Cancer Man See - TOBACCO PRODUCTS: "The Cigarette Smoking Man" 

Caped Crusader See - BATS - "Batman"

Captain Funkie Fresh - Nickname of Eddie Winslow (Darius McCrary) on the sitcom FAMILY MATTERS/ABC/CBS/1989-98 when he volunteered to work with the neighborhood watch to help fight crime.      

Captain Justice - Comic book hero on the fantasy adventure ONCE A HERO/ABC/1987. This short-lived series starred Captain Justice (Jeff Lester), a fictional comic book character (Pizazz Comics) who discovers that fewer and fewer people were reading his Captain Justice comic books. Realizing that without readers his character would disappear (shades of Tinker Bell!), Captain Justice, (aka "The Crimson Crusader") left the two-dimensional world of the Forbidden Zone and entered the real world. Unfortunately, reality had its drawbacks. The Captain was now mortal, and as such, could no longer deflect bullet, fly through the air etc. Assisting our costumed stranger in a strange new world was Gumshoe (Robert Forster), a Humphrey Bogart look-alike dressed in a raincoat and hat who helped the Captain battle such baddies as Max Mayhem, Lobsterman, and Dr. Destructo. Captain Justice and friends faded quickly from sight soon after their debut. Like the comic book, this series needed viewers to survive. 

Captain Marvel - Created by Ed Herren, the red costumed superhero, Captain Marvel debuted in Whiz Comics No.2, February, 1940. The visual concept of Captain Marvel was inspired by illustrator Charles Clarence Beck who used film star Fred MacMurray as the model for Captain Thunder (the original working title of Captain Marvel) giving him the same wavy hair, cleft chin and bone structure. The Captain's costume design was the outgrowth of an illustration Beck had previously drawn for The Student Prince operetta. Keeping the military style buttons, boots and cape and creatively adding a lightning bolt on the costume's chest area, Captain Marvel was born. Years later, the 30-minute live-action series SHAZAM!/CBS/1974-77 featured Michael Gray as the teenager character Billy Batson who transformed into superhero Captain Marvel by saying the word "Shazam!" Billy derived his powers from the individual first letters that made up the acronym SHAZAM: S (Wisdom of Solomon); H (Strength of Hercules); A (Stamina of Atlas); Z (Power of Zeus); A (Courage of Achilles); and M (Speed of Mercury). Actors John Davey (1974-76) and Jackson Bostwick (1976-77) played the role of Captain Marvel. In the Captain Marvel comics the evil villain IBAC (a.k.a. "Stinky Printwhistle") derived his powers from the initials for I (Ivan the Terrible); B (Borgia the Poisoner); A (Attila the Hun); and C (Caligula, the Emperor). Captain Marvel's other nemesis, the evil Dr. Sivana, the World's Wickedest Scientist, (from the planet Venus) called Captain Marvel "The Big Red Cheese." Sivana's full name was Thaddeus Budog Sivana whose name was derived from the Eastern Indian words "Siva" and "Nirvana." The balding gnome-like Doctor wore horned-rimmed glasses, and a white pharmacist jacket. 

Captain Midnight (1) - The alias of Captain Jim Albright (a.k.a. "Guardian of the Safety of the World"), a private citizen and leader of "The Secret Squadron" on the aviation adventure CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT/CBS/1954-56. He received his nickname during WWII while as a young American pilot  he returned to base after completing a dangerous mission just as the church steeple clock struck twelve midnight. Richard Webb starred as "Captain Midnight," an aviator who battled mobsters and other enemies of freedom. When the series went into syndication Captain Midnight's name was changed to JET JACKSON. The Captain Midnight character (created by Robert Murit and Wilfred Moore) originated on radio on September 30, 1940 on station WGN in Chicago. It was sponsored by Skelly Oil and later Ovaltine. Ed Prentiss, Bill Bouchey and Paul Barnes all played Captain Jim "Red" Albright, (Captain Midnight) on radio. Richard Webb died at the age of 77 from a self-inflicted wound on June 10, 1993 at his home in Van Nuys, California. He left a note saying he was despondent over a chronic respiratory problem (People Weekly  6/28/93).  

Captain Midnight (2)- Code name of mysterious citizen who took over an HBO cable broadcast for four minutes in the spring of 1986 to transmit a message protesting Cable TV signal scrambling. His first broadcast message on April 20, 1986 was a simple colorbar pattern. Seven days later he again broke into the HBO transmissions during the showing of the movie The Falcon and the Snowman to reveal the written message "Good evening HBO/From Captain Midnight/$12.95 month/NOWAY!/Showtime Movie Channel Beware" Upon investigation it was discovered that this maverick media maniac was 25-year-old John R. Mac Dougall, a seller of satelite dishes. He claimed that the scrambling of cable signals by HBO (Jan 15) Showtime and Movie Channel (May 27) was killing his 2 and 1/2 year old business. He was arrested on July 25 and later was fined $5,000 and placed on one year's probation by the federal magistrates court in Jacksonville, Florida. The "Captain Midnight" scenario was the first known instance of a private citizen illegally taking control of a commercial satellite. The Federal Communications Commission closed the first illegal television "station" on October, 19, 1950. The station operated by the Tube Division of Sylvania Electric Products of Emporium, Pennsylvania had televised illegal signals/programs from WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania from a tower atop Whitmore Mountain. 

Captain Neptune See - SUBMARINES 

Captain Nice - William Daniels (later to play heart surgeon Dr. Mark Craig on the medical series ST. ELSEWHERE/NBC/1982-88) started his early acting career as a costumed crimefighter on the superhero spoof CAPTAIN NICE/NBC/1967. Carter Nash (a.k.a. "Captain Nice") was a police chemist who accidentally discovered a liquid formula (Super Juice) which gave him extraordinary powers (flight and super strength) he used to fight evil in the guise of Captain Nice. His name was a perfect reflection of this simpleton superhero for he was a shy, naive, momma's boy. His mother (Alice Ghostley), who knew of his abilities, urged him to fight evil in a red, white and blue costume that she so lovingly made for him. The series was created/written by Buck Henry, the co-creator of the spy spoof series GET SMART/NBC/CBS/1965-70. Debuting during the same television season was similar superhero parody series called MR. TERRIFIC/NBC/1967 starring Stephen Strimpell. 

Captain Scarlet See - POLICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUPS:"Spectrum" 

    Captain Video - Richard Coogan (and later Al Hodges) starred as television's first sci-fi hero Captain Video (a.k.a. "an electronic wizard, master of time of space and the Guardian of the Safety of the World") who battled interplanetary villains in the 22nd century. The series CAPTAIN VIDEO AND THE VIDEO RANGERS was telecast "live" five nights a week on the Dumont network from 1949-55. Al Hodge died in 1979 in a small hotel room in New York City, a victim of poverty and alcohol. See also - POLICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUPS: "The Video Rangers" 

Captain Z-ro - Roy Steffins starred as Captain Z-Ro, a scientist who traveled through the infinite corridors of time and space on the sci-fi series CAPTAIN Z-RO/SYN/1954. In his rocketship ZX-99, Captain Z-ro with his assistant Jet (Bobby Trumbull) visited points in time ranging from Biblical days to the American Revolution. The series began as a 15-minute live program aired on local San Francisco station KRON-TV. In 1951, the series expanded to 30-minutes and was later syndicated nationally in 1954. 

Cara Mia   See - "Bubula" 

Carl "Oldie" Olsen" -  On the late night talk show LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN/NBC/1993+ host Conan O'Brien occasionally interacted with a very old, bearded man called Carl "Oldie" Olson. Oldie's character was so frail looking that almost anything he did was funny to watch. He appeared in over 100 comedy spots playing such roles as a high school street tough, a rock singer, a vampire, and the world's oldest baseball player. William Preston who played Oldie was an established stage and film actor. He died in 1998.  See also - "Larry 'Bud' Melman" 

Carnac the Magnificent  See - "Mr. Question Man" 

Casanova of the Camera - What widow Margaret MacDonald (Rosemary DeCamp), called her photographer brother, Bob Collins on the sitcom LOVE THAT BOB/NBC/CBS/1955-59. Bob Collins was a swinging confirmed bachelor who owned a photography studio in Hollywood. He vowed to find the right girl now matter "how many girls I have to date to find her." One of Bob's requirements in a beautiful model was that their waist size not exceed 23 inches. Among the many girls he dated was Shirley Swanson (Joi Lansing), a beautiful blond model with marriage on her mind who armed herself with a perfume called "Bachelor's Doom." 

Cat - Slang term used to identify female police officers teamed with a male officer, of course the males being the "Dogs." The police drama DOG & CAT/ABC/1977 used this novel description to refer to female rookie officer J.Z. Kane (Kim Basinger) who was teamed with Det. Sgt. Jack Ramsey (Lou Antonio), a veteran plainclothes officer. 

Catwoman - One of Gotham City's most sensuous criminals on the fantasy adventure BATMAN/ABC/1966-68. Wearing a tight black skin of leather, Catwoman attempted to pull off a variety of "Purrrfect" crimes. Occasionally, she teamed with other nefarious no-goods as the Penguin or the Riddler to defeat their arch enemy, the caped crime fighter Batman and his sidekick the Boy wonder. Julie Newmar who formerly starred as the curvaceous female robot on the sci-fi comedy MY LIVING DOLL/CBS/1964-65 was the original Catwoman. She was later replaced by Lee Meriweather and Eartha Kitt. In the book Back To The Batcave (Berkley Books, 1994)Bob Kane the creator of the Batman comic character stated that Catwoman was originally modeled after Jean Harlow. He also related that he and writer Bill Finger chose cats as a motif not just because Catwoman was a cat burglar but also because felines were "as mysterious and unpredictable as women." Catwoman's real name was Selina Kyle. TRIVIA NOTE: In casting the part of Catwoman in the sequel motion picture Batman Returns (1992), spunky actress Sean Young, tried to audition for the role but her enthusiasm got her thrown off the Warner Brothers lot. Not one to give up easily, she later donned a black mask and appeared on THE JOAN RIVERS SHOW where she unashamedly bid for the part on national television. The role of Catwoman, however, went to the beautiful Michele Pfeiffer. Adam West once remarked that one of his favorite villains from the program had to be Catwoman because "she gave me curious stirrings in my utility belt." 

Champagne Lady - On the musical program THE LAWRENCE SHOW/ABC/SYN/1955-82, the orchestra featured "Champagne Music" and a delicate trail of champagne-like bubbles rising from behind the bandstand where his musician's played. Accompanying this elegant backdrop was the "Champagne Lady," the program's featured female vocalist. Singer Alice Lon was the first woman to wear that crown beginning "live" on a coast-to-coast broadcast from the ABC Hollywood Studios on July 2, 1955. Unfortunately, Welk's ultra-conservative moral beliefs were responsible for the removal of Alice Lon from the program in July 1959. Welk's excuse? Alice Lon showed too much knee when she crossed her legs during the telecast. "Cheesecake does not fit our show," he remarked. Following his decision, thousands of angry letters from faithful viewers flooded Welk's office indicating that his decision was not so "wunnerful." He tried to get Alice Lon to reconsider and return to the show, but she never did. Despite the controversy, Welk remarked "She was one of the nicest girls who had ever sung with our orchestra." Welk kept in contact with her until her death from cancer in 1981. After two years of guest fill-ins, (Lois Best, Joan Mowery, Helen Ramsey, Roberta Linn) soprano Norma Zimmer finally became the new "Champagne Lady" who stayed with the program until its last telecast on February 24, 1982. The program's theme songs were "Bubbles in the Wine" (1955-70) by Lawrence Welk, Frank Loesser and Bob Calame and "Champagne Fanfare" (1971-82) by George Cates. 

Charlie Chaplin of Television - Canadian comedian Alan Young who played in the highest rated comedy shows on radio between 1944-50 was acclaimed by TV Guide magazine as "The Charlie Chaplin of Television." On January 25, 1950 he was presented an Emmy Award for both the "best actor" category and the "best variety" show. His CBS network program THE ALAN YOUNG SHOW ran from 1950-53. Despite his multiple talents, he is best remembered as architect Wilbur Post on the equine comedy MISTER ED/CBS/1961-65 which is still rerun worldwide. 

Check Mate King 2 - Military walky-talky radio code name used to communicate with Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) at field division headquarters on the European front of World War II on the military drama COMBAT/ABC/1962-67. "White Rook" was the code name of the patrol leader Sergeant Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow). 

Cheapest Man in the World, The - This sobering sobriquet goes to none other than veteran vaudevillian, radio, television comedian Jack Benny, the star of THE JACK BENNY SHOW/CBS/1950-65. Benny was so cheap that when a robber accosted him on the street and demanded "Your money or your life?," Jack shouted, "I'm thinking! Reportedly, Jack had a lock on his refrigerator, a pay telephone in his living room and preferred the color "dollar bill green." Being the cheapest man in the world, Jack distrusted banks and thus had a subterranean vault built several hundred feet below his home. The vault was protected with a moat filled with alligators, ear-shattering burglar alarms, Carmichael the Polar Bear whose savage roar was provided by Mel Blanc (both radio and TV); and by a very lonely guy named Ed, the "Keeper of the Vault" who was surprised to discover the Civil War was over. Jack gained access to his vault by first giving Ed, the password "A fool and his money are soon parted" or "Hair of gold, Eyes of Blue"; and then by dialing the vault's combination of Right 45, Left 60, Right 15, and Left 110. In a spoof of Jack Benny's vault, the September 27, 1967 episode of THE LUCY SHOW/CBS/1962-74 featured Lucille Ball as bank secretary, Lucy Carmichael who tried to entice Jack Benny into opening a bank account. For the occasion, Lucy constructed a vault with an electronic eye. When the light beam was broken it triggered a guillotine, a tribe of tomahawk-tossing Indians, a huge fierce gorilla; a deep stream filled with piranha fish and a patch of quicksand which both Lucy and Jack fell prey. The bill for the special effects was $25,000, the most expensive gag in TV history up to that time. Ray Singer and Milt Josefberg, writers of the skit won an Emmy for the that particular show. In reality, Jack Benny was a philanthropist giving his money and his time to a number of charitable causes. He died on December 26, 1974 from complication of cancer of the pancreas. He was buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California and entombed in the same mausoleum as Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. TRIVIA NOTE: Other television cheapskates included grocery store owner Herbert T. Gillis (Frank Faylen) who lived in Central City on the sitcom THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS/CBS/1959-63. Herbert was once voted "The Citizen Most Likely To Hang Onto His Last Dollar." Another runner up for this dubious award is Fred Mertz (William Frawley), a tightwad landlord on the sitcom I LOVE LUCY/CBS/1951-57. And finally who could forget apartment manager Mr. Stanley Roper (Norman Fell) on the sitcom THREE'S COMPANY/ABC/1977-84. His tenants called him "The Cheapest Man Alive!" and once reported "He has every dollar he ever made in his mattress...Maybe that's why he doesn't get romantic (with his wife). He's afraid to wrinkle his money!"     

Cheesecake  - Joseph "Cheesecake" Tyson (Ken Page) was a black and blind computer whiz who appeared on the adventure series SABLE/ABC/1987-88. He provided information to children's author Jon Sable who in reality was a spy. When Sable needed information he sent a cheesecake (strawberry) to Tyson in payment for his services. The inside flap of the cake box contained  messages in braille. 

Chevy Chase - The family nickname of comedy writer Chevy Chase who came to national attention during 1975-76 season of NBC'S SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE as a bumbling, pratfaller who stumbled at the beginning of each show and shouted "Live from New York...It's Saturday Night!" Soon after Cornelius Crane Chase was born on October 8, 1943, his paternal grandmother began calling him "Chevy" when he was a kid in New York. The name may have been derived from a possible reference to the Washington, DC suburb or to the English ballad which tells the perennial story of the Scottish border feud between the Percys and the Douglases. No one knows however, not even Chevy. But whatever the reason, the name stuck and became his professional showbiz non de plume. 

Cheyenne - First name of Cheyenne Bodie (Clint Walker), a towering frontier scout and drifter on the western adventure CHEYENNE/ABC/1955-63. As a baby, Cheyenne was found at the site of a wagon train massacre by Chief White Cloud (Richard Hale) who spared the baby's life and named the white boy Grey Fox because he was so quiet and reserved. When Grey Fox turned twelve-years-old, he left his Indian family to pursue his white heritage, taking the name of Cheyenne to honor his Indian benefactors. On the syndicated drama RENEGADE/SYN/1992-96 Kathleen Kinmont costarred as Cheyenne Sixkiller, the stepsister of native American bounty hunter, Bobby Sixkiller (Branscombe Richmond). 

Chicken Legs - The not-so-affectionate nickname of Marcy Rhodes (Amanda Bearse), a bank employee and feminist next-door neighbor to the Bundy family on the sitcom MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN/FOX/1987-97. When Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill), a frustrated shoe salesman, wanted to drive Marcy from his home, he mocked her skinny stature by using quips relating to a chicken, often calling her "Chicken Legs." Once Al said "Look what's crossed the road. I can't be a chicken, it hasn't got breasts...just nuggets." During an argument, Marcy's husband Steve (David Garrison) told his wife "You know why you have chicken legs? It's because your mother eats all those eggs." Al calls Marcy a "chicken" for the first time on episode No. 113 "Johnny Be Gone." The dialog follows: Marcy [looking round]: "Al, do you see a fish eye anywhere round here?" Al [looking at her wearing just a towel]: "No, but I see a chicken leg." On episode No. 232 "Kiss of the Coffee Woman," Al puts together a Top Ten List on Marcy of suggestions to approve her appearance. It read: 10. Wear traditional Islamic garb covering all but the eyes; 9. Feather removing electrolysis; 8. Ski mask; 7. Sew up holes in ski mask; 6. Hire attractive woman to stand in front of you at all times; 5. Beak job; 4. Put paper bag over ski mask; 3. Shave head, tattoo Cindy Crawford's face on back of head, and learn to walk backwards; 2. Poke out eyes of every man on Earth; 1. Get President to make every day Halloween. TRIVIA NOTE: On the sitcom I LOVE LUCY/CBS/1951-57 Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) was called "Bird Legs" in grade school. 

Chief, The - Balding, dyspeptic espionage supervisor on the spy spoof GET SMART/NBC/1965-70. The Chief (Ed Platt) coordinated activities at Control, a not-so-secret spy agency located at 123 Main Street in Washington, DC. Operating under the alias of Harold Clark, the head of Potomac Greeting Card Company, the Chief assigned suicide missions to such trusted agents as Agent 86 (Maxwell Smart), Agent 99 (No name ever given), Agent 13 (assigned to hide inside small objects like mailbox and filing cabinets) and Fang (Control's top canine spy). On occasion, the Chief took on the guise of other aliases including Franklin Jiles (Editor of Concert Music Magazine); Irving (a singing waitress) and Senator Van Owen. The Chief's first name was Thaddeus. His last name was never disclosed. Agent Larabee (whose catchphrase was "Right, Chief") assisted the Chief in his day-to-day duties which included battling the bad guys at Kaos. "Chief "was also the moniker of Daily Planet newspaper editor Perry White played by John Hamilton on the sci-fi series THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN/SYN/1951-57; and by Lane Smith on LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN/1993-97. Perry could be heard screaming "Don't call me, Chief" especially to cub reporter/photographer Jimmy Olsen. 

 

Chinzo - During an interview segment of THE TONIGHT SHOW (3/31/98) the jut-jawed Jay Leno revealed that in school the kids nicknamed him "Chinzo." His guest Denise Richards (Wild Things, 1998) informed Jay that she was called "Fishlips" in high school. Trivia Note: Capitalizing on his celebrated large chin, Jay Leno provided the voice of Crimson Chin, a comic book hero with a huge chin on the episode "Chin Uo" (4/27/2001) of the Nickelodean cartoon series FAIRLY ODD PARENTS about a youngster named Timmy whose fairy godparents grants him wishes. In this episode Timmy wished to become Cleft, the Boy Chin Wonder, the sidekick to The Crimson Chin.

Chipmunk Cheeks - The nickname of Alfred Delvecchio (Al Molinaro) owner of Arnold's Drive-In, a burger joint near Milwaukee's Jefferson High School on the sitcom HAPPY DAYS/ABC/1974-84. He was given the nickname "Chipmunk Cheeks" by his soldiers buddies when he served in the Army. 

Church Lady, The - Comedian Dana Carvey played a sassy religious talk show hostess called the Church Lady on skits performed on NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in the late 1980s. One of her popular catchphrases was "Well, isn't that special!" Interviewing such public celebrities as Jim and Tammy Bakker, Donald Trump and his girlfriend, Marla Maples, the Church Lady twitched her puckered lips in disdain for their public sins. Asking how could they have been influenced to do such things, she would then follow up with "Oh, I don't know, could it be...SATAN!?" On the 2/17/91 installment of  SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Dana Carvey performed a routine inspired by Stephen King's chilling novel "Misery" called "Misery II." The skit had Dana Carvey announcing to a crowd of fans that he was "killing off" his Church Lady character. He then proceeded to drive away into a snow storm where his car crashed. Predictably he was rescued by a fanatical fan (played by Roseanne Barr) who forced him to dress up in the Church Lady's costume and to resurrect his Church Lady character for her enjoyment.  

Cigarette-Smoking Man, The  See - TOBACCO PRODUCTS 

Cisco Kid, The - On the western adventure THE CISCO KID/SYN/1950-56, actor Duncan Renaldo starred as the Cisco Kid (a.k.a. "The Robin Hood of the Old West"). Assisted by his sidekick, Pancho (Leo Carrillo), Cisco rode the dusty trails of the 1880s upholding justice in the New Mexico Territory. The television series was inspired by the short story The Caballero's Way written in 1907 by William Sydney Porter (a.k.a. "O. Henry"). Unlike some early versions of Cisco which were scruffy bandito types, the 1950s TV version starred Duncan Renaldo as a proud, handsome Mexican who wore smart, tight-fitting embroidered jackets, pants and a large-brimmed sombrero which always caught the senoritas eyes. Herbert Stanley Dunn was the first person to play the Cisco Kid in the 1923 silent movie The Caballero's Way. Other actors to star as Cisco included Warner Baxter/1929-39); Cesar Romero/1939-41; Duncan Renaldo/1945 and 1949-50; Gilbert Roland/1946-47. On radio The Cisco Kid was played by Jackson Beck and Jack Mather. A comic strip based on O. Henry's hero was drawn by Jose Luis Salinas in the early 1950s. Cisco's horse was Diablo; Pancho's horse was Loco. Hispanic actor Jimmy Smits starred in the movie remake The Cisco Kid (1994) with comedian Cheech Marin in the role of Pancho, his faithful companion. 

Clutch  See - "Thumper"

Coach  See - "Red" 

Coca-Cola Girl, The - Singer entertainer Anita Bryant was under contract to the Coca-Cola Company from 1963-67 to promote its products on radio and television. Her official title was "The Coca-Cola Girl." TRIVIA NOTE: The soft drink Coca-Cola (then just a soda fountain beverage) was invented in 1886 by Atlanta, Georgia pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton. The Museum of Coca-Cola, a restored candy store located at 1107 Washington Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi celebrates the site where in 1894 Joseph A. Biedenharn first bottled what was to become Coca-Cola. Over the years Coca-Cola has produced a number of catchy slogans including "The pause that refreshes" (1929); It's the real thing" (1941); and "Coke is it" (1982). See also - "The Diet Coke Hunk"  and "The Pepsi-Cola Girl" 

Cockroach - Nickname of character played by Carl Anthony Payne II during the 1986-87 season of the sitcom THE COSBY SHOW/NBC/1984-92. Cockroach was the best friend of Theodore Huxtable (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), the teenage son of a New York City pediatrician. On the sitcom GOOD TIMES/CBS/1974-79, the Evans Family nicknamed their tenement home (the Cabrini-Green Housing Project in Chicago) the Cockroach Towers. 

Codeman, The - Family nickname of nephew Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell) given to him by J.T. Lambert (Brandon Call) on the sitcom STEP BY STEP/ABC/1991-98. Cody thinks he is "the coolest guy on the planet...No chick can resist my personal magnetism." For those who try to resist him his motto is "She who laughs in my face, ends up in my embrace." He lives in a van that he calls "Lucille the Chick Mobile." When Cody took a trip around the world in search of the ultimate burger, he met an "ancient, mystical & wise" monk working at a Tibetan McDonald's who nicknamed him "Ste-e-e-e-ve" (that's Ste-e-e-e-ve" not Steve). 

Combustible Huxtable - The nickname of Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) on the sitcom THE COSBY SHOW/NBC/1984-92. He earned his sports sobriquet while he participated on the track team at Hillman College in his younger days. When his daughter Denise (Lisa Bonet) joined the track team, she was called "The Little Engine." 

Commish, The - Police Commissioner, Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis ) was affectionately called "The Commish" by his rank and file of officers at the suburban police station at Eastbridge, New York. The portly, balding and easygoing police commissioner was very intelligent (he had a law degree from Fordham University in the Bronx) but very practical when it came to the bad guys. When given a choice of chasing a criminal or missing a meal, he once said "Chases usually lead to friggin' injuries...but no one ever got hurt by a bowl of linguini." The COMMISH series was based on the real-life police commissioner, Tony Schembri of Rye, New York.   

Conan - The personal nickname of celebrity Alyssa Milano. Alyssa is also called Lyssa and Lyss. Born December 19, 1972 in Brooklyn New York, the 5' 2" brown-haired Sagittarian has starred in a number of successful venues. They included the starring role in the Broadway play Annie at age eight; the perky Samantha "Sam" Micelli on the sitcom WHO'S THE BOSS/ABC/1984-92 and a lusciously desirable witch named Phoebe Halliwell on the fantasy series CHARMED/WB/1998+. Alyssa is not only a talented actress but a singer. She had five platinum albums released in Japan. They were titled: Alyssa, Look In My Heart, Best in the world, Locked In a Dream, and Do You See Me? In addition, a picture of Alyssa was used as inspiration to create the underwater heroine "Ariel" in the classic 1989 Disney movie The Little Mermaid.  Besides collecting kudos for her acting and singing career, Alyssa has collected a number of tattoos on her body. See - TATTOOS & Other Body Markings - "Celebrity Tattoos"

Conner the Bomber - On the sitcom ROSEANNE/ABC/1988-97, Darlene Conner (Sara Gilbert) bestowed this insulting nickname on her sister Becky Conner (Lecy Goranson) after Becky accidentally "cut the cheese" while giving a speech at her school. Sister Darlene added insult to injury by saying "the only woman to break the sound barrier without a plane!" 

Connoisseur of Amour - Self-proclaimed romantic moniker of J.J. Evans (Jimmie Walker), a skinny black teenager on the sitcom GOOD TIMES/CBS/1974-79. J.J. also called himself "The Emperor of Ecstasy" and "Kid Dy-no-mite!" His girlfriends had equally colorful names (Boom Boom Belinda, Samantha the Human Panther, and Velma the Vacuum Cleaner). 

Continental, The - The nickname of the suave, debonair, Italian born Renzo Cesana who was the focus of the romantic program simply called THE CONTINENTAL/CBS/ABC/1952-53. The Continental was a video gigolo whose job was to "woo" the bored housewife with 15-minutes of intriguing conversation (one-sided as it was). Looking into the camera lense, this eager to please well-mannered Italian lover talked in a husky voice to his female viewers and offered them cigarettes, cocktails, or a comfortable chair. And when it was over the Continental hopefully left them wanting for more. This series inspired 1950s comedian, Ernie Kovac to do a parody called "The County-Nental" about a country-bumpkin gigolo who wore overalls, and poured moonshine from a jug. Whereas Renzo Cesana would say, "Don't be afraid, darling, you're in a man's apartment," The County-Nental would look into the camera lens and with whisky-soaked breath say "Don't be feared, this is only a man's silo." Both comedian Billy Crystal and later actor Christopher Walken revived this romantic character on a skits written for NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in the 1980s & 1990s. 

Control - Code name of supervisor (Robert Lansing) who worked for a US espionage division located in New York City (supposedly the CIA) on the spy drama THE EQUALIZER/CBS/1985-89. Control was the former boss of the Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) known as the "Equalizer" a disillusioned spy who resigned from the "Agency" to help people in crisis. CONTROL was also the acronym for the spy organization on the spy spoof GET SMART/NBC/CBS/1965-70. On the sci-fi series HARD TIME ON PLANET EARTH/CBS/1989, Control was a robotic parole officer from another galaxy responsible for monitoring the activities of an intergalactic warrior sentenced to exile on Earth. 

Corky - Family nickname of actor Corin Nemec who starred as charming but devious high school student on the sitcom PARKER LEWIS CAN'T LOSE/FOX/1990-93. During an interview on LIVE WITH REGIS AND KATHY LEE (1/6/90), Corin told Kathy Lee that his grandmother used to call him "Corky" because as a child he whined so much (always hungry), that she wanted to put a cork in his mouth. Corky was also the family nickname of Charles "Corky" Thatcher, a mentally handicapped teenager with Downs Syndrome on the family drama LIFE GOES ON/ABC/1989-93; and the first name of TV journalist Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford) on the sitcom MURPHY BROWN/CBS/1988-98. 

Count of Monte Cristo, The - The pseudonym of Edmond Dantes, an innocent Frenchman unjustly sent to prison by scheming politicians in the days of Napoleon. Years later he escaped from his captors and with a fortune in gold and jewels found in a cave on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he traveled the road of revenge back to the place of his betrayal. and the woman he loved. George Dolenz starred in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO/SYN/1955-56, the syndicated television series based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo (1845) by Alexander Dumas. In the 1970s, the Hallmark Company sponsored a TV-movie remake of this classic tale starring Richard Chamberlain. 

Coward Of Bitter Creek, The - Pejorative nickname given to Cavalry Captain Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) on the western adventure BRANDED/NBC/1965-66. As the series theme song intoned "What do you do when your branded (a coward) and you know you're a man." Jason McCord was the lone survivor (knocked unconscious) of an Indian battle of Bitter Creek. Falsely accused of cowardice, he was dishonorably discharged from the Army and forced to wear the brand of a coward throughout the Wyoming frontier where his moniker "The Coward of Bitter Creek" was known by everybody. 

Crazy  Eddie - Commercial alter ego of stereo electronics king, Eddie Antar who sold stereos, televisions and the like for the "Crazy Eddie's" electronics stores where prices were "Insaaaaaane!" Antar opened his first store on Kings Highway in Brooklyn when he was 21 years of age. His stores were a success because of their cheap prices, low overhead and aggressive marketing which guaranteed that they would not be undersold, (giving customers 30 days to demand a rebate if they found the same merchandise offered at a lower price). When it came time to advertise the Crazy Eddie's stores, Eddie Antar, a small, shy, reclusive businessman instead chose to hire pitchman Jerry Carroll as his on-air persona. Jerry Carroll began live readings of the Crazy Eddie ads in New York on WPIX-FM in the mid 1970s and soon, his maniacal, wild-eyed pitchman style was highly imitated. His characterization was parodied on a HBO comedy skit on NOT NECESSARILY THE NEWS as "Crazy Ollie," an Oliver North look-alike. See also - "Mad Man Muntz" 

Crazy Guggenheim - Zany character who appeared weekly on the comedy variety program JACKIE GLEASON AND HIS AMERICAN SCENE MAGAZINE/CBS/1962-66. A regular segment of this program featured the "Joe the Bartender" sketch in which singer Frank Fontaine played a local pub drunk called "Crazy Guggenheim." Plagued with a loud, irritating laugh, Crazy would come from the back of the bar (usually at the request of Joe) to sing a song or to share stories with Mr. Dunahee (an unseen local). Crazy's only redeeming grace was his beautiful voice. Crazy sang tunes from the tavern jukebox. The Crazy Guggenheim character was based on a real-life friend of Jackie Gleason called "Puke." Frank Fontaine had previously hosted the New York variety series FRANKIE FONTAINE/SYN/1955. 

Crazy Gun Barney  - Barney Fife (Don Knotts) is the bumbling deputy sheriff who lives in the rural town of Mayberry, North Carolina on the sitcom THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW/CBS/1960-68. Because the town sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) wouldn't trust Barney with a loaded gun, for fear of accidentally shooting himself or an innocent bystander, Barney never carried a loaded gun, but rather kept one bullet in his left shirt breast pocket. The only time he used his gun was to start the potato sack races for the annual Mason's picnic. Barney was jokingly called Barney the Beast, Barney the Fierce, Crazy Gun Barney and Fearless Fife by his fellow townsfolk's. On episode No. 9 "Andy, the Matchmaker" someone in town wrote the following limerick on the side of the Mayberry bank: "There once was a deputy called Fife, Who carried a gun and a knife. The gun was all dusty, And his knife was all rusty, Because he never caught a crook in his life." See also - "The Sheriff Without A Gun"

Cricket - The nickname of Chryseis "Cricket" Blake, (Connie Stevens) the young, sexy singer/photographer who worked at the Hawaiian Village Hotel on the detective drama HAWAIIAN EYE/ABC/1959-63. Cricket was a friend of the handsome young detectives, Tom Lopaka (Robert Conrad) and Tracey Steele (Anthony Eisley) and of Phil Barton (Troy Donohue), the hotel's director of special events. Reportedly, the name "Cricket" was inspired by a beachcomber artist's daughter named Cricket that Warner Brothers story editor Jack Emmanuel met in Hawaii. On the sitcom NIGHT COURT/NBC/1984-92 attorney Christine Sullivan (Markie Post) was called Cricket by an elderly suitor who thought she chirped like a cricket when she laughed. 

Crimson Crusader  See - "Captain Justice"

Critters - What Elly May Clampett (Donna Douglas) called her many animals that lived on the grounds of her Beverly Hills mansion on the sitcom THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES/CBS/1962-71. Her critters included Fairchild (and Johnny) the Bear, Cecil the Beetle (who helped predict the weather); Bobbie the Bobcat, Daisy the Buzzard, Rusty the swimming Cat, Matilda the Cat, Henrietta the Chicken, Bessie (and Skipper) the Chimpanzee, Freddy the Crow, Maggie the Deer, Gertrude the Duck, Duke the Hound Dog, Frieda the Eagle, Clem (and Thelma) the Goat, Sidney the Kangaroo, Tommy the Kitten, Jasper the Jaquar, Jethro (and Herman) the Mountain Lion, Nelson the Mule, Miriam the Ostrich, Henry the Owl, Florebell the Pigeon, Wendell (and Mickey) the Possum, Clyde the Raccoon, Whiskers the Seal, Smelly the Skunk, Mickey the Squirrel, Leticia, a Bassett Hound; and Herman the Turkey. Granny Clampett (Irene Ryan) called Elly's critters "Varmits" and Elly's hippopotamus pet "the biggest hog I've ever seen." Elly May's father, Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) once said "You've got so many critters, looks like the waiting room for the Ark." 

Crocodile Hunter - Risk-taking Australian wildlife expert seen on the syndicated nature series CROCODILE HUNTER (1996), THE TEN DEADLIEST SNAKES IN THE WORLD (1998) and CROC FILES a.k.a. "The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files" (1999). Born February 22nd, 1962 in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, Queensland, Australia, Steve Irwin spends his life rescuing and relocating endangered animals. He loves to jump on top of them and wrestle them into submission with the aide of ropes and a good grip. Steve got his inspiration for working with animals as a child at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast (once owned by his parents Lyn Irwin, a nurse and wildlife rehabilitator and Bob Irwin, a plumber turned herpetologist). Steve later expanded his parent's property and renamed it The Australia Zoo which has become a thriving international tourist attraction and "the home of the Crocodile Hunter." A herpetologist by trade, Steve likes to wear khaki shorts and boots. When he comes upon snakes or crocodiles, Steve stands frozen into his famous "action crouch" and shouts the catchphrase "Crikey!" Steve Irwin died suddenly at the age of 44 on September 4, 2006 after being pierced in the heart by a stingray's barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef. He was snorkeling over the stingray when it attacked. See also - REPTILES: " The Crocodile Hunter"

Crying Man - The stage name of Rembrandt "Crying Man" Brown (Cleavant Derricks), a washed-up soul singer (for The Spinning Tops) who got caught in a parallel universe time warp with three other people on the sci-fi series SLIDERS/FOX/SCI/1995-2000. 

Crystal Love See - BOOKS 

Cuddle Buns See - "Bunny"

Cupcake - The pet name of Stephanie Vanderkellen (Julia Duffy), a spoiled little rich girl who worked as a maid (to prove her independence to her parents) at a rural Vermont inn on the sitcom NEWHART/CBS/1982-90. Her boyfriend Michael Harris (Peter Scolari), a local TV producer often called her "Cupcake" in between showering her with gifts that he couldn't afford. Once Stephanie used her secret weapon (her adorable pouting lips) to intimidate a local business man (a baker) out of his personalized license plate which read "Cupcake." On occasion she was also called "Muffin" or "Gumdrop." Michael's infatuation for Stephanie led him to create an apartment shrine filled with her photographs. He called it "Cupcake Corner." He even had a special holiday called "Cupcake Day" which fell between Valentine's Day and Easter and afforded him the opportunity to give Stephanie even more gifts. .