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Pahrump - Call it Hof Vegas. Dennis Hof of HBO’s Cathouse no longer wants me to warn readers that his Bunny Ranch empire is in only Reno and not Las Vegas. He’s bringing his style of adult fun to the outskirts of Sin City. He called up the hotline from the middle of Crystal, Nevada to spread the news. The sounds of hammering and drills came from his end of the phone.

“We’re moving around here and getting some things done,” Dennis Hof said. “I bought two 35 year old rundown, rat trap brothels. What you’re buying is the licenses.”

The two old names were Cherry Patch Ranch and Mabel’s Whore House. The new places are Love Ranch and Dennis Hof’s Cathouse. “Those are name that are synonymous with good times.”

There are no good times for the former owner. He got arrested for bribing a county official.

More Mister Ed has come to DVD, and while the show has become a staple of modern day television mockery, the good-natured humor of the talking horse has a lot to recommend. 26 episodes of early 60's zaniness come to your home in the 2-dvd set with some interesting special features, and great guest stars. Architect Wilbur Post (Alan Young, The Time Machine) and his wife Carol (Connie Hines) are once again up to their ears in trouble with all the misadventures brought on by the troublemaking Mister Ed. Season Two, the first for CBS, of Mister Ed features a star-studded array of celebrities that appeared on the show, including George Burns (the show’s original producer), Zsa Zsa Gabor and Clint Eastwood.

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

Cut down in its prime by a network that didn’t understand the greatness it was letting slip away (Hello, BBC!), The Peter Serafinowicz Show (Channel 4, Not Rated, Region 2 DVD-£19.99 Srp) was fully appreciated by its dedicated fans (I’m one of them) and has since become an internet viral phenomenon as its sketches have been globally disseminated. In fact, it was via Twitter that...

If you didn't hear, Mr. Ed star Connie Hines died recently. As I was looking over her obituary and surfing around to various Mr. Ed sites, I saw that the show premiered on January 4, 1961. I also saw that Night Court also debuted on January 4 (in 1984). To salute both, here are the openings of each show (the Night Court opening is season three, after the death of Selma Diamond and before Marsha Warfield joined).

Continue reading This Day in Boob Tube History: the debuts of Night Court and Mr. Ed

 

Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Reality-Free

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He had the talking horse. Now all Alan Young had to do was find the right woman to play his wife on television's "Mr. Ed." It was a task made simple, the veteran actor said Thursday, the moment he met a young actress named Connie Hines who had moved to Hollywood just two years before and had only a handful of TV appearances on her resume."I was one of the people in the room when we were auditioning for the part," Young, 90, told The Associated Press. "When Connie Hines walked in, we all just looked at each other before she even started speaking and said, 'This is the girl.' She just exuded something . fresh air, I guess you could call it . that we knew would make her perfect for the part."Hines, who died a week ago at age 78, went on to...

Connie Hines, who co-starred as Alan Young's wife in the classic Mister Ed TV series, has passed away at age 78. Hines played the perky young woman who indulged her husband's obsession with his pet horse Ed - without ever knowing that the animal could not only talk, but act as adviser to her spouse. (For Nick Thomas' interview with Alan Young about the making of the TV series, click here)For more on Connie Hines' life and career click here...

Veteran actress Connie Hines has died after suffering complications from heart problems, aged 79.

Hines passed away at her Beverly Hills home in California on Friday.

The star enjoyed a lengthy career in TV, appearing in U.S. shows like Perry Mason and Coronado 9, before landing her most famous role as Carole Post on 1960s hit Mr. Ed, about a talking horse that only Hine's onscreen husband - Wilbur, played by Alan Young - can converse with.

Paying tribute to the late actress, Young tells the Los Angeles Times, "I lost a great friend. She was always joyous."

Hines retired from acting in 1989. Her second husband, Lee Savin, died in 1995.

By Nick Thomas

Alan Young created some memorable characters over his long career in film and television. Co-starring with Rod Taylor, Young played David Filby in the classic sci-fi film of the 60s, The Time Machine. He also horsed around as Wilbur Post for six seasons in one of best-loved sitcoms ever, Mister Ed, and was the voice behind numerous cartoon characters such as the grumpy Scrooge McDuck. Mr. Young is celebrating a milestone birthday- although he isn’t especially fond of talking about such traditional annual events. But when I spoke with him a few days ago, he was quite happy to chat about his long career.

Born in Northern England, Alan’s Scottish father soon moved the family to Edinburgh, then later to Canada when he was six. Bed-ridden for months at a time with asthma, Alan would listen to radio shows and write his own comedy routines.

Chicago – The Round-Up returns with a special TV on DVD edition of our regular, informational column. Why is it special? Because this is the most diverse collection of TV that the Round-Up staff has ever seen. From classics like “Mister Ed” to recent shows like “Life on Mars,” this edition truly has something for everyone. And something remarkable for “Spongebob Squarepants” fans.

“Primeval: Volume Two” was released on September 15th, 2009.

“Brotherhood: The Final Season” and “Spongebob Squarepants: The First 100 Episodes” were released on September 22nd, 2009.

“Life on Mars: The Complete Series” and “The Patty Duke Show: Season One” were released on September 29th, 2009.

“Mister Ed: Season One” was released on October 6th, 2009.

“Brotherhood: The Final Season”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “This 2-Disc set includes all 8 dramatic final season episode of this critically acclaimed, superbly acted and explosive blue-collar drama. Will Tommy live up...