I Spy
Private Parts
June 15, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The 1997 movie Private Parts, based on Howard Stern's autobiography of the same title, has fairly rich television connections.
The shock jock plays himself in Private Parts. His gang of Robin Quivers, Gary Dell'Abate, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling also play themselves.
But Private Parts does more than merely take Howard Stern's storybook rise to fame from the page to the silver screen.
The movie features future stars of the small screen.
Mary McCormack plays Alison Stern, the wife of the self-proclaimed King of All Media. She steadfastly supports her husband as he finds his unique broadcasting voice.
In the final years of The West Wing, McCormack played Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper.
Currently, she stars in the USA drama In Plain Sight where she plays Deputy US Marshal Mary Shannon. Shannon is responsible for shepherding federal witnesses through the Witness Protection Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Allison Janney also shares a West Wing - Private Parts connection.
In Private Parts, she plays Dee Dee, a radio executive.
In The West Wing, she plays Press Secretary extraordinaire C.J. Cregg who later gets promoted to President Bartlet's Chief of Staff.
Kelly Bishop plays Howard Stern's mother in Private Parts.
We also know her as the matriarch on the poignant, successful, and thoughtful mother-daughter drama Gilmore Girls. Bishop played Emily Gilmore -- mother of Lorelai, grandmother of Rory, and wife of Richard.
Film is a director's medium. Private Parts benefits from a television veteran who draws on her experience to create a definite realism in her productions.
Betty Thomas got her big break as Officer (later Sergeant) Lucy Bates on Hill Street Blues, the highly acclaimed 1980's television drama. Thomas directed the HBO tv-movie The Late Shift based on the book of the same title by Bill Carter. The Late Shift recounts the controversy concerning who would ultimately succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Thomas has also directed other movies with roots in television -- I Spy, The Brady Bunch Movie.
And lastly, Paul Giamatti.
This fine character actor has starred in American Splendor, Sideways, and Cinderella Man.
In March - April 2008, Giamatti starred in the title role of the HBO miniseries John Adams based on the book of the same title by David McCullough. Giamatti won an Emmy for his portrayal of the unsung founding father.
In Private Parts, Giamatti plays Pig Vomit, Howard Stern's corporate nemesis during his days at WNBC-AM radio in New York City. Stern supplied the moniker.
david@davidkrell.com
The 1997 movie Private Parts, based on Howard Stern's autobiography of the same title, has fairly rich television connections.
The shock jock plays himself in Private Parts. His gang of Robin Quivers, Gary Dell'Abate, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling also play themselves.
But Private Parts does more than merely take Howard Stern's storybook rise to fame from the page to the silver screen.
The movie features future stars of the small screen.
Mary McCormack plays Alison Stern, the wife of the self-proclaimed King of All Media. She steadfastly supports her husband as he finds his unique broadcasting voice.
In the final years of The West Wing, McCormack played Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper.
Currently, she stars in the USA drama In Plain Sight where she plays Deputy US Marshal Mary Shannon. Shannon is responsible for shepherding federal witnesses through the Witness Protection Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Allison Janney also shares a West Wing - Private Parts connection.
In Private Parts, she plays Dee Dee, a radio executive.
In The West Wing, she plays Press Secretary extraordinaire C.J. Cregg who later gets promoted to President Bartlet's Chief of Staff.
Kelly Bishop plays Howard Stern's mother in Private Parts.
We also know her as the matriarch on the poignant, successful, and thoughtful mother-daughter drama Gilmore Girls. Bishop played Emily Gilmore -- mother of Lorelai, grandmother of Rory, and wife of Richard.
Film is a director's medium. Private Parts benefits from a television veteran who draws on her experience to create a definite realism in her productions.
Betty Thomas got her big break as Officer (later Sergeant) Lucy Bates on Hill Street Blues, the highly acclaimed 1980's television drama. Thomas directed the HBO tv-movie The Late Shift based on the book of the same title by Bill Carter. The Late Shift recounts the controversy concerning who would ultimately succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Thomas has also directed other movies with roots in television -- I Spy, The Brady Bunch Movie.
And lastly, Paul Giamatti.
This fine character actor has starred in American Splendor, Sideways, and Cinderella Man.
In March - April 2008, Giamatti starred in the title role of the HBO miniseries John Adams based on the book of the same title by David McCullough. Giamatti won an Emmy for his portrayal of the unsung founding father.
In Private Parts, Giamatti plays Pig Vomit, Howard Stern's corporate nemesis during his days at WNBC-AM radio in New York City. Stern supplied the moniker.
Sixties Spy Cartoons
April 08, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
James Bond ventured onto the silver screen in Dr. No in 1962, during the height of the Cold War.
Sean Connery’s portrayal of the British agent gave audiences an escape from the era’s harsh realities.
The Bond franchise also inspired other entries in the spy genre.
James Coburn portrayed Derek Flint in two films, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint.
Dean Martin starred in the Matt Helm film series.
And television producers followed suit with espionage stories in the areas of:
Comedy with Get Smart.
Historical settings with The Wild, Wild West.
And international intrigue with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and I Spy.
Often overlooked, undervalued, and understudied, however, is animation’s contribution to the 60s spy trend.
Hanna Barbera’s The Flintstones borrowed elements from James Bond in the episode Dr. Sinister.
Fred and Barney encounter the evil Madame Yes and escape using the judo-chop-chop-chop move they learned from their tv spy hero, Jay Bondrock.
In 1966, a full-length feature entitled The Man Called Flintstone used a spy story as its focus.
Rock Slag, Super Secret Agent, recuperates in a hospital when Rock’s boss notices Fred is a lookalike and recruits him for a mission.
The Flintstones and Rubbles soon leave for Eurock, where Fred must stop the evil Green Goose from taking over the world with a secret weapon – the anti-missile missile, which is concealed in an amusement park ride.
The parallels to Bond films are evident.
First, the movie poster depicted a scene similar to the Thunderball movie poster from 1965 that featured Sean Connery in a personal jet pack.
Second, Agent Tanya, a sultry, sexy, and dangerous vixen, provides the sex appeal familiar to Bond fans.
Third, the title itself evokes Our Man Flint, itself a takeoff on the spy genre.
Other animation spies include the title character in Tom of T.H.U.M.B., produced by Rankin Bass.
Tom was a secret agent for T.H.U.M.B., the Tiny Human Underground Military Bureau.
T.H.U.M.B., was created when Tom and his faithful assistant, Swingin Jack, inadvertenly shrunk because of a shrinking ray at US Intelligence.
Every hero needs a villain and every good spy organization needs a rival.
U.N.C.L.E. had T.H.R.U.S.H. on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
C.O.N.T.R.O.L. had K.A.O.S. on Get Smart
And T.H.U.M.B. had M.A.D. – Maladjusted, Anti-Social and Darn Mean. In the episode, For the last time fellers, I’m not bait, Tom described M.A.D. as an organization bent on destroying the world for their own gains.
Batman creator Bob Kane and partner Al Brodax contributed Cool McCool to the 60s spy cartoon genre.
The show’s opening directly referenced James Bond’s Double-Oh-Seven label by spelling out Cool’s name - C double-oh L.
Cool McCool sounded a bit like Jack Benny and reported to an unseen supervisor, Number One.
Also noteworthy for their contribution are two squirrels.
Hanna Barbera gave us Secret Squirrel.
He enjoyed state-of-the-art gadgetry and the wisdom of his sidekick, Morocco Mole.
Rocky the Squirrel and his Moose pal Bullwinkle actually debuted in 1959, but the 1960s Cold War atmosphere, spy craze, and humor really boosted the characters’ popularity.
Rocky and Bullwinkle faced off against the despicable duo of Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, also known as Natasha Nogoodnik.
In the Cold War, even the Russians weren’t safe from parody!
david@davidkrell.com
James Bond ventured onto the silver screen in Dr. No in 1962, during the height of the Cold War.
Sean Connery’s portrayal of the British agent gave audiences an escape from the era’s harsh realities.
The Bond franchise also inspired other entries in the spy genre.
James Coburn portrayed Derek Flint in two films, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint.
Dean Martin starred in the Matt Helm film series.
And television producers followed suit with espionage stories in the areas of:
Comedy with Get Smart.
Historical settings with The Wild, Wild West.
And international intrigue with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and I Spy.
Often overlooked, undervalued, and understudied, however, is animation’s contribution to the 60s spy trend.
Hanna Barbera’s The Flintstones borrowed elements from James Bond in the episode Dr. Sinister.
Fred and Barney encounter the evil Madame Yes and escape using the judo-chop-chop-chop move they learned from their tv spy hero, Jay Bondrock.
In 1966, a full-length feature entitled The Man Called Flintstone used a spy story as its focus.
Rock Slag, Super Secret Agent, recuperates in a hospital when Rock’s boss notices Fred is a lookalike and recruits him for a mission.
The Flintstones and Rubbles soon leave for Eurock, where Fred must stop the evil Green Goose from taking over the world with a secret weapon – the anti-missile missile, which is concealed in an amusement park ride.
The parallels to Bond films are evident.
First, the movie poster depicted a scene similar to the Thunderball movie poster from 1965 that featured Sean Connery in a personal jet pack.
Second, Agent Tanya, a sultry, sexy, and dangerous vixen, provides the sex appeal familiar to Bond fans.
Third, the title itself evokes Our Man Flint, itself a takeoff on the spy genre.
Other animation spies include the title character in Tom of T.H.U.M.B., produced by Rankin Bass.
Tom was a secret agent for T.H.U.M.B., the Tiny Human Underground Military Bureau.
T.H.U.M.B., was created when Tom and his faithful assistant, Swingin Jack, inadvertenly shrunk because of a shrinking ray at US Intelligence.
Every hero needs a villain and every good spy organization needs a rival.
U.N.C.L.E. had T.H.R.U.S.H. on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
C.O.N.T.R.O.L. had K.A.O.S. on Get Smart
And T.H.U.M.B. had M.A.D. – Maladjusted, Anti-Social and Darn Mean. In the episode, For the last time fellers, I’m not bait, Tom described M.A.D. as an organization bent on destroying the world for their own gains.
Batman creator Bob Kane and partner Al Brodax contributed Cool McCool to the 60s spy cartoon genre.
The show’s opening directly referenced James Bond’s Double-Oh-Seven label by spelling out Cool’s name - C double-oh L.
Cool McCool sounded a bit like Jack Benny and reported to an unseen supervisor, Number One.
Also noteworthy for their contribution are two squirrels.
Hanna Barbera gave us Secret Squirrel.
He enjoyed state-of-the-art gadgetry and the wisdom of his sidekick, Morocco Mole.
Rocky the Squirrel and his Moose pal Bullwinkle actually debuted in 1959, but the 1960s Cold War atmosphere, spy craze, and humor really boosted the characters’ popularity.
Rocky and Bullwinkle faced off against the despicable duo of Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, also known as Natasha Nogoodnik.
In the Cold War, even the Russians weren’t safe from parody!