Saturday, May 22, 2010
May 22: Sorry for the delay...
If anyone's trying to access YesterTube and getting a message that it's been delayed, blame AT&T, which had something happen in my parts. So the official YesterTube launch will be delayed a few days. Sorry......
Friday, May 14, 2010
Week of May 14: Golden Horne and Blog News
Lena Horne's talents were able to shine in their full glory when the barriers of race started to come down. Her greatest triumph came in 1981, when her Broadway one-woman show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music," won her two Tony Awards and was a smash hit.
Horne, who died earlier this week at age 92, was able to show her talents - and her honesty - to television audiences for decades.
She performed on countless variety shows. Here she is with another legend, Judy Garland, on Garland's CBS program in 1963:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYxppElUM4
During the 1970s and 1980s, Horne graced the PBS program "Sesame Street." Here she is teaching my favorite character, Grover, to say "Hello":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Y0lJ8ELvI
She also guest-starred on a number of television series as herself. Here's a classic appearance from NBC's "The Cosby Show" during its first season, when the Huxtable clan was celebrating Cliff's birthday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxp47BPI9FY
One of Ed Bradley's finest stories for CBS' "60 Minutes" was his 1981 interview with Horne. Here's a small snippet - too small:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWCdhmD6Z2I
And here she is, in golden voice, with her standard "Stormy Weather" and "If You Believe" from "The Wiz." Not sure of the source, but this is likely from PBS around 1982:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMf0Z7EPdLo
Her voice will ring forever.
**************************************************************************
Get ready to say "so long" to Rabbit Ears. But don't worry: Just the name and the appearance of the blog are changing. Starting next week, it'll be YesterTube.
Each week, YesterTube will still be devoted to looking at classic television. You can find it at:
http://yestertube.blogspot.com/
It's not much to look at yet, but tune in next week. And Rabbit Ears' archives will still be available for a time.
Until next week on YesterTube, Happy Viewing!
Horne, who died earlier this week at age 92, was able to show her talents - and her honesty - to television audiences for decades.
She performed on countless variety shows. Here she is with another legend, Judy Garland, on Garland's CBS program in 1963:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYxppElUM4
During the 1970s and 1980s, Horne graced the PBS program "Sesame Street." Here she is teaching my favorite character, Grover, to say "Hello":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Y0lJ8ELvI
She also guest-starred on a number of television series as herself. Here's a classic appearance from NBC's "The Cosby Show" during its first season, when the Huxtable clan was celebrating Cliff's birthday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxp47BPI9FY
One of Ed Bradley's finest stories for CBS' "60 Minutes" was his 1981 interview with Horne. Here's a small snippet - too small:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWCdhmD6Z2I
And here she is, in golden voice, with her standard "Stormy Weather" and "If You Believe" from "The Wiz." Not sure of the source, but this is likely from PBS around 1982:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMf0Z7EPdLo
Her voice will ring forever.
**************************************************************************
Get ready to say "so long" to Rabbit Ears. But don't worry: Just the name and the appearance of the blog are changing. Starting next week, it'll be YesterTube.
Each week, YesterTube will still be devoted to looking at classic television. You can find it at:
http://yestertube.blogspot.com/
It's not much to look at yet, but tune in next week. And Rabbit Ears' archives will still be available for a time.
Until next week on YesterTube, Happy Viewing!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Week of May 7: Of "House Calls and "Chicken Soup"
Lynn Redgrave, who died earlier this week at age 67 of breast cancer, had a fascinating television career, if not a long one.
First, she co-starred in the CBS hit comedy "House Calls." Patterned after the hit 1978 romantic comedy film that starred Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Art Carney and Richard Benjamin, the show starred Wayne Rogers (M*A*S*H) as Dr. Charley Michaels. Redgrave played hospital administration employee Ann Atkinson. Character actor David Wayne (the 1949 film "Adam's Rib") played the semi-senile Dr. Amos Weatherby. Ray Buktenica (Rhoda) played Dr. Norman Solomon.
During the first two seasons, the show was a hit and Redgrave was nominated for an Emmy. Before Season 3, she had a falling out with Universal Studios, which produced the show for CBS. The most prominent story has been that the studio was not willing to accept Redgrave bringing her then-newborn daughter, Annabel, on the set or letting Redgrave breastfeed her.
John Clark, who was married to Redgrave at the time, wrote years later that it wasn't as simple as that:
http://www.johnclarkprose.com/house-calls-house-calls-what-really-happened.html
In any case, even with the talented Sharon Gless coming aboard, "House Calls" didn't last very long after Redgrave left. But the public battle gave a prominent face to the concerns of working mothers.
Her next television series was "Teachers Only," more notable for who produced it (Johnny Carson's production company) and who co-starred in it (Norman Fell of "Three's Company" and Jean Smart, later of "Designing Women," "24" and possibly the new "Hawaii Five-O"). It lasted one season on NBC, 1982-83.
Redgrave did her last, and possibly strangest, series in 1989. It was called "Chicken Soup," and paired her with comedian Jackie Mason as a couple in an interfaith (she Catholic, he Jewish) relationship. The show was produced by Carsey-Werner, the team behind "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne." It followed "Rosanne" in the ABC schedule and drew viewers early, but couldn't follow up on the success and was cancelled after seven episodes. Mason made disparaging remarks about David Dinkins, soon to become mayor of New York, in the period the show was on the air.
None of the shows has been released on DVD. Here's hoping "House Calls" gets the call, in tribute to Redgrave.
***************************************************************************
Note to readers: "Rabbit Ears" will be undergoing revisions, and possibly a new title, during the next few weeks. More news to follow.
Happy Viewing!
First, she co-starred in the CBS hit comedy "House Calls." Patterned after the hit 1978 romantic comedy film that starred Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Art Carney and Richard Benjamin, the show starred Wayne Rogers (M*A*S*H) as Dr. Charley Michaels. Redgrave played hospital administration employee Ann Atkinson. Character actor David Wayne (the 1949 film "Adam's Rib") played the semi-senile Dr. Amos Weatherby. Ray Buktenica (Rhoda) played Dr. Norman Solomon.
During the first two seasons, the show was a hit and Redgrave was nominated for an Emmy. Before Season 3, she had a falling out with Universal Studios, which produced the show for CBS. The most prominent story has been that the studio was not willing to accept Redgrave bringing her then-newborn daughter, Annabel, on the set or letting Redgrave breastfeed her.
John Clark, who was married to Redgrave at the time, wrote years later that it wasn't as simple as that:
http://www.johnclarkprose.com/house-calls-house-calls-what-really-happened.html
In any case, even with the talented Sharon Gless coming aboard, "House Calls" didn't last very long after Redgrave left. But the public battle gave a prominent face to the concerns of working mothers.
Her next television series was "Teachers Only," more notable for who produced it (Johnny Carson's production company) and who co-starred in it (Norman Fell of "Three's Company" and Jean Smart, later of "Designing Women," "24" and possibly the new "Hawaii Five-O"). It lasted one season on NBC, 1982-83.
Redgrave did her last, and possibly strangest, series in 1989. It was called "Chicken Soup," and paired her with comedian Jackie Mason as a couple in an interfaith (she Catholic, he Jewish) relationship. The show was produced by Carsey-Werner, the team behind "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne." It followed "Rosanne" in the ABC schedule and drew viewers early, but couldn't follow up on the success and was cancelled after seven episodes. Mason made disparaging remarks about David Dinkins, soon to become mayor of New York, in the period the show was on the air.
None of the shows has been released on DVD. Here's hoping "House Calls" gets the call, in tribute to Redgrave.
***************************************************************************
Note to readers: "Rabbit Ears" will be undergoing revisions, and possibly a new title, during the next few weeks. More news to follow.
Happy Viewing!
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