Around the dial

We'll begin this week's review at bare•bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at the second season story "Kill by Kindness" by A.J. Russell, based on a teleplay he'd previously written for The Clock (not uncommon in the early years of TV), and starring Hume Cronyn, Carmen Matthews, and James Gleason. As frequently happens, the ending is both surprising and satisfying.

John's examination of the television works of British actor Denis Shaw continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week we see Shaw's performance in an American television series, The Vise, and the episode "The Very Silent Traveler." As John mentions, there are a couple of different versions of The Vise, one that includes detective Mark Saber, but this isn't one of those episodes, even though it does contain crime and punishment.

A pair of interesting observations from Travalanche; the first is a brief look at William S. Paley and the birth of CBS. Paley, of course, is one of the major figures in the history of television; even though he didn't appear in front of the camera, he had a lot to do with who did. Next, it's 70 years of The Tonight Show, and you can certainly see how that institution has changed over the years. 

Likewise, TV Obscurities entertains with a couple of interesting bits on the 1969 series The New People, one of television's rare attempts at a 45-minute series. The first is a five-page proposal for the series, with some significant changes from the finished product; the secnd is a promotional spot designed to explain the premise to viewers.

It's another week of obituaries at A Shroud of Thoughts; first, observations on the death of Kris Kristofferson at 88. Although he was primarily a singer, he was also a very effective actor, with several television credits to his name. Then, it's John Amos, who actually died in August; his death wasn't made public until earlier this week. He was 84, with an impressive pedigree, including Roots, Good Times, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. 

Television's New Frontier: The 1960s covers 1962 and the end of the third season and start of the fourth season of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The quality is erratic, but you'll always enjoy Dwayne Hickman and Bob Denver, and how can you completely hate a series that gave us Tuesday Weld and includes a couple of apperances by Yvonne Craig?

At The Hits Just Keep On Comin', jb passes final judgment on Barnaby Jones, the detective series starring Buddy Ebsen. The quality of the show came and went, but I know of many, many people who have very fond memories of it; as jb says, "It's not good, exactly, but the rhythms and tropes of 70s TV are comfort food, and in a world such as this one, we need that." Amen to all that.

Paul returns to the world of the TV-movie at Drunk TV with the 1972 thriller The Norliss Tapes, which bore more than a passing resemblance to The Night Stalker—well, it was made by Dan Curtis. The good news: there's Angie Dickinson, although she's wasted. The bad news: there's also Roy Thinnes, who happens to be the star. The worst news: unlike The Night Stalker, there's no real sense of humor. And that's no laughing matter. TV  

Around the dial

Since we're in the midst of the Yule season, let's start off at Drunk TV, where Paul looks back at one of Perry Como's classic Christmas specials, this one from 1974. (Compared to other stars of the time, there are an extraordinary number of Como Christmas specials from over the years on YouTube, and you should check them out.) It's an excellent analysis not only of the show itself, but the light it throws on what Paul calls a "lost world." Again, terrific.

At Comfort TV, David continues his trek through 1970s television with a look at the shows of Monday and Tuesday nights, 1971. You'll find some familiar names there, but perhaps also some shows you've forgotten, or never knew about. Always a good time!

"Time machines and buried ledes" is the title of Jodie's latest at Garroway at Large, which I really like because that, in a nutshell, is what my Saturday TV Guide feature is all about. In this case, though, I also like it because of some interesting Dave stuff, a look at the picture for the cover of Jodie's Garroway book, and a kind mention of me (and if you haven't read that interview yet, you should).

Jack's returned to the 1992 series Virtual Murder, and the episode "A Dream of Dracula" at Cult TV Blog. This week's story concerns a university production of "Dracula" coinciding with reports of a real-life vampire on the loose. It doesn't get better than that.

This past Wednesday was Pearl Harbor Day, and at Television Obscurities, Robert flashes back to an aspect of that story that I don't think most of us would have considered: how television—yes, television—covered the unfolding story.

I think I've mentioned before that I took to watching Sesame Street in my teens, well out of the intended age group of the show, as a self-defense mechanism to escape the truly awful after-school TV choices while living in the World's Worst Town™. My favorite human character was Bob McGrath, and I was delighted to find out years later that he had previously been on Sing Along with Mitch, which meant he'd been on TV a long time. Bob died this week, aged 90, and in addition to this warm look at his career by Terence at A Shade of Thoughts, the Broadcast Archives has a nice picture of him from his Sing Along days.

At Shadow & Substance, Paul debates the ending of a Twilight Zone classic: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You." It's a very good article about a terrific episode, which you'll recall I wrote about in my "Descent into Hell" series (which will be back after the new year).

Finally, Herbie J. Pilato takes a closer look at the fondly-remembered detective series Barnaby Jones, with Buddy Ebsen in his second big TV hit. It's more Cannon than Mannix (you won't see Barnaby beating the hell out of anyone!), and it makes for a pleasant evening's watch.

Back tomorrow, and I promise Yule Love It! TV