The Good Guys

This 1968 TV GUIDE cover was one of the first I remember ever seeing. IT spotlights a then new show starring former GILLIGAN'S ISLAND star Bob Denver with an actor I'd never heard of named Herb Edelman. Basically, the latter and his wife (played by actress Joyce Van Patten) ran a diner and Bob played their cab driver buddy. A second season retooling had Bob's character helping out at the diner as well. With Edelman, eventually one of my all-time favorite character actors, a much different person than Skipper Alan Hale (who guest-starred in one episode), the dynamic with Denver was very different as well. The show was basically low-key and not as unrealistically silly as Denver's previous gigs either. Overall, apparently too old-fashioned for the rapidly changing times and THE GOOD GUYS succumbed to the ratings in 1970.

R.I.P. Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman, son of beloved actress Mary Martin and himself one of THE great TV villians as JR Ewing, was a fascinating character in real-life. A leftist, a biker, a martial artist, a vegetarian and a militant anti-smoker, he also dropped acid regularly back in the day with friends like David Crosby, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda and, of all people, Burgess Meredith. After a few floundering years after the mega-successful I DREAM OF JEANNIE ended, he found a whole second career on DALLAS.

Happy Birthday Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff Carol Burnett sing by NilbogLAND

I really don't recall this series at all. THE ENTERTAINERS, produced as it was by Joe Hamilton and starring Carol Burnett, seems to have been a precursor to their long-running CAROL BURNETT SHOW. Seen here are a few clips from a January, 1965 episode including Boris Karloff singing.

As a child Karloff was one of my favorite TV stars. I had no idea he appeared in movies as well! He was on variety shows, kids shows, comedies and dramatic programs. Seemed like he was everywhere in the sixties. A distinguished older man by that point, he became my fantasy grandfather figure, a fact I was able to pass on to his daughter Sara in the early days of the Web. She told me that she had heard similar stories from a number of sixties tots over the years!

Boris Karloff would have been 125 years old today had he lived. Ah, who are we kidding? Boris Karloff may be unliving but he is also undying! Happy birthday, Grampa!

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

As much a tradition as the turkey for our family was watching The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning, usually still wearing pajamas! Mom would start puttering away in the kitchen unless we were going to my Aunt's house. In that case, she'd be in there with Dad and me as we anxiously awaited the next float or, even better, the next giant character balloon! As the parade nears the century mark, nearly all the great pop culture figures have had a balloon--from FELIX THE CAT and SUPERMAN to BULLWINKLE and POPEYE and now HELLO KITTY and SPONGEBOB. Somehow, the turkey always tasted just a little better after spending the morning enjoying the parade with my parents!

Booksteve Rarities For the Holidays

Now through November 30th, Booksteve rarities is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50.00. Known for our rarer than rare film collection--especially our B-Westerns, we also offer a downright amazing--if I do say so myself--selection of hundreds of not commercially released or hard to come by television rarities!

Here are just a few of the shows we offer episodes, or in some cases the whole series, from at this time!

CHINA SMITH starring Dan Duryea
THE GOLDBERGS
THE BARON with Steve Forrest
BLONDIE
THE BING CROSBY SHOW (a sixties sitcom)
CAPTAIN VIDEO
CIRCUS BOY with young Mickey Dolenz
THE DETECTIVES with Robert Taylor
BEARCATS starring Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole

DICK TRACY (live action)
HEC RAMSEY with Richard Boone
THE IRON HORSE with Dale Robertson
JOHNNY RINGO
JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN
KLONDIKE with James Coburn
THE LIFE OF RILEY (both Gleason and Bendix episodes)
THE MAGICIAN with Bill Bixby
MEDIC with Richard Boone
STUDIO ONE (live TV!)
THE SOUPY SALES SHOW

and tons of specials, spectaculars, TV movies and events that only aired once! Check out our selection for the TV buff on your Christmas List!

http://oldtimeradiotapes.homestead.com/StevenSiteHome.html

The Two of Us

By all accounts, the brilliant Peter Cook, simply visiting in the US, saw nothing more than an easy paycheck when asked to co-star in an American TV pilot that he was convinced didn't stand a chance. Then he found himself obligated to a potentially long run when it actually sold.  

Now Cook was also said to be somewhat jealous of the Hollywood success of his sometime partner in comedy, Dudley Moore, and undoubtedly saw this also as perhaps his own chance at similar US acceptance. 

The show was about a young woman, played by the delightful Mimi Kennedy, who advertises for someone to help around the house for an English Major. Butler Brentwood shows up calling shenanigans as he was expecting to work for an old C. Aubrey Smith style retired English Major rather than for a college girl majoring in English. But they both need each other and decide to give it a try. The woman is also a single mother with her daughter played by the unfortunate Dana Hill, a lovely and talented young actress who sadly passed at a young age.

In the end, the series didn't last long and it really wasn't all that good. But anything with Peter Cook--one of my candidates for funniest man who ever lived--is worth watching and has more than its share of great lines, deftly delivered. 

Thursday Nights on ABC in 1969

Rare Walt Kelly TV GUIDE Art-1969

When POGO comic strip creator Walt Kelly brought the denizens of the Okefenokee to TV in May of 1969 in Chuck Jones' POGO'S SPECIAL BIRTHDAY SPECIAL, the artist created these delightful exclusive illustrations for TV GUIDE. The show itself wasn't popular. Over the years, many have deduced that to be because it wasn't pure Chuck Jones and it wasn't pure Walt Kelly. Either one might have been better but unlike Jones' successful collaborations with Dr. Seuss, this one just didn't seem to work well. In TV GUIDE, however, we had pure Walt Kelly with nary a mention of Uncle Chuck!

 

TV Cars-1976

This article alleges that these are the originals but I'm pretty sure five of them aren't--which makes me doubt the other two as well. The Batmobile looks to be the fuzzy version they had on tour for a while, covered in a type of black velvet to prevent glare apparently.

I don't recall The Green Hornets Black Beauty having his logo on the side nor eyes (wings?) on the windshield either.

Nor the Bearcats car identifying it as the Bearcats car. I guarantee you that one in the middle is NOT the original BEVERLY HILLBILLIES jalopy! Still...how cool would it have been to see all of these cars together in one place, originals or not?

ABC in 1964

Here's a rare industry trade ad for ABC's shows in 1964 How many can you name?