Pictured below is the widely known comedian, actor, writer, and musician Thomas B. Kin Chong, most known as Tommy Chong to both fans and critics alike. Notoriously known for his efforts as an activist in the fight for cannabis rights, Chong’s success is due largely in part to his marijuana-centered comedy series of which Chong is most known for, “Cheech & Chong.”
Aside from the series Chong starred in alongside his fellow comedic partner in crime, Cheech Marin, Cheech and Chong are also known for their numerous musical albums. And while the idea of Chong as a father would most likely be viewed as another one of the infamous comedian’s jokes, in reality, Tommy Chong is actually considered “quite the family man.” In total, throughout his marriages, notorious stoner-turned-family-man would go on to raise a whopping six children.
Donna Douglas as ‘Elly May Clampett’ - The Beverly Hillbillies, 1962
Pictured below is famed actress and singer, Donna Douglass, as the character Elly May Clampett from the hit ‘60s CBS television series, “The Beverly Hillbillies.” A role Douglass played from 1962 to 1971, she captured the hearts of viewers with her performance as a sweet and animal-loving daughter; the only child of characters Jed and Rose Ellen Clampett. Born in an East Baton Rouge Parish of Louisiana, reflecting her Hillbilly character, in real life Douglass was also an “honest-to-goodness critter loving Southern Belle.”
Douglass also appeared in what is still considered today as one of the most famous episodes of “The Twilight Zone”: “Eye of the Beholder.” In addition to her acting career, in 2013, Douglass also published her “nostalgic” cookbook, “Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood.”
Heather Thomas, aka ’Jody Banks’ - The Fall Guy From 1981-86
Pictured in the photograph below is popular actress Heather Thomas as the popular character ‘Jody Banks’, on the show, “The Fall Guy,” a role which Banks played from 1981 to 1986. The basis of this series? A plot widely revolving around “The adventures of a film stunt performer who moonlights as a bounty hunter when movie work is slow.”
The TV series is known for its frequent celebrity cameos, as well as its occasional in-joke references of the series, “The Six Million Dollar Man,” one of Major’s previously starring roles. Before her breakout role as Banks on “The Fall Guy,” Thomas first entered the limelight at the young age of 14, acting as a host and celebrity interviewer on the NBC series, “Talking with a Giant.”
Host Allen Funt Smiling for the Camera on ’Smile, You’re on Candid Camera!’ (1948-1990)
Smile, you’re on ‘Candid Camera’! Here, Allen Funt, host of the hit, 1940s American reality series, “Candid Camera”, flashes a grin alongside a woman holding a sign with the show’s title. Considered America’s favorite hidden camera and practical joke reality TV series, Candid Camera was created and produced by Funt. While the show was initially broadcast on the radio as “The Candid Microphone,” its first broadcast being released on June 28th, 1947.
Funt’s reality show soon transitioned over to television, and on August 10th, 1948, the series’ first episode was aired across TVs across the U.S. and would stay on air well into the 1970s. Throughout this show, those being pranked were faced with unusually silly situations and objects, such as talking mailboxes, and throwing a bowling ball, only to have the ball returned to them without any finger wholes on it. For the most part, people on the show were in complete bewilderment, up until they heard the show’s familiar tagline, “Smile! You’re on Candid Camera.”
The Incredible Mr. Limpet: Man Turned Animated, Talking Fish, 1964
Featured in the below photo is a shot from the American live-action/animated adventure movie, “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” (1964). Based on the 1942 novel, “Mr. Limpet, this Warner Bros. film follows the story of a man by the name of Henry Limpet (played by leading actor Don Knotts), a “mild-mannered man” turned animated talking fish. Taking place in World War II, Limpet, who takes on the appearance of a tilefish, ultimately aids the U.S. Navy in locating and destroying Nazi submarines.
Best known for his five-time Emmy-winning role as the “over-anxious” Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show—a show which earned him five Emmys—Knotts also acted as the leading man in a number of other comedic films. In 1979, TV Guide even ranked Knotts #27 on its “50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time” list! The onscreen dynamic between Andy Griffith and Knotts propelled the two actors to the very top of the list of the best comedy duos in the entire history of television. In 2006, Knotts died from lung cancer complications at the age of 82.