Robert Hegyes who was best known as Epstein on the 1970s classic Welcome Back Kotter, died this morning after an apparent heart attack in his Metuchen, N.J., home. He was 60 years old.Hegyes grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey and began acting in high school in the mid-1960s. Upon graduation from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), with a B.A. in Speech/Theater & Secondary Education, Hegyes ventured to New York City to pursue a career in acting and soon became a member of a Greenwich Village children's theater group called, "Theater in a Trunk", performing educational theater at US President Theodore Roosevelt's birth place, on East 13 Street. Hegyes continued performing in the Village in educational children's theater, this time as a puppeteer with an arm and rod puppet company, playing "Mr. Toad," in, "The Wind & the Willows." Robert managed to work a third performing job in Washington Square Park and at the Provincetown Playhouse as a member of the political improvisational guerrilla troupe, "Jack LaRumpa's Flying Drum & Kazoo Band."

Within a year of graduating from college, Hegyes was cast to co-star in the highly acclaimed Off Broadway drama, Naomi Court, starring actor Brad Davis (Midnight Express). After completing the successful Manhattan Theater Club engagement, Robert was cast by Tony Award- winning actor Len Cariou (making his directing debut) to co-star in the Broadway drama, Don't Call Back, starring Arlene Francis and Dorian Harewood. While performing on Broadway, Hegyes auditioned for television producer James Komack and was cast to star in what was to become the award-winning ABC comedy, Welcome Back, Kotter. The show lasted four seasons, from 1975-'79. At the age of 25, Hegyes became one of the show's directors.

On Welcome Back, Kotter Hegyes played Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos EpsteinA fiercely proud Puerto Rican Jew (his father was Puerto Rican; his mother's name was Bibbermann), and one of the toughest students at Buchanan High, despite his short stature. He normally walked with a tough-man strut, wore a red handkerchief hanging out of his right back pocket, and was voted "Most Likely to Take a Life" by his peers. In the season one episode, "One of Our Sweathogs Is Missing", Epstein was shown to be the sixth child in his family, although his mother had 10, while in the episode "I'm Having Their Baby" he mentions that his mother gave birth 8 times. The only names of his siblings mentioned in the show are two brothers, Pedro and Sanchez ("One of Our Sweathogs Is Missing") and a younger sister, Carmen ("A Love Story"). Epstein's toughness was downplayed later on, and became more of a wiseguy. He was also known to have a "buddy" relationship with Principal Lazarus as he often referred to him by his first name, Jack. On a few occasions, when Kotter would do his Groucho Marx impersonation, Epstein would jump in and impersonate Chico Marx or Harpo Marx. Epstein's diminutive height and large hair are common jokes associated with him.

 

Hegyes guest starred in more than thirty television shows, including Saturday Night Live, with Quentin Tarantino, NewsRadio, Diagnosis: Murder, with Dick Van Dyke, The Drew Carey Show (in an April Fools' Day episode where the character, "Oswald", was "recast" for a brief scene with Hegyes playing the role) and The Streets of San Francisco, with Michael Douglas. He also starred in the award-winning Volkswagen Passat commercial, "The Chase", for director Kinka Usher. Hegyes has starred in the following films: Honeymoon Hotel, with Jane Kaczmarek, Underground Aces, with Melanie Griffith, Bob Roberts, with Tim Robbins, The Purpose, with Mia Farrow, and Bar Hopping, with Weeds star Kevin Nealon.
Robert made his Los Angeles stage debut to rave notices as "Chico Marx" in the Westwood and National Touring Company engagements of, An Evening with Groucho. Upon returning from the tour, Robert was cast by Producer Barney Rosenswieg to star as a series regular portraying undercover detective "Manny Esposito" in the Emmy Award-winning drama, Cagney & Lacey, starring Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless.
Hegyes became "Artist-In-Residence" at his alma mater, Rowan University, teaching screenplay writing, acting for camera and public speaking, and was a guest lecturer in the Radio/Television/Film & Theater Departments. He was an adjunct instructor at Brooks College in Long Beach, California, where he taught essay writing and public speaking. Hegyes was a California Certified Secondary Education teacher, but had worked infrequently in recent years.

To quote Epstein, "When my mother was pregnant, she used to want hot peppers, you know? Every day, hot peppers, hot peppers, hot peppers. When we was born, the first thing we asked for was a glass of water!"

 Good Night Mr. Hegyes


Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Ed welcomes Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Howard Gordon, co-creator, executive producer and show runner of Homeland and the bestselling author of Gideon’s War and Hard Target. Howard is also executive producer of Awake, which premieres Feb. 6 on NBC. Howard will be appearing at the Diesel Bookstore in Santa Monica, CA on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7pm; Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks, CA, on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2pm; and Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach, CA on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2:30pm. Also in this hour: a look at entertainment headlines, including Ed's thoughts on the controversy surrounding the use of so-called "high lowbrow" humor in shows like 2 Broke Girls, plus reviews of Rob, Are You There, Chelsea? and House of Lies.<< MORE >>

Ed welcomes actress Jacqueline Scott, whose many film and TV appearances include such such classic shows as Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Streets of San Francisco, the iconic TV-movie Duel, and, of course, The Fugitive. Topics include Jacquie's work with Uta Hagen, Paul Muni, Louis Calhern, James Stewart, Walter Matthau, David Janssen and other stage and screen legends. Jacquie recently filmed a commercial, Sling Baby, that is one of five finalists in a contest sponsored by Doritos; the two spots that get the most votes will be shown during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast. To vote for Sling Baby, go to www.vote4slingbaby.com through Sunday, Jan. 29. Also in this hour: reviews of new DVD releases. << MORE >>

Actress and author Julie Adams, singer / actor Robert Davi and Emmy Award-winning editor Mitchell Danton will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Jan. 25-31 at the following times and venues:

WROM Radio
Detroit, MI
Wednesday 1/25
8pm ET, 5pm PT
2am ET, 11pm PT
Sunday 1/29
8pm ET, 5pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at RealmsofMusic.com  

Talktainment Radio
Columbus, OH
Thursday 1/26
9pm ET, 6pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at TalktainmentRadio.com

Share-a-Vision Radio
San Francisco Bay Area
Friday 1/27
7pm ET, 4pm PT
10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at KSAV.org

The Coyote KWTY-FM
Ridgecrest, Calif.
Sunday 1/29
9pm PT
Monday 1/30
Midnight ET
Click the Listen Live button at Coyote395.com

Passionate World Radio
Ann Arbor, MI
Tuesday 1/31
11:05pm ET, 8:05pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at InternetVoicesRadio.com

Many of us know Julie Adams for her starring role in one of the most famous horror movies of all time, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Yet Creature is just one chapter in Julie’s life and career, which spans not only the Golden Age of Hollywood and Golden Age of Television, but also saw her work with such legends as Jimmy Stewart, Rock Hudson, Andy Griffith, John Wayne, Milton Berle, Barbara Stanwyck, Angela Lansbury, Elvis Presley and Raymond Burr.


Julie has published a new book, The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon, that is filled with great stories and spectacular photographs that take you behind the scenes of not just Creature from the Black Lagoon, but many of the other stage, film and TV productions on which Julie has worked in the course of her career, including Bend of the River, Mississippi Gambler, Man from the Alamo, The Last Movie, Tickle Me, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery and Murder, She Wrote. Julie’s story is also a reminder of how, with hard work and preparation, it’s possible to achieve even the most faraway dream. We’ll meet Julie Adams when she joins us in the studio during our first hour.

Also joining us in our first hour will be Julie’s son Mitchell Danton. Mitch not only co-authored Julie’s book, he is an Emmy Award-winning film editor who has worked on such film and TV productions as Saving Grace, Christy, Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, In Plain Sight, Survivor and the ABC miniseries The Path to 9/11.

Julie Adams has several appearances coming up in the next few weeks, including the "Women in Horror" panel at the upcoming Horror Hound Weekend that will take place at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North in Columbus, Ohio on March 23, 24, and 25. She’s also scheduled to appear at the annual Monsterpalooza gathering at the Burbank Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, CA on April 13, 14 and 15. For more information on these on other appearances, go to www.JulieAdams.biz.













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Also joining us this week will be Robert Davi, an actor known to many of us as Agent Malone in Profiler, Franz Sanchez in License to Kill, Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and many, many other appearances in film and television, including Contract on Cherry Street with Frank Sinatra.

What you may not know about Robert is that, in addition to being an accomplished actor, he is a classically trained singer with a deep-seeded love and appreciation for many of the greatest musical artists of all time, including his friend and mentor, Frank Sinatra.

Robert’s first album, Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance, pays tribute to not only Ole Blue Eyes, but also The Great American Songbook, which Robert considers to be “the Shakespeare of America.” We’ll ask Robert what he means by that, as well as talk about his friendship with Frank Sinatra, when he joins us in our second hour.

Robert Davi will be appearing at the Venetian Showroom in Las Vegas, the site of the historic Sands Hotel (where Sinatra held court throughout the 1960s), on February 23, 24 and 25. He’ll be performing songs from Davi Sings Sinatra, as well as sharing anecdotes about his film and television career. For more information, go to www.DaviSingsSinatra.com.
















TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Wednesdays and Sundays 8pm ET, 5pm PT
WROM: Realms of Music
Thursdays 9pm, 6pm PT
Talktainment Radio
Fridays 7pm ET and PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Sundays 9pm PT, Mondays Midnight ET
The Coyote KWTY-FM (Ridgecrest, Calif.)
Tuesdays 11:05pm ET, 8:05pm PT
Passionate World Radio
Follow us online at
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us on Facebook

Jack Lescoulie takes over the short lived Tonight! America After Dark.  

Rather than continuing with the same format after Allen and Kovacs' departure from Tonight, NBC changed the show's format to a news and features show, similar to that of the network's popular morning program Today. The new show, renamed Tonight! America After Dark, was hosted first by Jack Lescoulie and then by Al "Jazzbo" Collins, with interviews conducted by Hy Gardner, and music provided by the Lou Stein Trio. This new version of the show was not popular, resulting in a significant number of NBC affiliates dropping the show.



 

Actor, author and director Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5) joins Ed for a conversation about some of his accomplishments as a writer, including how he became involved in the comic book industry. Walter's two four-part comic book series, Raver and Things to Come, will both be released as graphic novels in 2012. Walter will also be receiving a star on the venerable Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012, making him the last of the seven cast members of the original Star Trek series to be so honored. Also in this hour: Part 2 of our conversation with actor and author Peter Ford (Glenn Ford: A Life, A Little Prince). Topics include a look at Glenn's early years as a contract player at Columbia Pictures.<< MORE >>

Ed welcomes award-winning writer/producer Larry Brody, whose many credits in television include such shows as Police Story, Mike Hammer, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Barnaby Jones, Cannon and The Streets of San Francisco. Larry also runs TVWriter.com, an excellent resource for both new and experienced writers of television, while his books about the TV industry include Television Writing From The Inside Out and Turning Points in Television.<< MORE >>

Howard Gordon and Jacqueline Scott: Next on TVC

Actress Jacqueline Scott and Golden Globe Award-winning writer/producer Howard Gordon will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Jan. 18-24 at the following times and venues:

WROM Radio
Detroit, MI
Wednesday 1/18
8pm ET, 5pm PT
Sunday 1/22
8pm ET, 5pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at RealmsofMusic.com  

Share-a-Vision Radio
San Francisco Bay Area
Friday 1/20
7pm ET, 4pm PT
10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at KSAV.org

The Coyote KWTY-FM
Ridgecrest, Calif.
Sunday 1/22
9pm PT
Monday 1/23
Midnight ET
Click the Listen Live button at Coyote395.com

Passionate World Radio
Ann Arbor, MI
Tuesday 1/24
11:05pm ET, 8:05pm PT
Click the Listen Live button at InternetVoicesRadio.com

Co-creator, executive producer and show runner of Homeland, the psychological thriller starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis that just won the Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Television of 2011, Howard Gordon is also the author of Hard Target, the sequel to his best-selling debut novel, Gideon’s War, that is every bit as fast-paced and riveting as an episode of 24. We’ll talk to Howard about Hard Target, Homeland, and the appeal of characters such as Jack Bauer and Gideon Davis, as well as get a sneak peek at his latest television series, Awake, which premieres Monday, Feb. 6 on NBC. All this and more when Howard Gordon joins us in our first hour.

For our listeners in Southern California, you can meet Howard Gordon at the Diesel Bookstore at the Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26^th Street in Santa Monica on Wednesday, Jan. 25 beginning at 7pm. He’ll also be appearing at Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks, on Saturday, Jan. 28 beginning at 2pm, as well as at Mysterious Galaxy, 2810 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach on Saturday, Feb. 4 beginning at 2:30pm. For more information on these and other appearances, go to HowardMGordon.com.







Joining us in our second hour will be Jacqueline Scott, an actress who has been a staple on television over the past five decades, including appearances in just about every major show from Gunsmoke to Cold Case, as well as the classic TV-movie Duel (directed by Steven Spielberg) and many of the great shows produced by Quinn Martin. We’ll talk to Jacquie about working with such film and TV legends as James Stewart, Walter Matthau, Cliff Robertson, Dennis Weaver and, of course, David Janssen, as well as appearing on Broadway with such stars as Paul Muni.

Of course, many of us think of Jacqueline Scott as Donna Kimble Taft, Richard Kimble’s sister on The Fugitive. But if all goes well, we may also see her in a Super Bowl commercial next month on NBC. The commercial is called Sling Baby, and it’s one of five finalists in a contest sponsored by Doritos; the two spots that get the most votes will be shown during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast. But for that to happen, we need to get out the vote. So if you’d like to see Jacqueline Scott as part of the Super Bowl telecast, go to www.vote4slingbaby.com, watch the commercial, and cast your vote. There are five different ways in which you can vote, including through Facebook and your smart phone, and you can vote as often as five times a day, every day through Sunday, Jan. 29. Not only that, but Doritos will be awarding $10,000 to several voters, so the more you vote, the better your chances of winning. For more information, check out www.vote4slingbaby.com.




TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Wednesdays and Sundays 8pm ET, 5pm PT
WROM: Realms of Music
Fridays 7pm ET and PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Sundays 9pm PT, Mondays Midnight ET
The Coyote KWTY-FM (Ridgecrest, Calif.)
Tuesdays 11:05pm ET, 8:05pm PT
Passionate World Radio
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
Find us now on Facebook