Around the dial

Let's start this week at Comfort TV, where, in the wake of Gene Hackman's death, David wonders what would have happened had Sherwood Schwartz gotten his way and cast Hackman as Mike Brady in The Brady Bunch.

At Cult TV Blog, John returns to the idea of devoting a series of posts to a single actor in different roles. In this case, it's the actress Sylvia Coleridge, with many Brit TV credits to her name. For this first piece, we look at her in Who Dares Win from 1983.

In other Brit TV, it's back to The View from the Junkyard and Roger's latest New Avengers review. This week, it's the episode "Dirtier by the Dozen," and if you're tempted to think of the movie with a similar name, it's no accident: it's a grim look at war, violence, and the "just following orders" mentality.

At Travalanche, it's a look back at the life and times of the legendary Willard Scott, best known as the weatherman on The Today Show, but with many more credits to his name, from Bozo the Clown to the original Ronald McDonald. You'll find he's quite a character.

If you're in the market for Adam West's Batman Utility Belt, you're in luck! It's just one of the many TV props up for bids at the Los Angeles Spring 2025 Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, and you can read all about them over at Television Obscurities.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence plays tribute to a pair of actresses with considerable credits in classic television: Jan Shepard, who died in January aged 96; and Olive Sturgess, who died last month aged 91. Read more about them, and learn about their legacy.

Martin Grams has a quartet of reviews of the latest entertainment books from Bear Manor Media, including biographies of Cary Grant, Boris Karloff, Joe E. Brown, and James Cagney. Their inventory is always worth looking at; I have a book from them myself that I'll be reviewing shortly.

 

At Drunk TV, Paul is back with a look at season one of the 1950s series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, starring Richard Simmons (no, not that one( as the stouthearted Mountie sergeant. It's good fun, and also an example of an early all-color series. 

Finally, at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie takes a fond trip down memory lane to the third Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee. Pertwee played the Doctor with style and elan, and led the show into the modern, color era. It's a perfect example of the show the way it was meant to be. TV