Around the dial

There's not much activity at the classic television corral this week, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. It couldn't have anything to do with this being Easter week, or spring break (somewhere), or the start of real springtime weather, or things that might keep people from staying indoors and watching old television shows, right?

Actually, I envy people like that, you know, people who have actual lives. I spend too much time in front of the television, I'm sure; I'm equally sure that I spend too much time on the keyboard. I am a writer, after all, so I suppose I'm just doing what I should be doing. Still, as I look at it, this is the start of the 13th season of It's About TV, and for most of that time I've kept myself to a schedule of four articles a week. Granted, some of them aren't that big a deal, but there are those that wind up taking a lot more time and effort than I'd prefer. I know that many people communicate their thoughts and opinions on Twitter, or Facebook, or Instagram; I use social media to promote the site, but when it comes to writing, I'll always be a long-form type of writer. I don't say that to project an air of superiority; as Walter Brennan used to say, "No brag, just fact." My job is to use words to say things, and right now I think I've used enough words to fill up what would otherwise be empty space, so we can get on with our regular programming. As I said, there may not be many links, but it's made up for by the quality.

At Cult TV Lounge, we have something most welcome: an original Avengers novel, Dead Duck, written by none other than John Steed himself, Patrick Macnee. At least that's what it says on the cover, although the likely author is Peter Leslie; "It is just within the bounds of possibility that Macnee may have had some slight input into the book."

Staying with the them of British television, over at Cult TV Blog (no relation to the above), John continues his posts on 1980s series TV with a look at the "coming-of-age" drama, and some typical examples from the era. John has the same general dislike for this genre as I do, but as he points out, these shows are invaluable for depicting the grim Britain of the 1980s 

Some of you may remember my old blog "Our Word and Welcome to It," which has been on an extended hiatus for, let's see, nearly two years now. (Never say never, though.) That title came from the 1969-70 series My World and Welcome to It, which starred William Windom and was aclaimed, though fell victim to low ratings. At Comfort TV, David tells you why it's one of his "unshakables."

Martin Grams talks autographs—their monetary value, and their personal value—in an interesting article that doubles as a noteon the autograph sale that Martin is a part of. Having looked at the website (which is included in the story I've linked to), there are some very fun and very affortable signatures for sale, and it's well worth your time to check it out.

Now, you see what I mean? In terms of quantity, not much, but I think you'll enjoy what we're sharing today. Next week we'll hopefully have more links, and less of me. TV