TVLand

the_librarian wrote:

I guess it's not really retro per se, but does anybody like the Jack Webb production-->Emergency!

Speaking of Phil, have you heard his radio shows for Rexall? Great stuff.

Actually, I've never seen Emergency! I've heard of it, of course, but somehow missed it. Jack Webb's great though -- I love Dragnet. And did you know that he was an avid jazz historian? I've seen liner notes he wrote for loads of serious jazz albums. I think he played the coronet, as well. [hmm. I just took imdb -- nothing about that, but they say he was part of the Black Dahlia investigation -- surely not? In what capacity?)

Oh man, you gotta see this. I found a BUNCHA stuff on youtube just now. check out the opening sequence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jljPAcR9Kdk&feature=related

--------------

As to Jack Webb and the Black Dahalia, here's an interesting quote:

"In 1958, Jack Webb
published a book called The Badge. It has a haunting 10-page
summary of the Black Dahlia case. Webb was given material and "hints" on
its presentation by LAPD Ed anonymously appears in the summary. But
LAPD has changed Ed's occupation, and moved Ed's and Betty's hotel.
Webb has a "coded" paragraph in the segment. It goes: "Two
or three times, friends later remembered, Betty had hitched rides to
the Sixth Street area when she was out of funds. After a day or so,
she would reappear, mysteriously replenished. Where she got the money
never was known." LAPD knows full well that: the money
came from Ed; Betty and Ed rendezvoused in Hollywood, Betty did not
hitch rides; Betty and Ed spent the nights in their Washington Boulevard
hotel. But LAPD had a case to protect and Webb had a Dahlia summary.
In another paragraph, Webb says that no-name Ed signed in as "Mr.
and Mrs." Webb later asks: "Was the killer The Dahlia's lover
or husband who felt he had been betrayed?" LAPD knew Ed had used, "Barnes
and wife." And they had to say, "Howdy, Ed, we know
damn well you did it!"
But this "Hello, Ed" was analogous to sound of a tree toppling in
Nowhereville. Dahlia-murderer Ed had long ago ceased to exist, save as a memory
and an LAPD secret. It's time for the public to know Ed Burns, and the real
Black Dahlia murder...."

source: http://blackdahliasolution.org/solution3.htm

Thanks for the clip! Not only are television shows Not What They Used To Be, but the credits aren't either! And Julie London! (I know she and Webb were married, but still...)

Interesting about JW and the Black Dahlia. Funny that there are still so many entirely possible theories running around about that. (My personal pick is The Creepy Doctor, whose son is a retired LAPD cop -- you know, he wrote a book about the case a few years ago? The cop, that is.) It seems that with most of the other officially unsolved infamous LA murders in the 1920s-50s have pretty much one accepted theory, even if not proven, due to cover-ups, and such. It's all very noir.

Hmm...maybe we should have a mystery/amateur sleuth thread somewhere...

BygoneKnits wrote:

I saw that! (Nancy, too!)...but something tells me if I thought it was pretty stupid when I was six years old, it probably hasn't held up so well....)

HA! Yeah, we all watched it for the plots.

NOT!

I still have my Shaun Cassidy records in my garage.

Hee, hee! Yep, I think he was the ONLY reason to watch that show! My sister had THE biggest crush on him. Still does a teeny bit, in fact.

BygoneKnits wrote:

Is anyone watching the "Pioneers of Television" series on PBS? It was the early late-night talk show hosts tonight. Dear god, how I miss thee, Johnny Carson! He was absolutley the best ever.

I saw that but didn't get to see it because every time I tuned it, it was a pledge break. It reminds me though, of when Steve Allen's widow Jayne came into my store one day last summer and within five minutes, everyone was in love with her, people who had no idea who she was. She treated everyone like they were her long lost best friend, and even told me about how the first bomb dropped on Shaghai during the war came through the roof of her family's house, and that's when they decided that missionary life was not for them. Jayne and Audrey were teenagers before they finally learned English; They're been speaking Chinese all their lives. Then she tried to tip me and I pretended to slap her hand. I wasn't after a tip, I just helped her out so I could spend a few more minutes with her and get some more stories out of her.

Boy I wish I could charm people like that! It was effortless. Sigh.

Ali wrote:

The Rockford Files

The funniest thing I can recall from The Rockford Files is how Jim Rockford mentions spending something like $20 on a new answering machine, then says "Just ten more payments and it's mine".

Obviously it's a setup: the machine bites it before the end of the show. But today, the joke is entirely on them, isn't it?

the_librarian wrote:

I guess it's not really retro per se, but does anybody like the Jack Webb production-->Emergency!
.

I used to love it! It's still good watching, since they're playing it again on one of the local channels. It just came out on DVD and I have disc one showing up today from Netflix. I can hardly wait!

[quote="BygoneKnits"]Thanks for the clip! Not only are television shows Not What They Used To Be, but the credits aren't either! And Julie London! (I know she and Webb were married, but still...)
quote]

That marriage had come and gone by the time Emergency rolled around, but here's the kicker: Julie was married to Bobby Troup by that time - and he played Dr. Early on Emergency.

Webb was certainly magnanimous.

Kittenwithawhip wrote:

That marriage had come and gone by the time Emergency rolled around, but here's the kicker: Julie was married to Bobby Troup by that time - and he played Dr. Early on Emergency.

Webb was certainly magnanimous.

Indeed! I gather he was a pretty good guy, loyal to his friends and co-workers, by all accounts. (well, despite being married several times...Julie was the first wife, right?)

Kittenwithawhip wrote:

If it's any consolation, here in Los Angeles we have a new channel called ION that shows a lot of old shows. Granted they're mixed in with Mork and Mindy and Alice, but I can forgive that, given the heavy rotation of Ozzie and Harriet, Andy Griffith, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie - TV Land staples oh so long ago.

I have ION too. I have never seen anything but Alice on that channel. I will have to find out when the good stuff is on. We had a local channel that used to play George Burns and Gracie Allen in the mornings.

All I can catch on TV Land is The Beverly Hillbillies and I Love Lucy on weekend days and The Andy Griffith Show on weeknights I need Tivo.

I'm home all day, and it seems that's ALL they show (aside from completely inappropriate new, but cancelled shows -- again, I say with shock -- NEWS RADIO?), both during the day and evenings. And I can't stand any of the three. (I know, sacrilege about Lucy, and I'll probably be lynched for saying so, but I just don't like her -- not in the movies, or on tv -- nowhere.)

I'm not a huge Lucy fan but often there is nothing else on. I should probably turn of the TV and talk a walk. I'd love to see The Honeymooners and Dick Van Dyke on TV Land again.

I ADORE Dick van Dyke...one of my all-time favorite shows.

"Oh, Roooobbbbb!!!!!"

Oh, I do Love Lucy...more in movies than the show, but I'm kind of a sucker for Desi Arnaz.

Ugh, TV Land used to be the best! Then they took Bewitched off and I lost all interest. Now it is just garbage and I just flip right by.

The Iron Petticoat is on. Not my favourite Kate Hepburn vehicle. I blame Bob Hope being the leading man. I've never understood his appeal. He's about as funny as root canal.

The Awful Truth with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne is on this afternoon. The one liners are funny, but I could do without the musicals. I've never been a fan of that little girl-warbly singing style.

My husband watches all of the 70s stuff. (Though I do love M*A*S*H.)

...and he watches The Andy Griffith Show (ad nauseum).

I quite agree about AMC. Urk.

And I miss Remember WENN!

I've never been able to take Andy Griffith...there's only so much overly-folksy a girl can take!

Ah, Remember WHENN -- that was a cute show. Wasn't it same producers (or creators) as Homefront?

I'll admit to loving stuff like Hawaii Five-O; Mannix; Mission: Impossible; It Takes a Thief; Cannon; Barnaby Jones; The Wild, Wild West, and Bonanza. Tv Land has gone straight down the tubes with their 'original" programming geared to the lowest common denominator. They can't even call themselves a haven for classic TV lovers if they're playing edited movies and high school reunion shows! The pits!

Alas, I suppose you can't expect much when it seems ALL television stations, both network and cable do nothing but pander to the LCD. Heck, even PBS isn't what it used to be!

Thank god they're putting all the good stuff out on DVD! I really don't watch tv at all these days, save for TCM....and even at that, I'm begging to wonder about some of thier programming choices.

Speaking of horrible reunion tv movies, amusing anecdote -- my co-author and I were once appoached for a movie deal based on our first book by these people whose main claim to fame was that they wrote "The Facts of Life TV Reunion Movie." They expected us to be bowled over by that impressive, high quality, intellectual work. Errr. Not so much. Especially after thier pitch, which was of similar quality to that masterpiece. Can you imagine?! HORRORS! The film guy at our agency was all ticked that we told them to go take a flying leap. Like it ever would have been optioned, anyway.

The funny thing was, they were SO condecending, too...like explaining to us very, very carefully, using Small Words, that stories had to have this thing called a "PLOT" and something else called a "STORY ARC" and tricky things like "CHARACTERS."...NO! Not REALLY!

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me....

Now showing, two of my favourite film stars, the elegant Grace Kelly and the adorable Mr Cary Grant in "To Catch a Thief"!

On TV Land?

Kittenwithawhip wrote:

On TV Land?

No. Sorry. I don't have TV Land over here. Not sure where else to put these sort of posts. Perhaps I should start a thread "Now Showing in England" or something.