Around the Dial

A day late and a dollar short, as they say, but better late than never, as they also say.*  Let's take a look at some of this week's storylines from classic TV land.

*Whoever they are.  I wish I knew; I'd love to get the royalties for every time one of those phrases is uttered.

At Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, Ivan gives us an update on classic TV coming to video.   Do you live to add some of these programs to your collection?  I have to admit that I can probably hold my money for the time being.  Dobie Gillis is a program I vaguely remember from my youth, but I'd probably have to give it a trial run on MeTV before I'd plunk down the dollars for the complete set.  I love Jack Benny, and I've already got a set of his classic episodes, so I'd be interested in this if it has content I don't already own.  The one show I'm intrigued by is Dr. Kildare, based mostly on reputation.  I think I'll check out the content from YouTube and then look for a sale.

I always like to check out Classic Sports and TV Media, because I like both classic sports and TV, but also because Jeff's always telling me something I didn't know, or confirming something I thought I did know.  This week he catches CBS in an error-filled press release regarding the history of its Masters golf coverage.  As I told Jeff, they should have just asked him in the first place; his records are much more comprehensive than theirs.

Not strictly TV-related, but Rick at Classic Film and TV Cafe has another in a series of quizzes on movies you've probably seen on TV or DVD - We Describe the Movie, You Name It.  No peeking at the comments before you've had a chance to take a shot at the quiz yourself.  I didn't know most of them, but it did make me want to check some of them out.

At Classic Television Showbiz, Kliph has been sharing a host of clips from classic talk and variety shows of the time, including Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, and Perry Como.  The Allen shows in particular are a treat, giving us not only a look at the stars of the day, but also a glimpse of one of the most talented men in showbiz, the anti-Sullivan if you will, who was also a serious threat to Ed in the ratings.

And for those of you who missed it, I'm quoted in this article at iPoll about TV trends through the decades.  As we always say, there was some great stuff left on the cutting room floor. but it's still well worth reading, and not only because of me!

That's it for today - tomorrow's TV Guide piece might appear a little later in the day than usual, but it will be here nonetheless, and so should you.  Aloha. TV