March 2, 2018

Around the dial

We've got a full house of links this week, so let's get right to them.

David at Comfort TV has a look at how the sitcom has portrayed psychiatrists and psychologists over the years. I'd forgotten about some of these; for instance, that Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie was a psychiatrist. I just remembered him as long-suffering. Of course, it's been a while since I've seen it...

The Hitchcock Project continues apace at bare-bones e-zine, and this week Jack takes us to the season three episode "The Impromptu Murder," adapted by Francis Cockrell and starring the wonderful Hume Cronyn. I really enjoy these recaps!

Speaking of Hitch, don't miss the picture at the Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland - it shows the great man impersonating Ringo Starr for the opening of one of his shows!

At Garroway at Large, Jodie has some additional information on the story from a couple of weeks ago about Today's reporting on the death of George VI. It was a big story for the young show to cover, and I always enjoy reading the inside story about how coverage like this is put together, as well as how it came off to those who saw it.

Love that Bob! returns to The Horn Section as Hal reviews the 1956 episode "The Dominant Sex," in which our hero Bob takes on the challenge of beautiful Italian starlet Ana Maria Scarpitta, who says "American men are unromantic businessmen who are completely dominated by women."

Ever thought of traveling to Nebraska to learn more about Star Trek? Outspoken and Freckled tells us how the Gage County Classic Film Institute gives Trekkies a good reason why.

For Black History Month, Joanne at Christmas TV History gives us a look at the 1982 Christmas episode of Diff'rent Strokes. It blends together a number of threads from different - or diff'rent - Yuletide storylines, but its moral is one that's bound to make you feel good, whether or not you were a regular viewer of the show.

Also for the occasion, A Shroud of Thoughts presents a history-making moment by Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte in 1968. Some food for thought indeed.

Hard as it may be to believe, I've been accused of being ponderous from time to time, but even I find this essay on The Andy Griffith Show (a series I've never been a big fan of, by the way) to be just a bit too much on every account. Am I wrong, or doesn't this kind of thing really take the fun out of just watching television?

Let's try and have some fun out there, and come on back tomorrow. TV  

5 comments:

  1. The Andy Griffith Show essay is painful. It lost me at "prelapsarian".

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    1. Once again, the moral for those of you tempted to write one of these essays: don't try this at home.

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  2. I thought the Andy Griffith article was hilarious.

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