A genuine treat was released on DVD last week: "A Woman Called Golda."
The two-part miniseries about the life of Israel's first female prime minister was originally broadcast by Operation Prime Time in 1981. It starred Ingrid Bergman, in her last role, as Golda Meir. It also featured Australian actress Judy Davis as the young Golda; Leonard Nimoy as Morris Meyerson, Golda's husband; Ned Beatty as a U.S. senator dealing with Meir as prime minister; Anne Jackson as Lou Kaddar, Golda's assistant; Franklin Cover ("The Jeffersons") as U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Robert Loggia as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
Jackson, as Kaddar, narrates the story, which begins with Golda's visit to her old grammar school in Milwaukee. (The real visit took place in 1969; for the miniseries, it was pushed to 1977 to tie in to Sadat's visit to Israel.) The story makes for mesmerizing viewing. Both the miniseries and Bergman won Emmies. Bergman's Emmy was awarded after her death; her oldest daughter, New York television reporter Pia Lindstrom, accepted on her behalf.
There had been a long wait for DVD release; previously, the miniseries was available on a very expensive two-part videocassette collection. Kudos to CBS/Paramount for finally releasing it. (I suspect they might have anticipated a real-life tie-in if Tzipi Livni had become Israel's second female prime minister; that is on hold for the time being.)
Incidentally, at the time of the original miniseries, there was a companion book by Michael Avallone, who often wrote book tie-ins to popular television shows in the 1960s and 1970s. That is available at Amazon.com.
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I will be away from this blog for most of April. Happy Holidays to all, and Happy Viewing!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Week of March 20: Tributes To Ron Silver and Natasha Richardson
Sad - and shocking - news this week with the deaths of Ron Silver and Natasha Richardson.
Lots of obituary headline writers sold Silver short by describing him only as a "West Wing" actor. True, he appeared as political operative Bruno Gianelli on a handful of episodes of that excellent series, but his television appearances actually go back to the mid-1970s, starting with such shows as "Rhoda," "McMillan & Wife" and "The Rockford Files." Of course, all of those series are available on DVD.
Like Silver, Richardson was versatile, moving from theater to film to television. One very early TV appearance of hers that's available on DVD is from the second season (or series, as they're known in Britain) of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," starring Jeremy Brett as the sleuth. In the episode "The Copper Beeches," made in 1985, Richardson played a young governess who asked Holmes to help her solve the mystery behind the actions of her new employer. PBS also runs the series.
A more recent appearance that's also on DVD came as crusader Ruth Gruber in the 2001 CBS miniseries "Haven," which also starred Hal Holbrook, Anne Bancroft and Martin Landau. The series itself was not up to the standard of previous miniseries about the Holocaust, but Richardson and the rest of the cast were excellent, and the program was given the Humanitas Prize.
Both Silver and Richardson elevated the performing arts.
Lots of obituary headline writers sold Silver short by describing him only as a "West Wing" actor. True, he appeared as political operative Bruno Gianelli on a handful of episodes of that excellent series, but his television appearances actually go back to the mid-1970s, starting with such shows as "Rhoda," "McMillan & Wife" and "The Rockford Files." Of course, all of those series are available on DVD.
Like Silver, Richardson was versatile, moving from theater to film to television. One very early TV appearance of hers that's available on DVD is from the second season (or series, as they're known in Britain) of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," starring Jeremy Brett as the sleuth. In the episode "The Copper Beeches," made in 1985, Richardson played a young governess who asked Holmes to help her solve the mystery behind the actions of her new employer. PBS also runs the series.
A more recent appearance that's also on DVD came as crusader Ruth Gruber in the 2001 CBS miniseries "Haven," which also starred Hal Holbrook, Anne Bancroft and Martin Landau. The series itself was not up to the standard of previous miniseries about the Holocaust, but Richardson and the rest of the cast were excellent, and the program was given the Humanitas Prize.
Both Silver and Richardson elevated the performing arts.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Remembering Family Ties
Season 5 of the NBC sitcom "Family Ties" was released on DVD this week, and it's a good opportunity to remember this charming series.
"Family Ties" was one of the catalysts for NBC's comeback during the 1980s, making its debut in 1982. The best known cast member at the beginning was television veteran Meredith Baxter-Birney, who had previously starred on "Bridget Loves Bernie" and "Family." She played matriarch Elyse Keaton, while Michael Gross played her husband, Steven. They were former flower children.
Michael J. Fox, a young actor from Canada, rocketed to stardom playing their oldest child, Alex, the conservative Reagan Republican to their still-liberal leanings. Justine Bateman, older sister of Jason, played shopaholic daughter Mallory. Tina Yothers played Jennifer. A fourth child, Andrew, was born in 1985.
Guest stars on the show included future Oscar winners Geena Davis (as an inept housekeeper) and Tom Hanks (as Elyse's alcoholic brother), as well as future "Friend" Courtney Cox (as Alex's second long-term girlfriend). Fox met his real-life wife, Tracy Pollan, when Pollan played Alex's girlfriend on the show. The show dealt with controversial issues, including drinking, Alzheimer's Disease, drug use, death and more.
CBS.com has much of the first four seasons at its site (The show was produced by Paramount, which is now part of CBS/Viacom.). The Season 5 DVD features "A My Name Is Alex," one of the most talked-about episodes, in which Alex evaluates his life after a friend's death.
The one goof during the run of the series was probably taking young Andrew Keaton and aging him from a baby to a preschooler in one season, one of the most annoying television habits. The show retired gracefully in 1989, with Alex graduating from college and getting a $75,000 job. Those were the days.....
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
"Family Ties" was one of the catalysts for NBC's comeback during the 1980s, making its debut in 1982. The best known cast member at the beginning was television veteran Meredith Baxter-Birney, who had previously starred on "Bridget Loves Bernie" and "Family." She played matriarch Elyse Keaton, while Michael Gross played her husband, Steven. They were former flower children.
Michael J. Fox, a young actor from Canada, rocketed to stardom playing their oldest child, Alex, the conservative Reagan Republican to their still-liberal leanings. Justine Bateman, older sister of Jason, played shopaholic daughter Mallory. Tina Yothers played Jennifer. A fourth child, Andrew, was born in 1985.
Guest stars on the show included future Oscar winners Geena Davis (as an inept housekeeper) and Tom Hanks (as Elyse's alcoholic brother), as well as future "Friend" Courtney Cox (as Alex's second long-term girlfriend). Fox met his real-life wife, Tracy Pollan, when Pollan played Alex's girlfriend on the show. The show dealt with controversial issues, including drinking, Alzheimer's Disease, drug use, death and more.
CBS.com has much of the first four seasons at its site (The show was produced by Paramount, which is now part of CBS/Viacom.). The Season 5 DVD features "A My Name Is Alex," one of the most talked-about episodes, in which Alex evaluates his life after a friend's death.
The one goof during the run of the series was probably taking young Andrew Keaton and aging him from a baby to a preschooler in one season, one of the most annoying television habits. The show retired gracefully in 1989, with Alex graduating from college and getting a $75,000 job. Those were the days.....
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Week of March 6: New York, 1973 - Done Better
This week, ABC announced the cancellation of "Life On Mars," a police show whose yellowish tint and fake sideburns were supposed to take the characters and viewers back to New York in 1973.
There was a show actually made in New York in 1973 (by CBS) that did it much better, which viewers can catch on DVD or online: Kojak.
A television movie, "The Marcus Nelson Murders," launched the saga of New York Police Lieutenant Theo Kojak, played by Telly Savalas. Most of the cast that would join him for the series, including Kevin Dobson as Detective Bobby Crocker, were not in the movie.
Available on DVD, that movie cannot as yet be seen on Hulu.com, but the first season, from "Siege of Terror" forward, as well as Seasons 2 and 3 are available there. You can feel the dirt of the New York streets of the early 1970s as you watch those episodes. They are as gritty as the best the original "Law & Order" has to offer:
http://www.hulu.com/kojak
Eventually, the show would get somewhat campy, with the lollipop (taken when both Savalas and his alter ego quit smoking) and with Kojak's catchphrase "Who Loves Ya, Baby?" But it's high quality, nonetheless.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
There was a show actually made in New York in 1973 (by CBS) that did it much better, which viewers can catch on DVD or online: Kojak.
A television movie, "The Marcus Nelson Murders," launched the saga of New York Police Lieutenant Theo Kojak, played by Telly Savalas. Most of the cast that would join him for the series, including Kevin Dobson as Detective Bobby Crocker, were not in the movie.
Available on DVD, that movie cannot as yet be seen on Hulu.com, but the first season, from "Siege of Terror" forward, as well as Seasons 2 and 3 are available there. You can feel the dirt of the New York streets of the early 1970s as you watch those episodes. They are as gritty as the best the original "Law & Order" has to offer:
http://www.hulu.com/kojak
Eventually, the show would get somewhat campy, with the lollipop (taken when both Savalas and his alter ego quit smoking) and with Kojak's catchphrase "Who Loves Ya, Baby?" But it's high quality, nonetheless.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Week of 2/27: Collectibles And Happy 50th To Barbie
Worried about the economy and those shrinking 401Ks? If you're a fan of classic television, you might want to try a new investment: Collectibles.
If you still have those Donnie and Marie dolls, that Partridge Family album, that Brady Bunch lunchbox - keep them! Then head to local collectibles shows or online to places like eBay and find out what they're worth.
Sometimes it will be things you picked up in the stores. Sometimes, people who were on the sets of series or who go now to the shows or online can find genuine set pieces.
Sometimes they can find much more, as happened two years ago, when much of the estate of the late Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord went up for auction on eBay. The goods included personal mementos as well as scripts and other items from the show.
If you still have those Donnie and Marie dolls, that Partridge Family album, that Brady Bunch lunchbox - keep them! Then head to local collectibles shows or online to places like eBay and find out what they're worth.
Sometimes it will be things you picked up in the stores. Sometimes, people who were on the sets of series or who go now to the shows or online can find genuine set pieces.
Sometimes they can find much more, as happened two years ago, when much of the estate of the late Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord went up for auction on eBay. The goods included personal mementos as well as scripts and other items from the show.
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Speaking of collectibles, Happy 50th Birthday to Barbie! The doll has been in tons of commercials, of course. Here's a classic from 1973:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z--ntETyNYo&feature=related
See you next week! Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Week of Feb. 20: It's a Wonderful Night For Oscar
The Academy Awards are this Sunday. Actor Hugh Jackman will host; predictions for the result of that are up in the air.
The Oscars seem to do best when a comedian with mass appeal to a wide range of audiences is the host. Three have excelled above the rest.
The first was Bob Hope, who hosted a record-setting 18 Academy Awards nights. Hope was effortless whether complaining about his lack of an Oscar, or working with stars who were presenters. And they were real stars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWOUrKpBic
The next great Oscar host was Johnny Carson, who used titles of nominated movies to joke about his marriages and divorces, and seemed equally comfortable joking with Miss Piggy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpMzpFqZAFg
And a little bonus: On the "Tonight Show," Carson would later spoof the Oscars with the infamous "Sniveling Weasel Awards":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANKazBdsd_0
The third wonderful host has been Billy Crystal, especially with the show openings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyX5yyPe5M
See you next week. Until then, Happy Oscar Viewing!
The Oscars seem to do best when a comedian with mass appeal to a wide range of audiences is the host. Three have excelled above the rest.
The first was Bob Hope, who hosted a record-setting 18 Academy Awards nights. Hope was effortless whether complaining about his lack of an Oscar, or working with stars who were presenters. And they were real stars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWOUrKpBic
The next great Oscar host was Johnny Carson, who used titles of nominated movies to joke about his marriages and divorces, and seemed equally comfortable joking with Miss Piggy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpMzpFqZAFg
And a little bonus: On the "Tonight Show," Carson would later spoof the Oscars with the infamous "Sniveling Weasel Awards":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANKazBdsd_0
The third wonderful host has been Billy Crystal, especially with the show openings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyX5yyPe5M
See you next week. Until then, Happy Oscar Viewing!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Week of Feb. 13: So Long To Two Mr. Buchanans
Fans of the soap opera "One Life To Live" are mourning the deaths of two actors who were linchpins of the program: Clint Ritchie, who played Clint Buchanan, and Philip Carey, who played Asa Buchanan, father to Clint and Bo (still played by Robert S. Woods).
Ritchie played the character of Clint for more than 20 years. Another actor now plays the role, but Ritchie had marvelous chemistry with Erika Slezak, who has played Viki Lord since 1971. He also worked in a number of television shows and movies.
Carey chewed the scenery as the Buchanan family patriarch, and was a lot of fun to watch. He also had a long television career as a character actor, including a lot of Western programs.
If Clint's ideal match was Viki, Asa's was Renee. Here are links to YouTube pieces featuring both couples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGWCYFHqMh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5r4BSZa_k8
Here's to the two Mr. Buchanans. See you next week.
Ritchie played the character of Clint for more than 20 years. Another actor now plays the role, but Ritchie had marvelous chemistry with Erika Slezak, who has played Viki Lord since 1971. He also worked in a number of television shows and movies.
Carey chewed the scenery as the Buchanan family patriarch, and was a lot of fun to watch. He also had a long television career as a character actor, including a lot of Western programs.
If Clint's ideal match was Viki, Asa's was Renee. Here are links to YouTube pieces featuring both couples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGWCYFHqMh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5r4BSZa_k8
Here's to the two Mr. Buchanans. See you next week.
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