tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post5665050472688110903..comments2024-03-29T11:16:07.637-04:00Comments on It's About TV: What's on TV? February 11, 1981Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-11209202687947619072015-02-12T09:11:19.178-05:002015-02-12T09:11:19.178-05:00(eeep my comment got vacuumed up as well! So here ...(eeep my comment got vacuumed up as well! So here goes again...)<br /><br />Mike I'm suitably impressed with your knowledge of things Australian TV and <i>The Don Lane Show</i>.<br /><br />The show was hugely popular and like you say certainly brought a touch of Hollywood and British showbiz down under with lots of interviews and performances of overseas artists. Improvements in satellites also led to the show being one of the first in Australia to take advantage and do lots of live via satellite interviews. It must have cost a pretty penny but I'm sure it was worth it when the ratings numbers would come out.<br /><br />Sammy Davis Jnr was also a fan of the show and apparently while touring Australia, on one night he made a surprise visit to Don while the show was in progress.<br /><br /><i>The Don Lane Show</i> wrapped up in 1983 and while Australia has various other 'tonight' shows since then (including Lane's short-lived <i>Late Night Australia</i> in 1988) I don't think any have matched the success of <i>The Don Lane Show</i>. The success of the show led to a DVD release of highlights a few years ago.<br /><br />I hope you don't mind me posting a link Mitchell but here is the obituary I wrote after Don Lane's passing in 2009: http://televisionau.com/2009/10/don-lane.html<br />Television.AUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903689901203419868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-37467176227265231212015-02-11T02:00:50.929-05:002015-02-11T02:00:50.929-05:00I agree with you about John Davidson. I never like...I agree with you about John Davidson. I never liked him, he always seemed so... smarmy too me. This post and your comments reminded me of what may be the only time I made a point to watch Davidson's show. Sometime in 1980 I'd heard that Ringo was to be one of his guest's. I remember that Ringo and wife Barbara Bach were on (plugging their movie "Caveman") and weren't too interested in being on this show. Davidson soon loses all control and can never get the former Beatle to answer any of his Beatle questions. For the heck of it, I just checked You Tube, and what do you know, here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eer7hlOsFaE<br /><br />Richard J. Marcejhttp://www.theblabbingbaboon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-41013363585920816422015-02-10T10:17:22.809-05:002015-02-10T10:17:22.809-05:00You got it! Congratulations! :)You got it! Congratulations! :)Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483417885845331990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-47757239973427761952015-02-10T01:40:47.904-05:002015-02-10T01:40:47.904-05:00I needed some extra time to check my references - ...I needed some extra time to check my references - I don't have this particular issue.<br /><br />Some researched notes, as they presented themselves:<br /><br /> - Your PBS stations were no more respectful of the network's schedule than the ones we have in Chicago were (or are, comes to that).<br /><br /> - The local network affiliates did quite a bit of scrambling of their daytime slates:<br /><br />Ch4 (CBS) used <i>Hour Magazine</i> in place of reruns of <i>The Jeffersons</i> and <i>Alice</i> (the latter delayed to 7:30 the next AM), and <i>Joker's Wild</i> in place of <i>One Day At A Time</i><br />reruns.<br /><br /> Ch5 (ABC), as noted in another past post, bypassed <i>Edge Of Night</i> in favor of <i>Match Game</i>. Their loss - <i>Edge</i> was really good at this point; Henry Slesar was coming to the end of his tenure as head writer along about now, and his last few stories were among his best.<br /><br />Ch11 (NBC) seems to be missing two games, <i>Blockbusters</i> and <i>Card Sharks</i>.<br />I say 'seems to be" because <i>Blockbusters</i> is supposed to go in between <i>Las Vegas Gambit</i> and <i>Wheel Of Fortune</i> at 9:30 (I'm pretty sure <i>Gambit</i> wasn't an hour).<br /><br /> - For the record, the regular Wednesday night lineup on ABC was:<br /> 7:00 : <i>Eight Is Enough</i> at the end of its run.<br /> 8:00 : <i>Aloha Paradise</i>, an Aaron Spelling self-knockoff with Debbie Reynolds running a Hawaiian resort hotel.<br /> 9:00 : <i>Vegas</i>, winding down; <i>Dynasty</i> started up that spring.<br /><br /> - The Bob Hope special preempted <i>Different Strokes</i> and <i>The Facts Of Life</i>.<br />Give the choice, I would have preempted <i>Real People</i>, which holds a high position on my all-time most-hated list.<br />But hey, that's me ...<br /><br /> - In Chicago, <i>The Don Lane Show</i> aired nightly in prime time on ch32 (9:00 pm).<br />I remember liking this show a lot; Don Lane, a New Yorker, and his on-stage sidekick Bert Newton, a native Aussie, were huge boosters for "Oz", showcasing local stars like Diana Trask alongside of visiting artists from GB and US as well.<br />During the US syndication run, Bert Newton won a "Gold Logie", the biggest award in Australian TV. Don Lane threw the whole show to Newton, who spoke quite eloquently about Australia's emerging role in the world's entertainment.<br /><i>The Don Lane Show</i> didn't catch on in US syndication as much as the Nine Network hoped it would, which is kind of a shame; as I said before, I really enjoyed it.<br />Oh well ...<br /><br />Now the moment of truth - does this one go through, or not?<br />Mike Dorannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-34053136890755482662015-02-09T18:02:37.367-05:002015-02-09T18:02:37.367-05:00My gosh, what an absolute trip it is to see this s...My gosh, what an absolute trip it is to see this schedule! It may be from 35 years ago, but looking back at it, it seems like only a decade ago instead.<br /><br />I was a big fan of watching The Dick Cavett Show on PBS and many of the National Geographic episodes as that series was huge for PBS before cable came into existence. <br /><br />I would have the TV on at breakfast and have one eye glued to Charles Kuralt for 'Morning' and then later when Bill Carlson did 'The Morning Report', just before I had to head out the door. If I recall correctly, I think what got WCCO involved in a local morning newscast was around 1978 or 79, there was a fairly long strike at the Minneapolis Star/Tribune and a few days into it, they began this new morning 30 minute newscast. I tried looking on Google for exact details, but came up empty handed. My day wasn't finished until I had a chance to watch Carol Burnett & Friends.<br /><br />Our house wasn't much for watching KSTP/ABC. My Dad would get home from his 2nd shift job in time for a cup of coffee and something small to eat with my Mom and they never missed Nightline. I would catch a few promos for the Don Lane Show, as always, voiced by the late Jimmy Valentine who was one of KSTP's announcers who had an incredibly distinctive voice and speech pattern. Never got to see an episode of it, but it looked like alot of fun and because it was an import, it seemed like something so exciting. My Dad and I always stayed up on Saturday nights at 10:30 to catch The Benny Hill Show, when KSTP aired it. I'll catch bits of shows on YouTube and I still laugh like hell at what I watch.<br /><br />As a kid, I watched alot of KMSP for the reruns of shows I never caught before or just because they had a favorite series of mine and I could watch it again. It was a rare treat to be home on a day off from school and be able to catch a late 1950's kinescope film of Groucho Marx doing 'You Bet Your Life'. He was still funny without Chico, Zeppo, Gummo and Harpo.<br /><br />We also were not big WTCN/NBC watchers. Only thing I recall sometimes watching was Tom Snyder on 'Tomorrow', depending on his guests. I was a very crafty and quiet kid to avoid being detected by my folks in order to be up that late and watch it. Metromedia still owned the station then and it really showed in their news programs.....almost no budget to speak of and very cheaply done in terms of production, graphics, news helicopter, etc... Nothing would change until Gannett bought it in 1983.<br /><br /><br /> Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17269689015712662193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-78832985853237363862015-02-09T13:44:56.345-05:002015-02-09T13:44:56.345-05:00One of my favorite Quincy M.E.'s from the &quo...One of my favorite Quincy M.E.'s from the "social issue" years was the one that aired this night: "Scream to the Skies"; some really hilarious Superhero Quincy stuff in the opening 15 minutes.<br /><br />Chico and the Man really needs to be a little better known these days.Halhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09291930694234773688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-65322466023289017852015-02-09T11:35:33.835-05:002015-02-09T11:35:33.835-05:00I agree with you on John Davidson and "Tomorr...I agree with you on John Davidson and "Tomorrow". Davidson is one of those performers who keeps getting jobs even though he has no real fanbase. He's an example of what Hollywood "thinks" people want on their TVs. And seeing the intimate interviews of "Tomorrow" turned into your typical hooting and hollering studio audience show was so depressing.<br />Love all the sitcoms, both in their variety (when's the last time you saw "Chico and the Man" or "Rhoda"?) and in their time sweep. I mean "Alice" airs at 7:30 am!Al Leosnoreply@blogger.com