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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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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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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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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  

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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  

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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  

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Well, where should we start this week? How about at The Twilight Zone Vortex, where Jordan's review of the fifth season of TZ progresses with "Ring-a-Ding Girl," starring Maggie McNamara as a woman with a most unusual ring. 

At Drunk TV, Paul's look at the NBC miniseries-series Best Sellers concludes with the final miniseries, "The Rhinemann Exchange," a "four-hour drag" starring Stephen Collins. What else can be said, other than to marvel at how far down the series went after "Captains and the Kings."

Martin Grams has a nice little piece on Jill Leporte's book The Secret History of Wonder Woman, which presents us with an equally interesting look at the famed superhero, the man who created her, and the actresses who played her.

At Cult TV Blog, John's "Sylvia Coleridge Season" continues with the episode "Mr. Nightingale" from the 1977 British anthology series Supernatural, in which our heroine plays one of the old ladies of the household facing a very nasty guest.

If you enjoy Jack's regular Hitchcock Project articles at bare-bones e-zine, here's something from the same site that I think you'll like: Lawrence Herman's piece on the writer Henry Slesar, who authored stories or adaptations for 47 episodes of Hitchcock. And more!

Terence gives tribute to the late Ruth Buzzi at A Shroud of Thoughts. We all knew her from Laugh-In, of course, but there was much more to a career that spanned seven decades on television and in the movies. She will be missed.

And at Comfort TV, David offers Ruth Buzzie's top TV moments. Some of them might come as surprises to you; did you know that she was the voice of Granny Goodwitch for the cartoon Linus the Lionhearted? Or that she made her TV debut on The Garry Moore Show? Check it out.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger turns his eye to The A-Team, and the ripped-from-the-headlines episode "Children of Jamestown," based on the infamous Jim Jones cult. Ah, if only it had turned out this way in real life. TV  

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Let's get right to it, starting at bare-bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at Robert Gould's ninth-season episode "How to Get Rid of Your Wife," which, despite the title, is a "lighthearted look" at psychological warfare within an unhappy marriage. Bob Newhart, Jane Withers, and Joyce Jameson star.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill recalls Gena Rowlands and her small but multifaceted role as the wife of the murderous Oskar Werner in the 1975 Columbo episode "Playback," an episode which star Peter Falk (a longtime friend and collaborator of Rowlands' husband, John Cassavetes) called the series' best.

The Sylvia Coleridge "season" continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week John takes a look at her magnificent performance in the Armchair Thriller six-parter "Quiet as a Nun," based on the novel by Lady Antonia Fraser, in which Coleridge plays—what else?—a nun. 

At Comfort TV, David reviews six episodes from The Twilight Zone's exceptional first season: three that rank as classics (including the all-time "A Stop at Willoughby"), and three that, well, don't quite measure up. For what it's worth, I concur on all six.

Roger continues his episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard, and this week we're up to "Sleeper," a game of tag that's played for the highest possible stakes: if you get tagged, you die.

In case you weren't aware of it, the television world has been up in arms over the last few days over the move by Warner Bros. to remove their classic theatrical cartoons—Looney Tunes—from WB's streaming service, Max. Terence has his take on it at A Shroud of Thoughts.

I've never liked the "amateur detectives" that the British are so fond of; on the other hand, I have great respect for many of their police dramas, especially the older ones. Cult TV Lounge takes us back to season one of Van Der Valk, starring Barry Foster, based on the characters created by Nicolas Freeling. TV  

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We start the week at RealWeegieMidget with Gill and hubby's monthly review of movies, including teleflicks with killer bees, Playboy bunnies, 80s aerobics instructors, murder mysteries, and fashionistas. What more could you ask for?

Over at The Horn Section, Hal appears on Dan Schneider's Cosmoetica podcast (home to yours truly's American TV history series) to discuss The White Shadow with Dan and Harv Aronson of Abstract Sports. Take a listen to an enjoyable hour.

David's journey through 1970s TV continues at Comfort TV, where we're up to Thursday nights in 1975: The Waltons continues to dominate, NBC continues to fall short, and ABC gives us Barney Miller, The Streets of San Francisco, and Harry-O. Not bad at all.

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Brian looks at "Ninety Years Without Slumbering," starring Ed Wynn, written (partly) by George Clayton Johnson, with a score by Bernard Herrmann, and a backstory that's almost as interesting as what appears on the screen. 

The Hitchcock Project continues at bare•bones e-zine with Michael Hogan's story "The Safe Place," starring the ubiquitous Robert H. Harris (you'd recognize him if you saw him) and Joanne Linville in a story of greed, murder, and a crook who's a little too clever for his own good.

At Cult TV Blog, John returns to his series on television "tales of unease" with "Superstitious Ignorance," a story of the house-hunting trip from Hell involving some very unpleasant people, and a sense of unease that increases throughout the episode.

Roger's episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers continues at The View from the Junkyard, with this week's story, "Gnaws," which features a giant rat in the sewers of London, and—for better or worse—hearkens back to the fantastical stories of the original series.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence marks the 40th anniversary of Moonlighting, one of the most ground-breaking and influential shows of the 1980s. It starred Cybill Shepherd, whom I don't like, and Bruce Willis, whom I do, and featured as much drama off-screen as it did on. TV  

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We'll start off the week with a twin bill from the "American TV" series I do with Dan Schneider: episode #1 is a look at the history of ABC and its reputation as a network willing to take chances, while episode #2 is a fun change-of-pace, in which we answer questions about how our series started, some of our favorite shows, early TV crushes, and more! 

My friend Alan Hayes has some exciting news on the horizon: Escapades: An Exploration of Avengers Curiosities, a new book co-authored with J.Z. Ferguson, which takes a deep dive into aspects of the classic series that haven't been previously covered, such as the London stage play, the South African radio series, a couple of unmade TV scripts, and a Mexican wrestling film—and that's just for starters! The book is available for pre-order here, and I'd encourage all you Avengers fans to look into it. And stay tuned to this space over the next few weeks, for an interview with Alan and a review of the book.

Let's work it a little more, as Roger's review of The New Avengers continues at A View from the Junkyard, with the latest episode being "Target!" He sees it as "another superb episode in a season that hasn’t put a foot wrong yet," and even ventures that it's better than the original series. What do you think?

The Broadcast Archives has several classic TV stories this week, covering everything from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me to the first made-for-TV movie. They're all fun, but why not start out with the single-season series Mr. Lucky, a Blake Edwards creation starring John Vivyan. 

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with "Total Loss," a fourth-season episode by J.E. Selby that is most assuredly a product of its times. Nancy Olson and Ralph Meeker star; find out if the bad guy gets away with it.

The Rose Medallion is the next series in line in John's continuing "private detective season" at Cult TV Blog. John says that we have to watch this 1981 series about an uncovered skeleton and the quest to find out the rest of the story, and he's a pretty good judge of shows.uuu

The Globe and Mail has this essay on ditching streaming in favor of DVDs. I've been in this camp for quite awhile; aside from the fact that it's difficult to find some of the more obscure programs on streaming, it's too often a case of "here today, gone tomorrow." I'll always be a believer in physical media.

David's journey through 1970s TV at Comfort TV has now come to Wednesday, 1975, and if we can't remember When Things Were Rotten, Kate McShane, and Doctors' Hospital, we can certainly recall Little House on the Prairie, Starsky & Hutch, Cannon, and more.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill (and Darlin' Husband) take a look at movie recommendations from January, including a miniseries with Barry Bostwick and Stefanie Powers, a movie with brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, and Gary Coleman as a pint-size arsonist!

Do we ever get tired of the latest schemes cooked up by Sgt. O'Rourke and Corporal Agarn at F Troop? Not if we're Hal at The Horn Section, and the latest sure-to-fail scam, "The West Goes Ghost," involves ghosts, the railroad, and the two passing themselves off as medical men, for starters.

At Drunk TV, Paul reviews the second season of Simon & Simon, one of the quintessentially '80s series of, well, the '80s, with Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as the brothers running the Simon & Simon detective agency. Thrilling cases and beautiful women galore!

Martin Grams, who wrote one of the definitive books on The Twilight Zone, looks at books containing adaptations of Rod Serling's TZ scripts (done by Serling himself), as well as adaptations and original stories written by Walter Gibson, all of which were quite successful.

I've written before about Turn On, the legendary one-episode ABC series that was virtually cancelled before that one episode was done. But was it really as bad as history says? Not so fast, says Travalanche, who believes it was far from the worst show of all time. TV  

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In case you missed it, I appeared in back-to-back episodes of "American TV" with Dan Schneider, both featuring staples of 1960s and '70s Saturday morning television; the first is about Sid and Marty Krofft, the second looks at the work of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Fun to do and, I hope, fun to watch. 

At Bob Crane: Life and Legacy, the authors provide evidence to refute some of the many false claims about Bob's life, particularly his marriage to Patricia Olson (Sigrid Valdis); it's all part of their continuing efforts to tell the true story.

Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine continues with "The Motive," a third-season story written by Rose Simon Kohn, featuring Skip Homeier, William Redfield, Carl Betz, Carmen Phillips, and an extremely effectve ending.

At Cult TV Blog, John's private detective "season" continues as well, and for once it's a show I've actually watched! It's the gritty series Public Eye, with Alfred Burke outstanding as a Rockford-type P.I. just trying to make a living; this week, it's the excellent episode "The Bankrupt." 

David's countdown of his 50 favorite classic TV characters proceeds at Comfort TV, and this week he turns his attention to Maxwell Smart, played so memorably by Don Adams; could you even imagine anyone else plausibly in this role?

Jordan's in-depth review of The Twilight Zone Magazine returns at The Twilight Zone Vortex, with Volume 3, Number 6, from January/February 1984. Included is an interview with Stephen King, a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, looks at TZ and The Outer Limits, and more!

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks back at the sitcom The Jeffersons on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the show's debut. After an 11-season run on CBS, it's maintained a comfortable home in syndication, and remains one of television's groundbreaking sitcoms.

Travalanche commemorates the birthday of Ernie Kovacs with something I certainly wasn't aware of, not that I'm any kind of Kovacs scholar. It's about the time Ernie and Buster Keaton formed a comedy team, and it's well worth checking out.

Roger's review of The New Avengers continues apace at The View from the Junkyard, with the third episode of the series, "The Midas Touch," which has to do with a contagious disease threatening society, and features another outstanding performance by Joanna Lumley as Purdy. TV  

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This little guy's got his priorities right: his television set and his cat. It doesn't get much better than that. But if it did, you can bet one of these shows would be on the tube.

On the home front, in my latest apperance on Dan Schneider's Video Interview, Dan and I discuss the history of Westerns on television. On Tommy Kovac's Splat from the Past, Tommy and I talk about Christmas memories on television. And at Eventually Supertrain, Dan and I are all about Garrison's Gorillas (plus more great stuff).

At The Horn Section, Hal returns with another episode of Love That Bob!, "Bob's Economy Wave," with Bob trying to juggle a strict household budget, a photography assignment, and a hot date. Note the operative word: trying. 

I don't know how many of you have snow on the ground right now, but if you'd like to get rid of it, Gill has just the movie for you at RealWeegieMidget: Hollywood Wives, the steamy 1985 miniseries based on the novel by Jackie Collins, with a who's who of big-haired seductive sirens.

The Broadcasting Archives shares the background of how Karl Freund helped develop the three-camera system for filming TV shows, along with a couple of pictures from the I Love Lucy set showing the system at work.

At Comfort TV, David notes something that I've commented on many times: how so many of the issues raised in shows of the 1960s and '70s are still issues today, and (perhaps more important) why television doesn't seem to try to offer answers to those issues anymore.

John takes a break from his series on character actress Ann Wray at Cult TV Blog in order to look at a pair of mysteries: "Death in Ecstasy" from the 1964 anthology series Detective, and Don't Open 'Till Christmas, a 1984 slasher movie that's short on quality but rich in atmosphere.

Jodie has an interesting guest post at Garroway at Large from voiceover artist Ross Bagley, who recalls his encounter with Dave, and the influence he had on Ross's career. A charming story, and it helps emphasize what an interesting, curious man Dave Garroway was.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence writes on the 70th anniversary of the movie White Christmas. Now, White Christmas is far from being my favorite Christmas movie; you may remember it was the target of my annual Christmas post last year. Still, I can't imagine a Christmas without watching it!

Did someone say Christmas? Martin Grams has the lowdown on the Yuletide episode of Steve Canyon, the series based on Milton Caniff's comic strip, with a script written by Ray Bradbury. How was it? Read, and find out.

And at The Hits Just Keep On Comin', JB takes a look at Christmas music that doesn't work for him. A bit unusual, I know, but we cover everything here, and there are certainly enough Christmas albums I could add to the list. 

Shadow & Substance reminds us that, with the New Year less than two weeks away, Syfy is doing it's annual Twilight Zone marathon again, and Paul has the complete schedule for December 31, January 1, and January 2. What a great way to start the year. TV  

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At The Saturday Evening Post, Bob Sassone as a Christmas-tinted News of the Week, including a rundown on where and when you can find your favorite Christmas movies and TV shows, the anniversary of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". and more!

At The Horn Section, Hal goes back 50 years to the TV Guide of November 30, 1974, with Teresa Graves as the cover story. Hal also looks at Cleveland Amory's review of Police Woman, as well as the rest of the issue. He even has a kind word for yours truly—thanks, my friend, and nicely done!

As you may recall, at Cult TV Blog, John has been recently reviewing some of the roles played by character actress Ann Way, and in his latest installment, he looks at her appearance in Dr. Finlay's Casebook, and the episode "The Phantom Piper of Tannochbrae." Sounds interesting!

Gill is back at RealWeegieMidget as she and her other half look at some TV movies from the 1970s, 80s and 90s: five love stories, four of which have connections to Dallas. How many of them do you remember watching back in the day?

The Hitchcock Project continues at bare•bones e-zine, with Jack presenting the Roland Kibbee episode "Diagnosis: Danger" from the show's eighth season, and the first with a one-hour running time. Definitely not one of the highlights of the series, but check out Jack's review anyway.

At Comfort TV, David's journey through 1970s TV brings us to Mondays in 1975: CBS carries the day with a quartet of classic sitcoms plus Medical Center, but do you remember The Invisible Man or Barbary Coast? One show from back then is still on: Monday Night Football, of course.

Catching up with some news from last week, Terence remembers the late Earl Holliman at A Shroud of Thoughts. Holliman was one of those actors who always seemed overshadowed by his costars, but watch him in the first episode of The Twilight Zone to see how he could carry a story by himself.

At Television Obscurities, Robert marks the 30th anniversary of Earth 2, which ran for one season on NBC in 1994-95. If you've enjoyed Television Obscurities through the years, credit Earth 2 as one of the series that led to Robert's interest in short-lived series.

Speaking of celebrations, Travalanche commemorates Woody Allen's 89th birthday with a look at his television work from 1960 to 1972, when he was from a stand-up comedian to an auteur. You might be surprised at how ubiquitous he was on the tube.

And at The View from the Junkyard, Mike and Roger look at the penultimate episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Fear." It's a hit-and-miss episode, as was so often the case in the final couple of seasons, but it still asks some potent questions. TV  

Around the dial

Black Friday, as you probably know, was named not for any sense of dread at the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping crush, but because it was the day that retailers would go "in the black," thanks to it being the busiest shopping day of the year. That's one story, at least. Here at It's About TV!, we don't take the day off on Black Friday; it's just another red-letter day around here! Because of the early holiday deadline there might be a few pieces that snuck in under the wire, but we'll get to them next week. In the meantime, let's see what's on tap.

At Eventually Supertrain, a certain old friend returns to talk with Dan about the WWII action drama Garrison's Gorillas; any resemblance between that friend and your humble writer is purely intentional. Hope you like the start of our discussions on this enjoyable series, which I wrote about here.

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan reviews the fifth-season episode "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain," starring Patrick O'Neal and the wonderful Ruta Lee. If it doesn't sound familiar, Jordan has the story behind the story, which you might find more interesting than the story itself!

Another TZ episode, "Come Wander with Me," is the topic of discussion at The View from the Junkyard. I sense a slight difference of opinon between Roger and Mike on this one, so I'll let you draw your own conclusions. If it's any clue, it's also from the fifth and final season.

One of my favorite blogs, RealWeegieMidget, celebrates its ninth anniversary, and Gill shares her top three posts of the year. You'll want to check them out, and make this a part of your regular rotation. 

At Cult TV Blog, John's survey of British character actress Ann Way continues with her appearance in Sergeant Cork, the mid-60s police procedural. "The Case of the Bristol Mail" features Way in a typical role, relatively minor yet memorable. See what you think.

You may or may not know this, but Harpo Marx had a pretty successful solo career on television between 1952 and 1962. At Travalanche, Trav talks about some of his great appearances over the years—from Lucille Ball to Carol Burnett.

As Earl Holliman died this week, it's particularly appropriate that Television's New Frontier: The 1960s looks back at one of his starring roles from the 60s, Wide Country, which aired in the 1962-63 season as one of two rodeo-themed series that season, the other being Stoney Burke. It's worth checking out.

At The Classic TV History Blog, Stephen uses the occasion of TV writer Jeri Taylor's death last month to review her career, and that of her writing partner and husband, David Moessinger. Learn more about Jeri and David, separately and together, and the many memorable shows they worked on.

And with Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas is now just around the corner: at Remind, Herbie Pilato looks back at some of TV's most memorable Christmas variety shows. If you, like me, grew up with these shows (and still watch them!), you'll enjoy this article immensely! TV  

Around the dial

Now, this is how Thanksgiving dinner ought to be served! Not that we do it this way in our home, of course. We need all the table room we can get for the different dishes. However, it's nice to know that when dinner is over, the football will still be there for us.

On to business, starting at Comfort TV, where David has a review of Ed Robertson's new book, Men of Action, which goes behind the scenes of four classic shows that featured, well, men of action: The Untouchables, The Magician, Run for Your Life, and Harry O. I'll be having a look at this book myself in two weeks, so stay tuned.

At Cult TV Blog, John is back with the start of another series of posts focusing on the work of an individual action. This time, it's character actress Ann Way, and the episode is "Don't Forget the Driver," from the late 1970s British sitcom Mind Your Language. 

When I'm in the mood to watch something that's not too heavy, film noir is generally my first choice, so I'm grateful to Jo at The Last Drive In for giving me some great suggestions in The Unseen Side of Film Noir–Part 1. I wonder what Part 2's going to be like?

Let's keep with the noir theme, as Maddy at Classic Film and TV Corner reviews one of the seminal noir classics, Murder, My Sweet, the 1944 adapatation of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, with Dick Powell recreating his career in what I consider the definitive portrayal of Philip Marlowe.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence flashes back to the 1966 police series Hawk, which starred Burt Reynolds as a full-blooded Iroquis working as a special investigator for the District Attorney. It was shot on location in New York, and probably deserves more attention than it gets.

Although "The Brain Center at Whipple's" may not be among the best Twilight Zone episodes, there are, as Mike and Roger (and the comments section) at The View from the Junkyard point out, some serious issues raised about automation, modernization, and the future, and they aren't pretty.

And at Travalanche, Trav looks at yet another of the major figures of broadcasting's past who's unjustly forgotten today: Jack Lescoulie, who served as an announcer, second banana, pitchman, and co-host of The Today Show from 1952 to 1967. TV  

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We begin this week at Comfort TV, where David begins a new year in his continuing odyssey through primetime television of the 1970s. It's Sunday night 1975: are you watching The Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak, The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, or something else? Tune in and see what's what and where. 

At The Syncopated Times, Garry Berman explores the history of jazz on television. It may seem hard to believe today, when there's very little music of any kind to be found on TV, but starting in the 1950s, it wasn't all that hard to see some of the all-time greats making the small screen seem that much larger.

RealWeegieMidget is back with more movies from the big and small screens, as Gill looks at at October's selections, including one described as "Enter the Dragon meets Charlie's Angels." I ask you, who could possibly ask for anything more? There's also politics, murder plots, and a disaster movie!

At Cult TV Blog, John gives us a similarily eclectic selection of old, cult TV series you can catch for free online. I'm not familiar (yet) with most of them, but it's hard to argue with John's assertion that it provides us with "an embarrassment of riches." Would that there was even more.

Rick has another of his famous quizzes at Classic Film & TV Café, and you'll really like this one: given the names of three characters, you name the TV show they came from. You're on your honor not to check the comments section for the answers.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence remembers three who've passed on over the last few days: TV veteran Alan Rachins, the legendary musical genius Quincy Jones, and the simply adorable Teri Garr. You can look at these in one of two ways: you can tire of having your favorites dying at what seems to be the rate of two or three a week, or you can take the opportunity to think back to all the enjoyment they've provided over the years. Remember, death does not mean that life has ended, but merely changed.

Television's New Frontier: The 1960s travels back to 1961 and the iconic medical drama Ben Casey, starring Vincent Edwards. In this first season, we get a good overview of the show's premise, the power of its leading man, and some great links for more information on the series.

Speaking of icons, Travalanche takes a look at Walter Cronkite and some of the high points in the career of the man known as America's most trusted, including some interesting jobs you might not have known about. For instance, the Cronk a a game show host?

We'll wrap up at The View from the Junkyard, where Roger and Mike compare notes on one of The Twilight Zone's more problematic and lesser-known episodes, "The Encounter," with Lee Marvin and George Takai. What say you? TV  

Around the dial

Now there's a young entrepreneur hard at work honing his craft. "Check out the 16-inch screen on this beauty. Just use that dial to adjust the sound, and you're all set!" But what would they watch?

Possibly The Twilight Zone, and the fifth-season episode "Probe 7, Over and Out," starring Richard Basehart and Antoinette Bower. It's the subject of Jordon's latest at The Twilight Zone Vortex; while Rod Serling's script seems to suffer from writer's fatigue, the performances and dialogue make the episode worth checking out.

As good as that television set might be, it's unlikely it would still be in use on Friday nights in 1974, which is where Comfort TV is, with David's continuing inventory of 1970s prime time television. The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak, Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, Rockford, Police Woman; back then, Fridays had television worth watching.

If you've been reading along at Cult TV Blog, then you'll know how John is currently looking at shows in which actor Denis Shaw appeared. We're now up to the 1968-70 series Tom Grattan's War, the adventures of a teen boy spending World War I on a Yorkshire farm. Check out a pair of episodes that speak well of the series as a whole.

Sticking with television on the other side of the ocean, The View from the Junkyard reviews "Get-a-Way!", a locked-room mystery from the final season of The Avengers. Roger and Mike don't always agree on their assessments of the series, so see for yourself what they think here.

At The Last Drive In, it's part two of Monstergirl's in-depth look at the career of Adrienne Barbeau, including an interview with Adrienne herself. Both the career retrospective and interview provide a fascinating look at the life and times of the popular actress.

Up for a quiz? If so, then head to Classic Film & TV Cafe, where Rick has the second edition of the "We Name the Cast...You Name the Movie!" game. I think you'll enjoy the challenge, and, possibly, the memories it brings back. No peaking at the comments section, though.

I've been seeing a lot of notices on social media about anniversaries of various series debuts, which isn't surprising since most of them used to premiere around this time of year, and at A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence notes the 60th anniversary of The Munsters. And while you're there, be sure to read his obituary of Kathryn Crosby, widow of Bing, who died last week at age 90.

Speaking of anniversaries, Television Obscurities has a couple of more, well, obscure ones for you to consider: the 55th anniversary of The New People, and the 60th of The Baileys of Balboa. Neither of these are among the most famous of programs; do you have any memories of them?

Finally, how about some reading material? At Travalanche, you can learn about Sam and Friends, "the definitive book about early Jim Henson." It's a great look at Henson's first television show, and gives you a chance to see the evolution of some of Henson's great Muppets. TV