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Ready for some lightness in what's been a grim week? Let's start out with Martin Grams and his link to this interview with Mickey Mouse, which I should think would bring a smile or two to many a face out there.

At A View from the Junkyard, Roger looks at the A-Team episode "Labor Pains," which once again demonstrates that unregulated capitalism makes for great bad guys. If that sounds strange coming from me, keep in mind that the best regulation for any kind of -ism, as Whittaker Chambers once pointed out, is that of morality. Whose morality? Well, that's a topic for another day.

Some interesting tidbits over at Television Obscurities include this brief NBC promo for the 1972 Fall Season, as well as some audio from CBS News's dramatic coverage of the funeral of General and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969, an event that marked the further closing of the window to an era.

At the Secret Sanctum of Captain Video, it's a look at "Planet of the Robots," a story from the comic strip adventures of Star Trek, courtesy of the British weekly comic magazine TV Century 21. The story ran in 1969, before the series had even premiered over there.

Commemorations of two different types from Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts: first, the 70th anniversary of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, the first "adult" television Western; second, the passing of Mark Volman, founding member of The Turtles, who died at age 78. We're all aging at the rate of 60 minutes per hour, but sometimes it seems the clock runs very fast.

At Mavis Movie Madness, Paul pays tribute to actress Polly Holliday, who died earlier this week; she's the wonderful Flo from the sitcom Alice, who then moved on to her own sitcom, a successful show that fell victim to circumstances beyond its control. 

At Cult TV Blog, John takes a look at a genre we don't discuss often enough, the documentary: it's "The Apartheid Killer," an episode of the BBC's Africa Eye series, and it describes the consequences of living in "a community where you have either suffered from crime or have benefitted from it."

And in case you miss my weekly (daily?) promotions, here's a very nice mention of Darkness in Primetime and It's About TV at The Saturday Evening Post, courtesy of friend of the blog Bob Sassone. Now I can say I've appeared in the same magazine as Norman Rockwell!

Also, my latest "Two Minute Author" video is up, and even though I came in at just under four minutes this time, I think you'll like it; it's a look at how the Hollywood Blacklist influenced many of the shows I write about in the book. Directors, writers, and actors were all involved at one time or another, and you can see the effects in the stories and the performances. TV

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

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At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan continues his examination of the show's final season with "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross," an better-than-average episode improved by stellar performances from Don Gordon and Gail Kobe.

A double-dose of Brit TV begins at Cult TV Blog, with John's take on "The Classroom," an episode of the little-remembered and difficult to categorize anthology series The Frighteners. I always enjoy his looks at these obscure series, because I'm always on the lookout for interesting new shows to check out.

Continuing across the pond, at Comfort TV, David looks at Department S, which is a cross between, what—Murder, She Wrote, The Avengers, and James Bond? If that inexact comparison is enough to whet your appetite, I urge you to check out the series.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence invites us to view the intriguing UPN series Nowhere Man, which premiered 30 years ago. It's the story of a documentary photographer, played by Bruce Greenwood, who finds that his entire life has been "erased" from everyone's memory, except for his. Interested?

That's just one of many series celebrating anniversaries over the next few weeks, which makes sense given September is the month when most series used to premiere. Television Obscurities has a comprehensive list of those shows; see how many of them you remember from back when.4

At A View from the Junkyard, Roger's retrospective on The A-Team brings us to "The Taxicab Wars," a delightful episode that's just as much fun to watch today as it was when it originally aired, and for classic TV fans, that's often a relief.

And it just wouldn't be Friday without a little self-promotion from yours truly, right? My latest edition of the "Two Minute Author" (which only runs for three-and-a-half minutes this time) looks at David Karp's 1955 drama "One," and how a classic TV historian manages to write about an episode that no longer exists.

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

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We'll begin the week with some blatant self-promotion on my part, and why not, when I've got a lot to promote? 

From last week, here's the latest edition of the American TV History series with Dan Schneider, in which we discuss TV of the 1990s. A good show, if I do say so myself. Meanwhile, here are my most recent podcast appearances promoting Darkness in Primetime: first, a delightful conversation with Jeff Dwoskin at Classic Conversations, followed by a wonderful chat with Steve Beverly and his TV Classics. Both great guys, and I had a terrific time. Finally, my latest two-minute (or so) video runs a little over that, as I talk about one of the more mysterious programs chronicled in Darkness in Primetime, the 1967 drama "The Investigation." tps://ko-fi.com/mitchellhadley And if that doesn't give you motivation to buy the book, I'll just keep working at it! Now to our regular programming.

In the year 1976, ABC is riding the wave to the top of the television ratings, as we can see in David's continuing journey through 1970s TV at Comfort TV. It's Thursday night, and a lineup with Kotter, Barney Miller, and The Streets of San Francisco is going to be hard to beat. See what CBS has to offer. Oh, and NBC is an afterthought.

McHale's Navy without McHale? You read that right; it's the 1965 movie McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force, and at Silver Scenes, the Metzingers tell how this movie works in spite of the fact it's missing the title character.

At Cult TV Blog, John introduces us to the 1972 children's series The Intruder, and the episode that kicks it off, "The Stranger," a startling story of identity that carries through the entire series. It's one of those "adult" children's shows, which means anyone can enjoy it.

We're back with The A-Team at A View from the Junkyard, and this week Roger casts his eyes on the episode "When You Comin' Back, Range Rider," a double-length episode that features chase scenes, plenty of flashbacks, a new threat, and a good time had by all.

At TV Obscurities, Robert celebrates the life of David Ketchum, actor and screenwriter, who appeared on Get Smart, Camp Runamuck, and I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, and died earlier this month at the age of 97. Be sure to follow the link to Robert's article on Runamuck. 

Also on the list of obituaries is Frank Price, who had a long career in television as a producer before going on to head up Columbia Pictures; he died this week, age 95. Terence has the story of his long list of credits at A Shroud of Thoughts.

One of the treats on MST3K is when the gang riffs on educational shorts, many of which are truly horrific. But if you want to see them intact and without commentary, Paul has the answer at Drunk TV, as he looks at the Classic Educational Shorts Collection, Volume 5. TV

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

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This week begins at the Broadcast Archives where we get another poignant display of a time when technology was viewed in a more benign light than today: the 1964 World's Fair pavilion, where RCA has color television on display.

The bad news: Jack's regular Hitchcock Project is now concluding at bare•bones e-zine, with a wrapup where you can find links to all the posts, covering every episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour! The good news: next year the book comes out! I've already got something to look forward to!

Here's something else to look forward to, if you're a fan of The Dick Van Dyke Show: at Comfort TV, David gives us ten reasons to love the episode "Bupkis," which is seldom mentioned as a fan favorite, but after reading this, see if he won't change your mind.

At Cult TV Blog, Jack takes us to the anthology series Six Plays by Alan Bennett, and "One Fine Day," starring Irish comedian Dave Allen, in a rare dramatic role, as a commercial estate agent faced with a breaking point in his life, who finds a unique way of coping.

Talk about an identity crisis: this week at RealWeegieMidget, Gill (and her Darlin Husband) offer us a double dose of Patrick Duffy in "Shoot-Out at Land’s End," an episode from The Man From Atlantis that involves said man and his doppelganger. Unless we find out it was all a dream. . . 

Forced labor, smuggled across the border from Mexico (with all its ethical implications), is more than just ripped from today's headlines; it's the theme of this week's A-Team episode, "Bad Time on the Border," which Roger reviews at The View from the Junkyard.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence takes us back to happier times with a look at some vintage fall television promos. There are many of these on YouTube, dating back to the 1960s, and some of us remember highlights from those years, such as NBC Week. Good times.

Finally, it just wouldn't be a normal day here at It's About TV without some kind of self-promotion, so here's the link to the latest episode of American TV with Mitchell Hadley, in which Dan Schneider and I discuss American television in the 1990s. Ring any bells with you? TV

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

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In case you've been asleep all week, Darkness in Primetime published this week. You can find out how to order it here. My latest interview, with Doug Hess of the Forgotten Hollywood podcast, is available here. And on an non-book related note, here's the latest edition of Eventually Supertrain, in which Dan and I continue to look at the very entertaining Garrison's Gorillas. I think that's about enough self-serving content for one week, don't you?

At The Hollywood Reporter, Steven Zeitchik asks whether Colbert's cancellation signals the last call for late night talk shows. It's one of those stories that asks and answers its own question, giving ample proof as to why these big-mouth chatterboxes are no longer must-see, or even maybe-see, TV.

The latest Brit mystery to fall under John's gaze at Cult TV Blog is the 1974 anthology series Dial M for Murder, which is not about the famous Hitchcock movie or the play from which it's derived, but a series of, well, murder mysteries, including this week's excellent "Whatever's Peter Playing At?"

Speaking of Hitch, at Clasic Film & TV Café, Rick presents us with seven things to know about Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Some fun factoids here, and a pleasant reminder of an anthology that was frequently quite entertaining, and which I should probably return to someday.

From the Ford 50th Anniversary Show of 1953, the Broadcast Archives presents a very funny sketch by Mary Martin, staged by famed choreographer Jerome Robbins, on the history of fashion. I wonder what they'd do with today's fashions?

At Comfort TV, David looks at what he refers to as "the carefree era of commercials," when ads had personality, distinctiveness, even a sense of humor—and, I might add, were not a source of political controversy regarding the latest cause célèbre.

Television's New Frontier: the 1960s returns with the 1962 episodes of the seminal cartoon series The Jetsons, which spawned comic books, soundtrack recordings, toys aplenty, and a surprisingly accurate look at how automation might affect our way of living.

At Mavis Movie Madness!, Paul examines Lee Marvin's only dramatic television series, M Squad, which literally packed a punch over its three seasons, and is absolutely my idea of what a half-hour police drama should be like. 

Maddie looks at the great Eve Arden at Classic Film and TV Corner; on television, she was Our Miss Brooks and one of The Mothers-In-Law, and she had an incomparable film career as the premier essayist of what has come to be called the "Eve Arden Role."

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to a couple of fallen stars: Tom Lehrer, the satiric songwriter who died last month (you've already read a couple of tributes to him), and Danielle Spencer, former child star on What's Happening!! who later became a DVM.

Martin Grams is back with more reviews of classic books from Bear Manor Media, including biographies of Grant (The Incredible Shrinking Man, Hawaiian Eye) Williams, Virginia Gregg, Steve Ihnat, and Joi Lansing.

A View from the Junkyard gives us our weekly A-Team fix, as Roger reviews the episode "The Only Church in Town," in which Our Heroes are hired by one of their own, Face, in a bittersweet kind of story. TV  

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I claim the top spot for myself this week, with a couple of notes. First, if you haven't yet ordered your copy of Darkness in Primetime, you've still got a couple of weeks to get in on the introductory pricing; go here for details. In support of Darkness, I've launched a new series of two-ish minute videos focusing on the book, what went into its writing, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. You can see that video here, and keep up on additional episodes by subscribing to my YouTube channel, or signing up for my newsletter.

You can also hear me on the latest episode of Eventually Supertrain, as Dan and I discuss the latest on Garrison's Gorillas, plus segments on Bronk and Ghosted. As I am prone to say, don't you dare miss it. And now on to some non-Mitchell related goodies.

At bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues full steam ahead, with "The Impossible Dream," which is not about Don Quxiote but does tell a nasty story of blackmail, written by Meade Roberts and starring Franchot Tone, Carmen Mathews, and Mary Astor.

We're visiting 1961 in the latest episode of Cult TV Blog, as John looks at The Seven Faces of Jim (not to be confused with The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao), part of a succession of three comedy series starring Jimmy Edwards. This week features a comic spin on Quatermass, and sounds like a hit.

It's short but sweet at the Broadcast Archives, with a singing commercial message from Pottsylvainan TV. If you know what the reference means, you know you're in for something fiunny; if you don't, all the more reason to check it out.

At Comfort TV, David's journey through 1970s TV has arrived at Wednesday nights in 1976, and memories of the dominant ABC schedule, including The Bionic Woman, Baretta, and Charlie's Angels. What did NBC and CBS have to counter them? You'll find out.

The Twilight Zone Vortex returns with a look at the final-season episode "The Long Morrow," with Robert Lansing and Mariette Hartley. I agree for the most part, with Jordan's negative assessment, but I've got to make allowances for the episode's lovely score, made up of stock music.

At Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie visits the TV adaptation of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, based on the movie with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrision, which ran from 1968-1970. Our TV version, which more than holds its own, stars Hope Lange and Edwards Mulhare.

Apparently the message that we've had enough of death for one year hasn't kicked in yet, as we add Loni Anderson to the list of those leaving us; at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to this native of Minnesota, so familiar from WKRP and television appearances of all kinds.

Finally, if you know anything about nuclear power, you know that heavy water has nothing to do with heavy bread; no, "Recipe for Heavy Bread" is the latest episode of The A-Team to fall under Roger's microscope at The View from the Junkyard. TV  

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Xt Comfort TV, David has a very nice piece on the things you can learn from classic TV. Not necessarily in the way that television might inform your worldview, but something simpler, like Schoolhouse Rock or science lessons. For me, it was the gift of classical music, courtesy of Saturday mornings with Bugs Bunny. No better gift!

John reaches back to 2017 to continue his series on the Brit sitcom They Came from Somewhere Else at Cult TV Blog. Very strange stuff, this, as a pastiche satire on horror films, but if you're enough of a horror fan that you don't mind seeing it spoofed, this is for you.

It's going to be somber, when 2025 comes to a close, to see the year's remembrance role. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence adds to the list with tributes to Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Ozzy Ozbourne, the latter being perhaps the most unlikely reality TV star in history. RIP to both.

Adding to that, the satirist Tom Lehrer died this week at 97; The Broadcast Archives takes a look at the songs he wrote for the American version of That Was the Week That Was, including "Pollution," "A Song for World War III" ("So long, Mom/I’m off to drop the bomb") and "Wernher von Braun."

At A View from the Junkyard, it's Mike's continuing review of the Doctor Who novelizations that Target books put out during the show's heyday. Up now is Malcolm Hulke's Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion, based on his Invasion of the Dinosaurs adventure, starring Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor. TV  

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Before we get to the heart of things, an addendum to Wednesday's book reviews. In addition to posting them here, I've also shared them on Amazon, and I can't stress enough how important an Amazon review is for authors. Reviews affect the algorithms that determine which books shoppers see (the more, the better), they give a sense of legitimacy to a book, and positive reviews may encourage other readers to try these books out. Now, obviously, I'm not encouraging you to lie and leave a good review for a bad book, but speaking as someone with a book coming out next month, I urge you to take a couple of minutes and leave a review of it at Amazon or wherever you happen to have purchased it. Even negative reviews, written constructively, can be helpful to us, and of course, positive reviews can make all the difference. So please, when you've finished that book, let everyone know what you think of it. This concludes today's public service announcement.

Speaking of book reviews, Martin Grams has a quartet of them himself, with books on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., movie star Deanna Durbin, Peter Marshall's memories of Hollywood Squares (a terrific book; I can vouch for it personally), and Peter Mark Richman's bio. Check them out.

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with "The Pearl Necklace," a sixth season teleplay by Peggy and Lou Shaw that tells a nasty tale of greed and deception; the luminous Hazel Court, the smarmy Jack Cassidy, and the manipulative Ernest Truax star.

When last we visited Cult TV Blog, John was taking us through a pair of episodes from the British series P.R.O.B.E, neither of which was the first episode. We get that this week, in "The Zero Imperative," with Whovians Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Jon Pertwee, Caroline John and Louise Jameson. And Linda Lusardi. Yes!

The always-valuable Broadcast Archives gives us a look at what prime time television was like in the late 1940s. Some of the footage in this video is not just rare, but drenched in the history of television, perhaps the only look we'll ever have at some of the shows from this era.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger takes us on an A-Team revenge trip in the first season finale, "A Nice Place to Visit," a darker and more serious episode than usual. Will the Team be able to even the score with the small-town rednecks who killed their old war buddy? What do you think?

Kenneth Washington, the last surviving regular on Hogan's Heroes (he played Baker in the show's final season) died this week, age 87. He never got the credit he deserved for the impossible task of replacing Ivan Dixon in the cast; Pop Culture has the story.

At Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie reviews five significant movies from one of my favorite eras in movie history, the British New Wave, popularly known as "kitchen sink drama." I have to be in a certain mood to watch them, but when I am, there's nothing better out there. TV  

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I've been reading about the Titanic lately, specifically On a Sea of Glass, the terrific book by Tad Fitch, Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt; I'm looking at it right now, in fact, so it's no surprise that we start this week at Realweegiemidget, where Gill is reviewing the 1979 telemovie S.O.S. Titanic, a decent retelling that stars David Janssen as John Jacob Astor, David Warner as Lawrence Beesley, Ian Holm as J. Bruce Ismay, and other stars of the era. If I'd had more time, I might have jumped into this blogathon, but I've had my hands full lately.

I'm also a classic Doctor Who fan, of course, and so you might know I'd be a fan of John's latest post at Cult TV Blog, a look at P.R.O.B.E., the first spin-off from Who, a television show that wasn't really a show but went directly to VHS and then to DVD without passing either go or a TV broadcast. Check it out!

At Comfort TV, David takes the occasion of a recent event in Somerset, Kentucky involving the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee jumping over a fountain as the jumping-off place (see what I did there?) for a look at other classic TV cases of life imitating art. It's nice to remember that we do have fun in this hobby.

Speaking of fun, I was never the biggest fan of The Mike Douglas Show back in the day, but today's talk shows manage to make Mike look like one of the giants of all time. Anyway, the Broadcast Archives looks back at The Mike Douglas Cookbook, featuring recipes from guests who appeared on the show. Fun, and delicious, I'm sure.

And news that's not only great and fun, but great fun: our friend Jodie at Garroway at Large is now the new proprietor of a truly great website, the Monitor Tribute site, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the legendary radio program. I wrote about Dennis Hart's terrific book on Montor several years ago, and I'm so pleased that he's decided to hand the site over to someone who truly cares about it.

At A View from the Junkyard, Roger is back in the world of The A-Team, and this week's episode is "The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing," in which we continue to explore the question of whether or not Murdoch is really mad. Great fun, if you ignore the question Roger poses about pressure equalization in a plane where someone's shot a hole in the side.

From the end of last week, at The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew celebrates the 75th anniversary of the television debut of Your Hit Parade: July 10, 1950. The show predated this debut, of course; it started on radio in 1935, and continued on television until 1959.

And we've got another appearance from yours truly on Dan's Eventually Supertrain podcast, with another delightful episode of Garrison's Gorillas, plus Bronk and Ghosted. If you're not sated after that, I'm afraid I can't offer you anything more. TV  

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Now there's my idea of living; the Nelsons with a built-in TV! Not too far removed from the wall-mounted concept, is it? And with a lot less to worry about as far as bashing a hole in the wall. And now on to this week's entertainment.

The latest edition of "American TV with Mitchell Hadley" is up at Dan Schneider's Cosmoetica, and this month, it's a doubleheader, as Dan and I look at two of recent history's most controversial TV figures: Bill Cosby and Roseanne Barr. You can view them here!

At bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues apace with "The Little Man Who Was There," a fifth-season episode written by Gordon Russell and Larry Ward, a charming story of con men in the Old West, with the redoubtable Norman Lloyd, Arch Johnson, and Read Morgan.

David continues his journey through 1970s primetime at Comfort TV; we're up to Tuesday nights in 1976, and it's a prime lineup indeed, from ABC's Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley to M*A*S*H and One Day at a Time on CBS, and even Police Woman and Police Story on NBC. Remember all those?

Meanwhile, at Cult TV Blog, John has a periodic mini-review of several shows that may merit a full write-up in the future, and we gave quite a collection from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and genres that range from political to science fiction to children's programs, all of which sound worthwhile.

At ReelWeegieMidget, Gill reviews a book that's a neat change-of-pace from what we usually see in the TV book realm: Cooking the Detectives: A Bite Sized Guide To The Tastiest Detective Shows, by Jenny Hammerton; in it, she reviews TV detective episodes with food and drink themes. 

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan continues his review of The Twilight Zone Magazine, and this time we're up to the issue of March/April 1984, featuring interviews with Burgess Meredith and Scott Glen, reviews by Thomas M. Disch, cartoons by Gahan Wilson, a story by Richard Matheson, and more!

Television's New Frontier: The 1960s visits the 1962 episodes of the Western series Tales of Wells Fargo, starring Dale Robertson. Not one of the best-known Westerns of the time, but certainly an interesting one, with a star who was always dependable.

Terrence remembers actor Michael Madsen at A Shroud of Thoughts. Madsen, who died last week at age 67 and was the brother of actress Virginia Madsen, was part of Quentin Tarantino's regular stable of actors, and also a frequent figure (and voice) on television throughout his career. TV  

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I tried to come up with a picture of George Washington watching television for today, but unfortunately, photography hadn't yet been invented, so we'll go instead with a picture of Sebastian Coe's mother watching her son win the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 1980 Olympics. This came, by the way, from a 2017 story of how 80 people in Bristol, England, were still watching black and white TV. Among the reasons given were that the license for a black and white TV costs only a third of what one pays to watch TV in color (or, I should say, colour). See, in England, you have to pay a yearly license to watch television at the same time it's being broadcast. This is what subsidizes the BBC, and the current fee is £174.50 for a color license, £58.50 for black and white. It doesn't matter if you watch the BBC or not, or even if you like it; you pay to keep it going. Remember that the next time you're tempted to complain about commercial television. There are, however, no complaints about this week's lineup, however.

Twin Peaks: The Return was one of the most astonishing, confusing, and maddening series to air on television since  The Prisoner, maybe? Apparently, David Lynch wasn't happy with how it was mixed for TV, and so he created one for theaters. Now, it's about to hit the big screen in New York City. I wonder if it will ever make it out here to real America?

My favorite musical of all time is 1776, partially, I suspect, because it has less music in it than almost any musical ever to make it to Broadway. It's the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest adventures in human history, and at Captain Video, we see an animated Congress, thanks to a comic book adaptation of the story that captures things quite well.

Returing to British TV, at Cult TV Blog, John writes about "Welcome Home," an episode of the British series Out of the Unknown, that's part mystery, part science fiction. When you get to the heart of the mystery, it proves to be quite intriguing.

At Comfort TV, David takes time to remember some of the major figures who've recently departed, as well as one who, thankfully, is still around: the deaths of Rick Hurst, Lalo Schifrin, Bobby Sherman, and Bill Moyers; and the 100th birthday of June Lockhart. All part of my TV memories, needless to say.

Bob Crane: Life & Legacy is in a reflective mood as well, with June 29 marking the anniversary of Bob Crane's murder, still (and destined to be, apparently) unsolved. Included is a message that serves us well as to how we should view the eternal struggle against the human condition.

At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick reviews the two Tony Rome detective movies made by Frank Sinatra. Now, I like Frank, and I like detective movies, so these are both watchable enough, but you get the distinct impression they could have and should have been better.

Paul's latest review at Drunk TV is of season five of Mister Ed, one of those concept sitcoms that managed to transcend the concept and provide entertainment that was genuinely funny on its own. And if that wasn't enough, you get a double dose of Paul this week: at Mavis Movie Madness, he shares his observations on making it all the way through NBC's fabled daytime drama The Doctors, one of those rare soaps that exists virtually in its entirety, except for 290 episodes. That's out of 20 years, folks.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks at a landmark 1973 episode of Medical Center, starring Lois Nettleton as a lesbian doctor. It's frank, unspectacular, and one of the first television episodes to present a homosexual character as "a healthy, well-adjusted human being."

At Television Obscurities, Robert celebrates his annual Lost TV Day with links to some fascinating stories about lost episodes, audio recordings, and more. I have a couple of stories regarding lost episodes myself, ones that I encountered while writing Darkness in Primetime, that I'll share here one day. Suffice it to say, once again, that the television industry has been very sloppy in preserving its own history.

And finally, over at Eventually Supertrain, I join Dan for our latest discussion on Garrison's Gorillas. I can personally recommend that, but make sure you make time for Ghosted and Bronk as well.

If you're reading this on Friday and you live in the United States, I hope you're enjoying the Independence Day holiday, and that you don't lose any limbs with your fireworks! If you're reading this over the weekend or next week, I'll assume you survived in one piece. TV  

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All right, we start this week at bare•bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project continues apace with "Final Escape," a ninth-season episode with a horror ending and a fascinating "rest of the story." 

Speaking of horror, or at least something creepy, at Cult TV Blog John looks at the 1974 anthology series Dial M for Murder (clever name, what?) and the episode "If You Knew Susie," starring the great Elaine Stritch; it's an episode well-worth checking out.

It's TV time again at RealWeegieMidget, and this time Gill's focus is on three TV series having to do with aliens: Project UFO, a Polish series; Orson Welles' Great Mysteries, with the great man himself; and Weird or What, hosted by that greatest of all actors, William Shatner.

Comfort TV takes us on a journey into The Twilight Zone this week, as David looks at three hits and three misses from the series' storied second season. I agree with his assessments completely, which is appropriate since, as David points out, I included one of these episodes in my new book!

Remember "picture stories"? They were kind of like comics, except they used photos taken from TV episodes, using captions to describe the action. At Captain Video, the story in question is "Operation Tycoon," from Ben Casey, and it makes me want to find the episode and watch the whole thing.

Gentle Ben! Certainly I recall that series, perhaps because it was on Sunday nights and came on after football (and Lassie). Also, that was a really cool boat flying through the Everglades. Anyway, Paul reviews the first season at Drunk TV. (Maybe drunk bears would have solved a few problems.)

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has tributes to the two most recent classic TV stars to join the list of the dearly departed: teen idol Bobby Sherman, who died earlier this week at 81; and Waltons and Sanford and Son veteran Lynn Hamilton, who died last week at age 95. You can also read about Bobby Sherman at Television Obscurities.

I think Roger makes a very good point at The View from the Junkyard in talking about this week's A-Team episode, "West Coast Turnaround": what happens to the people the Team helps after they leave, given they don't kill the bad guys, only humiliate them. It can come back to bite you! TV  

Around the dial

It came as a revelation to me, many years ago, to see a reference in an old TV Guide to "Win" Martindale. At first I assumed it was a typo, but as we can see in this post from the Broadcast Archives, Wink Martindale was known, for a time, as Win. Either way you look at it, he was one of game show history's biggest winners.

At Comfort TV, David's journey through 1970s TV takes us to Monday nights, 1976. The highlight, of course, was Monday Night Football, but for every touchdown (Little House), there's an incomplete pass or two: The Captain and Tennille, All's Fair, Executive Suite. Stick to the movies and the game.

John returns to the world of the private detective at Cult TV Blog, with a look at the Shoestring episode "Find the Lady," with our heroic private "ear" on the trail of a murder—or is it? Check out an interesting story with a stellar guest cast.

At Captain Video's Secret Sanctum, we take a look at 2009's Spaceballs: The Animated Series, which ran for 13 episodes, and is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from an animated Mel Brooks project. I wonder what I was doing that I don't remember this?

Does a movie count as TV if you saw it on your television? It does in this case, as at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddy reviews the top four performances from one of the all-time greats, Toshiro Mifune. I've seen all four of these movies, and I can't argue with a one of them; they're all superb.

Speaking of superb, at The View from the Junkyard, Roger reviews the concluding episode of The New Avengers, "Emily," which serves as a fitting end to the series, "a celebration of everything this show does best."

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to the legendary Brian Wilson, who died last week at 82. He was certainly a familiar face on television in the 1960s, given the prominence of the Beach Boys, and one of those tortured geniuses who accomplished so much, and paid a price for it.

Martin Grams is back with another selection of book reviews designed to appeal to the TV and film buff in you. I mention these not just because they sound interesting, but to remind me that I have a pile of books to review myself, all on hold while I finished my own book. Which is done, by the way.

And that leads to my reminder that if you'd like to sign up for updates on Darkness in Primetime: How Classic-Era TV Foresaw Modern Society's Descent into Hell, you can do so at this link. There's another reveal next week leading up to the August release date; why not take a moment to sign up? TV  

Around the dial

Let's kick things off this week with one of my favorite British detectives, Frank Marker, as played by Alfred Burke in Public Eye. But this isn't about either Frank or Alfred; it's the finale of the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" at Cult TV Blog, and I'll forgive John for ending the season since he's chosen well: the episode "No Orchids for Marker."

At Comfort TV, David looks at some of our classic shows to see what they have to say about the ubiquitous computer, which was a thing to behold back then—and something to be feared. The question that these shows posed: can the computer be trusted? 

The Broadcast Archives celebrated Game Show Wednesday this week with a look at the "Golden Age" of game shows, at least in number: the 1970s. They were everywhere, and I'm willing to bet you're going to recognize at least one or two of the hosts pictured.

Jack's Hitchcock Project returns at bare•bones e-zine with "Act of Faith," a seventh season episode written by Nicholas Monsarrat, starring George Grizzard and Dennis King. It is, as Jack says, a curious choice for a Hitchcock episode; you'll have to see whether or not it works.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger continues to survey The A-Team, and points out that this week's episode, "The Out-of-Towners," keeps a trend going: that of the team taking on missions to right wrongs, rather than purely as mercenaries. It's part of what makes the show fun.

Television's New Frontier: The 1960s is back with the 1962 episodes of The Danny Thomas Show, and I'm always amazed that a show as successful as this was, with a star as big as Thomas was, can become so obscure today. Or maybe it's just me, I don't know.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence bids farewell to Pippa Scott, a frequent presence on classic TV over the years, who died last month at the age of 90. If you had a favorite show back in those days, the chances are excellent that she was on it.

Better twice than never: at Drunk TV, Paul reprises a piece from Mavis Movie Madness on NBC's 60th anniversary show in 1986. I think it's safe to say that both Paul and I have our doubts about how well it worked, and what it may augur for the 100th anniversary show coming up. TV  

Around the dial

Let's see; this week, I think we'll start with The Twilight Zone Vortex and season five's "You Drive," written by Earl Hamner Jr., and starring the great character actor Edward Andrews. As Brian says, it's "not terrible," but not the best, either. 

You can also read a nice remembrance of Swit by Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts. And while you're at it, check out his 21st anniversary post. I thought I'd been at this awhile, but he's got seven years on me!

It wouldn't be Friday without the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" at Cult TV Blog, and this time John is looking at the sci-fi series Out of the Unknown and the episode "The Dead Past," featuring a research tool that looks suspiciously like AI, especially in its trustworthiness and reliability.

In honor of the late Loretta Swit, RealWeegieMidget takes a gander at "Hail to the Chief," an episode of Supertrain, which manages to work in some improbable presidential political intrigue with Roy Thinnes playing a dual role. It's either very bad or very fun; find out which it is!

We haven't heard from Garroway at Large for awhile, but Jodie pops in this week to give us a portrait of "Garroway at peace": in this case, the peace of Laurel Hill Cemetery, where the great man was laid to rest. A short but moving piece.

At The Horn Section, Hal's back for another round of F Troop and the second season episode "Reach for the Sky, Pardner," with O'Rourke scheming to increase the amount of convention business coming into Fort Courage. As delightful as it is goofy.

A couple of classic pictures make the Broadcast Archives well worth checking out: first, a terrific picture of William Boyd in character as Hopalong Cassidy; second, an equally great picture of Bob Keeshan as Mister Mayor, a single-season Saturday morning show that took the place of Captain Kangaroo.  

At Drunk TV, Paul looks at the terrific third season of The Odd Couple, which captures the series at his creative best, including one of the great episodes of any sitcom: Felix and Oscar appearing on the game show Password, with Allen Ludden and Betty White as themselves.

Paul is back at Mavis Movie Madness with a plug for one of my favorite TV blogs, David Hofstede's Comfort TV, which you'll recognize from my many links to his site. If you don't make this part of your regular reading, you should. (He also gives yours truly a nice shout-out; the check is in the mail.)

Cult TV Lounge reviews the Mike Hammer telemovie Murder Me, Murder You, starring Stacy Keach as the world's most violent private detective. I recently wrote about how TV never really gets Hammer's essence, but Keach is almost always worth a watch.

The View from the Junkyard takes us to The A-Team and the episode "The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas," and you'll want to find out from Roger whether or not this episode can possibly live up to its title.  TV  

Around the dial

We'll begin once again this week at bare-bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project takes us to the ninth-season "Night Caller," a very creepy story featuring Felicia Farr (Mrs. Jack Lemmon), David White, and Bruce Dern.

At Cult TV Blog, John combines two of our favorite topics here: the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" and The Avengers; it's Sylvia's appearance in the camp classic "The Girl from Auntie," which has a little something for everyone, including murder via knitting needle.

Speaking of The Avengers, let's take a trip to the world of The New Avengers over at The View from the Junkyard, where Roger reviews "Complex," which recovers from a very slow start to become, as Roger puts it, "worth waiting for."

We've all got favorites that fall into the category of "terrible show I like," right? At Comfort TV, David looks at one of his: The Charmings, the Snow White spoof from 1987 (can it be that long?) that proves to be a nice antidote to the disastrous Disney remake from earlier this year. 

At Reelweegiemidget, Gill revisits a Twilight Zone episode we rewatched a couple of months ago, "Once Upon a Time," which features a delightful performance from Buster Keaton. With "The Girl from Auntie," this makes two episodes this week that I've seen in the last two months.

Paul looks back at the recent Blu-ray release of the Hanna-Barbera animated sitcom Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, which I've not seen (thanks, World's Worst Town™) but Paul does a great job putting this it its cultural context of the time.

Paul's also at Mavis Movie Madness, where his Memorial Day entertainment consisted not only of recovering from being at death's door, but watching the TV-friendly movie Hell Boats, starring James Franciscus. I can easily see this as a made-for-TV flick!

Lastly, at The Hits Just Keep On Comin', JB travels back in time to the year 1980, with plenty of period details leading up to the Memorial Day weekend, including the premiere of The Empire Strikes Back, the season finale of Saturday Night Live (hosted by Buck Henry), and more. TV  

Around the dial

Ah, but it seems as if we lead with the obituaries this week, beginning at A Shroud of Thoughts, where Terence salutes the late, great George Wendt, who died Tuesday at the age of 76, on the 32nd anniversary of the series finale of Cheers. We can double up on the farewell to Norm with this typically offbeat piece at Inner Toob.

Terence also notes the passing of Joe Don Baker, known for everything from Walking Tall to a pair of James Bond movies to a couple of appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000, which, of course, are the important credits; he was 89. There's also a nice tribute to Baker from Paul at Mavis Movie Madness!

We next move on to RealWeegieMidget, where Gill offers up a tribute to Priscilla Pointer, the former soap actress who played Pam Ewing's mother on Dallas, but also did much more; she died last month, aged 100. We should always balance our sadness at such departures with a sense of gratitude for the great memories they left behind in their bodies of work; that helps keep it all in perspective, I think.

It is, however, nice to turn to something a little lighter, such as Garry Berman's tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Return of the Pink Panther, which certainly has to be one of the funniest movies ever made. It's the third entry in the Pink Panther series, and features some extraordinarly fine work by Herbert Lom as Clouseau's beleaguered boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

At Television Obscurities, Robert passes along the news that NBC is planning a 100th anniversary tribute next year. Back in the day, Orson Welles hosted a 50th anniversary show that was quite good; why is it that I don't have similiar high hopes for this one?

Let's return to The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard, where Roger reviews "K is for Kill," which is a great title (although I don't suppose you'll see it in those preschool alphabet tutorials), but does it make for a great episode? Well, you'll just have to find out.

Staying across the pond, John is staying with the Sylvia Coleridge Season at Cult TV Blog, and this week he offers "Silver Threads," an episode from the series Village Hall, an anthology in which each episode takes place in, well, a village hall. A quirky episode of an interesting series. TV