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"Barney Miller" may not be one of the most talked-about sitcoms of the '70s these days, but perhaps it should be. The NYPD-set show was in some ways the "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" of its time, a socially conscious, funny series that set its action squarely in the precinct where members of the public came to ask the authorities for help -- or get arrested by them.

Like most shows about cops, it has its inherent biases, and some parts of the show have aged poorly. But "Barney Miller" is also surprisingly progressive at times. As TV historian Matt Baume writes in his queer sitcom history "Hi Honey, I'm Homo," the show broke new ground for gay characters on TV, facing off against network censors to portray New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood (post-Stonewall!) with authenticity and diversity.

Only two seasons of "Barney Miller" are currently available to rent digitally in the U.

Robert Butler, a television director for the pilot shows for Star Trek, Batman, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting, has died. He was 95.

Butler’s family announced that the Emmy award-winning director died on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles.

Graduating from UCLA where he majored in English, Butler started his career in entertainment as an usher at CBS. His first credit as a director would come in 1959 when he directed an episode for the military comedy-drama Hennesey which starred Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton.

Over the years, Butler was sought out to direct pilots for shows like Hogan’s Heroes (1965), the original Star Trek (1966), Batman (1966), the first mini-series on television The Blue Knight (1973), Hill Street Blues (1978), Moonlighting (1985), Sisters (1991) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993).

Butler won two Emmy Awards, the first one for The Blue Knight pilot in 1973 and the second one in 1981 for Hill Street Blues. In 2015 he was...

Last year, legendary filmmaker John Carpenter teamed up with Shout! Factory to host a kaiju movie marathon called Masters of Monsters, which consisted of the original Godzilla film, Rodan; Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster, and The War of the Gargantuas. That marathon was re-run earlier this month. Now the folks at Far Out magazine have dug up a 1996 article from Film Comment magazine in which Carpenter named The War of the Gargantuas as “the ultimate Japanese monster movie” – and included it on a list of his seventeen favorite “guilty pleasure” movies. It’s a fun list, so we have it included below, with thanks to this site.

Carpenter started out the Film Comment guilty pleasures article by saying, “I wasn’t raised a Catholic, so guilt never played much of a role in my life. We Methodists don’t worry about guilt all that much. In terms of cinema, however, guilt has always been very important.

Susan Sullivan is on the mend.

After sharing a cryptic photo of herself in a hospital gown earlier this week, the Falcon Crest and Castle vet revealed Tuesday on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she recently underwent surgery to treat lung cancer.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Castle Moves to Lifetime, Ted Lasso Star's PBS Gig and MoreCastle Set for Streaming Debut on HuluFalcon Crest's Abby Dalton Dead at 88

“Thanks for all the lovely comments and concerns,” Sullivan, 80, wrote. “I had lung cancer. The surgery was successful. The healing process is a struggle.”

Sullivan alarmed fans on Monday when she...

Almost an entire generation can talk about their favorite primetime soap opera. The ’70s and ’80s had a fair share of these shows, offering plenty to talk about around the water cooler. One such primetime soap was Falcon Crest. It was popular in its day, with a lineup of big-name appearances. Now that Falcon Crest has been off the air for over 30 years, which cast members are still alive?

‘Falcon Crest’ was the most popular TV show in 1981 The ‘Falcon Crest’ Season 1 cast on Jan. 29, 1982 | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Falcon Crest was an American soap opera that aired for nine seasons between 1981 and 1990. It revolved around the powerful and wealthy Gioberti family. The Giobertis owned a large vineyard and winery in California’s fictional Tuscany Valle.

Angela Channing, played by Jane Wyman, is the family matriarch. She is determined to maintain control of the family business and keep her clan together.

Producers of the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony honored almost all of the expected people who died this past year. Who was not featured during the emotional In Memoriam segment Sunday night on CBS? Prominent performers and character actors such as Frank Bonner, Sean Connery, Michael Constantine, Abby Dalton, James Hampton, Bruce Kirby, Norman Lloyd, Helen Reddy and Jane Withers were not part of the 49 people included.

While over 100 celebrated television people died since last year’s event in mid-September of 2020, the segment generally only makes room for less than 50. Among those featured Sunday night: TV Academy Hall of Fame members actor Ed Asner, production designer Roy Christopher, actress Cloris Leachman, writer/producer William Link and actress Cicely Tyson. Current nominee Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”) and “Saturday Night Live” veteran Norm Macdonald sadly passed away this month as well.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2021: In Memoriam Gallery

The 49 people featured...

Producers of this Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony have some difficult decisions to make about who to honor during the emotional In Memoriam segment. Cedric the Entertainer will host the 2021 Emmys for CBS at 8:00 p.m. Et; 5:00 p.m. Pt. A total of 34 presenters have been announced so far.

Our list below includes almost 100 people who made a strong contribution to television and have died since mid-September of 2020. Only about 40-45 of these people will probably be in the video segment. Certain to be featured will be TV Academy Hall of Fame members actor Ed Asner, production designer Roy Christopher, actress Cloris Leachman, writer/producer William Link and actress Cicely Tyson. Current nominee Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”) sadly passed away this month as well.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2021: In Memoriam Gallery

Ed Asner (actor)

Dana Baratta (writer/producer)

Anne Beatts (writer)

Ned Beatty (actor)

William Blinn (writer)

Frank Bonner (actor)

Perry Botkin,...

“Ted Lasso,” “The Mandalorian,” “Hacks,” “The Flight Attendant,” “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit” are among the top nominees for the 73rd annual Primetime Awards, which are set for Sept.19 on CBS with Cedric the Entertainer, who stars on the network’s sitcom “The Neighborhood,” set to host. But this is now, but what about the Emmys 60 years ago.

Dick Powell hosted the 13th Emmy Awards which took place at the famed Moulin Rouge Nightclub in Los Angeles on May 16, 1961. There were just three broadcast networks as well as local channels and National Education Television, now known as PBS.

History was made when The Flintstones” became the first animated series to be nominated in a main category: program achievement in the field of humor. It would be nearly 50 years before another animated series, “The Family Guy,” contended for a top award.

Veterans such as Jack Benny and Red Skelton were among the winners,...

Even though Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony will be shortened to just one pre-taped hour on TNT and TBS, the special In Memoriam segment will still be a highlight. Since the 2020 event aired on January 19, it will be over 14 months until the one on April 4. That means even more actors, actresses and members of SAG/AFTRA will hopefully be honored than the 40 people in the tribute last year.

Chadwick Boseman died last August and is a four-time nominee for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. The two individual nominations are for his leading role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and his supporting performance in “Da 5 Bloods.” Those two films also are nominated for the top ensemble category.

Oscar winners who have died in the past 14 months include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Academy Award nominees include Boseman, Kirk Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm,...

Victoria Racimo, who starred in John Frankenheimer’s 1979 horror sci-fi film Prophecy and Mike Nichols’ 1973 The Day of the Dolphin, died Nov. 29 in Williamsburg, Va. She was 69.

A cause of death was not announced.

Through the 1960s to the 1990s, Racimo appeared in, among others, 1970’s The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart, starring Don Johnson; 1976’s High Velocity, with Ben Gazzara; 1980’s Mountain Men, with Charlton Heston; and, in 1987, the Jim Varney comedy Ernest Goes to Camp.

TV credits in the 1970s include Cannon, Mannix, Mod Squad, Kung Fu, Hawaii Five-0, Lou Grant, Doogie Howser, M.D., Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and, in recurring roles, The Chisholms (1980) and Falcon Crest (1983).

Abby Dalton Dies: ‘Falcon Crest’ Actress, Emmy Nominee & Game Show Mainstay Was 88

Following her acting career, Racimo turned to directing, writing and producing. She was executive producer of 2006’s HBO film Casi Casi produced and directed One Day, a 2015 documentary...

Warren Berlinger, a busy character actor whose numerous roles made him one of TV’s most familiar faces from the Kraft Theatre golden age through the Grace and Frankie streaming era, died Wednesday at the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California. He was 83.

His death was confirmed by daughter Elizabeth. A cause has not been announced.

With a cherubic face that could seem simultaneously amiable and, along with the hint of an accent from his native Brooklyn, mischievous, Berlinger was a go-to actor for supporting and sidekick roles for decades, both in film, and television.

After the Bishop show,...

Veteran TV actress Abby Dalton, who co-starred on the ’80s primetime soap Falcon Crest, has died at the age of 88, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dalton passed away on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles following a long illness, her family said in a statement.

Dalton was a television staple in the 1960s: She played nurse Martha Hale on CBS’ Hennesey, starring opposite Jackie Cooper and earning an Emmy nomination for the role in 1961, and also played Rat Packer Joey Bishop’s wife on his self-titled NBC sitcom. Plus, she made frequent appearances through the years on game shows like Hollywood Squares,...

Actor Abby Dalton, best known for her role as Julia Cumson in “Falcon Crest,” died last week at the age of 88.

The Emmy-nominated star got her start acting in “Rock All Night,” a 1957 film about a group of hostages taken captive by two criminals at a club. She starred as Julie, a singer trapped at the club who was one of the main characters.

Dalton went on to work with Roger Corman, who directed and produced “Rock All Night,” on a handful of other projects including “Teenage Doll” and “Stakeout on Dope Street.” Her launch into the public eye came about quickly, and by 1959 she was cast in Jackie Cooper’s “Hennesey” television series. The role earned her an Emmy nomination by 1961 for outstanding performance in a supporting role by an actor or actress in a series.

She also held starring roles in “The Joey Bishop Show” and “The Jonathan Winters Show,...

Abby Dalton, the soap opera star known for her roles on the primetime shows “Falcon Crest” and “The Joey Bishop Show,” died at her home in Los Angeles. She was 88 years old.

The specific cause of Dalton’s death is not confirmed.

“Emmy-nominated actress Abby Dalton passed away this past week,” representatives said in a statement. “Described as beautiful, generous and glamorous, Abby was terrific at off-the-cuff humor. She leaves behind her husband of 60 years, Jack D. Smith and their three children, Matthew, Kathleen and John. She is also survived by her grandchildren Mac, Jack, Ayden Grace and the newest member of the family, her great grandson, Mathias.”

Born Gladys Marlene Wasden in Las Vegas, Dalton’s career in television began in 1957 and spanned over 50 years. She was best known for her role as winery heiress Julia Cumson in the ’80s drama “Falcon Crest.” In that role, Dalton played opposite actress Jane Wyman,...

Abby Dalton, an Emmy-nominated actress known for her early roles on such series as comedy-drama Hennessey and The Joey Bishop Show who reenergized her career in the 1980s as a star of the primetime hit soap Falcon Crest, died November 23 in Los Angeles following a long illness. She was 88.

Her death was announced by her spokesperson Sue Procko.

Born in Las Vegas, Dalton began her acting career with writer-producer Roger Corman in 1957, debuting in the beatnik film Rock All Night. During the next few years, she appeared in numerous Corman films including Teenage Doll, Carnival Rock, Stakeout on Dope Street and more.

Dalton landed a role in 1959 on Jackie Cooper’s Hennesey series, playing Cooper’s girlfriend on the comedy-drama set at a naval hospital. The role earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1961.

In 1962, she was cast a Joey Bishop’s wife on The Joey Bishop Show.

Abby Dalton, the bubbly actress who starred on the 1960s sitcoms Hennesey and The Joey Bishop Show before portraying the scheming winery heiress Julia Cumson on the primetime soap Falcon Crest, has died. She was 88.

Dalton died Nov. 23 in Los Angeles after a long illness, her family announced.

Dalton began her career appearing in several Roger Corman movies, including The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957), and was an original and longtime panelist on The Hollywood Squares, which premiered on NBC in 1966.

She worked for two seasons (1967-69) on the CBS sketch comedy program The Jonathan Winters ...

Abby Dalton, the bubbly actress who starred on the 1960s sitcoms Hennesey and The Joey Bishop Show before portraying the scheming winery heiress Julia Cumson on the primetime soap Falcon Crest, has died. She was 88.

Dalton died Nov. 23 in Los Angeles after a long illness, her family announced.

Dalton began her career appearing in several Roger Corman movies, including The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957), and was an original and longtime panelist on The Hollywood Squares, which premiered on NBC in 1966.

She worked for two seasons (1967-69) on the CBS sketch comedy program The Jonathan Winters ...

1984: Guiding Light's Springfield celebrated Founders Day.

1985: Gh's Anna & Robert plotted to get the Aztec jewels.

1986: Another World's Felicia spoke at Zane's funeral.

1991: Days of our Lives' "Roman" reunited with Marlena."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1977: On Guiding Light, Eve Stapleton (Janet Grey) was released from Cedars Hospital.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Elliott couldn't (Lee Godart) resist Raven (Sharon Gabet) even though he was aghast she left the baby alone.

1980: On Guiding Light, Nola (Lisa Brown) gave Morgan (Kristen Vigard) someone else's I.

1951: Radio soap opera The Archers premiered. It continues to run to this day.

1968: Dark Shadows' Jeremiah tried to bury Angelique alive.

1981: Knots Landing's Diana and Karen "Put on a Happy Face".

1982: Miss Ellie received tragic news on Dallas."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1951: British radio soap opera The Archers premiered. The show was created by Godfrey Baseley, and originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk."

The opening line was by Dan Archer who said: "And a happy New Year to all!

1950: The First Hundred Years premiered.

1981: Falcon Crest premiered.

2000: Port Charles kicked off the "Fate" arc.

2009: Venice premiered."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1933: After its August 14 debut on local station Wlw in Cincinnati, radio soap opera Ma Perkins graduated to the NBC Red network in the 3 p.m. Et timeslot. The show was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, the prolific team responsible for numerous radio dramas including Just Plain Bill, Backstage Wife and Young Widder Brown.

In his New Yorker essay “O Pioneers!

1984: Guiding Light's Springfield celebrated Founders Day.

1985: Gh's Anna & Robert plotted to get the Aztec jewels.

1986: Another World's Felicia spoke at Zane's funeral.

1991: Days of our Lives' "Roman" reunited with Marlena."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1977: On Guiding Light, Eve Stapleton (Janet Grey) was released from Cedars Hospital.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Elliott couldn't (Lee Godart) resist Raven (Sharon Gabet) even though he was aghast she left the baby alone.

1980: On Guiding Light, Nola (Lisa Brown) gave Morgan (Kristen Vigard) someone else's I.D. so Morgan could get birth control pills.

1951: The Archers premiered.

1968: Dark Shadows' Jeremiah tried to bury Angelique alive.

1981: Knots Landing's Diana and Karen "Put on a Happy Face".

1982: Dallas' Miss Ellie received tragic news."History is a vast early warning system."

― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1951: British radio soap opera The Archers premiered. The show was created by Godfrey Baseley, and originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk."

The opening line was by Dan Archer who said: "And a happy New Year to all!" His wife Doris responded with: "A very happy New Year, Dan." During the episode, Dan’s son Philip shared a kiss with a nearby farmer’s daughter,...

With a title like this you know it has to be good. Irvin Kershner got his start directing on this small-scale tale of kids and crime. Jonathan Haze and Abby Dalton are standouts in the cast, while the uncredited executive producer who put up the cash is said to have been Roger Corman. It's a beautiful widescreen transfer -- the film was one of the first features shot by Haskell Wexler, who is also uncredited. Stakeout on Dope Street DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date June 22, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Yale Wexler, Jonathon Haze, Morris Miller (Stever Marlo), Abby Dalton, Allen Kramer, Herman Rudin, Philip Mansour, Andrew J. Fenady, Herschel Bernardi, Coleman Francis. Cinematography Mark Jeffrey (Haskell Wexler) Film Editor Melvin Sloan Original Music Richard Markowitz Story and Screenplay by Andrew J. Fenady, Irvin Kershner, Irvin Schwartz Produced by Andrew J. Fenady Directed...

José Ferrar stars in his second dramatic feature as director, teamed with newcomer Gena Rowlands as a married working couple. Ferrar's executive assistant isn't on the list of those invited to meet the new corporate bosses, which everyone knows means he's a dead employee walking. Things are looking darkest just as his loving wife is bringing news of a baby on the way. The show builds up a terrific critique of anxiety in the Rat Race, but then... The High Cost of Loving DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1958 / B&W / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date July 16, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring José Ferrer, Gena Rowlands, Joanne Gilbert, Jim Backus, Bobby Troup, Philip Ober, Edward Platt, Charles Watts, Werner Klemperer, Malcolm Atterbury, Jeanne Baird, Nick Clooney, Abby Dalton, Richard Deacon, Nancy Kulp, Lucien Littlefield. Cinematography George J. Folsey Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music Jeff Alexander Written by Rip Van Ronkel,...

“Not so haaaard!” was uttered several times yesterday as we celebrated the life and career of Joe Besser, the ‘St. Louis Stooge’ at the Esquire Theater in St. Louis. The film festival was part of a campaign to raise awareness in St. Louis that Joe Besser is one of us and to perhaps get him a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Attendance was strong at the fest yesterday with the crowd skewing older as though are the folks that remember Joe Besser who was born in 1907 and raised here, the 9th child of Morris and Fanny Besser up in Florissant. Joe Besser worked in vaudeville and Broadway and starred in his own comedy shorts for Columbia pictures before joining the Three Stooges in 1955 after Shemp Howard died suddenly. Besser would star in the last 16 Stooges shorts. After that Besser returned to films and television, most notably as...

On this date in...

1979: On The Edge Of Night, Elliott can't resist Raven even though he's agasht she left the baby alone.

1991: On Another World, Jamie confronted Paulina on her feelings for Jake. Watch the entire episode here..

2006: Passions became the first daytime soap opera to make full episodes available for download and purchase from iTunes.

Celebrating a birthday today are:

Abby Dalton (ex-Julia, Falcon Crest; ex-Lydia, The Young And The Restless) - 76

Tess Harper (ex-Karen, Jack & Bobby; ex-Mrs. Pinkman, Breaking Bad) - 61

Peter Hermann (ex-Davis, Cashmere Mafia; ex-Michael, Guiding Light) - 44

Debra Messing (ex-Sloan, Prey) - 43

Marc Bannerman (ex-Gianni, Eastenders) - 38

Natasha Henstridge (Dawn, The Secret Circle) - 37

Editor's Note: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

Margaret Ladd, Earl Hamner, Ana Alicia, Abby Dalton and Robert Foxworth attending Falcon Crest: A Look Back at The Paley Center for Media.Photo copyright Amanda Meredith / PR Photos. Margaret Ladd, Earl Hamner, Ana Alicia, Abby Dalton and Robert Foxworth attending Falcon Crest: A Look Back at The Paley Center for Media.Photo copyright Amanda Meredith / PR Photos. Margaret Ladd, Earl Hamner, Ana Alicia, Abby Dalton and Robert Foxworth attending Falcon Crest: A Look Back at The Paley Center for Media.Photo copyright Amanda Meredith / PR Photos. 10/12/2010 - Jamie Rose, Susan Sullivan, Margaret Ladd, Earl Hamner, Ana Alicia, Abby Dalton and Robert Foxworth attending Falcon Crest: A Look Back at The Paley Center for Media.Photo copyright...

Back in 1981, a primetime soap centered around the wine industry debuted on CBS. Partnered with Dallas, Falcon Crest became a top-rated show on CBS' Friday night schedule for many years.

Though the Falcon Crest TV show isn't as popular as Dallas, the series is unique in many ways -- in no small part because it revolves around a strong and powerful matriarch (Jane Wyman). The rest of the talented cast includes Robert Foxworth, Lorenzo Lamas, David Selby, Ana Alicia, William R. Moses, Abby Dalton, Margaret Ladd, Laura Johnson, Chao-Li Chi, and Susan Sullivan. After

Falcon Crest: The Complete First Season has just been released on DVD. You can purchase it for $29.49 from Amazon or you can try to win a copy.

To enter, you need to merely post a comment below and tell us the name of...

Character actor Richard Devon was a familiar face in films and television from the early 1950s. He was often cast as desperados and gangsters in western and crime films. He was also noted for his roles in a handful of Roger Corman cult classics in the 1950s. Devon was featured as Satan in the supernatural tale of past lives, The Undead (1957), with Pamela Duncan and Allison Hayes. He was King Stark of the Grimolts in the campy The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957), with Abby Dalton and Susan Cabot, and was the alien possessed Dr. Pol Van Ponder in the sci-fi feature War of the Satellites (1958) with Cabot and Dick Miller.

Devon worked his way through drama school in Los Angeles, performing chores in lieu of paying tuition. He also worked in early local television, and played a recurring...