It’s been a while since I did some decent reading. (Comic books don’t count.) But here are some books that I have enjoyed. They’re all in my areas of interest, which is…well, TV, radio, cartoons…all those sophisticated subjects. “We’re Live In 5” By Jeff Margolis Jeff Margolis is a television producer and director. He was … Continue reading On Wenty’s Bookshelf
My friend Pat is having an awful lot of fun with Meta AI or some similar app. You enter what you want it to show you, and bingo! there it is. Here is what Pat wanted me to see today: The fellow on the right is Dick Van Dyke. I know this because Pat concocted … Continue reading Dick Van Dyke and Big Bird: An Imagined Encounter
You know, everything has to be sold. Someone has to sell you that their specific hamburger is the juiciest, or their bathroom tissue is preferred by bears, or their morning radio program is reasonably entertaining. *cough*. In this life you are a seller and someone being sold. You might be sold by a girl scout, … Continue reading Selling Charlie Chan (And Other Broadcasting Pitches)
The third hour-long Lucy story is set in Las Vegas, Nevada and the surrounding desert. The Ricardos and the Mertzes are on a train en route to Sin City where Ricky’s band has a gig at the Sands Hotel. From the first moments on the train Lucy is fiddling with a geiger counter, excited about … Continue reading The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours: “Lucy Hunts Uranium”
I chose this 1982 CBS special for two reasons: One, I find Danny Kaye extraordinarily entertaining. He’s my favorite part of my favorite holiday film, “White Christmas”. His 60’s vairety show was delightful (I have it on DVD) and “Hans Christian Anderson” is a sheer delight. Oh, and this. Just this: The other reason I … Continue reading W/O/C: “EPCOT Center: The Opening Celebration”
The second 60-minute adventure of the Ricardos and the Mertzes is loaded with southern comfort and paint. Lots and lots of paint. The celebrity in the show’s title is Tallulah Bankhead. For those who are familiar with “I Love Lucy”, but not familiar with Tallulah Bankhead, Wikipedia sez: Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December … Continue reading The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours: “The Celebrity Next Door”
“I Love Lucy” is eternal. Its six seasons and 180 episodes have been in reruns for 75 years…there’s an “all-I Love Lucy” channel on Pluto TV. The complete series has been released on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, Paramount Plus and will certainly be available on whatever the next way of disseminating entertainment ends up being. Lucy … Continue reading The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours: “Lucy Takes A Cruise To Havana”
Since it’s been a while, I will remind all 2.3 readers of the blog that “W.O.C” is a regular feature where I look at TV broadcasts with the original commercials, promos and the like intact. It’s as if you took a ride in a TV time machine. “Special Bulletin” is a remarkable made-for-TV movie that … Continue reading W/O/C: “Special Bulletin”
I’m back from vacation! It was a trip to Los Angeles that I would grade a B-minus. The weather was distinctly not Californian, but being a Nebraskan it was still 76% better than what we get this time of year. Also affecting my vacation report card: 4 out of 5 Uber drivers could not find … Continue reading Watching The Wheel (And Jeopardy)
In 1964, NBC aired a Christmas episode of their weekly anthology series “The General Electric Fantasy Hour.” It was a stop-motion animated adaptation of the book and song “Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer.” NBC aired the Rudolph hour every year until 1971, when CBS snapped up the rights. And for over half a century, that’s … Continue reading Rudolph Revisits The Peacock
