March 8, 2019

Around the dial

Back after a week away from our spin around the dial, so there should be plenty to look at today!

Alex Trebek is a national treasure, according to Clair McNear at The Ringer, and who am I to disagree with that? If you can judge a man by the number of admirers he has, Alex Trebek is quite a man indeed.

"The End of Indian Summer"—ah, the way winter has been going this year, Indian Summer is as much an illusion as anything you're apt to see on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but in this case it's the latest from Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine.

Hoopla has nothing to do with March Madness—it's the free streaming service that comes to you courtesy of your neighborhood public library. If you haven't heard of this—and I hadn't—you'll want to check out Rick's piece at Classic Film and TV CafĂ©.

At The Horn Section, Hal returns to Love That Bob! with the 1958 episode "Bob Saves Harvey," the follow-up to "Bob Gets Harvey a Raise." Harvey is played by King Donovan, Paul Henning is one of the writers, and Bob himself directs.

Cult TV Blog casts an eye on Jason King, the 1971-72 ITV series starring Peter Wyngarde as the eponymous mystery writer; this week John takes us to "As Easy as ABC," in which the plots of King's novels begin to take place in real life, and you-know-who is the prime suspect.

The de-valuation of television is the latest from David at Comfort TV. TV is far less relevant now that ever; as David points out, "I’m pretty certain that hundreds of television shows have debuted and disappeared over the past 20 years, with the majority of the country unaware of their existence." More proof that we don't speak the same language anymore.

The Last Drive-In takes a good look at Kathryn Leigh Scott and her Dark Shadows legacy, including her book Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood. And something I didn't know: Kathryn Leigh Scott was born in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, only about 15 minutes from where we live now.

It's the March, 1982 issue of The Twilight Zone Magazine up for review at The Twilight Zone Vortex, and among the goodies in store is Serling's teleplay for "A Passage for Trumpet," a review of Michael Crichton's Congo, and a look at Terry Gilliam's delightful movie Time Bandits.

At Garroway at Large, Jodie shares a story that illustrates why live television was a breed unto itself, and how professionals handle the challenge.

Vanna White graced the cover of TV Guide for March 4, 1989, and 30 years later she's still going strong. It's the latest issue of Television Obscurities's look back at the year in TV Guide; this issue also includes stories on Burt Reynolds and John Lennon, certainly an odd match.

Finally, Television's New Frontier: the 1960s movies to the 1961 season of The Cheyenne Show, which by this time also included Bronco and Sugarfoot, thanks to Clint Walker's earlier walkout. It's the series' fifth and final season; read about the stories and the stars. TV  

1 comment:

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!