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They say, “Write what you know,” and that’s just what Carl Reiner did when he created The Dick Van Dyke Show. Why make Rob Petrie an insurance salesman or dentist or ad executive when the job that Reiner knew was working as a comedy writer for a big TV star (like he did on Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar)? Reiner set out to recreate his experience as a workplace sitcom.

The center of the show, as conceived, would be the comedy writers’ room for The Alan Brady Show. Van Dyke would play head writer Rob Petrie, and Rose Marie would play his partner in comedy crime, Sally Rogers. Rose Marie was already an established TV star, a regular on early sitcoms like The Bob Cummings Show and My Sister Eileen. She was also the one who suggested Amsterdam for the third member of the team, Buddy Sorrell.

Olive Sturgess, who appeared on about two dozen TV Westerns and got to act alongside Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson in the Roger Corman 1963 cult horror spoof The Raven, died Feb. 19, her family announced. She was 91.

Through two decades starting in the mid-1950s, the fresh-faced Sturgess showed up on (by her count) about 300 episodes of television, including 12 from 1956-59 as the girlfriend of Dwayne Hickman’s character on the NBC-CBS sitcom The Bob Cummings Show.

The Canadian-born starlet also was seen on such series as West Point, Perry Mason, Panic!, The Donna Reed Show, Hawaiian Eye, The Danny Thomas Show, Petticoat Junction, Dr. Kildare and Ironside, but TV Westerns dominated her résumé.

Sturgess appeared on Tales of Wells Fargo, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, U.S. Marshal, Rawhide, Have Gun — Will Travel, Lawman, Laramie, The Rebel, The Tall Man, Bronco, Whispering Smith, Maverick, Wide Country, Destry,...

The Arrowverse was built upon the culmination of several DC characters pioneering their own television shows on the CW network. However, most fans forget that the entirety of that television universe was spawned from the creativity and the brilliance of the original Arrow show. Starring Stephen Amell as the Emerald Archer, Arrow saw a reimagined look at the character, taking away his quippy lines and Robin Hood-esque design in favor of something darker, as The Dark Knight movies had just shown how gritty superheroes can be. The show was a smash hit, which earned it another season. A new season meant new ideas, and the creators of Arrow thought about the possibilities of the greatest DC universe, eventually leading to the introduction of Grant Gustin as a notably fast scientist from the comics.

The Flash was originally supposed to be in a few episodes of Arrow, the third of which...

“The Marvelous Mrs Maisel” is coming to an end as its fifth and final season streams on Amazon Prime Video. The successful comedy, which has bagged 20 Emmys to date including a Best Comedy Series win in 2018, follows Rachel Brosnahan‘s titular Miriam “Midge” Maisel who, after her husband leaves, pursues a career in stand-up comedy. A key character in this pursuit is Alex Borstein‘s Susie Myerson, who runs the Gaslight Café, where Midge first begins her stand-up career.

As Susie, Borstein delivers a no-holds-barred performance as she creates an unorthodox, straight-talking, hilarious character who becomes Midges’ manager later in the series. Critics think she is deserving of another Emmy nomination for this fifth and final season of “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.” Among those singing her praises:

Kevin Fallon (The Daily Beast) wrote: “Alex Borstein, who has won two deserved Emmy Awards for her performance as Susie, gives a tour de force this season—which,...

Dwayne Hickman, whose turn as eternal romantic Dobie Gillis made him a teen idol in the 1960s, has died this morning at age 87 in his Los Angeles home of complications from Parkinson’s Disease.

An actor, producer, director and artist, Hickman starred in the hit TV series The Bob Cummings Show and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He died on the birthday of his dearest friend and former “Dobie …” cast member Bob Denver, whom he again costarred opposite in the CBS, movie of the week, Surviving Gilligan’s Island, playing a CBS network executive.

Born Dwayne Bernard Hickman on May 18, 1934 in Los Angeles, Hickma’s earliest screen appearances included began at age six, making his film debut, as an extra in The Grapes of Wrath.

As a teen he starred in his first television series opposite Bob Cummings, where he honed his comedic skills under the watchful eyes of...

Dwayne Bernard Hickman, an actor, producer and television director best known for his starring role in the 1950s and ’60s sitcom “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” died of complications related to Parkinson’s disease on Sunday. He was 87 years old.

Hickman’s death was confirmed to Variety by the actor’s public relations head Harlan Boll.

Born on May 18, 1934 in Los Angeles, Calif., Hickman began screen acting at a young age with appearances in “The Boy With the Green Hair” and 1940’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” As a teenager, he starred as Chuck MacDonald in “The Bob Cummings Show,” acting alongside the titular comedian across the sitcom’s four-year run.

In 1959, Hickman earned the marquee role on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” The actor starred in all 148 episodes of the 20th Century Fox sitcom. As the first major television series to feature teenagers as its primary characters, “Dobie...

Johnny Crawford, who found early fame in the 1950s as an original Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club and even more success as the son of Chuck Connors’ title character in the 1959-63 Western series The Rifleman, died Thursday two years after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and a recent battle with Covid-19 . He was 75.

Crawford’s death was announced on his website.

According to the Johnny Crawford Legacy website maintained by his family and friends, the “passed away peacefully” last night with wife Charlotte by his side. “Sadly, Johnny was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and he was living in a memory care residence before contracting Covid-19, then pneumonia,” the site states. “After a temporary placement at a skilled nursing facility, he was recently moved to an excellent smaller care home close to his wife.”

Born John Ernest Crawford in Los Angeles into a theatrical and musical family – his...

Judging by Gold Derby’s combined odds, Alex Borstein seems destined to make a triple play this year, thanks to her performance as Susie Myerson, the scathingly uncensored and tomboyish sidekick and manager of Rachel Brosnahan‘s stand-up comic Midge on Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” If the actress — who also has a Emmy for voicing Lois Griffin on the animated series “Family Guy” — goes 3-for-3, she will be the fifth supporting funny lady to do so. The members of this club are sitcom legends Valerie Harper (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne”) and Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”). Not bad company at all.

Right now, Borstein is way ahead of her closest competition, Annie Murphy of “Schitt’s Creek,” among users of Gold Derby’s prediction site. She boasts 1146 backers and 9/2 odds while Murphy has 423 total votes and 5/1 odds.

On Season 3 of “Mrs. Maisel,...

Audrey Long, actress in B film noirs and Westerns, and widow of author Leslie Charteris, dead at 92 (photo: Audrey Long publicity shot ca. late '40s) Actress Audrey Long, a leading lady in mostly B crime dramas and Westerns of the '40s and early '50s, and the widow of The Saint creator Leslie Charteris, died "after a long illness" on September 19, 2014, in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. Long was 92. Her death was first reported by Ian Dickerson on the website LeslieCharteris.com. Born on April 14 (some sources claim April 12), 1922, in Orlando, Florida, Audrey Long was the daughter of an English-born Episcopal minister, who later became a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Her early years were spent moving about North America, in addition to some time in Honolulu. According to Dickerson's Audrey Long tribute on the Leslie Charteris site, following acting lessons with coach Dorothea Johnson, whose pupils had also included...

Beloved sitcom actress Ann B. Davis, who passed away Sunday at age 88, was perhaps best known by modern audiences for her iconic role as Alice the housekeeper on '70s series "The Brady Bunch." But Davis had a stellar career long before she ever donned a maid's uniform, and it turns out that one of the actress's earliest roles made a huge impact on a current pop culture icon.

Davis gained acclaim for her performance as secretary Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz on "The Bob Cummings Show," earning four Emmy nominations -- and nabbing two statuettes -- for Best Supporting Actress from 1955 to 1959. The character was universally popular, and even helped Davis get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, well before she joined the Bradys.

Davis and Schultzy were so revered that the character even made her way into Marvel comics, in the form of Pepper Potts, the love interest...

She touched millions of viewers with her wit and spirit on “The Brady Bunch” and the death of Ann B. Davis has been felt throughout Tinseltown and around the nation.

Davis’ costar Barry Williams told “Good Morning America,” "I was reflecting throughout the day yesterday about one of the first times I met her. She was already a big star when she joined 'The Brady Bunch,' won a couple of Emmys with 'The Bob Cummings Show,' and I knew that this was someone I wanted to pay attention to but she had a wicked sense of humor."

He continued, "I remember watching from behind the camera when she was rehearsing one of the scenes for 'The Brady Bunch' and I was laughing along with her timing and stuff. Well, apparently, I was messing up her timing so she turned around and said, ‘Barry, comedy is not funny.

Ann B. Davis, best known as Alice on The Brady Bunch, died Sunday. Barry Williams, who portrayed oldest brother Greg Brady on the show, remembered his longtime friend and costar on Today Monday morning.

“When she came on our set she was already a big star, having won a couple of Emmys,” Williams explained. (Davis won a pair of Supporting Actress in a Comedy statuettes for her work on NBC’s sitcom The Bob Cummings Show.)”So I knew even as a young teenager she was someone I wanted to pay attention to.”

Williams also remembered one time where paying...

Here's to you, Alice. Ann B. Davis, who will always be known as The Brady Bunch housekeeper Alice Nelson, passed away at the age of 88. Davis was already a TV star and Emmy winner before joining the beloved sitcom, and as Alice she became as much America's mother as Carol Brady (Florence Henderson). Davis got her start in the 1950s on The Bob Cummings Show—she won two Emmys for playing Charmine Schultz on the series—before hitting the big screen and doing several guest star parts. In 1969 The Brady Bunch debuted and the rest, well, it's TV history. Davis went on to play Alice Nelson in four different decades, reprising the role for projects such as The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Brides, The...

Ann Davis, who is best known for playing the housekeeper Alice Nelson on "The Brady Bunch" TV series, has died in San Antonio on Sunday after a fall in her bathroom. She hit her head and never regained consciousness. She was 88 years old. "The Brady Bunch" originally aired from September 1969 to March 1974 on ABC. It then spent a year in syndication and resulted in several reunion films and spin-off TV series over the years. In addition to starring on "The Brady Bunch," the actress also played secretary Schultzy on "The Bob Cummings Show," for which she won two Emmy Awards. She also had a regular role as teacher Miss Wilson on the short-lived series "The John Forsythe Show." Her last credit came in 1997 in a guest role on the sitcom "Something So Right."...

Emmy Award-winning actress Ann B. Davis has died at the age of 88, TMZ reports. The Brady Bunch and Bob Cummings Show alum passed away following a severe fall in her home.  She won two Emmys, in 1958 and 1959 for her role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show, but Davis is best known for her portrayal of Alice, the Brady's wacky housekeeper on The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974.  Davis also appeared in the films A Man Called Peter, All Hands on Deck, [...]...

Beloved character actress Ann B. Davis has died at the age of 88. The Brady Bunch co-star was reportedly in good health until earlier today, reports TMZ.

Close to her church community, Davis had been living with a couple in Texas and fell in her bathroom this morning, sustaining a blow to her head. She never regained conciousness and passed later today.

Born in New York, Davis began her television career in the 1950s and became known to many for her portrayal of lovesick secretary Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz in the NBC sitcom The Bob Cummings Show. She ended up winning two Emmys for the role.

She appeared in many commericals and some guest star roles after that but became best known for playing housekeeper Alice Nelson on The Brady Bunch. She played the role for all five seasons and...

Ann B. Davis, who famously played housekeeper Alice Nelson on The Brady Bunch, died Sunday. She was 88.

Ann B. Davis Dies

Davis’ death was a result of complications stemming from a fall. The actress hit her head, suffered a subdural hematoma and never regained consciousness, Bishop William Frey told CNN. She died at a San Antonio, Tex., hospital.

Davis had her breakout role in 1950s sitcom The Bob Cummings Show in which she played the secretary Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz. Her work in the role earned her a pair of Emmy awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She subsequently appeared on The John Forsythe Show and feature films All Hands on Deck and Lover Come Back.

In 1969, Davis landed the role of Alice on The Brady Bunch. Throughout the family series' run that went until 1974, Davis’ character was a large part of the show. Even in the opening credits,...

Ann B. Davis, who was best known for her role as Alice on The Brady Bunch has passed away at the age of 88. E! News can confirm that the actress fell and hit her head at her home yesterday and died in a hospital early this morning. According to CNN, Davis suffered from a subdural hematoma after the severe fall, and never regained consciousness. Davis is a two-time Emmy winner, once in 1958 and another the following year for her role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show. She also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. But it was her role as the trusty housekeeper that she became a household name. The Brady Bunch aired from 1969 to 1974, and had numerous reunion specials like...

Ann B. Davis, who played Alice Nelson on The Brady Bunch, died today at the age of 88. CNN reports that she suffered a brain injury after falling and hitting her head. Along with her role as Alice, the Bradys' lovable, wise-cracking family housekeeper, Davis also won two Emmys for her portrayal of secretary Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz on The Bob Cummings Show. While Davis mostly left show business in the late '70s to live a quiet religious life, she continued to do some commercials and stage work, and also had a cameo as a trucker in the 1995 Brady Bunch Movie. "I'm shocked and saddened! I've lost a wonderful friend and colleague," said Florence Henderson, who played Carol Brady, in a statement Sunday.

Rest in peace, dear Alice. Ann B. Davis, the actress who played loyal, self-deprecating housekeeper Alice Nelson for five seasons on "The Brady Bunch," has died at the age of 88, a close friend of the star has confirmed to CNN. Davis reportedly suffered a subdural hematoma after falling and hitting her head in the bathroom of her home. Born on May 5, 1926 in Schenectady, New York, Davis first rose to fame playing lovestruck secretary Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz on "The Bob Cummings Show" in the late 1950s, a performance that netted her two Best Supporting Actress Emmys. To millions of TV viewers, however, she will forever be associated with her wisecracking "Brady Bunch" role, which she later reprised in the short-lived "Brady Bunch Variety Hour" and a number of made-for-tv movies (she also made a brief cameo as a trucker in 1995's tongue-in-cheek "The Brady Bunch Movie"). Davis was awarded a star...

Ann B. Davis, the actress best known for playing Alice on ABC’s classic sitcom The Brady Bunch, has died. She was 88.

CNN is reporting that Davis fell in her home this weekend and never regained consciousness.

Davis, who used to joke in interviews that she wasn’t nearly as handy around the house as she was in that Brady two-story, didn’t start her life out dreaming of a career in Hollywood. But her brother’s work as a dancer in a touring production of Oklahoma! made her rethink her original plan — to study medicine.

She broke into Hollywood...

Early baby boomers knew her as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz, the man-hungry receptionist on TV's 1955-59 The Bob Cummings Show. Late baby boomers knew her as Alice Nelson, the eternally optimistic housekeeper on a 1969-74 slice of fantasy Americana called The Brady Bunch. But no matter the character she played, actress Ann B. Davis, who died Sunday at 88, was unquestionably one thing to all audiences: lovable. "All of us wish we had an Alice," Davis told People in 1992. "I wish I had an Alice." At the time, the actress, who was born (with an identical twin sister, Harriet) on May 3, 1926, in Schenectady,...

Early baby boomers knew her as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz, the man-hungry receptionist on TV's 1955-59 The Bob Cummings Show. Late baby boomers knew her as Alice Nelson, the eternally optimistic housekeeper on a 1969-74 slice of fantasy Americana called The Brady Bunch. But no matter the character she played, actress Ann B. Davis, who has died at 88, was unquestionably one thing to all audiences: lovable. "All of us wish we had an Alice," Davis told People in 1992. "I wish I had an Alice." At the time, the actress, who was born (with an identical twin sister, Harriet) on May 3, 1926, in Schenectady,...

Ann B. Davis, best known as ever chipper live-in housekeeper Alice Nelson on the popular ABC series The Brady Bunch, has died in San Antonio, her longtime agent Robert Malcolm confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 88. Davis, who earlier won two Emmy Awards for her role as the peppery secretary Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show, hit her head during a fall in her bathroom Saturday and was discovered unconscious Sunday morning when she missed her weekly hair appointment. Davis, who was living with close friend and minister William Frey and his wife, died later that day.

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Lynn Elber, AP Television Writer

Emmy-winning actress Ann B. Davis, who became the country's favorite and most famous housekeeper as the devoted Alice Nelson of "The Brady Bunch," died Sunday at a San Antonio hospital. She was 88.

Bexar County, Texas, medical examiner's investigator Sara Horne said Davis died Sunday morning at University Hospital. Horne said no cause of death was available and that an autopsy was planned Monday.

Bill Frey, a retired bishop and a longtime friend of Davis, said she suffered a fall Saturday at her San Antonio home and never recovered. Frey said Davis had lived with him and his wife, Barbara, since 1976.

More than a decade before scoring as the Bradys' loyal Alice, Davis was the razor-tongued secretary on another stalwart TV sitcom, "The Bob Cummings Show," which brought her two Emmys. Over the years, she also appeared on Broadway and in occasional movies.

Davis considered her ordinary look an asset.

Emmy Award-winning actress Ann B. Davis has died at the age of 88, TMZ reports. The Brady Bunch and Bob Cummings Show alum passed away following a severe fall in her home.  She won two Emmys, in 1958 and 1959 for her role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show, but Davis is best known for her portrayal of Alice, the Brady's wacky housekeeper on The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974.  Davis also appeared in the films A Man Called Peter, All Hands on Deck, [...]...

Veteran character actor Norman Alden, who appeared in numerous TV shows and movies over a career spanning five decades, has died. Alden was 87 and died July 27th in a Los Angeles nursing home, his longtime partner Linda Thieben said. His movie work included a role as a soda jerk in Back To The Future and he played a cameraman in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. He also had parts in Tora! Tora! Tora!, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden and played the title character in Richard Sarafian’s Andy. Alden also provided voices for animated movies such as Walt Disney’s The Sword In The Stone and the 1986 Transformers: The Movie as well as multiple voice roles in animated TV series. His first TV appearance was on The Bob Cummings Show. Other TV work included The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, My Three Sons, Mary Hartman,...