Around the dial

We start this week at A Shroud of Thoughts, where Terence shares some thoughts on the recent addition of Everyone Loves Raymond to the MeTV schedule, and raises an interesting question on what the definition of "classic" TV actually is. Does it refer to the quality of the show, or when the show was made? I've struggled with this myself, which I tried to rectify with the subtitle of Darkness in Primetime, which refers to "Classic-Era" television. If I were to redefine this blog today, I'd probably use the term "vintage" television to underline the focus on the era; as for the definition of "classic," I'd say that in television terms, a show should be off the air for at least thirty years before it can be termed a "classic"; it has to demonstrate that it can withstand the test of time. Anything less than thirty years old can't make that claim. And MeTV should be for show that can't be seen elsewhere. Period.

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan reviews the dismal final-season episode "Black Leather Jackets," written by Earl Hamner Jr., which proves, among other things, that Hamner is best advised to stick to relationship stories and not try remakes of The Wild One.

Speaking of, Martin Grams is back with another book review, this time Submitted For Your Approval, a collection of short stories inspired by the original Twilight Zone and edited by Rod Serling's widow, Anne. It's billed as Volume 1, which suggests more to follow.

David's journey through 1970s television continues at Comfort TV, as we come to Sunday nights, 1977. Sunday is generally the night with the highest viewing numbers, and it certainly worked for CBS; see how many of their hits you recognize from this lineup.

Although the anthology format has disappeared from network television in the United States, it was still alive and well in Britain, and at Cult TV Blog, John discusses one of them: Play for Today, specifically the play "Hard Labour," written and directed by Mike Leigh.

At Inner Toob, it's a look at Miracle on 34th Street in popular culture, with allusions or references to it in shows running the gamut from Hart to Hart to Lou Grant. None of them can ever do just to the original, of course.

And now we return to the wonderful world of F Troop at The Horn Section, as Hal reviews "The Great Troop Robbery," in which our con man, Corporal Agarn, is himself the victim of a con, and Milton Berle makes a special guest appearance.

At Drunk TV, Paul is ostensibly reviewing the first season of The Patty Duke Show, but what I really enjoy is his slam on Nick at Nite, his quote from the Book of the Apocalypse, and his memories of the wonderful, early days of cable TV. And his review is pretty good, too! 

Roger reviews the latest A-Team episode, "Chopping Spree," at The View from the Junkyard, and as was the case with last week's episode, it demonstrates a break in convention from the show's usual formula. Read on to see if it works. 

Finally, at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie looks at one of my favorite noirs, Murder, My Sweet, featuring the definitive private detective, Philip Marlowe, and the definitive Marlow, the great Dick Powell. I can't think of a better way to end the week. TV

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