Let's get right to it, starting at bare-bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at Robert Gould's ninth-season episode "How to Get Rid of Your Wife," which, despite the title, is a "lighthearted look" at psychological warfare within an unhappy marriage. Bob Newhart, Jane Withers, and Joyce Jameson star.
At RealWeegieMidget, Gill recalls Gena Rowlands and her small but multifaceted role as the wife of the murderous Oskar Werner in the 1975 Columbo episode "Playback," an episode which star Peter Falk (a longtime friend and collaborator of Rowlands' husband, John Cassavetes) called the series' best.
The Sylvia Coleridge "season" continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week John takes a look at her magnificent performance in the Armchair Thriller six-parter "Quiet as a Nun," based on the novel by Lady Antonia Fraser, in which Coleridge plays—what else?—a nun.
At Comfort TV, David reviews six episodes from The Twilight Zone's exceptional first season: three that rank as classics (including the all-time "A Stop at Willoughby"), and three that, well, don't quite measure up. For what it's worth, I concur on all six.
Roger continues his episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard, and this week we're up to "Sleeper," a game of tag that's played for the highest possible stakes: if you get tagged, you die.
In case you weren't aware of it, the television world has been up in arms over the last few days over the move by Warner Bros. to remove their classic theatrical cartoons—Looney Tunes—from WB's streaming service, Max. Terence has his take on it at A Shroud of Thoughts.
I've never liked the "amateur detectives" that the British are so fond of; on the other hand, I have great respect for many of their police dramas, especially the older ones. Cult TV Lounge takes us back to season one of Van Der Valk, starring Barry Foster, based on the characters created by Nicolas Freeling. TV
At bare-bones e-zine, Jack kicks things off this week with the first of Thomas Grant's Hitchcock scripts, "I Can Take Care of Myself," a thin if nasty story with Myron McCormick, Linda Lawson, and Will Kuluva. Not a great episode, but it is Hitchcock.
John returns to the mysterious world of Sapphire & Steel at Cult TV Blog with part four of "Assignment Six," continuing the story that he's been relating the last few days. This assignment has its strengths and weaknesses, but it's an interesting glimpse into the direction the series might have taken had it continued for another series.
At Classic Film & TV Café, Rick reviews the streaming service Tubi and answers the question of whether or not it's worth watching. The answer is "yes," if you don't mind commercial interruptions in return for it being a free service. Read it and find out why it might be an essential part of your viewing options.
Let's stay on FAST (free, ad supported TV) for a moment, as Silver Scenes presents us with some December picks that are currently streaming on Roku. If you're looking primarily for Christmas favorites, you can find that out here. Again, if the commercials don't bother you (as they didn't for the first 50 or so years of TV history), you'll find some good viewing options.
At Drunk TV, Paul enlightens us on a massive DVD undertaking: the complete series box set of Bonanza. For those of you keeping score at home, that amounts to 431 remastered episodes on 112 discs. Stay tuned for season-by-season reviews—good luck, Paul!
We're currently making our way through the classic ABC WWII series Combat!, so it was sad to see that Jack Hogan, who played PFC Kirby, died last week, aged 94. I get that information courtesy of Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts, who has a thoughtful review of Hogan's career and credits, which include Detective Sergeant Miller on Adam-12.
At The View from the Junkyard, Roger and Mike compare notes on the Avengers episode "The Joker," a Steed/Peel adventure that's a remake of the black-and-white story "Don't Look Behind You." How does it work? Read and find out.
And let's end on a Yuletide note: The Imaginative Conservative compares versions of A Christmas Carol, including the acclaimed made-for-TV movie starring George C. Scott. How do they shape up, and how does this compare to your own rankings? TV
Thanks for indulging me last week when I preempted this feature to participate in the Donald Pleasence blogathon (and if you haven't read my review of the Twilight Zone episode "The Changing of the Guard," you can do so here). This week it's back to normal, and we'll start off at ReelWeegieMidget, co-sponsor of the Pleasence blogathon, with Gill's recap of this year's entries. Read through some very good articles on a very good actor.
Next, it's the latest Hitchcock Project entry by Jack at bare-bones e-zine: "The Baby-Blue Expression," Helen Nielsen's nasty little story about infidelity and foolishness, with Sarah Marshall, Peter Walker and Richard Gaines. The satisfaction factor in this one is high.
David continues his "journey through 1970s TV" at Comfort TV; he's into the second year now, looking at Sunday nights in 1971. Remember The Bold Ones? Bonanza? The Jimmy Stewart Show? They're all there, along with Cade's County, the underrated Glenn Ford contemporary Western that ran for two seasons. Let David bring back some memories.
At Cult TV Blog, John has been reviewing a number of interesting documentaries, and the latest is "Cromwell Street," about the infamous serial killers Fred and Rose West, and particularly on the role Cromwell Street itself played in the commission of these murders.
At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick reviews the 1954 romantic drama Three Coins in the Fountain, which, as I've mentioned before, was based on the novel Coins in the Fountain by future ABC news correspondent and documentarian John Secondari. It's also the only time Frank Sinatra sang the theme for a movie that he didn't appear in.
We're still thinking about the late, great Angela Lansbury, and since Halloween was just a few days ago, it's appropriate that at Silver Scenes, the Metzingers look back at the 1987 Murder She Wrote episode "Night of the Headless Horseman." And this one isn't in Cabot Cove!
Keeping with that Halloween theme, at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence takes us back to The Beverly Hillbillies and the show's only Halloween episode, "Trick or Treat," the sixth episode of the show's first season, and the first (of many) to hit #1 in the ratings.
For F Troop Friday at The Horn Section, Hal revisits the first-season episode "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop," with O'Rourke and Agarn up to their tricks again, this time taking on guest stars James Gregory and Jamie Farr.
At Shadow & Substance, Paul tells us about the expanded edition of Scott Skelton and Jim Benson's book Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour. And when he says "expanded," he means it; check out what he has to say, and you've got until tomorrow to get in on the Kickstarter and get a copy.
Finally, at The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew shows us what can happen when you're doing live television, with this look at Buddy Holly and the Crickets and their 1957 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. We wouldn't have it any other way, though. TV
Last week, as you may recall, a dearth of new posts from the classic TV blogosphere resulted in an encore presentation of a particularly lame story about the cartoon mascot of a kids' breakfast cereal. I promised, however, to make up for it this week with plenty of interesting reading material including a couple of carryovers from last week, and I'm nothing if not a man of my word. And so, as Jackie Gleason might say, away we go!
One of those carryovers comes from The Horn Section, where Hal's F-Troop Fridays looks at "Wrongo Starr and the Lady in Black," a 1966 episode enlivened by the reappearance of Henry Gibson, funny as always as Private "Wrongo" Starr. And I hope you get the joke about Starr's name—or did you have to be there?
At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's latest Hitchcock Project continues with "The Avon Emeralds," the sixth contribution of William Fay, featuring Roger Moore as a detective who isn't quite what he seems. The Saint and stolen jewels; who could ask for anything more?
Hugh Downs had to be one of the most versatile performers, if that's the right word for him, in television history: announcer, sidekick, newsman, game show host, narrator, talk show host, and more. It's hard to give him his due, but Jodie does it at Garroway at Large.
You're never going to have to convince me to follow the links to a classic TV Guide, so I'd advise you to do the same as the Broadcast Archives at the University of Maryland steers us to some terrific vintage TV Guide ads from Chicago and beyond.
RealWeegieMidget has been hosting this year's Joan Collins Blogathon, which I wish I could have entered (maybe next year!); while you can read the final three entries here, follow the links and take some time to peruse them all. Meanwhile, at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence offers his own entry; it's the winsome Joan in the Star Trek classic "The City on the Edge of Forever." Quite a career, and quite an actress.
At Television's New Frontier: the 1960s, it's a review of the year 1962 for one of television's most enduring westerns, Wagon Train. The year includes the evolution of John McIntyre as successor to the late Ward Bond, the departure of longtime co-star Robert Horton, and a raft of big-name guests.
There are few simple pleasures more pleasurable than surfing through YouTube for episodes of old TV shows; I've shared more than a few of those here myself. At Television Obscurities, it's the start of a new monthly feature on YouTube finds, and I can promise you'll go down some rabbit holes with delight.
Finally, the veteran newsman Roger Mudd died this week at the age of 93. Mudd was a newsman's newsman, a journalist who brought dignity and gravitas to whatever story he covered, and a professionalism that's sorely lacking in today's news coverage. Here's a look back at his career from his longtime home at CBS; we could certainly use someone like him today. I fear, though, it's a futile wish. TV
I'm not going to be coy about it; I'm starting off this week with parts oneand twoof my appearance with Ed Robertson on his TV Confidential program. We talk about my book The Electronic Mirror and some of the classic programs that helped shape the era of classic TV. I really hope you'll give it a listen, because it was a lot of fun and I think you'll enjoy it; and after you've given it a listen I really hope you'll by a copy of The Electronic Mirror, because it's a good book and I think you'll really enjoy it. And also because I need the money. Or at least I would like the money. So would my accountant.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that if a character on Alfred Hitchcock Presents tells you "I'll Take Care of You," you should not take that as reassuring. Case in point is this week's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine, in which Jack takes us to the season four episode of the same name, with Ralph Meeker as the sinister speaker of the quote.
At Realweegiemidget, Gill revisits the 1978 TV-movie Cruise into Terror, which, quite frankly, has just about everything you could ask for in a Seventies TV flick (or an episode of The Love Boat): big names (John Forsythe, Ray Milland, Hugh O'Brien, Stella Stevens), a cruise ship in trouble, and a dangerous Egyptian sarcophagus. Read all about it!
It's always nice to see Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater get the opportunity to share Bob Crane's story and try to clear up some of the misinformation that continues to swirl around him; at Bob Crane: Life & Legacy, Carol talks about their latest appearance, on The Claw's Corner. (You can see that appearance as well!)
A show with the title The Enigma Filesought to be mysterious, don't you think? Well, it is—a police procedural, that is, British, '80s style. John has the lowdown on what he calls a "proto-Morse" over at Cult TV Blog. And that's no mystery. TV
Remember a few weeks ago when I referred to the week's programming as "putting the classic in classic TV"? Well, we've got another example of that this week, and so why don't we start things off with NBC's Kraft Theater and its encore showing of Rod Serling's Patterns. (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. CT)
I think everyone would agree that Patterns made Rod Serling famous overnight, or at least close to it. It's spellbinding drama, an intense, forceful story about the cutthroat world of business, and three men caught in it: the ruthless corporate boss, the aging executive being phased out, and the junior executive unwittingly brought in to replace him. When it was first broadcast. live on January 12, it won nearly universal praise for its writing, production (directed by Fielder Cook), and especially the acting of the three leads: Everett Sloane, Ed Begley and Richard Kiley. Jack Gould, the New York Times television critic (perhaps the most influential in the country) called Patterns "one of the high points in the TV medium's evolution," comparing it favorably to the movie Executive Suite (Executive Suite "might be Babes in Toyland without a score."), and urging a repeat performance of the live broadcast "at an early date."
Of course, in these days before videotape, you can't just pop a cassette in the machine and show it again. There's only one way to repeat a live broadcast, and so this week, in an unprecedented move, NBC takes up Gould's suggestion and stages Patterns a second time, live and with the original leads. This performance is recorded on kinescope, and it's the one you can watch for yourself today.
The fact that network repeats the broadcast less than a month after the original is testimony to the impact that Patterns makes. Serling wins the first of his six Emmys for his writing, and to this day Patterns is considered one of the great television dramas ever aired, often mentioned with Serling's next big TV triumph, Requiem for a Heavyweight, which would air the following year. (Serling could really write, couldn't he?) The live performance crackles with energy, creating a dynamic atmosphere that, Gould says, "underscore[s] how little the TV artistic horizons really have been explored." There was a tangible excitement within the industry at the suggestion that a new form of drama, combining the environment of live theater with the intimacy of live television, had been born. The prospects were unlimited!
And then, of course, videotape came along and film became a way of life; the intensity of live television took a backseat to the ability to tweak and perfect a performance, doing a scene over and over until it was just right (not to mention the economy of being able to repeat a show an unlimited number of times), and before anyone knew it, the new era of television was over. But what a time it was!
ttt
Speaking of classics, that's Edward R. Murrow on the cover, "whose slow, pedantic voice is as familiar to Americans as that of the President of the United States." It was only last year that Murrow took on Senator Joseph McCarthy, and the resulting brouhaha left Murrow both tarred as a communist and hailed as "the greatest champion of freedom since Patrick Henry."
Murrow is neither, but he is a believer in freedom. However, with freedom comes responsibility, and one thing he's adamant about is his belief that "TV is [not] a pulpit from which to preach his own 'prejudices'." "If we snuck our own ideas in," he says, "it would be an abuse of a monopolized opportunity." (I wonder what he'd have to say about today's newspeople?) Not that you have to be completely void of opinions, though; "Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices—just recognize them."
Murrow has no time to waste on trivial things like ratings; "If I got involved in ratings I might be tempted to 'hot up' the copy. And I never want to do that." Neither does he have time for those in the press who are free with their opinions. "The basic obligation of anybody of the press is not to say, 'This is what I think,' but 'These are the basic facts which led me to this conclusion.'" Crucially, though, he doesn't think you should take what he and his colleagues say as the last word. "If their conclusion is different from yours, that's okay, too."
Although Murrow's greatest achievements are in the newsroom, his most popular program is his Friday night show Person to Person, where he gets to visit "the homes of the great, the near-great or the well-known." Murrow attributes the show's success to people's natural curiosity, the urge to "look into open windows." Says Murrow, "we decided to show unordinary people doing ordinary things. The show is dramatic only because people are dramatic." And while there are some who complain that Murrow's interviews on P to P are softball, he replies, "I always act like a guest in the house. I wouldn't dream of throwing anyone a curved question." He loves the contrasts he's able to present by matching unlikely interview subjects on a particular show; in the past he's had comedienne Martha Raye and Pakistani President Mohammad Ali, Washington hostess Perle Mesta and Cowardly Lion Bert Lahr, and Archbishop Richard Cushing and fashion designer Lilly Dache.
For all of his professional accomplishments and personal hobbies (he considers himself an outdoorsman), he thinks of himself first and foremost as a reporter. It is, he believes, a fleeting fame. "A reporter is always concerned with tomorrow. There's nothing tangible of yesterday. All I can say I've done is agitate the air 10 or 15 minutes and then boom!—it's gone."
ttt
Don't change that dial; we've got more classics in store this week, starting on Saturday with The Jackie Gleason Show, tonight featuring The Honeymooners! (7:00 p.m., CBS) Remember, this is prior to The Honeymooners airingas a weekly series, so the listing is particularly descriptive. "Jackie plays the burly bus driver, Art Carney plays his upstairs neighbor and Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph portray the long-suffering wives." That's about it in a nutshell, isn't it? No word on what tonight's story was about.
At 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, CBS's Omnibus show a feature film culled from the various Abraham Lincoln segments presented on the show over the years. Royal Dano stars as Lincoln, with Joanne Woodward as Ann Rutledge and Joanna Roos as Mary Todd Lincoln. The Lincoln stories were written by James Agee, and were inseperable from the political climate of the times; a few years ago, I took a closer look at them here. Later, on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town (7:00 p.m., CBS), it's a salute to the history of Columbia Pictures, with an Oscar-worthy montage of clips, and stars including Eddie Fisher, Teresa Brewer, Marge and Gower Champion, Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, and others.
In 1945, Ray Milland won an Academy Award for his magnificent performance as an alcoholic writer in the movie The Lost Weekend, which also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Billy Wilder) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Wilder and Charles Brackett). On Monday night's Robert Montgomery Presents (8:30 p.m., NBC), the story comes to the small screen, with Montgomery himself portraying Don Birnam, the man who'd do "anything for a drink." The cast includes Leora Dana, Edward Andrews, and, in one of his early television apperances. Walter Matthau. The hour-long production caps off a quality night on the Peacock Network, one which started with Producers' Showcase (7:00 p.m.), featuring a production of Clare Booth Luce's biting comedy "The Women," with an all-female cast headed by Shelley Winters, Paulette Goddard, Ruth Hussey and Mary Astor. If your tastes run more to music, then check out the great American mezzo-soprano Rise Stevens, star of the Metropolitan Opera and one of the most popular singers of the day (that's her playing the opera star in Going My Way) on Voice of Firestone (7:30 p.m., ABC).
A show we haven't talked about here is the anthology series Fireside Theater (not to be confused with Firesign Theatre, which is a horse of a different color), which ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958 and, according to the always-reliable Wikipedia, was the first successful filmed serieson American television, debuting two years before I Love Lucy. It's also known as The Jane Wyman Show, probably because the longest-running host of the show was Jane Wyman. It doesn't have the prestige (or the critical acclaim) of other, better-remembered anthologies, but it did well enough for NBC; it was never out of the top 25 during the six seasons it ran. The point of all this is Tuesday's story, "Mr. Onion" (8:00 p.m.), starring William Bendix and Dorothy Malone, and you certainly can't complain about that cast. It's one of a number of similar anthologies tonight, including Ford Theater, Armstrong Circle Theater, The Elgin Hour and Danger.
Wednesday's feature is CBS's Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts (9:00 p.m.), tonight featuring a middleweight showdown between #1 ranked Joey Giardello and Al Andrews. This is a rematch of a fight that took place, believe it or not, just two weeks ago. (No wonder so many of these guys wound up punch-drunk.) Boxing happens to be the subject of an article by Frank De Bois, who laments the effect television is having on the sport. Part of the problem, De Bois says, is that today's fighters don't stand in there and slug it out; instead, they "mug, posture, strut, telegraph their punches and dance before the camera." (Cassius Clay, call your manager.) Some old-timers even complain that today's fighters "don't even want to be fighters. They want to be TV actors—like Rocky Graziano." On the other hand, there's agreement that "bleeders" aren't popular now, what with the "millions of women converted to fight fans by TV." And flamboyant fighters have always been big with the public—so maybe this is just a case of "back in my day" syndrome, something you never see at this website.
There are some nice guest star turns in Thursday's programming; Ross Bagdasarian, minus his Chipmunks, appears on an episode of The Ray Milland Show (7:00 p.m., CBS), Robert Young stars as a Navy skipper in the mystery anthology Climax (7:30 p.m., CBS), Gary Merrill is the guest in the legal drama Justice (7:30 p.m., NBC), character actor Charles Coburn features in Ford Theater (8:30 p.m., NBC), and a very young Dennis Hopper appears in the Public Defender episode "Mama's Boy." (9:00 p.m, CBS) I wonder if David Lynch saw that episode. . .
We should stop in at Ed Murrow's Person to Person on Friday, since we talked about it earlier; Ed's guests tonight (9:30 p.m., CBS) are actress/swimmer Esther Williams (complete with tax-deductible pool) and New York restaurateur Toots Shor. Meanwhile, Steve Allen and the Tonight gang—Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, Pat Marshall, Skitch Henderson and Gene Rayburn, along with their guests Lulu Belle and Scotty from the Grand Ole Opry—are taking the show on the road, to National Cash Register Theater in Dayton, Ohio. (11:00 p.m., NBC)
ttt
I don't know if these were a thing back in the day, but it's a great idea nonetheless: a TV Guide theme party, sponsored by WMT, the CBS affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where you dress up as your favorite character from the magazine. The pictures and text might not be too clear, but my point in including this is to show how pervasive television—and TV Guide—have become in a very short time.
ttt
Finally, talking as we have been about anthologies, there's this note from New York in the Teletype: "Alfred Hitchcock, ace director of suspense-type movies, close to a deal to produce a half-hour telefilm mystery series. It would take over the Sunday night CBS period now occupied by Stage 7."
Alfred Hitchcock Presents does indeed premiere on October 2, 1955. By the time the last first-run episode of airs on NBC on June 26, 1965, ten seasons and 361 episodes later, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and its successor, the hour-long Alfred Hitchcock Hour, will be tied as the third-longest running dramatic anthology series in the history of American television. I'd say that deal worked out pretty well for everyone concerned, especially the viewers. Wouldn't you? TV
Let's start off the week with a question from one of our readers. Mark is a fan of Mission: Impossible, and wonders if there's any information about the music from the first season episode "The Short Tail Spy," which has Eric Braedon (who was then going by Hans Gudegast) romancing Barbara Bain's Cinnamon Carter. "I love it, but can't find it anywhere. Can you help?" I don't see a separate music credit for the episode, which means either than it was done by Lalo Schifrin or, more likely, was from CBS's music stock. It's possible that it could be on this boxed set of music from the show, but I'm throwing it out there to my knowledgeable readers to see if one of you might have further information, and I know you won't let me down. Now, on to this week's features.
No sooner did I wrap up last week's feature, musing about the legends who'd recently passed on, then news kept coming about more of them: Cicely Tyson, the trailblazing actress; Allan Burns, writer for some of television's best shows; and the legendary Hal Holbrook, who was Mark Twain and a whole lot more. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has thoughtful appreciations of them all. The toll this year just keeps rising, doesn't it?
I don't know why, but I've always had a fondness for banks, and that's even before I started keeping my money in them. To a kid, there's something very impressive about them: clean, institutional. And, of course, money. It's not quite the same now with ATMs and direct deposit and online banking, but the fascination with banks continues. That's the focus of this week's Comfort TV, as David looks at classic TV episodes that take place where you keep your cash.
It's taken awhile, but at The Horn Section, Hal's taken us all the way through the 17 episodes of Hondo, and now it's time to take stock and rank those episodes in order, along with other links of note regarding this short-lived but enduring series and its star, Ralph Taeger.
At Garroway at Large, Jodie shares a wonderful hour of conversation that resulted when Dave stopped by to talk with his old friend Studs Terkel on his Chicago radio series back in 1974. They don't make 'em like that anymore—either the shows or the people on them.
There was a time when Disney used to make quite a few exciting adventure movies that weren't simply live-action remakes of their cartoons; they'd often wind up on TV in two- or three-part stories. Third Man on the Mountain, starring James MacArthur and James Donald, Michael Rennie, Laurence Naismith and Herbert Lom, is one of them, and at Classic Film & TV Café, Rick tells us what to expect from it.
When I started slumming around YouTube channels like FredFlix, I ran across all kinds of shows I'd never heard of before. One of them was It's A Man's World, starring Glenn Corbett, Ted Bessell, Mike Burns and Randy Boone. To learn more about it, I went to the some of obscure TV shows, TV Obscurities, where Robert tells me all about it.
At Shadow & Substance, Paul revisits one of the most beloved Twilight Zone episodes, "Night of the Meek," and revisits his interview with Larrian Gillespie—the elf who welcomes Art Carney's Santa to his sleigh for a return to the North Pole. TV
This picture is an anachronism, but why? Is it because we see a family watching television together, or is it because people are watching baseball on television? Only AC Nielsen knows for sure. One thing I am sure about, though, is that there's plenty here worth reading.
We'll start with bare-bones e-zine and part three of Jack's look at the Hitchcock scripts of William Fay. This week, it's the fourth season comedy "Safety for the Witness," adapted from a story by John De Meyer, and starring Art Carney. Does the adaptation work? Read and find out.
Some class acts passed away this week. The great Cloris Leachman, who stared in movies and television and excelled in both, died at 94; The Last Drive-In has a pictoral look back at some of her best-known roles.
Meanwhile, at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has a couple of typically thoughtful retrospectives: first, on Bruce Kirby (father of Bruno), age 95, who was a familiar face on television for decades, and who's probably best-remembered as Sergeant Kramer, a recurring character on Columbo. And then, for people of my generation, there's Mr. Allakazam himself, the magician Mark Wilson, who died at 91. I still can't figure out how to produce a quarter from behind a small child's ear, by the way.
At The Hits Just Keep On Comin', JB takes a moment to look back at other icons of the 1950s who've passed on this month, Jimmie Rodgers and Phil Spector, and what they meant to the times. I don't think we're on a death kick here, by the way; I look at it as a chance to fondly appreciate the careers of great artists.
On the radio side, Once Upon a Screen looks at the radio career of Alan Ladd, an actor whose movies I've always enjoyed. I'm a relative newcomer to his radio apparances, but it can't surprise you that he was talented here, too.
And over at Classic Film & TV Cafe, it's time for the "film" part of the title, as Rick looks at the five best inspirational sports movies, inspirational being the key word here. With that as the criteria, I have no arguments with his list, which brings out everything we love about sports. That's a list that ought to be able to take you to tomorrow's TV Guide. TV
The glum-looking woman up there looks as if she's been watching TV the last couple of days. At the risk of sounding like one of those "I never watch television" elitist snobs I'm always refuting, I have to admit that aside from sports, I haven't watched anything on "live" television for the last two or three months (aside from a couple of the nostalgia channels); we've been sticking to DVDs and the Roku, and we've been perfectly content to do so. It's not that I'm unaware of what's going on; it's precisely because I'm aware that I avoid it. I don't travel downtown because I value my physical health, and I don't watch live TV (especially the news) because I value my mental health. I know what you're thinking, though—that was a lost cause long ago. And you're probably right.
We'll start with a question from a reader, and I always try hard to get answers in cases like this, because you're trusting me to know what I'm talking about, and I don't take that trust lightly. Henry asks if we have any contact information for Mr. Av Westin, former host of Public Broadcasting Laboratory and producer for ABC News. "Mr. Westin will be invaluable to my upcoming podcast project about Mr. Joseph Louw, a South African journalist famed for photographing the immediate aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Mr. Westin worked with Mr. Louw on some projects for the Public Broadcasting Laboratory in 1967." How about it—any ideas out there?
And now, let's look at what's new. Thursday, January 7 was Epiphany for those who follow the traditional calendar (the one that says the day after the 12 Days of Christmas is actually, you know, January 6), and this insightful article at The New Criterion points out that the story of the Three Kings "burst afresh into American culture" thanks to the new medium of television and the 1951 broadcast of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Due to last Friday's preemption, I've got a couple of Jack's Hitchcock-related stories to catch up with over at bare-bones e-zine: an interesting look at the similarities between the noir classic Kiss Me Deadly and the Alfred Hitchcock Presents first-season story "The Hidden Thing" (was Hitch influenced by the film?) and this look at William Fay's first contribution to Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the fourth-season story "The Crooked Road," which I found very satisfying when I originally saw it.
At The Horn Section, Hal's Maverick Monday feature is on the entertaining Jack Kelly story "A Tale of Three Cities," from 1959. Tomorrow's TV Guide feature leads off with one of the all-time great Maverick episodes, and I'm sure Hal's got something to say about it. (In fact, I know he does, because I've read it.)
I have to admit that I don't know much about the English city of Bolton other than the Wanderers (it's a soccer team if you didn't know), so I'm always glad to learn something new, especially if it's funny and involves the Daleks. Thanks to John at Cult TV Blog, we now know that there's something the Daleks fear even more than Doctor Who.
One of life's simpler pleasures is George Peppard's 1970s series Banacek, in which Peppard plays an impossibly smooth, suave freelance insurance investigator (Johnny Dollar, eat your heart out!) who specializes in locked-door type mysteries in return for an obscene fee. At Classic Film and TV Café, Rick lists the five best Banacek episodes, but there really isn't a bad one in the whole series.
It's true that 2020 was a pretty bad year, but since 2021 shapes up to be even worse (and don't think it will end there), there's no good reason to not review the year from a classic TV perspective, and that's just what David does at this week's Comfort TV.
And on that bombshell, we'll say goodbye until tomorrow. TV
What better way to start this week's journey than with a Christmas episode! At The Horn Section, Hal looks at the Love That Bob! episode "Bob's Christmas Party," which appropriately aired on December 24, 1957. I think this is one you might want to check out.
Continuing in the Christmas vein, at Cult TV Blog John recalls Carry On Stuffing, the 1972 Christmas TV-movie based on the legendary "Carry On" movies. It's a unique take on Christmas shows, but if you're familiar with "Carry On," you'll get it.
Who is John McGiver? He's one of those character actors you'd recognize if you saw him, and he's good in everything he's in. I remember him most from his ill-fated turn in The Manchurian Candidate, but as David reminds us at Comfort TV, he has a very impressive television resume, including a star turn in his own series.
Alfred Hayes' final script for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour is "The Photographer and the Undertaker," starring Jack Cassidy, Harry Townes and Alfred Ryder, which aired in March 1965. You can read all about it in Jack's latest Hitchcock Project at bare•bones e-zine.
At Fire-Breathing Dimetroden Time, it's a look at the late-1980s version of The Twilight Zone, and the 1988 remake of "A Game of Pool," with Esai Morales and Maury Chaykin assaying the roles originally played by Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters. Without having seen the redo, it's impossible to think that it could match the original, but there are some very interesting differences in store for those comparing the two.
Speaking of, Shadow & Substance makes the very good point that 2020 seems as if it's been one long Twilight Zone episode (and not a very good one at that), so it's appropriate that Syfy has the schedule up for its 2020-21 New Year's marathon. There are some fine episodes there for you to dip in and out of during those two days.
NBC's classic Western series The Virginian, with each episode checking in at an epic 90 minutes, first hit the airwaves in 1962. At Television's New Frontier: The 1960s, we can see how the series differs from the book that inspired it, and how that first year lacked the distinction one might look for.
And a great way to complete the tour is with Season's Greetings from a couple of our favorite sites. At Garroway at Large, Jodie has some exciting news regarding the progress of the Garroway bio; meanwhile, Vote for Bob Crane provides updates, good and not-so-good (and some pretty tantalizing news), on the personal and Bob-oriented fronts, along with a heartfelt wish for a better 2021. Can I get an amen on that?
I'll have a special Christmas post on Friday, but if you have better things to do that day (and I hope you do!), take your time getting to it. There are twelve days of Christmas, you know. TV
If you're old enough to remember the programs I write about each week, then you probably remember the Bobby Darin song "Beyond the Sea" That's the first thing I thought of when I read "Beyond the Sea of Death," the latest Alfred Hayes contribution to Jack's "Hitchcock Project" at bare•bones e-zine. Believe me, the similarities end there.
Next week I'll be unveiling my Christmas Gift Guide (in this era of e-commerce, there's always time!), and one of the items you can be sure is on the list—aside from my own books, of course—is When Television Brought Us Together, the new book by David Hofstede of Comfort TV. Those who read David's blog know what an astute observer of classic television and pop culture he is, and you'll find more of the same in this book. Follow the link to read what David has to say about it.
Speaking of holidays and Gift Guides, Television Obscurities has a great gift guide for that fan of the short-lived TV series. Plenty of DVDs of shows from all eras, shows that shouldn't be overlooked; additionally, some really good books that include details on many of those same shows.
I've never driven a sports car and I don't know that I ever want to--for one thing, I don't know if I'd fit in one. Be that as it may, I like looking at them, and in that regard, I have something in common with Dave Garroway, as we can see in this piece by Jodie at Garroway at Large.
At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has a handy guide to Christmas movies on TCM this month. Some of them are favorites that you watch every year, but there are others that don't immediately come to mind when you think about holiday flicks. If you get TCM, you'll want to keep this bookmarked.
An interesting question: why has The Twilight Zone survived for so many years when other programs from the era haven't? I'd wager there are some markets where the show's been on in syndication ever since it went off the air. One-time TZ writer Earl Hamner Jr. has some ideas, as Paul recounts at Shadow & Substance.
Abby Dalton, whom I remember from the revamped Joey Bishop Show as well as having been one of the originals on The Hollywood Squares, died this week at age 88. The Hollywood Reporter has the story, as well as a look back at her long and successful television career.
Finally, let's end with some video. Courtesy of Terry Teachout's About Last Night, here's a rare clip from the pre-Johnny Carson Tonight Show: a nearly 13 minute long standup routine by Lenny Bruce, with host Steve Allen at the end. TV
on't look now, but Thanksgiving is next week, which means those can't-miss Christmas programs aren't far behind. (But I wish they'd at least wait until December.) For the up-to-the-minute details on when you can catch your favorites, or avoid your non-favorites, as the case may be, be sure to check out Joanna's listat Christmas TV History.
Cult TV Blog takes another look at an American series; this time, John's checking out "Dangerous Games," an episode of the series Police Story, with James Farentino. It's John's intro to the series, so you'll want to get his impressions on how the 1970s look from an American perspective.
As a fan of classic sports, one of the things I enjoy is the chance to see an entire game, rather than just the highlights, so I can take those big plays in context. It's somewhat the same when you get to share an entire article rather than just summarize it, as Jodie points out at Garroway at Large with a 1953 article from Esquirewhich is now out from behind a paywall and available for us all to read.
At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with the works of Alfred Hayes; this week, it's the eight-season episode "Paragon," from the Alfred Hitchcock Hour version of the show, based on the story by Dame Rebecca West and well worth reading about.
Norm Crosby, king of the malaprops, was a staple on television for decades beginning in the 1960s, certainly one of the most popular stand-up comedians of the era. He died last Friday, and at A Shroud of Thoughts Terence has a rundown on his career for those who might have forgotten about him, or younger readers who might not have had the chance to enjoy his comedy. TV
HONEY, THE KIDS ARE WATCHING THOSE CHARACTERS IN WASHINGTON AGAIN.
Let's start off the week at Television's New Frontier: The 1960s, with a look at The Jack Benny Programin 1962. The Benny show, in both its radio and TV incarnations, was frequently hilarious, in no small part because Jack Benny was a generous performer who felt it didn't matter whether or not he had the best lines, as long as they got a laugh. This is a very good glimpse at some of the show's great storylines and guests.
The comic strip Blondie not only spawned nearly 30 big-screen movies, but a couple of television series as well; while I recall the version from the late 1960s, I don't know that I've ever seen the 50s edition that starred Arthur Lake, who also played Dagwood in the movies, and Pamela Britton. Good thing Television Obscurities is around to rectify a gap in my education.
I only saw Alex Trebek in person once; it was at the Minnesota State Fair back in the 1990s, and he was at the KARE 11 booth (Channel 11 showed Jeopardy in the Twin Cities). When his segment was over, he didn't want to leave; he chose to stick around even after the show to make sure as many people as wanted autographs got them. I was always impressed with that, just as I'm impressed with Terence's write-up of the good man's career at A Shroud of Thoughts following his death this week after a long and courageous fight against cancer.
At Shadow & Substance, Paul has a plug for an appearance that he and Steven Jay Rubin had on Pop Culture Man Arlen Schumer's Night Light Radio, as they discussed TZ and how often its stories seem to serve as a reminder—or warning—for today's times. (For those of you who missed it, I wrote about one of those instances here.)
Speaking of audio, Ed Robertson's latest TV Confidential podcast has a conversation with Liliana Tandon, who wrote and starrs in the Christmas movie A Ring for Christmas, a new romantic comedy that also features Lorraine Bracco and Michael Gross. I had the immense pleasure of talking with Ed last week myself, and you can look for my appearance on TV Confidential in late November or December; stay tuned for all the details.
One of my favorite sayings is "Words Mean Things," which I suppose isn't surprising to hear coming from a writer, but it's true; when asked why he was fond of using polysyllabic words so often, William F. Buckley Jr. said, "Because they say what I wish to say." (Well, actually he said, "I Am Lapidary But Not Eristic.") Anyway, at Garroway at Large, Jodie discusses the power of words, and how they still can pack a punch.
No Hitchcock Project from Jack this week; it's an every-other-week feature. But not to say Hitch is gone completely, because at Classic Film & TV Café, Rick looks at the second season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, currently streaming on Peacock (I wish they had more shows like that in their library, but they do have the Premier League, which is something), and highlights some of the best episodes.
Finally, and appropriately enough, we go to David at Comfort TV, where the topic is five classic shows with great final seasons. It's something that shouldn't be taken for granted, considerng how many series over the years have left with a whimper, not a bang. As for what those five shows are—well, you're just going to have to read it for yourself. TV
The blogosphere has been a bit quiet this week—unless you're writing about politics, I guess. Fortunately, we don't do that gig here, unless you want to see about ten hours of NBC's coverage of Election Night 1960; it might be a tad presumptious of me, but I'm going to assume you're not in the mood for that. Therefore, let's see if we can find something a little more fun.
OK, well, one exception. Run over to Michael's TV Tray and click on the Mary Tyler Moore first season episode in which Lou puts Mary in charge of the station's election night coverage. I'll let you be the judge as to whether or not this is an improvement over what passes for news today.
In the absense of political noir, The Last Drive In kicks off Noirvenber with a look at some noir classics that are well worth your time. If you can't find something to watch from that list, you aren't really a noir aficionado.
My first introduction to Sean Connery was through the Bond movies that ran on ABC for so many years, and I've been a fan of both since. The definitive Mr. Bond died last week at 90, and Terence has an appreciation at A Shroud of Thoughts.
At bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with "Bonfire," the second Hitchcock script from Alfred Hayes. Again, I'm not this far along in watching the Hitchcock series, so all I can tell you is that it stars Peter Falk and Dina Merrill, and Jack's writeups are always worth your time.
From last week, it's F-Troop Friday at The Horn Section, and "Here Comes the Tribe" features everything you'd want, including the "kidnapping" of an Indian maiden, and how Captain Parmenter may have to suffer the consequences.
And at Shadow & Substance, Paul takes another look (pun intended) at one of the most beloved TZ episodes, "Time Enough at Last," with Burgess Meredith as Henry Bemis. Find out what the secret is. TV
It's kind of a light week for TV blogging out there, which probably means that a lot of people out there have better things to do with their time than I do. Be that as it may, you all are teh beneficiaries from the combined wisdom that can be found Around the Dial.
Alfred Hyes is the latest screenwriter to receive the Hitchcock Project treatment from Jack at bare•bones e-zine. His first effort for Hitch is the eighth-season opener "A Piece of the Action," not to be confused with the Star Trek episode of the same name. Gig Young stars, with an early appearnce by Robert Redford.
It's another episode of "The Unshakeables" at Comfort TV, those episodes that just stay with you long after the show's over, and this week David looks at "Doomsday is Tomorrow," a 1977 episode of The Bionic Woman with a memorable payoff.
It was F Troop Friday last week at The Horn Section, but I'd already gone to press when it came out, so I'm making it up to Hal by making this F Troop Friday. It's "Honest Injun," from season one, when the series was in B&W, and it involves a fake gold mine and more.
I tried to watch the early '60s detective series Checkmate several years ago; I had a sampler set that gave me a handful of episodes, but it just didn't do it for me. Not enough Sebastian Cabot; Anthony George and Doug McClure just didn't do it for me, at least in this series. Anyway, it's the latest show at Television's New Frontier: The 1960s.
Here's a big shout-out and happy anniversary to Realweegiemidget, celebrating 5 years (and over 100,000 hits) as a film and TV review site, as well as host to a host of blogathons. Here's hoping there are more years ahead.
And finally, at Silver Screen, here's a 1956 British Pathé newsreel with a profile of Alban Adams, the inventor of the slot car. Nothing to do with television, but I've loved slot cars since I was a kid. Too bad we don't have room for a layout here. TV
Perhaps out there somewhere is someone as smooth, as suave and sophisticated, than Cary Grant. Perhaps as smooth, but no smoother. This week at Classic Film & TV Café, Rick has a terrific interview with Scott Eyman, author of the forthcoming Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise, which tells the story of how Archie Leach became that personification of elegance.
What happens when you find a "Body in the Barn"? Well, if it turns up on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, you can be sure that nothing good will come of it. That's the verdict from Jack at bare•bones e-zine, as he continues to look at the Hitchcock scripts of Harold Swanton.
At The Horn Section, Hal's latest foray into the world of Love That Bob! is the 1955 episode "Bob Meets Fonda's Sister." No, not that Fonda; it has to do with Bob's latest attempt to interfere in his sister Margaret's love life, and hilarity ensues.
Right now, I'm asking myself if it's true that you can't go home again (even though I've already done it once successfully). I suppose it's a question everyone asks themselves from time to time. It happened to Dave Garroway, as Jodie recounts in Garroway at Large, and as is often the case, the results were bittersweet.
It's the 60th anniversary of Route 66, one of the great inadvertent documentaries of America in the 1960s, and Terence takes time out to look at the history of the landmark series at A Shroud of Thoughts. And that's a good note on which to end the week. TV
