Billie Rae Bates's Blog, page 5

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Arnold Horshack!

Wow, we had almost forgotten that he illustrated Wesley Eure's children's book, and we didn't really know the details of his death (and even the rest of his life). But BRBTV certainly enjoyed his performance as Arnold Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter." This author just did a rewatch of the whole series on Tubi -- the first time I've really watched the series since its original airing. So this time on Brian's Six Feet Under Hollywood blog, it's Ron Paolillo's turn in the spotlight (and note the variance in the last name, which you can see on his grave) ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Arnold Horshack!:   Ronald Gabriel Paolillo was born in New Haven, Connecticut on April 2, 1949. He was the son of Gabriel and Carmel, the former of whom ...

A video tour through the former Eloise Asylum

In June on this very blog you saw some photos of this author's historical tour of the former Eloise facility in Westland, Michigan, commonly called Eloise Psychiatric Hospital or Eloise Asylum. The videos from that tour have been dropping weekly on my secondary YouTube channel, and they're now complete. These clips go in order from the lobby of the Kay Beard Building (once referred to as the "D" building) all the way up to the fifth (top) floor, where the most dangerous patients were once housed -- the criminally insane.
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
Take your own tour of Eloise Asylum.Subscribe to see other fun and sometimes kooky travel videos from here, there and everywhere (even Egypt).

A video tour through Eloise Psychiatric Hospital

In June on this very blog you saw some photos of this author's historical tour of the former Eloise facility in Westland, Michigan, commonly called Eloise Psychiatric Hospital or Eloise Asylum. The videos from that tour have been dropping weekly on my secondary YouTube channel, and they're now complete. These clips go in order from the lobby of the Kay Beard Building (once referred to as the "D" building) all the way up to the fifth (top) floor, where the most dangerous patients were once housed -- the criminally insane.
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
Take your own tour of Eloise Asylum.Subscribe to see other fun and sometimes kooky travel videos from here, there and everywhere (even Egypt).

Catch the newest episode of "Reanimated"

 
The undead are out in full force as a few of our survivors take refuge in a remote cabin for episode 8 of the "Reanimated" web series. And things aren't looking too good for this author's character, Blanche Lancaster. She was injured in a helicopter crash in an earlier episode, and that wound to her abdomen continues to get worse. And now? We'll you'll just have to watch and see.

Terrific TV Toys: "Dallas" trading cards, Donruss, 1981

Trading cards were really a thing back in the 1970s and '80s, and TV shows were popular subjects for them. The latest episode of the T3 series shows you a couple packs of trading cards celebrating the classic primetime soap "Dallas." There's ole J.R. Ewing, even daddy Jock Ewing and mom Miss Ellie, Sue Ellen, Bobby, Pam, Lucy -- all the regular characters we know and love. They're featured in full-color still shots from episodes of the show. We'll open one pack on camera and keep the other sealed. (But don't worry -- the thoroughly petrified piece of bubble gum is long gone!) 

Special shout-out to Alex, our fellow "Dallas" fan!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Happy Halloween from BRBTV! Stay safe!

ElectraWow and DynaMite: Can you believe Judy Strangis owns her DynaGirl costume?

It was a reunion of the two gals from classic Saturday-morning TV's "ElectraWoman and DynaGirl" over the weekend, and our buddy Brian was there -- and he even filed a report with BRBTV.

At an autograph show in New Jersey over the weekend, Brian, shown above in his Gilligan cosplay, got a chance to chat with Deidre Hall, left, and Judy Strangis, the stars of the iconic superhero series. They're looking great, he reported, first of all, but he also asked them about their amazing so-'70s costumes from the show, all awash in eye-catching oranges and yellows. What happened to the costumes? What were they like? How many costumes did each gal get for the filming? 

BRBTV was guessing it was "one" for the latter question, given the short time frame that the series aired, along with the minimalist's budgets that shows produced by the Kroffts were known for (admittedly, by brothers Sid and Marty). Well, yeah, Judy said, she just had one DynaGirl costume for the filming -- and she owns it now! So fun!
Judy didn't always own the outfit, though, she told Brian. A friend gifted her with it recently. She has the costume framed at her home (which Lynda Carter, by the way, has  done with her own screen-used Wonder Woman costume, though she had more than one for filming; Heroes and Icons recently reported that she actually owns two of the costumes). 
Of Judy, "Her husband/handler told me he has yet to see her wear it," Brian said. (Perhaps that was a bit of a joke on the hub's part, but it's adorable.) Deidre Hall, who went on after the show to much fame on daytime soaps, does not have her own ElectraWoman costume, however, she said.


Two modern photos courtesy of Brian Lombard; please do not copy without permission.

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Stephanie Zimbalist

A grave all set up and ready to go -- before death? Yeah, sometimes it happens, and it's part of the story of the very-much-still-living actress Stephanie Zimbalist, known for her work on the classic TV show "Remington Steele." Read more in the latest installment of the Six Feet Under Hollywood blog ...

Six Feet Under Hollywood: Stephanie Zimbalist:   "I have a personal connection with my Savior...I feel very beholden to Him...I feel He's there for me in my darkest moments." ...

Terrific non-TV Toys: "DCeased" Batgirl figure, DC Direct, 2022-2023

Since Halloween is right around the corner, why don't we take a look at something nice and creepy for the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series? This is a Batgirl figure from DC Direct and DC Essentials' "DCeased" line, based on the 2019 comic book series of the same name. Babsie is a bloody sight to behold, for sure, looking like she stepped off the pages of the Walking Dead comic series rather than the DC Universe. 

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

Quick shot of Erica Durance just because

Our friend Brian is at the “Smallville” con in New Jersey this weekend and shared with BRBTV this shot of the panel discussion with the beautiful Erica Durance, who of course was the beautiful and feisty Lois Lane on the series. Thanks, Brian! Have fun!

(Learn more at https://www.creationent.com/cal/smv_nj/index.htm)

Photo courtesy of Brian; please do not copy without permission

Terrific TV Toys: "Star Trek" fleece throw kit by Eugene Textiles, 2016; "Picard" cap, 2019; Vegas con bag, 2021

You ever jump into something that you think is going to take like five minutes and it ends up taking hours? Well, my buddy Brian gave me a wonderful goodie bag of "Star Trek" items the last time I saw him, and inside that bag was this "Star Trek" fleece throw blanket from Eugene Textiles that I thought I was going to feature nice and quick-like on an episode of the T3 series. Yeah, right ... I missed that part that said some assembly was required. This was not a fleece throw -- this was a fleece throw kit. As in, put it together! OK, fine, so I paused the camera a few times and muddled through. You'll see the results in the latest episode of the collectibles series, and you'll even see the finished product! If you've never put together one of these fleece throw kits (am I saying that right? maybe it's throw fleece kits!), it actually is rather enjoyable, and it can be a group activity, like maybe a family activity. Just make sure the kids are safe with scissors that are nice and sharp!

Another item in the goodie bag Brian gave me is a cap bearing the insignia for the "Star Trek: Picard" series, which I have not yet watched but will someday watch, I'm sure, being a hard-core "Trek" fan who plans to view all "Trek" ever produced. Then there is the bag itself, which is a cool keepsake from a recent "Star Trek" Las Vegas con (no doubt the 2021 con, judging from the imprint on the bag).

Thanks again, Brian!!!!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.