“Shot by ‘Cannon,'” get it? If you do or if you don’t, the column will explain to you or remind you about “Cannon,” the 1970s detective show, which once filmed scenes at this column’s old friend, the Virginia Dare Winery. Also: some lighter news from a Moreno Valley council meeting involving seniors and a clutch of brIEfly items from Pomona and Perris, most of which have been on hold for a while. I threw together this column last Friday before leaving for a short vacation — which ends today!
A CW series, “Legends of Tomorrow,” airs an episode set in 1955 San Bernardino; I pay further homage to Metrolink/DTLA advocate Bob Herman; a Chino councilman dies; and two notable and lifelong Riverside library patrons will have a summit meeting of sorts at the new library. All of that makes up Wednesday’s column.
Mary Ann Borer of Pomona competed on “Jeopardy!” five days — days that were scattered throughout this month, by the way. I interview her about her experience, her silly hand gestures and her $88,500 in winnings for Friday’s column.
A local woman was on “Jeopardy!” on Monday. She used to work here in our newsroom! Not surprisingly, then, she gave me an interview about the experience. After that come six Culture Corner items and a Valley Vignette, all in Friday’s column.
Sunday’s column starts with a summary and dialogue from the Nov. 6 episode of a CBS adventure series that involved Pomona. After that come a half-dozen Culture Corner items and a Valley Vignette.
This undated Progress-Bulletin clipping was scanned and sent to me by Ren. Actor Mike Connors was in Pomona one summer day to film a scene for a “Mannix” episode in which his private eye character Joe Mannix returns to his hometown, Sumner Grove, to help an old friend in trouble.
Filming was done in front of the old City Hall, since torn down. “Cries of ‘hey, there’s Mannix’ were common as secretaries left the office for an extended coffee break,” the story relates. The Prog office would have been only a block or two from the filming.
“Mannix” aired from 1967 to 1975 on CBS, lasting eight seasons. It looks likely that this was the third season episode “Return to Sumner Grove,” which aired Oct. 11, 1969. Here’s the IMDB summary.
* Never mind: Microfilm research by the Pomona Public Library’s Allan Lagumbay pins the date of the article as June 16, 1971, which means the filming was for a fifth-season episode.
I don’t know that I ever watched the series; at one point it aired the same time as “The Night Gallery,” which I watched when allowed to. The AV Club wrote an appreciation of the series here.
Wednesday’s column starts off with some silliness: a cameo in a made-for-TV movie (made by the “Sharknado” people) by an Ontario Police Department helicopter. After that: items from Pomona, Montclair, Upland and the cultural scene.
Three vacant spaces in downtown Pomona were being prepped Friday for filming for an ABC pilot, “White Sheep.” Roving photographer Ren sent me these images. Above, the former Bunny Gunner storefront at 266 W. 2nd St. was transformed into Kim’s Academy Martial Arts. Below, a former Mexican restaurant (and prior to that, Chung King) at 280 W. 3rd St. was being turned into Land Lock Lobster. Crews were just getting started on a third storefront at 2nd and Parcels streets.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the family comedy “follows a teenager’s struggles to be the one nice guy in a family full of jerks.”
It’s impressive the amount of effort that can go into Hollywood productions. Thanks, Ren.
Without cable, I needed a place to watch the “Bar Rescue” episode Sunday about The Palace in Upland. So I chose San Biagio’s N.Y. Pizza, which is directly across Seventh Street from the bar. In fact, the TV crew had used an empty storefront next to Biagio’s as their office during the taping back in March.
Watching the show there was a slightly unreal experience. As seen in the photo above, you could watch the episode on one wall-mounted TV (that’s some of the Palace staff on the screen) and then look out the window to see the Palace itself, the orange-tan building in the background.
Pizzeria owner Biagio Pavia watched much of the episode with me. It was late afternoon, before the dinner crowd. The enthusiastic Pavia tried to encourage a customer near the TV to watch; he claimed not to be interested, although he did chime in at times. Another couple professed polite interest.
People are so jaded in Southern California. A neighboring business is on national television right at that instant and they’re like, shrug.
Pavia, though, was curious, keeping up a running commentary of questions and comments, many of the “What is that?” variety, while I was trying to listen and take notes. I had to explain at times that what was on the screen was a commercial.
Anyway, the Palace was run by two brothers-in-law who didn’t get along, surveillance of the kitchen showed cross-contamination, the decor and vibe didn’t seem very Middle Eastern and the bartenders didn’t know how to pour a drink, or even grip a bottle properly.
The bar needed so much work, the “stress test” took place off-site, at Pomona’s Stein Haus, allowing the TV crew a full 36 hours to remake the Palace. The stress test was a disaster, with pita bread coming out of the kitchen hard as a rock and the bartenders completely overwhelmed. One was fired on the spot. Host Jon Taffer cut it short.
“You are the worst team we’ve ever seen!” Taffer shouted in frustration. Of course, reality TV hypes up the drama, as well as the results, and by the end, the brothers are friends again, the staff knows its business, the decor is lovely and business is up.
Pavia exclaimed, “They change everything, look!” as the new decor was unveiled.
I’m looking, I’m looking.
