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!
FUNNY STUFF
A show I remember watching as a perpetually bored youngster on Sunday afternoons was Mr. Ed. I didn't really enjoy the show that much - it was pleasant enough but not particularly funny - but there wasn't much of anything else on TV back in those days.
Here's one of the weirdest sitcom episodes ever, where film legend Mae West falls in love with the talking horse. There are some pretty racy double entendres that somehow slipped by the censor.
One of the funniest guys no longer alive, sadly, was Rodney Dangerfield, his routines always left me laughing uproariously. When he appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight show he always killed.
Sunday, October 23, 2011 - 10:49am
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SKY KING SATURDAYS
One of the very first TV shows I remember watching as a kid was Sky King on Saturday mornings at noon. I recently watched a few episodes on DVD and enjoyed them very much - simple but effective early TV dramas with a western feel mostly shot on location in Southern California. Here's an opening with the original commercial from 1956.
Based on a popular radio series, Sky King remains one of the most watchable of the 1950's kid shows with relatively realistic dramatic storylines that work thanks in large part to stoic star Kirby Grant who really gives it his all. Sadly, the show's rarely been seen since the 1960s.
Here's what Wiki says: The television show began airing on Sunday afternoons on NBC between September 16, 1951, and October 26, 1952. These episodes were rebroadcast on ABC's Saturday morning lineup the following year November 8, 1952, until September 21, 1953, when it made its prime-time debut on ABC's Monday night lineup. It then aired twice-a-week in August and September 1954, before ABC canceled it. New episodes were produced when the show went into syndication in 1955. The last new episode, "Mickey's Birthday", aired March 8, 1959. After that, the show turned up on the Saturday schedule, in reruns that played for several years.
Here's an entire episode of Sky King:
Saturday, October 22, 2011 - 9:16am
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VINTAGE VEGAS
This is a weird clip from a local Vegas TV production - Jerry Vale Live has the Italian crooner sitting around a living room in Las Vegas talking impromptu with Pat Cooper, Don Rickles, Jimmy Dean and Norm Crosby. This was back in the days when people knew Jimmy Dean as a singer and not a sausage salesman. It looks to me like a public access show, circa 1972.
Friday, October 21, 2011 - 9:06am
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COLOR HONEYMOONERS?!?
Here's
the opening to one of the mid-1960s Jackie Gleason Shows featuring The Honeymooners. These hour long episodes are a true joy to watch, expanded
versions of classic Honeymooners routines with musical numbers.
The elaborate opening routines were the weakest part of the production
but, hey, they don't make 'em like that anymore and it's the June Taylor
Dancers after all.
The
Color Honeymooners are on DVD and definitely worth a look, in this episode the magnificent Howard
St. John (General Bullmoose in Li'l Abner) was cast as the Flakey
Wakey company rep.
The 1959 Li'l Abner film is a true gem, Netflix it or look for it in the 'Dollar Store DVD' bin if they are still around. It features an all star cast, most of which were also in the Broadway play, and one of the brightest musical scores of all time. Usually when Hollywood adapts a Broadway show the results are less than impressive but Li'l Abner is the exception. I was lucky enough to have a part (Evil Eye Fleagle) in a production of the play and it's a joy with with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.
Here's a timely tune from that movie, 'The Country's in the Very Best of Hands,' though you won't see Howard St. John.
Howard St. John was also seen as gruff Dr. Lewis Royal on the short-lived but exalted 1965 sitcom Hank, about a resourceful college drop-in who finds out which students will be absent in what classes that day then takes their place, employing a number of elaborate deceptions to avoid detection by the school's staff. No word on whether that show will ever be on DVD but it was one of the best shows of the sixties.
Thurday, October 20, 2011 - 8:35am
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GUEST EDITORIAL - HIGH DEFINITION DEFINED
If you consider yourself a fan of older television shows, then you are likely frequently frustrated. This is because a number of older television shows are being cancelled or removed from standard programming to make way for new shows. Additionally, a lot of older shows – while they do tend to come out on DVD, meaning that you can still watch them in some capacity – simply don’t look great, quality-wise, on DVD. Essentially, this leaves you with a few different options if you are determined to keep watching your established favorite shows. First, you can check out sites like http://www.cabletelevision.net/ to see if there are cable packages available that have older channels and programming. Additionally, however, you can look into upgrading your actual television, which could improve the visual quality of an old show on a DVD.
You are probably familiar with the fact that flat screen televisions have more or less entirely taken over the TV market in electronics stores. This is because these televisions – typically either plasma screens or LCDs - are both more aesthetically appealing and more capable of providing you with a bright, clear HD picture on your screen. Generally, the best option available to you in terms of picture quality (according to most) is an LED LCD television, which uses a unique backlighting system for its image display to bring you the clearest picture and sharpest color contrasts on the market.
With this sort of television, particularly if you have never had a flat screen TV before, you will likely experience a visual quality that is noticeably superior to anything you have seen before. When you hear the term “high definition,” you may think of vague distinctions or unnecessary luxuries; however, when you watch programming on your new flat screen television, you will understand that the quality really is significantly better. Now, imagine watching one of your older television shows on a DVD set with this sort of improved picture.
Ultimately, particularly thanks to the advances in television technology in recent years, there is no reason that you should be kept from fully enjoying your favorite shows, whether they are old or new. However, if your favorite shows are no longer on TV and you find that the quality of the DVDs is not what you would prefer, a better quality television might be a nice solution. This will not only enhance the quality of these DVDs, but will also improve your experience every time that you turn on your television.
Wednesday, September 26, 2011 - 10:59am
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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.) |
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Rat Pack Golddiggers / Joe E. Ross (Ooh Ooh!) / Sanford & Son meets Two and a Half Men / Ed Asner Interview / Super Circus / Celebrity Fast Food Joints / Eydie Gorme / Carol Burnett Show / Knight Rider Car / 1969 Fall Previews / Groucho! / Crazy Bloopers / Patty Duke Show / 1957 TV set restoration / The Goldbergs on DVD / Wonderama / O. J. Simpson Ads / 1977 TV Shows / Andy Griffith / Three Stooges / Selling Smokes on TV
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