ABC
Return of Television Legends
July 03, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
Philadelphia TV
November 28, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returned to FX this fall.
The show about four slackers who run a bar in the City of Brotherly Love derives its comedy from a zany, chaotic, and somewhat nonsensical base.
But it works. And it benefits from veteran actor Danny DeVito playing the father of two of the characters.
Before Sunny rose on FX, Philadelphia served as the setting for other television shows, all of which were short-lived but of solid quality.
Angie aired on ABC in the late 1970’s. This sitcom features a post-Saturday Night Fever Donna Pescow in the title role as working class waitress Angie Falco.
Angie’s paramour was Dr. Brad Benson, member of an old-line, wealthy Philadelphia family. Robert Hays plays Brad.
And before she found fame as Raymond’s mother, Marie Barone, Doris Roberts played Angie’s mom, Theresa Falco.
Angie was a sweet sitcom with likable leads, but despite ABC’s build-up, it did not last more than a couple of seasons.
Neither did The Tony Randall Show, another late 1970’s entry based in Philadelphia. Randall plays Judge Walter O. Franklin in this offering from MTM Productions. Like Mary Tyler Moore, The Tony Randall Show focuses on the home life and work life of its star’s character.
thirtysomething lasted four seasons, from 1987 to 1991. The show’s stories about Philadelphia yuppies in their thirties showed us the true depths of emotions during the time in our lives when we reach adulthood but yearn for our youth.
Shannon’s Deal stars Jamey Sheridan as Philadelphia lawyer Jack Shannon, a former big-time lawyer with a big-time gambling problem. After losing his job and his marriage, Shannon starts over as a solo practitioner.
While Shannon battles the District Attorney, he has a solid support system -- a secretary who works for him in exchange for legal services concerning her boyfriend, a fellow solo practitioner in his office building, and a daughter approaching her teenage years.
Shannon’s Deal was a 1989 pilot. It lasted less than a full season in 1990 on NBC.
The aptly named Philly from Steven Bochco Productions lasted a single season -- 2001-2002.
Philly stars NYPD Blue alumnae Kim Delaney as attorney Kathleen Maguire, a woman trying to balance her work life with a personal life after the ending of her bad marriage to an Assistant District Attorney.
david@davidkrell.com
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returned to FX this fall.
The show about four slackers who run a bar in the City of Brotherly Love derives its comedy from a zany, chaotic, and somewhat nonsensical base.
But it works. And it benefits from veteran actor Danny DeVito playing the father of two of the characters.
Before Sunny rose on FX, Philadelphia served as the setting for other television shows, all of which were short-lived but of solid quality.
Angie aired on ABC in the late 1970’s. This sitcom features a post-Saturday Night Fever Donna Pescow in the title role as working class waitress Angie Falco.
Angie’s paramour was Dr. Brad Benson, member of an old-line, wealthy Philadelphia family. Robert Hays plays Brad.
And before she found fame as Raymond’s mother, Marie Barone, Doris Roberts played Angie’s mom, Theresa Falco.
Angie was a sweet sitcom with likable leads, but despite ABC’s build-up, it did not last more than a couple of seasons.
Neither did The Tony Randall Show, another late 1970’s entry based in Philadelphia. Randall plays Judge Walter O. Franklin in this offering from MTM Productions. Like Mary Tyler Moore, The Tony Randall Show focuses on the home life and work life of its star’s character.
thirtysomething lasted four seasons, from 1987 to 1991. The show’s stories about Philadelphia yuppies in their thirties showed us the true depths of emotions during the time in our lives when we reach adulthood but yearn for our youth.
Shannon’s Deal stars Jamey Sheridan as Philadelphia lawyer Jack Shannon, a former big-time lawyer with a big-time gambling problem. After losing his job and his marriage, Shannon starts over as a solo practitioner.
While Shannon battles the District Attorney, he has a solid support system -- a secretary who works for him in exchange for legal services concerning her boyfriend, a fellow solo practitioner in his office building, and a daughter approaching her teenage years.
Shannon’s Deal was a 1989 pilot. It lasted less than a full season in 1990 on NBC.
The aptly named Philly from Steven Bochco Productions lasted a single season -- 2001-2002.
Philly stars NYPD Blue alumnae Kim Delaney as attorney Kathleen Maguire, a woman trying to balance her work life with a personal life after the ending of her bad marriage to an Assistant District Attorney.
Brian's Song and Something For Joey
November 24, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1970’s, two tv-movies became instant classics, particularly with men. With football as a backdrop, Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are at the top of the list of guy-cry entertainment fare. These tv-movies don’t merely tug at heartstrings. They grab them.
Statistics measure an athlete’s performance. But no statistic can measure the impact of Brian’s Song and Something For Joey or their real-life inspirations.
In 1964, Brian Piccolo was the top college football rusher in the country. His success capped a terrific college football career at Wake Forest. Surprisingly, his credentials did not impress any NFL team during the draft. Fourteen teams. Twenty rounds. No Brian Piccolo. Ultimately, Chicago Bears owner and coach George Halas signed Piccolo as a free agent.
Piccolo soon discovered he had cancer --embryonal cell carcinoma. He died in 1970 at the age of 26.
In 1971, the country discovered Brian Piccolo’s story in Brian’s Song, an ABC tv-movie produced by Columbia. The Columbia set used for the home of Bears player Gale Sayers and his wife may look familiar. It is the set for Darrin and Samantha Stephens on Bewitched, another Columbia property.
Brian’s Song showed Brian Piccolo’s gifts of courage, friendship, and strength.
Courage -- Brian Piccolo fought cancer with the same fierce competitiveness he displayed on the gridiron.
Friendship -- Brian Piccolo bonded with Sayers. Each player encouraged the other during their competition to play in the Bears backfield rather than ride the bench. Piccolo and Sayers were the first interracial roommates in the NFL.
Strength -- Brian Piccolo tackled his disease head-on.
Brian’s Song reveals the brutal honesty of pain in an athlete cut down in his prime. It also reveals two stars to be. Before their signature roles in The Godfather and Lady Sings the Blue, James Caan and Billy Dee Williams took on the immense responsibility of playing Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers respectively. No easy task, considering the subject matter.
They made the somber story interesting, compelling, and inspiring, not maudlin, depressing, and angry.
Sayers’ locker room speech in one of the final scenes makes grown men cry and shows children that even tough guys weep when a friend battles an opponent meaner, tougher, and more vicious than any football player.
In another powerful scene, Sayers accepts the George S. Halas Most Courageous Player Award. He dedicates the award to Brian Piccolo because of Piccolo’s courage in battling cancer. The last part of the speech is particularly compelling.
I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him too. And tonight, hit your knees, please ask God to love him.
Brian’s Song grabs at the heartstrings and doesn’t let go. Not for a scene. Not for a minute. Not for a second. Michael Legrand’s theme song The Hands of Time compounds the story’s emotional intensity.
Brian Piccolo’s story reflects the A.E. Housman poem To An Athlete Dying Young. One passage in particular stands out.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose
In 2001, ABC aired a remake of Brian’s Song with Sean Maher as Brian Piccolo and Mekhi Pfifer as Gale Sayers. The remake focused more attention than the original on the physical effects of Piccolo’s disease.
No less compelling of a story is Something For Joey, a 1977 fact-based NBC tv-movie about Penn State powerhouse running back John Cappelletti and his kid brother, Joey.
While John tramples over opponents on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy in 1973 Joey suffers from leukemia. Their interdependence makes Joey’s fight all the more noble and John’s helplessness all the more saddening. Powerful on a football field, John Cappelletti embodies the powerless suffering that anybody endures with a family member battling a fatal disease.
Upon winning the Heisman Trophy, John has to make a speech as is the custom with Heisman winners.
Where John’s physical ability gained him respect as a football player, his emotional strength cemented his respect as a man.
During his speech, John dedicates the award to his eleven year-old brother Joseph because college football is a battle fought on Saturdays in the fall, but his brother’s battle with leukemia is year-round.
Joseph Cappelletti died in 1976. John went to the NFL and played for the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers in a nine-year career.
Marc Singer plays John and Jeffrey Lynas plays Joey in Something For Joey.
Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are two outstanding examples of high quality television. While football is a backdrop, the stories are universal.
Everyone knows the reality of disease. A friend, a loved one, maybe even we have suffered the harshness.
Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are for everyone.
For everyone who’s ever won.
For everyone who’s ever lost.
And for everyone who’s still in there trying.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1970’s, two tv-movies became instant classics, particularly with men. With football as a backdrop, Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are at the top of the list of guy-cry entertainment fare. These tv-movies don’t merely tug at heartstrings. They grab them.
Statistics measure an athlete’s performance. But no statistic can measure the impact of Brian’s Song and Something For Joey or their real-life inspirations.
In 1964, Brian Piccolo was the top college football rusher in the country. His success capped a terrific college football career at Wake Forest. Surprisingly, his credentials did not impress any NFL team during the draft. Fourteen teams. Twenty rounds. No Brian Piccolo. Ultimately, Chicago Bears owner and coach George Halas signed Piccolo as a free agent.
Piccolo soon discovered he had cancer --embryonal cell carcinoma. He died in 1970 at the age of 26.
In 1971, the country discovered Brian Piccolo’s story in Brian’s Song, an ABC tv-movie produced by Columbia. The Columbia set used for the home of Bears player Gale Sayers and his wife may look familiar. It is the set for Darrin and Samantha Stephens on Bewitched, another Columbia property.
Brian’s Song showed Brian Piccolo’s gifts of courage, friendship, and strength.
Courage -- Brian Piccolo fought cancer with the same fierce competitiveness he displayed on the gridiron.
Friendship -- Brian Piccolo bonded with Sayers. Each player encouraged the other during their competition to play in the Bears backfield rather than ride the bench. Piccolo and Sayers were the first interracial roommates in the NFL.
Strength -- Brian Piccolo tackled his disease head-on.
Brian’s Song reveals the brutal honesty of pain in an athlete cut down in his prime. It also reveals two stars to be. Before their signature roles in The Godfather and Lady Sings the Blue, James Caan and Billy Dee Williams took on the immense responsibility of playing Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers respectively. No easy task, considering the subject matter.
They made the somber story interesting, compelling, and inspiring, not maudlin, depressing, and angry.
Sayers’ locker room speech in one of the final scenes makes grown men cry and shows children that even tough guys weep when a friend battles an opponent meaner, tougher, and more vicious than any football player.
In another powerful scene, Sayers accepts the George S. Halas Most Courageous Player Award. He dedicates the award to Brian Piccolo because of Piccolo’s courage in battling cancer. The last part of the speech is particularly compelling.
I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him too. And tonight, hit your knees, please ask God to love him.
Brian’s Song grabs at the heartstrings and doesn’t let go. Not for a scene. Not for a minute. Not for a second. Michael Legrand’s theme song The Hands of Time compounds the story’s emotional intensity.
Brian Piccolo’s story reflects the A.E. Housman poem To An Athlete Dying Young. One passage in particular stands out.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose
In 2001, ABC aired a remake of Brian’s Song with Sean Maher as Brian Piccolo and Mekhi Pfifer as Gale Sayers. The remake focused more attention than the original on the physical effects of Piccolo’s disease.
No less compelling of a story is Something For Joey, a 1977 fact-based NBC tv-movie about Penn State powerhouse running back John Cappelletti and his kid brother, Joey.
While John tramples over opponents on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy in 1973 Joey suffers from leukemia. Their interdependence makes Joey’s fight all the more noble and John’s helplessness all the more saddening. Powerful on a football field, John Cappelletti embodies the powerless suffering that anybody endures with a family member battling a fatal disease.
Upon winning the Heisman Trophy, John has to make a speech as is the custom with Heisman winners.
Where John’s physical ability gained him respect as a football player, his emotional strength cemented his respect as a man.
During his speech, John dedicates the award to his eleven year-old brother Joseph because college football is a battle fought on Saturdays in the fall, but his brother’s battle with leukemia is year-round.
Joseph Cappelletti died in 1976. John went to the NFL and played for the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers in a nine-year career.
Marc Singer plays John and Jeffrey Lynas plays Joey in Something For Joey.
Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are two outstanding examples of high quality television. While football is a backdrop, the stories are universal.
Everyone knows the reality of disease. A friend, a loved one, maybe even we have suffered the harshness.
Brian’s Song and Something For Joey are for everyone.
For everyone who’s ever won.
For everyone who’s ever lost.
And for everyone who’s still in there trying.
1970's Saturday Morning Music Toons
November 22, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Between the hard rock sounds of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors and the disco beat of the Bee Gees, bubble gum music thrived in the early 1970’s, specifically on Saturday morning cartoons.
Whether used as literary devices to complement the story line or merchandising tools to promote record sales, songs added a dimension to the cartoons. They provided another example of the inevitable connection between music and television.
Kid Power is a show that may be described as Peanuts meeting the Rainbow Coalition. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s messages of peace, friendship, love, and harmony filled the series. Based on Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals comic strip, Kid Power revolved around a melting pot of kids in a group called Rainbow Club. Different colors, nationalities, and backgrounds did not stop the kids from joining forces to accomplish their goals.
Music giant Mike Curb was the show’s Music Consultant. The song for each episode illustrated that episode’s lesson.
Kid Power aired on ABC during the 1972-73 season with seventeen episodes. The following season consisted of reruns.
The Partridge Family went off the air in 1974 after four seasons. In the fall of 1974, Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. showed us a futuristic view of America’s favorite singing family.
Except for Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, the cast voiced their cartoon counterparts.
The Brady Kids capitalized on the popularity of Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby, and Cindy from The Brady Bunch.
Music was a natural fit for the cartoon because the child actors released albums, toured in concert, and performed on The Brady Bunch. Unlike Partridge Family, 2200 A.D., however, The Brady Kids broadcast history coincided with its parent show. The Brady Kids aired 22 episodes and debuted in the fall of 1972.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show depicted Bedrock’s favorite boy and girl as teenagers. Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and Jay North (Dennis the Menace) voiced the title characters.
Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and their friends -- Moonrock, Penny, and Wiggy -- formed The Bedrock Rollers, a stone age rock and roll group.
Plots in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show focused on Pebbles’ outrageous ideas that often recalled Lucy Ricardo. Pebbles and Lucy shared enthusiasm, optimism, and inspiration. But their plans often went awry, aside, and down the tubes.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show first aired in September of 1971.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids showed stories that were universal to growing up. Bill Cosby’s stand up comedy routines about his childhood in Philadelphia laid the groundwork for this animated version of Fat Albert, Weird Harold, Cosby and his brother Russell, and the rest of the gang.
Cosby addressed the audience about the lesson in the story and the kids sang a song corresponding with the lesson learned.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids debuted in September of 1972.
Rankin-Bass produced two shows about family singing groups at the pinnacle of their respective successes -- The Osmonds and Jackson Five.
Jackson Five debuted in September of 1971 on the heels of their four number-one hits in 1970 -- I Want You Back, The Love You Save, ABC, and I’ll Be There.
The Jacksons voiced their animated likenesses for the show’s twenty-three episodes.
The Osmond brothers from Utah who got their big break on The Andy Williams Show got their shot at cartoon fame a year later. Debuting in September of 1972, The Osmonds featured the boys with big smiles, harmonious sounds, and innocence.
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan featured a cartoon version of Charlie Chan with ten kids. Chan led his children in solving crimes. The older kids had a rock band -- The Chan Clan. Ron Dante, the lead singer for The Archies, filled the same role here.
Josie and the Pussycats also enjoy a connection to the Archieverse. The title character first appeared under the Archie comics banner in 1963. In Television Cartoon Shows, Hal Erickson writes, It was at the suggestion of CBS executive Fred Silverman that Hanna-Barbera (taking over from The Archies’ home studio Filmation, then overloaded with product) reshape Josie into the lead singer of a rock group -- hoping no doubt for a reprise of the success that greeted the Archies’ hit single Sugar Sugar.
After the show aired during the 1970-71 season, Hanna-Barbera retooled it with a space theme. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space aired for two seasons -- 1972-74.
Josie’s comic book cousins from Riverdale, Archie et. al., inspired the music-cartoon nexus. The Archie Show is the first show in the Saturday morning music toon genre. It debuted in September of 1968 and lasted one season. Sugar, Sugar launched during The Archie Show tenure in 1969. It became a #1 song.
The Archie characters continued in different shows and formats between 1969 and 1978 -- The Archie Comedy Hour, Archie’s Fun House Featuring the Giant Juke Box, Archie’s TV Funnies, Everything’s Archie, U.S. of Archie, The New Archie / Sabrina Hour, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show.
Although Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids aired for several years on television (1972-84), the other programs did not fare as well. But they were still enjoyable to watch, listen to, and learn from, especially during a time where real-life events increasingly challenged innocence -- assassinations, riots, Vietnam War.
On those sleepy Saturday mornings in the early 1970’s, children woke up to these shows that gave entertainment, optimism, and hope.
david@davidkrell.com
Between the hard rock sounds of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors and the disco beat of the Bee Gees, bubble gum music thrived in the early 1970’s, specifically on Saturday morning cartoons.
Whether used as literary devices to complement the story line or merchandising tools to promote record sales, songs added a dimension to the cartoons. They provided another example of the inevitable connection between music and television.
Kid Power is a show that may be described as Peanuts meeting the Rainbow Coalition. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s messages of peace, friendship, love, and harmony filled the series. Based on Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals comic strip, Kid Power revolved around a melting pot of kids in a group called Rainbow Club. Different colors, nationalities, and backgrounds did not stop the kids from joining forces to accomplish their goals.
Music giant Mike Curb was the show’s Music Consultant. The song for each episode illustrated that episode’s lesson.
Kid Power aired on ABC during the 1972-73 season with seventeen episodes. The following season consisted of reruns.
The Partridge Family went off the air in 1974 after four seasons. In the fall of 1974, Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. showed us a futuristic view of America’s favorite singing family.
Except for Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, the cast voiced their cartoon counterparts.
The Brady Kids capitalized on the popularity of Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby, and Cindy from The Brady Bunch.
Music was a natural fit for the cartoon because the child actors released albums, toured in concert, and performed on The Brady Bunch. Unlike Partridge Family, 2200 A.D., however, The Brady Kids broadcast history coincided with its parent show. The Brady Kids aired 22 episodes and debuted in the fall of 1972.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show depicted Bedrock’s favorite boy and girl as teenagers. Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and Jay North (Dennis the Menace) voiced the title characters.
Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and their friends -- Moonrock, Penny, and Wiggy -- formed The Bedrock Rollers, a stone age rock and roll group.
Plots in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show focused on Pebbles’ outrageous ideas that often recalled Lucy Ricardo. Pebbles and Lucy shared enthusiasm, optimism, and inspiration. But their plans often went awry, aside, and down the tubes.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show first aired in September of 1971.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids showed stories that were universal to growing up. Bill Cosby’s stand up comedy routines about his childhood in Philadelphia laid the groundwork for this animated version of Fat Albert, Weird Harold, Cosby and his brother Russell, and the rest of the gang.
Cosby addressed the audience about the lesson in the story and the kids sang a song corresponding with the lesson learned.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids debuted in September of 1972.
Rankin-Bass produced two shows about family singing groups at the pinnacle of their respective successes -- The Osmonds and Jackson Five.
Jackson Five debuted in September of 1971 on the heels of their four number-one hits in 1970 -- I Want You Back, The Love You Save, ABC, and I’ll Be There.
The Jacksons voiced their animated likenesses for the show’s twenty-three episodes.
The Osmond brothers from Utah who got their big break on The Andy Williams Show got their shot at cartoon fame a year later. Debuting in September of 1972, The Osmonds featured the boys with big smiles, harmonious sounds, and innocence.
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan featured a cartoon version of Charlie Chan with ten kids. Chan led his children in solving crimes. The older kids had a rock band -- The Chan Clan. Ron Dante, the lead singer for The Archies, filled the same role here.
Josie and the Pussycats also enjoy a connection to the Archieverse. The title character first appeared under the Archie comics banner in 1963. In Television Cartoon Shows, Hal Erickson writes, It was at the suggestion of CBS executive Fred Silverman that Hanna-Barbera (taking over from The Archies’ home studio Filmation, then overloaded with product) reshape Josie into the lead singer of a rock group -- hoping no doubt for a reprise of the success that greeted the Archies’ hit single Sugar Sugar.
After the show aired during the 1970-71 season, Hanna-Barbera retooled it with a space theme. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space aired for two seasons -- 1972-74.
Josie’s comic book cousins from Riverdale, Archie et. al., inspired the music-cartoon nexus. The Archie Show is the first show in the Saturday morning music toon genre. It debuted in September of 1968 and lasted one season. Sugar, Sugar launched during The Archie Show tenure in 1969. It became a #1 song.
The Archie characters continued in different shows and formats between 1969 and 1978 -- The Archie Comedy Hour, Archie’s Fun House Featuring the Giant Juke Box, Archie’s TV Funnies, Everything’s Archie, U.S. of Archie, The New Archie / Sabrina Hour, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show.
Although Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids aired for several years on television (1972-84), the other programs did not fare as well. But they were still enjoyable to watch, listen to, and learn from, especially during a time where real-life events increasingly challenged innocence -- assassinations, riots, Vietnam War.
On those sleepy Saturday mornings in the early 1970’s, children woke up to these shows that gave entertainment, optimism, and hope.
1970's Saturday Morning Music Toons
November 22, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Between the hard rock sounds of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors and the disco beat of the Bee Gees, bubble gum music thrived in the early 1970’s, specifically on Saturday morning cartoons.
Whether used as literary devices to complement the story line or merchandising tools to promote record sales, songs added a dimension to the cartoons. They provided another example of the inevitable connection between music and television.
Kid Power is a show that may be described as Peanuts meeting the Rainbow Coalition. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s messages of peace, friendship, love, and harmony filled the series. Based on Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals comic strip, Kid Power revolved around a melting pot of kids in a group called Rainbow Club. Different colors, nationalities, and backgrounds did not stop the kids from joining forces to accomplish their goals.
Music giant Mike Curb was the show’s Music Consultant. The song for each episode illustrated that episode’s lesson.
Kid Power aired on ABC during the 1972-73 season with seventeen episodes. The following season consisted of reruns.
The Partridge Family went off the air in 1974 after four seasons. In the fall of 1974, Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. showed us a futuristic view of America’s favorite singing family.
Except for Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, the cast voiced their cartoon counterparts.
The Brady Kids capitalized on the popularity of Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby, and Cindy from The Brady Bunch.
Music was a natural fit for the cartoon because the child actors released albums, toured in concert, and performed on The Brady Bunch. Unlike Partridge Family, 2200 A.D., however, The Brady Kids broadcast history coincided with its parent show. The Brady Kids aired 22 episodes and debuted in the fall of 1972.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show depicted Bedrock’s favorite boy and girl as teenagers. Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and Jay North (Dennis the Menace) voiced the title characters.
Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and their friends -- Moonrock, Penny, and Wiggy -- formed The Bedrock Rollers, a stone age rock and roll group.
Plots in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show focused on Pebbles’ outrageous ideas that often recalled Lucy Ricardo. Pebbles and Lucy shared enthusiasm, optimism, and inspiration. But their plans often went awry, aside, and down the tubes.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show first aired in September of 1971.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids showed stories that were universal to growing up. Bill Cosby’s stand up comedy routines about his childhood in Philadelphia laid the groundwork for this animated version of Fat Albert, Weird Harold, Cosby and his brother Russell, and the rest of the gang.
Cosby addressed the audience about the lesson in the story and the kids sang a song corresponding with the lesson learned.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids debuted in September of 1972.
Rankin-Bass produced two shows about family singing groups at the pinnacle of their respective successes -- The Osmonds and Jackson Five.
Jackson Five debuted in September of 1971 on the heels of their four number-one hits in 1970 -- I Want You Back, The Love You Save, ABC, and I’ll Be There.
The Jacksons voiced their animated likenesses for the show’s twenty-three episodes.
The Osmond brothers from Utah who got their big break on The Andy Williams Show got their shot at cartoon fame a year later. Debuting in September of 1972, The Osmonds featured the boys with big smiles, harmonious sounds, and innocence.
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan featured a cartoon version of Charlie Chan with ten kids. Chan led his children in solving crimes. The older kids had a rock band -- The Chan Clan. Ron Dante, the lead singer for The Archies, filled the same role here.
Josie and the Pussycats also enjoy a connection to the Archieverse. The title character first appeared under the Archie comics banner in 1963. In Television Cartoon Shows, Hal Erickson writes, It was at the suggestion of CBS executive Fred Silverman that Hanna-Barbera (taking over from The Archies’ home studio Filmation, then overloaded with product) reshape Josie into the lead singer of a rock group -- hoping no doubt for a reprise of the success that greeted the Archies’ hit single Sugar Sugar.
After the show aired during the 1970-71 season, Hanna-Barbera retooled it with a space theme. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space aired for two seasons -- 1972-74.
Josie’s comic book cousins from Riverdale, Archie et. al., inspired the music-cartoon nexus. The Archie Show is the first show in the Saturday morning music toon genre. It debuted in September of 1968 and lasted one season. Sugar, Sugar launched during The Archie Show tenure in 1969. It became a #1 song.
The Archie characters continued in different shows and formats between 1969 and 1978 -- The Archie Comedy Hour, Archie’s Fun House Featuring the Giant Juke Box, Archie’s TV Funnies, Everything’s Archie, U.S. of Archie, The New Archie / Sabrina Hour, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show.
Although Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids aired for several years on television (1972-84), the other programs did not fare as well. But they were still enjoyable to watch, listen to, and learn from, especially during a time where real-life events increasingly challenged innocence -- assassinations, riots, Vietnam War.
On those sleepy Saturday mornings in the early 1970’s, children woke up to these shows that gave entertainment, optimism, and hope.
david@davidkrell.com
Between the hard rock sounds of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors and the disco beat of the Bee Gees, bubble gum music thrived in the early 1970’s, specifically on Saturday morning cartoons.
Whether used as literary devices to complement the story line or merchandising tools to promote record sales, songs added a dimension to the cartoons. They provided another example of the inevitable connection between music and television.
Kid Power is a show that may be described as Peanuts meeting the Rainbow Coalition. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s messages of peace, friendship, love, and harmony filled the series. Based on Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals comic strip, Kid Power revolved around a melting pot of kids in a group called Rainbow Club. Different colors, nationalities, and backgrounds did not stop the kids from joining forces to accomplish their goals.
Music giant Mike Curb was the show’s Music Consultant. The song for each episode illustrated that episode’s lesson.
Kid Power aired on ABC during the 1972-73 season with seventeen episodes. The following season consisted of reruns.
The Partridge Family went off the air in 1974 after four seasons. In the fall of 1974, Partridge Family, 2200 A.D. showed us a futuristic view of America’s favorite singing family.
Except for Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, the cast voiced their cartoon counterparts.
The Brady Kids capitalized on the popularity of Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby, and Cindy from The Brady Bunch.
Music was a natural fit for the cartoon because the child actors released albums, toured in concert, and performed on The Brady Bunch. Unlike Partridge Family, 2200 A.D., however, The Brady Kids broadcast history coincided with its parent show. The Brady Kids aired 22 episodes and debuted in the fall of 1972.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show depicted Bedrock’s favorite boy and girl as teenagers. Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and Jay North (Dennis the Menace) voiced the title characters.
Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and their friends -- Moonrock, Penny, and Wiggy -- formed The Bedrock Rollers, a stone age rock and roll group.
Plots in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show focused on Pebbles’ outrageous ideas that often recalled Lucy Ricardo. Pebbles and Lucy shared enthusiasm, optimism, and inspiration. But their plans often went awry, aside, and down the tubes.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show first aired in September of 1971.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids showed stories that were universal to growing up. Bill Cosby’s stand up comedy routines about his childhood in Philadelphia laid the groundwork for this animated version of Fat Albert, Weird Harold, Cosby and his brother Russell, and the rest of the gang.
Cosby addressed the audience about the lesson in the story and the kids sang a song corresponding with the lesson learned.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids debuted in September of 1972.
Rankin-Bass produced two shows about family singing groups at the pinnacle of their respective successes -- The Osmonds and Jackson Five.
Jackson Five debuted in September of 1971 on the heels of their four number-one hits in 1970 -- I Want You Back, The Love You Save, ABC, and I’ll Be There.
The Jacksons voiced their animated likenesses for the show’s twenty-three episodes.
The Osmond brothers from Utah who got their big break on The Andy Williams Show got their shot at cartoon fame a year later. Debuting in September of 1972, The Osmonds featured the boys with big smiles, harmonious sounds, and innocence.
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan featured a cartoon version of Charlie Chan with ten kids. Chan led his children in solving crimes. The older kids had a rock band -- The Chan Clan. Ron Dante, the lead singer for The Archies, filled the same role here.
Josie and the Pussycats also enjoy a connection to the Archieverse. The title character first appeared under the Archie comics banner in 1963. In Television Cartoon Shows, Hal Erickson writes, It was at the suggestion of CBS executive Fred Silverman that Hanna-Barbera (taking over from The Archies’ home studio Filmation, then overloaded with product) reshape Josie into the lead singer of a rock group -- hoping no doubt for a reprise of the success that greeted the Archies’ hit single Sugar Sugar.
After the show aired during the 1970-71 season, Hanna-Barbera retooled it with a space theme. Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space aired for two seasons -- 1972-74.
Josie’s comic book cousins from Riverdale, Archie et. al., inspired the music-cartoon nexus. The Archie Show is the first show in the Saturday morning music toon genre. It debuted in September of 1968 and lasted one season. Sugar, Sugar launched during The Archie Show tenure in 1969. It became a #1 song.
The Archie characters continued in different shows and formats between 1969 and 1978 -- The Archie Comedy Hour, Archie’s Fun House Featuring the Giant Juke Box, Archie’s TV Funnies, Everything’s Archie, U.S. of Archie, The New Archie / Sabrina Hour, Archie’s Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show.
Although Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids aired for several years on television (1972-84), the other programs did not fare as well. But they were still enjoyable to watch, listen to, and learn from, especially during a time where real-life events increasingly challenged innocence -- assassinations, riots, Vietnam War.
On those sleepy Saturday mornings in the early 1970’s, children woke up to these shows that gave entertainment, optimism, and hope.
America
November 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
God bless America.
Take a look at a program schedule from the last few years.
Patriotic fever apparently strikes television executives.
America’s Next Top Model.
America’s Most Wanted.
American Chopper.
American Masters.
American Hot Rod.
America’s Next Producer.
American Justice.
America’s Got Talent.
American Experience.
American Inventor.
American Idol.
American Dad.
What accounts for these allusions to the red, white, and blue in television program titles that we might expect during an anniversary year, like a bicentennial?
First, size matters.
America is a pretty big, powerful, and awesome place. With a version of the word America in the title, the program naturally targets a mass audience -- all of us.
Second, success matters.
American Idol is popular, so subsequent offerings borrow from the name as well as the format
Models meet American Idol = America’s Next Top Model.
Inventors meet American Idol = American Inventor.
Third, pride matters.
America gives the audience a sense of pride -- the show could not take place anywhere but America.
For example, American Chopper is a series about the prototypical American success story of a family business -- Orange County Choppers. But success does not come easy for this upstate New York business focused on making one-of-a-kind motorcycles. It is a result of hard work, dedication, and passion.
Paul Teutul started Orange County Choppers in his basement because of his passion for building motorcycles. The business ballooned into a marketing, licensing, and television juggernaut.
Although Made in the U.S.A. fever seems to be contagious given the numerous America-based titles, we’ve actually seen the use of America throughout television history.
American Gladiators.
Good Morning, America.
America’s Funniest Home Videos.
American Dream was a short-lived series in the early 1980’s centering on a family’s move back to the city from their quiet home in suburbia.
American Dreamer took an opposite premise. This early 1990’s sitcom stars Robert Urich as a widower who trades in his globetrotting journalism work for a quiet life in Wisconsin with his family and a job as a newspaper columnist.
Amerika was a 1987 miniseries on ABC that depicted life ten years after a Soviet takeover. Robert Urich also starred in this offering along with Kris Kristofferson.
Americathon was a 1979 tv-movie showing what the country would be like in 1998 -- America is bankrupt, the president is a skirt chaser, and the oil supply is facing depletion. Were the writers prescient or was the plot line simply a coincidence?
The title comes from a telethon to save America.
American Bandstand starred eternally youthful Dick Clark from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Clark capitalized on the American Bandstand brand and library with American Dreams. This NBC show enjoyed a three-season run -- 2002-2005. It showed us life in the 1960’s through the Pryor family, specifically Meg Pryor. Meg was an All-American teenage girl in Philadelphia who faced the trials and tribulations of growing up as she fulfilled her dream of being an American Bandstand dancer.
Finally, Love, American Style used an anthology format and featured guest stars in love stories that were varied, funny, and somewhat realistic.
Coincidentally, except for American Dreams and American Dreamer, many of the shows mentioned appeared on ABC -- American Broadcasting Company.
david@davidkrell.com
God bless America.
Take a look at a program schedule from the last few years.
Patriotic fever apparently strikes television executives.
America’s Next Top Model.
America’s Most Wanted.
American Chopper.
American Masters.
American Hot Rod.
America’s Next Producer.
American Justice.
America’s Got Talent.
American Experience.
American Inventor.
American Idol.
American Dad.
What accounts for these allusions to the red, white, and blue in television program titles that we might expect during an anniversary year, like a bicentennial?
First, size matters.
America is a pretty big, powerful, and awesome place. With a version of the word America in the title, the program naturally targets a mass audience -- all of us.
Second, success matters.
American Idol is popular, so subsequent offerings borrow from the name as well as the format
Models meet American Idol = America’s Next Top Model.
Inventors meet American Idol = American Inventor.
Third, pride matters.
America gives the audience a sense of pride -- the show could not take place anywhere but America.
For example, American Chopper is a series about the prototypical American success story of a family business -- Orange County Choppers. But success does not come easy for this upstate New York business focused on making one-of-a-kind motorcycles. It is a result of hard work, dedication, and passion.
Paul Teutul started Orange County Choppers in his basement because of his passion for building motorcycles. The business ballooned into a marketing, licensing, and television juggernaut.
Although Made in the U.S.A. fever seems to be contagious given the numerous America-based titles, we’ve actually seen the use of America throughout television history.
American Gladiators.
Good Morning, America.
America’s Funniest Home Videos.
American Dream was a short-lived series in the early 1980’s centering on a family’s move back to the city from their quiet home in suburbia.
American Dreamer took an opposite premise. This early 1990’s sitcom stars Robert Urich as a widower who trades in his globetrotting journalism work for a quiet life in Wisconsin with his family and a job as a newspaper columnist.
Amerika was a 1987 miniseries on ABC that depicted life ten years after a Soviet takeover. Robert Urich also starred in this offering along with Kris Kristofferson.
Americathon was a 1979 tv-movie showing what the country would be like in 1998 -- America is bankrupt, the president is a skirt chaser, and the oil supply is facing depletion. Were the writers prescient or was the plot line simply a coincidence?
The title comes from a telethon to save America.
American Bandstand starred eternally youthful Dick Clark from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Clark capitalized on the American Bandstand brand and library with American Dreams. This NBC show enjoyed a three-season run -- 2002-2005. It showed us life in the 1960’s through the Pryor family, specifically Meg Pryor. Meg was an All-American teenage girl in Philadelphia who faced the trials and tribulations of growing up as she fulfilled her dream of being an American Bandstand dancer.
Finally, Love, American Style used an anthology format and featured guest stars in love stories that were varied, funny, and somewhat realistic.
Coincidentally, except for American Dreams and American Dreamer, many of the shows mentioned appeared on ABC -- American Broadcasting Company.
Three Blind Mice
October 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, America’s three television networks changed hands.
ABC to Capital Cities.
NBC to General Electric.
CBS to Loews.
Ken Auletta’s 1991 book Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way chronicles the takeovers, trials and travails of the players involved.
In a ratings game dominated by numbers, the 1980’s saw the rise of the Video Cassette Recorder and the increased attention paid to demographics.
Auletta goes through a tremendously detailed approach to bring the reader the thoughts, strategies, and fears of the media moguls in television’s executive suites.
In the chapter NBC: Tartikoff In His Sandbox, 1987, Auletta writes about a favorite son of the television industry -- NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff. Auletta zeroes in on the programming wunderkind’s observations of the obstacles for network television.
Nor was Tartikoff sure that with the explosion of buyers -- from cable, Fox, and first-run syndication, among others -- there was sufficient talent to stock a twenty-two hour prime-time schedule. Tartikoff knew that success in network television often came when a producer believed passionately in a project -- be it Norman Lear with All in the Family, James Brooks with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or Steven Bochco with Hill Street Blues. But Tartikoff also knew the network television production system was a sausage factory.
In addition, the Big Three also faced the VCR, an affordable device by the mid-1980’s that allowed viewers to tape shows off the air and watch them at their leisure. No longer viewers tied to air times.
If viewers could shift the viewing times of their favorite shows, they would probably fast forward through the commercials. Consequently, advertisers become unhappy. Networks become worrisome about the prospect of ad dollars decreasing or disappearing.
In a world where viewers are no longer captive, advertisements can lose their impact.
The Big Three faced another challenge in the upstart FOX network. In its nascent days in the mid-1980’s, FOX did not have seven nights of programming each week. It did not have a network news division. And it did not have recognizable stars, save for one.
Its first programming attempt was The Late Show starring Joan Rivers in November 1986 followed by Sunday night programming in Spring 1987.
But it did have sister companies in other areas of media. A movie studio. A publishing house. Newspapers.
This synergy was attractive. And great ideas have to start somewhere. With the edgy sitcom Married With Children, the innovative cartoon show The Simpsons, and the funny sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show, FOX began to make pinpricks in the armor of the Big Three. Their invulnerability proved to be a fallacy in the 1990’s when FOX attracted the highly valuable younger demographic of teenagers and twentysomethings with nighttime soap operas -- Beverly Hills 92010 and Melrose Place.
In the chapter ABC: More Sancho Panza Than Machiavelli, September to December, 1986, Auletta summarizes the impact of FOX chieftain Rupert Murdoch’s initial foray into network television.
The future also belonged, some feared, to Rupert Murdoch’s scheme to make Fox a fourth network by acquiring stations in six of the top ten markets, lining up affiliated stations, and setting up a programming department, just as the three networks did.
Auletta delves deeply beneath the surface to get to the heart of the matter for television networks. Really, it is the heart of the matter for business. Money.
Auletta frequently writes about the costs of contracts and programming. He shows that programs may be part creativity, part talent, and part instinct. But it is part dollars and cents, too.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980’s, America’s three television networks changed hands.
ABC to Capital Cities.
NBC to General Electric.
CBS to Loews.
Ken Auletta’s 1991 book Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way chronicles the takeovers, trials and travails of the players involved.
In a ratings game dominated by numbers, the 1980’s saw the rise of the Video Cassette Recorder and the increased attention paid to demographics.
Auletta goes through a tremendously detailed approach to bring the reader the thoughts, strategies, and fears of the media moguls in television’s executive suites.
In the chapter NBC: Tartikoff In His Sandbox, 1987, Auletta writes about a favorite son of the television industry -- NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff. Auletta zeroes in on the programming wunderkind’s observations of the obstacles for network television.
Nor was Tartikoff sure that with the explosion of buyers -- from cable, Fox, and first-run syndication, among others -- there was sufficient talent to stock a twenty-two hour prime-time schedule. Tartikoff knew that success in network television often came when a producer believed passionately in a project -- be it Norman Lear with All in the Family, James Brooks with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or Steven Bochco with Hill Street Blues. But Tartikoff also knew the network television production system was a sausage factory.
In addition, the Big Three also faced the VCR, an affordable device by the mid-1980’s that allowed viewers to tape shows off the air and watch them at their leisure. No longer viewers tied to air times.
If viewers could shift the viewing times of their favorite shows, they would probably fast forward through the commercials. Consequently, advertisers become unhappy. Networks become worrisome about the prospect of ad dollars decreasing or disappearing.
In a world where viewers are no longer captive, advertisements can lose their impact.
The Big Three faced another challenge in the upstart FOX network. In its nascent days in the mid-1980’s, FOX did not have seven nights of programming each week. It did not have a network news division. And it did not have recognizable stars, save for one.
Its first programming attempt was The Late Show starring Joan Rivers in November 1986 followed by Sunday night programming in Spring 1987.
But it did have sister companies in other areas of media. A movie studio. A publishing house. Newspapers.
This synergy was attractive. And great ideas have to start somewhere. With the edgy sitcom Married With Children, the innovative cartoon show The Simpsons, and the funny sketch comedy program The Tracey Ullman Show, FOX began to make pinpricks in the armor of the Big Three. Their invulnerability proved to be a fallacy in the 1990’s when FOX attracted the highly valuable younger demographic of teenagers and twentysomethings with nighttime soap operas -- Beverly Hills 92010 and Melrose Place.
In the chapter ABC: More Sancho Panza Than Machiavelli, September to December, 1986, Auletta summarizes the impact of FOX chieftain Rupert Murdoch’s initial foray into network television.
The future also belonged, some feared, to Rupert Murdoch’s scheme to make Fox a fourth network by acquiring stations in six of the top ten markets, lining up affiliated stations, and setting up a programming department, just as the three networks did.
Auletta delves deeply beneath the surface to get to the heart of the matter for television networks. Really, it is the heart of the matter for business. Money.
Auletta frequently writes about the costs of contracts and programming. He shows that programs may be part creativity, part talent, and part instinct. But it is part dollars and cents, too.
Leonard Goldenson
October 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Leader. Visionary. Gentleman.
Leonard Goldenson. The founder of ABC.
In the early years of television, NBC and CBS had glamor, prestige, and history.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
NBC and CBS had marquee A-list talent.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
NBC and CBS had their blueprints for running a television network based on their predecessor radio networks.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
A leader who gained the trust of his business partners, the loyalty of his staff, and the admiration of his competitors.
A visionary who took a struggling, unstable, third-rate television network and shaped, built, and transformed it into a massive media force.
A gentleman who knew everyone’s name in the building, from the executive suite to the janitorial staff.
Leonard Goldenson could see around corners where his competitors could not even see the corners.
But this commentary is not about Leonard Goldenson’s business instincts.
It is not about ABC’s groundbreaking programming during his reign -- Wide World of Sports, Monday Night Football, Roots.
It is not even about television.
It is about one man’s dream to make the world better for those in need.
Leonard Goldenson’s oldest daughter, Genise, was born in 1943 with cerebral palsy. Soon, Leonard and Isabelle Goldenson met Jack and Ethel Hausmann. The Hausmanns faced a similar circumstance.
As he did so often in building ABC into a media colossus, Leonard Goldenson saw opportunity where others saw obstacles. While Leonard Goldenson’s power opened doors to the political, cultural, and business elite, other doors remained closed, unanswered, or slammed in the face.
People were ignorant, cruel, or just plain unknowing about treating the disabled both medically and personally.
The Goldensons and the Hausmanns joined to form United Cerebral Palsy in 1948. They formed the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation in 1955. Because of the framework established by the Goldenson and Hausmann families, researchers developed the first fetal heart monitor, isolated the rubella virus, and took the first steps towards conquering neonatal jaundice.
Behind every great man, there’s a woman. And Isabelle Weinstein Goldenson was no ordinary woman. Concerning the lives of the disabled, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her passion for improving the conditions, treatment, and access regarding disabled people led to new laws that seem simple in retrospect, but revolutionary at the time of their respective creations.
Buses allowing wheelchair access with special steps.
Ramps at crosswalks and public buildings.
Handicapped Only parking spaces.
This commentary does not begin to scratch the surface of the societal contributions of Leonard Goldenson and his wife, nor does it pretend to.
These are just the headlines.
david@davidkrell.com
Leader. Visionary. Gentleman.
Leonard Goldenson. The founder of ABC.
In the early years of television, NBC and CBS had glamor, prestige, and history.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
NBC and CBS had marquee A-list talent.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
NBC and CBS had their blueprints for running a television network based on their predecessor radio networks.
ABC had Leonard Goldenson.
A leader who gained the trust of his business partners, the loyalty of his staff, and the admiration of his competitors.
A visionary who took a struggling, unstable, third-rate television network and shaped, built, and transformed it into a massive media force.
A gentleman who knew everyone’s name in the building, from the executive suite to the janitorial staff.
Leonard Goldenson could see around corners where his competitors could not even see the corners.
But this commentary is not about Leonard Goldenson’s business instincts.
It is not about ABC’s groundbreaking programming during his reign -- Wide World of Sports, Monday Night Football, Roots.
It is not even about television.
It is about one man’s dream to make the world better for those in need.
Leonard Goldenson’s oldest daughter, Genise, was born in 1943 with cerebral palsy. Soon, Leonard and Isabelle Goldenson met Jack and Ethel Hausmann. The Hausmanns faced a similar circumstance.
As he did so often in building ABC into a media colossus, Leonard Goldenson saw opportunity where others saw obstacles. While Leonard Goldenson’s power opened doors to the political, cultural, and business elite, other doors remained closed, unanswered, or slammed in the face.
People were ignorant, cruel, or just plain unknowing about treating the disabled both medically and personally.
The Goldensons and the Hausmanns joined to form United Cerebral Palsy in 1948. They formed the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation in 1955. Because of the framework established by the Goldenson and Hausmann families, researchers developed the first fetal heart monitor, isolated the rubella virus, and took the first steps towards conquering neonatal jaundice.
Behind every great man, there’s a woman. And Isabelle Weinstein Goldenson was no ordinary woman. Concerning the lives of the disabled, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her passion for improving the conditions, treatment, and access regarding disabled people led to new laws that seem simple in retrospect, but revolutionary at the time of their respective creations.
Buses allowing wheelchair access with special steps.
Ramps at crosswalks and public buildings.
Handicapped Only parking spaces.
This commentary does not begin to scratch the surface of the societal contributions of Leonard Goldenson and his wife, nor does it pretend to.
These are just the headlines.
Elvis
October 01, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Elvis.
More than thirty years have passed since he went to rock and roll heaven in 1977.
And just the mere mention of his name opens a lockbox of tremendous memories.
His movements.
His movies.
His portrayals.
Elvis Presley moved on stage like no other performer before him, swiveling his hips to the delight of teenage girls, the jealousy of their boyfriends, and the fright of their parents.
Elvis’ movies may have been formulaic.
Sing a few songs. Charm a few girls. Win the heart of the female lead.
But he surrounded himself with veteran actors who shouldered the load. In lesser hands, the movies would have been unwatchable instead of simply enjoyable.
Angela Lansbury in Blue Hawaii.
Gary Merrill and James Gregory in Clambake.
Gale Gordon and William Schallert in Speedway.
Portrayals of Elvis on television also add to the King’s legacy by interpreting, explaining, and depicting certain aspects of his life.
Okay. So you may not remember some of them. But they deserve a second look, if for no other reason than a sense of completion in looking at Elvis’ career.
We’ve all seen the black and white footage of Elvis dancing and singing Jailhouse Rock in the 1957 movie of the same name, a precursor to the dance videos that would appear during the early days of MTV twenty-five years later.
But did you see Elvis and the Colonel, a 1993 tv-movie starring Rob Youngblood as Elvis and Beau Bridges as Colonel Tom Parker, the manager and mastermind behind a highly significant part of Elvis' career?
How about Elvis and the Beauty Queen, a 1981 tv-movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist as the King's girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and Don Johnson as Elvis? Zimbalist and Johnson made terrific contributions to NBC's revival as a television network powerhouse in the 1980's. She starred in Remington Steele and he made pastels fashionable in Miami Vice.
In 1988, Dale Midkiff portrayed Elvis in Elvis and Me, a four-hour miniseries told from wife Priscilla Presley's point of view. It was based on the book of the same name that Priscilla wrote with Sandra Harmon.
In 2005, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers played Elvis in another four-hour miniseries simply titled Elvis.
Michael St. Gerard filled the shoes of a young Elvis when he played the aspiring King of Rock and Roll on the cusp of breaking into the record business. Elvis was an ABC television series that showed the rarely explored early years of Elvis Presley. The show had a brief run in 1990.
St. Gerard's portrayal was not limited to the small screen, however. He played Elvis in a non-speaking role in the 1988 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire.
But the one that started it all was a two-and-a-half tv-movie that aired on February 11, 1979, just two-and-a-half years after the King's death. Kurt Russell starred in Elvis, a highly anticipated tv-movie. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, Elvis captured the imagination of fans still reeling from the King's death on August 16, 1977. John Carpenter directed Elvis. Coincidentally, Elvis' character in the movie Change of Habit was named John Carpenter.
Kurt Russell actually appeared in one of Elvis' movies. In It Happened at the World's Fair, he kicks Elvis in the shins. But the connection between the two men do not end there. In the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, Kurt Russell plays an Elvis impersonator.
Finally, the 1980's revival of The Twilight Zone gave a twist on Elvis' life, legacy, and allure. In the episode The Once and Future King, an Elvis fanatic and impersonator named Gary has an agent named Sandra. She tells him that she met Elvis during one of his Las Vegas stints when she was 18. After avoiding an accident, Gary somehow travels back in time and meets Elvis in 1954 Memphis. The meeting happens right before Elvis is supposed to record That's All Right, Mama, also known as That's All Right, his initial record.
Elvis believes that Gary is really Jesse Aron Presley or a reincarnation of him. Jesse was Elvis' twin brother who died at birth. When Gary tells Elvis about That's All Right, Mama and the massive success awaiting him, Elvis is simply not interested. He thinks the music that Gary plays is the devil's music. When argument between Gary and Elvis escalates to a violent level, Elvis dies in the fight.
There's only one way out for Gary. Become Elvis. Gary buries him and assumes his identity.
Confession time occurs at the end of the episode set some time during the early 1970's in Las Vegas. Elvis is talking to a groupie. He reveals that he tried to perform the songs and acting roles as closely as he could remember from the original Elvis.
The groupie is Sandra, Gary's agent in his previous life.
The meeting takes place just as she described earlier with Elvis talking for hours and showing signs of paranoia. Only this time, she met with Gary.
Or was it really Elvis?
david@davidkrell.com
Elvis.
More than thirty years have passed since he went to rock and roll heaven in 1977.
And just the mere mention of his name opens a lockbox of tremendous memories.
His movements.
His movies.
His portrayals.
Elvis Presley moved on stage like no other performer before him, swiveling his hips to the delight of teenage girls, the jealousy of their boyfriends, and the fright of their parents.
Elvis’ movies may have been formulaic.
Sing a few songs. Charm a few girls. Win the heart of the female lead.
But he surrounded himself with veteran actors who shouldered the load. In lesser hands, the movies would have been unwatchable instead of simply enjoyable.
Angela Lansbury in Blue Hawaii.
Gary Merrill and James Gregory in Clambake.
Gale Gordon and William Schallert in Speedway.
Portrayals of Elvis on television also add to the King’s legacy by interpreting, explaining, and depicting certain aspects of his life.
Okay. So you may not remember some of them. But they deserve a second look, if for no other reason than a sense of completion in looking at Elvis’ career.
We’ve all seen the black and white footage of Elvis dancing and singing Jailhouse Rock in the 1957 movie of the same name, a precursor to the dance videos that would appear during the early days of MTV twenty-five years later.
But did you see Elvis and the Colonel, a 1993 tv-movie starring Rob Youngblood as Elvis and Beau Bridges as Colonel Tom Parker, the manager and mastermind behind a highly significant part of Elvis' career?
How about Elvis and the Beauty Queen, a 1981 tv-movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist as the King's girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and Don Johnson as Elvis? Zimbalist and Johnson made terrific contributions to NBC's revival as a television network powerhouse in the 1980's. She starred in Remington Steele and he made pastels fashionable in Miami Vice.
In 1988, Dale Midkiff portrayed Elvis in Elvis and Me, a four-hour miniseries told from wife Priscilla Presley's point of view. It was based on the book of the same name that Priscilla wrote with Sandra Harmon.
In 2005, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers played Elvis in another four-hour miniseries simply titled Elvis.
Michael St. Gerard filled the shoes of a young Elvis when he played the aspiring King of Rock and Roll on the cusp of breaking into the record business. Elvis was an ABC television series that showed the rarely explored early years of Elvis Presley. The show had a brief run in 1990.
St. Gerard's portrayal was not limited to the small screen, however. He played Elvis in a non-speaking role in the 1988 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire.
But the one that started it all was a two-and-a-half tv-movie that aired on February 11, 1979, just two-and-a-half years after the King's death. Kurt Russell starred in Elvis, a highly anticipated tv-movie. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, Elvis captured the imagination of fans still reeling from the King's death on August 16, 1977. John Carpenter directed Elvis. Coincidentally, Elvis' character in the movie Change of Habit was named John Carpenter.
Kurt Russell actually appeared in one of Elvis' movies. In It Happened at the World's Fair, he kicks Elvis in the shins. But the connection between the two men do not end there. In the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, Kurt Russell plays an Elvis impersonator.
Finally, the 1980's revival of The Twilight Zone gave a twist on Elvis' life, legacy, and allure. In the episode The Once and Future King, an Elvis fanatic and impersonator named Gary has an agent named Sandra. She tells him that she met Elvis during one of his Las Vegas stints when she was 18. After avoiding an accident, Gary somehow travels back in time and meets Elvis in 1954 Memphis. The meeting happens right before Elvis is supposed to record That's All Right, Mama, also known as That's All Right, his initial record.
Elvis believes that Gary is really Jesse Aron Presley or a reincarnation of him. Jesse was Elvis' twin brother who died at birth. When Gary tells Elvis about That's All Right, Mama and the massive success awaiting him, Elvis is simply not interested. He thinks the music that Gary plays is the devil's music. When argument between Gary and Elvis escalates to a violent level, Elvis dies in the fight.
There's only one way out for Gary. Become Elvis. Gary buries him and assumes his identity.
Confession time occurs at the end of the episode set some time during the early 1970's in Las Vegas. Elvis is talking to a groupie. He reveals that he tried to perform the songs and acting roles as closely as he could remember from the original Elvis.
The groupie is Sandra, Gary's agent in his previous life.
The meeting takes place just as she described earlier with Elvis talking for hours and showing signs of paranoia. Only this time, she met with Gary.
Or was it really Elvis?
Michael Jackson
June 25, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980's, three revolutions took place in the entertainment industry.
Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll changed a major production techniques of television drama with their show Hill Street Blues. They favored story arcs instead of self-contained episodes. Producers continued that technique with Hall of Fame television dramas -- St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The Shield, The Sopranos, and Rescue Me.
Television networks went the conglomerate route. Loews, GE, and Capital Cities took over Network Row as they incorporated CBS, NBC, and ABC respectively into their massive corporate families. Gone were the days of network chiefs like William Paley, David Sarnoff, and Leonard Goldenson being synonymous with the networks they founded.
And Michael Jackson, for all intents and purposes, made the marriage of music and television complete with his numerous music video plays on MTV. Before he danced on a car and made a mockery of court proceedings concerning child molestation allegations, before he underwent massive plastic surgery that drastically altered his appearance, and before his deep money troubles, Michael Jackson had it all -- fame, money, adoration of fans.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller gave him terrific fodder for music videos. He defined the genre by creating visual stories to match the songs. He set the bar higher for bands and singers who wanted rotation on MTV. And he formed the center for USA For Africa's We Are the World in 1985 by singing the first chorus. Forty-five singers comprised an inspirational unit to sing this song that raised money for Ethiopian famine sufferers, but Michael Jackson was arguably a keystone to the song's success.
It all happened back in the day described eloquently by Bowling For Soup in its song 1985: Way before Nirvana, there was U2 and Blondie and music still on MTV.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1980's, three revolutions took place in the entertainment industry.
Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll changed a major production techniques of television drama with their show Hill Street Blues. They favored story arcs instead of self-contained episodes. Producers continued that technique with Hall of Fame television dramas -- St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, thirtysomething, ER, The Shield, The Sopranos, and Rescue Me.
Television networks went the conglomerate route. Loews, GE, and Capital Cities took over Network Row as they incorporated CBS, NBC, and ABC respectively into their massive corporate families. Gone were the days of network chiefs like William Paley, David Sarnoff, and Leonard Goldenson being synonymous with the networks they founded.
And Michael Jackson, for all intents and purposes, made the marriage of music and television complete with his numerous music video plays on MTV. Before he danced on a car and made a mockery of court proceedings concerning child molestation allegations, before he underwent massive plastic surgery that drastically altered his appearance, and before his deep money troubles, Michael Jackson had it all -- fame, money, adoration of fans.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller gave him terrific fodder for music videos. He defined the genre by creating visual stories to match the songs. He set the bar higher for bands and singers who wanted rotation on MTV. And he formed the center for USA For Africa's We Are the World in 1985 by singing the first chorus. Forty-five singers comprised an inspirational unit to sing this song that raised money for Ethiopian famine sufferers, but Michael Jackson was arguably a keystone to the song's success.
It all happened back in the day described eloquently by Bowling For Soup in its song 1985: Way before Nirvana, there was U2 and Blondie and music still on MTV.
Heaven Has One More Angel Tonight
June 25, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
And so a piece of my childhood is gone.
Farrah Fawcett died today after a battle with cancer.
She may have started her career as an All-American Girl with the 100,000 watt smile, luscious hair, and toothy smile.
She may have gained household name status when Charlie's Angels debuted in 1976 and became an instant hit television show on ABC.
She may have entered sex symbol superstardom because of an iconic pose in a red bathing suit. Posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise with Farrah's famous image belonged to every prepubescent and teenage boy in America. I still have an oversize button.
But she showed us the depths of her acting ability with her portrayals of victims in the 1980's.
In the play and film Extremities, she plays a would-be rape victim who turns the tables on her stalker. In the tv-movie The Burning Bed, based on the non-fiction book by Faith McNulty, she plays an abused Michigan housewife who kills her husband because she burns their house down while he is asleep.
Farrah Fawcett's name, talent, and career courage allowed her to take on roles in highly volatile stories. Her deeply touching, inspiring, and haunting portrayals increased our awareness of issues that would make the toughest among us weep.
Heaven has one more angel tonight.
david@davidkrell.com
And so a piece of my childhood is gone.
Farrah Fawcett died today after a battle with cancer.
She may have started her career as an All-American Girl with the 100,000 watt smile, luscious hair, and toothy smile.
She may have gained household name status when Charlie's Angels debuted in 1976 and became an instant hit television show on ABC.
She may have entered sex symbol superstardom because of an iconic pose in a red bathing suit. Posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise with Farrah's famous image belonged to every prepubescent and teenage boy in America. I still have an oversize button.
But she showed us the depths of her acting ability with her portrayals of victims in the 1980's.
In the play and film Extremities, she plays a would-be rape victim who turns the tables on her stalker. In the tv-movie The Burning Bed, based on the non-fiction book by Faith McNulty, she plays an abused Michigan housewife who kills her husband because she burns their house down while he is asleep.
Farrah Fawcett's name, talent, and career courage allowed her to take on roles in highly volatile stories. Her deeply touching, inspiring, and haunting portrayals increased our awareness of issues that would make the toughest among us weep.
Heaven has one more angel tonight.
Cesar Romero
June 16, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Heath Ledger's chilling, sinister, and violent portrayal of the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture and a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ledger continued the standard of excellence in portraying the character.
Jack Nicholson owned the role in 1989's Batman.
And Cesar Romero owned it in the 1960's camp version of the Batman franchise on ABC's Batman.
With his maniacal laugh, wide smile, and refusal to shave his mustache, Cesar Romero lit up the screen when he was the Special Guest Villain. White makeup somewhat covered up the mustache, but we could still see it. It added to the character's bizarre qualities.
But Cesar Romero did much more than embody the Joker, the character with the most guest appearances on Batman.
He was a serious dramatic actor with credits forming a terrific body of work, including the movie The Thin Man. He plays a villain opposite William Powell.
And he plays Duke Santos, a highly significant role in the 1960 Rat Pack movie Ocean's 11.
Santos is the fiancé of the mother of Jimmy Foster, played by Peter Lawford.
Santos is also a reformed gangster who figures out that Foster and his buddies pulled a New Year's Eve heist on five Las Vegas casinos. He becomes a thorn in their side as he pledges to the casino owners that he will get the money returned, provided he gets a percentage.
Besides Batman, Romero guest starred on several iconic television programs.
In an episode from the 1960's spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., he plays the head of U.N.C.L.E.'s rival spy agency T.H.R.U.S.H.
He played Gilberto, Chico's absentee father, in the Chico and the Man episode Chico's Padre.
He also guest starred on The Golden Girls, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Magnum p.i., The Love Boat, and Ironside.
In addition, Romero had recurring roles on Alias Smith and Jones and in Disney's Medfield College starring Kurt Russell.
He also played Peter Stavros for a few seasons of the 1980's CBS nighttime soap opera Falcon Crest.
But for baby boomers who saw the original 1960's television show Batman in its initial run and the Generation Xers who saw it in reruns, Romero's defining role is the Dark Knight's greatest villain -- the Joker.
david@davidkrell.com
Heath Ledger's chilling, sinister, and violent portrayal of the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture and a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ledger continued the standard of excellence in portraying the character.
Jack Nicholson owned the role in 1989's Batman.
And Cesar Romero owned it in the 1960's camp version of the Batman franchise on ABC's Batman.
With his maniacal laugh, wide smile, and refusal to shave his mustache, Cesar Romero lit up the screen when he was the Special Guest Villain. White makeup somewhat covered up the mustache, but we could still see it. It added to the character's bizarre qualities.
But Cesar Romero did much more than embody the Joker, the character with the most guest appearances on Batman.
He was a serious dramatic actor with credits forming a terrific body of work, including the movie The Thin Man. He plays a villain opposite William Powell.
And he plays Duke Santos, a highly significant role in the 1960 Rat Pack movie Ocean's 11.
Santos is the fiancé of the mother of Jimmy Foster, played by Peter Lawford.
Santos is also a reformed gangster who figures out that Foster and his buddies pulled a New Year's Eve heist on five Las Vegas casinos. He becomes a thorn in their side as he pledges to the casino owners that he will get the money returned, provided he gets a percentage.
Besides Batman, Romero guest starred on several iconic television programs.
In an episode from the 1960's spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., he plays the head of U.N.C.L.E.'s rival spy agency T.H.R.U.S.H.
He played Gilberto, Chico's absentee father, in the Chico and the Man episode Chico's Padre.
He also guest starred on The Golden Girls, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Magnum p.i., The Love Boat, and Ironside.
In addition, Romero had recurring roles on Alias Smith and Jones and in Disney's Medfield College starring Kurt Russell.
He also played Peter Stavros for a few seasons of the 1980's CBS nighttime soap opera Falcon Crest.
But for baby boomers who saw the original 1960's television show Batman in its initial run and the Generation Xers who saw it in reruns, Romero's defining role is the Dark Knight's greatest villain -- the Joker.
The Odd Couple - Guest Stars
June 15, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
During the broadcast history of The Odd Couple on ABC from 1970-75, we saw many celebrities play themselves interacting with Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, the famous sports writer for The New York Herald and the photographer with portraits a specialty, respectively.
Game show hosts were a constant presence.
Felix and Oscar went on Password and met host Allen Ludden and his wife, Betty White.
Richard Dawson played himself as a talk show host before his iconic role as the host of Family Feud. At the time, Dawson was known for his appearances on Match Game and Masquerade Party.
The consummate deal maker also guest starred on The Odd Couple. No, not a young Donald Trump. Monty Hall, the host of Let's Make A Deal, appeared as Oscar's pal from college. Oscar and Felix tried to win on Let's Make A Deal dressed as a horse.
Tennis great Bobby Riggs played himself and constantly battled old friend Oscar with bets about simple things. For example, Riggs bet that Oscar couldn't type his own name in less than ten seconds. Oscar lost the bet because he typed Oscar Madisoy.
The episode with Riggs captures his rivalry with Billie Jean King, his opponent during the Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973.
Riggs and King revive the rivalry in a ping-pong match. It's fun to watch because you see how much fun Riggs and King are having.
Bob Hope had a cameo in an episode as did Dick Clark and Wolfman Jack. 1970's child star Rodney Allen Rippy had a cameo as the owner of the building where Felix and Oscar live. His reason for ownership -- tax shelter.
David Steinberg, a wry comedian popular during the 1960's and 1970's, played himself in one episode.
Steinberg evolved into a well-known director of television comedies -- Curb Your Enthusiasm, Designing Women, Mad About You.
No list of guest stars would be complete without Howard Cosell.
Cosell was a natural foil for Oscar Madison in his two guest appearances on the episodes Big Mouth and Your Mother Wears Army Boots.
The sportscaster versus the sports writer story line provided a cross-branding for ABC. Arguably, Cosell was the most recognizable person on ABC in the 1970's. ABC aired The Odd Couple.
In Big Mouth, Felix gives unsolicited advice to Cosell about his nasal twang. Felix believes the source to be similar to the triggers of his allergies or sinus problems.
Cosell confidently responds, That nasal twang is the most identifiable voice in all of broadcasting.
He also calls Felix "an inane drone." When Oscar asks Felix to explain the term, Felix searches for a meaning and says that it's "a dull bee." Oscar agrees.
Roone Arledge appears with Cosell in Your Mother Wears Army Boots, another natural fit as Arledge headed ABC Sports. He later ran ABC News.
david@davidkrell.com
During the broadcast history of The Odd Couple on ABC from 1970-75, we saw many celebrities play themselves interacting with Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, the famous sports writer for The New York Herald and the photographer with portraits a specialty, respectively.
Game show hosts were a constant presence.
Felix and Oscar went on Password and met host Allen Ludden and his wife, Betty White.
Richard Dawson played himself as a talk show host before his iconic role as the host of Family Feud. At the time, Dawson was known for his appearances on Match Game and Masquerade Party.
The consummate deal maker also guest starred on The Odd Couple. No, not a young Donald Trump. Monty Hall, the host of Let's Make A Deal, appeared as Oscar's pal from college. Oscar and Felix tried to win on Let's Make A Deal dressed as a horse.
Tennis great Bobby Riggs played himself and constantly battled old friend Oscar with bets about simple things. For example, Riggs bet that Oscar couldn't type his own name in less than ten seconds. Oscar lost the bet because he typed Oscar Madisoy.
The episode with Riggs captures his rivalry with Billie Jean King, his opponent during the Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973.
Riggs and King revive the rivalry in a ping-pong match. It's fun to watch because you see how much fun Riggs and King are having.
Bob Hope had a cameo in an episode as did Dick Clark and Wolfman Jack. 1970's child star Rodney Allen Rippy had a cameo as the owner of the building where Felix and Oscar live. His reason for ownership -- tax shelter.
David Steinberg, a wry comedian popular during the 1960's and 1970's, played himself in one episode.
Steinberg evolved into a well-known director of television comedies -- Curb Your Enthusiasm, Designing Women, Mad About You.
No list of guest stars would be complete without Howard Cosell.
Cosell was a natural foil for Oscar Madison in his two guest appearances on the episodes Big Mouth and Your Mother Wears Army Boots.
The sportscaster versus the sports writer story line provided a cross-branding for ABC. Arguably, Cosell was the most recognizable person on ABC in the 1970's. ABC aired The Odd Couple.
In Big Mouth, Felix gives unsolicited advice to Cosell about his nasal twang. Felix believes the source to be similar to the triggers of his allergies or sinus problems.
Cosell confidently responds, That nasal twang is the most identifiable voice in all of broadcasting.
He also calls Felix "an inane drone." When Oscar asks Felix to explain the term, Felix searches for a meaning and says that it's "a dull bee." Oscar agrees.
Roone Arledge appears with Cosell in Your Mother Wears Army Boots, another natural fit as Arledge headed ABC Sports. He later ran ABC News.
Get Smart
June 04, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
For those who missed it by "that much," the 2008 film Get Smart comes to cable television this summer.
Perfect casting -- Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as the Chief.
The roots of Get Smart date back four decades when it parodied the spy genre in 1960's television. The show countered more serious offerings -- The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Saint.
Created by comedy giants Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart gave America a humorous view of the espionage world.
Don Adams masters the role of Maxwell Smart, a well-meaning, sometimes befuddled, and gadget-dependent spy for C.O.N.T.R.O.L.
Sexy sidekick Barbara Feldon plays Agent 99, always ready to steer Max back on track after a mishap.
Feldon plays a send-up of her spy actress position in the Mad About You episode The Spy Who Loved Me. Feldon's Diane Caldwell is a somewhat airy actress whose high career point was Spy Girl, a 1960's television series.
Once the object of boyhood fantasies for cousins Ira and Paul, she becomes the reality for adult Ira. But one night of fantasy realized with a bubble-headed actress does not go further as Caldwell dispassionately dismisses any thought of a future with Ira.
Edward Platt plays the Chief on Get Smart. The boss of Max and 99 never loses faith in his espionage duo.
Dick Gautier plays Hymie the Robot.
David Ketchum plays Agent 13.
And Bernie Kopell plays Siegfried, a nemesis of Max and Agent 99 from rival agency K.A.O.S.
Get Smart begins each episode with an ominous sounding brass theme and Max pulling up to C.O.N.T.R.O.L. Headquarters in a sports car. Max must go through an elaborate set of doors to get to his ultimate destination, presumably a meeting with the Chief.
Probably the most recognizable props of Get Smart are Max's shoe phone and the constantly malfunctioning Cone of Silence.
Get Smart inspired the 1980 farce The Nude Bomb, a film that sums up the plot in its title. The bomb at the heart of the film has the capability to remove people's clothing.
In 1989, Adams and Feldon returned to their signature roles in Get Smart Again, a tv-movie. Just a few years later in 1995, Get Smart returned as a television series for a post-Cold War incarnation. Andy Dick plays the son of the now long-married spy couple. Max and 99 also have daughter. Like her mother, she does not have a name.
Get Smart holds a tremendous distinction in the annals of television. Its versions have appeared on four major networks.
The original 1960's series first aired on NBC and then switched to CBS. Get Smart Again aired on ABC and the 1995 version of Get Smart aired on FOX.
Echoes of The Brady Bunch.
The original Brady Bunch show aired on ABC as did The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
The Brady Brides, an early 1980's sitcom aired on NBC as did its progenitor the tv-movie The Brady Girls Get Married.
The 1988 tv-movie A Very Brady Christmas aired on CBS. And the more somber drama series The Bradys followed suit a couple of years later.
The 2002 tv-movie The Brady Bunch in the White House aired on FOX.
But these nostalgic icons are not the only shows to achieve the feat of four incarnations on four television networks.
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet aired in the 1950's on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Dumont.
david@davidkrell.com
For those who missed it by "that much," the 2008 film Get Smart comes to cable television this summer.
Perfect casting -- Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as the Chief.
The roots of Get Smart date back four decades when it parodied the spy genre in 1960's television. The show countered more serious offerings -- The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Saint.
Created by comedy giants Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart gave America a humorous view of the espionage world.
Don Adams masters the role of Maxwell Smart, a well-meaning, sometimes befuddled, and gadget-dependent spy for C.O.N.T.R.O.L.
Sexy sidekick Barbara Feldon plays Agent 99, always ready to steer Max back on track after a mishap.
Feldon plays a send-up of her spy actress position in the Mad About You episode The Spy Who Loved Me. Feldon's Diane Caldwell is a somewhat airy actress whose high career point was Spy Girl, a 1960's television series.
Once the object of boyhood fantasies for cousins Ira and Paul, she becomes the reality for adult Ira. But one night of fantasy realized with a bubble-headed actress does not go further as Caldwell dispassionately dismisses any thought of a future with Ira.
Edward Platt plays the Chief on Get Smart. The boss of Max and 99 never loses faith in his espionage duo.
Dick Gautier plays Hymie the Robot.
David Ketchum plays Agent 13.
And Bernie Kopell plays Siegfried, a nemesis of Max and Agent 99 from rival agency K.A.O.S.
Get Smart begins each episode with an ominous sounding brass theme and Max pulling up to C.O.N.T.R.O.L. Headquarters in a sports car. Max must go through an elaborate set of doors to get to his ultimate destination, presumably a meeting with the Chief.
Probably the most recognizable props of Get Smart are Max's shoe phone and the constantly malfunctioning Cone of Silence.
Get Smart inspired the 1980 farce The Nude Bomb, a film that sums up the plot in its title. The bomb at the heart of the film has the capability to remove people's clothing.
In 1989, Adams and Feldon returned to their signature roles in Get Smart Again, a tv-movie. Just a few years later in 1995, Get Smart returned as a television series for a post-Cold War incarnation. Andy Dick plays the son of the now long-married spy couple. Max and 99 also have daughter. Like her mother, she does not have a name.
Get Smart holds a tremendous distinction in the annals of television. Its versions have appeared on four major networks.
The original 1960's series first aired on NBC and then switched to CBS. Get Smart Again aired on ABC and the 1995 version of Get Smart aired on FOX.
Echoes of The Brady Bunch.
The original Brady Bunch show aired on ABC as did The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
The Brady Brides, an early 1980's sitcom aired on NBC as did its progenitor the tv-movie The Brady Girls Get Married.
The 1988 tv-movie A Very Brady Christmas aired on CBS. And the more somber drama series The Bradys followed suit a couple of years later.
The 2002 tv-movie The Brady Bunch in the White House aired on FOX.
But these nostalgic icons are not the only shows to achieve the feat of four incarnations on four television networks.
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet aired in the 1950's on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Dumont.
John Stamos
May 28, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
John Stamos has a deep television resume indicative of an actor destined for television icon status enjoyed by the likes of Robert Urich and Tony Danza.
Starting in daytime television, Stamos earned his heartthrob stripes in the early 1980's as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital.
In 1984, Stamos tackled prime time with Dreams, a short-lived CBS show about a rock and roll group trying to get its big break.
Later in the Reagan decade, Stamos partnered with veteran television actor Jack Klugman in You Again?, an NBC sitcom about a teenager who moves into his father's home after a long estrangement.
You Again? lasted one season.
The third prime time's a charm.
Stamos struck gold with Full House, an ABC sitcom that served as an anchor for the alphabet network's TGIF lineup.
The three father figures on Full House present distinct personalities. Bob Saget plays Danny Tanner, the actual father of the three daughters on the show.
Danny is the practical one.
Dave Coulier plays Joey Gladstone.
Joey is the childlike one.
Stamos plays Uncle Jesse.
Jesse is the creative one. Following his musical background, Stamos infused his character with a musical bent.
Full House lasted eight years, from 1987 to 1995.
Stamos' post-Full House television work includes the short-lived 2001 entry Thieves and Jake In Progress, a one hour drama with strong comedy elements that debuted in 2005.
Jake In Progress stars Stamos in the title role as a successful New York City publicist who reexamines his approach to women, that is to say, his womanizing.
Even a terrific supporting cast did not provide enough fuel to let Jake progress on his journey of finding his other half, his soulmate, his counterpart. Wendie Malick of Just Shoot Me and Dream On plays Stamos' boss.
After a guest spot on Friends in 2003, Stamos joined the cast of NBC's long-running drama ER as Tony Gates, Initially a recurring character, Gates became a fixture at Cook County General Hospital. Initially a paramedic, Gates became a doctor.
Stamos also appears in the 2007 HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. He joins a roster of legendary interviewees, including the Smothers Brothers, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Martin Scorsese, Regis Philbin, Jay Leno, Debbie Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Carl Reiner.
Stamos talks kindly about Rickles' impact on younger entertainers. He expands his comments to include others of Rickles' generation.
In a separate interview, Stamos' Full House co-star Bob Saget also appears on the documentary. And the two separately square off with some choice comments about each other. In essence, Saget claims that Stamos simply kisses the ring of Rickles, to put the phrase euphemestically.
John Stamos has a resume that is synonymous with television. One major hit in the form of Full House has not made him a one-hit wonder. Although his characters don't always know how to go about doing the right thing, they always want to do the right thing. They try. Which is just about all you can ask for.
david@davidkrell.com
John Stamos has a deep television resume indicative of an actor destined for television icon status enjoyed by the likes of Robert Urich and Tony Danza.
Starting in daytime television, Stamos earned his heartthrob stripes in the early 1980's as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital.
In 1984, Stamos tackled prime time with Dreams, a short-lived CBS show about a rock and roll group trying to get its big break.
Later in the Reagan decade, Stamos partnered with veteran television actor Jack Klugman in You Again?, an NBC sitcom about a teenager who moves into his father's home after a long estrangement.
You Again? lasted one season.
The third prime time's a charm.
Stamos struck gold with Full House, an ABC sitcom that served as an anchor for the alphabet network's TGIF lineup.
The three father figures on Full House present distinct personalities. Bob Saget plays Danny Tanner, the actual father of the three daughters on the show.
Danny is the practical one.
Dave Coulier plays Joey Gladstone.
Joey is the childlike one.
Stamos plays Uncle Jesse.
Jesse is the creative one. Following his musical background, Stamos infused his character with a musical bent.
Full House lasted eight years, from 1987 to 1995.
Stamos' post-Full House television work includes the short-lived 2001 entry Thieves and Jake In Progress, a one hour drama with strong comedy elements that debuted in 2005.
Jake In Progress stars Stamos in the title role as a successful New York City publicist who reexamines his approach to women, that is to say, his womanizing.
Even a terrific supporting cast did not provide enough fuel to let Jake progress on his journey of finding his other half, his soulmate, his counterpart. Wendie Malick of Just Shoot Me and Dream On plays Stamos' boss.
After a guest spot on Friends in 2003, Stamos joined the cast of NBC's long-running drama ER as Tony Gates, Initially a recurring character, Gates became a fixture at Cook County General Hospital. Initially a paramedic, Gates became a doctor.
Stamos also appears in the 2007 HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. He joins a roster of legendary interviewees, including the Smothers Brothers, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Martin Scorsese, Regis Philbin, Jay Leno, Debbie Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Carl Reiner.
Stamos talks kindly about Rickles' impact on younger entertainers. He expands his comments to include others of Rickles' generation.
In a separate interview, Stamos' Full House co-star Bob Saget also appears on the documentary. And the two separately square off with some choice comments about each other. In essence, Saget claims that Stamos simply kisses the ring of Rickles, to put the phrase euphemestically.
John Stamos has a resume that is synonymous with television. One major hit in the form of Full House has not made him a one-hit wonder. Although his characters don't always know how to go about doing the right thing, they always want to do the right thing. They try. Which is just about all you can ask for.
Our Family Honor
April 13, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Before The Sopranos, ABC tackled the challenge of depicting a mob family.
In 1985, the network debuted Our Family Honor. Ultimately short-lived, the show presented the Danzigs, a New York City mob family, and the McKay family, a blue-blooded New York City clan.
Blue-blooded as in New York City police blue. The McKay family is headed by Commissioner Patrick McKay. His nemesis is mob boss Vincent Danzig, played by Eli Wallach.
Our Family Honor may not have lasted a long time, but it enjoys a rich and deep roster of actors with credits perhaps more noticeable.
Before audiences discovered him in Goodfellas, Ray Liotta played Officer Ed Santini.
Tom Mason played one of the McKay children, a year before his role in Jack and Mike, an ABC show about a yuppie couple where he starred opposite Shelley Hack.
Michael Madsen played one of the Danzig children. He found more significant roles in Thelma & Louise, The Natural, Donnie Brasco, Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Species, and Kill Bill.
Of course, Eli Wallach is part of Hollywood’s historical A-list of actors. From Here To Eternity, The Misfits, Nuts, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and The Deep. Wallach revisited a mob godfather role in The Godfather III where he played Don Altobello, a friend of Michael Corleone’s who turned out to be a foe.
Additionally, Michael Woods played another Danzig child who wanted out of the family business. Woods starred in two other short-lived series deserving of better chances than they received.
The film noirish 1950’s setting of Los Angeles didn’t draw viewers to NBC’s Private Eye starring Woods and a young Josh Brolin in the late 1980’s.
In 1990, ABC tried an ensemble drama set in a Washington, D.C. newspaper office with Capital News. Despite a talented cast including William Russ, Lloyd Bridges, and Woods, the show only lasted a few weeks.
Sheree J. Wilson belonged to the Danzig clan in Our Family Honor. She found later fame on the long-lasting series Walker, Texas Ranger as Assistant District Attorney Alex Cahill.
Our Family Honor certainly won’t make the cut for successful ABC shows of the 1980’s, like Spenser: For Hire, Moonlighting, or thirtysomething.
But the show did have a good cast of veteran actors and actresses, and those who hadn’t quite made their mark yet.
Our Family Honor certainly used elements familiar to drama, including a romantic Romeo & Juliet angle between a Danzig man and McKay woman. We’ve seen similar plot lines on Dallas.
And Our Family Honor certainly won’t be easily remembered, even by the most hardcore of television buffs.
But Our Family Honor made an honorable, valiant, and laudatory effort. And the cast it gave us deserves a mention in the annals of television history.
After all, not every show survives cancellation during or after its first year. But that doesn’t mean the show wasn’t a good product.
In retrospect, a television show with this kind of powerful cast probably deserved a second look.
Well, if it ever comes out on DVD, give Our Family Honor a chance, if for no other reason than the cast.
david@davidkrell.com
Before The Sopranos, ABC tackled the challenge of depicting a mob family.
In 1985, the network debuted Our Family Honor. Ultimately short-lived, the show presented the Danzigs, a New York City mob family, and the McKay family, a blue-blooded New York City clan.
Blue-blooded as in New York City police blue. The McKay family is headed by Commissioner Patrick McKay. His nemesis is mob boss Vincent Danzig, played by Eli Wallach.
Our Family Honor may not have lasted a long time, but it enjoys a rich and deep roster of actors with credits perhaps more noticeable.
Before audiences discovered him in Goodfellas, Ray Liotta played Officer Ed Santini.
Tom Mason played one of the McKay children, a year before his role in Jack and Mike, an ABC show about a yuppie couple where he starred opposite Shelley Hack.
Michael Madsen played one of the Danzig children. He found more significant roles in Thelma & Louise, The Natural, Donnie Brasco, Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Species, and Kill Bill.
Of course, Eli Wallach is part of Hollywood’s historical A-list of actors. From Here To Eternity, The Misfits, Nuts, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and The Deep. Wallach revisited a mob godfather role in The Godfather III where he played Don Altobello, a friend of Michael Corleone’s who turned out to be a foe.
Additionally, Michael Woods played another Danzig child who wanted out of the family business. Woods starred in two other short-lived series deserving of better chances than they received.
The film noirish 1950’s setting of Los Angeles didn’t draw viewers to NBC’s Private Eye starring Woods and a young Josh Brolin in the late 1980’s.
In 1990, ABC tried an ensemble drama set in a Washington, D.C. newspaper office with Capital News. Despite a talented cast including William Russ, Lloyd Bridges, and Woods, the show only lasted a few weeks.
Sheree J. Wilson belonged to the Danzig clan in Our Family Honor. She found later fame on the long-lasting series Walker, Texas Ranger as Assistant District Attorney Alex Cahill.
Our Family Honor certainly won’t make the cut for successful ABC shows of the 1980’s, like Spenser: For Hire, Moonlighting, or thirtysomething.
But the show did have a good cast of veteran actors and actresses, and those who hadn’t quite made their mark yet.
Our Family Honor certainly used elements familiar to drama, including a romantic Romeo & Juliet angle between a Danzig man and McKay woman. We’ve seen similar plot lines on Dallas.
And Our Family Honor certainly won’t be easily remembered, even by the most hardcore of television buffs.
But Our Family Honor made an honorable, valiant, and laudatory effort. And the cast it gave us deserves a mention in the annals of television history.
After all, not every show survives cancellation during or after its first year. But that doesn’t mean the show wasn’t a good product.
In retrospect, a television show with this kind of powerful cast probably deserved a second look.
Well, if it ever comes out on DVD, give Our Family Honor a chance, if for no other reason than the cast.
Batman & Green Hornet
April 12, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the superhero multiverse, Batman and the Green Hornet parallel each other.
First, they’re not really superheroes. As mortals, they rely on cunning, logic, and detective work to solve crimes.
With a little help from younger sidekicks of course. Robin and Kato.
Second, their alter egos of Bruce Wayne and Britt Reid enjoy extreme wealth thanks to family fortune. The Reid fortune is based on a silver mine once owned by Britt Reid’s great-uncle, also known as the Lone Ranger!
The Wayne portfolio grew from the success of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Dr. and Mrs. Wayne.
Wealth allows Britt and Bruce to buy or invent high-tech gadgets, weapons, and cars. The Black Beauty for Mr. Reid. And the Batmobile for Mr. Wayne.
Third, Batman and the Green Hornet had 1960s television series built around their characters.
Batman had several elements unique to it.
Visual. Batman had a pop art look and reinforced the character’s visual roots in the comic book medium.
Cameos. Batman had a different celebrity open a window while the Dynamic Duo scaled a building. Dick Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr
Story structure. Batman used a formula in its two-part stories. The first part would end with a cliffhanger and the narrator teasing the audience to tune in tomorrow…same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Ed Robertson examined the formula in a two-part article for the Batman Television Series Fan Club Newsletter. Holy Simulacrum, Batman, Part One appeared in Volume 2, Number 3 in 1990 and Part Two appeared in Volume 3, Number 1 in 1991.
The Green Hornet, however, functioned primarily as a straightforward detective show.
Updated for the 1960’s, Britt Reid owned a television station, DSTV, in addition to The Daily Sentinel newspaper.
Reid’s wealth, status, and power allowed him to investigate crimes without arousing suspicion, later busting criminals as the Green Hornet.
After Batman debuted to great success in January of 1966, William Dozier capitalized on the Caped Crusader’s popularity by also producing The Green Hornet. The show debuted on Friday, September 9, 1966 at 7:30pm on ABC.
The scheduling was logical because Batman occupied the same time slot on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Because it was straight rather than camp, The Green Hornet lacked the quirkiness, novelty, and appeal of Batman. No accident, this creative decision.
Van Williams played Britt Reid and he wanted to play a character, not a caricature.
On the public access show Welcome To Hal-Land in the early 1990s, Van Williams paid tribute to the Green Hornet’s beginnings on radio in the 1930’s.
He said, I told Dozier before I ever did the show, it was going to be straight. It wasn’t going to be the whip-wham-bam-zam that they did with the other thing. The Green Hornet was a successful radio show. We really had to follow that format.
Like its radio version, The Green Hornet villains were based in political corruption, graft, and business.
No outrageous costumed villains like the Riddler, the Joker, or the Penguin.
No seductresses like Catwoman or Siren.
No funny names like Louie the Lilac or Bookworm.
Just good, old-fashioned hero vs. bad guys stuff.
The detective genre utilized in The Green Hornet was familiar, whereas Batman offered something different, to say the least.
In addition, Batman used current pop culture elements. Hard to imagine the Green Hornet surfing or parodying the latest dance craze.
Perhaps the Batman / Green Hornet crossover best illustrates the difference between the two programs. In the Batman episodes A Piece of the Action and Batman’s Satisfaction, the Green Hornet and Kato visit Gotham City to apprehend Colonel Gumm, a goal shared by Batman and Robin.
For story purposes, the character crossover seemed plausible as the Green Hornet and Kato added a touch of ‘urban realism’ to the quaint metropolis Gotham City. If the reverse happened, would Batman and Robin have seemed plausible in the Green Hornet’s domain, a tough metropolis, or just plain silly?
Of course, Bruce Lee played Kato just a few years before he skyrocketed to worldwide fame as a martial arts master.
Legend dictates that Bruce Lee ordered a fight scene between Kato and Robin be rewritten. Apparently, he didn’t agree with the original outcome: Bruce Wayne’s ward defeating Britt Reid’s valet.
Ultimately, the writers negotiated a fight ending in a draw. And therein lies a telling tale about the difference between Batman and The Green Hornet.
Only in the surreal world of Batman, could one entertain the possibility, the mere fleeting thought, that Bruce Lee would encounter any difficulty in defeating the Boy Wonder.
david@davidkrell.com
In the superhero multiverse, Batman and the Green Hornet parallel each other.
First, they’re not really superheroes. As mortals, they rely on cunning, logic, and detective work to solve crimes.
With a little help from younger sidekicks of course. Robin and Kato.
Second, their alter egos of Bruce Wayne and Britt Reid enjoy extreme wealth thanks to family fortune. The Reid fortune is based on a silver mine once owned by Britt Reid’s great-uncle, also known as the Lone Ranger!
The Wayne portfolio grew from the success of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Dr. and Mrs. Wayne.
Wealth allows Britt and Bruce to buy or invent high-tech gadgets, weapons, and cars. The Black Beauty for Mr. Reid. And the Batmobile for Mr. Wayne.
Third, Batman and the Green Hornet had 1960s television series built around their characters.
Batman had several elements unique to it.
Visual. Batman had a pop art look and reinforced the character’s visual roots in the comic book medium.
Cameos. Batman had a different celebrity open a window while the Dynamic Duo scaled a building. Dick Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr
Story structure. Batman used a formula in its two-part stories. The first part would end with a cliffhanger and the narrator teasing the audience to tune in tomorrow…same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Ed Robertson examined the formula in a two-part article for the Batman Television Series Fan Club Newsletter. Holy Simulacrum, Batman, Part One appeared in Volume 2, Number 3 in 1990 and Part Two appeared in Volume 3, Number 1 in 1991.
The Green Hornet, however, functioned primarily as a straightforward detective show.
Updated for the 1960’s, Britt Reid owned a television station, DSTV, in addition to The Daily Sentinel newspaper.
Reid’s wealth, status, and power allowed him to investigate crimes without arousing suspicion, later busting criminals as the Green Hornet.
After Batman debuted to great success in January of 1966, William Dozier capitalized on the Caped Crusader’s popularity by also producing The Green Hornet. The show debuted on Friday, September 9, 1966 at 7:30pm on ABC.
The scheduling was logical because Batman occupied the same time slot on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Because it was straight rather than camp, The Green Hornet lacked the quirkiness, novelty, and appeal of Batman. No accident, this creative decision.
Van Williams played Britt Reid and he wanted to play a character, not a caricature.
On the public access show Welcome To Hal-Land in the early 1990s, Van Williams paid tribute to the Green Hornet’s beginnings on radio in the 1930’s.
He said, I told Dozier before I ever did the show, it was going to be straight. It wasn’t going to be the whip-wham-bam-zam that they did with the other thing. The Green Hornet was a successful radio show. We really had to follow that format.
Like its radio version, The Green Hornet villains were based in political corruption, graft, and business.
No outrageous costumed villains like the Riddler, the Joker, or the Penguin.
No seductresses like Catwoman or Siren.
No funny names like Louie the Lilac or Bookworm.
Just good, old-fashioned hero vs. bad guys stuff.
The detective genre utilized in The Green Hornet was familiar, whereas Batman offered something different, to say the least.
In addition, Batman used current pop culture elements. Hard to imagine the Green Hornet surfing or parodying the latest dance craze.
Perhaps the Batman / Green Hornet crossover best illustrates the difference between the two programs. In the Batman episodes A Piece of the Action and Batman’s Satisfaction, the Green Hornet and Kato visit Gotham City to apprehend Colonel Gumm, a goal shared by Batman and Robin.
For story purposes, the character crossover seemed plausible as the Green Hornet and Kato added a touch of ‘urban realism’ to the quaint metropolis Gotham City. If the reverse happened, would Batman and Robin have seemed plausible in the Green Hornet’s domain, a tough metropolis, or just plain silly?
Of course, Bruce Lee played Kato just a few years before he skyrocketed to worldwide fame as a martial arts master.
Legend dictates that Bruce Lee ordered a fight scene between Kato and Robin be rewritten. Apparently, he didn’t agree with the original outcome: Bruce Wayne’s ward defeating Britt Reid’s valet.
Ultimately, the writers negotiated a fight ending in a draw. And therein lies a telling tale about the difference between Batman and The Green Hornet.
Only in the surreal world of Batman, could one entertain the possibility, the mere fleeting thought, that Bruce Lee would encounter any difficulty in defeating the Boy Wonder.
thirtysomething
April 09, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
ABC turned decidedly yuppie when it debuted thirtysomething in 1987.
Sure, we saw young, upwardly mobile professionals before we had a media-friendly phrase for them.
Dr. Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show.
Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
And Darrin Stephens on Bewitched are just some examples of this class-conscious, status-seeking, and career-climbing group.
In fact, the previous owner of the Tuesday 10:00 pm time slot on the Alphabet Network was a show called Jack and Mike about a yuppie couple, played by Tom Mason and Shelley Hack.
But thirtysomething was unique.
thirtysomething did not merely acknowledge yuppiedom, it embraced it.
thirtysomething did not merely speak to the people it represented, it reflected them.
thirtysomething did not merely show problems with neatly wrapped solutions, it showed the character’s journeys in dealing with these problems.
More often than not, thirtysomething dealt with failure.
A failed business. The Michael and Elliot Company folded soon after it began.
A failed marriage. Elliot and Nancy broke up, though the winds of change had been in the air for quite some time.
A failed quest for romance. Melissa constantly sought a man who could appreciate her unique fashion sense, wry humor, and simple passion.
But thirtysomething also showed triumphs and the prices associated with them.
Michael and Elliott got high-level jobs at DAA, an advertising agency headed by advertising legend Miles Drentell.
They had to deal with Miles’s ego that was roughly the size of Saturn.
Elliott and Nancy reconciled, but not before some painful realizations about marriage, love, and the hard work needed to sustain them.
And Melissa seemed to find the start of something big when she went to Hollywood to photograph a television star for a magazine article.
She lost all preconceptions, insecurities, and worries about herself when she was 3000 miles away from home. She realized she could be liked for simply being herself.
It paid off when the article’s writer said, I don’t know you, but I’d like to.
The thirties are a person’s settling down years. Marriage stabilizes the personality, children expand the responsibility, and career compounds the pressure.
Parents passing away. New babies. Search for religious identity.
In its four-year run, thirtysomething tackled the everyday issues of life and showed us there are no easy answers.
Michael’s constant struggle with his Jewish identity posed a terrific problem in the first season episode, I’ll Be Home For Christmas.
When his non-Jewish wife wants Christmas decorations and a tree, Michael is immediately uneasy. After fighting with his cousin Melissa about a business matter and venting to Elliot, Michael buys a tree, his form of an olive branch and trying to make peace during the holiday season.
The tearjerking payoff comes when Michael opens the door and sees Hope holding their baby and lighting a menorah. When he asks where she got it, Melissa enters the room. The expressions on their faces say it all. Michael and Melissa make up, and Michael and Hope find a middle ground on the holidays.
On a business trip in the episode Sifting the Ashes, Elliot explores his Catholic roots when he went to Baltimore, his hometown. While there, he encounters a priest with whom his mother is friendly. The day after a tense conversation about Catholicism with his mother and the priest, Elliot goes to the school where the priest worked. He admits, I want God in my life. It’s religion that keeps getting in the way.
Hope’s friend Ellyn had an affair with a married man.
Michael’s long-time friend Gary died in an accident.
And Nancy battled cancer, thankfully with success.
thirtysomething never preached about the consequences of actions.
It never drew a bright line to separate good from bad.
And it never talked down to us.
It simply showed us as we are. Imperfect people in a truly demanding world.
thirtysomething aired from 1987 to 1991.
Sure the styles of clothes may have changed.
The pop culture and historical references may be off-target for today’s audiences.
And the CD player has been replaced by the Ipod.
But the issues are timeless for thirtysomethings of any decade.
And that’s what classic television is all about.
david@davidkrell.com
ABC turned decidedly yuppie when it debuted thirtysomething in 1987.
Sure, we saw young, upwardly mobile professionals before we had a media-friendly phrase for them.
Dr. Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show.
Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
And Darrin Stephens on Bewitched are just some examples of this class-conscious, status-seeking, and career-climbing group.
In fact, the previous owner of the Tuesday 10:00 pm time slot on the Alphabet Network was a show called Jack and Mike about a yuppie couple, played by Tom Mason and Shelley Hack.
But thirtysomething was unique.
thirtysomething did not merely acknowledge yuppiedom, it embraced it.
thirtysomething did not merely speak to the people it represented, it reflected them.
thirtysomething did not merely show problems with neatly wrapped solutions, it showed the character’s journeys in dealing with these problems.
More often than not, thirtysomething dealt with failure.
A failed business. The Michael and Elliot Company folded soon after it began.
A failed marriage. Elliot and Nancy broke up, though the winds of change had been in the air for quite some time.
A failed quest for romance. Melissa constantly sought a man who could appreciate her unique fashion sense, wry humor, and simple passion.
But thirtysomething also showed triumphs and the prices associated with them.
Michael and Elliott got high-level jobs at DAA, an advertising agency headed by advertising legend Miles Drentell.
They had to deal with Miles’s ego that was roughly the size of Saturn.
Elliott and Nancy reconciled, but not before some painful realizations about marriage, love, and the hard work needed to sustain them.
And Melissa seemed to find the start of something big when she went to Hollywood to photograph a television star for a magazine article.
She lost all preconceptions, insecurities, and worries about herself when she was 3000 miles away from home. She realized she could be liked for simply being herself.
It paid off when the article’s writer said, I don’t know you, but I’d like to.
The thirties are a person’s settling down years. Marriage stabilizes the personality, children expand the responsibility, and career compounds the pressure.
Parents passing away. New babies. Search for religious identity.
In its four-year run, thirtysomething tackled the everyday issues of life and showed us there are no easy answers.
Michael’s constant struggle with his Jewish identity posed a terrific problem in the first season episode, I’ll Be Home For Christmas.
When his non-Jewish wife wants Christmas decorations and a tree, Michael is immediately uneasy. After fighting with his cousin Melissa about a business matter and venting to Elliot, Michael buys a tree, his form of an olive branch and trying to make peace during the holiday season.
The tearjerking payoff comes when Michael opens the door and sees Hope holding their baby and lighting a menorah. When he asks where she got it, Melissa enters the room. The expressions on their faces say it all. Michael and Melissa make up, and Michael and Hope find a middle ground on the holidays.
On a business trip in the episode Sifting the Ashes, Elliot explores his Catholic roots when he went to Baltimore, his hometown. While there, he encounters a priest with whom his mother is friendly. The day after a tense conversation about Catholicism with his mother and the priest, Elliot goes to the school where the priest worked. He admits, I want God in my life. It’s religion that keeps getting in the way.
Hope’s friend Ellyn had an affair with a married man.
Michael’s long-time friend Gary died in an accident.
And Nancy battled cancer, thankfully with success.
thirtysomething never preached about the consequences of actions.
It never drew a bright line to separate good from bad.
And it never talked down to us.
It simply showed us as we are. Imperfect people in a truly demanding world.
thirtysomething aired from 1987 to 1991.
Sure the styles of clothes may have changed.
The pop culture and historical references may be off-target for today’s audiences.
And the CD player has been replaced by the Ipod.
But the issues are timeless for thirtysomethings of any decade.
And that’s what classic television is all about.