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Wo, no matter what anyone says; a movie called If You Go Down in the Woods Today is not going to end well, even if you try to style it as a comedy. But don't take my word for it; that's the target of John's essay this week at Cult TV Blog. 

Last month, the Hadley household finished up the four-season run of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on DVD; this week, at Silver Scenes, the Metzingers look at the movie that started it all. Irwin Allen's epic starred Walter Pidgeon as Admiral Nelson (shh; don't tell Gypsy!) and Robert Sterling as Captain Crane. Fun fact: the role of Crane was originally offered to David Hedison, who turned it down. He'd get his chance later.

Who's our guest star on "Body Slam," this week's episode of The A-Team? None other than wrestling champ Hulk Hogan! And while Hogan manages to turn the entire episode into the Hulk Hogan show, what happens to everyone else? At The View from the Junkyard, Roger has more!

Abbe Lane died earlier this year, aged 93, although we didn't find out about it until last week. And if you don't know who Abbe Lane was, it's your loss. Fortunately, at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence is on the case, with a retrospective look at the career of the singer/actress, who was a TV fixture in the 1960s.

I first learned of Dick Tracy not through the newspapers, or even old movie serials, but the animated adventures that appeared in the early 1960s. Who could ever have believed there would be two-way wristwatches? Anyway, Martin Grams looks at the book Calling Tracy: Six Decades of Dick Tracy, by James Van Hise, that looks well worth it. 

We'll wrap it up at Classic Film and TV Corner, where Maddy looks at some big-screen movies that I've seen mostly on the small screen, specifically the Britsh New Wave movies of the 1950s and 60s. These movies, many of which fall into the "Angry Young Man" category, comprise some of my favorite movies of that era, including one of my very favorites, This Sporting Life, with future Doctor Who William Hartnell in a small role. TV

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You know, it's amazing how much less exciting Fridays become after you've retired. It's almost a letdown, thinking that another week has come and gone, another seven days that you won't get a chance to replay. Ah, just one of the things that runs through your mind when you realize that you are old. Let's look at some old television news instead.

I don't know about you, but "The Sweet Scene of Death" doesn't sound much like the fragrance I'd most like to experience, but if you're writing about Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, as John does at this week's Cult TV Blog, it's the perfect title.

Another familiar face from our Comfort TV world has died, that being the luminous Joanna Pettet, who was such a familiar face back in the day. David reviews some of her many credits from the 1960s right through the 1980s.

Scott Hylands was another familiar name and face from the era, and he died last month at age 83. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence reviews his credits from a long and successful career that stretched all the way to 2017.

For fans of a certain time, the name Clifton Fadiman will ring a bell, and Martin Grams reviews a memoir by Fadiman's daughter, Ann, The Wine Lover's Daughter, a delightful look back at the man who created the Book of the Month club.

What sums up the 1980s better than a guest appearance by Rick James on The A-Team, playing himself? That pretty much tells you all you have to know about the decade, other than the episode "The Heart of Rock n' Roll," which Roger reviews at The View from the Junkyard." Oh, and we've got Isaac Hayes too! Can't beat it! TV

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Wt Cult TV Blog John leads off the week with a very interesting comparison between the 1967 Avengers episode "Never, Never Say Die" and the 1967 movie Night of the Big Heat, which was later released here with the evocative title Island of the Burning Damned.) Is he right or wrong? Check it out.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill is back with a look at three neo-noirs from the 1960s, all of which center around "a character duped by another character,' which is a specialty of the noir genre if ever there was one: Mississippi Mermaid, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, and Diabolically Yours. Highly recommended.

I don't know when we'll reach the end of The A-Team at The View from the Junkyard, but until that happens, we'll have Roger's review of the latest, which this week happens to have the unfortunate (for me, at least) title "The Road to Hope." And I have a feeling it's not Bob we're talking about. 

The feature film based on the 1960s version of Batman came out 60 years ago this week, which doesn't seem possible, but it is! And at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence has a fond look back at a very fun movie. He also has a fond remembrance of the lovely Antoinette Bower, who lit up the screen in every movie and television show she ever appeared in, who died earlier this year at the age of 93.

Finally, Martin Grams has another of those great tie-in products that were so in vogue in the 1950s, this one a children's coloring book featuring the one and only Hopalong Cassidy. Check it out while you can! TV

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Wt Cult TV Blog, John revisits the BBC 1980s-90s series Forty Minutes  (not to be confused with 60 Minutes), and the episode "Separate Tables," which takes us back stage at a residential hotel, and how they work.

David's moved to Tuesday nights in 1978 in his Comfort TV survey of 1970s TV. What should we remember from then? How about ABC's big-hitter lineup: Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, Taxi, and Starsky & Hutch. Not a bad lineup, huh?

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill looks at the late, great Sam Neill, and his "devilishly dapper" performance in Omen III: The Final Conflict. There's been quite the outpouring of praise and appreciation for Neill since his death, all of it well-deserved.

Someone once said that when you reach a certain age, every time you drive by a cemetery, you feel like you're looking at a "Lease with an Option to Die," which is a long way to go to set up this week's A-Team episode with Roger at The View from the Junkyard.

I mentioned that as part of my research for The Book of Revelations, I started listing to the '60s Gold channel on SiriusXM, which is where I became acquainted with Freddy Cannon, who died last week, age 89. Terence appreciates him at A Shroud of Thoughts.

Another obituary to report is Joanna Pettet, who died earlier this month at 83, and Shadow & Substance remembers her multiple contributions to Rod Serling's Night Gallery, part of her impressive television career.

And to end the week on a lighter note, here's Martin Grams with a look (including some wonderful illustrations) at 1958's The Lone Ranger Adventure Stories No. 2, a great little book with adaptations of the Ranger's radio and television stories.  TV

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Let's get back to normal here and start off the week right. Since we could all use a good laugh, John at Cult TV Blog  has the answer: the Monty Python Science Fiction Sketch. I think it marks the first time I ever heard the word "blancmange," and life hasn't been the same since.

At Comfort TV, David continues his series on "Still Stuck in the 1970s,"which is as good a catalog as you're going to find explaining why so many of us of a certain age despair at what our culture has been. Be sure to go back and read part one here. Extremely thoughtful.

Jodie is back celebrating Dave Garroway's birthday, as well as marking the anniversary of Garroway at Large, and what better way to celebrate than with a throwback to Dave's radio DJ days, a series of records called "Dave Garroway’s 11:60 Club Favorites."

It's the return of Love That Bob at The Horn Section, and this week Hal is reviewing the 1955 episode "It's Later Than You Think." It's the third-ever episode of the show, so fans might recognize a few changes from what they're used to, and it's by all definitions a classic.

The latest star to enter the obituary roll for 2026 is the great Sam Neill, and not surprisingly we've got a pair of tributes to him, beginning at Classic Film and TV Corner, and continuing at A Shroud of Thoughts. At the latter, Terence also commemorates Hal Williams, Officer Smitty on Sanford and Son as well as many other TV roles.

Who knew that Sherlock Holmes was so popular in Russia? Well, now you do. At Cult TV Lounge, we read of The Treasures of Agra, one of a series of Holmes TV movies made between 1979 and 1986 that became quite the thing over there. Fortunately for all of us, the Russian DVD set includes English subtitles!

At Mavis Movie Madness, Paul takes a look at the first season of Bronco, which true classic television fans will remember as having started out as a "replacement" for Cheyenne when Clint Walker, worn out by the gruling schedule, walked off. It may not be as well remembered, but it holds its own.

And this week's A-Team episode at The View from the Junkyard asks the question, "Where is the Monster When You Need Him," a question which I've asked myself many times through my life. It's a show-within-a-show episode, among other things, and asd Roger mentions, it makes a point of who the real monsters are. TV

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On this day before Independence Day, let's see if we can find some fireworks in the world of classic television.

One of the hallmarks of this country is, at least in theory, free speech, so it's appropriate that we begin at Cult TV Blog, where John looks at the Play for Today, and "Speech Day," a story which, as John says, explores "who benefits and how the structures of society and state aren’t quite real." Very appropriate for today.

Free speech is also a key component of CBS's Lou Grant, with our beloved hero from Mary Tyler Moore running a newspaper. Why do I bring that up? Because David's on to Mondays in 1978 at Comfort TV, which for me meant Monday Night Football, but there's also Little House, WKRP, Kotter, and plenty else to keep us busy.

Whenever I start to worry about a week with light content, I can rest assured tha Roger's going to bail me out at The View from the Junkyard with another A-Team summary, and this week is no exception, with the episode "Incident at Crystal Lake," which does, in fact, occur at a lake, and has plenty to keep us going.

Character actor David Sheiner died last month, age 98, and if the name doesn't mean anything to you, the face likely will, as well as a very impressive list of television and movie credits. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence talks about his long career, and you're sure to find shows you'll recognize on the list.

It is, I think, appropriate, that we wrap up a light week with a heavyweight miniseries, Centennial, which, as Paul says at Drunk TV, was NBC's "ambitious" 1978 attempt to explore the history of the United States. Based on James Michener's similarly epic novel, the miniseries failed on many levels, as Paul details, but what a cast! It's hard to imagine that there were many unemployed actors left while this was being shot.

I've never cared for holidays like the 4th of July falling on a weekend; it seems to make it too much like a regular day off (of course, when you're retired, every day is like that), but that doesn't mean that it's not still a reason to celebrate, so I'd suggest you go out tomorrow and do just that. And remember to be careful and not go out there and shoot your eye out, as Ralphie's mother might say. TV

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Goodness, I've been so busy with my fiction this week that it's nice to return to television for a break! So let's get right to it!

The Avengers is part of our regular Friday night schedule, and right now we're winding down the Tara King years. What comes next? The New Avengers, of course! And at Comfort TV, David looks at Imprint's Blu-ray edition, and gives it flying colors.

At Cult TV Blog, John braves the suffocating British heatwave to bring us something completely different: The Great Birdseye Peas Relaunch of Monty Python in 1971. Unsure of what I'm talking about? Then you'd better head over there and check it out!

"Trouble Brewing" is this week's A-Team adventure, and at The View from the Junkyard, Roger looks at a typical tale of small-business vs. corrupt corporation shenanigans, which I can only too well understand as a small businesman myself. 

At A Shoud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to the career of the great comic character actor Ronnie Schell, who died earlier this month, and was a fixture of the television shows of my youth, particularly (but not limited to) Gomer Pyle. R.I.P.

At a used bookstore the other night, I noticed a copy of Herbert Philbrick's book I Led 3 Lives, the story of a man who worked undercover posing as a Communist agent while in the employ of the FBI. Martin Grams looks back at the TV series that the book spawned. TV

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Let's begin today's roundup at Comfort TV, where David looks back at what he calls "specialty acts," the performers that were a fixture of variety shows and other specials: Foster Brooks, Shields & Yarnell, Super Dave, and more. Good times, those.

At Cult TV Blog, John brings down the curtain on The Omega Factor with the show's final episode: a resolution of the plot lines, the biggest questions, and some loose ends that never were wrapped up. John also assesses the series as a whole. As I've said, now on my watch list.

At last year's Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, I had the pleasure of meeting the adorable Hayley Mills, who, with her sister Juliet, were the highlights of the show for us. I mention this only as an excuse to visit Classic Film & TV Cafe, where Rick reviews one of her early adult roles in The Family Way.

It's a pleasure when Terence gets to look back at the career of a celebrity who hasn't just passed on, and this week at A Shroud of Thoughts, he remembers Karen Valentine, who came to prominence on Room 222 and was a fixture on television shows throughout the years. America's sweetheart? Well, certainly a familiar face.

"Beverly Hills Assault" may sound like an average episode of one of those Real Housewives shows that pollute the airwaves (and our culture), but rest assured, it's only this week's episode of The A-Team that Roger review at The View from the Junkyard. Sadly, it doesn't get rid of any of those shows.

Finally, as you probably noticed (because I won't stop talking about it), my new novel, The Book of Revelations, was published this week. I know that many of you follow me because of the TV content, but if you're open to contemporary fiction and are wondering how you can help your humble scribe out, here are five easy suggestions:

1. Buy the book.

2. Read the book.

3. Review the book, at Amazon or elsewhere.

4. Tell a friend.

5. Subscribe to my newsletter. 

I can promise you that you won't regret it. And I know that "promise" is a big word, but The Book of Revelations is a big book. And for me, a big deal.

Thank you for your time! TV

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At Comfort TV, David gets the week off to a flying start with a look at Sunday night television in 1978. If you were around you remember the hype machine for Battlestar: Galactica, but what were people actually watching? See if it rings any bells.

"Double Vision" is what I feel I've been having, working on the lead-up to the release of my new novel, The Book of Revelations, next week. But it's also the title of the latest episode of The Omega Factor, which is John's topic at this week's Cult TV Blog. It's a doozy, setting up next week's finale.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger's weekly review of The A-Team takes us to "Bounty," not as in "Mutiny on the," but as in a group of bounty hunters out to claim the reward for the capture of the Team. Kidnapping, mental hospitals, Decker returns: what more could your ask for?

Terrence pays tribute to the late Anthony Head at A Shroud of Thoughts, and for those of you who, like me, tend to trend older in our classic TV appreciation, he's best known as Rupert on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's got a long list of credits to go with that, though: learn more about him, as you'll find out.

One of the great pleasures of attending nostalgia conventions (or working at them, if you're on that side of the table), is getting to meet so many people, from those interested in your books, to your entertainment heroes. Martin Grams tells of one such encounter, when he met the great Christopher Lee. 

And why not close out things with some video? The latest edition of American TV with Mitchell Hadley sees Dan Schneider and I discussing two game show icons of the 1970s, appropriate for the month: Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly. Enjoy! TV

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At Comfort TV, David reflects on Lee Meriwether's 91st birthday, and what a regular figure she was on the comfort TV of the era by presenting highlights of her appearances, from Miss America to The Time Tunnel and Barnaby Jones, to guest shots and game shows. And always a comfort.

"Out of Body, Out of Mind" is the latest episode of The Omega Factor to come under John's gaze at Cult TV Blog, and as both the story and the plots within the story thicken, this show confirms a place at the table the next time I juggle the schedule.

This week, our heroes of The A-Team take on evil corporate chemical executives dumping waste in places where it shouldn't go in "Waste 'Em!", and this either becomes a plot of a 1950s sci fi movie about superannuntated monsters, or the next review by Roger at The View from the Junkyard.

A Shroud of Thoughts celebrates its 22nd anniversary this month, and in honor of the occasion, Terence looks at his best posts from the past twelve months. You might recognize some of them from being linked to here, but they're all worth another look.

It was on June 3, 1949 that the radio series Dragnet made its debut, and Martin Grams looks back to "one of the ten best detective programs ever broadcast" on radio, including a PDF of a script for one of the show's few "lost episodes, "The Big Lover."  

And incredibly, this week would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday. Like so many figures who died young, it's impossible to think of Marilyn as being any age other than she was, and at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddy looks at her top five Marilyn performances. TV

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Wet's see, we'll start this week at Silver Scenes, where the Metzingers have a review of Character People, a book that looks at the careers of some of the great character actors of Hollywood and Britain. It covers movies, but how many of these faces will you also remember from your favorite shows?

And speaking of character actors, at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence offers a Memorial Day retrospective on those character actors who showed their character by their service in World War II. Thanks to all of them.

At Cult TV Blog, John's latest entry in his review of the series The Omega Factor is the episode "St. Antony's Fire," and the mysteries in this ten-episode series continue to mount and deepen. When things calm down a bit here, I'm definitely checking this out.

One of the things I really like about Herbie Pilato is his insistence that we drown out the noice and look at what's right in the world, and at The Upbeat News with Herbie J Pilato, he offers a 50th anniversary personal tribute to two of his favorites, Charlie's Angels and The Bionic Woman. Has it really been that long?

A small company being bullied by a rival business. Just another day in the life of The A-Team, as Roger points out at The View from the Junkyard in the episode "Knights of the Road." Of course, these baddies don't know the kind of trouble they're getting into, do they?

How many of you remember "Miniature," the sole Twilight Zone appearance by the great Robert Duvall? Well, at Shadow & Substance, Paul looks back at one possible reason why Duvall starred in this memorable episode.

And in case you missed it on Wednesday (and if you did, why?), here's the latest episode of "American TV" in which Dan and I talk with Michael J. Socolow about the rise and fall of CBS. Check out a great show, if I do say it myself. TV

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Let's start this week with Cult TV Blog, and not just because John has some very kind words about my War and Peace review from a couple of weeks ago (see here if you've forgotten). We're still dealing with The Omega Factor, and this week's episode is "Child's Play," which is to say that it's nothing of the sort, of course. 

At Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick looks at Sword of Sherwood Forest, a Hammer Films Robin Hood adventure from 1960, with Richard Greene reprising his television role as Robin for the big screen, and Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Cult TV Lounge returns to look at the second season of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, and among the big surprises is that there even is a second season. What did he do with that season, and did it work? Read on and find out.

JB has a fun trip down the rabbit hole at The Hits Just Keep On Comin': a look at the Periscope Films YouTube Channel, with stock footage clips that I can promise, from personal experience, will keep you entertained for hours. See what he found.

At Minnesota Kidvid, a fascinating article looks at the cultural impact of the Matinee Movie on us kids as we were growing up. I have fond memories of Mel Jass, the Twin Cities movie host, and those afternoon movies were indeed an important part of my movie love.

"Moving Targets" does sound like an appropriate title for an episode of The A-Teqm, doesn't it? At The View from the Junkyard, Roger discusses the team's latest adventure, involving a plane crash and a nasty double-cross, among other things.

Finally, not having anything to do with television at all but with the greater adventure of life, Bob Sasone repeats his "If I Gave a Commencement Address" Saturday Evening Post piece from last year. It's well worth reading when you have a minute; to paraphrase James Clavell's The Children's Story, it's not just for graduates.

So we're up to the unofficial beginning of summer this weekend, and while it doesn't particularly feel like it here, with temperatures in the upper 60s today, we're not going to let that stop us. Enjoy the three-day weekend, and if you're on the road, be careful: I can't afford to lose any readers! TV

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We'll start the week at Cult TV Blog, where John continues his review of The Omega Factor with what he calls his favorite episode, "Powers of Darkness." This series continues to intrigue me. 

The announcement of NBC's reboot of The Rockford Files prompted David to look at one of television's most iconic characters in this week's Comfort TV: the original Jim Rockford, played by the inimitable James Garner. 

In this week's A-Team review at The View from the Junkyard, Roger reviews "Road Games," which strikes me as being a little like Mission: Impossible, with the bulk of the episode given over to "the execution of an extremely clever and intricate plan."

Speaking of Mr. T, as we are indirectly, Terence has a look at the very short-lived sitcom Mr. T and Tina, which starred Pat Morita and ran for five episodes in the fall of 1976. I do remember this series, though I never saw it, being captive in the World's Worst Town.

There's a UFO craze right now, which I have absolutely no interest in; one world is weird enough for me. It does, however, make this a perfect time for Paul at Mavis Movie Madness to look back at 1975's The U.F.O. Incident, the "real life" Betty and Barney Hill story. 

It's a double dose of Paul this week; over at Drunk TV, he discusses the fifth and final season of The Odd Couple, one of the great sitcoms of the decade, or even longer than that. It's a throwback to an era of adult, sophisticated, and farcical humor, which I miss. TV

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Let's begin the week at The Twilight Zone Vortex, where Jordan watches the comedy episode "From Agnes–With Love" so we don't have to. It's prime, and sad, evidence of the show's dramatic decline in its final season.

John is up to episode three of The Omega Factor at Cult TV Blog, "Night Games," which shows the thickening plot as Crane discovers Department 7's involvement in government-conducted mind control experiments. 

David's journey through 1970s TV continues at Comfort TV, with a look at Saturday nights, 1977. It's the last season of CBS's Saturday powerhouse with Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett, plus ABC's The Love Boat, NBC's The Bionic Woman, and more.

At Drunk TV, Paul looks at the second season of The Patty Duke Show, and the season's 36 (!) episodes show that even if the ratings had started to slide, the stories themselves remain fresh and entertaining.

Roger reports a change of pace in this week's A-Team at The View from the Junkyard, as the Team moves to Kenya for the episode "Skins," with a slightly more serious topic: the illegal poaching of elephants in Africa. 

It used to be that we had a proper understanding of how to use the word "great," meaning large, significant, but not necessarily good. In that sense, it can certainly be said that Ted Turner was a great figure in television history. And there's no denying that his broadcasts of Atlanta Braves on the Superstation was a good thing for baseball, especially in American League cities that were seldom exposed to National League teams. Likewise, his creation of Turner Classic Movies was a very good thing, even though the quality of the channel has diminished in the last few years; someone had to keep these old movies alive. (We'll overlook, for the time being, his involvement in colorization.) 

And then, there's CNN, and I really don't know how to feel about that. The original Cable News Network was substantive, far more non-partisan than today's networks, and did much to keep America better informed on what was going on. Headline News was, in a sense, even better, cutting out the fluff in favor of a concise, 30-minute recap of the news on a constantly updating basis. However, it also pointed out the difficulties inherent in maintaining a 24-hour news cycle, and the consequent need to elevate certain stories to occupy a greater need for programming. And it brought us gavel-to-gavel coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial. And it spawned Fox News, MSNow, and all the other constant news sources, which quickly evolved into a video version of English newspapers, simply recycling the same stories over and over through their own ideological slant. Someday, we may actually be able to understand just how much damage this has done to society. 

So, it would seem appropriate to say that Ted Turner's legacy, as is so often the case with great men, is a mixed one. And that figures, because, as any baseball fan would tell you, the only batters who never swing and miss are those who never step up to the plate. Turner did, and the fact that all of his media properties have suffered since he relinquished control of them, says much about exactly how great his impact was. TV

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Welcome to May, my favorite month of the year outside of the holiday months in fall and winter. Amidst the up-and-down weather so many parts of the country have had, we have a freeze warning here in Indiana. So let's see if we can find something to warm us up.

At Comfort TV, David explores "the psychology behind classic TV viewing," based on a YouTube video that attempts to explain what kind of personality types prefer watching shows they've seen 50 times rather than watch something new.

John's review of The Omega Factor at Cult TV Blog continues with episode two, "Visitations," as the death of Crane's wife continues to provide mystery, as well as the role played by Department 7.

Mr. T returns to the boxing ring in this week's A-Team episode, "Champ!" which is the subject of Roger's review at The View from the Junkyard. The Team aims at a group of corrupt operators, and all I can say is that I'm shocked that there is corruption in boxing.

Mary Beth Hurt, who did much work in both television and the movies, died last month at the age of 78, and at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks back on her long and successful career.

I've never been part of the cult of Joss Whedon; I enjoyed Firefly enough, but I wouldn't say that it's anything remarkable. (I'll pause here while you cast aspersions at me.) At Cult TV Lounge, Maddie looks at Whedon's follow-up, the cyberpunk series Dollhouse. TV

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