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What grabs me about this DVD release and makes it a must-have is the commentary by Barbra Streisand; it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of an epic box office hit of the 1970s. She has a lot to say about not just movie making but also about fame and the creative process. What's amazing is that she talks as if she were the director of the film - which, in effect if not in fact, she was (she was executive producer and edited the film). After hearing the commentary I'm almost tempted to think of A Star Is Born as a great film. One thing it is - is fun. So it's not the best version of A Star is Born - what we have here is the 1970s in full flower. It's only $14.00 from Amazon, great for that Streisand fan that has everything. (I actually worked with Streisand on one of her films. Read about it here.) Did you know that Amazon offers a free TV show download with every DVD purchased in December? Here are the details. Basically, any time you buy a DVD in December you can download an episode of Prison Break, Bones, CSI, Numbers, or dozens of other series for free. That's a $1.99 value. That's not such a bad deal - I'd pay two bucks to watch an episode of, say 24, if I missed that week's show. In theory - as you may know, I don't do appointment TV and would rather watch the entire season on DVD. Then again, you can download an entire season of a series on Amazon if you wish for basically the same price as buying the DVDs. Tuesday,
December 5, 2006 - 6:00am
TV
Land Catch Phrases In
going over TV Land's list (see
it here) I noticed several phrases that seem inappropriate ("Ask
not what you can do for your country" for instance) and quite a few
that SHOULD have made the list. Just off the top of my head, here are
some phrases that paid that got waylaid: If TV Land wants to include historical phrases (like John Kennedy's) there are some that are more famous like Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" or one from the near future, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the next president of the United States Hilary Clinton." Monday,
December 4, 2006 - 6:19am
ART
METRANO Go to artmetrano.com (look for the link at the bottom of the page) to see a video with testimonials followed by his 'Great Metrano' magic act - it has to be seen to be believed. It's fall down funny and reminds me why I liked this guy so much. Sunday,
December 3, 2006 - 11:14am
TV
FLOPS Jamie Farr, Marvin Kaplan, Huntz Hall (from the East Side Kids comedies) and John Banner (who played Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes) were all regulars. Banner died a year or so after CTB went off the air. In addition to an all-star cast, the show also featured some bright music themes by Jerry Fielding but never entered into syndication because it lasted only half a season. Howard Cosell flopped in primetime with his 1974 variety show Saturday Night Live. Yes, the show was live from New York and debuted a few weeks before NBC's late night live entry, Saturday Night - which eventually took the name Saturday Night Live after Cosell's quick exit. The first clip has Kate Smith singing, here's another with her being interviewed by Howard. A Touch of Grace was a half-season wonder that starred Shirley Booth (Hazel) and J. Pat O'Malley as an older couple falling in love - much to the consternation of her family (played by Marian Mercer and Warren Berlinger). The couple became engaged on the final episode, here's the closing few minutes of that broadcast (the sock refers to an earlier event in the episode; the couple went away for the weekend and stayed in the same cabin. O'Malley's character lost one sock and this was scandalous to Grace's family.). It was a well-written and acted series although it seemed to me the casting wasn't that strong. A Touch of Grace ran from January to June in 1973 and was produced and written by the guys who gave us Sanford and Son and The New Dick Van Dyke Show. Based on the British series For the Love of Ada, it was up against CBS's powerhouse Monday night line-up that kicked off with All in the Family. I'll share another batch of audio clips with flops of the past in the future. (Great sentence, huh?) Sunday,
December 3, 2006 - 11:10am
THE
CARPENTERS
This 7 minute video from You Tube starts out with Karen Carpenter and Kristy McNichols doing a bouncy number (on your head), after that Karen sings Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Saturday,
December 2, 2006 - 2:10pm
DVD
THOUGHTS It reminds me that I rarely get the DVD collections I WANT to review. There are a few exceptions - I was thrilled to get the Adventures of Superman sets (including the serials); I Love Lucy Season 4 (with the Hollywood episodes); the fourth season of Dallas; Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5; Groucho Marx You Bet Your Life; Columbo Season 2; Sonny & Cher Shows and a few others. All of those sets are incredible and worth owning. What I'd really LIKE to review - Match Game, Gomer Pyle Season 1, Police Squad, Melrose Place - Season 1 (I never saw the show), Star Trek Animated, Ark II and Space Academy come to mind. Saturday,
December 2, 2006 - 8:00am
WHAT
I'M WATCHING The Dick Cavett Show: Hollywood Greats: There are DVDs you rent and those you buy. I rented this set, but I'm definitely going to buy it. There's no better interviewer than Cavett, here he goes at it with the superstars of cinema - Katherine Hepburn, Groucho Marx, Orson Welles, Kirk Douglas, Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum and more in a 12 episode collection (most, if not all shows are 90-minutes). There's another incredible edition with programs that Ray Charles appeared on and other collections as well - and these are the entire shows, not clips. Fabulous! Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 2: I found season one to be a bore for the most part. But the picture clarity and vibrant colors in the second season make this mostly pointless production a joy to behold. Wood paneling and curtains on a submarine? That was the genius behind Irwin Allen's shows - the set designers made the high tech surroundings look like a cool rumpus room. The Beverly Hillbillies - Volume 2: I don't know why but I enjoy watching this show around the holidays. This DVD set contains almost all the episodes from the second season and contains the original theme song with the sponsor tags (Kellogg's and Winston Cigarettes). These shows are hilarious, spoofing Beverly Hills' values - really, it's funnier than ever to me. (I actually worked in Beverly Hills for a period of time in the 1990s and grew up in the South, so make of that what you will). I just noticed on the Amazon page that there are a bunch of cool extras - can't wait to see them. Victor
Borge Show Prison Break Season 1: Pretty good boiler plate drama. Not terribly realistic but I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I've seen of season 2 looks better. Right now I'm watching one of John Wayne's later westerns Chisum with director's commentary. What a gorgeous opening title sequence this 1970 movie had! The commentary by Andrew McLaglen is fantastic. Saturday,
December 2, 2006 - 7:18am
DEAR
MR. LUCAS;
It's the opening to the Star Wars Holiday Special which L. Wayne Hicks writes so eloquently about elsewhere on this Website. If you were young when you watched that special, then you probably lusted after the fab Star Wars action figures that were such a big hit in 1978. They were so popular, and sold out so far ahead of time, that stores issued IOUs for parents to give to their kids at Christmas - to prove that at least they tried!
Friday,
December 1, 2006 - 11:18am YOU TUBING Someone kindly posted a sublime clip of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra from a 1967 Dean Martin Christmas Show. Thursday,
November 30, 2006 - 3:08pm
30
YEARS AGO Thursday,
November 30, 2006 - 2:35pm
SITES
YOU MIGHT LIKE Speaking
of which, TV writer / producer
Lee Goldberg has An interview with Veronica Mars creator / producer Rob Thomas. A site devoted to a UCLA documentary about the legendary original LA coffeehouse - The Pikme-up. I was a frequent visitor for a time and miss seeing the lovely Tawny. Johnny Tellez, who is also interviewed, is one of my best friends. I Drew This - political cartoons by D.C. Simpson The dying TV theme song - an article detailing how TV themes are falling by the wayside. Remember the wonderful Website Yesterdayland? It disappeared a few years ago but is resurrected (sort of) as Retroland. Superdickery - classic comic book covers that illustrate what a jerk Superman could be. Thursday,
November 30, 2006 - 9:44am
DOLLAR
DVDs Wednesday,
November 29, 2006 - 12:34pm
MORE
HOLIDAY BLOGGING "In the late 1950's Basil Rathbone played Scrooge in the original live-action musical version of The Stingiest Man in Town on The Alcoa Hour on the NBC network. The Stingiest Man in Town was remade as an animated musical TV special featuring the voices of Walter Mathau, Tom Bosley, Paul Frees, Bob Morse and Dennis Day on The Alcoa Hour on NBC in 1978. "In 1961, Sandy Becker did his famous puppet version of A Christmas Carol on WNEW channel 5 in NYC. In more recent years, George C. Scott performed A Christmas Carol on CBS, Patrick Stewart did his version on TNT and Kelsey Grammar played Scrooge for NBC. "Many classic TV sitcoms have spoofed the tale - among them Bewitched, Sanford & Son, Topper, The Dukes Of Hazzard and The Odd Couple." Wednesday,
November 29, 2006 - 12:31pm
30
YEARS AGO THIS MONTH Monday,
November 27, 2006 - 7:11am
"N"
CLUB Monday,
November 27, 2006 - 7:11am
VIDEO
CLIP Sunday,
November 26, 2006 - 2:31pm
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