B E S T / /O F
Sit back and enjoy tales of television long ago -
this blog covers current and classic TV shows
and reviews of upcoming television programs
along with the latest TV on DVD releases!
REAL CLASS
I swear to you this is true. Yesterday evening it was 60 degrees and sunny and, since I was getting over the flu, I thought it would be a good idea to get some fresh air. As I was walking I was thinking about the DVDs I get to review, how I rarely get what I really want to see. I thought, "What I'd really like to see is something like Room 222."
So I arrive home to a package waiting on my doorstep the content of which was Mr. Belvedere Season 4 (that shit lasted four seasons?!?), Ironside Season 3 (yuk), and Room 222 season 2. Hallelujah!
I haven't seen Room 222 since I was in what they used to call Junior High School but I loved the show. Does it hold up in modern times? Well, yes. In a very strange way it may even be more enjoyable to watch today.
Room 222 takes place at fictional (heck, mythical) Walt Whitman High, a school so supercalifragalistically-liberal that it could be taking place in an alternate universe.
Following The Flying Nun and Courtship of Eddie's Father and airing opposite The Beverly Hillbillies, Room 222 debuted in that golden classic TV year of 1969, a season filled with Partridge and Brady type families.
Room 222 was a different kind of sitcom. Created by James L. Brooks (Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons) and produced and sometimes directed by Gene Reynolds (M*A*S*H), Room 222 portrayed the American public school system as a fully integrated, imminently healthy place of learning. This was the first of TV's 'relevant' shows that tackled issues of the day like abortion, prejudice, teen rebellion, and drug use.
This wasn't a reflection of the reality on the ground in any place I'm aware of, most public schools were just beginning to integrate with decidedly mixed results. Just look at the South Boston School where angry parents stormed the place and would have literally ripped the black elementary kids who dared to defile their lilly white domain to death. And that was in 1975!
At Walt Whitman High the black and white students debated politely and intelligently the issues of the day while teachers sat back and allowed the free exchange of ideas. Huh?
Can you imagine today's high schoolers eargerly discussing issues in such an informed manner? Maybe, but I can't imagine students of my era doing so. We were told to shut up and listen, talking about what was on your mind in class would have had you in the principal's waiting room post haste. That's what makes Room 222 such an anomaly, an almost sad look at what could have been if we lived in a more free and open society.
This was an era when school systems around the country were moving away from drilling the three Rs all day, instead expanding the curriculum to include more variations on the subjects. In that way Room 222 provided teachers and faculty with a blueprint for a more liberal educational approach. Who knows if this affected life on the ground for students like myself. Network TV shows had a great deal of influence on society back then, for better or worse.
This is not a realistic show unless you compare it to Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie or any of the other sitcoms on the air at the time; the anachronisms cascade down like an avalanche but with charm and intelligence.
Season two saw Karen Valentine as the perky white student teacher almost walk away with the show. A supporting role originally, Valentine graduated to full fledged star in season 3. She would go on to dominate the series in later years to the extreme detriment of the production. She looks so silly in the first episodes of this sophomore year with her Conehead hairstyle but she is an appealing character.
The breakout star should have been Heshimu as Jason Allen, far and away the most radical black person on weekly TV at the time, though that's not saying much. Just the fact that he was a forceful youngster with a full on Afro was enough to peg him as a radical on TV at that time, add to that the intelligent but forceful arguments he would make in class and you had a full on threat to the white establishment at a time when racial tensions were at their height.
I doubt seriously if the show could have made it without Heshimu and David Jolliffe as the crimson afroed white kid Bernie who joined the show in this 1970-71 season. It may be telling that Heshimu virtually disappeared from television after this series left the air.
Lloyd Haynes and Denise Nicholas shine as Pete Dixon and Liz McIntyre, TV's only African-American couple at the time. (Julia and Chet Kincaid were both single and the only other black characters at the center of a show when Room 222 debuted. Barefoot in the Park, about a young black couple, lasted just a few weeks in 1970.) Michael Constantine is remarkable as principal Seymour Kaufman.
Look for guests who later became stars like Dabney Coleman, Ed Begley, Jr., Richard Dreyfuss, and Kurt Russell as students. Even Chuck Norris turns up, as himself of course, because Chuck Norris transcends time & space. He may decide to pop up in an episode of I Love Lucy one day.
Sadly the picture quality for this season 2 release is, at best, so-so. The film for the opening theme looks like something found on the side of the road after a nasty accident with more scratches than a Grandmaster Flash album bought at the Goodwill. (So what, that theme song makes my short list as one of the best in TV history.) Heck, there was so much snow on our TVs growing up the room temperature would drop 12 degrees when you turned on the set.
The color throughout is iffy at best; the yellows are completely washed out, subtle changes suggest where the syndication cuts were. Some episodes look better than others but I'm an old school TV watcher, a little 'snow' on the screen is no big deal to me, I'm more interested in the content.
Room 222 is a thoroughly entertaining watch, fans of M*A*S*H will recognize the rhythm and tone of the show. The laughs are few but the storylines provide a fascinating glimpse at a moment in history when society was rapidly evolving toward a promising tomorrow - that was the idea anyway.
Sunday, February 21, 2010 7:23am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?
GO GO-GO!
This should be fun, a rare opportunity to stroll down memory lane for those of you in Southern California: Former Golddiggers “dish” with Patti Gribow about their time on the Dean Martin Show
Patti Gribow will wear two hats on Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. when she interviews former members of The Golddiggers; a group she used to be a part of from 1973-1985.
The Golddiggers (or “Dean’s Girl’s” as they were known) will “dish” about performing on the Dean Martin Comedy Hour and touring with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and more. Former members, including Maria Lauren, Linda Eichberg, Joyce Garro, Linda Snook-Bott and Marie Halton will join Patti as they take a trip down memory lane as well as discuss what they’re up to today. They’ll show video clips from their Dean Martin days and may even sing a song!
The Golddiggers were a singing and dancing troupe of young women that at different times over their initial 24-year history consisted of as few as four and as many as thirteen members appearing on stage at one time. They performed in the style of Las Vegas showgirls, and were chosen for their wholesome, attractive looks, talent and presence. Many of the girls continue to perform today.
The group began on The Dean Martin Show, and soon thereafter became widely known for starring in their own television series, joining Dean both as regulars on his show and in his nightclub act, and performing on their own in live venues, on other TV programs, and on tour with Bob Hope. Their forte was tightly choreographed and synchronized singing/dancing routines, vocalizing in harmony with coordinated costuming and hairstyling for a great visual effect.
Patti Gribow, besides being the proud host of the “Conversations with…” series at the Indian Wells Theater, is now the host/producer of "Leading Experts" and "Ask the Lawyer"; two National TV shows airing at various times in the U.S. & Canada. “Leading Experts” and “Ask the Lawyer”, both filmed at Palm Springs Studios in La Quinta, are TV programs positioning business owners as celebrities, experts and authorities in their niche.
The Indian Wells Theater is located on the Palm Desert Campus of Cal State San Bernardino -- 37-500 Cook Street, between Gerald Ford and Frank Sinatra Drives.
Ticket prices range from $45 to $55 and can be purchased by calling the Indian Wells Theater Box Office at 760.341.2883, ext. 78154.
For more information about the Indian Wells Theater, visit www.IWTheater.com.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:23am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?
LOCALS
John Baker tells us about a once in a lifetime event: Gene London is planning a fan event in the area tentatively for April... a stage presentation,screenings of some episodes of the show, a tour of the Reading museum where he is currently showcasing pieces from his Hollywood collection. Aso quite possibly a luncheon... and meet and greet and Judy Bell the actress that played Gene's girlfriend on the show is participating.
Fans of Gene London should mark their calendars for this event, I'll pass along any more details I get.
ROMPER ROOM!
Nancy Pike "Miss Nancy" writes: I was Miss Nancy on WCEE TV in Rockford, Illinois, for a couple years in the early 1960's. We had a stock set that came from the franchise in Baltimore. The toys, games, scripts, songs, and even some of the commercials were also from headquarters. The teachers were trained for several days in Baltimore with the original "Miss Nancy" Claster.
I particularly remember the woman who taught us the songs. She was an old vaudeville era singer/pianist, who had written most of the tunes. In addition to doing the regular in-studio segments, periodically we made filmed visits to such locations as the fire station. These clips were then incorporated into the regular session.
The program in Rockford was 30 minutes and live every day. After RR went off the air in Rockford, I was hired to substitute in the quad cities for Miss Judy. There the program was an hour long. We were live for an hour and then taped one or two sessions each time (I believe this was the beginning of "tape" for TV) so I only had to travel down state twice a week.
Once their teacher had her baby and came back to work, I retired from Romper Room permanently but I have very fond memories of the experience, including some hilarious moments on live camera. In retrospect, I think it is amazing that the majority of children who appeared on Romper Room School seemed to know exactly what they were supposed to do and did it.
Even though the program was done in a large warehouse-type building with the news set over in one corner and the car commercial set up to go in another, the children marched straight into Romper Room School without a glance at the other areas. They were instant actors, taking on the persona of a child in school, sitting at their place at the RR desk and participating in the activities - and all without any rehearsal!
Aren't kids wonderful?!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 12:20am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?
TELEVISION BLOG
:The Best of TV Blog:
 |
This Television Blog is hosted by Billy Ingram, one of the nation's top Pop Culture Gurus and expert on classic TV. Seen on VH1, These TV Blog entries are from the TVparty! website. (I'm not normally this smug - this photo was shot for a film where I played a villain.) |
More Television Blog Highlights:
Star Trek Bloopers
/ Melvin Monster Comics
/ The Great Timmie Rogers /
Leif Garrett Busted / Twin Cities Local TV Book
/ William Shatner Sings on Daytime TV in the 1970s /
Kids Are People Too
/ World's Finest Comics /
Actors in North Carolina / TV on DVD Reviews
Ordering TV shows on DVD
from the United Kingdom - Click Here!
| Latest
TV on DVD Reviews |
Classic TV / I Love Lucy / Television Shows / TV on DVD / TV Shows on DVD / Prime Time TV / Television Blog/ TV Show Reviews / TV Shows on DVD Reviews / TV DVD Reviews / DC Comics on DVD / Batman TV Show on DVD
PAST TV
BLOG
ENTRIES:
1985 Saturday Morning TV Commercials
On Tour With Milton Berle, Donald O'Connor, Frank Fontaine and Georgie Jessel
Saturday Morning TV Commercials of the 70s
TV's Mr. Belvedere in the movies
Martha Raye and Tallulah Bankhead
TV BLOGS:
