Two actors have played Mickey Spillane’s detective Mike Hammer on TV:
Darren McGavin, in “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (synd., 1957-59); and Stacy Keach in “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (CBS, 1984-87).
The TV series “Bridget Loves Bernie” was loosely based on Abie’s Irish Rose (1946), in which an Irish girl named Rosemary (Joanne Dru) marries a Jewish boy named Abie (Richard Norris), leading to family conflict. In the TV show, Meredith Baxter played Bridget and David Birney played Bernie.
Quinton, as in “Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale” (Ernest Borgnine), was McHale’s first name on “McHale’s Navy” (ABC, 1962-66). What was Captain Binghamton’s first name? Wallace (Joe Flynn). What was Ensign Parker’s first name? Charles (Tim Conway).
“Amos ‘n’ Andy” (CBS, 1951-53) with Spencer Williams as Andy Brown and Alvin Childress as Amos Jones, was the first all-black sitcom on TV. Amos was a cabdriver, Andy a bachelor.
Carol Merrill’s daughter Hillary Saffire became the hostess on the new TV game show “Truth or Consequences” (syndicated) in 1987. Merrill herself was the hostess on “Let’s Make a Deal” (NBC, 1963-68; ABC, 1968-76).
What is now the magazine TV Guide with the largest national circulation first appeared on April 3, 1953. It had editions in ten cities and an initial circulation of 1,560,000.
It is not “Till Death Do Us Part,” but “Till Death Us Do Part” (BBC, 1966-68, 1972-74), was British series which was the basis for “All in the Family” (CBS, 1971-79), starring Warren Mitchell as bigot Alf Garnett.