* Classic TV Blog *
Your host: Billy Ingram

RECYCLE!
New York writer Jay Blotcher wrote to Panasonic recently about television recycling:

This year, 50 million new TVs will be purchased around the world. That's great news for your company -- but that could be bad news for the environment.
 
Electronic waste -- including old TVs made by your company -- pose serious risks to the environment and to communities around the world. In many developing countries, villages are marred by huge dumpsites containing discarded electronics. Workers take apart these products with little protective equipment to strip out reusable components and then burn the waste piles to make room for the next load. Dangerous chemicals like lead and mercury go up in smoke and also seep out of these dumpsites, contaminating the local air, food and water supplies.
 
These practices must end -- and you are in a position to stop them.
 
I strongly urge your company to enact a safe take-back and recycling program for your old products in the United States. You have a responsibility to make sure that used electronics made by your company are disposed of safely. Please live up to that responsibility and signal your company's commitment to being a good steward of the environment.
 
Sony USA recently launched the first television company take-back program in the U.S.  Sony is offering to safely recycle any of its used products for free. This effort shows that such a recycling program is indeed feasible -- and Sony has received much praise for its environmental concern.
 
I am sure many consumers feel much better buying products from environmentally responsible companies like Sony. I hope your company will follow suit.
 
Thank you.

This is the reply he got:

Dear Jay:

Panasonic Corporation of North America CEO Yoshi Yamada has asked me to respond to your recent message and to thank you for writing to Panasonic to express your concerns for the environment, including the need for a viable recycling program for televisions and other electronics at the end of their usable lives.
 
We agree that viable recycling programs are very important, and to be so, they must be both easy and convenient for consumers to use, and ensure proper management of both the reusable materials as well as any ultimate waste. We also want to make sure such programs limit their own ‘carbon footprint’ by being transportation-efficient for consumers and recyclers. 
 
Please be assured Panasonic has been and continues to be thoroughly committed to a policy of responsible, corporate-wide environmental citizenship.  We have been aggressively working with many state and local governments, and with Members of the US Congress, to find ways of implementing effective and sustainable recycling nationwide, despite the great diversity of local conditions and interests.
 
We have also been working very closely with our retail partners and others to improve procedures to make it easier and more convenient for consumers to recycle electronics products.
 
For example, through our Shared Responsibility Program and just since 2000, Panasonic has co-sponsored 1,415 free events in 29 states that have helped to collect and recycle 31,253,546 pounds of unwanted electronics through responsible recyclers. During the first half of 2007 alone, we helped divert another 2.25 million pounds of unwanted electronics from landfills. 
 
We would like you to know that we have accepted all competitors’ makes and models of electronics in these free programs, not just our own brands.We are also making our products easier to disassemble and recycle while providing the level of performance expected by consumers and society.  This has been true for many years, going back to the CRT, or ‘tube’ TVs; and it’s even more the case with our flat-panel TVs.  For example, a few years ago Panasonic was the first (and remains the only) manufacturer to make plasma televisions with no lead in either the glass or the solder, and our plasma TVs are mercury free as well.

Given your keen interest, you might like to know more about Panasonic’s long-standing, strong environmental stance.  We invite you to learn more about our company’s environmental beliefs, policies, and actions by visiting our web site:  www.panasonic.com/environment  
 
We appreciate your encouraging TV makers to develop good recycling solutions. And please visit www.MyGreenElectronics.org (from the Consumer Electronics Association) as another way to help us all by contributing your ideas.

Sincerely,
David Thompson

Friday, November 23, 2007 - 11:43am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Justin Kaplowitz writes to tell us that a revival of Green Acres may be in the works. According to the producer, a pilot script was completed that takes place a month after the series finale in 1971. Since there was no real end to the series I can't imagine what the significance of that would be - other than the show taking place in 1971. The producer is hoping the writer's strike will help get the series green lit since he apparently has scripts ready to go, unless he plans to refilm old scripts, which would also be allowed. As Justin said, "Then again, they did the same thing with Mission: Impossible in 1988, so who knows?"

Anyhoo, here are some Thanksgiving moments from TV's past. A bit from the 3 hour Rootie Tootie Club Thanksgiving Day Special from 1950. Rootie Tootie was a popular afternoon local kiddie show in New York, aimed at the Howdy Doody set; the show was later renamed The Rootie Kazootie Club and broadcast nationally. There was an amazing lineup of guests on this show - including TV artist Jon Gnagy, Tex Antione, Kukla Fran & Ollie, Ed Herlihy, Ted Mack, Frankie Laine, and a score of early TV personalities.

On the day after Thanksgiving 1972, before 'Black Friday' became the busiest shopping day of the year, ABC aired a morning schedule featuring episodes of their Saturday morning programs.

Finally, Dinah Shore joins tablemates Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, and husband George Montgomery on a round of "Dry Bones" from the 1957 Dinah Shore Chevy Show.

Thursday, November 22, 2007 - 7:38am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

THIS 'N' THAT
Screenwriter Irv Brecher, 93, who wrote many classic movies and TV shows over the last 6 decades, offers his perspective on writers' strike.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the title Californication, the network's raunchy show starring David Duchovny. Anthony Kiedis has stated: 'Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band's career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right.'

The law says you can't copyright a title but this is an interesting legal argument. The show also features a character called Dani California, the title of another Chili Peppers hit, according to the lawsuit.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 10:36am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

ANOTHER DEATH
Sigrid Valdis, the actress who played Col. Klink's sexy blond secretary Hilda on Hogan's Heroes and married the show's star Bob Crane, has died. She was 72. Details here. Thanks to Jay Blotcher.

That's a celebrity death trifecta - Ronnie Burns, the son of George & Gracie Burns, seen on their TV show, died in the last few days as well.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 9:33am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

DON'T MISS THIS
Mitchell Hadley has written an absolutely wonderful article on TV's first holiday tradition - Amahl and the Night Visitors, the first opera written especially for telecast.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 8:20am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

SAD NEWS
Dick Wilson, the actor and pitchman who played the uptight grocer begging customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin," died Monday. He was 91. Details here.

This was one of, if not the, first Mr. Whipple commercials.

2 Charmin commercials from the 1960s on You Tube:

By 1979, according to one poll, Mr. Whipple was the third best known American, behind Richard Nixon and Billy Graham.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 8:00am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

HMMMMM
- You know those new Sesame Street Old School DVD releases? Turns out they are, "intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child." Huh? Read how Oscar the Grouch and other early characters and situations are now considered un-PC. My we're a delicate people.

- Looking to get some great deals on Black Friday but don't want to face the crush of people in the stores? Come to this web site, click on the banner at the top of the home page on Friday and it will take you to Amazon's super amazing sale - with hourly specials all day long. Free shipping and no sales tax means you'll be saving money big time without leaving the house!

If you want to bookmark the page now and return on Black Friday please do so here. Right now, even before Friday, you can save 50% or more on TV show DVDs in particular.

- Alan Sepinwall's latest column in the Star-Ledger answers reader's questions about the strike - and why the networks don't air some older quality shows that failed to find an audience.

Monday, November 19, 2007 - 8:34am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

SAN FRANCISCO LOCAL
Anne Stevens sends along these extremely rare photos from a San Francisco kiddie show called Marshall J and Rowdy that aired in the early-'60s: "My father was a camera man at KPIX. When I was little, we would often be allowed to sit on the sidelines and watch the filming of Marshall J, Mayor Art and Dick Stewart's Dance Party. After the hits became old hat, my sister and I received the records, 45's, often signed by the singers.

"I still have photos my dad took of those days, including a portrait of Marshall J, Dick Stewart and Peter Paul and Mary singing on the show. J must have been in cahoots with my dad about our highly desired skates, as on one visit, J magically produces a pair for each of us. I remember Rowdy was sweet, but distant. Mayor Art was strange. If you invited him over for dinner, he would remain in character and 'speak' through one of his puppets. We were delighted, but my mother was always peering at him strangely.

"I have never seen any pictures of Jay besides the ones my Dad John Shurtleff Stevens took in July 1962 when he worked at KPIX. Marshall J, by the way, did get fired for being drunk. Such a shame."

Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 10:07am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

OFFENSIVE BUT FUNNY
Some of us are old enough to remember when O. J. Simpson was a respected advertising pitchman, his most famous TV ads were for Hertz Rent-A-Car ("Hertz puts you in the driver's seat"). This print ad for Dingo Boots came from comic books of the late-1970s and it's pretty funny by itself.

.

I don't know where this parody came from, I got it in an email from James Counts - it's hilarious but don't read it if you're easily offended.

Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 7:05am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

MUTANT ENEMY DAY AT FOX
Here's where I display my ignorance once again. It's a daily feature, really.

Joss Whedon (who's Firefly I liked very much, never saw Buffy or Angel) apparently has a show I never heard of called Mutant Enemy and he's planning a Mutant Enemy strike day for Friday December 7th from 10:00 - 2:00.

It looks like a lot of fans are going to be pouring in from around the country to be there that day, to get up close and personal with the cast and creators. Granted, you can imagine where something like that might get out of control but the concept is brilliant. Here's what Joss had to say when he heard about the response from fans - "None of the writers – or anyone – I've spoken to have ever heard of fans organizing and supporting a strike the way you guys have. Supporting our right not to entertain you. Seriously, that’s rare. When I showed my wife the banner that went with the pizza scheme, she just said, 'These people are gonna be running the world.' Man, I hope she’s right."

Can you imagine if every show did this, the number of people who would take to the streets in support of their favorite shows? Check it out and think about showing your support.

Saturday, November 17, 2007 - 8:55am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

NBC HOLIDAY SHOWS
From the press release: NBC unwraps its holiday programming with themed episodes of "Chuck," "My Name Is Earl," "Journeyman," the 300th episode of "ER," "30 Rock," "Deal or No Deal," "Las Vegas," "Clash of the Choirs" and "Days of our Lives," along with the traditional favorites "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," "It's a Wonderful Life," and "Miracle on 34th Street" -- as well as the special "Radio City Christmas Spectacular," and recent feature films "The Incredibles" and "The Family Man."

The holiday season begins on November 21 with a special two-hour Thanksgiving-themed "Deal or No Deal," followed by the annual broadcast of the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" on November 22, and continues through NBC's traditional coverage of "The Tournament of Roses Parade" on January 1.

Gee, where are the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby specials? Oh yeah, they're dead. But what about Andy Williams who had a long association with NBC? He's still performing and tours the world with his Christmas show. Why not a new holiday special with clips from his old shows? I'll bet it would garner huge ratings, don't you?

Friday, November 16, 2007 - 9:05am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

MISS THE DAILY SHOW?
Here's a funny bit from Daily Show writer Jason Ross who delivers a cutting report on the important principals - and the hypocrisy - behind the writer's strike.

Thursday, November 15, 2007 - 6:51am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

SOUPY
Bob Hays writes: "My grandmother used to listen to Soupy (Hines) Sales when he was a DJ on WJW radio in Cleveland, Ohio. She wrote to him and in return he sent her the attached post card. Thought you could use it since it's picture of him very early in his career."

This is a rare photo of Soupy in his pre-TV days. Thanks, Bob! You can read more here about the wonderful Soupy Sales, one of the greatest TV performers of all time.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - 11:42am
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND?

Read more Blog entries here!

Your Classic TV Blog!

TELEVISION BLOG!

Your host Billy Ingram is one of the nation's top
Pop Culture Gurus and expert on classic TV.
Seen on VH1, Trio & Bravo.

PR4 & PR5 Pages for ads - CHEAP!

Punk Book!

Latest TVparty
Classic TV Blog Entries

TV BLOG - 107
TV BLOG - 106
TV BLOG - 105

TV BLOG - 104
TV BLOG - 103
TV BLOG - 102
TV BLOG - 101
TV BLOG - 100

TV BLOG - 99
TV BLOG - 98
TV BLOG - 97
TV BLOG - 96
TV BLOG - 95

TV BLOG - 94
TV BLOG - 93
TV BLOG - 92
TV BLOG - 92
TV BLOG - 91
TV BLOG - 90
TV BLOG - 89

TV BLOG - 88
TV BLOG - 87
TV BLOG - 86
TV BLOG - 85
TV BLOG - 84
TV BLOG - 83

TV BLOG - 82
TV BLOG - 81
TV BLOG - 80
TV BLOG - 79
TV BLOG - 78

TV BLOG - 77
TV BLOG - 76
TV BLOG - 75
TV BLOG - 74
TV BLOG - 73

TV BLOG - 72
TV BLOG - 71
TV BLOG - 70
TV BLOG - 69
TV BLOG - 68

TV BLOG - 67
TV BLOG - 66
TV BLOG - 65
TV BLOG - 64
TV BLOG - 63

TV BLOG - 62
TV BLOG - 61
TV BLOG - 60
TV BLOG - 59
TV BLOG - 58

TV BLOG - 57
TV BLOG - 56
TV BLOG - 55
TV BLOG - 54
TV BLOG - 53
TV BLOG - 52
TV BLOG - 51

TV BLOG - 50
TV BLOG - 49
TV BLOG - 48
TV BLOG - 47
TV BLOG - 46
TV BLOG - 45
TV BLOG - 44
TV BLOG - 43

TV BLOG - 42
TV BLOG - 41
TV BLOG - 40
TV BLOG - 39
TV BLOG - 38
TV BLOG - 37
TV BLOG - 36
TV BLOG - 35

TV BLOG - 34
TV BLOG - 33
TV BLOG - 32
TV BLOG - 31
TV BLOG - 30
TV BLOG - 29
TV BLOG - 28
TV BLOG - 27
TV BLOG - 30

Video Vault / Holiday Specials / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog