Around the dial

You know, it's amazing how much less exciting Fridays become after you've retired. It's almost a letdown, thinking that another week has come and gone, another seven days that you won't get a chance to replay. Ah, just one of the things that runs through your mind when you realize that you are old. Let's look at some old television news instead.

I don't know about you, but "The Sweet Scene of Death" doesn't sound much like the fragrance I'd most like to experience, but if you're writing about Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, as John does at this week's Cult TV Blog, it's the perfect title.

Another familiar face from our Comfort TV world has died, that being the luminous Joanna Pettet, who was such a familiar face back in the day. David reviews some of her many credits from the 1960s right through the 1980s.

Scott Hylands was another familiar name and face from the era, and he died last month at age 83. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence reviews his credits from a long and successful career that stretched all the way to 2017.

For fans of a certain time, the name Clifton Fadiman will ring a bell, and Martin Grams reviews a memoir by Fadiman's daughter, Ann, The Wine Lover's Daughter, a delightful look back at the man who created the Book of the Month club.

What sums up the 1980s better than a guest appearance by Rick James on The A-Team, playing himself? That pretty much tells you all you have to know about the decade, other than the episode "The Heart of Rock n' Roll," which Roger reviews at The View from the Junkyard." Oh, and we've got Isaac Hayes too! Can't beat it! TV

If you enjoy the content here and want to support my broader creative work, please consider leaving a tip at my Ko-fi page. Any amount you contribute helps me continue writing, researching, and sharing these articles and projects. Thank you!