Hello, everyone! I haven’t posted yet this week; my husband and I lost our WiFi due to severe storms. No WiFi, no blog. So I’m going to try to make up for it over the next few days. I have a couple longer pieces in the pipeline that I’m hoping to finish soon. In the meantime, I’m going to get caught up on what we’ve missed this week.
We lost the lovely Markie Post this week to cancer. Best known as public defender Christine Sullivan on Night Court, Post was a frequent guest star on iconic series such as CHiPs, Eight is Enough, The Love Boat, Cheers and Scrubs, and a series regular on The Fall Guy and Hearts Afire.
The Night Court cast, clockwise from top left: John Larroquette, Richard Moll, Charlie Robinson (who died last month), Marsha Warfield, Harry Anderson and Markie Post.
Today would have been John Cazale’s 86th birthday. Cazale is quite possibly the only actor to have 100% of their films (five total) be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (three – TheGodfather, The Godfather: Part II and The Deer Hunter – won the big prize). Cazale was fighting cancer while filming The Deer Hunter, and died before the movie was released. Cazale was engaged to Meryl Streep at the time of his death at the age of 42.
Cazale and Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon
Cazale with The Deer Hunter co-stars Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro
Cazale and Pacino, The Godfather
Cazale with Meryl Streep
Woodstock ’94 took place August 12-14, 1994. It was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original festival. While not quite the shitshow that occurred five years later, ’94 wasn’t without its issues. Thunderstorms turned the field into mud, which was flung at the artists playing on stage (Les Claypool, during Primus’ set: “You know, when you throw things on stage, it’s a sign of small and insignificant genitalia.”). Jackyl’s lead singer, Jesse James Dupree, had to be dragged off the stage by security after he poured alcohol on the crowd, shotgunned a joint, lit a stool on fire and cut it up with a chainsaw, and shot a rifle into the air. Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon appeared to be tripping on acid while on stage and in post-performance interviews (Hoon died a little more than a year later from an apparent cocaine overdose). There were bright spots though: on the strength of their muddy performance, Green Day saw sales of their debut album, Dookie, skyrocket. And Bob Dylan made his long-awaited Woodstock debut, after declining in 1969 to play at the Isle of Wight festival in England.
“This isn’t love and peace, it’s fuckin’ anarchy!”
Wings was released on this day in 1927. It would go on to win the first Best Picture Oscar.
Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Clara Bow and Richard Arlen in Wings
My husband and I recently completed a Mission: Impossible binge. All six films are streaming on Paramount+. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film (and Tom Cruise isn’t a favorite of mine either), so I never bothered with any of the others until now. Each movie was better than the last, and I honestly don’t know if there’s another film series you could say that about.
As a lover of both cinema and music, I tend to associate a piece of music (popular or classical) with the iconic movie or television scene in which it appears. The following are some of my all-time favorite needle drops, in quiz form. How many do you know? Answers will be revealed tomorrow.
Peanut Butter and Julie is six months old today. When I started this project six months ago, I wasn’t entirely certain what my format would be. The first morning I sat down to write happened to be February 2 and I thought, “It’s Groundhog Day so I guess I’ll talk about Groundhog Day.” And just like that, I understood what my format would be.
My initial goal for this blog was to write good content that people would enjoy reading; I believe I’ve achieved that (ultimately, that is for all of you to decide). My eventual goal is to reach a broad enough audience to be able to monetize this little venture of mine. In the meantime, I’ll continue to write stuff that I hope you enjoy.
Thanks to those of you who have been with me from the beginning. If you’re just discovering Peanut Butter and Julie – welcome! Either way, if you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please like, comment, follow and share!
To celebrate the six-month milestone, I’m going to link a few to of my posts that I particularly loved writing.
Happy birthday, Michael Penn! One of my all-time favorite musical artists, Penn is an accomplished singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has flown under the radar since his debut single, “No Myth”, became his only top 40 hit, peaking at #13 on the Hot 100. Penn’s refusal to play by record label rules (or cash in on his family name) has meant his success is more critical than commercial; with his infectious blend of folk rock and power pop, I’ve always thought he should be a much bigger star. With Paul Thomas Anderson’s debut, Hard Eight (Anderson prefers the original title Sydney), Penn began composing scores for films and television series such as Boogie Nights (in which he also has a role as Nick the engineer), Sunshine Cleaning, Girls and Masters of Sex. His most recent song, “A Revival”, was released last fall.
Penn after his 1990 Best New Artist win at the MTV Video Music Awards
Penn with wife – and frequent collaborator – Aimee Mann
Penn (far right) with brother Sean, mother Eileen Ryan and late brother Chris (dad Leo died in 1998)
Bob Odenkirk gave us a little scare this week when he collapsed on the New Mexico set of Better Call Saul. He was taken to an Albuquerque hospital with “a small heart attack” but he’s apparently doing well. Best wishes to Bob and his family.
Have y’all seen the disturbing AF trailer for Lamb?
Fifty years ago today, the Concert for Bangladesh was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The brainchild of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, the benefit concert was to raise money for the refugee and humanitarian crisis in what was then East Pakistan. The event was billed as “George Harrison and Friends”; some of the friends included Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and members of Badfinger. A triple album was released in December 1971 (most of the money raised was through sales of the album, not the concert itself). Concert for Bangladesh was the template for later benefit concerts like Live Aid and Farm Aid.
George Harrison and Bob Dylan
Jerry Garcia was born on this day in 1942. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist for Grateful Dead, Garcia was a counterculture legend. He was also the first musician to have an ice cream named for them (Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia). The Grateful Dead – an eclectic mix of psychedelic rock, folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz – were the OG jam band, and they were responsible for some of the most iconic music of the 60s and 70s (including American Beauty, below right). Garcia, who struggled with diabetes and addiction, died on August 9, 1995, eight days after his 53rd birthday.
“Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross was released on this day in 1981. The theme song from the Franco Zeffirelli film of the same name, “Endless Love” would become the second most popular single of 1981 (behind Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes”) and earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song (it lost to “Arthur’s Theme”). Though the song was ubiquitous then, when I think of it now, this is how I hear it:
M2 (now known as MTV2) launched on this day in 1996. By the mid-90s, MTV had steered away from videos to reality television like The Real World and Road Rules; M2 was offered as an all-video alternative. But, like the mother station before it, MTV2 had eliminated all its video blocks by 2017.
Whoever designed this logo should be fired.
The first book in epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice, A Game of Thrones, was published on this day in 1996. In addition to the novels, the Game of Thrones universe includes several prequels, a comic book adaptation, the critically acclaimed HBO series, and card, board and video games. Author George R.R. Martin has been promising the series’ sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, for about ten years. A prequel series, House of the Dragon, is in production at HBO, with an expected 2022 release.
We’re going to take a break from talking about pop culture to talk about dogs. But don’t worry, we’ll still be pop culture-adjacent.
Today is my friend Alyssa’s birthday. Alyssa and I met working at a dog daycare. Alyssa is sweet and kind and compassionate. She gives the best hugs. She’s an amazing listener. She loves pop music and Pixar movies. I hope she has a birthday that’s as beautiful and special as she is.
You know what’s better than dogs and pop culture? Dogs with pop culture-inspired names. I’m going to share a few of my favorites with you. These dogs are all clients of the dog daycare, except the one in the featured image: his name is Balki and he belongs to me.
I’ll start with Meeka. Meeka belongs to Alyssa. Meeka is a Border Collie, she’s named for Meeko from Pocahontas and she is perfect.
We have a Vada. Vada belongs to our friend Shannon, who works at the daycare as well. Vada is also perfect.
We have a Moana and a Maui. Alyssa likes to sing “How Far I’ll Go” to Moana.
Moana
Maui
We have a Bennie and a Jet. When they’re together, I sing the obvious Elton John song. But if Jet is by herself, I sing “Jet” by Paul McCartney and Wings. Jet loves when you sing the “oohoooowoooowoooo” part. Bennie just wants you to throw a ball for her.
Bennie
Jet
We have a Simba and a Nala.
Nala
Simba
We have a Starsky. He used to have brothers named Hutch and Huggy Bear.
We have a Leia and a Chewbacca (Chewy for short). Leia demands that you call her General. She’s earned it, damn it.
Chewy
Leia
We have a Ripley. She’ll be your friend, unless you’re a Xenomorph, and she’ll probably bite your ankles.
We have a Dobby and a Sirius.
Dobby
Sirius
We have an Ozzy Pawsbourne.
We have a Sherlock and a Watson.
Sherlock
Watson
We have a Marty McFly.
We have a Maximus and a Krull.
Krull
Maximus
We have a Disco.
We have an Indiana and a Shorty. Shorty is named for Short Round in Temple of Doom. Indiana will also respond to “Indy”. Actually, he’s an Aussie so he probably won’t respond no matter what you call him.
Shorty
Indiana
We have a Buttercup. If you meet her, you must call her Princess Buttercup. This is very important.
We have an Appa and a Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender).
Appa
Appa’s namesake
Zuko
Zuko’s namesake
We have lots of Gods and Goddesses.
Juno 1
Juno 2
Loki
Achilles
Apollo
Ares
Freyja 1
Freyja 2
We have a Maliumpkin. She was named for the dormouse from the Alice in Wonderland universe and she has David Bowie eyes.
We have a Turtle and a King (for Stephen King and Maturin, an ancient turtle who features prominently in multiple King works).
Turtle
King
And finally, we have a Mr. Tibbs. Call him Mr. Tibbs.
By the way, for those of you who also love dogs and pop culture, here’s a playlist I made a few years ago of “dog” songs and artists. It’s kind of awesome.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made their debut at The 500 Club in Atlantic City on this day in 1946. Their success at 500 ultimately led to an engagement at New York City’s Copacabana, a radio show, a television variety series and a movie contract. The duo made their final appearance together at the Copacabana on July 25, 1956 – ten years to the day after their first show.
“You Can’t Hurry Love” was released on this day in 1966. The single would become The Supremes’ seventh #1 hit.
On this day in 1985, a spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirmed that the actor had AIDS. Hudson was one of the first major celebrities to disclose their AIDS diagnosis. Hudson died a little more than two months later, on October 2.
Today would have been Estelle Getty’s 98th birthday. Getty struggled for decades to break into show business, and in 1982, her big break came when she co-starred in Torch Song Trilogy as Mrs. Beckoff, a role playwright Harvey Fierstein wrote specifically for Getty. Three years later, Getty became a star at the age of sixty-two when she was cast in NBC’s Golden Girls as Sophia Petrillo, a role that won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
On this day in 1964, The Beatles’ album A Hard Day’s Night went to #1 on the US album chart – and stayed there for fourteen weeks. The soundtrack to the movie of the same name, A Hard Day’s Night was hugely influential; for the recording of the album, George Harrison played several songs on a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, a sound which helped usher in the folk-rock explosion of the mid-60s. A Hard Day’s Night was also the first Beatles album to be written entirely by the band (Lennon-McCartney were the credited songwriters; later albums would feature material written by Harrison and Ringo Starr as well).
On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan was booed by the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival, for performing on an electric guitar.
On this day in 1975, David Bowie released “Fame”, the second single from his album Young Americans. Co-written with John Lennon (Lennon provided background vocals for the song as well), “Fame” was an angry funk-rock jam with pointed lyrics about the costs of fame. “Fame” would go on to become Bowie’s first #1 single in the US.
Philip Seymour Hoffman would have been fifty-four years old today. I’m working on a longer post in his honor, but it’s not quite ready to publish. In the meantime, I’ll just leave this here:
And this:
Tidal, Fiona Apple’s brilliant debut album, was released on this day in 1996. Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart was classically trained on the piano and began writing her own songs at just eight years old; she wrote and recorded much of the material on Tidal at the age of seventeen. An old soul, yet almost frighteningly vulnerable, Apple wrote confessional lyrics about the scars we bear – and the ones we inflict. Tidal was slow to catch on, but in the fall of 1997, the third single off the album, “Criminal”, became Apple’s first and only Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at #21. “Criminal” won Apple the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (she was also nominated for Best New Artist, but lost to – yikes – Paula Cole). The lyrics of Tidal still sear twenty-five years later. It is a remarkable debut, and one of my favorite albums of the 90s.
After taking a couple months off, hubby and I resumed our Fargo watch last night with season three opener “The Law of Vacant Places”. I’m already blown away by Ewan McGregor’s dual performance as brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy, and I’m intrigued by the storyline. I think it will be another fun ride.
Ewan McGregor and Ewan McGregor
Woodstock ’99 took place twenty-two years ago this weekend, and it was an absolute shitshow. Unlike the fairly peaceful event thirty years earlier, Woodstock ’99 was marred by violence, sexual assault, looting and arson. The festival was also an environmental disaster. Portable toilets backed up. Oppressive heat (100 °F/38 °C) left concertgoers in need of hydration, and their only option for water was vendor plastic bottles at $4 a pop. The bottles that were strewn around the grounds were used as fuel for bonfires set during Sunday evening’s Red Hot Chili Peppers performance. Multiple rape accusations, including at least two eyewitness accounts of gang rape, were investigated by police. ATM’s were tipped over and looted; vendor booths were torn apart and used as kindling for the fires. One person, David DeRosia, died as a result of hypothermia secondary to heat stroke; his mother sued the festival’s promoters for negligence, for failing to provide adequate fresh water and medical care for the 400,000 attendees. San Francisco Editor journalist Jane Ganahi referred to Woodstock ’99 as “the day the music died”. A compelling-looking documentary about the event airs tonight on HBO.
Consummate character actor Ronny Cox was born on this day in 1938.
Deliverance
Beverly Hills Cop
Vision Quest
RoboCop
Total Recall
Happy birthday to Edie McClurg! McClurg is a beloved character actor best known for her work in John Hughes films, but she has appeared in dramas like A River Runs Through It and done extensive voiceover work for animation and video games. Most people probably think of her from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where she hilariously played Rooney’s secretary Grace, but my favorite character of hers is “Car Rental Agent” in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Fun fact: Edie McClurg’s first film was Brian De Palma’s Carrie
Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore is sixty today, and I feel really old. I’m off to listen to “Somebody” and pretend I’m fifteen again.
On this day in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle and became the first men to walk on the surface of the moon (or not, if you’re one of those people who believe The Shining was Stanley Kubrick’s admission of guilt for his part in the faking of the moon landing). To celebrate the anniversary of this momentous occasion, let’s take a look at some depictions of astronauts – both real and fictional – in pop culture.
Apollo 13
Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks
Apollo 13 kicks off on the night of Armstrong and Aldrin’s moon walk; Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), who orbited the moon for Apollo 8, is having a watch party at his house. Nine months later, Lovell, Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) are on their way to the moon as the crew of Apollo 13. Three days into the mission, disaster strikes: Lovell, Haise and Swigert won’t make it to the moon – and they might not make it home either. Ron Howard (who should have won a Best Director Oscar for this film, not A Beautiful Mind) wows us with the most realistic rendering of space to date (as of 1995, that is), but also crafts an emotionally resonant story of survival. The ending is a foregone conclusion, but Howard still manages to create tension for the audience. And the whole thing is anchored by lovely performances from Hanks and the crew, Ed Harris as Gene Kranz, the sensational Kathleen Quinlan as Marilyn Lovell and a supporting cast of dozens. For its efforts, the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and the film was nominated for nine Oscars. It is my personal favorite movie on this list.
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick’s bonkers collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke, is arguably the greatest science-fiction film of all time, although reviews were mixed upon its release. Exploring themes of existentialism, human evolution and artificial intelligence, 2001 was praised for its realistic depiction of space life and its cutting-edge special effects (for which Kubrick won the Oscar). But not everyone appreciated the film; at the premiere in Los Angeles, Rock Hudson left early, purportedly asking “What is this bullshit?” on his way out the door. 2001 is an incredible journey through millions of years of evolution, with extended wordless sequences set to classical music. Don’t try to understand it, just sit back and enjoy it; weed is optional but I highly recommend it.
From the Earth to the Moon
From left, Tony Goldwyn as Neil Armstrong, Cary Elwes as Michael Collins, Bryan Cranston as Buzz Aldrin
From the Earth to the Moon, HBO’s 12-part miniseries about the Apollo space program of the 1960s and 70s, was the brainchild of Tom Hanks. After starring in Apollo 13, Hanks felt the need to live in that world a little longer. Andrew Chaikin’s A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts served as inspiration for the series, which is more like twelve short films; the episodes were directed by ten different people, and each episode has its own distinct point of view. Although the sprawling cast primarily play real people, the narrative is aided by the addition of several fictional characters like Emmett Seaborn (Lane Smith), a Walter Cronkite-esque television reporter. From the Earth to the Moon was nominated for a whopping seventeen Emmy Awards and won three, including Outstanding Miniseries.
Moon
The less you know about Moon, Duncan Jones’ brilliant first feature, the better. The role of Sam was written specifically for Sam Rockwell, and Rockwell knocks it out of the park. How was he not nominated for a Best Actor Oscar? Anyway, no spoilers here, just watch this gem already.
The Right Stuff
The story of the Mercury space program of the 1950s and early 60s, The RightStuff was a box-office bomb but one of 1983’s most highly honored films, earning eight Academy Award nominations and winning four Oscars (Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Film Editing). Directed by Philip Kaufman, The Right Stuff was an adaptation of the acclaimed book by Tom Wolfe. Chuck Yeager was on-hand to ensure historical accuracy (although substantial dramatic liberties were taken). The talented cast is headed up by Sam Shepard (as Yeager), Fred Ward (Gus Grissom), Dennis Quaid (Gordon Cooper), Ed Harris (John Glenn) and Scott Glenn (Alan Shepard).
The Martian
The Martian, based on Andy Weir’s inventive 2011 novel, finds botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars alone after he is presumed dead. With his crew on their way back to earth, rescue is literally years away and there’s not enough food to keep him alive for that long. So Watney, in his own words, has to “science the shit out of this”. Damon strikes the right balance between gallows humor and Watney’s will to survive, and the supporting cast is heaven (Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor, just to name a few). The Martian was a box office and critical success, and was nominated for seven Oscars.
Hidden Figures
Janelle Monáe, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer
Hidden Figures contains a lot of inaccuracies (for one thing, NASA facilities desegregated in 1949, twelve years before the events depicted in the film) and it comes off as white savior-ish, but it tells an important story: the black women who worked at NASA and helped make American space flight possible. I just wish the movie had better served those woman – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – AND the divine actors playing them (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, respectively).
SpaceCamp
SpaceCamp was a marketing nightmare: the movie was released five months after the Challenger shuttle explosion (though filming was completed well before), and many felt the film was trying to capitalize on the disaster. SpaceCamp made only about $10 million, well below its budget. But it was a movie that I loved, primarily due to its winning cast – Kate Capshaw, Tom Skerritt, Lea Thompson, Tate Donovan, Larry B. Scott, Kelly Preston and a baby Joaquin Phoenix (who at the time went by the name Leaf). The premise is beyond ridiculous: the campers are allowed inside the space shuttle during a routine test, but the boosters accidentally ignite and NASA is forced to launch the shuttle with five campers and only one actual astronaut (Capshaw’s Andie) on board. But I’ve always believed in exercising a healthy suspension of disbelief; if you can do the same, you’ll enjoy SpaceCamp too.
First Man
Expectations were high for First Man, Damien Chazelle’s 2018 biopic of Neil Armstrong. Two years earlier, Chazelle had become the youngest winner of the Best Director Oscar, First Man reteamed him with his La La Land leading man, Ryan Gosling, and Claire Foy (as Janet Armstrong) had just won every possible award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s The Crown. And while First Man was a commercial disappointment, it’s a lovely film with an incredible cast and knock-your-socks-off visual effects (for which it deservedly won the Oscar).
Gravity
One of the most critically acclaimed films of 2013, Gravity is a technical tour de force. Alfonso Cuarón utilized cutting-edge technology to create a hyperrealistic interpretation of space. Sandra Bullock gives the film its heart as Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first space mission. Stone, still reeling from the death of her daughter, soon finds herself alone when space debris irreparably damages the shuttle and kills her fellow crew members. Gravity is less a sci-fi film and more of a survival tale; think Cast Away in space. The film earned a worldwide gross of more than $700 million and was nominated for ten Academy Awards; though 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture, Gravity won the most awards of the evening, including Best Director for Cuarón, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Armageddon
Armageddon is not a great movie. The script (co-written by J.J. Abrams!) is garbage. There’s zero chemistry between Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler (and don’t get even get me started on the animal cracker love scene). It’s indulgent and over the top in the way that Michael Bay movies are. It’s too long by at least 30 minutes. And it’s so inaccurate that NASA shows the film in management training sessions where new managers are tasked with finding the errors. And why does it have to be so loud? The first time I saw Armageddon, I was annoyed at my then-boyfriend because he vetoed seeing Saving Private Ryan, which had just been released that day (we saw Ryan a couple weeks later). And I had a headache, which the film only exacerbated. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Upon watching it a second time, sans headache, I updated my initial review. It’s still big and loud and dumb, but it’s also entertaining as hell.
This is a great video on how special effects in space movies have evolved over the years, and it touches on several of the films on this list.
Content warning: this post contains references to stalking and murder.
Inhaler entered the UK album chart at #1 last week with their debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This. I’ll admit I clicked skeptically when I learned that Inhaler’s lead singer is Elijah Hewson, offspring of Bono (nepotism has no place in music), but these lads are going to be my next obsession. Inhaler is a mix of power pop and dreamy psychedelia, with pounding bass lines and a dash of early 80s synth-pop.
Inhaler – Josh Jenkinson, Ryan McMahon, Elijah Hewson, Robert Keating
A Quiet Place Part II is now available for streaming on Paramount+. Hubby and I had intended to make it the first movie we saw in the theater since January 2020, but decided to save the money and watch it at home. Anyway, spoiler alert, it was awesome. Millicent Simmonds’ Regan takes center stage and Simmonds makes the most of the opportunity. Cillian Murphy is fantastic as Emmett, a friend of the Abbott family from the before times.
The first two episodes of Making the Cut season 2 are now available on Amazon Prime. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn are an iconic pair, and I’m really enjoying the addition of Jeremy Scott and Winnie Harlow to the judging panel. The designers this season are (for the most part) a diverse and interesting group. Gary’s my favorite so far, based on his look from episode 1.
Happy birthday, Margo Martindale! One of the finest character actors of the 21st century (or ever, for that matter), Martindale is equally comfortable in comedy or drama. A Tony nominee for a 2004 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Martindale won Emmy awards for her performances in Justified and The Americans. She also had a prominent role on one of my all-time favorite shows, Dexter.
Dexter
The Millers, with Will Arnett
Justified
A fictionalized Martindale in Bojack Horseman
The Americans
Rebecca Schaeffer – model, actress and co-star of the CBS comedy My SisterSam – was murdered on this day in 1989. Robert John Bardo had already been stalking Schaeffer for a few years, and had even attempted (unsuccessfully) to gain access to the My Sister Sam set, when he saw Schaeffer’s sex scene in the 1989 Paul Bartel film, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. Feeling jealous and rageful, and inspired by Arthur Jackson (would-be assassin of actress Theresa Saldana back in 1982), Bardo showed up at Schaeffer’s home (he’d hired a PI, who’d found her address through the DMV) with a card he’d sent her and her photo. When Schaeffer brushed him off with a “Please take care”, Bardo came back an hour later with a gun, and when Schaeffer opened the door this time, Bardo shot her in the heart. Schaeffer, just 21 years old, was set to audition for a role in TheGodfatherIII the day she died (she was waiting for the script to arrive, and was undoubtedly hoping that’s who was at her door). Bardo received the maximum sentence for his crime – life in prison without the possibility of parole. In the aftermath of Schaeffer’s murder, a federal law was passed to prevent the public from accessing DMV records. In 1990, California became the first state to enact an anti-stalking law. In the intervening years, celebrities such as Madonna and David Letterman have made use of the anti-stalking law to protect themselves and their families.
Rebecca Schaeffer with her My Sister Sam co-star, Pam Dawber
PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia 