It's true - travel does broaden the mind

O ne of the things I've noticed in looking through TV Guides of the 1960s is that there used to be a lot of travel shows on TV.  In other words, The Travel Channel isn't anything new. Specials, weekly series, travelogues - many of them in color. It's one of the things we tend to forget, with travel having become so ubiquitous, that it wasn't always thus, and many people got their first glimpses of life in other parts of the country, or the world, through television (and newsreels before that).

When Edward R. Murrow's See It Now premiered in 1951, both he and the viewers were impressed by television's ability to show, for the first time ever, live pictures of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans simultaneously. Seeing both oceans, even if it were only on television, was something that many people could only hope to experience in real life.

One of the best-known travelogue shows of the 1960s

This came to mind last month, when my home town of Minneapolis was named one of the three finalists (along with Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lodz, Poland) to host the 2023 World's Fair. Never mind that most people today don't even know that World's Fairs still exist, if in fact they ever knew about them, and that few of us living in the Twin Cities can comprehend how in the world they're ever going to make it work. Indeed, Expos* are now only held every five years or so, and I can't really remember the last one that made big headlines.  Perhaps it was Expo '67 in Montreal, which birthed the name of a baseball team, or the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, which gave us the Space Needle and the monorail.  The 1939-40 World's Fair in New York - the "World of Tomorrow" - is one of the most iconic and best-loved ever, and the 1933-34 "Century of Progress" in Chicago included an exhibition baseball game that continues to this day - the All-Star Game.

*Or "Registered Expositions," if you want to really get technical about it.

One of the last iconic fairs, at least in this country, was the 1964-65 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. There seems something so "modern" about it - not just the times, but the architecture, such as the Unisphere, that fair's version of the Trylon and Perisphere.  There's also the idea that the wondrously exotic world of the Fair, which up until now had been something one could see only at the Fair itself, was now available to anyone. The jet age, the age of Pam-American and TWA, meant that world travel wasn't just for the select few, but now was available to a broader section of Americans.

In 1964, NBC's Edwin Newman hosted "A World's Fair Diary," a documentary on that fair, that shows how it was both progressive and innocent. I like the idea that a lumberjack competition could be considered exotic, just as much as the wonders of the Orient. Again, it's a glimpse at a time that offered a glimpse into a world few people had seen - but, as the song of the time said, "It's a small world."


There was, in those days, something awesome and inspiring about a World's Fair, as anyone who's seen the pictures of the "World of Tomorrow" can attest. Among the major attractions of the 1964-65 Fair were da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's Pietà. By contrast, the plan for Minnesota's Expo 2023 is to "feature a variety of local and international exhibits and activities that showcase local health care initiatives and innovation." Which sounds
very
exc
i
 t
  izdtrh
zzzzzz

What? Oh, excuse me - I must have nodded off there. I guess the excitement was just too much for me.

There's no doubt that television, which did so much to bring the world into our living rooms, also took some of that mystery away - after all, it's hard to imagine what a world's fair can offer that you can't get in HD. It may also be why television (and movies) resort to so many car chases, explosions, and overall loudness - you can't sell a story anymore simply on an exotic location. Ah well, television giveth, and it taketh away.

In the meantime, it can also preserve memories of the past; that special on the New York World's Fair is complete on YouTube in six parts.  Part 1 is above; here are the links to Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.

Around the Dial - Bob Cummings, George & Gracie, and more!

You know, for all the times I've run across Love That Bob! in all the old TV Guide listings, I've never actually seen an episode.  Oh, sure, I know who Bob Cummings is; he was terrific in an episode of The Twilight Zone, and I actually prefer his performance in Studio One's "Twelve Angry Men" to that of Henry Fonda.  But I've never seen Love That Bob!  Now, at least, I know more about it, thanks to this episode review from The Horn Section.

I have distinct memories of watching Wonderful World of Color when Walt Disney was still alive, and I enjoy reading about the 1964-65 World's Fair, so it's no surprise that I'd be interested in Dixon's review of Disney's trip to the Fair at TV When I Was Born.  What vivid colors!  That's the kind of miracle color TV was back in the '60s.

I've written about Terry Teachout before; the drama critic for The Wall Street Journal* always has thoughtful perspectives on the relationship of television to American culture.  This week, he links to an article he wrote ten years ago, in which he ponders what it means to abandon series television.

*Not to mention author, playwright and opera librettist, all of which give me a massive inferiority complex.

A couple of years ago, some friends of ours gave us a DVD of the best of Match Game.  Now, I'm old enough that I actually remember the original version in the mid-to-late '60s, particularly an episode in which the guests were the Apollo astronauts.  (Or was that You Don't Say?  I'm never sure about that - maybe someone can remind me.)  Anyway, this week's Bootleg Files takes a look back at the show's bawdy '70s revival, which I also remember with some fondness.  I don't know that it wears very well, but there are some very funny moments.  And some stupid ones as well.

I don't know about you, but when I think of Burns & Allen (which is probably less often than I should), I never think about them in color.  I might ahve to change that now, thanks to Kinescope HD's post of an episode of the show done in color!

At The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew mentions a terrific movie that I never saw in the theater but enjoyed immensely on TV (which is perhaps appropriate): My Favorite Year, which starred the great Peter O'Toole in one of his later-career Oscar-nominated roles, and was directed by TV and movie veteran Richard Benjamin.  (Husband of **sigh** Paula Prentiss.)  Unfortunately I didn't catch the rerun on TCM this week, but that's no reason for you not to get out there and find it on DVD or streaming video.

And finally, a quick reminder that the Classic TV Blog Association's Summer of MeTV Blogathon is coming up June 2-5.  I've got my contribution ready - I hope you'll take time to read it!

That's all for today, kiddies - back Saturday with another look in the dusty pages of TV Guide! TV  

It's true - travel does broaden the mind

One of the things I've noticed in looking through TV Guides of the 1960s is that there used to be a lot of travel shows on TV.  In other words, The Travel Channel isn't anything new. Specials, weekly series, travelogues - many of them in color.  It's one of the things we tend to forget, with travel having become so ubiquitous, that it wasn't always thus, and many people got their first glimpses of life in other parts of the country, or the world, through television (and newsreels before that).

When Edward R. Murrow's See It Now premiered in 1951, both he and the viewers were impressed by television's ability to show, for the first time ever, live pictures of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans simultaneously.  Seeing both Oceans, even if it were only on television, was something that many people could only hope to experience in real life.

This came to mind the other day when, while watching Barclays Premier League soccer, I saw an ad for Dubai's bid for Expo 2020, otherwise known as the World's Fair*.  Commenting on it, my wife replied that she wasn't even aware that World's Fairs were still being held.  Indeed, Expos are now only held every five years or so, and I can't really remember the last one that made big headlines.  Perhaps it was Expo '67 in Montreal, which birthed the name of a baseball team, or the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, which gave us the Space Needle.  The 1939-40 World's Fair in New York - the "World of Tomorrow" - is one of the most iconic ever, and the 1933-34 "Century of Progress" in Chicago included an exhibition baseball game that continues to this day - the All-Star Game.

*Alright, a "Registered Exposition," if you want to be technical about it.

One of the last iconic fairs, at least in this country, was the 1963-64 World's Fair in Flushing Meadow, New York.  There seems something so "modern" about it - not just the times, but the architecture, such as the Unisphere, that fair's version of the Trylon and Perisphere.  There's also the idea that the wondrously exotic world of the Fair, which up until now had been something one could see only at the Fair itself, was now available to anyone.  The jet age, the age of Pam-American and TWA, meant that world travel wasn't just for the select few, but now was available to a broader section of Americans.

NBC's Edwin Newman hosted a documentary on that World's Fair, one of the earliest existent color broadcasts still available.


There's something both progressive and innocent about the fair. I like the idea that a lumberjack competition could be considered exotic, just as much as the wonders of the Orient. Again, it's a glimpse at a time that offered a glimpse into a world few people had seen - but, as the song of the time said, "It's a small world."

The special is complete on YouTube in six parts.  Part 1 is above; here are the links to Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.