Someone who signs his name "Kosmo" writes…
Your latest Barbara Eden post completely trumps what I was about to tell you. I figured the best way to identify the source of the "Spinning Wheel" clip was to ask Barbara Eden herself…so I did. (This weekend was only the second time in my 57 years I've been in the presence of lovely Barbara.) I told her about the on-line discussion of her "Spinning Wheel" clip on YouTube and the debate about what TV show it was from.
She said she was familiar with the clip and it wasn't from a TV show. It was a performance she did as part of her live stage act. The newspaper clipping you posted clearly demonstrates otherwise. If I can't believe 100% in something Barbara Eden tells me, then is there any point in going on living?
I can forgive her for two reasons. One is that she has done so much in her career that it's completely understandable that she can't remember everything. If she indeed did the number in her live stage act, it could easily slip her mind that she also did it once for a Bob Hope special.
That's one of the things that impresses me most about Ms. Eden. There have been hundreds (if not thousands) of attractive women who've gotten a break in film or television. I would guess there have been about half a dozen who've had careers of 50+ years and anywhere near as many major roles as Barbara Eden. This is a person who had a big part on an I Love Lucy in 1957 and a starring role in a series (How to Marry a Millionaire) that started that same year. Obviously, she was hired a lot for her looks when she was in her twenties but you don't work that much and for that long just because of your looks.
So all that's one reason I can forgive her. The other is that she's Barbara Eden. I could forgive her anything.
By the way! I'm a member of a group called the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, a society of folks who've had long careers in the TV or radio field. Several times a year, they stage a luncheon and honor someone in the industry and in April, their Guest of Honor will be Barbara Eden. I met her briefly at a luncheon back in 2003 when they honored Tom Bosley. She looked about half her age then and I guess that's another reason she's been working for so long.