Around the dial

A few internal announcements to lead off the day. First, you may have noticed some subtle changes to the site; I've moved several tabs, including the index to "This Week in TV Guide," from the top to the sidebar. The top is now reserved for items that I've done outside the blog, such as my books, videos, and appearances at other sites. Point is, if you're looking for something that isn't where it used to be, it's somewhere else. Nothing's disappeared.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from reader Barbie, with the following question: "I’m looking for a 1975 TV guide photo of the “Vegetable Soup” TV show. It may have been an insert. It was probably about a featured segment called “Nigel a boy and his boa”. I am friends with the person who played the boy in that segment. I’m trying to locate the photographs to present it to him as a gift. If you have any suggestions ideas or inclination on how I may track the photo down or find it, I would greatly appreciate it." I've been unable to find it so far myself, so I put it to those of you with TV Guides from the time. If any of you happen to have this picture, please let me know and I'll facilitate the communication with Barbie. Thanks in advance! And now to the best of the week.

At bare•bones e-zine, Jack comes to the last of the Morton Fine-David Friedkin scripts for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "The Monkey's Paw—A Retelling," broadcast on NBC on Monday, April 19, 1965. Find out what Jack thinks of this adaptation of a classic short story.

Jodie has an excellent, thought-provoking piece at Garroway at Large, with several examples of times when Dave Garroway took a strong and principled stand in favor of racial equality. Not surprisingly, his actions met with less than universal praise.

Here's something I think you'll really like, courtesy of Carol at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy: a 1988 reunion show originally broadcast on WZFM radio in New York, with Werner Klemperer, Leon Askin, Larry Hovis, and Robert Clary, and hosted by Paul Cavalconte. It's a lot of fun!

Time once again for David to ask the question "Purchase or Pass" at Comfort TV. This week's show: The Smith Family, the comedy-drama from 1971 starring Henry Fonda as a police detective, Janet Blair as his wife, and Darleen Carr, Ron Howard, and Michael-James Wixted as his children.

Television's New Frontier: the 1960s takes on the 1961 season of one of my all-time favorites, Perry Mason, focusing on a very interesting look at professor Thomas Leitch's analysis of Mason's enduring popularity, that's well worth reading.

While we might be excited here about entering the 10th season of It's About TV!, Terence is celebrating his 16th anniversary at A Shroud of Thought. Read more about it, including a list of his favorite pieces from the past year.

And at Wink Martindale's classic television game page, there's a tribute to Fred Willard with a look at a 2004 attempt to revive Match Game with this concept pilot, known as What the Blank. (Thanks, obmcomp!)

That's it for this week; stay safe out there, wherever you are, and we'll see you tomorrow. TV