« I know you love me | Main | To wait by the telephone »
January 21, 2004
William Asher connections
William Asher was one of the directors on I Love Lucy; the character's name was Lucy Esmeralda MacGillicuddy Ricardo. Asher went on to produce/direct Bewitched, starring his wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, as Samantha. In Bewitched, the bumbling nanny's name is Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley.
Ghostley played Mrs. Murdock in the movie Grease (DVD/VHS). Eve Arden, who played Principal McGee in Grease, guest starred on Bewitched as Nurse Kelton in the episode where Tabitha is born. Arden also had a cameo on I Love Lucy in 1955.
Besides rehashes, spin-offs and specials related to Bewitched and its cast (inc. the series' Tabitha and The Paul Lynde Show), Asher also directed episodes of Gidgit, Alice and The Dukes of Hazzard. But despite the importance of Lucy and the lasting power of Bewitched, Asher's most significant project in the canon of pop culture was probably as director and co-writer of all the Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello beach movies: Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), and Fireball 500 (1966).
Annette Funicello's measurements were 36-22-36. Asher's son John married
Jenny McCarthy, whose measurements were 38-24-34. Cultural ideal shift: two inches off the hips, two inches on the breasts. (McCarthy did eventually remove the implants.) McCarthy hosted a
series called World's Best Beaches.
McCarthy first came to fame as co-host of Singled Out, which was hosted by
Chris Hardwick. Hardwick later costarred in a teen flick called Beach
House. Beach House costar Brooke Langton is best known for her role on Melrose
Place, as a character named Samantha.
Posted by mtprose at January 21, 2004 12:00 AM