snoopy 2000." What kind of gizmos do these fast-food toys include? Tune in and see this author whip them across the room (kinda) ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Image from Rusty's Toy Reviews.

Happy New Year! Here's the updated episode guide to the two BRBTV collectibles series

We're off to a new year again, already??? Great -- let's go.
And as we look forward to new seasons for both of the BRBTV collectibles series, Terrific TV Toys and Terrific non-TV Toys, here is your recap of this past season's episodes. Have you checked out the T3 Facebook page? If not, head on over there and share the love of these toys related to our beloved classic TV shows. T3 also has a Pinterest page, so check that out, too!
And remember that you can catch other great videos on the BRBTV YouTube channel, plus subscribe to this author's secondary YouTube channel to see interviews, acting clips, and crazy stuff like 1990s episodes of local TV shows!

Terrific TV Toys Season 11

183. "Dallas" truck by Greenlight Hollywood, 2013
184. Batgirl walkie-talkie prop replica by NECA, 2023
185. Batgirl figure from "The New Adventures of Batman," McFarlane, 2024
186. Catwoman statue from "B:TAS," DC Direct, 2022
187. "Dukes of Hazzard" Cooter's tow truck 1:18, Greenlight, 2021
188. "Star Trek" fleece throw kit, hat, bag, 2016-2021
189. "Dallas" trading cards, Donruss, 1981 
190. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" board game, 2018

Season 10Season 9
Season 8Season 7
Season 6
Season 5
Season 4
Season 3
Season 1 and 2  

Terrific non-TV Toys Season 7

65. Catwoman, Vinyl Vixens by Funko, 2015
66. Batmobile Hot Wheels by Mattel, 2021
67. Barbie carrying case and fashions, Mattel, 1968-1970s
68. Wonder Woman salt and pepper shakers, Enesco, 2019
69. "Flash Gordon" Pop! Album with Freddie Mercury, Funko, 2022
70. Tuesday Taylor, Super Model walking version, Ideal, 1978
71. "DCeased" Batgirl figure, DC Direct, 2022-2023
72. "The Peanuts Movie" Happy Meal Toys, McDonald's, 2015

Season 6Season 5
Season 4Season 3
Season 2
Season 1

May 2025 be blessed for you and your family!

Just Beneath the Surface (Episode 14) -- "The Masks" episode of classic "Twilight Zone"

A new study of one of Rod Serling's magnificent studies of human nature, more specifically the classic "Twilight Zone" episode "The Masks," one of the "TZ" eps that this author has actually seen quite a few times. That's interesting, given the fact that every time I flip through the channels and see that Syfy is having another "TZ" marathon, like over a holiday weekend, an episode manages to appear that I have never seen! Now how does that happen, when it's one of my all-time favorite shows??? That alone is a "Twilight Zone" thing. 
Anyway, I do digress! In the latest episode of the Just Beneath the Surface series hosts Brian and Bruce dive into  (yes!) the greed, the selfishness, the pretenses (hello, Facebook!!!!!), the masks we all wear, the not-so-gentle allegory that Serling was so well-known for, which shines in this "TZ" story. As always, Serling has something to say that transcends the decades.

Terrific TV Toys: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" board game, 2018

The true meaning of Christmas is something that is front-and-center in the 1960s "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special, the first in a long line of successful animated small-screen features for Snoopy and the gang. The true meaning of Christmas is also an important element of a sweet, simple board game celebrating that Christmas special, produced decades later. BRBTV shows you the game, up-close and personal, in the latest episode of the Terrific TV Toys series, bringing to a close the 11th season of the collectibles series.

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Merry Christmas from BRBTV! And here's to many blessings in the new year.

Terrific non-TV Toys: "The Peanuts Movie" Happy Meal Toys, McDonald's, 2015

Didya catch the big-screen "Peanuts Movie" a few years back? Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally and all the gang, along with our beloved beagle? Well, McDonald's was in on the fun, rolling out a line of Happy Meal Toys celebrating the movie's release. BRBTV did not collect all of them, but we got quite a few, and in this season finale episode of Terrific non-TV Toys for 2024, we show not only those but also throw in a bonus item -- one toy from the Snoopy NASA set. 

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Those beloved Gloria Vanderbilt jeans show up again -- this time on "Soap"

If you've ever seen this author's Pinterest account, you know I'm a big fan of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. Since my very first pair in junior high school in the early 1980s, I've owned many, many over the years, along with shirts, shoes, purses, cologne, dishware and anything else Gloria I can get my hands on. Ms. Vanderbilt, who passed away in her 90s in 2019, remains one of my personal heroes. So, as I've been making my way through rewatchings -- or first-time watchings -- of great classic TV shoes on Tubi and other likeminded streaming apps, I've been very delighted to see GVs pop up on many of the characters of that late '70s, early '80s timeframe. I blogged before about Janet and Chrissy wearing them on "Three's Company." I blogged about the gals of "Facts of Life," particularly in the first season, wearing them in all colors. And now, for the past few weeks I've been watching the '70s comedy "Soap" for the first time, and guess what I see on Corinne in the second season:

I'm tickled pink! Or gray or whatever color they are, with white stitching! (Truth be told, they look like they could be the lavender fine cords I got in junior high school, with white stitching. Those came from the mail-order Alden's catalog -- remember Alden's?) Anyway, the above shot is from S2E8 of the series. Then, in episode 19 of the same season, Corinne sported another pair of colored GVs, this time a forest green with white stitching (the image below captured them as a very similar color as the pair above, but they were more green):

She wore that pair again in the following episode. This was in 1979, as GVs were riding high in our pop culture, helping lead the charge for the popularity of designer jeans.

I'll keep watching for more!