Checking in with More Comfort TV Facebook Friends

 

In 2013 I wrote about how I enjoyed connecting via Facebook with television stars that, when I was young, seemed to live in a very different world. It’s another reminder of how much we take for granted that was unimaginable 20 years ago.

As you may know, Facebook has two statuses in the case of celebrities – “Friends,” which is the same status as you have for your family members and coworkers and all the people you knew in high school, and “Follow” which means their messages appear on your wall, but yours do not appear on theirs.

I don’t do follows. I get why they’re necessary – Taylor Swift probably wouldn’t enjoy logging on and being told that another 230,000 of her 74 million followers are having a birthday – but to me “follower” status is no different than the mail order fan clubs of yesteryear. It’s a way for the star’s team to keep you informed about new projects, but there’s no real interaction. You’re just another potential customer. 

Let me introduce you to a few more of my famous Facebook friends.

Maureen McCormick

Yes, this was a big deal to me, as it would be for anyone who grew up on The Brady Bunch. She is a fairly recent convert to Facebook, and her posts thus far have been unfailingly cheerful, optimistic and supportive. Given the trials she’s faced in her life, it feels good to know that someone who brought so much joy to others through her career is now in an equally happy place herself. Meanwhile, Susan Olsen continues to ignore my “Friend” request. Maybe she got lost in the Grand Canyon again. 

Barry Livingston

He was the bespectacled Ernie on My Three Sons, but you’ll also see him pre-Ernie in reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show and Ozzie & Harriet and The Lucy Show, and on Room 222 and Ironside and many more in the years that followed. What is so admirable about Barry is that he is just as busy now. Many of his frequent FB posts are new job announcements, which have included parts in such films as Argo and Jersey Boys, and on shows like Glee and Rizzoli & Isles. He remains the very definition of a working actor. 

Donna Loren

Singer-actress Donna Loren was one of the quintessential all-American teenage dream girls of the 1960s. She appeared in some of the “Beach” movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, starred in the music series Shindig! and was the Dr. Pepper girl in a series of impossibly cute commercials. Loren was also Suzy the felonious cheerleader in a memorable Joker episode of Batman (finally on blu-ray!). This is where Facebook can be a wonderful thing – it gives Donna a chance to stay connected to fans new and old, and provides a way for long-time admirers like me to acquire an autographed CD. 

Kathryn Leigh Scott

I first met Kathryn pre-Facebook when I interviewed her for an article on Dark Shadows (she played Maggie Evans and Josette du Pres’ among other characters). Subsequent meetings at Dark Shadows conventions eventually led to her publishing my Charlie’s Angels book. She’s out of publishing now but not out of writing – her new mystery novel, Jinxed, is getting great notices. 

Dean Butler

He’s closing in on 2,000 Facebook friends now, a testament to the enduring popularity of Little House on the Prairie. Dean Butler played Half Pint’s husband, the unfortunately named Almanzo (or “Zaldano” if you’re Harriet Oleson). He’s not online as much these days but he still makes all the cast reunions and conventions.

Amy Yasbeck

My affection for the perennially underrated Wings is already well established, so it was a treat to have one of its cast members accept my “Friend” request. I don’t think Amy has mentioned the series once since we’ve been connected online, but she does like to share funny photos and memes just like us regular folk. She also regularly promotes the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. At the moment that means selling t-shirts to support Team Ritter in the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon. I ordered mine – here’s where you can order one too.

Susan Buckner

When we connected on Facebook I knew Susan Buckner almost solely as the school spirit-obsessed Patty Simcox in Grease. I have since learned that she sang and danced behind Dean Martin as a member of the bodacious Golddiggers, and was one of the swimming Kroftettes on The Brady Bunch Hour. Working in a variety series from that era put her in contact with an amazing array of talent, from Farrah Fawcett to Tina Turner to Milton Berle. Susan is one of the most active and engaging posters on my wall, and is always passionate about the causes she believes in, whether its calling out bullies on social media or getting the band War into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

And here’s a rare combination segue/teaser: Susan also appeared in a few episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, which will be the topic of the next Comfort TV blog. That piece will be written for the Classic TV Detectives Blogathon, hosted by the Classic TV Blog Association. See you there!

Comfort TV Facebook Connections

 

When I was growing up in Skokie, Illinois, and I first started to watch television and become aware of actors and their roles, it was just a given that these famous people led very different lives from mine. They lived in Hollywood and appeared on the covers of People magazine and TV Guide. You could write them a letter but you knew they received thousands of them. If you were really lucky, you might get an autographed photo in return.

Today, we’re all friends on Facebook.

So many of the TV stars I grew up watching now keep me up to date on where they had lunch yesterday, or when they land a new role. They share photos of their homes and families, and invite me to “like” the causes and organizations they do. Sometimes they even wish me Happy Birthday.

Facebook friendships are not the same as real friendships, of course. But it’s still a curious experience to remember being a kid watching Family Affair, and thinking Cissy was so beautiful, and now I send her messages and she responds, no barriers remaining between celebrity and fan.

During my first frenzied months on the social media network I sent friend requests to several of my favorites, and most responded. But then I stopped before becoming a full-fledged Facebook star collector, and now I limit myself to those that I’ve either met in real life, or where there’s some other pre-existing connection, such as a mutual friend.

These are a few of my classic TV Facebook friends. They can be yours too.

John Schneider

I first met John when I was writing my companion guide to The Dukes of Hazzard. Now he keeps trying to sell me on a fitness program. I’ll think about it over my next pizza. 

Geri Reischl

Immortalized as “Fake Jan” on the legendary Brady Bunch Variety Hour, Geri has a wicked sense of humor and shares both memorable moments and the minutiae of her life with Facebook. And unlike many celebs, she doesn’t just post and run – she keeps the conversation going throughout the thread and is generous with her “likes.” She even poked me a few times, which was more fun than I expected. 

Gregory Harrison

I knew Greg pre-Facebook, though not well. He and his wife, ChiPs star Randi Oakes, were once fixtures on the 1980s competitions known as the Battle of the Network Stars. I had them all on tape and sent him copies of their appearances. I also interviewed him several years ago for a magazine article I wrote on the classic miniseries Centennial. He’s a fairly frequent poster, but usually it’s about something related to politics, and he and I are on opposite ends of that particular spectrum. We’ve had some rather intense exchanges over the last few years, but no one has severed the connection yet. 

Teri Copley

The first thing I discovered about Teri on Facebook is that she is a woman of very deep-rooted faith. I was 18 the year We Got it Made debuted on NBC. If you had told me I’d one day have a chance to chat with the goddess that played Mickey Mackenzie, I don’t think religion would have been my first topic of choice. Thirty years later, it’s a bond we share. And she’s still a knockout. 

Willie Aames

The last time I saw Willie Aames on TV was on the dreadful VH-1 series Celebrity Fit Club, where he looked like his life was falling apart. Now he works on an international cruise ship, seems happy and healthy, and posts amazing photos from ports of call around the world.

Paul Petersen

After his days on The Donna Reed Show, Paul established an organization called A Minor Consideration to help former child stars cope with a post-celebrity existence, and to make sure studios are treating kids like kids and not investment commodities. 

Shirley Jones

Mrs. Partridge isn’t around very often, and from the excerpts I’ve seen from her new biography, I don’t even want to speculate on what she’s doing when she’s not on Facebook.

Gloria Loring

I’ve never met Gloria Loring, but she sent me a friend request a couple of years ago. I don’t know how or why this happened, but if the woman who sang the theme to The Facts of Life wants to be friends, that’s fine with me. 

James Best

Another Dukes of Hazzard cast member, who is now a very fine painter.

Jennifer Runyon Corman

One of the few celebrities who ignored my Friend request was Susan Olsen. But if I couldn’t connect with Cindy Brady, I did become Facebook friends with the actress who played Cindy in A Very Brady Christmas. It was a better match anyway, as it turns out we have a lot in common – we’re both from the Chicago area, we have similar opinions on the issues of the day, and we both briefly dated Scott Baio in the 1980s. That last one may not be entirely true.