Around the Dial

We haven't visited the classic TV blogosphere for a while - hell, I've been having trouble visiting my own site - so let's catch up on some of the superior writing out there.

I had a very nice email the other day from Cary O'Dell, who writes occasionally for TVParty (as do I, full disclosure) and has written the kind of book I like to read - June Cleaver Was a Feminist.  It's gone on my wish list, and I'll have a full review of it after the fact.  And in that light, David at Comfort TV* has a terrific piece on how Father Knows Best could be much deeper than the classic sitcom is given credit for.  It does what the best articles do for me - makes me want to watch the episodes he discusses.

*I love that name.  I've always thought of television as comfort food for the weary.

If you're a sports fan, I don't need to tell you how frustrating following your favorite teams and athletes can be, and one of my most frustrating pursuits has been rooting for Phil Mickelson to win the U.S. Open.  We're not going to talk about that right now (or ever, probably), but at Classic TV Sports Media Jeff has an excellent recap on the history of TV coverage of the Open.  There are some great memories embedded in that timeline, and some revelations as well - for example, did you know Ed Sullivan was part of the announcing crew at the 1959 Open?  Read Jeff to find out why.

My backlog of topics for midweek essays continues to pile up, including some I've already promised, and one of these days I'm going to use a couple of them to go over my personal all-time top-10 shows.  But I can tell you one of them right now: What's My Line?, the ultimate in urbane television, which even today boasts of a following that includes Wall Street Journal drama critic and blogger Terry Teachout and How Sweet It Was guest blogger Alan Hait, who pens this great reminiscence of the long-running (17½ seasons) program.

No specific article, but Kliph at Classic Television Showbiz has been posting a score of great old TV clips, featuring forgotten sitcoms, surprising variety shows, and provocative talk shows.  When you've got a few hours to kill (i.e. not at work), do yourself a favor and check them out.  You'll be glad you did.

That's it for this week - see you back here on Saturday (or Sunday, if real life once again intervenes). TV