Baseball Toaster: Dodger Thoughts : 'Nine Girls ...'

'Nine Girls ...'

2006-01-30 11:48

by Jon Weisman

I have to join in on the salutes to character actor Charles Lane, who just turned 101. Thanks to Dennis Cozzalio of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule and others for passing on the news. Lane's Internet Movie Database entry lists 322 roles. Reportedly, Lane was honored at the 2005 TV Land Awards and said, "In case anyone's interested, I'm still available!"

Lane is most memorable to me from his appearances on I Love Lucy in different parts, such as the casting director in the episode where Lucy has bet she won't lie, and as the other father in the waiting room the night Little Ricky was born. Lane entered the hospital as the father of six girls and left as the father of three more. His world-weary delivery of the line, "Nine girls ..." is priceless.

Fred, of course, suggests Lane form a softball team.

Comments (64)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2006-01-30 12:14:17

1. DXMachina

He's in a lot of movies. I watched the Music Man last night, and he played the constable.

"You made a couple of mistakes, though."

"What were they?"

"First, the mayor owns the billiard parlor and that pool table."

2006-01-30 12:18:22

2. Bob Timmermann

I was brought into this world primarily because my mother wanted to have a daughter after giving birth to three sons. But it was 1965 and the only way to get a boy or a girl was pretty much luck. Nevertheless, my mother didn't get too upset about.

But at the same time I was born, another family that went to the same church as us had their sixth daughter, which made the father weep. I believe child #7 was a boy.

2006-01-30 12:21:47

3. Jon Weisman

2 - So you could have been like Dodie on My Three Sons, had things broken right.

2006-01-30 12:30:25

4. Bob Timmermann

I could have grown up as a tall gangly girl who would have had trouble getting dates in high school.

Instead I grew up as a tall gangly boy who had trouble getting dates in high school.

2006-01-30 12:41:15

5. D4P

I was neither tall, gangly, nor a girl, but I still had trouble getting dates in high school.

2006-01-30 12:59:26

6. dagwich

Luckily a slow day at work, so I can post my claim to fame: I went to junior high school (Revere) with Chip and Ernie from My Three Sons. In real life they were the actual Livingston Brothers. I remember them as pretty nice guys.

Also in that Jr High School class was Barry Blankenhorn, better know to the world as Barry Williams of the Brady Bunch. I remember him as a not-so-nice guy.

2006-01-30 13:08:08

7. Jon Weisman

6 - Cool. I guess this is when I can once again bring up my childhood schoolmates, Gunnar and Matt Nelson (Ricky's kids/future hair-banders) and Lisa Bonet (nee Boney).

Good trivia on Barry Williams' real name - I didn't know that.

2006-01-30 13:24:35

8. D4P

Nay, Bonet, nee Boney?

2006-01-30 13:28:06

9. Bob Timmermann

The IMDB says Barry Williams was born Barry William Blenkhorn.

2006-01-30 13:38:44

10. dagwich

Blenkhorn -- that's right. I was going from memory. What I remember is this: he didn't show up to school very often. When he did (keep in mind this is JUNIOR high school) he rode in on a motorcycle, somehow. The PE teacher (Mr. Briggs, I'll never forget him) was just out of the military, and let Barry lead us in Marine-type drills ("Sound off!" etc). We'd do that for the whole class, then Barry rode off on the bike and we wouldn't see him til the next month or so.

I boycotted the Brady Bunch, still have never seen an episode.

2006-01-30 13:51:57

11. Icaros

I've probably seen every episode of the Brady Bunch at least 30 times.

2006-01-30 13:59:11

12. Bob Timmermann

God bless you, Icaros.

You should go on the revamped IMDB and correct each episode's listing of credits.

2006-01-30 14:04:12

13. D4P

Did Jan ever actually say "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!"?

2006-01-30 14:15:10

14. Icaros

13 - I think so, in the episode where Alice gives Jan a locket because Alice herself was an only child.

2006-01-30 14:15:53

15. Woody

To me, Charles Lane's most typical role was as Mr. Potter's toady rent collector in "It's a Wonderful Life". He's the kind of actor who was always there, but I never knew his name. I see from his filmography at IMDb that he hasn't appeared in anything since '95. Hey! Get off your, butt, man! Your only 101! Get back to work or you'll end up like Bert Mustin, who played "Gus, the fireman" on "Leave it to Beaver" and God knows how many different roles on "Dragnet". Poor Bert passed in his 90s, but always looked like he was at least 101.

2006-01-30 14:26:15

16. D4P

14
Don't remember that one. I watched a lot of episodes as a kid, but they're all kind of mushed together now in my mind.

2006-01-30 14:34:40

17. Icaros

16 - Me too. It's been 15-20 years since I regularly watched the show.

2006-01-30 14:48:15

18. Jon Weisman

13 - I'm shocked that this needed to be confirmed. Shocked!

2006-01-30 14:52:41

19. Bob Timmermann

Jan actually said, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"

2006-01-30 15:11:56

20. Bob Timmermann

Episode 59, "Her Sister's Shadow"

2006-01-30 15:14:48

21. jasonungar05

"Well, all day long at school I hear how great Marcia is at this or how wonderful Marcia did that! Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! "

2006-01-30 15:24:15

22. Icaros

And isn't this also the episode where Jan tells people she has a new boyfriend named George Glass?

2006-01-30 15:32:31

23. Bob Timmermann

I dare not look further.

2006-01-30 16:01:43

24. ToyCannon

My wife went to Hollywood High and went to school with several oscar winners but her big claim was working as a waitress at Marie Callendars next to the tar pits where Robert Patrick was a waiter at the same time. They were all wanna be actors and she has said that he was the least likely to have been chosen to be a success. Should have seen her face the 1st time we saw T2. Just saw his latest movie where he plays Johnny Cash's dad and he did a fine job. He's turned into a very good character actor.

I went to HS with the oldest kid from "Nanny and the Professor". I think his name was Richard Deremus, something like that. Nice guy, 1st kid in school to buy a new car at the age of 16. Lots of kids had new cars but he's the only one I know that paid for it himself.

2006-01-30 17:06:30

25. caseybarker

mom always said, "Don't play ball in the house."

2006-01-30 17:33:58

26. das411

Ok Steve, is Nancy Kerrigan getting voted off tonight?

2006-01-30 17:48:48

27. LAT

My cousin was married to Chris Knight. They are now divorced. But the wedding was great. They were all there except Jan and Alice, and of course, Mike. Cindy was by far the most down to earth. Chris was a nice guy, actually a little on the boring side- a computer salesman for a while. He had a real problem with his whole idenitity being Peter. My cousin pretty much warned everyone not to bring it up. They have been divorced for at least 10 years now and clearly Peter is more comfortable with it and willing to use it now to make some money. They didn't have kids and she is remarried so they have lost contact. But for a while it was pretty cool having a family member married to a Brady.

2006-01-30 17:55:28

28. ToyCannon

Great Clipper/Heat game going on. They have scored over 130 points at 1/2 time.

2006-01-30 18:21:20

29. LAT

Other grade school brushes with fame:

Friends with Wolfman Jack's daughter. She was very cool and so was he. Really nice guy.

Went to school with Patrick Cassidy. Not so cool.

Friends with Preston Hagman, Larry's son. After Major Nelson but before JR. Man, that guy was out there.

Friends with James Colburn's kid. They had monkey's at there house. Way cool house.

Favorite claim to fame: first kiss-sixth grade at camp, in a game of truth or dare, Leslie Landon, Michael's daughter. She was a babe then and I saw a picture of her a year or so ago and she is still a babe.

2006-01-30 18:47:59

30. Steve

What in the name of Betty White are you talking about?

2006-01-30 18:54:22

31. bhsportsguy

Since we are apparently listing are brushes with fame, in junior high, (back when it was called jr. high instead of middle school), there was a couple of Richard Dawson's kids and Alan Astin (not Sean) son of Patty Duke and John Astin. Later in high school, the guy who played Valerie Bertinelli's friend on One Day at a Time was there.

Much later on, a secretary had a law firm I worked with was dating Mike Haynes, who I met, nice guy, it was post-Raiders.

Quick Hochevar update, actually this is like 3 weeks old so I apologize but a story from Knoxville News states that the negotiations are stalled but quotes Logan White as saying they are back to square one but that he has no animosity to Hochevar family, they are good people.

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/govols/article/0,1406,KNS_294_4375895,00.html

2006-01-30 18:54:47

32. das411

Well it sounds like someone wasn't watching "Skating with Celebrities" tonight!

2006-01-30 18:57:16

33. Bob Timmermann

"Skating with Celebrities" is an extraordinarily odd lead-in to "24".

"Chloe, I've got to perform a double axel or MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE!"

2006-01-30 19:19:02

34. D4P

"Skating with Celebrities" is an extraordinarily odd lead-in to "24".

But a more "relatable" one (evidently) than Arrested Development...:(

2006-01-30 19:59:17

35. das411

Wow, "Flight 93" was way more intense than "Skating" was...

Pssh, or did you guys all watch "24" about fake terrorists?

2006-01-30 20:42:09

36. Steve

Reality TV is the middle relief of television. The good ones are pointless, the bad ones on the other side of horrific.

2006-01-30 20:43:03

37. Marty

I went to high school with T.K. Carter. I used a urinal next to David Soul once. I'm on a first name basis with Fritz Coleman (world's nicest person by the way).

2006-01-30 20:45:05

38. Marty

Also, I came home to a dead cable/DVR box today. I'm barely coping with the standard broadcast stations. How did I live without the ability to pause?? The good news is I can swap it out at the local Charter Cable office tomorrow rather than wait for a "technician" to come by.

2006-01-30 20:45:41

39. LAT

37. Has he lost the big blue glasses?

2006-01-30 20:46:53

40. Marty

LAT, funny you should ask. He says he gets that question all the time and swears he hasn't used the blue glasses since the 80's.

2006-01-30 20:54:53

41. LAT

Those were great. He should wear them again one night just for old times sake. I bet channel 4 would get a thousand calls.

30. I dunno, pleople were talking about brushes with fame so I listed mine. I guess I peaked in grade school and it has been down hill ever since. . .

2006-01-30 20:56:24

42. Steve

That was for the Nancy Kerrigan comment. D4P always tells me I should use the number tags.

2006-01-30 20:57:03

43. Steve

I was an extra in fourth grade for a pilot starring Dick Butkus by the way.

2006-01-30 20:59:29

44. Marty

Man, Skating with the Stars is a real trainwreck.

2006-01-30 21:01:19

45. LAT

42. Oh, as Emily Latella would say. . ."never mind."

2006-01-30 21:04:26

46. Daniel Zappala

There was a guy at my high school who drove a Porsche to school every day. He would alternate between driving the black one and the red one. I have no idea if he or his dad was famous, they were just stinking rich.

2006-01-30 21:06:33

47. D4P

Use the number tags, Steve.

2006-01-30 21:10:38

48. Steve

My grandfather taught school in Beverly Hills and went to Buddy Hackett's house for a party. Apparently, he had a tremendous gun collection.

2006-01-30 21:26:10

49. das411

Running up against Jon's no-politics policy, but I got to shake Al Gore's hand twice during the 2000 campaign.

That story gets scarier and scarier each time I tell it.

40 - When were these "80s"?

2006-01-30 21:51:45

50. Steve

Alex Gonzalez is one of the few players in baseball who I can look at and say "You have Alex Cora. Why in the world would you want to pay Alex Gonzalez?" Very dumb signing.

Show/Hide Comments 51-100

2006-01-30 22:09:00

51. ToyCannon

Maybe we didn't miss much by not getting Epstien as our GM:)

2006-01-30 22:10:16

52. ToyCannon

24 is sure full of holes but it is still a hoot to watch.

2006-01-30 22:52:25

53. Bob Timmermann

Charles Logan for President!

2006-01-30 23:33:58

54. Midwest Blue

27 Isn't Chris Knight married to that hot Adrienne Curry now?

I was once in the next stall over from where Chevy Chase was free-basing...

2006-01-30 23:42:32

55. Xeifrank

Colleti's Dodgers took two out of three from Depo's Dodgers and opened up a 2 game lead in the Preseason NL West Standings. There were two, one run games and one two run game.
http://DodgerSims.BlogSpot.Com/
vr, Xei

2006-01-31 00:24:18

56. regfairfield

53I thought this was pretty neat:

http://www.dodgermath.com/images/logan.jpg

2006-01-31 04:05:42

57. D4P

I walked by Chelsea and Bill Clinton in Manhattan in December, nearly brushing shoulders with the latter.

2006-01-31 07:40:19

58. Sam DC

Buddy Hackett's house also had a wonderful elephant statue in the front yard. Very tasteful to my mind, though I expect others may disagree.

2006-01-31 08:11:29

59. Marty

RIP Coretta King.

2006-01-31 08:13:20

60. Sushirabbit

55 Cool! Xei, is that your simulations/blog? I would have liked to have seen the Penny v. Penny game. :-)

Just curious, how do you work in the 173 different lineups (or whatever it was) for the PD team?

2006-01-31 08:43:01

61. Woody

I took a leak next to Tom Goodwin during a Dodgers spring training game at Vero a few years ago. I thought it was weird that a player would be using a men's room that was for the public. I guess he was an "Everyman".

2006-01-31 10:35:26

62. Xeifrank

60. Yes, the Penny v Penny game was great, except of course for all the simulated beach balls that got thrown on the field, and the simulated stabbing in the parking lot after the game. :)

61. Did you tell him you were Woody?

Major postal shooting up in Goleta, not too far from UCSB and from my recollection right across the street from the Dos Pueblos little league fields. :(
vr, Xei

vr, Xei

2006-01-31 13:44:30

63. kent

Kurt Rambis was on my little league team in Cupertino, California.

2006-07-30 12:13:43

64. Bluebleeder87

who's Kurt Rambis?