December 9, 2022

Around the dial




Since we're in the midst of the Yule season, let's start off at Drunk TV, where Paul looks back at one of Perry Como's classic Christmas specials, this one from 1974. (Compared to other stars of the time, there are an extraordinary number of Como Christmas specials from over the years on YouTube, and you should check them out.) It's an excellent analysis not only of the show itself, but the light it throws on what Paul calls a "lost world." Again, terrific.

At Comfort TV, David continues his trek through 1970s television with a look at the shows of Monday and Tuesday nights, 1971. You'll find some familiar names there, but perhaps also some shows you've forgotten, or never knew about. Always a good time!

"Time machines and buried ledes" is the title of Jodie's latest at Garroway at Large, which I really like because that, in a nutshell, is what my Saturday TV Guide feature is all about. In this case, though, I also like it because of some interesting Dave stuff, a look at the picture for the cover of Jodie's Garroway book, and a kind mention of me (and if you haven't read that interview yet, you should).

Jack's returned to the 1992 series Virtual Murder, and the episode "A Dream of Dracula" at Cult TV Blog. This week's story concerns a university production of "Dracula" coinciding with reports of a real-life vampire on the loose. It doesn't get better than that.

This past Wednesday was Pearl Harbor Day, and at Television Obscurities, Robert flashes back to an aspect of that story that I don't think most of us would have considered: how television—yes, television—covered the unfolding story.

I think I've mentioned before that I took to watching Sesame Street in my teens, well out of the intended age group of the show, as a self-defense mechanism to escape the truly awful after-school TV choices while living in the World's Worst Town™. My favorite human character was Bob McGrath, and I was delighted to find out years later that he had previously been on Sing Along with Mitch, which meant he'd been on TV a long time. Bob died this week, aged 90, and in addition to this warm look at his career by Terence at A Shade of Thoughts, the Broadcast Archives has a nice picture of him from his Sing Along days.

At Shadow & Substance, Paul debates the ending of a Twilight Zone classic: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You." It's a very good article about a terrific episode, which you'll recall I wrote about in my "Descent into Hell" series (which will be back after the new year).

Finally, Herbie J. Pilato takes a closer look at the fondly-remembered detective series Barnaby Jones, with Buddy Ebsen in his second big TV hit. It's more Cannon than Mannix (you won't see Barnaby beating the hell out of anyone!), and it makes for a pleasant evening's watch.

Back tomorrow, and I promise Yule Love It! TV  

1 comment:

  1. I can't compare to living in the "World's Worst Town" but as an Aussie child in the 1970s and early 1980s, Christmas holidays in the country meant having only two channels and one of them didn't sign on until lunchtime. As a result I was also seeing Sesame Street as the only option every morning at breakfast when I was well past its target age group!

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