TVSquad

Allan Melvin had so many roles on so many TV shows over the years that it's hard to know where to begin, but I guess the most logical spot would be The Brady Bunch, where he played Sam The Butcher, the guy Alice dated. He was also a regular on The Phil Silvers Show, played Archie Bunker's friend Barney on All in the Family, and also played Rob's army buddy on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He appeared on dozens of other shows over the years, from the Andy Griffith Show (he always played a crook - that's him on the right in the pic) and Gomer Pyle, USMC to Kung Fu and The Banana Splits (he was Drooper).

You would probably also recognize his voice in many cartoons, including Magilla Gorilla, The Flintstones, The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, The Smurfs, Spider-Man and Friends, Foofur, Ducktales, Talespin, and others.

He died of cancer in Los Angeles.

There is a treat for all fans of The Brady Bunch over at AOL TV. As part of their "Where are they now?" series, AOL TV is providing the current stats on all your favorite BB cast members.

Some of them have been more high profile than others. Christopher Knight (Peter) is, of course, well-known to today's reality show fans. He was a cast member on The Surreal Life where he met and fell in love with America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry. The two of them went on to star on their own reality series My Fair Brady which ended with their wedding.

Hawaiian singer Don Ho, whose most famous song was "Tiny Bubbles," died yesterday morning in Honolulu of a heart attack. Ho had several heart problems in recent years, had a pacemaker installed, and had experimental surgery done in Thailand two years ago. He performed right up until the end, with his last show this past Thursday.

Ho hosted his own variety show, appropriately titled The Don Ho Show, on ABC in 1976-77. He made appearances on several TV shows, including McCloud and Hawaiian Eye, but most of the time he appeared as himself, in shows like The Brady Bunch, Charlie's Angels, One West Waikiki, Fantasy Island, Sanford and Son, The Fall Guy, Life Goes On, Batman, and I Dream of Jeannie.

I think it used to be a law that every TV show had to film at least one episode on location in Hawaii, and if they did, Ho guest starred.

Susan Olsen is best known for her role as Cindy Brady (The youngest one in curls) on The Brady Bunch. After her stint as a child star, she involved herself in a number of different careers including graphic designer, radio show host and mother. She has also appeared in a number of Brady related projects as an adult, such as The Brady Brides and My Fair Brady.

1. Where were you born?
Santa Monica CA, same hospital where I had my son 35 years later

2. How many siblings do you have?
Three. Two brothers, one sister

4. Do you have any pets?
Three: 2 cats, one dog

5. Do you have any nicknames?
Several but I am currently known as "Fluff"

6. What is your favorite restaurant?
Anything in France otherwise, Taco Bell.

7. What is your favorite TV show?
Da Ali G Show

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

A few days ago I wrote a piece about the 10 worst movies based on TV shows and I got quite a few responses. One reader asked if there were any good movies based on shows, so I decided to come up with another list. Please keep in mind, this is only my opinion, albeit an expert one.

1. The Untouchables: The script by David Mamet deserves much of the credit, but the casting is phenomenal, also. Sean Connery and Kevin Costner make the perfect team and Robert De Niro's plucked hairline makes his Capone a pleasure to watch. Like the show, the film pays close attention to detail and isn't afraid to show the good guys doing whatever it takes.

2. The Fugitive: This is exactly what a big screen version should be...BIG! Terrific action sequences and great locations. Ford's updated Richard Kimble does exactly what he should and Tommy Lee Jones is dead-on as the cop who has to do his job, but knows something is "hinkey." Just like the show, the movie keeps us on the edge of our seat and rooting for the good guy, while we can't wait to see the bad guy.

New TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• The Brady Bunch - Complete Series
• Entourage - Season 3, Vol. 1
• Law and Order - Season 5
• The Lost Room - Complete Mini-Series
• Mind of Mencia - Season 2 (Uncensored)
• The Pink Panther Show - Vol. 5: The Ant & The Aardvark
• Roseanne - Season 7
• She-Ra - Season 1, Vol. 2
• Tom Goes To The Mayor - Complete Series
• Twin Peaks - Season 2

If you're a fan of Sherwood Schwartz's classic sitcom The Brady Bunch, you'll be pleased to know that the complete series will be available on DVD on March 27, according to TVShowsOnDVD. There's no details on the set just yet, though apparently the DVDs come wrapped in a brick of pot. Okay, maybe it's not pot, but whatever it is, you'll probably get really messed up if you smoke it.

The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974, was the story of an aesthetically-pleasing woman who raised a trio of three girls who were also pretty. Their hair was gold, not unlike that of their mother. The youngest daughter's hair, in contrast to those of her siblings, was in curls.

Meanwhile, there was a man named Brady, the patriarch of a family consisting of himself and three boys. Together they equaled four men who lived in a house together. Despite this, they were all very much alone.

One day, however, the aforementioned man and woman met each other. Knowing almost preternaturally that it was more than a hunch, they decided to combine the two families into one. That's how they became the Brady Bunch.

And Ann B. Davis as Alice.

Yeah, that headline doesn't sound quite right does it? To quote George Constanza, "Worlds are colliding!"

Gilligan's Island: The Musical is a stage play that brings the TV classic to the theater. They'll be performing the show at the Coral Springs Center For The Arts in Coral Springs, FL, February 2-11. The role of millionaire Thurston Howell III will be played by Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch, another Sherwood Schwartz show. And to make matters even more confusing, Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island, will not reprise her role. Instead, she'll play Mrs. Howell!

This just isn't right. What if they mix up the theme songs? "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...here's the story! Of a man named Skipper!"

They should have other classic TV stars play the other roles. How about Ann B. Davis as Ginger?

[via TV Tattle]

Searching through my mental Rolodex, I think I remember Adam doing a post about the five best fictional bands on TV. And now IGN has weighed in on the matter, picking their Top 10 TV Bands.

Some of the usual suspects are here, such as Charlie's band DriveSHAFT from Lost and The Silver Platters from The Brady Bunch. But there are some funky choices, like Creation from Freaks and Geeks and Cold Slither from G.I. Joe (??). But what bands are missing here? How about the Monkees and The Partridge Family? IGN explains they were purposely left out because they were the main focus of the show, which I don't really think is fair, but whatever. This site might have some of the bands we can't think of.

I wonder how old this writer is though. I mean, how can you list The Blowholes from The Adventures of Pete & Pete and not mention that Marshall Crenshaw was in the band? He's the guy on the left in the photo. You can't just call him "a local meter man"! (Side note: wow, two Adventures of Pete & Pete mentions in one day!)

• Andromeda - Season 5 and The Slipstream Collection
• The Andy Griffith Show - Season 1, Disc 1
• The Brady Bunch - Season 1, Disc 1
• CSI - Season 1, Disc 1
• Forever Knight - Trilogy Part 3
• Frasier - Season 1, Disc 1
• Gimme A Break - Season 2 (Canada)
• The Greatest American Hero - Collector's Tin
• Medium - Season 2
• Penn & Teller's Bullshit - Season 3 Uncensored
• Return to the Planet of the Apes - Complete Series
• South Park - The Hits, Vol. 1
• Stargate SG-1 - Season 9 Slimset
• Three's Company - Season 8
• Tom and Jerry Tales - Vol. 1
• The Twilight Zone - The Complete Definitive Collection

The Brady Bunch (and The Partridge Family) were weekly rituals in my house when I was a kid. My sister and I would get a huge bag of candy down at the corner store and come home and watch both shows on Friday night.

So it was interesting to see what Cousin Oliver, aka Robbie Rist, is up to these days. As fans of The Brady Bunch know, he was brought on to the show later in its run to add something to the show. I don't know, maybe a cute factor or just shake things up a bit. But all he did was annoy fans, and many people see this as a big "Jump the Shark" moment. Even Rist himself says he has that web site to thank for renewed interest in his career.

Check out what Rist looks like now. Quite a change.

[via TV Tattle]

Some activities aren't hindered too much by a little pot smoking, such as performing dental surgery or piloting commercial aircraft. Trying to act on a popular sitcom when you're stoned, however? Well, that's just plain dangerous. Barry Williams, in his autobiography I Was a Teenage Greg, recalls a scene he did for the Brady Bunch during which he was extremely high. It's subtle, and if I didn't actually know he was high I don't know if I would have noticed anything that odd about his performance, but Destiny-land has some excerpts from Williams' book where he writes about making up dialogue, doing some of his own improvisations, and developing some kind of Zen connection with his bicycle. He does seem a little out of it, and watch how he trips over his bike pump as he walks over to the car. The video is after the jump:

[via Boing Boing]

• At 6, TCM has The Maltese Falcon.
• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by a new Big Brother All-Stars.
• NBC has a new Tom Brokaw Reports at 7, followed by a new Dateline and the 2006 Miss Universe Pageant (starts at 7 on CMTV).
• AMC has The Last Samurai at 8.
• At 9, USA has new episodes of The 4400 and The Dead Zone.
• HBO has all new eps of Deadwood, Entourage, Lucky Louie, and Dane Cook's Tourgasm, starting at 9.
• At 10, Showtime has a new episode of Brotherhood.
• TV Land is showing a Brady Bunch marathon all weekend, and at 10 they repeat the reunion special Still Brady After All These Years, hosted by Jenny McCarthy for some reason.