Around the dial

A few personal notes lead off this week, beginning with my latest appearance with Dan Schneider to discuss American TV History. This month, we look at two overlooked stars of the past, one who was once known as "one of America's great entertainers," and the other a talented actor and teen idol of the 1970s: Danny Thomas and Lance Kerwin.

Also, from a few weeks ago, Herbie J Pilato did a very nice profile of me on his Substack. I'm very grateful to Herbie for his kindness and generosity, and I'm also going to trademark the description "One-Man Literati Delivers a Media Mosaic"! Thanks again, Herbie.

Finally, just a reminder that my novel, The Book of Revelations, comes out in June. You can get exclusive features on that, plus advance word on coming projects of mine, by subscribing to my monthly newsletter. Please take a moment to do so, won't you?

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill takes a look at the 1979 telemovie The Return of the Saint, with Ian Ogilvy eschewing the role of Simon Templar, aided and abetted by Britt Ekland, Helmut Berger, and other international stars. Ah, but is he Roger Moore?

John is investigating the iconic police procedural Z-Cars at Cult TV Blog. The show ran on British TV from 1962 to 1978, and in the episode "Waste," we get to see the first television role for Lewis Collins, who would later go on to star in The Professionals.

I'm one of those who's always dropping names and lines from classic shows, much to the confusion of my friends (which tells me I need new friends). David takes a look at the classic TV name drop at Comfort TV, and wonders if anyone gets these references anymore. 

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger's weekly look at The A-Team takes us to "Sheriffs of Rivertown," which, as you may have guessed, involves our heroes assuming the roles of police officers in a town plagued by official corruption.

Judy Pace, one of the early black pioneers in television, and best known for her appearances on Peyton Place and The Young Lawyers (remember that show?), died this month at the age of 83, and at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence remembers her career. 

Paul's back at Mavis Movie Madness!, which is good news for all of us, and he's back with the real good news, as he reviews volume two of the NBC series Greatest Heroes of the Bible, which includes plenty of entertainment, both intentionally and unintentionally. (Oops!)

No specific tie-in, but at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie has some wonderful photos from the classic film and television era, both candid and publicity. It works as a great pallet cleanser to round out the week.  TV

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I'll take Potpourri for $1,000, Alex

It would have been too easy to write about Jimmy Kimmel this week, and I’ll admit I was tempted. Ultimately, though, I just didn’t have the time. The issue isn’t really a political one—not for me, anyway. Rather, it’s a question of the rights and obligations of a television network, its affiliates, the FCC, and the use of the public airwaves. (And isn’t that a quaint phrase nowadays? "The public airwaves." It makes television sound like a public service instead of the noxious plague it so often seems to be.)

But I digress. To take a real dive into the ontological and existential aspects of that story would require more time than I care to spend right now. Having just returned from the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, I’ve got better and far more enjoyable things waiting for my attention.

This year’s MANC was another triumph. We came away with movies, autographs, merchandise, and a heap of good memories. We had dinner with friends we hadn’t seen in over a decade, caught up with fellow nostalgia buffs we meet only once a year, attended excellent talks, and even had our pictures taken with Hailey and Juliet Mills. I don’t know how you top a weekend like that—short of winning the lottery, and even then, I’m not sure it would.

Meanwhile, the latest "American TV with Mitchell Hadley" doubleheader features Dan Schneider and me talking about two television pioneers who deserve more attention than they get: Ernie Kovacs and Steve Allen. You can see them at this link.

Yesterday I also had a terrific conversation with Tommy Kovac's on his podcast "Splat from the Past," where we discussed—what else?—Darkness in Primetime. Since Tommy’s had me on before, he knows the right questions to ask, and that led us into more detail on individual episodes than I’ve gone into elsewhere. The show runs under an hour, and since it isn’t a video, you’re spared the ordeal of looking at me the whole time.

If, however, you’re a glutton for punishment, check out "The Two-Minute Author" series on my YouTube channel. In each short video I talk about the programs highlighted in Darkness in Primetime. If you don’t yet have the book (and why not?), the videos might nudge you into it. If you do, think of them as a companion piece that adds to the experience. I will eventually run out of things to say about Darkness, which is why, in the coming weeks, you’ll also hear more about my other projects: writing postmodern fiction, the writers who influenced me, book recommendations, and more. My interests extend beyond classic television, and this is where you’ll see that.

Speaking of which, have you subscribed to my monthly newsletter, "In Other Words"? It’s where I share updates on podcasts, new projects, book recommendations, and the occasional detour into something completely outside the writing world. It’s also where I talk more about my new novel in progress. Sign up for free here. The Two-Minute Author is a complement, not a duplicate, to what you’ll find there.

Finally, if you’ve read Darkness in Primetime—or any of my books—please consider leaving a review on Amazon or wherever you purchased it. Reviews matter hugely to independent authors. They help algorithms put our books in front of new readers, and they serve as the word-of-mouth every author relies on. On behalf of indie writers everywhere, thank you.

So yes, things are going very well here at Chez Hadley. With all of that good news, who really needs Jimmy Kimmel?  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!