If you're a child of the 1980s and spent any time in a video arcade, you no doubt remember the Dragon's Lair video game. With animation by Disney veteran Don Bluth, players helps Dirk the Daring as he tries to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon Singe. It was a pretty advanced game for its time and mixed humor with adventure.
While the game was still very popular, Ruby-Spears Productions made an animated series for Saturday mornings. The 1984 series roughly follows the format of the game and a storyteller asks viewers how they would solve Dirk's delimma before each commerical break. After the break, viewers are shown the results of each of the possible choices.
The series didn't really catch on and Dragon's Lair lasted just 13 episodes. The show features the voice talents of Bob Sarlatte, Ellen Gerstell, Fred Travalena, Michael...
While the game was still very popular, Ruby-Spears Productions made an animated series for Saturday mornings. The 1984 series roughly follows the format of the game and a storyteller asks viewers how they would solve Dirk's delimma before each commerical break. After the break, viewers are shown the results of each of the possible choices.
The series didn't really catch on and Dragon's Lair lasted just 13 episodes. The show features the voice talents of Bob Sarlatte, Ellen Gerstell, Fred Travalena, Michael...
- 11/8/2011
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Once upon a time I edited a magazine called Comics Scene and early on, I had the opportunity to be in Ireland where I was invited to visit animator Don Bluth and his operation. At the time, he had left Disney and was busily working on The Secret of Nimh but also interactive animated arcade games. In 1983, he was poised to unleash Dragon’s Lair. After explaining the premise, Bluth let me play the latter for a while.
Boy was it fun.
While it and the subsequent Space Ace made a splash, they didn’t ignite a new generation of gaming, largely I suspect because these were expensive to create and manufacture and were limited by the technology of the day. Still, Dragon’s Lair proved popular enough for it to be licensed for Saturday morning television. Rather than use Bluth’s studio, the weekly work was turned over to Ruby-Spears.
Boy was it fun.
While it and the subsequent Space Ace made a splash, they didn’t ignite a new generation of gaming, largely I suspect because these were expensive to create and manufacture and were limited by the technology of the day. Still, Dragon’s Lair proved popular enough for it to be licensed for Saturday morning television. Rather than use Bluth’s studio, the weekly work was turned over to Ruby-Spears.
- 10/5/2011
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Earlier this year I reported on Code Red DVD planning to release the never-before-seen 1995 slasher spoof Night of the Dribbler about a psycho in a basketball mask killing off a high school basketball team. At the time a release date was not set in stone. Now I find out that release date is next week, September 8th to be exact.
As Code Red DVD's website describes it:
Night of the Dribbler, a comedy slasher shot in 1995 but never released anywhere in the world, will make its world debut via Code Red DVD this summer! Some psycho wearing a basketball mask is killing off the high school basketball team, and it's up to the famous TV funnyman Fred Travelena to find the killer! In the vein of Peter Sellers films, Fred plays 3 roles in the movie! Canadian TV's Cold Squad's Gregory Calpakis also stars in this demented comedy horror film...
As Code Red DVD's website describes it:
Night of the Dribbler, a comedy slasher shot in 1995 but never released anywhere in the world, will make its world debut via Code Red DVD this summer! Some psycho wearing a basketball mask is killing off the high school basketball team, and it's up to the famous TV funnyman Fred Travelena to find the killer! In the vein of Peter Sellers films, Fred plays 3 roles in the movie! Canadian TV's Cold Squad's Gregory Calpakis also stars in this demented comedy horror film...
- 9/4/2009
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
Entertainer Travalena Dead At 66
Entertainer Fred Travalena has become the latest star to pass away in a week of tragic celebrity deaths.
The impressionist and singer was 66 when he died at his home in Encino, California on Sunday.
Travalena fought non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002 and the disease returned last summer after going into remission.
Dubbed 'The Man of a Thousand Faces' for his ability to mimic stars like Jack Nicholson, Sammy Davis, Jr. and even Bugs Bunny, Travalena became a big name in America in the early 1970s.
He went on to become a mainstay headliner in Las Vegas, Reno, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey - and was a regular on the U.S. chat show circuit.
In one part of his beloved act, Travalena mimicked all the U.S. presidents, from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.
He was also famous for singing signature tune Have I Told You Lately as Kermit the Frog, Frank Sinatra and Katharine Hepburn, according to the Los Angeles Times. He even wowed fans with a routine, in which he played Sinatra imitating Boy George.
Flowers have been placed on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is awash with tributes to those stars who have passed away in the last seven days, like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Gale Storm and Ed McMahon.
The impressionist and singer was 66 when he died at his home in Encino, California on Sunday.
Travalena fought non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002 and the disease returned last summer after going into remission.
Dubbed 'The Man of a Thousand Faces' for his ability to mimic stars like Jack Nicholson, Sammy Davis, Jr. and even Bugs Bunny, Travalena became a big name in America in the early 1970s.
He went on to become a mainstay headliner in Las Vegas, Reno, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey - and was a regular on the U.S. chat show circuit.
In one part of his beloved act, Travalena mimicked all the U.S. presidents, from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.
He was also famous for singing signature tune Have I Told You Lately as Kermit the Frog, Frank Sinatra and Katharine Hepburn, according to the Los Angeles Times. He even wowed fans with a routine, in which he played Sinatra imitating Boy George.
Flowers have been placed on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is awash with tributes to those stars who have passed away in the last seven days, like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Gale Storm and Ed McMahon.
- 6/29/2009
- WENN
Dive in, because I’ve got behind-the-scenes commentary from Jon Favreau, Ashton Kutcher, and Jeremy Piven in today’s handpicked crop of Twitter-Wood tweets. Favreau offers some praise up for Mickey Rourke’s work thus far in “Iron Man 2,” and Kutcher shares his thoughts on the foreign dubbing process for his new film “Spread,” while Piven points out the common links between his new movie “The Goods” and this summer’s box office success story “The Hangover.”
I also rounded up a few thoughts from film folks about yet another entertainment industry death, comedian and impersonator, Fred Travelena, as well as Bernard Madoff’s sentencing today, and Denzel Washington’s latest post about Michael Jackson. You find all of these, a picture taken by “Buffy” actress Amber Benson at one of my local Chicago comic book shops, and much more in the Twitter-Wood update for June 29, 2009, after the click.
I also rounded up a few thoughts from film folks about yet another entertainment industry death, comedian and impersonator, Fred Travelena, as well as Bernard Madoff’s sentencing today, and Denzel Washington’s latest post about Michael Jackson. You find all of these, a picture taken by “Buffy” actress Amber Benson at one of my local Chicago comic book shops, and much more in the Twitter-Wood update for June 29, 2009, after the click.
- 6/29/2009
- by Brian Warmoth
- MTV Movies Blog
Fred Travalena, a famed impressionist and entertainer nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," has died. He was 66.
Travalena died Sunday in Los Angeles from a recurrence of an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, his publicist, Roger Neal, told the Associated Press. Travalena was first diagnosed in 2002 with the disease, which went into remission the following year before re-surfacing last July. Travalena was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, but Neal said the disease had been in remission since then.
See which other celebrities we've lost in 2009
Also dubbed "Mr. Everybody," Travalena boasted a wide repertoire of ...
Read More >...
Travalena died Sunday in Los Angeles from a recurrence of an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, his publicist, Roger Neal, told the Associated Press. Travalena was first diagnosed in 2002 with the disease, which went into remission the following year before re-surfacing last July. Travalena was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, but Neal said the disease had been in remission since then.
See which other celebrities we've lost in 2009
Also dubbed "Mr. Everybody," Travalena boasted a wide repertoire of ...
Read More >...
- 6/29/2009
- by Joyce Eng
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Ok, seriously, this has to stop: Death has claimed its fifth American celebrity in a week, yesterday taking master impressionist, vocalist and comedian Fred Travalena. He was 66. Travalena had been diagnosed with and treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2002; it went into remission a year later before the cancer returned in 2008. He died Sunday at his home in Encino.
While the comic likely knew his greatest success a generation ago, David Letterman didn't welcome him as "Mr. Everybody" in 2006 for nothing. That clip and your remembrances after the jump. And God? Please? Enough.
While the comic likely knew his greatest success a generation ago, David Letterman didn't welcome him as "Mr. Everybody" in 2006 for nothing. That clip and your remembrances after the jump. And God? Please? Enough.
- 6/29/2009
- Movieline
A regular on The Tonight Show, impersonator and comedian Fred Travalena has died. He was 66. Mr. Travalena toured and appeared in Las Vegas and on TV frequently throughout his forty year-career. He died Sunday afternoon after a seven-year battle with cancer, according to CNN. Mr. Travalena was known as the "man of a thousand faces." According to CNN, Mr. Travalena was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002 and prostate cancer in 2003. The lymphoma returned in 2008. "Since that time, he has been in and out of treatment, consisting of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation," his publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. Politicians and major stars were impersonated by Mr. Travalena, who appeared regularly on...
- 6/29/2009
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Fred Travalena, the man of 1,000 voices and faces, and known as one of the top impressionists in the world has passed away after a seven year battle with cancer. "The Insider" has confirmed that the comedian and entertainer passed away Sunday due to a recurrence of an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Travalnea was a regular on various talk shows including "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," and "Larry King Live," in addition to guest starring roles on popular TV shows such as "The Love Boat," and "Murphy Brown" -- but he was most well-known for his impressions of celebs such as Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson and many other stars.
[Read full story on The Insider]...
[Read full story on The Insider]...
- 6/29/2009
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
In honor of Black History Month, best-selling author, star of lifetime's "Any Day Now," human Right Advocate, daughter of Civil Rights leader Ralph Abernathy, and goddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr., Donzaleigh Abernathy (www.donzaleighabernathy.com), joined an impressive list of celebrity judges including Debra Skelton - Eight years starring on "Mad TV," soon to be seen in James Cameron's movie "Avatar." Fumi Desalu - First International Super Model from West Africa. Fred Travalena - "The Entertainer of a Thousand Faces," who recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at "The Miss African American Princess Pageant Variety Show."...
- 2/19/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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