Thirteen Random Facts About Whatever: 2023 Version

[claws]

Vanity (Denise Matthews)



1. Born in Canada. Her mother was german, her father was african american.
2. Vanity was mentally and physically abused by her father.
3. at the age of 17 Vanity moved away from home with plans of becoming a model, singer and actress.
4. Her modeling was restricted to commercials and photo shoots since she wasn't tall enough to work the runway.
5. She was known as D.D. Winters in Canada, Denise Matthews in America and Denise Sonic in Japan.
6. Vanity made her acting debut in Klondike Fever (1979), followed by Terror Train (1980) and Tanya's Island (1980).
7. In late 1981 she first heard Prince in a record store in Japan. She knew right away that she had to meet him.
8. They met at a music award show in January 1982. It is said that Vanity arrived with Rick James but left the show with Prince.
9. Prince renamed Denise Vanity after she said no to Prince's first suggestion, Vagina.
10. Vanity left the Prince camp in 1983, right before filming Purple Rain. The reason being her salary. Prince's management wanted to pay her $30,000 for Purple Rain. Vanity thought she was worth more than that. She wanted $1m.
11. in 1983 Martin Scorcese contacted Vanity personally to play Maria Magdalena in The Last Temptation of Christ. However, due to delays the film wasn't made until 1989, and the part went to Barbara Hershey.
12. Vanity was selected 'Audio / Video Girl of 1984' by her new record company Motown.
13. When Vanity was high on cocaine she would have one night stands with strangers. She would tell them her name is Apollonia. Apollonia (Kotero) had replaced Vanity in Purple Rain.



Bonus fact

14. Vanity passed away in 2016 at the age of 57. Prince died two months later at the age of 57.

[ER]

13 random weird things about people I know.


1.   Because of his job with the National Park Service, my college roommate's brother has the odd claim to fame of having been pooped on by three different species of rattlesnakes.

2.   My cousin got breast implants while she was still in high school, and in college during the Pamela Anderson craze, got bigger ones.

3.   Ted Bundy's cousin used to work at a local GE Evendale plant, and told people he never met him, but one night drinking with my cousin's husband, the man admitted he was around Ted Bundy on all number of occasions growing up, and said the only thing weird about him was he seemed to try hard to please everyone.

4.   In high school my boyfriend tried to get me to walk along the ledge of a six story building, and I said no, and how about you don't either? Thing was, if he'd asked me one more time, I think I would have, and to this day I have a creepy sense a tragedy was averted because I said no.

5.   My mom was flying overseas one time and was offered a chance to take a seat in first-class. Sitting near her was Andrew Lloyd Webber.

6.   I once bribed the groundskeeper of a cemetery to give me the key to an old mausoleum, so I'd have someplace quiet to disappear and read without being disturbed. It didn't bother me at all being in there, though I never went in at night.

7.   A producer for The Real World: Austin threatened to have my friend's friend arrested if he didn't quit following a cast member around Sixth Street and hitting on her. When he didn't, the cops were summoned and told this man to leave or go to jail.

8.   A soldier I worked with saw a man in Baghdad beating his very young looking wife, so he stopped him and took the young woman to her father, who gushed gratitude at his saving her. Days later he heard the woman and her family were revenge-killed for their interaction with the US military.

9.   Every month I get a new burner phone, and my son and I come up with creative ways to bash, blow up, burn, entomb, drown, shoot, or crush the last one.

10.   Years ago I applied to teach English in Mongolia. I heard nothing for so long I forgot about it, but eventually was offered the job, but by then things had changed and I couldn't do it.

11.   In the palm court of a famous hotel in the city is the flight of stairs that Lou Gehrig fell down just before he was diagnosed with the disease eventually named after him. I once had a dream my eventual husband pushed me down those stairs and to this day when we're there it freaks me out to walk on them with him.

12.   Once when I was watching him as a preschooler, my cousin's son Tyler abruptly climbed into a circular rack of jeans at Target and before I could stop him, peed in there because he said he thought it was a bathroom stall.

13.   My "normal" cousin Jared, who lives in Columbus, recently told me his oldest daughter, a teenager who has a Kaufman-like sense of the odd, has emailed Ben & Jerry's every week this year, to see how many times they'll reply: so far every time.

[ER]

1.   Parts of Mexico City are sinking at a rate of twenty inches annually.

2.   When 22-year-old Maura Murray disappeared in 2004, her father speculated she'd been abducted off nearby Route 112, by "some dirtbag." On the anniversary of her vanishing, a creepy man put up a YouTube video which showed him laughing mockingly. He called himself, "112dirtbag."

3.   Shakespeare died the morning after a late-night drinking binge.

4.   The solid ground of Earth is about as thin in proportion to the planet as the skin of an apple is to the apple.

5.   There are 3,150 Calvin and Hobbes strips.

6.   A tactless interview with Charlie Rose once left Conan O'Brien so depressed that he crawled under his desk and stayed there most of the rest of the day.

7.   Unborn babies in the third trimester have been known to respond to music with movements that suggest they may, in a way, be dancing.

8.   The funnel spider of Australia has venom so potent it can erode leather on the soles of boots.

9.   Civilizations along the Indus River valley had flush toilets and hot and cold running water 4,000 years ago.

10.   Michael Jordan makes an estimated $7,400 per hour off the interest of his money.

11.   Guy Fawkes is an ironic figurehead for modern "social justice" movements, as he was a Catholic extremist who hated democracy and wanted to bring the Inquisition to England.

12.   The remaining population of the Samaritan people mentioned in the Bible lives almost entirely in Israel, and are thought to be the most inbred humans on Earth, with blindness afflicting nearly a quarter of them in their lifetime.

13.   The Romans never invented any form of punctuation.

[retrorussell]

13 random facts about THE TRANSFORMERS Generation 1 cartoon series/movie:
1. Voice actor Frank Welker voiced FIFTEEN different characters!
2. Voice actor Chris Latta aka Christopher Collins (Starscream, Reflector, Sparkplug) was a stand up comic from New Jersey.  During his time with the series/movie he had major health issues and was in near-constant pain and turned to cocaine to dull it.  He died at 44 of a cerebral hemmorage.  He also battled personal demons and was to be the voice of Mr. Burns on The Simpsons, but his crass attitude to others in the studio upset creator Matt Groening and he left.
3. Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, Ironhide) based his voice of Optimus Prime on both John Wayne and his own brother, who was a Marine Corps captain.  Peter was a long-time veteran of voice acting by this point and also appeared on the goofy HUDSON BROTHERS RAZZLE DAZZLE SHOW.
4. Quality of the animation in the series varied greatly at times-- this was due to a different anime studio from Korea called AKOM that put out sub-par effort.  The usual studio was Toei.
5. The death of Optimus Prime in the 1986 movie caused such a backlash from traumatized children that the series was forced to reanimate the character!  The deaths of him and other characters in the film were implemented to usher in new characters and their toy likenesses.
6. Transformers: The Movie was the last film of Orson Welles.  Orson's health had rapidly declined by this point and was in a wheelchair while delivering his lines.  It was thought by many that Leonard Nimoy (Galvatron) finished his lines, but Welles (barely) finished them and passed well before the film's release the following year.  His voice was so weak it had to be run through a synthesizer.  Scatman Crothers (Jazz) died later in the year of its release, also making it his final film.
7. Series writer Ron Friedman included female Autobots due to his daughter being a fan of the Transformers, and giving her characters to better identify with.
8. One episode from Season 3 of the series features a crossover episode with G.I. JOE!  The character of Cobra Commander, who Chris Latta voices as well as Sparkplug and Starscream, is simply known as "Ol' Snake" here.
9. Casey Kasem was of Lebanese descent and voiced Bluestreak and Cliffjumper, and the Autobot computers Teletraan 1 and 2.  Upon learning of the inclusion of a stereotyped Middle Eastern despot from the nation of "Carbombya" (!) in season 3, Kasem left the show in disgust.
10. Megatron's raspy voice took a bit of a toll on Frank Welker's vocal chords, so he performed the character's lines last for that episode after his other characters.
11. The season 3 character "Marissa Fairborn" is the daughter of G.I. Joe's Flint and possibly Lady Jaye.
12. In the comics adaptation of the series, Spike Witwicky has a brother named Buster.  He is not mentioned in the tv series or movie.
13. Numerous characters in the series/movie disappear without any explanation given.  This includes the humans Sparkplug, Chip Chase, and Dr. Arkeville.

[claws]

Apollonia / Apollonia 6



13 Facts You Didn't Know About Apollonia

1. Following Vanity's departure, actress and model Patricia Apollonia Kotero was cast as the new female lead for the film Purple Rain (1984).

2. A Non-Audition Lunch: During their first meeting in 1983, Prince took Apollonia to a deli for lunch. They didn't discuss the movie; instead, they focused entirely on talking about life.

3. The Hypothermia Incident: While filming the iconic scene where she jumps into the lake, Apollonia performed multiple takes in the cold water and passed out from hypothermia.

4. A Pre-Record Ritual: Before laying down the vocals for the group's hit song "Sex Shooter" (for the Purple Rain soundtrack), Apollonia warmed up her voice by singing The Beatles' "When I'm 64".

5. Prince's Tease: Prince would often tease Apollonia, telling her: "You're the kind of chick who would wear a mink coat in the summertime."

6. The End of Apollonia 6: Prince's interest in Apollonia 6 waned after he began working with Sheila E. He took the group's best songs and transferred them to Sheila E.'s debut album, effectively sidelining Apollonia 6.

7. Dating David Lee Roth: In 1982, Apollonia dated Van Halen's David Lee Roth. Remarkably, Roth introduced her to his parents before going out on their first date.

8. Music Video Model: Before Purple Rain, Apollonia appeared in two notable music videos: Ray Parker, Jr.'s "The Other Woman" (1982) and Eddie Money's "Shakin'" (1983).

9. The Global Tour: After the Apollonia 6 album was released in October 1984, the trio embarked on a three-month promotional tour spanning Asia, Europe, and South America.

10. A Rare Live Track: During an open-air concert event in South America in January 1985, Apollonia 6 performed a rare live rendition of the deep cut "Blue Limousine."

11. The Unreleased Mini-Movie: In early 1985, Apollonia 6 shot a mini-movie titled Happy Birthday Mr. Christian, featuring four music videos. The plot revolved around the girls having to work for a living. Though produced by an Australian/UK company and co-starring singer Ricky Nelson (who tragically died that year), the film was never finished or officially released. Apollonia states that Warner Bros. initially demanded videos for every album track, but the project went no further.

12. The Cancelled Solo Album: While promoting "Sex Shooter" in Germany, Apollonia met Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen (of Nena fame). They booked a recording studio in 1985 to write and produce songs for a possible solo album, but the project was canceled after one week, and Apollonia 6 disbanded in June 1985.

13. The Sole Solo Record: Apollonia eventually released her first and only solo album in 1988.

📝 Bonus Facts:

14. The Coat Quip: Apollonia has stated in many interviews that, ironically, she still does not own a mink coat to this day.

15. The Other Members: The other two group members were Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie.

        Susan Moonsie was Prince's on-again, off-again girlfriend from 1981 to 1983. He allegedly wrote "When Doves Cry" about their breakup. After Apollonia 6 dissolved, she married actor David Garfield in Canada. Following his death in 1994, she returned to her family in Trinidad.

        Brenda Bennett was introduced to Prince through her husband, a stage designer for him. After the split, a potential record deal in England fell through, and she returned to her hometown of Boston in 1989 following her divorce.

[ER]

1. Football games can be cold and boring.
2. "
3. "
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "
11. "
12. "
13. And the lines to the restrooms are longer than a calculus class.

[ER]

1, Horses killed Kennedy.
2. Malcolm X is secretly alive, and bought Twitter.
3. PMS was invented by Big Chocolate.
4. Popeye the Sailor and Sammy Davis Jr. both lost their eyes on the same day.
5. The letter Q doesn't exist, it was just needed to fill the last space on a keyboard.
6. The British royal family are not lizard people, they are long lost Village People.
7. Roger Ebert caused Lincoln's death by giving Our American Cousin a thumb's up.
8. One day it will be proven that nobody likes anime, everyone is just trying to sound hip.
9. Elvis DID fake his death to escape his fame, but was fatally hit by a bus the next afternoon.
10. One in seven Canadians is so chemically dependent on poutine that they have robbed to get money for it.
11. The Olympic gold medal is made of recycled Greek newspapers.
12. The Korean War is just waiting for someone to turn it into a musical.
13. Vikings invented mooning.

[ER]

1. I've been to every state but one.

2. I've been to every continent but three.

3. Of every state capitol I've toured, I think Kentucky's was the best.

4. I've tasted the famous water in Bath, England, and I wouldn't recommend it.

5. I once spent most of a night in a K-Mart store that closed at ten, and it became completely creepy in the dark with no air conditioning and many odd sounds.

6. On a cruise with Jackie in 2006 I asked the captain if there was a morgue on board, and he said yes.

7. New Zealand doesn't look that big but on the south island Landon and I once drove two hours without seeing even one other person.

8. I used to have a recurring dream about being on a jet falling from the sky, down even to more or less the same people on it.

9. In England In was once almost hit by a car because I was tired and looked the wrong way before stepping into the street.

10. I fed a crow a croissant beside George Sand's grave.

11. In Scotland I said the water tasted like perfume but everyone else insisted theirs tasted fine.

12. My cousin once walked away from me in Kansas when I was taking her California, and I drove home and left her there.

13. At a funeral I attended in West Virginia, the mourners embraced the body in the casket and keened, "Devil cain't have are Sister! Devil cain't have are sister!"

[Alex]

4. I've tasted the famous water in Bath, England, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Your mama should have told you never to drink Bath water.

[retrorussell]

13 random classic TV sitcoms with behind-the-scenes info:

1. BEWTICHED: Dick York (Darren Stephens) had major back problems due to an injury he suffered during the film THEY CAME TO CORDURA.  Some episodes even had him laying on a couch/sitting/leaning for most of the time.  The crippling pain led to him leaving the show and being replaced by Dick Sargent.

Agnes Moorehead (Endora) disliked her time on Bewitched and felt the show to be beneath her, having an established career on stage and screen for decades prior.  She was one of the cast of the film THE CONQUEROR that developed cancer, possibly from a nearby nuclear test site.  She died of uterine cancer at 73 in 1974.

Montgomery was married to the show's producer, William Asher.

2. ALL IN THE FAMILY: Early in the series Carroll O'Connor (Archie Bunker) demanded back pay he felt was owed to him, which he almost didn't get-- the writers almost killed off his character-- but they reached an agreement.  Jean Stapleton (Edith) eventually did get written out of the show with her character's death from a stroke by the start of season 2 of ARCHIE BUNKER'S PLACE.  She just got tired of playing such a submissive character.

Based on the British TV series "Til Death Do Us Part".

Though Edith Bunker had a horrible singing voice, Jean Stapleton was a trained singer, performing in numerous stage productions.

3. MARRIED.. WITH CHILDREN: Michael Richards (SEINFELD) was the original choice to be Al Bundy but he was deemed too wacky and high-energy for the character.  Sam Kinison was also considered for the role (and guest appeared on an episode).

Amanda Bearse (Marcy) did not get along with Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy).  Ed was kind of a "man's man", who was actually invited to training camp by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Bearse was a gay feminist so their personalities kind of clashed.  Their characters were originally to be cast as good friends but their personal friction changed plans.  

Much of the show's spendy budget went towards Kelly Bundy's outfits and legal expenses over the show's controversial content.

Despite the numerous fans of the show over the years it never won an Emmy, though it had been nominated 7 times.

Roger Moore was a fan of the show.

4. THE BRADY BUNCH: Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) was in Europe for the filming of THE SONG OF NORWAY and had to film her Brady Bunch scenes apart from the rest of the cast, who were in Paramount Pictures Studios.

Star Robert Reed (Mike Brady) didn't really like working on the show and was gay in real life but was very fatherly to all the younger actors/actresses on the set, taking them on vacations and even ensuring strict safety regulations, preventing a possible accident on the set of one episode involving a roller-coaster ride which could have killed the kids if not tested (which Reed supervised).  Reed and producer Sherwood Schwartz often butted heads over the scripts.  The final episode did not even feature Reed at all due to one of these blowups.

A scene where Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) gets hit by a football in the nose actually did result in a football on the actress's nose-- and she had recently injured it in a car crash!

Christopher Knight (Peter) could not sing.  When the family had a singing number on the show he lip-synched.

5. SANFORD AND SON: Based on a British show "Steptoe And Son".

Comedian/star Redd Foxx was only 49 when he started the show.  He had his hair greyed for the part of Fred Sanford to look older.  He also wore weighted shoes to give him a bit of a limp.

Foxx was written out of most of the 1973-74 season when he walked out over a pay dispute.  He returned to a settlement for the rest of the show.

Lawanda Page (Aunt Esther) was good friends with Redd Foxx since childhood.  Despite her character's pious demeanor she supplied drugs for the cast!

Both Norman Lear shows ALL IN THE FAMILY and SANFORD AND SON were big ratings successes for Lear and helped spell the end of sitcom competitor THE BRADY BUNCH.

Redd Foxx's controversial/profane humor, heard on many comedy recordings, was greatly toned down for the show.

Spinoffs, all of which bombed: GRADY, SANFORD ARMS and SANFORD.

6. THE GOLDEN GIRLS: Estelle Getty (Sophia), who plays the mother of Dorothy (Bea Arthur), was actually a year younger than Arthur.

Bea Arthur and Betty White (Rose) did not get along.  Arthur was stuffy and off-putting and White was social and sweet-natured.

Betty and Rue McClanahan (Blanche) co-starred on MAMA'S FAMILY.

The theme "Thank You For Being A Friend" was sung by Cynthia Fee but originally recorded in 1978 by Andrew Gold (we used to have this 45 record).

Estelle Getty had serious stage fright.

The Queen Of England and Princess Diana were big fans of the show.

Residuals from an appearance on 2 episodes got Quentin Tarantino the funds to help make RESERVOIR DOGS.

Spinoffs: THE GOLDEN PALACE (only 1 season), EMPTY NEST (1988-95)

Won 11 Emmys.

7. THE ODD COUPLE: Dean Martin and Mickey Rooney were at one time considered as the leads.

Spoofed in the 1975 DePatie-Freleng cartoon show "The Oddball Couple".

Never a ratings success but stuck around for 5 seasons due to summer rerun success.

Actor Richard Stahl appeared on the show 9 times-- as 9 different characters!

A laugh track was used in the first season (to both Jack Klugman and Tony Randall's disgust), as was one camera.  The rest of the series used 3 cameras and was filmed in front of a studio audience.

Jack Klugman's wife Brett Somers appears as his character's ex-wife Blanche on the show.

ABC added a narration about Felix and Oscar recovering from marital disputes, so as not to imply a homosexual relationship from 2 men sharing an apartment together.  Woody Williams, who later narrated THE SUPERFRIENDS in 1973, provides the opening spiel.

In regards to the famed episode where Oscar and Felix appear on the game show PASSWORD, both Jack and Tony had appeared on the show, and Jack was also on MATCH GAME.  Tony was good friends with both host Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White.

The rest to come later..

[claws]

13 Facts About Prince's Post-Purple Rain Backlash (1985)

After achieving massive stardom in 1984, the following year saw Prince face heavy criticism and a string of unfortunate events.

1. Skipping "We Are the World": Prince was heavily criticized for not participating in the recording of the charity single "We Are the World" in January 1985. He later explained that he would have "clammed up" surrounded by so many great artists. To friends, he was more direct, saying he would never sing a Michael Jackson/Lionel Ritchie song with a bunch of "[explicit]."

2. AMA Performance Ban: Prince was prevented from performing "Paisley Park" from his upcoming album, Around the World in a Day, at the American Music Awards in January 1985. The reason given was that only nominated songs were allowed to be performed.

3. The Around the World in a Day Shock: At a February 1985 listening party for his new album at Warner Bros. headquarters—attended by executives, his father, and singer Joni Mitchell—everyone was in shock. They had expected "Purple Rain 2". The consensus was that the album was good, but "not commercial." Prince later stated he made the album for his "true fans," who supported him before his mainstream fame.

4. The Anti-Promotion Strategy: Prince refused any traditional printed promotion for Around the World in a Day (released April 1985). Instead, his management sent the entire album to radio stations, instructing DJs to "pick and choose a song they liked." This unprecedented practice confused stations, forcing them to call Warner Bros. for guidance. The track that received the most airplay, "Raspberry Beret," was rushed out as a single the following month.

5. The Lou Ferrigno Hairstyle: Warner Bros. insisted on a music video for "Raspberry Beret," despite Prince's resistance. Prince later expressed his distaste for his look in the video, joking that his hairstyle made him look like "fking Lou Ferrigno."**

6. Ironic Toppling: Ironically, when Around the World in a Day was released, it immediately knocked the charity album We Are the World out of the #1 spot on the charts.

7. The Reporter Lawsuit: While leaving a Mexican restaurant with singer Jill Jones, a reporter jumped into Prince's limousine and began taking pictures. Prince's bodyguard forcibly dragged the reporter out, who hit his head on the door. The reporter later sued the bodyguard, resulting in a $10,000 fine.

8. Responding with Music: The media heavily criticized Prince over the injured reporter incident. Prince used the B-side song "Hello"—released on his second single, "Pop Life," in July 1985—to tell his side of the story.

9. The Tabloid Betrayal: In the summer of 1985, former bodyguard Chick Huntsberry sold a story to the National Enquirer for $5,000, claiming Prince was "weird," lived a sheltered life, and worshipped Marilyn Monroe at a shrine. Huntsberry later confessed he lied to feed a cocaine addiction, ultimately became a minister, and renewed his friendship with Prince before passing away in 1990.

10. Setting the Record Straight: After years of avoiding the press, Prince granted an interview to Rolling Stone Magazine in September 1985. He attempted to address the negative press and rumors, but did not allow the interview to be recorded, only permitting the reporter to take written notes.

11. "Has Rock Gone Too Far?": In September 1985, People Magazine featured Prince, David Lee Roth, and Madonna on its cover, asking the provocative question: "Has Rock Gone too Far?"



12. Targeted by Tipper Gore: Prince came under attack by Tipper Gore, co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), after she caught her daughter listening to "Darling Nikki" from Purple Rain (1984), which contains explicit lyrics about sex and masturbation.

    The PMRC promptly released the legendary "Filthy Fifteen" list of the 15 most objectionable songs.

    "Darling Nikki" was #1 on the list.

    The Prince-written song "Sugar Walls" by Sheena Easton was #2 (lyrics about her vagina).

    Prince's former girlfriend's song, "Strap on 'Robbie Baby'" by Vanity, was also included at #4.

13. The Political Single: Prince released "America" as the third and final single from Around the World in a Day in September 1985, a track that focused on America's politics and morals.

[retrorussell]

Continued:
8. DIFF'RENT STROKES: The show was initially to be titled "45 Minutes From Harlem".

Alan Thicke wrote and performed the theme song.

Protracted battles over star Gary Coleman's (Arnold Drummond) wages eventually made him NBC's highest paid sitcom star, up to $70,000 per episode.

Housekeeper Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) would have her own spinoff FACTS OF LIFE.

Dana Plato (Kimberly) was eventually written off the show when her drug problems worsened.  She did make some guest appearances during the last couple seasons, though.

Cames/tenuous links: SILVER SPOONS (Ricky meets Arnold on a 1982 episode) and HELLO, LARRY (Phillip Drummond owns Larry's radio station), as well as Gary Coleman and Conrad Bain appearing on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR in character.

An attempt at another spinoff was called NIGHT SCHOOL but NBC passed on it.

Gary Coleman had just finished a pilot for a LITTLE RASCALS remake that never got picked up, and Conrad Bain had just finished MAUDE, before both signed up for DIFF'RENT STROKES.

9. GREEN ACRES: Seemingly innocent actresses Eva Gabor and Bea Benederet (who was Kate on the parent program PETTICOAT JUNCTION) had a knack for profanity and dirty jokes, fitting right in with many of their male costars/staff.

Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor became very close on the show and after passing were buried within yards of each other.

Hank Patterson (Fred Ziffel) was deaf.  Sometimes his cue to deliver his lines was a light poke from a pole just off screen.

Tom Lester (Eb) made up a rumor that the cast ate Arnold the pig during a luau on the final day of fllming.  Arnold was gaining a lot of popularity during his time on the show.  He even received the only award of the entire cast-- a Patsy award (given to best animal actor).

Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney) based his shyster salesman character on Elvis Presley's manager Col. Tom Parker, who used to be a carnival barker.

Though named Arnold, the pig was usually played by a sow.

Eleanor the cow was apparently allergic to Eva Gabor's perfume, causing it intestinal distress.

Cameo appearances on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES and vice versa.

Don Ameche was originally considered for the role of Oliver Douglas.

10. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Danny Bonaduce was dyslexic and worked on memorizing both his and everyone else's lines.  This would sometimes annoy the other actors when Bonaduce would correct them if they misread.

Shirley Jones was originally considered for the role of Carol Brady in THE BRADY BUNCH.

Originally the show was to star The Cowsills but they backed out when Shirley Jones was to be the matriarch of the band, not Barbara Cowsill.

Olivia Newton-John was an early choice for Susan Dey's role.  In turn, Susan Dey would later be considered for the role of Sandy in GREASE, which of course went to Newton-John.

Of the cast, only Shirley Jones and David Cassidy actually sing.

Cartoon spinoff: PARTRIDGE FAMILY 2200 AD.  The Partridge Family's cartoon likenesses also appeared on the cartoon GOOBER AND THE GHOST CHASERS.

Rick Springfield would have replaced David Cassidy had the show entered a 5th season.

Shirley Jones was married to Jack Cassidy, David's father, and divorced him a year after the close of the show.  David's strained relationship to his father, as well as Danny Bonaduce's strained relationship with his own father, writer Joseph Bonaduce, allowed the two young actors to bond.

Jack Cassidy's mental state deteriorated rapidly, leading to the divorce with Shirley Jones.  He died in a fire in 1976.  Shirley would marry comic/voice actor Marty Ingels in 1977, who David and his singer brother Shaun loathed.

11. BOSOM BUDDIES: When Tom Hanks' star power took off in SPLASH 2 years after Bosom Buddies' cancellation on ABC, repeats were aired on NBC on Saturday nights.

Cast member Telma Hopkins (Isabelle) was in the band Tony Orlando & Dawn.

Presumably for legal reasons, the theme "My Life" was sung not by Billy Joel, but by Gary Bennett.

The show is set in NYC, but it's obvious by the palm trees seen in the opening that it's filmed in LA.

12. MR. BELVEDERE: This was the 4th and only successful attempt to bring the character of Mr. Belvedere to television.  He was previously in print and film.

Co-star Bob Uecker was still doing Milwaukie Brewer broadcasts during the show's run.

Was not expected to continue for the 1987-88 season, but was added to the ABC fall lineup when MAX HEADROOM was cancelled. 

Singer Fergie has an early appearance as a classmate of Wesley's.

The theme is sung by Leon Redbone, who also sang jingles for Budweiser and All laundry detergent.

10 episodes were unaired, until the show went into syndication.

13. NEWHART: The opening credits sequence is re-used from the film ON GOLDEN POND.

Larry (William Sanderson) wears a "quarter ear" prop, which the actor also used in the film COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER.

In addition to the actual ending of the series, in which the whole series was a dream by Robert Hartley (the star of the earlier BOB NEWHART SHOW), Bob Newhart released an alternate ending in whcih he goes to heaven and meets God.

[ER]

1. One is both the first and second number in the Fibonacci sequence.
2. Two is the only even prime number.
3. Three is almost universally considered a lucky number.
4. There are four seasons, and four elements in the western canon: air, water, fire, earth. (Ether usually fails to make the cut.)
5. The five dots on a die are called a quincunx.
6. In Japan, four is considered bad luck, as the character for four greatly resembles the character for death.
7. Taoists believe seven is the number of greatest harmony.
8. Turned on its side, eight becomes the symbol for eternity.
9. In baseball, only right fielders wear the number nine.
10. Because of its symbolism in Freemasonry, the founders of the United States insisted there be exactly ten amendments in the Bill of Rights.
11. The Canadian loonie has eleven sides.
12. There are twelve hours on a clock, twelve inches in a foot, twelve is the age of maturity for Jewish girls, there are twelve months in a solar year, twelve signs of the zodiac, and Jesus selected twelve apostles, supposedly symbolic of Israel's twelve tribes.
13. A "baker's dozen" is thirteen of something, and the name is the result of bakers including an extra item in an order as thanks to a housekeeper for purchasing from the bakery.

[Trevor]

Star Robert Reed (Mike Brady) didn't really like working on the show and was gay in real life but was very fatherly to all the younger actors/actresses on the set, taking them on vacations and even ensuring strict safety regulations, preventing a possible accident on the set of one episode involving a roller-coaster ride which could have killed the kids if not tested (which Reed supervised).  Reed and producer Sherwood Schwartz often butted heads over the scripts.  The final episode did not even feature Reed at all due to one of these blowups.

The actors who played his children have been quoted many times as saying Robert Reed treated them as his real kids.

[claws]

Facts about 13 Prince songs:

1. (Album: For You, 1978) 'Soft and Wet' was the first single from his debut album, For You. For promotional purposes, Warners arranged a "Win a Waterbed" raffle.
2. (Album: Prince, 1979) The song 'Bambi' is about Prince trying to convert a lesbian he is in love with, telling her (sex) "is better with a man."
3. (Album: Dirty Mind, 1980) John Cougar Mellencamp was a big fan of 'When You Were Mine'. He would play the song on a little tape recorder, holding it to a microphone during his concerts. Cyndi Lauper and Mitch Ryder both did cover versions of 'When You Were Mine' in 1983. Prince has said he wrote the song after listening to John Lennon.
4. (Album: Controversy, 1981) in the second half of 'Do Me, Baby' Prince can be heard having sex with a woman. To this day, nobody knows who the woman was.
5. (Album: 1999, 1982) 'Little Red Corvette' was Prince's first top ten single. The song is about a woman's sex drive/vagina. The song 'Stand Back' by Stevie Nicks was inspired by 'Little Red Corvette'.
6. (Album: Purple Rain, 1984) When Prince was on his 1999 concert tour in 1983, he kept seeing Billboards advertising Bob Seger's concert tour. Prince didn't understand the appeal of Bob Seger. Band members told Prince that Bob Seger makes white people music, and that Prince should try to do one. After listening to a few Beatles and Bob Seger songs, Prince wrote and recorded the song 'Purple Rain'. The first version was a mix of blues, gospel and country and according to legend, superior to the version we are familiar to now.
7. (Album: Around the World in a Day, 1985) The song 'Pop Life' makes references to the cocaine addiction of Vanity and Morris Day. The line, "what's the matter with your hair? Is anybody living there?" is aimed at Vanity. When she was with Prince, she had straight hair. When she left Prince, she changed her hairstyle to big hair.
8. (Album: Parade, 1986) The song 'Kiss' was intended for the funk-rock band Mazarati, the first group Prince signed to his Paisley Park label. Prince came up with the lyrics on the spot, while singing and recording 'Kiss' in less than fifteen minutes with a guitar. Mazarati didn't know what to do with the song, so they gave it a funky makeover. When Prince came back the next day and heard what they did with the song, he was blown away. He immediately reclaimed 'Kiss'. Prince changed very little, only adding minor stuff here and there. In exchange, Prince gave Mazarati the song '100mph'.
9. (Album: Sign 'o the Times, 1987) According to sound engineer Susan Rogers, who worked for Prince from 1983 - 1986, the song 'U Got the Look' was inspired by Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love.
10. (Album: Lovesexy, 1988) When his sister Tyka Nelson released her first album (Royal Blue, 1988), Prince re-recorded his song 'Alphabet St' as a duet with his sister. The Tyka & Prince song was never officially released, but was played on a few radio stations selected by Prince.
11. (Album: Batman, 1989) No secret, but the 12" version of the song 'Scandalous' features Kim Basinger singing with Prince.
12. (Album: Graffiti Bridge, 1990) The opening song 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got' was recorded in 1982.
13. (Album: Diamonds and Pearls, 1991) 'Cream' was Prince's final #1 song, and the only song of his that didn't make the R&B charts.