Susan Olsen spent her childhood on one of television’s most beloved family sitcoms, but one guest star still stands out decades later. The actress, who played Cindy Brady on The Brady Bunch, recently reflected on the performer who left the strongest impression on her during the show’s run. According to TV Insider, Susan Olsen named comedy legend Imogene Coca as her favorite guest star from the classic series. Coca appeared in the Season 3 episode “Jan’s Aunt Jenny,” playing a memorable relative whose visit helped teach Jan a lesson about identity and self-acceptance. Susan Olsen Was Fascinated By Imogene Coca Susan Olsen/Imagecollect Olsen said she knew a lot about classic television as a child, but she was not very familiar with Coca before they worked together. What caught her attention was the way Coca changed once the cameras started rolling. During rehearsal, Olsen remembered her as shy and somewhat hesitant. THE BRADY BUNCH, Susan Olsen, 1969-1974. That changed during filming. Coca suddenly transformed into a lively and confident performer, showing the timing and presence that made her a comedy legend. Olsen said she found that shift fascinating. For a young actress growing up on a busy sitcom set, watching that kind of professional transformation left a lasting memory. The Guest Role Became A Classic TV Memory THE BRADY BUNCH (back): Robert Reed; (middle): Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams; (front): Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Maureen McCormick, Mike Lookinland, (Season 1), 1969-74/Everett Collection Coca played Aunt Jenny in an episode centered on Jan Brady. The story showed Jan reacting to the idea that she might grow up to resemble her great-aunt. By the end, the episode offered a gentle message about beauty, aging, and learning to value oneself beyond appearances. Coca had already built a major comedy career before appearing on The Brady Bunch. She was known for her work with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows and had won an Emmy in the early years of television. Her appearance gave the sitcom a link to an earlier generation of TV comedy. THE BRADY BUNCH, (clockwise from top center): Robert Reed, Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, Eve Plumb, Maureen McCormick, (Season 3), 1969-74 Olsen also remembered other famous guest stars from the series, including Davy Jones, Desi Arnaz Jr., and Joe Namath. Each brought excitement to the set in different ways. Still, Coca remained the performer who made the deepest impression on her. The memory adds another layer to the Brady Bunch legacy. The show often gets remembered for its catchy theme song, blended family storylines, and wholesome humor. But Susan Olsen’s reflection shows how much the young cast also learned from the guest stars who passed through the Brady home. For Susan Olsen, Coca was not just another famous face. She was a lesson in how a true performer could come alive the moment the cameras began rolling. Next up: Alan Alda Did Not See Himself As Hollywood’s Perfect Nice Guy The post Susan Olsen Reveals Her Favorite ‘Brady Bunch’ Guest Star appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

Alan Alda became one of television’s most admired stars through his work on M*A*S*H, but he never fully accepted the public image built around him. For years, the media described him as kind, good, and almost impossibly nice, yet Alda felt that version of himself was too simple. According to MeTV, Alan Alda once said he did not recognize the “perfect” man he often read about in interviews and profiles. He believed the media had created a public character who shared his name and face but did not fully match who he knew himself to be. Alan Alda Pushed Back On The Perfect Image Alan Alda/X Alda said he felt separated from the version of himself that appeared in the press. He joked that this public figure had the same name and face but felt imaginary to him. The actor made it clear that he did not see himself as a flawless person, even when others praised him that way. M*A*S*H, aka MASH, starring Alan Alda (1972–1983). TM & Copyright © 20th Century Fox Television. All rights reserved. /Courtesy Everett Collection He also found the “nice guy” label strange because his work often focused on imperfect people. He played flawed characters, wrote about flawed people, and saw imperfection as part of being human. To Alda, the idea that he represented some mythical perfect man missed the point of the stories he wanted to tell. His Honesty Only Made Fans Like Him More MASH, (aka M*A*S*H), clockwise from bottom center: Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, David Ogden Stiers, Loretta Swit, 1972-1983. ph: TV Guide / ©20th Century Fox Television / courtesy Everett Collection Alda saw himself as an outsider in some ways, and that perspective helped shape his writing and creative work. He was not trying to protect an image of easy charm. Instead, he wanted to keep growing, keep improving, and find more satisfaction in the work itself. He also said he no longer worried much about success. After building a long career, he cared more about having fun and doing better work. That attitude gave him a relaxed confidence, even as the media continued to describe him in flattering terms. MASH, (aka M*A*S*H*), from left: Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit, David Ogden Stiers, Harry Morgan, Mike Farrell, Alan Alda, William Christopher, (1975), 1972-1983. photo: ©20th Century Fox Television / courtesy Everett Collection The irony is that Alda’s resistance to being called perfect may have made him even more likable. Fans admired his warmth, but they also responded to his honesty. He did not pretend to be above insecurity, flaws, or frustration. That made his public image feel more human than the polished version he rejected. For many viewers, Alan Alda remains closely tied to Hawkeye Pierce, the wisecracking surgeon he played on M*A*S*H. But the actor’s comments show that he never wanted people to confuse charm with perfection. Alan Alda understood that being human meant being complicated, and that may be why his appeal has lasted for so many years. Next up: Ralph Waite Almost Quit ‘The Waltons’ Over One Wild Misunderstanding The post Alan Alda Did Not See Himself As Hollywood’s Perfect Nice Guy appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

Back in the 1970s, Sundays became a lot of people’s favorite day of the week, even with Monday looming over them. That’s all thanks to The Six Million Dollar Man cast, an ensemble of actors and show with a lasting presence. It provided all sorts of imagination fuel for kids. But where did the Six Million Dollar Man cast slow-motion run off to after the show? Based on the 1972 novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, astronaut turned super-powered government operative Steve Austin first arrived on television in the form of a trio of 1973 TV movies. These were The Six Million Dollar Man, Wine, Women and War and The Solid Gold Kidnapping, each of which were massive ratings hits, leading to the weekly series that debuted in 1974 and ran until 1978. In the end, the show gave us not one, but two super-powered icons — Austin and Jaime Sommers, aka The Bionic Woman (subject of her own series). Not to mention the star power it endowed on the cast thanks to their work on it.  The time has come to look back at them, both then and now. Is Richard Anderson still alive? Richard Anderson / Everett Collection Bureaucracy can inspire just about anyone to act calculating and distant, but at the end of the day, OSI Director Oscar Goldman had the capacity to be fatherly. He just had to always consider what each situation called for. Regardless, this director proved a lot more approachable after Darren McGavin left the role, when the character proved so cold and hard that even the cyborg Steve Austin called him a robot. Anderson after The Six Million Dollar Man / Everett Collection Richard Anderson’s position in The Six Million Dollar Man cast as OSI Head for The Six Million Dollar Man lasted from the original series through the spinoff, The Bionic Woman  and into a trio of reunion TV movies in the 1980s and 1990s. Fittingly, Anderson actually stayed informed on the subject by hosting real-life deep dives into the field of bionics! FORBIDDEN PLANET, Jack Kelly (rear), Leslie Nielsen (standing), Richard Anderson, 1956 Born august 8, 1926 in Long Branch, New Jersey, Richard served in the US Army, after which he studied at the Actors’ Laboratory Theatre and began working in radio stock theater. Then, in 1950, he became a contract player for MGM, appearing in dozens of films. One of them was the sci-fi classic, Forbidden Planet (1956) — which had more of a passing influence on the creation of Star Trek a decade later — and another was Stanley Kubrick’s war film, Paths of Glory (1957). THE NIGHT STRANGLER, Darren McGavin, Richard Anderson, 1973 Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, he moved back and forth between feature films, TV guest appearances and TV movies. One of them saw him go up against Darren McGavin’s Carl Kolchak in the sequel to The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler (1973), in which he played the near-immortal Dr. Richard Malcolm. BIONIC WOMAN, Richard Anderson, Lindsay Wagner, Lee Majors, 1976-1978 In many of his later roles, Anderson played the bad guy — omitting, of course, Six Million Dollar Man. But, in his personal life — where he married twice and was the father of 3 — he was a philanthropist. He also crossed paths with some major icons, acting opposite Guy Williams’ Zorro as a friend and rival. He definitely got to enjoy his prolonged fame and stardom, which helped him collect vintage cars like the 1957 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. He died in 2017 from natural causes at the age of 91. Rest in peace, Director Goldman. His death marks the loss of a member of the Six Million Dollar Man cast. Is Martin E. Brooks still alive? Paging Dr. Wells / IMDb / Everett Collection It takes a person with a very special background to handle medical and bionic needs at once. That’s why OSI often paged Dr. Rudy Wells, a character almost as synonymous with The Six Million Dollar Man as Steve Austin himself. Dr. Wells became a familiar face across multiple shows and movies related to the bionic man and his colleagues. Martin E. Brooks penned a book and composed a CD / Amazon Martin E. Brooks took up the role for seasons three through five, quickly becoming an important part of The Six Million Dollar Man cast, after entering the world of acting and Hollywood back in the ’50s. Like many performers back then, he transitioned back and forth between acting on television, on the big screen and in the theater, the latter including The Andersonville Trial, An Enemy of the People and Burning Bright.  JOHNNY GUNMAN, Martin E. Brooks (bottom right insert), 1957 Although he appeared in many television shows, the only recurring part he had was as Deputy D.A. Chapman on McMillan & Wife between 1972 and 1973. It was, of course, as Rudy Wells that he achieved his most recognizable fame, the 1994 reunion film Bionic Ever After proving to be one of his last big projects. But he still kept himself busy, filling his later years with a lot of writing — books and music. His CD, “A Life Filled With Love,” included tracks recorded in the ’60s. Sadly, Brooks is another member of the cast we have said a solemn goodbye to. Ultimately, Brooks passed away in 2015 at the ripe old age of 90. Is Darren McGavin still alive? Darren McGavin then and later / Everett Collection Office of Strategic Operations director Oliver Spencer’s been called many things: world-weary, cynical, and Machiavellian. Spencer witnessed Steve Austin’s descent and technological resurrection from his seat of power. Right from the first telefilm, the OSI director became an important instrument in the show’s goings-on. And in the telefilm, and not its spinoffs, Darren McGavin played this steely, distant director with poise. Even though his character’s existence combined with that of Oscar Goldman caused some confusion among fans, at the end of the day, they’re separate people with separate jobs, but both equally part of the bionic lore. Ray Walston, Darren McGavin, and Judd Nelson / Everett Collection Outside of The Six Million Dollar Man, Darren McGavin had quite the career. Typically, he played a well-traveled and gruff character, but he could still utilize this persona to land some amazing comedic roles as well. One of the most notable has to be Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story, where he played Mr. Parker — aka “The Old Man” — who fought against rowdy dogs under the banner of a raunchy leg lamp. He also played another stiff but funny patriarch in Adam Sandler’s Billy Maddison as the titular character’s father. Undoubtedly his most famous role is that of supernatural-hunting reporter Carl Kolchak in the TV movies The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, as well as the weekly series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. At the time of his death in 2006 at the age of 83, he’d built a massive career. He was married three times, first to Anita Williams from 1942 to 1943, Melanie York from 1944 to 1969 and Kathie Browne from 1969 until her death in 2003. He had 4 children and ultimately passed away in 2006, marking another death among the cast of The Six Million Dollar Man. Is Lee Majors still alive? Lee Majors then and now / Everett Collection / Instagram Steve Austin became known as a man barely alive. But soon after, he became bionic, the titular six million dollar man, equipped with a super-strong arm, both legs, and a bionic eye implant to lead the cast to victory. Three of his limbs had the power of a bulldozer, allowing him to tackle just about any feat with raw strength and agility. These abilities made Austin a famous action hero in the genre throughout the ’70s. Fittingly, the man who led The Six Million Dollar Man cast, Lee Majors, 84, came from an athletic background himself. In fact, if he had had his way, he’d have been a sports hero rather than a TV star. In particular, he loved indulging in track and football and competed throughout his school years into college. However, an injury cut his football career short, setting him down a rocky path to acting. Some of this did pay off, though, because reportedly Majors did 90% of his own stunts. He really was the bionic man! Lee made his feature film debut in the 1964 Joan Crawford film Straitjacket, followed the next year by a guest starring roles on classic TV Western Gunsmoke and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But then came the 1965 to 1969 Western The Big Valley, which put him alongside Dynasty’s Linda Evans and Richard Long (Nanny and the Professor), and saw the actor cast as Heath. In 1968 he he co-starred with Charlton Heston in the film Will Penny, and in 1969 enjoyed acclaim for his role in the 1969 ABC Movie of the Week, The Ballad of Andy Crocker. THE BALLAD OF ANDY CROCKER, Lee Majors, Pat Hingle, 1969 Michael McKenna, author of The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen, explains, “He’s a Vietnam vet struggling to get back into civilian or ‘normal’ life. That was important, because they weren’t doing a lot of those movies in 1969 and Vietnam was, of course, a controversial issue. It was fairly sensitive with the culture clash of the Vietnam vet with a crew cut running into hippies on Sunset Blvd. and that sort of thing. You know, one of the things that TV doesn’t get the credit for is dealing with issues, sometimes long before feature films were dealing with Vietnam, which they would do later with things like The Deer Hunter and Platoon.” OWEN MARSHALL: COUNSELLOR AT LAW, from left: Lee Majors, Arthur Hill, 1971-74. Following the end of The Big Valley, Lee joined The Virginian for its last season in 1970 and the following year was made a co-star, alongside Arthur Hill, in the legal drama Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law. There would be several more TV movies before The Six Million Dollar Man came his way. Initially he was somewhat hesitant to sign up for that project, simply because he feared the superheroics would remind people of the 1960s’ Adam West Batman TV show. Then when the subsequent Steve Austin TV movies went in a decidedly James Bondian direction, he was even more uncomfortable. “It was too cutesy,” he points out. SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: WINE WOMEN AND WAR, Farrah Fawcett (center, top), Lee Majors (center, bottom), 1973. The series itself, however, was very satisfying to him, though he admits there was a sense of relief when it was canceled after five seasons. “It was near 100 episodes,” he offers, “and it was grueling. The hours were really, really long, and I lived on the lot. I had an apartment there. I got it there since I was under contract at Universal; back then they had apartments and I stayed on the lot almost the entire week. I’d go home on weekends, because it was just too far to go — I lived in Malibu — and otherwise I’d be driving back at five or six in the morning after shooting until seven or eight at night. I just didn’t have a life for five years, and I was trying to maintain a marriage there with another popular girl.” LEE and FARRAH FAWCETT MAJORS, at a celebrity event, circa 1977. That “girl,” for the record, was his second wife, Farrah Fawcett, who scored Charlie’s Angels around the same time, their dual stardom impacting their marriage. “I ended up seeing her two weeks in one year,” says Lee wistfully. “She was off doing films and stuff, and doing her series, and I was doing mine. That’s mainly the reason we got divorced; we never saw each other. We stayed great friends, but we just had our own careers going and didn’t have time for each other.” THE FALL GUY, Lee Majors, 1981-86, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. There were some film roles, though his next series, The Fall Guy, saw him playing Hollywood stunt man Colt Stevens from 1981 to 1986. “I wanted to so something to get away from Six Mill, and a producer friend of mine asked me to do The Fall Guy,”  he reflects. “Even though I did it for five years, The Fall Guy still didn’t take away the impact of Steve Austin. To this day, Six Mill was the hottest series I did, even though, for me, it’s Big Valley I liked very much.” ASH VS. EVIL DEAD, l-r: Lee Majors, Bruce Campbell in ‘Home’ (Season 2, Episode 1, aired October 2, 2016). ph: Matt Klitscher/©Starz/courtesy Everett Collection Most recently he had a recurring role in the horror-comedy series Ash vs. Evil Dead, playing Brock Williams, father to Ash Williams (played by Bruce Campbell). As Bruce expresses, “He was the first choice to play Ash’s completely irresponsible and inappropriate father,” laughs Bruce. “Now this is not normally his bag these days; he does Hallmark movies and things like that. But God bless him, he’s got a great, twisted sense of humor and we had a great time talking about The Six Million Dollar Man. See, that’s why I’m in this dumb business, because occasionally you get to run into people you admire like Lee. He’s an iconic television actor. He’s been in three shows over a hundred episodes each. You stick around long enough, you get to work with really cool people.” Sticking with the action and thrills, he was in a 2019 episode of the TV revival of Magnum P.I. and the 2021 film Narco Sub. Renegades was released in 2022. In his personal life, Lee has been married four times and is the father of 4. Is Lindsay Wagner still alive? From the Six Million Dollar Man to the Bionic Woman / Everett Collection / Wikipedia With a bionic ear that can detect the undetectable, powerful arm that can deliver a killer right hook, and two mechanical legs capable of unmatched sprinting, Jaime Sommers is the Bionic Woman. How much did it cost to create another multi-million dollar super-spy? Well, the jury’s out. Jaime’s actress, Lindsay Wagner, who proved herself to be one of the most popular members of The Six Million Dollar Man cast, actually had to explain a lot of politics surrounding the bionic woman’s cost, so it actually stayed classified for that reason. Lindsay Wagner today / Wikimedia Commons But Lindsay, 73, would never be deterred. Her role in The Six Million Dollar Man cast already helped her do great things for female viewers and that only expanded when she starred in The Bionic Woman, which aired from 1976 to 1978. With this role, Lindsay found herself thrust into an influential and inspiring spotlight. She and the German Shepherd Max the bionic dog won viewers of all demographics over with their charm. Though, it should be pointed out, Lee Majors was not one of them. “They actually came to me and said they had a bionic dog,” Lee laughs, “and I said, ‘That’s not going in my show. You can give that to Lindsay for The Bionic Woman, but I’m not having that damn dog in my show.'” Wagner / Facebook And even when the bionic spy turned in all her fancy implants, Wagner still landed admirable — and even nostalgic — roles, like in Scruples. Then, she crossed paths with another icon of the era, Sylvester Stallone, playing his ex in the cop drama Nighthawks (1981). Check her out in the series Warehouse 13 where she has the recurring role of Dr. Vanessa Calder. More recently she’s starred in half-a-dozen TV movies, guest starred on NCIS, Fuller House and Blood & Treasure, and was featured in four episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as Helen Karev. At 74, Wagner has no trouble balancing everything even without bionics, thanks to her use of holistic self-help and meditation. With her cookbooks and workshops, it seems she’s all about vegan meals, quiet thoughts, and an open heart. Is Alan Oppenheimer still alive? Alan Oppenheimer then and now / Etsy / Wikipedia Before Brooks took over the role, Alan Oppenheimer played the good Dr. Rudy Wells. But even after he left, fans could easily hear his very recognizable voice that came to define a lot of childhoods. For one, he played Vanity Smurf throughout the ’80s. Then came one of his most famous voice acting credits: that of Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He even made it into Pixar’s Toy Story 4 (2019) at the age of 90 as the voice of Old Timer. What a career! Alan Oppenheimer / Wikimedia Commons Oppenheimer got plenty of work where he’d be seen, too. One of his most notable roles came from the 1973 sci-fi thriller Westworld as the Chief Supervisor. Though, that was also the year his voice acting career started with him as the lead in Inch High, Private Eye; and the decade that virtually exploded in opportunities for him to provide his vocal abilities. Then, that decade began the age of countless cartoon voice projects. Just as remarkably, Oppenheimer, who has been married twice and has 3 children, will be turning 94 in April! Lee Majors and Richard Anderson in The SIx Million Dollar Man / Everett Collection Do you remember The Six Million Dollar Man and its bionic cast? Who was your favorite character? Let us know in the comments; we want to hear from you! (Everett Collection) Next up: Tim Allen Says ‘Home Improvement’ Revival Faces Cast Challenges The post The ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ Cast Has Only Three Surviving Stars Left appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Dana Daly

Ralph Waite became one of television’s most beloved fathers as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons. His calm strength helped shape the family drama, but one early filming experience almost made him walk away before the series had fully begun. According to MeTV, Ralph Waite once recalled his shock after learning that an early episode involved a bear encounter. The episode, titled “The Hunt,” featured John-Boy stepping in after his father faced a black bear during a hunting trip. Ralph Waite Thought He Had To Wrestle A Real Bear For ‘The Waltons’ Ralph Waite learned what it meant to be a patient father through John Walton Sr. / Everett Collection Waite later explained that “The Hunt” was the first episode the cast filmed, even though it was not the first to air. When he read the script, he did not fully process the part involving the bear. That changed when he arrived on set and saw the animal in person. A WALTON THANKSGIVING REUNION, from left: Michael Learned, Ralph Waite, 1993. ph: Randy Tepper /© CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection The bear looked huge, and Waite felt serious fear. He said he nearly ran off right then because he believed he would have to wrestle the animal himself. The misunderstanding ended when someone explained that the trainer would handle the scene. The trainer would wear a bear suit, and camera angles would make it look as if Waite were fighting the bear. The Scary Moment Became A Favorite Memory TV Guide Once Waite understood the plan, the fear eased. What first looked like a dangerous assignment became a carefully staged scene. The actor could finally relax and enjoy the process of making one of the show’s early, memorable episodes. Years later, Waite looked back on the moment with humor. He said he was glad he did not run away from the set. What started with shock and anxiety became the beginning of years of meaningful memories with the cast and crew of The Waltons. A WALTON THANKSGIVING REUNION, Richard Thomas, Jon Walmsley, Kami Cotler, David W. Harper, Eric Scott, Mary Beth McDonough, Judy Norton-Taylor, Michael Learned, Ellen Corby, Ralph Waite, 1993 / Everett Collection The story also shows why The Waltons still has such a warm place in classic TV history. The series often focused on family, hardship, responsibility, and love, but it also had moments of adventure that gave the characters more depth. A bear scene may sound unusual for the gentle family drama, yet it fits the show’s world of rural life and survival. For fans, the Ralph Waite memory adds charm to an already beloved series. It reminds viewers that even actors who seemed steady onscreen had nervous moments behind the scenes. In the end, Ralph Waite stayed, and television gained one of its most enduring father figures. Next up: The ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ Cast Has Only Three Surviving Stars Left The post Ralph Waite Almost Quit ‘The Waltons’ Over One Wild Misunderstanding appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

I found my old Tamagotchi in a box in my parents’ basement a few months back and I genuinely felt something. It was dead. Had been dead for approximately twenty-five years. And I still felt bad about it, which is insane because it was a keychain with a screen. That’s what the 90s does to you though. It just lives in your chest rent-free and every once in a while something pokes it and suddenly you’re nine years old again waiting for a single jpeg to load over dial-up like it was the Sistine Chapel. These nostalgic memes are for every millennial who clicked on this and is now going to spend the next ten minutes feeling weird about a Tamagotchi they forgot they owned. 1. via reddit 2. via reddit 3. via reddit 4. via reddit 5. via reddit 6. via reddit 7. via reddit 8. via reddit 9. via reddit 10. via reddit 11. via reddit 12. via reddit 13. via reddit 14. via reddit 15. via reddit 16. via reddit 17. via reddit 18. via reddit 19. via reddit 20. via reddit 21. via reddit 22. via reddit 23. via reddit 24. via reddit 25. via reddit 26. via reddit 27. via reddit 28. via reddit 29. via reddit 30. via reddit The post 30 Nostalgic ’90s Memes That’ll Send Millennials Straight Back To Their Childhood Bedroom appeared first on Pleated Jeans.