Only Two Real 1989 Batmobiles Were Ever Built
TLDR: Only two genuine screen-used Batmobiles were ever built for Tim Burton’s Batman films, and both have well-documented homes today, one in a museum and … Read more
Fan Facts
Barry Weiss Never Needed the Money From Any Storage Locker He Bought
TLDR: Barry Weiss never needed a single dollar from any storage locker he ever bid on. He’d already made a fortune in the produce business … Read more
What Happened to Brad Weston on Maine Cabin Masters?
Fans have noticed Brad Weston showing up less consistently on Maine Cabin Masters in recent seasons, and plenty have asked whether he left the show … Read more
Daniel Boone’s Frontiersman Beat Out the Star of Gunsmoke for It
TLDR: Daniel Boone made Fess Parker a frontier icon for the second time in one career, a role he only got because Disney passed over … Read more
The Jeffersons, the Real Story Behind Their Deluxe Apartment
TLDR: The Jeffersons spun off from All in the Family in 1975 and quietly became just as groundbreaking as its parent show. It gave network … Read more
WKRP in Cincinnati, the Real Story Behind the Radio Station
TLDR: WKRP in Cincinnati only ran four seasons, but its ensemble cast built something that outlasted the show by decades. Four of its eight stars … Read more
Head of the Class, the Real Cast Story
TLDR: Head of the Class ran five seasons on ABC before its star walked away and got replaced by a completely different kind of teacher. … Read more
He Walked by Night Was Real, Right Down to the Storm Drains
TLDR: He Walked by Night wasn’t just inspired by a true story, it was based closely enough on a real 1946 Los Angeles manhunt that … Read more
Dragnet’s Cast Kept Changing Because Real Life Kept Intervening
TLDR: Dragnet became the template every television cop show since has copied in some form. Behind that template was a revolving door of partners for … Read more
Frank Bonner Cared More About Directing Than Wearing Plaid on WKRP
TLDR: Frank Bonner spent WKRP in Cincinnati playing the station’s perpetually unsuccessful, plaid-suited ad salesman, a character based on a real person creator Hugh Wilson … Read more
A Canadian Rock Band Wrote a Whole Song About Herb Tarlek
TLDR: A Toronto rock band once built an entire song around a plaid-suited fictional ad salesman from a 1970s American sitcom. Frank Bonner didn’t just … Read more
Maude’s Most Famous Episode Aired Two Months Before Roe v. Wade
TLDR: Maude spent six seasons doing exactly what its network worried it might do too much of: making a sitcom out of subjects most shows … Read more
The Odd Couple’s Two Stars Were Closer Than Felix and Oscar
TLDR: Tony Randall and Jack Klugman spent five seasons playing two men who could barely stand living together. Off screen, they were the kind of … Read more
Room 222’s Principal Went On to Become a Windex-Wielding Dad
TLDR: Room 222 quietly broke real ground as one of the first network shows built around an integrated cast and a Black lead teacher. Decades … Read more
Love, American Style Was Where Happy Days Actually Started
TLDR: Love, American Style never had a fixed cast at all, just a rotating troupe and hundreds of guest stars passing through five seasons of … Read more
Pat Harrington Jr. Drank Water Before Every Take, and Never Explained
TLDR: Pat Harrington Jr. spent nine seasons playing the building superintendent everyone eventually loved, even though Schneider’s whole shtick was making unwanted passes at Ann … Read more