More Information For Classic TV Live on Stage
The classic TV episodes are:
The Twilight Zone: "People are Alike All Over." A marooned astronaut encounters Martians. Will the aliens be just like us? (1960)
My Favorite Martian: Angela, the daughter of Tim and Uncle Martin's landlady, writes a school composition about the possibility of life on Mars-with Martin's help. (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "Final Escape." A convict plans a breakout, but unlike the original cast, these criminals are all women… (1964)
"These three classic episodes combine to reflect the complexity of the American psyche in the early 1960s," said Madge Montgomery, TCL artistic director.
"In Twilight Zone, we see a darkly cynical view of the future, and the dangerous possibilities offered by space exploration. (People are essentially corrupt, says Rod Serling.) In 'My Favorite Martian,' we see the cheerful, light optimism of the time, and the sense of joyful possibilities. (People are essentially decent, says Ray Walston.) In 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents,' we find gritty realism, wry wit and the complete and unwavering devotion to justice. (Those who aren't decent will be punished in the worst way possible, says Alfred Hitchcock.)
"Together, the three episodes offer a rich and entertaining look into the struggles of a lost era and both celebrate and mourn lost innocence. The campy appeal of the show is boosted by re-creations of favorite TV commercials that remind us how deeply rooted in commerce our culture is and was," Montgomery said.
Bios:
Bret Saunders is one of the most-listened-to on-air personalities in the Denver metro area. As host of the "KBCO Morning Show," 5:30-10 a.m. weekdays on 97.3-FM, Bret is known as the "Sage of World Class Rock," offering his listeners a chance to stump him on music trivia every Wednesday at 7 a.m. Bret also writes a column on jazz that appears every other Sunday in the Denver Post's Arts & Entertainment section.
About Bret's alter ego, Mr. Whipple:
According to Charmin makers Proctor & Gamble, a 1978 survey found that Mr. Whipple was the third best-known American, behind recently ousted President Richard Nixon and preacher Billy Graham.
Mr. Whipple was a fictional supermarket manager featured in TV advertisements that ran in the U.S. from 1965 to 1989 for Charmin toilet paper. He scolds women who "squeeze the Charmin," while hypocritically entertaining such actions himself… By the late 1980s, Mr. Whipple encouraged customers who weren't buying Charmin to squeeze it…The commercials made a comeback in 1999, featuring the new slogan, "Is Mr. Whipple Watching?"
The actor portraying Mr. Whipple in 504 TV commercials was Dick Wilson, who also made about 16 appearances as several characters on the TV sitcom "Bewitched."
On a visit to "The Tonight Show," he was asked, "How do you feel about toilet paper?" His answer: "I'm in favor of it. I think everyone should use it!"