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TV
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/ Holiday
Specials on DVD |
"I'm looking for any information about a sitcom from the Sixties called "Hank" -- it ran about the same time as "Camp Runamuck." "'Hank' followed the adventures of a college "drop-in," who used various disguises to get into classes. He supported his younger sister by selling books from his van. "Just
curious if anyone else remembers this short-lived but wonderful show."
-
Cindy Wagner Dick Kallman played
Hank Dearborn, a young man determined to get a college education despite
the economic hardship brought on when his parents were killed in a car
accident, leaving him to raise his baby sister at age 15.
Hank would take all
kinds of jobs on campus, in the laundry room, driving a self-serve general
store/truck - whatever it took to find out who wouldn't be attending classes
that day.
'Hank' was one of
the brightest sitcoms of the sixties that never found a large audience,
a show just begging
to be remade.
It was up against a hit on CBS (Wild, Wild West) and a miss on NBC (Tammy).
'Hank' lasted only
one season. Typical
episode (and the plot of the pilot): Hank
is seen dashing to class by assistant coach Gazzari and gets asked
to join the University's track team.
DICK
KALLMAN'S MURDER
"I knew Dick
Kallman well... thank you for this page. No one ever touched me the way
he did, he was the greatest personal love of my life. I must tell you
that I have not talked about or even shared my feeling with just but a
few close and intimate friends.
"Always one to
make the most of where he was, he asked to audition anyway - the voice
they wanted was that of a grandmother type... Yep you guessed it, he got
the voice over and the checks came for years as that ad ran longer than
any other Mattel ad ever...
"Did you know
about the Batman episodes Dick was on? Dick had the lead in "Babes
in Toyland" on Broadway at 17 and was one of the last contract players
at Warners Bros.
"I never sat
foot in our apartment again. I left everything I owned in it to be sold.
I could not bare to see it ripped and stained with Dick's blood.
"Frankly, when
I saw this site last evening I cried uncontrollable for longer than I
ever remembered. I was away from NY at the time on business... something
that has haunted for 20 years... never being able to forgive myself.
"I do not know
if you are fortunate enough to have someone special in your life... but
friend know this... LOVE LAST A LIFETIME, SO THE SAGES SAY - BUT TREAT
IT GENTLY, OH MY FRIEND, FOR A LIFETIME CAN LAST BUT A DAY."
- anonymous
Kallman and business associate Steven Szladek were found shot to death on February 22, 1980, in Kallman's Manhattan apartment. 27-year-old Charles Lonnie Grosso of Queens was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. |
Dick Kallman as Hank"I thought I was the only one who loved "Hank", the drop-in. "In my University years I actually shadow-audited an entire year's lectures on...guess what? subliminal seduction (prof. Wilson Bryan Key) at the University of Western Ontario. - great site!" - J Lamb TV Guide's Hank Page, with TV Listings, Photos, Videos, Exclusive News and More. Dick Kallman's Big Break
In this special, Lucille Ball introduced the Desilu players to the TV audience. They were a hit in an LA stage revue and the group was a pet project of Ball's, who hand-picked each of the performers. Workaholic Lucille took on this project, in part, to keep her mind off of her impending divorce.
Carole Cook went on to become a lifelong friend of Lucy's, and Dick Kallman went on to do guest shots on various TV programs and to star as 'Hank' six years later. I'm glad there are other people who remember the very entertaining -- because of a clever premise and fine character development -- "Hank." Here are the lyrics to the theme song (lyrics by Johnny Mercer): He's
up with the sun He'll
dry-clean your clothes,
The last line of the final scene of the final episode had his little sister watching Hank walking off hand-in-hand with his girlfriend (the registrar's daughter) and saying "There goes my brother -- the registered student". This is the only '60s show I know of that ended in this way. - Bill Smith
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