This week begins at Reelweegiemidget, where Gill reviews Bionic Ever After, the 1994 telemovie that wraps up the saga of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman love story. Hopefully.
At Cult TV Blog, John takes a rare excursion into the world of Monty Python and the final series episode, "Michael Ellis." And I wonder if you really can purchase a flame thrower in a department store? I'll have to head over to Wal-Mart and find out.
If ever there's a time to sit back and enjoy a good horror movie (or even a non-so-good one), it's Halloween, and so David is right on point at Comfort TV with his look at the 1972 movie "Moon of the Wolf," with David Janssen, Barbara Rush, and John Beradino on hand to lend gravitas.
Let's continue with the genre at Classic Film & TV Café, where Rick riffs on 1981's Ghost Story, with Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. If the movie could have measured up to the book, or its distinguished cast, we might have had one for the ages. . .
At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to Ron Ely, most famous as the star of the late-60s series Tarzan and the movie Doc Savage, who died last month, aged 86. He also appeared in the early-60s series The Aquanauts, many, many TV guest-star roles, and, infamously, as the man who replaced Bert Parks on Miss America. I also enjoyed his piece on the Los Angeles Dodgers on 1960s television; they were kind of the default team of TV, in some very enjoyable episodes. With the World Series coming up, this seems appropriate!
I always enjoy reading Andrew's posts at The Lucky Strike Papers when he references his mother, singer Sue Bennett, and her appearances on television, especially on Your Hit Parade or, in this case, Kay Kyser's television show. Some nice pictures as well.
The Hits Just Keep On Comin' goes back 20 years, to October 23, 2004, when, as JB remembers, there was a presidential election going on as well, as well as a World Series. There's something reassuring in tsignposts like those, the dependability that one can find in the rhythms of the calendar.
At Classic Fim and TV Corner, Maddy looks at one of the great acting dynasties of film and television, the Mills family: father John, and daughters Juliet and Hayley. All terrific, and of course I've got a soft spot for Juliet, whose autographed picture appears in our den. Maybe we'll add Hayley next year.
Finally, singer Jack Jones died today, aged 86; in addition to his recording career, he was a guest star on many variety shows over the years. And yet, for TV viewers, he's perhaps best-known for a show you didn't see him in, but he was part of every episode: The Love Boat, which wouldn't have been nearly as memorable if his rendition of the theme song didn't set the stage. Since we're only a couple of months from Christmas, why not end with a clip of him on the famed Judy Garland Christmas special. TV
Ah, Halloween is just around the corner, so I expect we'll see some seasonal fare over the next couple of weeks, starting at Comfort TV, where David looks at the haunted houses of classic TV. When you think about it, all the houses from classic television shows are haunted, in a way—haunted by the ghosts of the past, the ghosts of our own memories.
In that spirit, we'll continue to The Last Drive In and a look at the 1960 horror classic The Leech Woman, starring Grant Williams, Coleen Gray, and Phillip Terry. It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that this movie was featured on MST3K, so expect to see it in a TV Guide one of these days.
At Silver Scenes, the Metzingers visit the 1959-61 series Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds. It's notable for three things: an early appearance of Reynolds in a prominent role; the fact that McGavin appeared in this series at the same time as he was in the syndicated Mike Hammer; and an epic quote from Reynolds (who did not get along with McGavin) that McGavin "is going to be a very"T disappointed man on the first Easter after his death."
John continues his look at Seventies TV at Cult TV Blog with (apparently) the only existing episode of Barlow, a 1971-75 police drama that captures the evolution of television portrayals of police; it's also notable in that, per Darren McGavin, series star Stratford Johns played the character Barlow in two different shows being broadcast at the same time.
Let's stay in the UK and jump over to The View from the Junkyard, where Roger and Mike exchange quips and opinions on the Avengers episode "The Winged Avenger," a Steed/Mrs. Peel adventure involving the murders of wicked businessmen "who don't deserve to live." A sticky one there, isn't it? And yet the law must prevail! See what they think, and what you think.
Remember our discussion of Captains and the Kings, the first story of NBC's 1976 series Best Sellers? Well, at Drunk TV Paul reviews the second installment, Once an Eagle, based on the bestseller by Anton Myrer, starring Sam Elliott, Cliff Potts, Darleen Carr, Amy Irving, and Glenn Ford. I remember watching this as well when it was originally on, and Paul's review does it thorough justice.
At Travalanche, it's a feature on Harvey Comics, home of comic books starring cartoon characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch, Baby Huey, Richie Rich, Little Audrey, Hermin and Katnip, and others. I read all these comics in the day, and watched their adventures on television. Good memories.
Terence celebrates the 65th anniversary of 77 Sunset Stripover at A Shroud of Thoughts. This is one of the gems of the WB production line of detective shows, a series that has likable characters, interesting storylines, and (at least until the final, lousy season) simply fun to watch. By all means watch the others in the stable: Hawaiian Eye, Bourbon Street Beat, and Surfside 6, but don't miss this one.
At Shadow & Substance, Paul looks at the "unofficial" pilot for The Twilight Zone, "The Time Element," which aired on Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse in 1958, a year before TZ itself premiered. It doesn't carry the brand name, but nobody could possibly mistake Rod Serling's story as anything other than being from the fifth dimension.
It can be hard to envision Jack Webb as anyone other than Joe Friday, but the Dragnet star could be found on old-time radio in other roles; this week, Martin Grams looks at one of them, Pete Kelly's Blues, in which Webb plays a jazz musician who solves crimes on the sleazy side of the street. The scripts of the 13 programs in the series have now been collected into a book—read all about it.
Finally, at the Comfort TV link at the top of the page, David offered a prayer for peace for those in the Middle East, and I'd like to add one of my own: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. —Matthew 5:9. May it be so. TV
At Comfort TV, David honors the late David McCallum with a look at some of the actor's finest classic television roles, from a 1953 performance on British TV to his 1986 reunion with Robert Vaughn on The A-Team—a career marked with warm and intelligent portrayals.
Dick Carr's work on Alfred Hitchcock Presents continues at bare-bones e-zine as Jack looks at the first season story "Salvage," co-written with Fred Freiberger, and starring a young Gene Barry, along with Nancy Gates and Elisha Cook, Jr.
If you have the same trouble keeping up with what's on various streaming services as I do, you'll welcome this helpful note from Silver Scenes with a look at some of the latest offerings on Tubi. Classic television is always on the list, including the 1966 WWII adventure series Jericho.
At The Horn Section, Hal returns to F Troop with the season one episode "Go For Broke," in which our heroic Sgt. O'Rourke must figure out how to replenish the fort's pension fund—which O'Rourke lost in a shady poker game—before the Inspector General arrives.
Cult TV Blog continues a look at the 1970s, as John moves on to the BBC series Paul Temple, which was a big hit—in Germany!—and, hence, is only available today by watching episodes dubbed into German. Watch the episode "The Quick and the Dead," and you'll see it's worth it.
At Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddy has her recommendation for five TV horror series for Halloween. Among the series are two I can testify to: Night Gallery and Sapphire & Steel, the latter starring none other than the aforementioned David McCallum.
Eyes of a Generation has a very interesting piece on the history of ABC's first handheld cameras. If you watch historic coverage of news and sporting events, you know the impact handhelds have had, and ABC had not one but two designs: one from LA, the other from New York.
Martin Grams has a great look at the history of the radio show Bold Venture, which starred none other than Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It's long been highly sought after, and now a Kickstarter campaign seeks to make them available to OTR fans.
At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to the career of the great Sir Michael Gambon, who died last month aged 82. Gambon starred in such diverse projects as the Harry Potter movie series, Maigret, and the unforgettable The Singing Detective.
Remember Andy Griffith's foray into science fiction, Salvage 1 (not to be confused with the above-mentioned Salvage)? Television Obscurities does, and Robert reviews the initial episode (after the pilot), "Dark Island," which takes place a long way from Mayberry.
We'll wrap things up at The View from the Junkyard, where Mike continues his reviews of the Saturday morning series Land of the Lost with the episode "The Hole," a literate, intelligent installment in a series that was a cut above the standard Saturday life-action fare. TV
I wouldn't have first-hand knowledge of this, but I'd imagine that when you've been lampooned in the pages of Mad magazine, you know you've made it. Dave Garroway certainly did, and at Garroway at Large Jodie has the story of The Dave Garrowunway Show.
I think we're all familiar with certain shots or sound effects that keep popping up in movies and TV shows over and over again, and at Cult TV Blog John follows the "famous ITC white Jaguar" as it plummets over the cliff. This week: "Something for a Rainy Day" on The Baron.
I've never been a huge Halloween buff, but I do have fond memories of dressing up and going door-to-door when I was of an age ("Don't eat any candy that hasn't been wrapped!"); today, it's more of an occasion for looking at the treasure trove of Halloween TV movies, as seen by David at Comfort TV.
The premiere of the 25th James Bond movie (and the last of the Daniel Craig era) prompts reflections by Rick at Classic Film & TV Cafe, who ranks all 25 of them from worst to best, and the Secret Sanctum of Captain Video, where the retrospective is on how it all began.
David DePatie, who produced television's Bugs Bunny Show and then, with his partner Friz Freleng, went on to bring the animated character from the Pink Panther opening credits to life as a long-running Saturday morning cartoon, died last month at 91; Terence looks at his career at A Shroud of Thoughts.
This weekend marks the return of SerlingFest in Binghamton, New York, and one of the speakers is none other than Shadow & Substance's Paul Gallagher, talking about Serling's skill at adapting short stories for Night Gallery. His work on TZ wasn't bad, either. TV
s I mentioned the other day, for the first time since its premiere in 1966, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown won't be airing on network television this year. I hope those of you without Apple+ have The Great Pumpkin on DVD, because it cdrtainly isn't Halloween without it.
The Great Pumpkin is probably second only to A Charlie Brown Christmas in terms of popularity, and it isn't surprising. It's a charming story, what with its sly satire on the Santa Claus mythos, Snoopy in his Sopwith Camel, and Charlie Brown's miserable trick-or-treating experience. It also generated quite a few tie-ins, including this: The Peanuts Book of Pumpkin Carols, published by Hallmark. Although I have to admit we've never had carolers coming around our neighborhood singing pumpkin carols, I wouldn't presume to speak for all neighborhoods; perhaps it's a local tradition where you live.
Here are a couple of my favorites—
GREAT PUMPKIN IS COMING TO TOWN
Oh, you better not shriek,
You better not groan,
You better not howl,
You better not moan,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
He’s going to find out,
From folks that he meets,
Who deserves tricks,
And who deserves treats,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
He’ll search in every pumpkin patch,
Haunted houses far and near,
To see if you’ve been spreading gloom,
Or bringing lots of cheer.
So, you better not shriek,
You better not groan,
You better not howl,
You better not moan,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
I’M DREAMING OF THE GREAT PUMPKIN
I’m dreaming of the Great Pumpkin,
Just like I do this time each year.
When he brings nice toys,
To good girls and boys,
Who wait for him to appear.
I’m dreaming of the Great Pumpkin,
With every Pumpkin card I write.
May your jack-o-lanterns burn bright,
When the Great Pumpkin visits you tonight.
And here's my personal favorite; I've shared "Pumpkin Bells" before, but we all know you can never have too much of a good thing.
PUMPKIN BELLS
Dashing through the streets,
In our costumes bright and gay,
To each house, we go,
Laughing all the way.
Halloween is here,
Making spirits bright,
What fun it is to trick-or-treat,
And sing Pumpkin carols tonight!
Oh, Pumpkin bells! Pumpkin bells!
Ringing loud and clear,
Oh what fun Great Pumpkin brings,
When Halloween is here!
Pumpkin bells! Pumpkin bells!
Ringing loud and clear,
Oh, what fun Great Pumpkin brings,
When Halloween is here!
You can see the complete list here. In the meantime, we'll be watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on Halloween night as we always do. I hope you'll join us, at least in spirit. After all, 'tis the night for spirits. TV
Well, let's see what we have this week. I never played video games on our TV when I was growing up; we didn't have them yet, for one thing, and by the time they did come along, it was cooler to go to an arcade and play them. We still don't have anything like a Playstation; nowadays, it's easier to just use your phone. Perhaps I just don't have the imagination for it.
At Comfort TV, David gets in the Halloween spirit with a look back at the 1970 ABC telemovie Crowhaven Farm. What kind of movie is it? The plot involves Hope Lange and Paul Burke and an old farmhome they've inherited, and discover that the creepy handyman is played by John Carradine. As David says, "That is sign number two that this may not be a great place to relocate," and truer words have seldom been spoken.
Keeping in that Holloween spirit, Shadow & Substance delves into the famed first episode of The Twilight Zone, "Where Is Everybody?" which aired in October 1958, and a small scene which never made the final script.
Speaking of spooky holidays, Realweegiemidget reviews the 1972 TV movie Home for the Holidays, in which "The Morgan sisters return to the family home for Christmas, as their estranged father is worried his new wife is trying to kill him." And you think your family gatherings are bad.
Let's find something a little more relaxing. Ah yes, at Garroway at Large, Jodie tells the story of what at the time was the world's largest Venetian blind, 18 by 88 feet and weighing 248 pounds. It was used by NBC for the front window of the Garroway-era Today window to the world. Suddenly, our vertical blinds don't look so bad.
At The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew talks about the evolution of the show from radio, where it had started in 1935, to television: a move which started with four experimental broadcasts, and led to the premiere, 70 years ago this month, of the television series.
Finally, one of the great baseball players of my youth, Whitey Ford, died last week, and Inner Toob commemorates the life of the Yankee giant as only that site can, looking at his television apperances in which he played himself. TV
As you may recall, we skipped this feature last week due to my secret out-of-town mission; the nice thing about that is that we always have plenty to look at when we come back, and this week is no exception. Let's get started!
At Classic Film and TV Café, Rick has an interview with television and movie star Constance Towers, who has some wonderful stories about working with Raymond Burr on Perry Mason, being directed by John Ford and Samuel Fuller, and more.
Jack's Hitchcock Project continues at bare•bones e-zine with part three of Bill S. Ballinger's contributions; this one is the fifth-season episode "The Hero," with Eric Portman and Oscar Homolka in a sinister story of a guilty conscience.
Fire-Breathing Dimetrodon Time reviews "Bounty Hunters' Convention," an episode of the beloved Western comedy-fantasy The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., which I've mentioned before as a show that was perhaps ahead of its time. In today's age of smaller television audiences, I wonder if this series wouldn't have continued for a few years.
Apropos of Halloween, Inner Toob looks at the four actresses who've played Marilyn Munster, the black sheep of the Munster family. Is it possible this character has appeared in other series? I love the weird twists that that Inner Toob takes with questions like this.
Sticking with that theme, at Comfort TV, David talks about a Halloween Comfort TV classic: Ghost Story, the 1972 anthology series hosted by Sebastian Cabot (at least until it changed its title and format). I don't know why I remember this series, but I do; it may have something to do with it being on NBC, the only station we could get in the World's Worst Town™.
This week, Cult TV Blog is back in the world of Gideon's Waywith the episode "The Nightlifers," and I have to admit becoming more curious about this series the more John talks about it. It's a show that really depicts the time in which it was made, which is one reason why I recommend watching shows from the time rather than modern shows that try to show it like it was. TV
One might be tempted to suggest that it doesn't pay to go out of town for a week, because you have to spend that much more time catching up when you return. And there's a lot to be said for that, although in my case, having returned from a week in which I put in 39 hours of overtime (at time-and-a-half!), it actually did pay. the other part of the equation hold's true, though; suddenly, I find myself with a lot to do, and not much time in which to do it. For example, I have a terrific interview with Ed Sullivan's grandson lined up, but it has to wait until next week; you'll be glad you waited, though.
And then there's Halloween, and while it's been a long time since I've gone out for trick or treating, it's still fun seeing the little kids come to the door in their costumes, some of them barely old enough to do anything other than stick their hand out for a piece of candy. Good times, though, because I'm one of those who still believes that Halloween belongs to kids, not adults.
Speaking of which, if you're my age, you probably remember the costumes you wore when you were a kid, with the plastic mask and the smock you pulled over your shirt. A lot of these costumes were TV-related, giving you a chance to look like your favorite cartoon or real-life TV character. These were invariably a disappointment, in part because having the eyes cut out ruined any chance the mask had of looking like the character it was supposed to resemble. Of course, the alternative was to go staggering around and running into trees because you couldn't see where you were going, so there was that.
This costume of Casper the Friendly Ghost is actually pretty good, since he had black eyes to begin with, and it's too dark to see what's behind the holes. Just wait until you put it on, though; your eyes will ruin the whole thing. I think I wore this costume for a couple of years back in the 1960s, which is strange because I don't remember being a big Casper fan.
I don't know if I ever had a Top Cat costume, though I watched him every Saturday morning. The makers apparently weren't very confident that you'd recognize who it was supposed to be, since they felt compelled to put "Top Cat" on the hat, something that never happened on the show. (You can see just enough of the doily underneath to see how disconcerting those eyes were. and now I'll stop talking about that.)
I suspect everyone would recognize Fred Flintstone; that show's never really gone out of style, has it? I watched it growing up, because when you're a kid you'll pretty much watch whatever happens to be one, but it wasn't high on my list. I think I would have been hard up to wear this.
You can see why cartoon characters make good costumes, since it's a lot easier to reproduce the look of a cartoon than a human. I don't think it was necessary to put Yogi's name on the hat; you don't have to be smarter than the average bear to know who it is. For some reason I want to say I had this costume, but I can't be sure anymore. The mind is the first thing to go, you know.
See what I mean about the difficulty reproducing human characters? The description claims that this is Lurch from The Addams Family, and I'm in no position to argue the point. It seems like it would be wasted on someone under seven feet tall, though.
Evidently this, plus a red long-sleeved shirt, is all you need to go as Gilligan, although having the right hair would probably help.
Wearing this is supposed to make you look like Batgirl, but personally, I think having a figure like Yvonne Craig will probably be a whole lot more effective. With or without the mask.
🎃 🎃 🎃
Finally, where would we be without a Pumpkin Carol? Last year I wrote about how Pumpkin Carols were all the thing after the success of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, so it seems fitting to celebrate Halloween Eve with the classic "Pumpkin Bells."
Dashing through the streets
In our costumes bright and gay
To each house we go
Laughing all the way
Halloween is here,
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to trick-or-treat
And sing pumpkin carols tonight!
Oh, Pumpkin bells, Pumpkin bells
Ringing loud and clear
Oh what fun Great Pumpkin brings
When Halloween is here.
No tricks here, but I'll try to have more treats for you on Friday. Be careful out there tomorrow! TV
I don't know; perhaps if you're of a certain age - my age, for example - you'll recognize this. I came across this typewritten sheet (which alone may tell you how old it is) in the archives of Thomas Jefferson University, from 1967. It would have been about that year that I first saw this, when I was in grade school.
Nowadays we'd use the term viral, as in "This went viral," but back then things like this were just copied and shared, until more or less everyone everywhere had them. So it's quite possible that this song sheet of Halloween "Pumpkin Carols" is the exact same sheet that we had in school in Minneapolis; and if not the same, then very much like what we had.
Pumpkin Carols, of course, come from the Peanuts cartoon It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, it was popular right away. Hallmark came out with a book of Pumpkin Carols, which I suspect is where this came from, again back in the day where plagiarism wasn't that serious if you didn't profit by it. Anyway, here are some that I remember quite well - do they seem familiar to you? If so, you might want to click on that link above and look at all of them - and maybe get together tonight with your friends and sing some. I'll be looking out the window, waiting for the Carolers to come.
Last month at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, Ivan reviewed the new Blu-ray Television's Lost Classics Volume 1, which featured a pair of John Cassavettes performances; this week he's back with a look at Volume 2. which gives us a look at four pilots, gloriously restored. You might find these two sets well worth your time.
As you know, I always enjoy Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine, not only because of the episode reviews, but because he looks at everything about the stories, including the original source material. This week, it's Bernard C. Schoenfeld Part Six: "The Percentage," from Hitch's third season. Find out how Schoenfeld changed David Alexander's original story, and see if he made it better.
I like this promo for Creature From the Black Lagoon at the Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland. After all, I got to see the Creature himself, Ricou Browning, at last month's Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
I don't know if you've been following the story of Joanna and her Netflix DVD dress; no description I can provide would do this project justice, so I recommend you pick up the story at Christmas TV History.
David celebrates Halloween at Comfort TV with pictures of TV tie-in costumes. Good memories of those days, although I never dressed in any of the costumes that David shows; mine were more like Caspar and Yogi Bear. In Minnesota, you can have snow on the ground at Halloween, you know, so a lot of times those costumes were under heavier jackets.
At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan takes a comprehensive look at one of TZ's problematic episodes, the hour-long "Mute," with Ann Jillian as a telepathic child. That's really a simplistic description of an episode that raises some very provocative questions about assimilation, a question that's always relevant.
It's a kind of theme week here at Around the Dial, with many of this week's pieces concentrating on the upcoming Halloween spooktacular. Let's take a closer look at them.
Time for another Hitchcock update at bare-bones e-zine, and as was the case previously, it focuses on the frequently-cast-as-a-British-detective John Williams, this time in the second season story "I Killed the Count," the only multi-part Hitchcock story, and a fun one as well.
Also in the mystery vein, The Twilight Zone Vortex continues its Halloween countdown with another in a series of horror-themed episodes. This time, Cliff Robertson stars in the tale of a ventriloquist gone bad, "The Dummy."
I would never have associated Tales of the Crypt with Christmas, which is why Joanna Wilson writes Christmas books and I don't. This week at Christmas TV History, she takes us back to, let us say, an unconventional type of Christmas episode from 1998.
Let's stay with the horror theme for a moment, as Classic Film and TV Cafe looks at the 1970 telemovie "How Awful About Allan," with Anthony Perkins and Julie Harris - as Rick says, a very strong cast for an ABC Movie of the Week.
And Made For TV Movies continues the trend, with - natch - another made-for-TV movie. This one, from 1979, is "Mind Over Murder" with Deborah Raffin and Bruce Davison, and Amanda, who should know, classifies it as "closer to the greats" as far as horror telemovies goes.
Now for something completely different, let's shift over to British television, and of course that means we start with Cult TV Blog, and 1965's Undermind. I'm not saying we're done with the horror subtext, though, because we're talking about an alien force using technology to undermine society! And British TV Detectives follows up with the ongoing series Silent Witness, a series with potential that ultimately disappoints,
David at Comfort TV has another of his thought-provoking yet nostalgic articles, this time taking a look at how foreign cultures were portrayed in various classic television series. He makes an excellent point about how watching these shows, you're reminded of how the world seemed somehow bigger back then, before the information highway brought us all closer together (and drove us farther apart int he process).
That should keep you until tomorrow, when I'll be back with one of our favorite ghoulish couples, on the cover of TV Guide. TV
Before we get to our weekly trip around the blogosphere, a personal note. Those of you in my own Facebook network may know that I have a book coming out next month. It's a novel and has nothing to do with television, but I'm going to plug it here anyway because 1) it's my website, and 2) it's my book.*
*And if you need another reason, 3) they're both written by me..
The book is called The Collaborator; it's a religious-political drama about backstage intrigue at the Vatican, and I'm very proud of it; if I do say so myself, it contains some of the best writing I've ever done. It will be available from Amazon and other dealers, in both print and e-book versions. I promise I won't overdo it on the plugs; maybe just a short notice at the end of every post for the next three months or so. And did I mention it would make a great Christmas gift for the fiction-reader in your home?
OK, now on to the regular content.
In tomorrow's TV Guide review I mention a local station running the political movie The Last Hurrah and wondering if it was tied in to that week's midterm election coverage. At Christmas TV History, Joanna takes a look at something in the same vein - disaster movies that take place around Christmastime. Perhaps that's what we should be running at election time.
Ah, The Great American Dream Machine - it was on in 1971 and 1972 on PBS, and I think I might have seen a few minutes of it - though I was a precocious child back then, it probably went clear over my head, especially the cartoons. I mean, I didn't even get Monty Python humor until a decade later. But at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, you can find out all about the show, and whether or not it's your cup of tea.
Major League Baseball's playoffs started this week, and Classic TV Sports has a review of television's coverage of the first years of the League Championship Series. I'm just old enough to remember the days before playoffs, when there were only ten teams in each league, and the pennant winners went straight to the World Series. Sadly, in today's bloated playoff landscape, the '70s now look like the good old days.
Martin Grams has a behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of The Twilight Zone's most memorable episodes—1960's "The Eye of the Beholder." Besides having one of the great shock endings in the history of the series (or in all of television, for that matter), there's great insight into how the episode came to be—and why some people might know its title as "The Private World of Darkness."
In the context of discussing the series of debates between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal that ABC aired during the Republican and Democratic conventions, Terry Teachout at About Last Night Terry Teachout touches on how television (and American culture) have changed in nearly 50 years. Here's the money quote, which puts this (and so much of what I write about) in context:
On the other hand, we’re as far away in time from The Louvre and the Buckley-Vidal debates as the 1968 nominating conventions were from the presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding. To put it another way, we’re as far away in time from The Carol Burnett Show as that program (which I did watch as a boy, devotedly) was from Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, which was at least as important to American comedy in 1921 as Burnett’s series was in 1968.
My review of The Merv Griffin Show on Wednesday put me in mind to write more about talk shows, and Kliph Nesteroffhas the answer. Here's Jerry Lewis from June 1962, hosting The Tonight Show during the interim between the departure of Jack Paar and the arrival of Johnny Carson. It's said that Jerry's well-received hosting gig led to ABC giving him his own two-hour Saturday night show, which unfortunately remains one of the bigger debacles in television history.
I love the quizzes at Classic Film and TV Cafe, even though I'm not usually sharp enough (or timely enough) to get in on the fun. This week, it's another edition of The Movie-TV Connection Game, in which we try to figure out what connects a pair or trio of celebrities. Why don't you give it a try and see how your luck goes?
Sean Collins' piece at Grantland doesn't deal with classic TV per se, but his analysis of why Space Ghost Coast to Coast might be television's most influential showdoes hearken back to the original Space Ghost, which aired on CBS Saturday mornings from 1966-68. It's the right time period that I might well have watched it, but aside from a few vague memories, the '90s reboot that Collins writes about is much more familiar to me.
Ewing tacos?Michael's TV Tray makes me hungry, and it isn't even National Taco Day anymore!(Of course, that's a title that no self-respecting Texan, native or not, could ever pass up.)
That's it for today; apologies for the lateness of this post. Remember, tomorrow is TV Guide day. Be here—aloha. TV
It's one week until the Presidential election, and things are really heating up, with the biggest television event being a no-show in the pages of TV Guide.
We've previously looked at the controversies and difficulties surrounding the 1980 debates, and it wasn't until late in October (apparently too late to change this issue) that the one and only debate between the principal candidates, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, was agreed to.
The debate took place in Cleveland on October 28, one week to the day before Election Day, and it's said to have been the turning point in a close race becoming a landslide.* Three things stand out from the confrontation: the President remarking on his conversation with his twelve-year-old daughter about nuclear proliferation, Reagan's response to Carter's accusations with the line, "There you go again," and the closing peroration in Reagan's final statement, in which he asked the voters "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"
*Which is another good reason not to have early voting - but that's another discussion for another day and, probably, a different blog.
The debate was one of the highest-rated television programs of the last decade, and the last time that the candidates of the two major parties would engage in, essentially, single-warrior combat. I'm not exactly certain what it did to that night's broadcast schedule; a quick look at the listings suggests the biggest program that night was Bob Hope's two-hour election special, which may well have been interrupted for the debate and continued afterward. In any event, it's likely that those high ratings were much better for the networks than anything they wound up preempting.
One other election note: there's a fairly extensive article with the three candidates (Reagan, Carter and Anderson) answering questions about television put to them by TV Guide. The answers are about what you'd expect: Reagan and Anderson both think their campaigns have been, for the most part, covered fairly by the media, while Carter complains that the the press holds the incumbent's record to a higher standard than that of his challengers. In response to a question about the predicted low voter turnout, Anderson makes a very interesting observation, that the more voters learn about candidates and officeholders the lower the turnout tends to become, though he thinks it more likely the fault of the candidates themselves than the coverage they receive. When asked about their favorite shows, Reagan identifies news, sports, family programs and miniseries, Anderson watches news and public affairs shows, and Carter has very little time to watch anything.
***
I've written before about the complex relationship between boxing and television. Over the years, we've seen boxing go from a thrice-weekly staple of prime-time television to a closed-circuit event in theaters and then, behind Howard Cosell, return to prime-time for big events. This week's fight falls somewhere in-between: the network premier of the Larry Holmes-Muhammad Ali heavyweight title fight, which had been broadcast in theaters earlier in the month. Broadcasts such as this still got big ratings, even though everyone knew the outcome, because relatively few had seen the fight in the theater, and only still photographs had been published prior to the telecast.
Ali, the man responsible for boxing's renaissance, was coming back from a two-year retirement after having won back the championship from Leon Spinks in 1978. Holmes was considered the best heavyweight in the world, undefeated champion* since June of 1978; despite this, Ali appeared to have worked himself into good shape and a surprising number of experts gave him a good chance of regaining his crown. In the event, the fight was a total mismatch, with Holmes dominating from the outset. Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, tried to throw in the towel after the ninth round, and the fight was stopped after ten rounds, with Holmes far ahead on all scorecards.
*Of the World Boxing Council, which had stripped Spinks of the title for giving Ali a rematch rather than fulfilling his contractual obligation to defend his title against the number one contender, Ken Norton. The champion of the World Boxing Association (the unbroken title line which passed from Spinks to Ali to John Tate) is currently Mike Weaver. More about him in a minute.
I'm not quite sure why the ABC advertisement talks about "The Controversy"; certainly there's no doubt that Holmes was winning the fight easily. It could be the thyroid medication that Ali blamed in part for the loss (it supposedly helped him lose weight), or it could be the inability of the obviously dominant Holmes to knockout his idol - was he taking it easy on Ali in order not to hurt him*, or was Holmes perhaps not quite the big puncher everyone thought he was?
*Holmes appeared at the post-fight press conference with tears in his eyes over the battering he gave the former champion. There's been some speculation that Ali was already suffering from Parkinson's disease at the time of the fight, based on Ali's reactions during the pre-fight neurological examination at the Mayo Clinic. If this is true, as the author suggests, his ability to stand up to the beating he received from Holmes is particularly remarkable. Here's the fight as broadcast; see what you think.
What's also interesting about this two-hour Friday night broadcast is that the lead-in to the Holmes-Ali replay is a live fight, the lightweight championship fight between James Watt and Sean O'Grady live from Glasgow, Scotland (where it was after 2:00 Saturday morning), with Watt takes a fairly controversial victory.
***
That fight was telecast on Halloween, and there's plenty of seasonal programming in store during the week.
On Tuesday night, CBS kicks things off with a three-hour condensed version of the original two-part Salem's Lot, starring David Soul. NBC counters with a horror double-header, with The Omen on Wednesday night and it's sequel, Damien - Omen II on Thursday night. The former stars Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, the latter William Holden and Lee Grant. Judith Crist called them "dopey and pretentious."
SOURCE: HADLEY TV GUIDE COLLECTION
If you want something perhaps a little less pretentious on Wednesday, CBS has its old standby, Bugs Bunny, in a "Howl-O-Ween Special," followed by Raggedy Ann and Andy in "The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile." What a sad story! (Covered very nicely here by The Last Drive In.) NBC's Real People follows suit with a ghost-flavored episode, including haunted houses and a medium trying to contact Elvis! Thursday belongs to ABC, with "The Grinch That Stole Halloween," featuring Hans Conried taking the place of Boris Karloff, and "The Halloween That Almost Wasn't," with Judd Hirsch as Dracula. Scary!
Finally, on Friday night, if the Holmes-Ali fight isn't creepy enough for you, NBC has a made-for-TV flick, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" starring Jeff Goldblum, not to be confused with the Fox series Sleepy Hollow, which doesn't star Jeff Goldblum. The one show that's missing is the one I would have expected to see, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Must have been on the previous week.
***
Some interesting Saturday matinee choices on local channels. Superstation WTBS, dipping into the United Artists inventory, presents Stanley Kramer's apocalyptic On the Beach, based on Nevil Shute's brilliant novel, about which one of my colleagues has written here. I have to admit never having seen the movie; something about the tone of it, I think; I was never able to get beyond "Waltzing Matilda" being used for the theme. I've no doubt it's far better than the remake, though.
Meanwhile, KDLH, Channel 3 in Duluth, has the Oscar-winning foreign film Investigation of a Citizen About Suspicion, one of the great crime dramas of the '70s, with a touch of existentialism thrown in. It's a grim story about a top Italian police inspector who murders his mistress and then plants clues to implicate himself, wanting to see how far he can get, confident that despite the evidence his fellow detectives will never dare to suspect him. I saw this movie on television in the early '70s (a daytime matinee no less!), and even though I've only seen it once since then, both the title and the story have stuck with me since. In a day when most of the Saturday afternoon movies are still either Westerns, schlock horror, adventure or comedy, these are two very unusual choices.
Also on Saturday, some more evidence that sports coverage in 1980 isn't quite the same as today. WEAU, Channel 13 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, presents taped highlights of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of the United States, which had been run on October 5. This is followed by NBC Sportsworld's presentation of taped coverage of NASCAR's Charlotte 500, held on October 5 as well. Both of these events would be shown live today, but back then they were not only on tape, they were merely highlights.
Speaking of which, we have yet another tape-delay presentation of yet another heavyweight championship boxing match on tap as well, CBS's same-day coverage of the WBA title bout between champ Mike Weaver and challenger Gerrie Coetzee, (I did warn you we'd get back to title fights, didn't I?) The fight was held earlier in the day in Bophuthatswana, South Africa* and recorded so it could be presented at a more suitable hour. Weaver retains the title with a tough 13th round KO, and just to be fair here's the fateful moment as seen on Sports Spectacular.
*Try saying that five times fast.
a
***
Last but not least, a few tidbits from the rest of the television week.
The actors' strike has finally ended, which means some series are getting belated premieres. Among the new shows to come in the next couple of months: Hill Street Blues and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters on NBC, Magnum, P.I. on NBC, and Too Close For Comfort, Bosom Buddies and It's a Living on ABC. The networks can't agree on when the new season starts, though.
Roger Mudd, the longtime CBS newsman who lost the replace-Walter Cronkite-sweepstakes to Dan Rather, has made the move to NBC, where he's expected to eventually take over for John Chancellor on the evening news. He doesn't though, not really; after serving as co-anchor for awhile with Tom Brokaw, he winds up working on Meet the Press and assorted NBC newsmagazines until heading over to PBS and, later, The History Channel.
SOURCE: HADLEY TV GUIDE COLLECTION
Charles Kuralt is taking over the weekday CBS Morning News as an expansion of his Sunday Morning program. As I recall, the name changed each day: Monday Morning, Tuesday Morning, etc. It lasted until 1982 (Kuralt was joined by Diane Sawyer in 1981), and it was probably the best of the morning news incarnations that CBS has tried over the last 35 years.
As a side note, I've always had an affection for WCCO, the CBS affiliate in the Twin Cities, the only one of the four main channels to remain stable in network affiliation over the years, and the last to get rid of its local kids' shows. I've also complained, however, about their long-standing habit of preempting CBS' Sunday morning religion/culture block (Camera Three, Lamp Unto My Feet and Look Up and Live) in favor of Bowery Boys movies, not to mention how they frequently refused to air the weekday CBS morning news (which often wound up onChannel 9, the ABC affiliate). Now, in this issue, I'm finding that WCCO doesn't carry Captain Kangaroo in the mornings, either. Too busy airing Phil Donahue. Remind me again what it was I liked about WCCO?
You might have noticed that this week's cover is another work of art by Al Hirschfeld, whom I wrote about here. One of Hirschfeld's endearing traits was working the name of his daughter, Nina, into each of his portraits. Can you find it this week's cover?
And about that cover: it's for an article on James Gregory, who plays Inspector Lugar on Barney Miller. I know several people who absolutely love that show, but I was never really a fan. The cast and stories were good, for the most part, but I think the weakest link in the show was Hal Linden himself, which can be a problem when you're talking about the star of the series. Never really cared for Linden as an actor, and in Barney Miller I thought he played the role too broadly at times, as if he were still on the stage rather than in the intimacy of television, but since I'm likely in the minority on this I'm probably wrong (except to me). It finally got to the point where I couldn't really appreciate the program because of his presence. The other characters were great, especially the late Steve Landesberg as Dietrich, and I'd probably accept the viewpoints of many former policemen that Barney Miller was the most realistic cop show on TV. As for who should have played the sane voice in a squad room full of loonies, I always thought of Harold Gould. Grey hair, mustache, why not? Any ideas? TV
