Tom Poston

Tom Poston
Veteran TV/film actor Tom Poston played the role of Mr. Bickley, Mindy's grouchy downstairs neighbor.
Basic information
Born	(1921-10-17)October 17, 1921
Birthplace	Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died	April 30, 2007
Deathplace	Los Angeles, CA, U.S.
Gender	Male
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950-2006
Character information
Appeared on	Mork & Mindy
Appeared as	Mr. Bickley
Episodes appeared in	54 episodes in series

Veteran television and film actor Tom Poston (October 17, 1921 – April 30, 2007) played the role of Mr. Frank Bickley, Mindy's grouchy downstairs neighbor on Mork & Mindy, where he appeared in 54 episodes.

About Tom

Tom Poston is widely regarded as one of the best comedic character actor in American Television History. A venerable TV/film actor, voice artist, and comedian who starred mainly on television in a career that began in 1950 and that spanned six decades. He appeared as a comic actor, game show panelist, comedy/variety show host, film actor, television actor, and Broadway performer. According to USA Today Life editor Dennis Moore, Poston appeared in more TV sitcoms than any other actor.

Although he also appeared seriously in TV drama in the early stages, comedy would become his forte. Hosting the amusing daily TV show "Entertainment" led to his biggest break on Steve Allen's TV variety series The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1951). He, Louis Nye, Don Knotts and other members of Allen's stock company became famous for their hilarious characters in Allen's famed sketch sequences. Tom himself would be best remembered as the "Man on the Street" interviewee who could never remember his own name. Winning an Emmy during those four seasons with the Allen show (1956-1960), Tom went on to host another program -- this time a game show -- entitled Split Personality (1959).

When Mel Brooks submitted his idea for Get Smart to the ABC Poston was first choice for the lead role of Maxwell Smart. But ABC passed on the show, and when NBC picked it up the lead went to Don Adams. Poston, however, made a guest appearance on the show as a KAOS villain.

He was then a recurring guest star on The Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s, playing "The Peeper," a buddy of Bob's since college. Whenever the Peeper came from Vermont to visit Newhart's Chicago-based character, Dr. Bob Hartley, the two middle-aged men would still try to one-up each other with practical jokes.

Poston then went on to play the role of Franklin Delano Bickley on Mork & Mindy, before playing George Utley, opposite Bob Newhart's character on the long-running CBS-TV sitcom series Newhart from 1982 to 1990 for which he received several Emmy nominations, as well as roles in ABC-TV's Grace Under Fire and an Emmy nominated appearance in ABC-TV's Coach.

Personal life

Tom was married four times, first to actress Jean Sullivan, from 1956 to 1958, with whom he has a daughter, actress Francesca Poston. In 1959 he dated Suzanne Pleshette while they were both in New York before she moved out to LA to pursue her career, and they remained friends after he too moved to L.A, and they were cast together on The Bob Newhart Show, where she played the wife of Newhart's character Bob Hartley. He was also married twice to Wilma Kay Hudson, from 1968-1975 and from 1980 until her death in 1998. In 2001 he and Suzanne Pleshette married, his fourth marriage and her third, lasting until his death.

Death

After a brief illness, Poston died of respiratory failure on April 30, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 85. Although Poston was not Jewish, he was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery (a Jewish cemetery), as Pleshette, his widow, was Jewish.

Primetime Emmy Awards

1991	Nominee Primetime Emmy	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Coach (1989) For playing "Art Hibke". For episode "Diamond's Are A Dentist's Best Friend".
1987	Nominee Primetime Emmy	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Newhart (1982) For playing "George Utley".
1986	Nominee Primetime Emmy	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Newhart (1982) For playing "George Utley".
1984	Nominee Primetime Emmy	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Newhart (1982) For playing "George Utley".
1959	Winner Primetime Emmy	Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series The Steve Allen Show (1951)

Television Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	Tom Corbett, Space Cadet	The Alkarian	Episode: "The Mystery of Alkar"
1950 - 1951	Lights Out	Sir John	02 Episodes
1951	Studio One in Hollywood	Sentry / Alec Gordon	02 Episodes
1953	Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel	Toby Winfield	Unknown Episodes
1955	Goodyear Playhouse	Currently Unknown	Episode: "Tangled Web"
1956	Playwrights '56	Fletcher	Episode: "You Sometimes Get Rich"
	Robert Montgomery Presents	Currently Unknown	Episode: "Who?"
1956 - 1957	The Phil Silvers Show	Guard House Lieutenant / The Lieutenant	02 Episodes
1956 - 1960	The Steve Allen Plymouth Show	Comedian / Guest / Himself	44 Episodes
1957	The United States Steel Hour	Chester	Episode: "The Change in Chester"
	The Steve Allen Show	Comedian	Episode: "#3.11"
1958	The Christmas Tree	Tom	Television Film
1958 - 1966	What's My Line?	Himself / Mystery Guest / Panelist	10 Episodes
1959	The Ed Sullivan Show	Lieutenant Ferguson Howard	Episode: "#13.9"
1959 - 1960	Split Personality (Game Show)	Himself / Host	Studio: NBC Studio 8H, New York City, NY
1959 - 1967	To Tell the Truth	Himself / Panelist	317 Episodes
1960	The Tempest	Trinculo	Television Film
	Play of the Week	Supervisor	Episode: "The Enchanted"
1961	Thriller	Charlie Denham	Episode: "Masquerade"
1963 - 1964	Match Game	Himself / Team Captain	35 Episodes
	Missing Links	Himself / Panelist	27 Episodes
1964	The Defenders	Sheldon Lowell	02 Episodes
1965	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Janitor / Lieutenant Courtney	Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
1968	Gentle Ben	Joe Cardigan	Episode: "Trophy Bear"
1969	The Good Guys	Julian Brent	Episode: "The World's Second Greatest Lover"
	Get Smart	Doctor Zharko	Episode: "Shock It to Me"
1974	Bobby Parker and Company	His Psychiatrist	Television Film
1975	Harry and Maggie	Arlo Wilson	Television Short
1975 - 1976	On the Rocks	Mister Sullivan	13 Episodes
1975 - 1977	The Bob Newhart Show	Cliff Murdock	05 Episodes
1976	Alice	Jerry Dittmeyer	Episode: "Vera's Mortician"
1976 - 1977	Match Game	Himself / Panelist	10 Episodes
1977	All's Fair	Harold Banks	Episode: "Save the Yak"
	The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa	William Bensinger	Television Film
1977 - 1978	We've Got Each Other	Damon Jerome	13 Episodes
1977 - 1987	The Love Boat	Tom Poston / Daniel Baker / Mickey O'Day	03 Episodes
1978	A Guide to the Married Woman	Marty Gibson	Television Film
	Flying High	Zarky	Episode: "The Vanishing Point"
	Fame	Car Salesman	Television Film
1979	$weepstake$	Leeds	Episode: "#1.2"
	CHiPs	Bill Conner	Episode: "Quarantine"
	Beane's of Boston	Mister Frank Beane	Pilot Episode
1979 - 1980	The Hollywood Squares (Daytime)	Center Square / Himself / Panelist	21 Episodes
1979 - 1981	Mork & Mindy	Mister Bickley	54 Episodes
1980	Good Time Harry	Ben Younger	Episode: "Ben Younger"
1981	The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite	Omar Krepps	Television Film
1981 - 1982	Password Plus	Celebrity Contestant / Himself	11 Episodes
1982	King's Crossing	Brian Gunshore	Episode: "The Home Front"
	I've Had It Up to Here	Currently Unknown	Television Film
1982 - 1990	Newhart	George Utley	184 Episodes
1983 - 1984	Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour	Himself / Panelist	24 Episodes
1984 - 1985	Body Language	Himself	15 Episodes
1984 - 1989	Super Password	Celebrity Contestant / Himself	70 Episodes
1985	Hotel	Tommy Rooney	Episode: "Pathways"
1986	Crazy Like a Fox	Currently Unknown	Episode: "A Fox at the Races"
	Fresno	Doctor Parseghian	Miniseries 04 Episodes
1987	D.C. Follies	Tom Poston	Episode: "Pilot"
1988	Save the Dog!	Currently Unknown	Television Film
	St. Elsewhere	Jim Morrison	Episode: "The Abby Singer Show"
1990	A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder	Don Corman	Television Film
	The Simpsons	Capital City Goofball (voice)	Episode: "Dancin' Homer"
1990 - 1991	Good Grief	Ringo Prowley	13 Episodes
1990 - 1995	Coach	Dr. Art Hibke / Art Hibke	04 Episodes
1991	Harry and the Hendersons	Currently Unknown	Episode: "Harry and the Homless Man"
1992 - 1993	Bob	Jerry Fleisher	04 Episodes
1993	Dream On	Sidney 'Uncle Bouncy' Barish	Episode: "Oral Sex, Lies and Videotape"
	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	Mysterious 'Dead Man'	Episode: "Halloween"
1994	Big Daddy's Barbecue	Virgil	Television Film
1994 - 1995	Family Matters	Mr. Looney	03 Episodes
1994 - 1996	Murphy Brown	Old Man Swenson	02 Episodes
1995	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	Ralph / Burly Man (voices)	Episode: "Eau de Krumm/O'Lucky Monster"
1995 - 1997	Home Improvement	Ted / Ned / The Clerk	03 Episodes
1995 - 1998	Grace Under Fire	Floyd Norton	32 Episodes
1996	The Larry Sanders Show	Tom Poston	Episode: "My Name Is Asher Kingsley"
1997	George and Leo	Traffic Cop	Episode: "The Pilot Episode"
	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Mortgage Banker	Episode: "Witch Trash"
1998	Just Shoot Me!	Herb	Episode: "Jack's Old Partner"
	Touched by an Angel	Ed Yablonsky	Episode: "Cry and You Cry Alone"
	Suddenly Susan	Mr. Vance	Episode: "Sleeping with the Enemy"
	Maggie Winters	Lester Mulford	Episode: "Mama's Got a Brand New Bag"
	Rugrats	Roy (voice)	Episode: "Baking Dil/Hair!"
	Contempt of Court	Coroner	Television Film
1999	Cosby	Tim	02 Episodes
	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show	Uncle Cosmo	Episode: "Honey, It's the Ghostest with the Mostest"
	Diagnosis: Murder	Tom Porter	Episode: "The Roast"
1999 - 2000	Malcolm & Eddie	Garth Dubin	02 Episodes
2000	Dharma & Greg	Dr. Gillespie	Episode: "The Spy Who Said He Loved Me"
	Normal, Ohio	Stanley	Episode: "Just Another Normal Christmas"
2001	The Drew Carey Show	Roscoe Harvey	Episode: "Oswald's Dad Returns"
	King of the Hill	Mr. Popper (voice)	Episode: "Now Who’s the Dummy?"
	ER	Earl	02 Episodes
	The Lone Gunmen	Captain Toby / Fred Tabalowski	Episode: "The 'Cap'n Toby' Show"
	The Ellen Show	Joe	Episode: "Joe"
2002	Apple Valley Knights	Justice Knight Sr.	Unknown Episodes
	Becker	Joe Willakie	Episode: "Talking Points"
	Will & Grace	Norman	Episode: "Went to a Garden Potty"
	Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776	Currently Unknown (voice)	05 Episodes
2002 - 2003	That '70s Show	Burt Sigurdson	03 Episodes
2003	Good Morning, Miami	Lenny	02 Episodes
	8 Simple Rules	Jake	Episode: "Good Moms Gone Wild"
2005	Committed	Clown	13 Episodes
2006	The Suite Life of Zack & Cody	Merle	Episode: "Ah! Wilderness!"

Time on Mork & Mindy

Tom Poston was actually the show runner's first choice to play Mindy's Father, Fred McConnell, director Howard Storm recalled, but the Network for whatever reason (possibly the cost of having such an established and well regarded character actor as a regular) wouldn't agree.

Tom was cast primarily through his acquaintance with Garry Marshall and Robin Williams. Bickley's character however was initially drafted to be an inebriate along the lines of Foster Brooks' later Miles Sternhagen. Of greatest note however, was that Franklin Delano Bickley had been pitched as 'The Threat'. Like the one that Kalnik eventually became. And when the 'alcohol' wore off, he would be revealed to be an alien. When that was changed before filming, with orders that there were was to be no hint of alcoholism, and with it the 'other alien' was dropped, Poston felt as if much of what he could bring to the role was stripped away (though as he became a fan favorite, he did brilliantly with what he had), and felt especially betrayed by the writers when in the third season Brooks was brought in to play the role of the inebriate.

In addition, he did work and film scenes with Jonathan 'Johnny' Winter, who he had known for decades, in the 4th season, but as his only appearance occurred in Three The Hard Way, prior to 'Mearth's birth' those later scenes seem to have been cut (screen shots of Pajama Game II indicate this is the case). It was during his time working with Winters on Mork & Mindy that he realized that Winters actually was fully aware of what he was saying, up until then thinking it just came from some instinctive place. It was during this time going back and forth with him to lunch and film scenes during the 4th season, that he realized what a brilliant man Winters was.

Working with the cast was a highlight in his view. Both Winters and Conrad Janis were old friends, and William's was (alongside Jonathan Winters), the most naturally, effortlessly gifted comedian he had ever seen and spent much of his time either on set or watching in paroxysms of side splitting laughter. In addition it was an experience to see how the writers worked with Williams to hone the script. But he also recalls that Robin Williams could be equal parts exhausting, especially for the crew, and especially by the time he joined towards the latter third of the firs season, that there would be times when they'd be on set to shoot a scene at 10pm, but if Robin got going, it could be 1am before they actually completed the relatively short scene. The crew he could see were always be appreciative of how funny Williams was, but would equally just like to get home to bed.

As much as he appreciated Robin William's innate genius, he also proclaimed Pam Dawber a genius. There was, he felt, no other human being who could not only have survived the onslaught of William's brilliance at the time, but actually managed to hold their own against Williams, to be able to make that show about her character as much as his. That if you had cast anyone else, Williams would've just mown them down and they would've been lost in the shuffle. Dawber, he felt, truly made it Mork & Mindy. .

Interview

Tom Poston Interview Part 3 of 4 - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

Tom Poston talking about his time on Mork & Mindy

External links

• Tom Poston article at Wikipedia
• Tom Poston at the internet Movie Database (IMDb)