June 25, 2006

A Hollywood TV legend passes away

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83. (Originally published on the CNN web site, June 23, 2006. Click on blog title for rest of story.)

Those in their 40s will always remember the nights when we were all barely teenagers, sitting in front of the TV and watching three beautiful girls (played by Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Kathlyn Smith) kick some bad guys' ass, using their feminine wiles as well as their brains to bring down criminals, in "Charlie's Angels." We were so very entertained as well watching the antics of the rich fight over money and love in "Dynasty", and were enamored with the fabulous clothes, big hair, and their equally big houses. And there were more...from the genius TV producer Aaron Spelling..."Love Boat" with the bald captain and his horny crew, "Fantasy Island" with the dashing Ricardo Montalban and the diminuitive Herve Villechaize (playing Tatoo) who would scurry on crying "De plen, de plen! (The plane! The plane!), and the cryfest "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" starring John Travolta, among many others.

What a great run it was for Spelling, whose TV shows babysat a lot of us in the '70s and '80s. Sure the plots of his shows may have been bordering on the cheesy but these may have influenced a whole lot of us with its simple values like money isn't everything, women can be both brainy and beautiful, and that no matter what happens, family comes first. Oh yeah, and sex sells too.

No comments: