MOD SQUAD CAST: SAD STRANGE STORY

MOD SQUAD CAST: SAD STRANGE STORY

one black one white one blonde a trio of reformed juvenile delinquents now work as undercover cops you know I’m talking about The Mod Squad ABC’s too cool for school crime drama that ran from 1968 until 73 this was the Danny Thomas Show wait no it was Danny Thomas’ show as he and the prolific Aaron Spelling were executive producers but it was created by Buddy rusin a former LA police officer who based the show on his personal experiences working with a special youth Squad so who were the members of The Mod Squad off camera what the heck are they up to today where can I watch The Mod Squad and why in the world did this great show get cancelled let’s dive into a counterculture police squad described by one critic as the hippest and first young undercover cops on TV if you enjoy our Deep dive into this tele classic please give this video a thumbs up to show us some support subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already but now without further Ado let’s go bust some perss TIG Andrews first up the man who formed the Mod Squad Captain Adam Greer who was rewarded for this team up by both the bad guys cult and the Minn Golden Globe nominations he received for the role some other prominent jobs this fella had were 23 episodes of the Phil Silver Show in the mid-50s a small role in the star studed cast of 1955’s Mr Roberts and of course his iconic role as lieutenant John Russo from the incredible show the detectives personally as a coack fan I recall seeing him in a season 2 Double parter the Chinatown murders and he was also in two other episodes as well the man could do more than act too he was an accomplished painter and and singer with artwork presented at several La galleries he also released two songs on his tiger records label tiger was his birth given name he dropped the r to TIG Above All Else however Andrews was a proud father to six children with his longtime second wife Norma thoron sadly Andrews passed away in 2007 at the age of 86 from Cardiac Arrest Michael Cole Michael Cole played the long hair Rebel Pete Cochran estranged from his wealthy parents and on probation for stealing a car so he used this window of opportunity to get himself out of trouble and to continue to help others in a similar position these mod youngsters had the best fashion sense around led by Michael Cole with his boyish good looks he was a standout but can you believe he nearly passed on the role initially he hated the idea of playing a character that ratted out his friends but after reading the script he recognized the vessel’s potential and he was attached to the show a character-driven series really giving these three actors a wonderful chance to show off the range Michael Cole began acting in 1961 but it was a rough go of things for a while until 1966 when he booked a Gunsmoke episode the first episode of season 12 titled snap decision if you want to go back and watch it it’s a historic episode for the franchise because it’s the very first one shot in color that same year he started a movie Nobody watched called the bubble then it was time to become the leader of The Mod Squad Pete Cochran Cole was 28 years old at the time of his big break but after his TV stint he actually enjoyed a ton of success on the stage including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof along with the Bowing each night he guest starred on some killer shows in the late s police story Wonder Woman and of course the loveboat cuz everyone guest stars on the loveboat 1979 of course was the return of The Mod Squad the TV movie but it was a lukewarm reception for the once Oho cool TV show honestly the actors just didn’t look like they were having a ton of fun it’s really kind of a stale viewing process Cole then moved on to more serious roles he starred in a dramatic film in 1984 called called nickel Mountain then he portrayed the adult Henry Bowers in Stephen King’s 9s miniseries production of it then in 1991 he tried soap oper acting out playing Harland Barrett for 64 episodes of general hospital but maybe it was the constant grind of soap oper pressures which forced him to undergo treatment at the Betty Ford clinic for his drinking problems you see the actor began drinking at just 12 years old his Rel a ship with alcohol began when his dad passed away the family was forced to move around staying with aunts and uncles whenever they could he said quote my locker at school was just full of old wine bottles I was married at 16 became a father and quit school knowing this it’s actually quite remarkable he was able to keep himself on track to become a TV Superstar which is what he certainly was while The Mod Squad was fighting crime on TV it was his wife Shelly who helped him seek help saying quote I didn’t want to lose her and she was right we’re happy to say the actor is still sober and going strong at 83 years old he and shell have two children together if you want to learn more about him he’s got a memoir it’s titled I played the white guy Clarence Williams III Clarence portrayed the black in this trifect the undercover link Hayes Williams was born in New York City and raised in a very musical household his dad and grandfather were both musicians and Granddad was a popular Jazz and Blues composer and pianist but all it took was one stage play at the local YMCA for Clarence to have a love of acting his acting career was put on a brief hold as he spent 2 years as a US Army paratrooper in CA company similar to Cole with Williams also enjoyed a lot of stage success even earning a Tony Award nomination for slow dance on the killing ground in 1964 then it was his big break he’d take his beautifully manicured afro to living rooms all over the country joining The Mod Squad three relatively unknown actors were joining forces to crush the ratings Williams had the Dark Shades and several lingo catchphrases you know like dig it and solid some film you may have seen him in 1984’s Purple Rain where he played Prince’s abusive father also 1988’s Keenan Wayne’s written and directed and starring project I’m going to get you sucker playing a burnt out politician he had one more solid TV gig and that was a recurring job in 1990s Twin Peaks more on that in a second Clarence was married to Gloria Foster for nearly 20 years Gloria you may know too she played the Oracle in The Matrix they first met when they appeared together in the 1963 movie The cool world and they would remain friends even after the breakup as Clarence even made the formal announcement of her death in 2001 but it would be his second wife Kelly who would be the one to make his death announcement in 2021 the fine actor passing away from colon cancer at the age of 81 Peggy lip finally what we’ve all been waiting for the blonde the stylish beautiful and talented Peggy Lipton who played the undercover cop Julie Barnes she really was a standout on this show utilizing her Purity and innocence into a reformed delinquent you could certainly root for and Men across the country rooted hard for this bombshell Peggy Lipton overcame some early struggles specifically a stutter that was brought on by disgusting sexual abuse from an uncle she was very shy and could barely say her own name without ceasing to speak it was in 1964 that her family moved to LA and she began to dabble in meditation and yoga becoming what is called a Topanga Canyon hippie and this hippie’s lifestyle would not only benefit the teens’s confidence issues but it would influence the part she would later be known for the mod squads Julie Barnes her very first role would be a secretary in season 1 of Bewitched in 1965 and she’d Grace the Virginia set for one episode and the John foresight show for two as Joanna but her Mod Squad role was her most famous earning four Emy nominations during her tenure by far the most well-respected acting performance on this show she was just believable and Oho watchable after the show ended though Peggy semi-retired from acting for 15 years with the lone exception for The Mod Squad film she felt worn out saying quote we were always working now personally I have a random movie I remember her in the 1988 family flick Purple People Eater it starred Neil Patrick Harris but I spotted Peggy Lipton too oh and Shelly frecking Winters is also in it next up was her next biggest project playing Norma Jennings in David Lynch’s bizarre Masterpiece Twin Peaks one of her final acting jobs was pretty cool she got to play her own daughter’s onscreen Mama playing Peggy Tribeca in Angie Tribeca whose titular character was of course Rashida Jones Mama Peggy daddy Quincy Jones wow that’s a talented family right there Peggy married Quincy in 1974 and they stayed together until 1989 kind of explains the acting Hiatus now doesn’t it terribly however this small screen hippie sensation was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and she succumbed to the disease in 2019 Peggy Lipton was 72 years old her other daughter kidada did a bit of acting too but is more notorious for being partners with both LL Cool J and Tupac Shakur Kata works for the Walt Disney Company designing a line of clo and jewelry for adults I know Peggy was very proud of her girls but sadly they must trudge along without their mom as the only surviving member of The Mod Squad is now Michael Cole The Mod Squad not much a squad anymore but the memories will last forever so what’s a great episode you recall watching who was your personal favorite member of The Mod Squad whose career did you follow after the show did I forget a great PR project and where on Earth can we watch this great series oh wait that question was for me unfortunately as of now it’s not on any streaming platform but you can get the DVD box set so hit your Best Buy today if you enjoyed our Deep dive back to the early 1970s please give this video a thumbs up it really helps us subscribe to the channel so you never miss a video about your favorite program and from all of us here here at do you remember we want to thank you very much for 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MOD SQUAD CAST: SAD STRANGE STORY

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