We'll begin this week's review at bare•bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at the second season story "Kill by Kindness" by A.J. Russell, based on a teleplay he'd previously written for The Clock (not uncommon in the early years of TV), and starring Hume Cronyn, Carmen Matthews, and James Gleason. As frequently happens, the ending is both surprising and satisfying.
John's examination of the television works of British actor Denis Shaw continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week we see Shaw's performance in an American television series, The Vise, and the episode "The Very Silent Traveler." As John mentions, there are a couple of different versions of The Vise, one that includes detective Mark Saber, but this isn't one of those episodes, even though it does contain crime and punishment.
A pair of interesting observations from Travalanche; the first is a brief look at William S. Paley and the birth of CBS. Paley, of course, is one of the major figures in the history of television; even though he didn't appear in front of the camera, he had a lot to do with who did. Next, it's 70 years of The Tonight Show, and you can certainly see how that institution has changed over the years.
Likewise, TV Obscurities entertains with a couple of interesting bits on the 1969 series The New People, one of television's rare attempts at a 45-minute series. The first is a five-page proposal for the series, with some significant changes from the finished product; the secnd is a promotional spot designed to explain the premise to viewers.
It's another week of obituaries at A Shroud of Thoughts; first, observations on the death of Kris Kristofferson at 88. Although he was primarily a singer, he was also a very effective actor, with several television credits to his name. Then, it's John Amos, who actually died in August; his death wasn't made public until earlier this week. He was 84, with an impressive pedigree, including Roots, Good Times, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Television's New Frontier: The 1960s covers 1962 and the end of the third season and start of the fourth season of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The quality is erratic, but you'll always enjoy Dwayne Hickman and Bob Denver, and how can you completely hate a series that gave us Tuesday Weld and includes a couple of apperances by Yvonne Craig?
At The Hits Just Keep On Comin', jb passes final judgment on Barnaby Jones, the detective series starring Buddy Ebsen. The quality of the show came and went, but I know of many, many people who have very fond memories of it; as jb says, "It's not good, exactly, but the rhythms and tropes of 70s TV are comfort food, and in a world such as this one, we need that." Amen to all that.
Paul returns to the world of the TV-movie at Drunk TV with the 1972 thriller The Norliss Tapes, which bore more than a passing resemblance to The Night Stalker—well, it was made by Dan Curtis. The good news: there's Angie Dickinson, although she's wasted. The bad news: there's also Roy Thinnes, who happens to be the star. The worst news: unlike The Night Stalker, there's no real sense of humor. And that's no laughing matter. TV
Thanks, Mitchell!
ReplyDeleteJust noticed the picture of the Virgin Mary on top of the TV. Considering the type of trash that's on today, you'd have to turn the picture around.
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