July 3, 2020

Around the dial

That's how I feel sometimes. I'm staring at the tube, but there's nothing there. Plenty in store here this week, so let's get right to it.

At Comfort TV, David takes a witty, yet bittingly accurate look at statues of classic TV figures, and why you might want to take a look at them while you can, if you know what I mean. When I worked in downtown Minneapolis, I saw our very own Mary Tyler Moore statue every day, but I think I'd be afraid to go down there nowmight get shot.

At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick looks at one of the few classic TV series to appear (so far) on the new NBC streaming service Peacock: Alfred Hitchcock Presents. As a bonus, he also gives us a list of the best episodes from the first season.

Speaking of Hitch, this week's Hitchcock Project at bare•bones e-zine involves one of those first-season episodes, as Jack goes indepth on Harold Swanton's "Portrait of Jocelyn," a sinister little story that shows us what Philip Abbott did before he ran off and joined The F.B.I.

It's the first of a two-part appraisal of Dave Garroway's career after Today over at Garroway at Large, Jodie looks at a number of the Master Communicator's appearances in various media, including his week guest-hosting ABC's late night show Nightline. (Not that one.) 

Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater present the latest in their podcast series Flipside: The True Story of Bob Crane. In this two-part episode, Carol and Linda try to separate fact from fiction as it relates to the final days of Bob Crane.

At Inner Toob, it's a typically bizarre (and humorous) look at how a "fictional" version of The Hollywood Squares has been part of sevearl other television series. Read it, it'll make more sense than what I've said. Trust me.

Terence remembers Carl Reiner in a very nice obituary at A Shroud of Thought, reminding us of the accomplishments of one of the last legends of the Golden Age of Television. There are other retrospectives, but I thought this was one of the best.

Hugh Downs died on Wednesday at the age of 99. He was one of the few people who could project credibility as a talk show second banana, the emcee of a game show, a newsman on a morning show, and a host of a prime time newsmagazine. If you doubt his gravitas, watch this clip of him talking about the significance of John F. Kennedy on the morning of his funeral.


Nice, wasn't it? Simple and elegantjust like Hugh Downs himself.

Tomorrow's the Fourth of July, and we'll be back with another TV Guide. And though it will be a different Fourth than we're used to, take a moment to remember what the day is all about, and why we should be grateful to the Founding Fathers. And let's be careful out there, okay? TV  

2 comments:

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!