tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post3124902794242473149..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: This week in TV Guide: July 4, 1964Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-11760049980470697162015-07-13T20:08:15.884-04:002015-07-13T20:08:15.884-04:00"Hootenanny" was a folk-music show which..."Hootenanny" was a folk-music show which premiered in April of 1963 (perhaps as a summer replacement), and taped on-location at college campuses, village greens, etc.<br /><br />The show enjoyed good ratings for about nine months. But the British Music Invasion struck with full force in early 1964, "Hootenanny""s ratings nosedived (seems everybody preferred the new English rock groups), and the show was cancelled at season's end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-34843875594233697032015-07-06T11:39:32.028-04:002015-07-06T11:39:32.028-04:00For years and years we watched a doubleheader of &...For years and years we watched a doubleheader of "1776" and "The Music Man" on the 4th. Sometimes "Yankee Doodle Dandy" if we had time. We even worked in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in the morning. I just loved Daniels as John Adams and Howard Da Silva as Franklin.<br /><br />Unfortunately, and I don't want to get political here (I do that on the other blog), the last few years we just haven't had the heart to watch them. Not the America I remember any more. A couple of years ago we watched the Met Opera doing "Elektra," and this year it was a disturbing Playhouse 90 adaptation of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" with Roddy McDowall. I don't think they did well with the optimistic ending, but it was probably as good as you could get away with back in the day.<br />Mitchell Hadleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-35719880803716023152015-07-05T13:23:23.249-04:002015-07-05T13:23:23.249-04:00As a big fan of the film "1776" I'd ...As a big fan of the film "1776" I'd always loved that many in the cast would have that tie in with TV characters I'd enjoy watching. You know, Ken Howard (The White Shadow) as Thomas Jefferson, William Daniels * (Dr. Mark Craig) as John Adams and of course Howard Caine (Major Wolfgang Hochstetter) as the always abstaining, courteously, Lewis Morris.<br /><br />You mentioned that the Ed Sullivan Show was a new episode. Isn't that unusual for a regular season series, and not a summer replacement, to run a new episode in July?<br /><br />* - and I'm sure every TV viewer knows that the writers of "St. Elsewhere" took advantage of the Daniels/1778 tie in on an episode where Dr. Craig and his wife go back to visit Philadelphia. ("It's hot as hell, in Philadelphia!")Richard John Marcejhttp://www.richardjohnmarcej.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-89092439096312124422015-07-04T17:44:46.025-04:002015-07-04T17:44:46.025-04:00First, a small correction:
Look at the listing fo...First, a small correction:<br /><br />Look at the listing for Donald O'Connor's show a little closer: it's a <i>Special</i>.<br />This had been Garry Moore's timeslot; his show ended some weeks before. <br />CBS knew that they'd need several weeks for the political conventions and the Olympics, so they decided to use the time for various specials that had been on their shelf for a while.<br />Some were reruns from previous seasons; others (like the O'Connor show) were likely pilots.<br />Some of the other shows were vehicles for Esther Williams, Keefe Brasselle, and <i>Rocky & Bullwinkle</i> producer Jay Ward. Honest.<br /><br />Oh, by the way:<br /><i>Hootenanny</i> was about folksinging; at no time would it be a rival to <i>Shindig</i>, which was a rock-'n'-roll show, and anyway, both these shows were on ABC.<br /><i>Shindig</i>'s rival was NBC's <i>Hullabaloo</i>, which came along at midseason of '64-'65.<br /><br />Not much I can add here; right now I'm half-looking at <i>1776</i> on TCM.<br />I suppose you're watching it too.<br />If so, did you happen to notice Lewis Morris, the New York delegate who always "abstains .... courteously"?<br />Particularly, did you recognize the actor playing the part?<br />Just askin', is all ...Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.com