The Perfect Portion Cookbook by Anson Williams(!)

Did you read the title of this post? Yes... Warren "Potsie" Weber, AKA Anson Williams, wrote a cookbook. I'm in. Sign me up.

Potsie In The Middle

Anyone who knows my writing knows that I'm a big Happy Days fan. A couple of years ago, I wrote an article for Popmatters entitled "Jumping the Shark and Surviving." It was a (very) detailed history of the show explaining why The Fonz jumping the shark was NOT the creative end of the show. Christmas 2015 - I wrote a 2-part article connecting two of my favorite Christmas episodes. I plan on getting in-depth, episode by episode, into the Post-Richie seasons soon. (More obscure shows have taken precedence for the moment.) Plus, back in early 2014, when the Hallmark Channel was airing the show from 2PM-5PM, Monday through Friday, I watched the entire run of the thing. (About 250 episodes.) So, yes, I'm a fan.

As a fan, I always keep an eye out for Happy Days-related stuff. (Mainly, now, for the rest of the series to hit DVD.) Yes, I have the Fonz for President album. Yes, I have several of the spin-off novels. Yes, I have every issue of CRACKED Magazine with a character from the show on the cover. There are also ancillary items out there that involve people related to the show but are not about the show itself. (I can get out of hand with these. When I was big into Garfield, I bought a cat care book featuring The Big G. Even though I wouldn't have a cat for 15 years.) Last week, I found out about a very cool book...

The Perfect Portion Cookbook by Anson Williams, Bob Warden & Mona Dolgov

Yes, I will have 100 calories worth of that.

Thanks for asking.

What?! Everyone's favorite singing hunk from the suburbs of Milwaukee wrote a cookbook! Answer: He did. I had known Anson Williams has been directing for decades. But, I didn't know about this passion. So, what else can a Happy Days fan do? I obtained a copy of the book and sat down with it.

Notice: The Fonz is eating the sundae.

Potsie has, very cleverly, stopped The Fonz at 100 calories

by "losing" an arm wrestling match to Ralph Malph

(And this was the late 1950s!)

I have been working on losing a few pounds as of late. I'm getting older. My metabolism is slowing. And, frankly, I love a good meal. So, the premise behind this cookbook seemed right up my alley: A series of "comfort food" recipes proportioned off into 100 calorie chunks. One could enjoy really yummy food in manageable portions. I kept my fingers crossed...  and tried a few of the meals.

Chicken Piccata - The picture looks very promising. The meal was prepared...  and it was fantastic. Very, very tasty meal. It did take a large chunk of my willpower to eat exactly the portion I was supposed to eat. But, I kept thinking WWPWD? And I knew that I should stop when I was supposed to. (I also drank a big glass of water afterwards. That fooled my stomach.)

Enchilada Bake - Again, delicious dish. I make a very yummy enchilada meal myself and this compared very favorably with what I whip up. And again, the only issue: my rusty willpower.

Scalloped Potatoes - I really liked this one as this was the only potato meal I could stomach as a child. Plus, they don't go au gratin on you. This is proper scalloped potatoes without cheese. Very good stuff.

Egg White and Broccoli Frittata - This was my absolute favorite meal (so far). I would make it every day for breakfast if I had the time.

At the moment, those are the four recipes that I have made from the book. 4 for 4. I can't wait to whip up some more. My enthusiasm to dive in further is greatly assisted by the fact that the book itself is really beautifully laid out. Here are some scans of food photos from the book:

 I'm convinced.

It's a very attractive book. On its best pages, it's more than a functional cookbook. It's almost an art book. I like that. A lot. The actual recipe pages are nice to look at as well. Here are a few scans:

I recommend this book very highly. Beautiful design, delicious recipes and the promise of calming your diet down to keep you fit and trim. Plus, it's Potsie, for Heaven's Sake!

Potsie leading a college class on heart health.

The only disappointment: No introduction from Donny Most. You can't have it all.

Fonzie's Funeral. Hilarious 2-parter.

Perfect end to the review.*

Thank you, Mr. Williams.

*Although, no one here recommends gagging yourself and then tying yourself to a chair to cut down on calories. (I don't care how funny Ralph is.)

What Ever Happened to Bear?

This post is part of the TV Sidekick Blogathon. Click here to check out the other posts from a lot of awesome people writing about a wide array of sidekicks.

For three sweet seasons, the world was invited into the truck/ home of Vietnam Vet/ ladies man B.J. McKay to follow him on his adventures across America on the television extravaganza B.J. and the Bear. "Trucking and Loving" was the motto. Along with B.J., there was another member of this big rig: Bear. Bear was an ex-Vietnam Vet also. He was gregarious. He was opinionated. He could be a bit crazy, especially when he was drinking. Plus, he was a chimpanzee. A 20-year-old chimp who enjoyed the public eye for a few years on this well-loved and well-remembered show. He even appeared on the much-lauded Battle of the Network Stars, for Heaven's Sake. (It's the episode everyone remembers because when Bear and B.J. arrived at Pepperdine University the name "Greg Evigan" appeared on the screen. Who?, America said. It turns out that was the name of the guy who did the captions for the network. He was having a laugh. See below for a screenshot of that moment.)

Bear and his best friend B.J. McKay*

But, what become of Bear? A chimp's average lifespan is around 50 years. So, he must have had a life beyond his time with B.J. There isn't a whole lot of info out there. But, constant research has helped me piece this together...

Even the Caption Guy wants to be immortalized

Battle of the Network Stars!

Bear beat Howard Hesseman in the first run on the obstacle course.

Then, he won the event by outracing Robert Hays in the Finals.

Apparently, right after the cancellation of the show in Summer 1981, Bear went on a bit of a wild tear down in South America. He spent a lot of time in Brazil. He was a guest of honor at Carnival. One source says that in mid-'82 he was one of the first recipients of a "Brazilian Wax." If so, one would think there would be pictures of this somewhere. I've found nothing. Bear could have bagged that hair and sold it at Classic TV conventions. (Interesting side note: All chimpanzees speak Portuguese.) 

In 1983, he's back in the U.S. auditioning for a brand new show that seemed right up his alley.  Documents from the Network show that he was first in line to star in the sitcom Mr.Smith. It was a sitcom about a chimp who becomes President of the United States. For some reason, at the last moment, the network decided to go with an orangutan instead. Bear was heartbroken. Not least because the star of that sitcom achieved something Bear never did...  he appeared on the cover of CRACKED Mazagine.

Could've been Bear

Auditions didn't go well from there. Bear had plenty of money from his time in the limelight so that wasn't an issue. It was the constant rejection that was wearing this once-vibrant simian down. The Japanese occasionally called him up to do some commercials, mainly for bananas or beer or the new Tokashito Banana Beer. The straw that broke the chimp's back in this post-starlit world can be summed up in two words: Going. Bananas. A brand-new Saturday morning live-action show featuring a simian star that Bear lobbied for. He had B.J. write a letter of recommendation. Fred Silverman sent the production crew a series of flower arrangements and nut rolls. But...  I'll be damned...  at the last minute, the network decided to go with an orangutan.

I am less than bananas over this

This was the last straw for Bear. He moved to Europe. "Bumming Around" was the way his friends described his life at that time. Letting his hair grow long, hitchhiking through the Bavarian Alps, getting debauched. Or as debauched as a chimp can get, which is pretty debauched. In 1986, he fell in with German director Wim Wenders and his gang. Bear and Wim worked together on Wenders's film, Wings of Desire. Bear co-wrote the screenplay, under the pen name Richard Reitinger. Bear was actually the person that got Peter Falk (they'd been friends for years) involved with the movie. Although they were broken-hearted when it didn't get nominated for an Academy Award, the film was well-loved and did win awards in Europe. This adventure in writing re-kindled a passion of Bear's that he had forgotten.

Hanging with Wim in Berlin

Before I go any further, let me say that Bear had exhibited strong writing talents back on B.J. and the Bear. As the show went along and Bear got more clout, he began to insist upon writing episodes of the show. Under the pen name "Tom Sawyer," he wrote four episodes of the third season. According to old interviews, it was Audrey Landers (who appeared as Cain's daughter in two episodes) that convinced him to write. Her and Bear had been a "couple" for around a year. Apparently, she helped him write and he helped her get her music career going. (We'll have to wait for an autobiography from Audrey to get the full scoop.)

In a brief email interview I had with B.J., he told me that Bear's scripts were always well-written, charming, action-packed and filled with beautiful ladies. Because Bear wrote by hand, the scripts were generally 200 to 210 pages longer than an average script. But, you got used to it. McKay told me the only problem on set during the final season of the show's run was the addition of Judy Landers as Stacks. Bear had recently broken up with Audrey and now found himself in love with Judy. Apparently, there was much tension when the two of them started dating. (Judy's autobiography will clear everything up.) Regardless of all the tension in 1980, by 1985, Bear was setting the Sisters up with their own SOV action film in Germany called Deadly Trigger (aka Deadly Twins) and all seemed to be right in their world.

 Judy?

Audrey?

Why choose?



Anyway...  sorry for the gossipy sideline... When Bear returned to the U.S. in the early 1990s, he was able to get a job as a Script Doctor through his connections. He was good friends with Alan Spencer and John Sayles, both of whom are considered two of the best Script Doctors in the industry. His first job was a final revision to the Clint Eastwood feature The Unforgiven. Even though Bear's name is nowhere on there, Eastwood readily admits that it was Bear who pulled that script together at the last moment.

Bear and his third wife, Shelly, circa 1993

Well, for the next 20 years, Bear spent his time doing this unsung work and becoming one of the best in his field. His biggest collaborator was Michael Bay. When Bear passed, in 2011, Bay said "There was no one alive who could bring together a Transformers script as cohesively as my best friend Bear." Bear ended up having a nice home up in the Hollywood Hills. He never settled down with one woman but there was a never-ending flow of starlets going up to his place for late night "parties." Even though one hears rumors of Hollywood weirdness, Bear was never really considered "weird". He was a completely normal script doctoring superstar chimpanzee that liked to dress in overalls.

Bear At Home:

Beer, Bear & Ladies

It's from BJ and the Bear, however,  that most folks know him best. Playing sidekick to the great B.J. McKay. McKay, himself, is retired. He lives in Wisconsin, keeping away from the limelight as much as possible. He occasionally visits conventions to sign autographs and mingle with fans. Sometimes he'll bring the rig to a show or take it mud bogging. But, mostly, he goes fishing and writes Riptide/ Game of Thrones fan fiction. Above his mantelpiece in his downstairs living room, hangs a giant autographed photo of his best friend Bear. Nothing speaks to their friendship more than that.

* For some reason, screenshots taken from B.J. and the Bear episodes always wind up stretched out. My apologies.



My Film Discoveries of 2015

Head on over to the Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog to read my column on some very entertaining films I watched in 2015...

2015 Film Discoveries

Thanks, RP!

B.J. & The Bear S2 E1: Snow White and the Seven Lady Truckers

Originally aired September 29, 1979
Directed by: Christian I. Nyby II
Written by: Michael Sloan and Glen A. Larson

(Note: Yes, it's happening again. All my screenshots have weird shapes. Sorry. Stretch them in your mind.)

B.J. McKay and his best friend Bear return triumphantly for a full 21-episode season. Not only is the show a hit and a mini-pop culture phenomenon (Battle of the Network Stars, anyone?) but it spawned a spin-off: The Misadventures of the Sheriff Lobo. B.J. is back with a new nemesis, more beautiful women, new trucking routes and all sorts of adventures for (more or less) the whole family. The show is at the height of its on-air popularity. It's time to head on over to Country Comfort and meet the new gang.

Country Comfort/ Andre The Giant!



Hanging with Snow White & the 7 Lady Truckers

This episode is a rather (over?) elaborate set-up for a whole new world for B.J. and Bear. With Lobo gone, the producers needed to introduce a new sheriff quickly. They do. And, for some reason, they felt like the action/ T&A version of Route 66 (or Movin' On) needed a steady base of operations. Hence, Country Comfort...

There's Honey.

Here's Hammer

I don't believe it's ever stated where Country Comfort is located but it's along a truck route. I had always imagined it's in Southern California but that's surely not a central location in the United States if you travel all over the country. The one thing that gives me an idea of the location is from the Christmas episode. In the climax, it starts to snow. But, B.J. can make it to Country Comfort the same night in time for the Christmas shindig. Regardless, Country Comfort is a huge truck stop with gas, food and hot tubs. It's large enough to hold a wedding in. It's run by a man named Bullets. His bouncer is played by Andre the Giant. And, the truckers love hanging out there.

Hanging and Fighting at Country Comfort

At the start of the episode, they are celebrating Honey's birthday. She is one of the "7 Truckers" of the title. Honey (played by Angela Aames) is differentiated from the others in that she has the largest breasts and the lowest I.Q. That's a little unfortunate. B.J. is there surrounded by Snow White and her gals. Plus Bear. I'm not sure if a lot of time has passed since the "Lobo" episode closed out Season One. But, B.J. seems very at home here. All the women clearly love him. Who can blame them? They also love Bear. Country Comfort is their home.

The ladies getting some trouble

Unfortunately, there are a group of male truckers who don't cotton to female truckers. Hammer (played by Charles Napier) and his gang of manly truckers have joined together to be able to charge more to merchants. The women charge less. So, throughout the episode, these jerky guys keep sabotaging the women's jobs and getting in B.J.'s way. Hammer is helped in his dastardly deeds by...  yes, a corrupt police office by the name of Sgt. Beauregard Wiley, played by Slim Pickens.

Hammer & That Guy with the Mustache

Wiley basically works the local police station as if it were his own personal cash register. He cheats merchants with Hammer and the truckers. He keeps money from fines and bail money. He's a jerk, just like Lobo but with a stronger Southern accent. The Sheriff (played by Richard Deacon) is gloriously oblivious, far more interested in golf or eating lunch with the Mayor. The only hitch in Wiley's plan is a new "assistant," Wilhelmina Johnson, also knows as "The Fox" (played by Conchata Ferrell). She is there, ostensibly, to watch over his misdeeds. But, she turns out to be as much of a shyster as he is. So, they begin a shaky run of misdeeds together. And, of course, B.J. shall run afoul of them.

Wiley and The Fox!

The episode is a series of scenes involving B.J. with the ladies trying to deliver stuff, the Sheriff and Hammer's group causing trouble, people in hot tubs and Bear, usually spazzing or being drunk. The climax of the episode is an extended fight in the rain and mud within a circle of trucks. The fight is between Hammer and B.J. over the trucking rights - men or women!

Hanging out at the station

Show White (played by Laurette Spang) and B.J. have a romance developing throughout. She's a take charge kind of gal who leads her seven truckers into the fold to fight against the chauvinism and the jerks. (Yes, it seems like only B.J. can save them in the end...  I have no response to that apart from "It's his show.") Show White is at the center of one of the best moments of the episode. We learn what the real meaning behind her nickname is...  it's not what you think.

Giving Snow White a Magic Kiss

The 7 lady truckers are less developed (character-wise). There's Janet Julian as Tommy. She had been one of the hillbilly gals in Season One's "Shine On". There's Maria from Sesame Street. Always nice to see her. Honey is played by the secretary in the "Never Give A Trucker An Even Break" episode. And that's all I can remember. I'm certain there were at least four more of them, though. Andre the Giant? Does he count? Hey, it was September 1979. What didn't this show have? Hulk Smash! Exactly.

Andre may pick you up awkwardly but he will pick you up

Critically, there's not much to say about this episode. It seems to be setting up an actual regular show for B.J. and Bear with a central location and a supporting cast. There are so many new elements that it's almost like the "Spearhead From Space" serial from Doctor Who. Only the Brigadier and the TARDIS assure the viewer that this is still Doctor Who. In this episode of B.J. and the Bear, only B.J., Bear and the big red rig remind us that this is that show we were watching the week before. In fact, it almost feels like a backdoor pilot for a truck stop show.

Did anyone say Mud Fight?

Is it a good episode? All the constant set-up and the surfeit of new characters make it a bit of a tough one for me. I find it a trifle exhausting and I have a bit of trouble keeping up with everybody, especially when the government agents get involved. There's simply not enough B.J. and his best friend Bear in this episode. But, technically, it has everything that a fan would want. So, that can't be denied. The most interesting thing in the end is that [SPOILER!] B.J. beats Hammer in the brawl and Hammer vows never to bother the ladies again. The episode ends on a freeze frame with everyone surrounding muddy B.J. in the rain.

Freeze Frame

There is a muddy B.J. in there somewhere.



That's not how a B.J. and the Bear episode ends. Where's the wrap-up scene? Where is the freeze frame of Bear doing something wacky? Are they really setting this up as a Country Comfort-based show? Will Andre the giant play a larger part? Will the lady truckers all get names? Tune in next week to find out.