Halloween is tomorrow - a perfect time to catch up on your viewing of classic television that celebrates and pokes fun at the spooky.....
*"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" - Created in 1966, this special has become a Halloween tradition. Linus believes in the Great Pumpkin....But if it existed, would poor Charlie Brown keep getting a rock?
*The Addams Family and The Munsters: Both shows took gothic monster families into the normal - well, relatively normal.
The Addams Family ran on ABC from 1964-66; best remembered is the theme song by the late Vic Mizzy.
The Munsters ran the same years, except on CBS, and featured the "stop-motion" technology that would later be used for shows such as "The Monkees." Many years later, The Munsters became a staple on Nick at Night and TV Land.
*Dark Shadows: Long before "Twilight," this daytime series was a staple of ABC's daytime lineup and included the ever-popular vampires. Featured actors and actresses included Conrad Bain (later of "Maude" and "Diff'rent Strokes"), Kate Jackson ("The Rookies," "Charlie's Angels" and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King"), John Karlen ("Cagney & Lacey"), David Selby ("Falcon Crest") and Marsha Mason and Donna McKechnie.
And yes, everything's on DVD.
Happy Halloween - and Happy Viewing! See you next week!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Week of Oct. 23: Farewell To Vic Mizzy and Soupy Sales
Vic Mizzy, who died earlier this week, had a prolific movie scoring career, but is best known for two classic television show themes: "Green Acres" and "The Addams Family."
Both shows are available on DVD.
Here's a link to the obituary of Mizzy in the Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-vic-mizzy20-2009oct20,0,1713293.story
Earlier today came word of the death of Soupy Sales, an almost constant television presence from the 1960s through the 1980s. He was best known for his children's variety show, but was also a staple on adult variety shows, game shows and more.
Rest in peace, gentlemen......
Both shows are available on DVD.
Here's a link to the obituary of Mizzy in the Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-vic-mizzy20-2009oct20,0,1713293.story
Earlier today came word of the death of Soupy Sales, an almost constant television presence from the 1960s through the 1980s. He was best known for his children's variety show, but was also a staple on adult variety shows, game shows and more.
Rest in peace, gentlemen......
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Week of October 16: Top Ten Spinoffs (and a few Honorable Mentions)
Last week, Television Without Pity came up with its Top 10 list of television spinoffs. The problem: Too many modern ones, and too many on cable, which, of course, Rabbit Ears doesn't usually embrace.
So here's Rabbit Ears' list of the Top 10 television spinoffs on over-the-air television:
10. "A Different World": This spin-off from "The Cosby Show" ran on NBC from 1987-93. Originally meant as a vehicle for Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on both shows, it evolved after Bonet's adult starring role in the film "Angel Heart" took away from her All-American teen image, and she left the show after one season. Jasmine Guy's snobbish Whitley Gilbert and Kadeem Hardison's Dwayne Wayne took the spotlight. The show also proved a boost to the comic Sinbad. Look also in the first season for two-time Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei as one of Denise's roommates.
9. "Trapper John, M.D.": The only sequel to "M*A*S*H" that really counts (We'll ignore the terrible "AfterM*A*S*H."), this program, which ran on CBS from 1979-85, starred Pernell Roberts as a middle-aged and far more urbane Trapper John McIntyre than Wayne Rogers played on "M*A*S*H." And Gregory Harrison played younger, hunkier surgeon G. Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates. Look also for current Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell as a young resident.
8. "Rhoda": The first of three spinoffs from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," it featured Rhoda's (Valerie Harper's) memorable run through New York to get married to Joe Gerard (David Groh). On an "MTM" episode, Rhoda had an older sister; here, she got a younger one, Brenda (Julie Kavner). Nancy Walker and Harold Gould were back, in great form, as Rhoda's parents. And, of course, there was the unseen Carlton Your Doorman (Lorenzo Music). Ran on CBS from 1975-78.
7. "Mork & Mindy": A star was born when Robin Williams first played the bizarre alien from planet Ork on an episode of ABC's "Happy Days." This 1978-82 comedy sweetened the lead character (He had a mean streak in that "Happy Days" episode.) and gave him a grounded human friend in Pam Dawber's Mindy. The show was funny until the lead characters were married; even Jonathan Winters as their son (!) couldn't help after that.
6. "NCIS": Begun as part of an episode of "JAG" in 2003, this one has become the top-rated series in its seventh season. Mark Harmon (who, incidentally, is married to Pam Dawber) stars as Navy Criminal Investigative Service team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The cast includes David McCallum ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") and what makes the quality is the humor mixed with drama. Right now, this show is Must-See TV.
5. "Good Times": Especially good during the first two-and-a-half seasons, with John Amos and Esther Rolle heading this spinoff from "Maude" (CBS, 1973-79) that also made Jimmy Walker a star. Ignore what came after Amos left in 1976.
4. "The Jeffersons": "We're movin' on up." Did they ever, with Sherman Hemsley as the insufferable, bigoted George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford as his noble wife, Louise ("Wee-zee," as George called her). The cast of the show, another "All In the Family" spinoff that ran on CBS from 1975-85, also included Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover as Helen and Tom Willis, the Jefferson's neighbors and in-laws, Paul Benedict ("Sesame Street") as the elegant Mr. Bentley and Marla Gibbs as the Jefferson's maid, Florence.
3. "Lou Grant": The best of the three MTM spinoffs took Mary's boss, Lou Grant (Edward Asner) from the funny WJM newsroom to the very serious Los Angeles Chronicle. The stellar cast included Nancy Marchand, Mason Adams, Jack Bannon, Robert Walden and Linda Kelsey. A great look at journalism with a capital J. Ran from 1977-81 on CBS.
2. "Frasier": For once, agreement with Television Without Pity. This NBC comedy (1993-2004) was better and had more heart than "Cheers," with winning performances from Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mohoney in particular as the Crane family. Took more from British comedies than American, as Grammer said when the show gracefully retired in 2004.
1. "Maude": We've talked about this program before; just a terrific spin-off (One of a couple of genuine successes) from "All In the Family." Bea Arthur, Bill Macy, Rue McClanahan, Conrad Bain and Adrienne Barbeau. Enough said. (Actually, just with Bea Arthur, enough said.)
Honorable mentions include:
*"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (Law & Order)
*Benson (Soap)
*Gomer Pyle (Andy Griffith Show)
*Green Acres (Petticoat Junction)
*Boston Legal (The Practice)
*Knots Landing (Dallas)
*The Facts of Life (Diff'rent Strokes)
*Empty Nest (The Golden Girls)
*Laverne and Shirley (Happy Days)
So here's Rabbit Ears' list of the Top 10 television spinoffs on over-the-air television:
10. "A Different World": This spin-off from "The Cosby Show" ran on NBC from 1987-93. Originally meant as a vehicle for Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on both shows, it evolved after Bonet's adult starring role in the film "Angel Heart" took away from her All-American teen image, and she left the show after one season. Jasmine Guy's snobbish Whitley Gilbert and Kadeem Hardison's Dwayne Wayne took the spotlight. The show also proved a boost to the comic Sinbad. Look also in the first season for two-time Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei as one of Denise's roommates.
9. "Trapper John, M.D.": The only sequel to "M*A*S*H" that really counts (We'll ignore the terrible "AfterM*A*S*H."), this program, which ran on CBS from 1979-85, starred Pernell Roberts as a middle-aged and far more urbane Trapper John McIntyre than Wayne Rogers played on "M*A*S*H." And Gregory Harrison played younger, hunkier surgeon G. Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates. Look also for current Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell as a young resident.
8. "Rhoda": The first of three spinoffs from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," it featured Rhoda's (Valerie Harper's) memorable run through New York to get married to Joe Gerard (David Groh). On an "MTM" episode, Rhoda had an older sister; here, she got a younger one, Brenda (Julie Kavner). Nancy Walker and Harold Gould were back, in great form, as Rhoda's parents. And, of course, there was the unseen Carlton Your Doorman (Lorenzo Music). Ran on CBS from 1975-78.
7. "Mork & Mindy": A star was born when Robin Williams first played the bizarre alien from planet Ork on an episode of ABC's "Happy Days." This 1978-82 comedy sweetened the lead character (He had a mean streak in that "Happy Days" episode.) and gave him a grounded human friend in Pam Dawber's Mindy. The show was funny until the lead characters were married; even Jonathan Winters as their son (!) couldn't help after that.
6. "NCIS": Begun as part of an episode of "JAG" in 2003, this one has become the top-rated series in its seventh season. Mark Harmon (who, incidentally, is married to Pam Dawber) stars as Navy Criminal Investigative Service team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The cast includes David McCallum ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") and what makes the quality is the humor mixed with drama. Right now, this show is Must-See TV.
5. "Good Times": Especially good during the first two-and-a-half seasons, with John Amos and Esther Rolle heading this spinoff from "Maude" (CBS, 1973-79) that also made Jimmy Walker a star. Ignore what came after Amos left in 1976.
4. "The Jeffersons": "We're movin' on up." Did they ever, with Sherman Hemsley as the insufferable, bigoted George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford as his noble wife, Louise ("Wee-zee," as George called her). The cast of the show, another "All In the Family" spinoff that ran on CBS from 1975-85, also included Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover as Helen and Tom Willis, the Jefferson's neighbors and in-laws, Paul Benedict ("Sesame Street") as the elegant Mr. Bentley and Marla Gibbs as the Jefferson's maid, Florence.
3. "Lou Grant": The best of the three MTM spinoffs took Mary's boss, Lou Grant (Edward Asner) from the funny WJM newsroom to the very serious Los Angeles Chronicle. The stellar cast included Nancy Marchand, Mason Adams, Jack Bannon, Robert Walden and Linda Kelsey. A great look at journalism with a capital J. Ran from 1977-81 on CBS.
2. "Frasier": For once, agreement with Television Without Pity. This NBC comedy (1993-2004) was better and had more heart than "Cheers," with winning performances from Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and John Mohoney in particular as the Crane family. Took more from British comedies than American, as Grammer said when the show gracefully retired in 2004.
1. "Maude": We've talked about this program before; just a terrific spin-off (One of a couple of genuine successes) from "All In the Family." Bea Arthur, Bill Macy, Rue McClanahan, Conrad Bain and Adrienne Barbeau. Enough said. (Actually, just with Bea Arthur, enough said.)
Honorable mentions include:
*"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (Law & Order)
*Benson (Soap)
*Gomer Pyle (Andy Griffith Show)
*Green Acres (Petticoat Junction)
*Boston Legal (The Practice)
*Knots Landing (Dallas)
*The Facts of Life (Diff'rent Strokes)
*Empty Nest (The Golden Girls)
*Laverne and Shirley (Happy Days)
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Week of Oct. 9: Ken Burns: America's Best Documentary Filmmaker
Only last week, Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" was broadcast on PBS, and it is now out on DVD.
Burns' relationship with PBS goes back almost 30 years; it started in 1981 with "Brooklyn Bridge," a documentary about the fabled bridge that PBS still shows sometimes.
The relationship reached full flower in 1990 with "The Civil War," the most-watched documentary in the history of public television. Burns' style seems very basic - interviews of current historians and other figures, with old pictures (and, where warranted, film) of historical figures, complete with actors and actresses reading quotes, excerpts from letters, etc. of those historical figures. It's a format now standard for historical documentaries, and Burns perfected it on "The Civil War."
His next major work was "Baseball," which debuted in 1994 while Major League Baseball players were on strike. Some factual errors were rightly criticized, but the documentary proved a salve to baseball fans angry at both players and owners and introduced many baseball fans to Buck O'Neill, a star of the Negro Leagues who charmed the country as an interview subject.
Other works have included "The West," "Lewis and Clark" and "Thomas Jefferson." In 2001, "Jazz" made its debut.
His most recent documentary before "America's National Parks" was "The War," about World War II. That one did take some justifiable criticism for its lack of diversity in some circles. However, World War II may be the most chronicled-by-documentary story of the most recent millenium; it would have been difficult for Burns to have the definitive documentary.
For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/kenburns. All of his documentaries are available on DVD.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Burns' relationship with PBS goes back almost 30 years; it started in 1981 with "Brooklyn Bridge," a documentary about the fabled bridge that PBS still shows sometimes.
The relationship reached full flower in 1990 with "The Civil War," the most-watched documentary in the history of public television. Burns' style seems very basic - interviews of current historians and other figures, with old pictures (and, where warranted, film) of historical figures, complete with actors and actresses reading quotes, excerpts from letters, etc. of those historical figures. It's a format now standard for historical documentaries, and Burns perfected it on "The Civil War."
His next major work was "Baseball," which debuted in 1994 while Major League Baseball players were on strike. Some factual errors were rightly criticized, but the documentary proved a salve to baseball fans angry at both players and owners and introduced many baseball fans to Buck O'Neill, a star of the Negro Leagues who charmed the country as an interview subject.
Other works have included "The West," "Lewis and Clark" and "Thomas Jefferson." In 2001, "Jazz" made its debut.
His most recent documentary before "America's National Parks" was "The War," about World War II. That one did take some justifiable criticism for its lack of diversity in some circles. However, World War II may be the most chronicled-by-documentary story of the most recent millenium; it would have been difficult for Burns to have the definitive documentary.
For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/kenburns. All of his documentaries are available on DVD.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Week of October 2: Good TV Reading
McFarland Publishing is a company that publishes reference books on a variety of subjects, including classic television. Books are available to the general public.
I found out about them when I purchased "Booking Hawaii Five-O," Karen Rhodes' excellent reference book about the history of the CBS series. That book includes a critique of each of the 278 episodes, as well as a full list of cast and crew.
Want details of just about every television show ever? There's Vincent Terrace's "Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925-2007," which includes more than 9,350 shows. (That's some watching!) Terrace has written another book about almost 3,200 television specials, called simply "Television Specials."
Numerous television series also get the book treatment. Besides "Hawaii Five-O," there are books about "I Spy," "Star Trek," "The West Wing" and so on (and on).
Television stars with books about them include James Arness of "Gunsmoke," (His is an autobiography.) Raymond Burr of "Perry Mason" and "Ironside," NBC News anchor Chet Huntley, Anna Lee of "General Hospital" (also an autobiography), singer Perry Como and more.
For more information, visit http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/index.html.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Reading....and Viewing!
I found out about them when I purchased "Booking Hawaii Five-O," Karen Rhodes' excellent reference book about the history of the CBS series. That book includes a critique of each of the 278 episodes, as well as a full list of cast and crew.
Want details of just about every television show ever? There's Vincent Terrace's "Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925-2007," which includes more than 9,350 shows. (That's some watching!) Terrace has written another book about almost 3,200 television specials, called simply "Television Specials."
Numerous television series also get the book treatment. Besides "Hawaii Five-O," there are books about "I Spy," "Star Trek," "The West Wing" and so on (and on).
Television stars with books about them include James Arness of "Gunsmoke," (His is an autobiography.) Raymond Burr of "Perry Mason" and "Ironside," NBC News anchor Chet Huntley, Anna Lee of "General Hospital" (also an autobiography), singer Perry Como and more.
For more information, visit http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/index.html.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Reading....and Viewing!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week of September 25: Somewhere In 1940s Time
Interested in a recent series that harks back to television's glory years? A terrific one from Great Britain comes out on DVD next Tuesday: "Foyle's War." The program, which also runs as part of PBS' "Mystery" series, is about Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen), a supervising detective in the town of Hastings on England's southern coast during World War II. The cast is fantastic, as are the storylines and the period detail. These episodes were created between 2002 and last year, and run from just after Britain's declaration of war against Germany through V-E Day in 1945. More good news: After a "suit" (Britain has them, too) pulled the plug prematurely on this popular series to cut the budget, he was fired; his replacement has announced more episodes.
Anyway, it's a good way to look back at some American series that reference the 1940s, including:
*Hogan's Heroes: A CBS comedy, made during the 1960s and inspired, believe it or not, by the film "Stalag 17." Bob Crane starred in this show about the antics of the prisoners in a German camp, who often seemed to have the upper hand on their captors. Interesting tidbits: Holocaust survivor Robert Clary starred as one of the prisoners (In a discussion in South Florida years ago, he said he took the role to eat, basically.). Werner Klemperer, who played Klink, was Jewish; his family escaped from pre-wartime Germany and his father was the famed conductor Otto Klemperer. Ivan Dixon went on to be a prolific television director and Richard Dawson later hosted "Family Feud." The series is available on DVD.
*Homefront: ABC ran this series from 1991-93; it chronicled the post-World War II experiences of various families in the fictional town of River Run, Ohio. Its most famous alumnus is Kyle Chandler, who would go on to success in CBS' "Early Edition," and now in NBC's "Friday Night Lights." No DVD announcements for "Homefront" yet.
"Homefront" producers Bernard Lechowick, David Jacobs and Lynn Marie Latham were the team behind CBS' "Knots Landing." (And Lechowick also had the distinction of working on the Miami-created PBS series "Que Pasa, USA?")
*The Waltons: Yes, it started in 1933 and its peak years chronicled the Great Depression. But "The Waltons," the classic CBS series, ran long enough to take the family into World War II, with Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) losing her first husband, Curtis, and several of the Walton sons serving in the military. The entire series is available in individual seasons on DVD.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Anyway, it's a good way to look back at some American series that reference the 1940s, including:
*Hogan's Heroes: A CBS comedy, made during the 1960s and inspired, believe it or not, by the film "Stalag 17." Bob Crane starred in this show about the antics of the prisoners in a German camp, who often seemed to have the upper hand on their captors. Interesting tidbits: Holocaust survivor Robert Clary starred as one of the prisoners (In a discussion in South Florida years ago, he said he took the role to eat, basically.). Werner Klemperer, who played Klink, was Jewish; his family escaped from pre-wartime Germany and his father was the famed conductor Otto Klemperer. Ivan Dixon went on to be a prolific television director and Richard Dawson later hosted "Family Feud." The series is available on DVD.
*Homefront: ABC ran this series from 1991-93; it chronicled the post-World War II experiences of various families in the fictional town of River Run, Ohio. Its most famous alumnus is Kyle Chandler, who would go on to success in CBS' "Early Edition," and now in NBC's "Friday Night Lights." No DVD announcements for "Homefront" yet.
"Homefront" producers Bernard Lechowick, David Jacobs and Lynn Marie Latham were the team behind CBS' "Knots Landing." (And Lechowick also had the distinction of working on the Miami-created PBS series "Que Pasa, USA?")
*The Waltons: Yes, it started in 1933 and its peak years chronicled the Great Depression. But "The Waltons," the classic CBS series, ran long enough to take the family into World War II, with Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) losing her first husband, Curtis, and several of the Walton sons serving in the military. The entire series is available in individual seasons on DVD.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week of September 18: The Good, The Sad and the Emmys
Real life intruded on my ability to update the blog last week, so here's two weeks in one:
*Did anyone happen to catch the vintage episodes of "Jeopardy" and the vintage clips of "Wheel of Fortune" last week? Here's a happy silver anniversary to both shows, still going strong.
*Sorry to report a trio of deaths:
-Singer Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary; the group, of course, appeared on countless television variety shows throughout the 1960s. Go to YouTube for a great video of the trio singing "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" with Andy Williams on his show.
-Henry Gibson, who made his mark during the 1960s and early 70s on "Laugh-In."
-And Larry Gelbart, whose television writing career began with Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" in the early 1950s and reached its apex with the first four seasons of "M*A*S*H," a show for which he also directed.
On the latter, Gelbart saved his best writing for last: "The Interview," a black-and-white representation of a journalist's newsreel interview of the crew of the 4077th. It closed the fourth season. Shockingly, it wasn't nominated for any Emmys, though Gelbart was nominated for a writing Emmy that year for two other episodes, "The More I See You" and "Hawkeye."
*Incidentally, the Emmys.com website does have a list of all past winners and nominees. Annoyingly, though, individual episodes aren't listed for writing and other awards. That's something to correct, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Enjoy the Emmy Awards this Sunday. See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
*Did anyone happen to catch the vintage episodes of "Jeopardy" and the vintage clips of "Wheel of Fortune" last week? Here's a happy silver anniversary to both shows, still going strong.
*Sorry to report a trio of deaths:
-Singer Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary; the group, of course, appeared on countless television variety shows throughout the 1960s. Go to YouTube for a great video of the trio singing "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" with Andy Williams on his show.
-Henry Gibson, who made his mark during the 1960s and early 70s on "Laugh-In."
-And Larry Gelbart, whose television writing career began with Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" in the early 1950s and reached its apex with the first four seasons of "M*A*S*H," a show for which he also directed.
On the latter, Gelbart saved his best writing for last: "The Interview," a black-and-white representation of a journalist's newsreel interview of the crew of the 4077th. It closed the fourth season. Shockingly, it wasn't nominated for any Emmys, though Gelbart was nominated for a writing Emmy that year for two other episodes, "The More I See You" and "Hawkeye."
*Incidentally, the Emmys.com website does have a list of all past winners and nominees. Annoyingly, though, individual episodes aren't listed for writing and other awards. That's something to correct, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Enjoy the Emmy Awards this Sunday. See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
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