September 30, 2016

Around the dial

Another Friday, another look around the classic TV blogosphere. Let's see what kind of reading we can find, shall we?

I've always liked Glenn Ford, so naturally I enjoyed reading Classic Film and TV Cafe's seven things to know about the actor. Besides projecting an onscreen authority and dignity (both on television and in the movies), he also had the ability to switch between good and bad guys, sometimes even in the same role.

Comfort TV looks at a most politically-uncorrect episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, and asks if you could make such an episode today. The answer, which David provides at the same time as the question, is no - after all, today's SJW class is so absolutely humorless, they'll object even when the supposedly offended class - in this instance Native Americans - actually winds up looking better.

I make no secret of being a big Perry Mason fan - indeed, I'd shout it from the hilltops if there were any here in Dallas, Anyway, Amanda has a review of the book The Case of the Alliterative Attorney at Made For TV Mayhem, and her terrific write-up gives ample reason to make this book part of your television collection.

Speaking as we were of book reviews, The Twilight Zone Vortex looks at the new Penguin Classics collection of short stories by frequent TZ contributor Charles Beaumont. Despite some misfires in story selection, it's nice to see Beaumont getting some recognition from the venerable publisher - hopefully this means we'll see more of his stories in print soon.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries is a Australian mystery series set in the 1950s, featuring a police surgeon whose expertise aids the local police in their investigations. Craig McLachlan stars in this predictable but enjoyable series, reviewed here by British TV Detectives.

bare-bones e-zine features another episode from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, starring John Williams - not the composer, but the English actor famous for so many portrayals of police detectives - this time playing the victim in "Whodunit."

Television Obscurities has another brilliant long-form look at an obscure series of the '60s, NBC's 1961 Civil War drama The Americans, starring Darryl Hickman and Dick Davalos as brothers on opposite sides of the conflict.

And Ray Starman, whose book The Sitcom Class Wars was reviewed here, will be appearing on Ed Robertson's internet talk show TV Confidential the weekend of October 21-24. Be sure to check
tvconfidential.net's "Upcoming Guests" and "Archives" before listening.

That should do it for now, but be sure to be back here tomorrow. TV  

2 comments:

  1. Thanks Mitch for mentioning my podcast interview with Ed Robertson of tvconfidential.net. It will now air the weekend of Oct28-31. Again, check "Upcoming Guests" and "Archives" before listening.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!