The Head of the "Blind Date Committee" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

GentlemanJim · 03-10-2021, 02:04 PM

So, teenage heart throb and top eliminator Duke Hathaway makes Wally the president of the Blind Date Committee, sporting a role call of just one member. Did I catch it correctly that the Duke stripped all other viable candidates from the list himself, before passing along the sole remaining undesirable?

The Duke character sure seems to have no shortage of self confidence and poise. Do these sort of people become popular because they possess those traits, or do they acquire those traits only because they have become so popular?

stevea · 03-10-2021, 03:09 PM

Hard to know!

Duke shows up in a later episode also, when Wally is in a play and has to dress up in drag. Same "unassuming" character. (Ward: Do you think Mayfield will have a good team next year? Duke: No, sir, I'm graduating this year.)

Tommy Ivo (now 84) was a pretty versatile actor. He played a low key role in a Father Knows Best. Polar opposite of Duke.

GentlemanJim · 03-10-2021, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

Hard to know!

Duke shows up in a later episode also, when Wally is in a play and has to dress up in drag. Same "unassuming" character. (Ward: Do you think Mayfield will have a good team next year? Duke: No, sir, I'm graduating this year.)

It seems they missed an ideal plot device having an episode plotting Duke and Eddie as rivals contending with one another, for instance a "canned food drive" for charity, or similar.

Cx · 03-11-2021, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

Tommy Ivo (now 84) was a pretty versatile actor. He played a low key role in a Father Knows Best. Polar opposite of Duke.

He was also a prolific figure in drag racing during that period. Maybe not as big as Don Garlits, but a major player.

GentlemanJim · 03-11-2021, 06:03 PM

Here he is, pictured with his four engined, four wheel drive dragster called "Showboat".

Dragstrips across America paid him money just to show up and run the dragster, he didn't even have to win.

Cx · 03-12-2021, 03:16 PM

Awesome rail. The engines look like Buick "nailheads". 4-wheel drive to boot, but I'd say you'd need it to get all that power to the ground.

CosmicCharlie · 03-12-2021, 09:27 PM

Duke Hathaway / Tommy Ivo

wow child actor extraordinaire

he was born in 1936 so he was 23 there playing a high school-er

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0412443/?ref_=tt_cl_t7

GrtGzu · 03-13-2021, 01:28 PM

I remember seeing him on Petticoat Junction too...

vitoscotti · 03-28-2021, 10:49 AM

I thought "Blind Date Committee" was a rough start to season 3. Jill Bartlett (Beverly Washburn) stole the show. Duke Hathaway (Tommy Ivo) I thought was miscast as a heart-throb in a series that's brilliant in casting. It was really low to call Jill a gopher. Then Wally, and even Beaver piling on mocking her. Beaver then said she's not homely or pretty. She's very pretty, playing a unpopular girl. Ward & June should of been sterner correcting Beaver and Wally.

GentlemanJim · 03-28-2021, 12:36 PM

Well, I just thought it was a crock the way Wally got snookered by the Duke. Here Cleaver, we're gonna make you the HEAD of the blind date committee, And, I've already done all the hard work for you, getting dates for all but one...so "don't let us down" etc etc..

What a con job, What a pant lode.....Wally got pwned!

I think that the actress playing the role was intentionally blanded-down in the makeup department, to accentuate the "ugly duckling" aspect.

I believe that gal might have been a good candidate for a Lisa Rinna type lip job.

stevea · 03-28-2021, 02:26 PM

Tommy Ivo might have been mis-cast, but he pulled it off. He had a great line with Ward in his later episode. The casting was worse in his Father Knows Best role, in the Duke Snider episode.

Torgo · 03-29-2021, 12:47 PM

Tommy Ivo shows up has himself in the 1959 movie Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow.

Babalu · 03-29-2021, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vitoscotti

I thought "Blind Date Committee" was a rough start to season 3. Jill Bartlett (Beverly Washburn) stole the show. Duke Hathaway (Tommy Ivo) I thought was miscast as a heart-throb in a series that's brilliant in casting. It was really low to call Jill a gopher. Then Wally, and even Beaver piling on mocking her. Beaver then said she's not homely or pretty. She's very pretty, playing a unpopular girl. Ward & June should of been sterner correcting Beaver and Wally.

Coincidentally she was in last night's episode of Star Trek, The Deadly Years.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708459...nm_flmg_act_22

I never really paid much attention to her before.

Thanks for putting a name with the face.

She was also the neighbor girl in Old Yeller.

Cx · 03-29-2021, 08:14 PM

She looked pretty to my eyes in LITB. The short hair detracts from her appearance on that Star Trek screenshot: she looks kinda' like Ron Howard. Either 'Opie' at age 18 or 'Richie Cunningham' from Happy Days.

vitoscotti · 03-30-2021, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cx

She looked pretty to my eyes in LITB. The short hair detracts from her appearance on that Star Trek screenshot: she looks kinda' like Ron Howard. Either 'Opie' at age 18 or 'Richie Cunningham' from Happy Days.

You seriously couldn't tell that beautiful creature from Opie?

03-10-2021, 02:04 PM	#1
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	The Head of the "Blind Date Committee" So, teenage heart throb and top eliminator Duke Hathaway makes Wally the president of the Blind Date Committee, sporting a role call of just one member. Did I catch it correctly that the Duke stripped all other viable candidates from the list himself, before passing along the sole remaining undesirable? The Duke character sure seems to have no shortage of self confidence and poise. Do these sort of people become popular because they possess those traits, or do they acquire those traits only because they have become so popular?

03-29-2021, 12:47 PM	#12
Torgo Omaha & Fritz Forum Star Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 19,038	Tommy Ivo shows up has himself in the 1959 movie Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow.
	__________________ "I'm going to go do something productive. I'm gonna go watch television." - Ray Peterson, The 'burbs "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries." - Stephen King "There's nothing wrong with G-rated movies, as long as there's lots of sex and violence." - Elvira

03-10-2021, 03:09 PM	#2
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,934	Hard to know! Duke shows up in a later episode also, when Wally is in a play and has to dress up in drag. Same "unassuming" character. (Ward: Do you think Mayfield will have a good team next year? Duke: No, sir, I'm graduating this year.) Tommy Ivo (now 84) was a pretty versatile actor. He played a low key role in a Father Knows Best. Polar opposite of Duke.

03-11-2021, 06:03 PM	#5
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	Here he is, pictured with his four engined, four wheel drive dragster called "Showboat". Dragstrips across America paid him money just to show up and run the dragster, he didn't even have to win.

03-12-2021, 03:16 PM	#6
Cx Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 01, 2020 Posts: 209	Awesome rail. The engines look like Buick "nailheads". 4-wheel drive to boot, but I'd say you'd need it to get all that power to the ground.

03-12-2021, 09:27 PM	#7
CosmicCharlie Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 14, 2019 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 2,451	Duke Hathaway / Tommy Ivo wow child actor extraordinaire he was born in 1936 so he was 23 there playing a high school-er https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0412443/?ref_=tt_cl_t7

03-13-2021, 01:28 PM	#8
GrtGzu Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 05, 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 203	I remember seeing him on Petticoat Junction too...

03-28-2021, 10:49 AM	#9
vitoscotti Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 14, 2017 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,084	I thought "Blind Date Committee" was a rough start to season 3. Jill Bartlett (Beverly Washburn) stole the show. Duke Hathaway (Tommy Ivo) I thought was miscast as a heart-throb in a series that's brilliant in casting. It was really low to call Jill a gopher. Then Wally, and even Beaver piling on mocking her. Beaver then said she's not homely or pretty. She's very pretty, playing a unpopular girl. Ward & June should of been sterner correcting Beaver and Wally.

03-28-2021, 12:36 PM	#10
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	Well, I just thought it was a crock the way Wally got snookered by the Duke. Here Cleaver, we're gonna make you the HEAD of the blind date committee, And, I've already done all the hard work for you, getting dates for all but one...so "don't let us down" etc etc.. What a con job, What a pant lode.....Wally got pwned! I think that the actress playing the role was intentionally blanded-down in the makeup department, to accentuate the "ugly duckling" aspect. I believe that gal might have been a good candidate for a Lisa Rinna type lip job.

03-28-2021, 02:26 PM	#11
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,934	Tommy Ivo might have been mis-cast, but he pulled it off. He had a great line with Ward in his later episode. The casting was worse in his Father Knows Best role, in the Duke Snider episode.

03-29-2021, 08:14 PM	#14
Cx Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 01, 2020 Posts: 209	She looked pretty to my eyes in LITB. The short hair detracts from her appearance on that Star Trek screenshot: she looks kinda' like Ron Howard. Either 'Opie' at age 18 or 'Richie Cunningham' from Happy Days.