December 13, 2019

Around the dial

No more secret missions for work this year, so let's get back to basics and see what's new in the classic TV blogosphere.

First up is David at Comfort TV, who gives us a tantalizing idea of what his Brady Bunch book might have been, offering us a sample chapter. That's a book I would have had on my bookshelf.

A joke in the Hadley household is that if a television episode has a lot of speechifying and pontificating, it must have been written by Sterling Silliphant. Seriously, though, Sillliphant was a very talented writer, as Jack reminds us at bare•bones e-zine with his Hitchcock Project look at the outstanding first-season episode "Never Again." 

Let's go across the pond to Cult TV Blog, where John reviews an episode of the surreal British sketch comedy show of the 1970s, The Goonies. I think the "Playgirl Club" sketch will give you a pretty good idea of what the show's all about.

My primary exposure to the British actor John Thaw was through the superb 1990s detective series Inspector Morse, but Rick at Classic Film & TV CafĂ© points out that he should also be remembered for his work in a much different series, Kavanagh, Q.C.

The Secret Sanctum of Captain Video has a fitting tribute to the late Rene Auberjonois, who was best known from Benson and Deep Space Nine, but I recall him as well from some fine documentary voiceovers through the years.

Meanwhile, A Shroud of Thoughts looks at the life and career of actor Ron Leibman, whom I still remember from Kaz, but he, too, did much, much more.

At Garroway at Large, Jodie takes a look at a small book called You Don’t Say! …Or Do You? Read about the role this book had in the career of a young man named Dave Garroway.

It's time for another The Twilight Zone Magazine flashback at The Twilight Zone Vortex, and Jordon's looking at the August, 1982 issue, one that includes Ben Herndon's interview with former TZ producer Douglas Heyes.

I'm always kind of amused to see Death Valley Days described in TV Guide listings as "drama," when, as Television's New Frontier: the 1960s points out, it could be considered perhaps "the first realistic western TV program." Read here about the 1961 season.

I always enjoyed TV Guide's year-end look back, and when it was the review of a decade, that made it even better. The Television Obscurities review of 1989 continues with the December 9, 1989 issue that looks at a very active decade.

Tomorrow's active as well, so be sure to stop back and see what's what. TV  

2 comments:

  1. Just to let you know that I mailed off your Christmas present package yesterday.
    You should receive the stuff by the beginning of next week.
    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Mitchell. I love that Stirling Silliphant is a topic of discussion in your household!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!