Week of Nov. 28: Remembering Family: "The Waltons"

Certainly one of the best family programs ever was the CBS drama "The Waltons," which ran from 1972-81.

The program was based on the real-life experiences of creator Earl Hamner, who grew up in Virginia during the depression. He first turned those experiences into the book "Spencer's Mountain," which became a feature film in 1964. It starred Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and James MacArthur (Hawaii Five-O's Danny Williams).

"The Homecoming" was written in 1970 and followed by the 1971 CBS television movie "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story." For that movie, the names had been changed from Spencer to Walton, the number of children modified to seven, and the characters modified and, in some cases, softened from the novels. Patricia Neal played Olivia Walton and Edgar Bergen played Grandpa (Zeb) Walton. Character actors included Cleavon Little, William Windom and Andrew Duggan, who briefly played John Walton. However, eight cast members would stick around for the series: Ellen Corby, who played Grandma (Esther) Walton, Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy, and Judy Norton, Mary McDonough, Kami Cotler, Jon Walmsley, Eric Scott and David Harper, who played, respectively: Mary Ellen, Erin, Elizabeth, Jason, Ben and Jim Bob Walton.

For the series, of course, Michael Learned and Ralph Waite would play Olivia and John Walton, while the legendary Will Geer would play Grandpa. Joe Conley played storekeeper Ike Godsey, while Mary Jackson and Helen Kleeb played the bootlegging Baldwin sisters. John Ritter's rise to stardom included a recurring role on the show as Rev. Matthew Fordwick.

Behind the scenes, Jerry Goldsmith wrote the memorable theme song and Alexander Courage wrote background music. Hamner wrote most of the episodes. Directors included some of television's best (Philip Leacock, Alf Kjellin and Ivan Dixon, who had co-starred in the comedy "Hogan's Heroes.").

Geer, Corby, Learned and Thomas all won Emmys, as did the show itself. Its high point was the first six seasons, until Thomas left, Corby suffered a stroke and Geer died. Learned left the show in 1979. All the surviving cast members would return for televsion movies during the 1980s and 1990s.

Though the official Web site hasn't been updated recently, it has detailed information about the series:

http://www.the-waltons.com/

Also, most of the series is available on DVD. And there are tons of clips on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22the+waltons%22&search_type=&aq=f

Until next week, Goodnight John Boy. And Happy Viewing!

Week of Nov. 21: Saluting "The Odd Couple"

Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?

No.

And because they couldn't, the saga of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison kept viewers laughing at the television version of "The Odd Couple" for five seasons (1970-75) on ABC. All five seasons are now available on DVD, with the release of the final season this week.

Few television stars have ever had better buddy chemistry than Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. Randall had established himself as one of the best second-banana film actors in various comedies, including "Pillow Talk" with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Klugman had also been featured in films, including the classic drama "12 Angry Men." Both men won Emmys for their "Odd Couple" roles.

Neil Simon, who wrote the play that begat the movie that begat the series, wrote various episodes. Jerry Belson, writer of various films and television shows, and Garry Marshall co-created the series; Marshall would go on to become a TV producing legend with shows like "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley," before he directed comedies like "Pretty Woman."

Penny Marshall also cut her teeth on this program, as Oscar's secretary.

Here's a fan site with show information:

http://www.oddcouple.info/

And here's a link to the opening credits, which are also funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1h4ibpKJA

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing - and Happy Thanksgiving!

Week of 11/14: Celebrating "The Cosby Show"

"The Cosby Show" has a special 25th anniversary release (OK, technically it's only the 24th anniversary, but what the heck.). Whatever the number, it is richly deserved. The program is credited for bringing back the situation comedy, and certainly brought back NBC from the doldrums during the early 1980s.

Much has already been written about the show, so I won't add to it. Instead, here's a link to the very funny scene from the pilot episode, in which Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) tells dad Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby), he wants to live like "regular people."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFY0HBkUm8o

Enjoy, and see you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of 11/7: Getting Smart and Taking a Look at "TV Guide"

In honor of this week's release of the film version of "Get Smart" and the entire series in a box DVD set, here's a link to a clip including the infamous "Cone of Silence":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZKEre3yJ0&feature=related

*************************************************************************************

A few weeks ago, there was an announcement that "TV Guide" is being sold to a private equity firm. These days, the legendary publication looks like just another celebrity magazine, inside and out. Once upon a time, though, "TV Guide" was something special.

Its first issue came out in 1953, the week both the real Desi Arnaz, Jr. and the fictional Little Ricky Ricardo were born. The mom to both, Lucille Ball, was on the cover.

"TV Guide" is a treasure trove of most of the industry's history. But during the glory years of publisher Walter Annenberg, the magazine was not afraid to be hard-hitting, focusing on the worst of the industry and deflating the big egos of big stars. (And then there was my all-time favorite "TV Guide" headline from days gone by: "Why You Have Purple People In Your Living Room." )

There were also plenty of classic covers. Here's a link to one with "Hawaii Five-O" star Jack Lord:

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/hawaii-o/photos/100202/7

It's infuriatingly difficult to try to find an online collection of classic covers. "TV Guide" itself doesn't make it easier with its confusing Web site.

A note to "TV Guide": If you want to save your future, get better at displaying your past on your Web site, as you do with your excellent books about television history.

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!