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Your host: Billy Ingram

UNCALLEDFOR RANT
Anytime I hear someone talking about the Obama / Rev. Wright controversy I know that person watches too much TV cable news. Let's face it, any is too much. I personally don't see what was so outrageous about the Reverend's remarks, I actually agree with much of what he said.

Do you really believe that God would bless an undertaking that's left hundreds of thousands of innocent people dead and forced millions to flee their homes, creating one of the worst humanitarian debacles in modern times? Not the God I grew up worshipping.

If you believe Obama should have walked away from his church after the Reverend's remarks then every Catholic should shun an organization that generates hundreds of reports of child molestation every year, right?

Why is it Americans are adverse to looking at cause and effect in regards to our nation's policies, consider it unpatriotic even? Anyone who believes the terrorists hate us because of our freedoms is living in a dream world. If that were true, why is this administration working so hard to restrict our freedoms? The terrorists hate us because of what we've wrought in the Middle East, propping up the Shah of Iran, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein to name just a few foreign policy disasters. If the President got up and said, "The terrorists hate us because we support Israel," which is much closer to the truth, then we could have a meaningful dialogue about this so-called 'war on terror' instead of the bumper sticker politics we have now.

Don't get me wrong. I love my country, I spend my time studying the nation's history and consider myself so lucky to have grown up where and when I did. When the war in Iraq started I volunteered and now serve on my local Draft Board. I just wish my niece and nephew could grow up in the same country I did. Thanks to what passes as television news these days, that may be impossible.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 8:44am
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THIS 'N' THAT
I'm back from Easter break! Oh, let's face it, I just laid around and watched DVDs...

Jay Blotcher points us to this interesting article on the original Village People. What a messed up bunch of guys they were! I actually corresponded with the second (and current) Cowboy Randy Jones for a while. He seems like a nice guy, he liked the TVparty book. The first two paragraphs:

Rachel Newstead writes: "Regarding your recent blog entry on the death of Ivan Dixon - I noticed the obit got one thing wrong, saying Dixon played the role of Kinchloe on Hogan's Heroes from 1965 to 1971. Dixon left the series in 1970, a year before its cancellation. He was replaced in the final season by Kenneth Washington."

Funny that the LA Times missed that, it was a big deal when Dixon quit. Everybody wondered why the actor would quit a network show when there were so few roles for blacks. But Dixon wanted to direct at a time when there were even fewer black TV directors, if there were any at all, a risky career move to be sure. He did very well, he went on to direct episodes of a number of series including The Waltons, The Bionic Woman, The Rockford Files, Magnum, P.I., The Greatest American Hero, and so many more.

One of the most frequent classic TV questions I get is - "What was that commercial that talked about an 'Ancient Chinese Secret?'" It was an ad for Calgon laundry detergent in the early-1970s, here it is from You Tube.

Kind of reminds one of "Ring Around the Collar!"

Monday, March 24, 2008 - 8:12am
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SAD PASSING
Ivan Dixon, who spent a few years in the bunker on Hogan's Heroes, died Sunday. He was 76. Here's the obit from the LA Times.

Friday, March 21, 2008 - 11:39am
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DVD MYSTERY?
Jack Griffin writes: "Do you have any way of comparing the DVD release of Wild Wild West to the previous release by Columbia House? Or the original network prints? I believe the DVD release has been cut in a few places. Paramount/CBS flat out denies this, but I still maintain my stance. Season one and two both have 28 hour long episodes, but if you look at the running times, you'll see season one is over two hours shorter even with commercial bumpers, station ID , etc., two hours is too big a difference. I have noticed bits cut from many TV series released on DVD."

I couldn't say with any first hand knowledge but I would assume the new Paramount / CBS releases come from the same masters that would have been restored for Columbia House. After all, CBS and Columbia House are both owned by the same folks. Perhaps season 1 was compressed a bit, run at a slightly faster speed for some unknown reason.

I've noticed some clipped moments on other DVD sets as well, the sad fact is most TV shows were handled in an appalling manner, considered something that would have a diminished value over time. Sorry if that doesn't answer your question but someone else may know and solve the mystery.

Friday, March 21, 2008 - 7:02am
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TOP TEN TV SHOWS
OF THE 1950s ON DVD
Here's another one - the following is a list of what I feel are the best shows on DVD from television's first full decade. While a number of TV series from the 1950s have enjoyed success on DVD, shows from the early-1950s are harder to come by, mostly because so many of the productions ended up in the trash bin. It was not uncommon for networks to destroy shows after airing so they couldn't be rerun again elsewhere, few envisioned a day when programs could be syndicated to stations around the country and no one imagined a time when you could take a series home to enjoy.

10: Sky King - these simple Saturday morning TV tales are a joy to watch and it's a remarkable glimpse into life in the 1950s.

9: Perry Mason - the mysteries are intriguing, even when you know who did it. Perry Mason keeps you guessing in the tradition of modern dramas like Law & Order.

8: Adventures of Superman - a terrific DVD collection, Warner Bros. really did this one right. The stories are simple but the cast is so fine the series never loses it's luster. Enjoyable for the entire family.

7: Alfred Hitchcock Presents - surprise endings that rarely fail to deliver a payoff. Some of the best scripts of any show in the entire decade.

6: You Bet Your Life - laugh out loud funny. Groucho Marx is at his very best in this collection, even hilarious when you watch them a second or third time.

5: Gangbusters - television noir at its best, early-1950s dramatizations of the capturing of real life gangsters like Alvin Karpas, John Dillinger and Durable Mike.

4: The Victor Borge Show - the first few episodes of this unlikely sitcom / variety show are funny as heck, Borge at his best. One of the greatest comedians of TV's early years.

3: The Phil Silvers Show / Sgt. Bilko - first class DVD treatment for a true classic comedy. This show really holds up today, doesn't feel a bit dated.

2: The Honeymooners: The Lost Episodes - Jackie Gleason, Art Carney and Audrey Meadows at their peak.

1: Amos 'n' Andy - gets my vote for the funniest sitcom of the era, maybe of all time.

Of course, any list should include I Love Lucy and The Twilight Zone but I figured they were too obvious.

Bob writes: There are simply tons of shows that have either been released in their entirety or have had some selected episodes released. My list is far from comprehensive, these are simply shows that I would add to your list, plus a few obscure favorites of mine which I’ve placed at the end. Incidentally, if you go to Amazon, they list in excess of 900 releases for the 1950s decade. A quick spot check indicates that not all of the DVDs are truly from the 1950s (Color Honeymooners? No way.), but there are plenty of shows from which fans of this decade can select.

All of these releases are available at Amazon (with the possible exception of The Rifleman which MPI no longer is issuing).

Sitcoms

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (I prefer Mill Creek’s collection of 100 public domain episodes, but Shout! Factory has the official set)
Leave It To Beaver (Universal)
Mister Peepers (S’more Entertainment)
Make Room for Daddy a/k/a The Danny Thomas Show (S’more Entertainment, Questar)
I Married Joan (VCI Entertainment)
My Little Margie (VCI Entertainment)
The Real McCoys (Infinity Entertainment)
Father Knows Best (coming in April from Shout! Factory)

Westerns

Gunsmoke (Paramount)
Have Gun Will Travel (Paramount)
Wanted Dead or Alive (BCI Eclipse)
Cheyenne (Warner)
The Rifleman (MPI Home Video); now out of print
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (Rhino, Timeless Media Group)
Rawhide (Paramount)

Crime Drama

Dragnet (various public domain labels)
Decoy (various public domain labels)
Peter Gunn (A&E)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Mill Creek Entertainment)

Live Television

The Howdy Doody Show (Image Entertainment)
Tales of Tomorrow (Image Entertainment)
Suspense (Infinity Entertainment)
Studio One (Video Service Corp.)

Costume Adventure

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Mill Creek Entertainment)
The Buccaneers (Mill Creek Entertainment)

Anthology/Documentary

One Step Beyond (various public domain labels)
Victory at Sea (A&E, Mill Creek Entertainment)

Obscure/Forgotten Series (just some of my favorites)

Man with a Camera (Charles Bronson), (Infinity Entertainment Group)
Ramar of the Jungle (Alpha Video)
The Beulah Show (Alpha Video)
Medic (Richard Boone), (various public domain labels)
Dateline Europe a/k/a Foreign Intrigue (Alpha Video)

I was going to add Image’s Naked City, but all of the episodes released by them are from 1960 and beyond.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 - 10:02am
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LUCKY NUMBER 13
It's always a thrill to hear from one of The Golddiggers. Sheryl Ullman writes: "Just wanted to introduce myself to you. I’m Sheryl Ullman, and I was one of the Golddiggers in 1969. I was the 13th Golddigger, the swing girl, who knew every other girl’s singing and dancing parts, so that everyone could have one night off! I traveled on the road, to Las Vegas, where we played the opening act for comic, Buddy Hackett. Appearing on over a dozen Dean Martin Shows, I also went to Vietnam in 1969 with Bob Hope.

In 1970 I married Ed Scharlach, one of the writer’s on the Dean Martin Show. After the Golddiggers stint, I appeared in many TV situation comedies, national and regional commercials, musicals, and played the piano at many a fantastic event.

I also went back to school, UCLA and Immaculate Heart College, where I earned my BA in English and MA in Jungian Psychology. I am a writer, whose work has been published in Writer’s Digest Magazine, The LA Times, The Brentwood News, et al. Presently, I am a private dog trainer, and I’ve been asked to host 2 videos, Clicker training and Dog Dancing!

Thursday, March 20, 2008 - 6:09am
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NEW ARTICLE
You're going to love L. Wayne Hicks' in depth interview with the late Bob Keeshan, known to you and I as Captain Kangaroo. I think you'll be surprised by some of the things he had to say and there are plenty of anecdotes about his days in early television.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 11:45am
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TV STUFF
I was flipping by The Price Is Right this morning and a guy bid $1.00 on his showcase - and won. Speaking of which, the primetime Million Dollar Price Is Right on Fridays is a huge hit. Will their be a fall slot for Drew and the lovely Brandy?

Opposite TPIR, Friday's debut of The Return of Jezebel James was an expected disappointment for FOX. Unhitched on Sunday nights isn't performing too well either.

Fans of Charlotte kiddie show host Fred Kirby and retro vacation spots will be unhappy to hear about this:
An early morning fire on Sunday destroyed a building housing a museum and gift shop at Tweetsie Railroad (Boone, NC).
The museum stored a big part of the railroad's history, said Cathy Robbins, who operates the 50-year-old park off U.S. 321 with her husband, Chris, in an interview with The Charlotte Observer.
The fire destroyed timetables, black-and-white photographs and railroad lanterns dating to the 1800s, and also destroyed the initialed boots and leather saddle once owned by the late Fred Kirby.
The gun-toting, singing cowboy was a Charlotte television personality who hosted a kids show in the 1960s. Kirby also portrayed the sheriff of Tweetsie Railroad, and the fire destroyed his classic red shirt with white fringe, his creme-colored Stetson and the leather gun holster he cinched with a shiny silver buckle. Read more here.

Do you like it when classic TV shows are remade? That's a retorical question, I know. Well, there's a new version of The Saint in development from producers Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson (Homicide: Life on the Street and Oz). The Saint (1963-1969) originally starred Roger Moore as a suave detective; CBS aired an unsuccessful remake The Return of the Saint in 1979.

Monday, March 17, 2008 - 12:20pm
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SUNDAY YOU TUBING
I had so much fun watching the new Color Honeymooners DVD collection I thought, what better way to spend a few minutes on Sunday than to laugh with Jackie Gleason? In 1964, he opened the show with a Jig to honor St. Patrick's Day.

My favorite part of Gleason's American Scene Magazine (1962-1966) was Crazy Guggenheim played by Frank Fontaine. The big surprise of these Joe the Bartender sketches came at the end where (most times) Fontaine would sing with that thrilling voice of his.

Gleason reprised his role as Joe the bartender on a 1974 Julie Andrews special with Julie as Liza Doolittle.

Two legends on one stage - Gleason and Groucho team up, from 1967.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 - 9:19pm
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SHOW REVIEW
The Return of Jezebel James airs starting tonight Friday, April 11th at 8:30 EST/PT of FOX. New TVparty contributor L. B. Bryant will have a full review. It seems to me if the idea was to create a Mary Tyler Moore-type Show for a new generation The Return of Jezebel James is a miserable failure, the actors exhibit way too much enthusiasm for the thin, pale scripts. It's so overwhelmingly formulaic, it has a beat but not a pulse. FOX evidently cut their order from 13 episodes to 7 so that should tell you something.

The Lewis Black show Root of All Evil earned huge numbers for Comedy Central, a record 2.3 million viewers, with a first-place finish in all of television among men 18-24 and men 18-34 at 10:30 p.m. It's the net's biggest premiere since Chappelle's Show debuted in 2003.Too bad Root of All Evil is a terrible show, I'm betting numbers drop precipitously with the next airing. People are clearly desiring a Lewis Black program - with good reason, the guy's really funny - I just don't think this show is it.

Friday, March 14, 2008 - 12:49pm
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