April 5, 2019

Around the dial

Idon't know about you, but right about now there's nothing I'd rather be doing than imitating Linus there, stretched out in front of the TV. In reality, while I am stretched out (more or less), I'm writing about TV instead of watching it, having gotten to this point by reading about it. So what have I read about that I'm now writing about?

At Comfort TV, David discusses one of classic television's enduring tropes: the stuck elevator. Every show worth its salt knew a sure-fire plot device "was to trap incompatible characters in a stuck elevator and let the sparks fly," and David has some of the best examples.

Speaking of plot devices, I remember when Murder One premiered on ABC with the novel idea of focusing an entire season on a single murder trial. Personally, I didn't think it was as good as it should have been, but Classic Film and TV Café makes the case (heh-heh) that we shouldn't forget it, either.

Have you heard that The Twilight Zone is back again? It is, if you've got CBS All-Access. I don't, but at The Twilight Zone Vortex Jordan gives us a first review of Jordan Peele's new iteration of one of television's most endearing shows. And, as both he and Inner Toob mention, the true TZ fan will recognize where some of the character names in that initial episode come from...

The Last Drive-In has a conversation with Jerry Mathers, which serves as a reminder that his acting career didn't start with Leave it to Beaver. As Monstergirl says, he really is an American Icon. It's an excellent review of Mathers' substantial list of credits.

One of the things I like about Television Obscurities' review of TV Guide 20 years ago is that it gives us a great idea of who and what populated the headlines we read back then. L.A. Law! Gary Coleman! Father Dowling! Check out more on the April 1 issue, and that's no joke!

This year is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, so perhaps it's appropriate that Hal is reviewing a Love That Bob! episode at The Horn Section called "Bob in Orbit." That's not the point, of course, but it's another of the episodes featuring Grandpa (played, naturally, by none other than Bob Cummings himself).

Back tomorrow with a far-more traditional TV Guide than last weekTV  

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shoutout Mitchell!

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  2. Thanks, Mitchell! Really enjoying the new Zone so far. If you're curious CBS put the first episode, "The Comedian," up for free on YouTube.

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Thanks for writing! Drive safely!