|
Title: BB mythbusting: VDP in The Honeymooners????? Post by: 37!ws on July 30, 2008, 01:26:16 PM Okay, so I've read in at least two different sources that Van Dyke Parks played Tommy Manicotti on The Honeymooners. However, I was a major Honeymoonie in the late '80s, and that name never rang a bell. In fact, according to all the Honeymooners references, Tommy Manicotti (and Johnny Bennett, who was pretty much the same character but a different name) was played by a kid named Ralph Robertson.
Now, that leads me to believe one of these things: 1) The thing about VDP playing TM or JB on TH is BS; 2) He DID make occasional appearances as a neighbor kid, but it wasn't on The Honeymooners -- and the details got lost in translation somewhere, kinda like the mistaken believe that Thanksgiving in the US was a holiday started by the editor of Harper's Bazaar. 3) He DID play a kid by that name, but in one of the more obscure episodes (but I've seen most, if not all, of the "lost 75" episodes, and it was always the same kid); 4) Ralph Robertson was a pseudonym that Van Dyke used. So......what's the deal??? VERY LATE EDIT - MAY 2, 2012: I owe Van Dyke Parks a HUGE APOLOGY. (I'm really, really, really sorry, Van!) There's a "lost 75" episode of The Honeymooners called "The Hero." Tommy Manicotti in that episode was played by an uncredited Van Dyke Parks...how do I know?? He was also in a movie around that time. SAME KID. Thanks to the person who pointed this out to me. (Sorry, forgot who did!) Title: Re: BB mythbusting: VDP in The Honeymooners????? Post by: KokoMoses on July 30, 2008, 01:47:18 PM Anyone remember van Dyke on Twin Peaks?
He played a legal defense guy in a couple episodes! Title: Re: BB mythbusting: VDP in The Honeymooners????? Post by: Aegir on July 30, 2008, 02:12:31 PM Okay, according to the IMDB, Van Dyke never appeared on the Honeymooners. There are two actors named Ralph Robertson, one of whom seems to be older (played a juror in 1943), and one whose only roles are Tommy Manicotti and Johnny Bennett on the Honeymooners.
So then I just Googled "van dyke parks ralph robertson" and what I found out from TV.com was that Van Dyke and one of the Ralphs both guest-starred on Campbell Playhouse a few months apart from each other. Also, TV.com attributes some what IMDB considers to be the older Ralph's roles (including Campbell Playhouse) to the younger Ralph. This is very confusing. Title: Re: BB mythbusting: VDP in The Honeymooners????? Post by: endofposts on July 30, 2008, 07:14:34 PM Van Dyke's Wikipedia, fan-editied article says he was Tommy Manicotti in "The Honeymooners," but I couldn't find that info anywhere else (outside of places that repeat the Wiki article). It's not on IMDb.com under Van Dyke's credits, and it's not in his bio at AllMusic.com, which only mentions "Bonino" as his TV series work.
|