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Okay, I admit it, I can't get enough of those stupid game show answers. Here's another mashup of embarrassing moments, the video is lousy but it's still funny. Read
and watch more...
The
Star Wars
Holiday Special?!? The
London Sunday Times calls this article by L. Wayne Hicks a "must
read." George Lucas would like to forget about the first
time he brought Star Wars to television. The occasion was
something called The Star Wars Holiday Special, which aired
on CBS only once, on Nov. 17, 1978. Although CBS hailed it as a two-hour
"visual and audio delight," the made-for-TV mess was anything
but. Read
more...
How
Blacks were virtually banned from primetime TV for nearly 20 years! The
Hollywood establishment was eager to perpetuate the myth of the
maternal Negro domestic - pleasantly overweight, cheerful, safe
and eager to protect and serve.
Because of this long-standing practice, Hattie McDaniel found herself
on the receiving end of a great deal of criticism from civil rights
organizations. They urged her specifically, and other African-American
actors in general, to avoid playing these types of demeaning roles. Read and watch
more...
How
John Wayne used TV A
longing look at the legend's last years.His TV appearances,
battles with cancer, the last great films and how the Duke faced
death head on. "On location in Durango, Mexico, he amazed me,"
film producer Hal Wallis stated. "Even though he was functioning
on one lung and had a terrible scar running down his back, he showed
no sign of illness or weakness. He did this own riding, roped in
steers, rounded up cattle, and handled the fight scenes without
a double. Only occasionally, in high country, was he short of breath." Read and watch
more...
Christmas
Specials of the 60s & 70s
TVparty-ers
reflect on their favorite Christmas TV memories - from the Norelco
Santa, Hardrock, Cocoa and Joe, Mr.
Magoo, Bing Crosby and all the rest. What were your favorite holiday
specials? Read
and watch more...
Batman's
Batmania! Together
with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., executive producer William
Dozier crafted a show that could be enjoyed by adults as well as
kids. Batman debuted on January 12, 1966 on ABC and within
the first few weeks, the telecast was attracting fifty-five percent
of the viewing audience, with a surprising two-thirds over the age
of eighteen. Read and watch
more...
Hootenanny! Picture
this: about two hundred 18-23 year olds sitting in a semi-circle
on the floor, digging the latest tunes by artists who sing and play
acoustic instruments, while cameras tape the whole shebang for home
viewers.
"MTV Unplugged?" Nope, it's Hootenanny, the ABC-TV series
that capitalized on the popularity of folk music during the early
1960's. If it's remembered at all today, it's as the show that blacklisted
Pete Seeger, a last gasp of McCarthyism that led to a boycott by
Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul & Mary; The Kingston Trio
- practically every folk act that meant anything to the masses. Read and watch
more...
Sandy
Becker "At
eight years old, I thought Sandy was pretty hip. Now, since I've
seen him off camera, it's been confirmed for me. I had the pleasure
of meeting Sandy on the street in the late-1980s and it was a trill.
He was very warm and knew right off where I was coming from as a
fan of the show. I've met Robert Deniro, Carl Sagan, Bill Irwin,
Mel Brooks... but before I approached Sandy Becker I was shaking
like a leaf if you can believe it. It was not necessary because
he was a great guy!" Read and watch
more...
TV's
First Angry Conservative! Joe Pyne was the first outraged, outspoken, right-wing
voice on national television, the father of modern conservative
talk shows; blazing a path for Morton Downey, Jr., Wally George,
Jerry Springer, Bill O'Reilly, Chris Matthews, Rush Limbaugh, Michael
Savage and the rest. Never one to avoid controversy, Pyne claimed
to keep a loaded gun in his desk drawer - and no wonder with the
kooks he (or more accurately, the TV cameras) attracted. Read
and watch more...
Philly
Local Kid Shows Bertie
the Bunyip! Chief Halftown! Sally Starr! Pete Boyle! Gene London!
Pixanne! Happy the Clown! Dickery Doc! Captain Noah! Our long and
longing look at a golden era of local television, with dozens of
rare photos and recordings. Read
and watch more...
Poker On Television
Poker television grew huge around 2004 when the hole card cameras were introduced to make the game more enjoyable to watch. Both major tournament circuits, the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker, are covered pretty much in detail and then there are a number of smaller poker shows with or without celebrities. Check out ESPN2, ESPNC, Fox Sports or NBC for more poker TV. You may also watch poker on the internet. Sites like Youtube and PokerListings.com have a pretty good range of poker TV in their video archives.
Babylon's
Baddest Boy? Eight years ago, Robert
Blake was living in relative obscurity, his life as a weekly
TV star far behind him. Tragically, on the evening of May 4, 2001, Robert
Blake made headlines when his new bride was brutally murdered in an alleyway. Soon he was on trial for his life. We have the whole sordid story of Robert Blake's
dramatic rise and fall. Read
and watch more...
Mack
& Myer For Hire In
1963, Trans-Lux Television of Norwalk, Connecticut, produced a series
of live-action comedy films entitled Mack & Myer For Hire.
The films centered around two bumbling yet lovable handymen, who shared
an office/loft in Manhattan. They try and fail countless times to
make a living, and more often than not end up making things worse,
while helping others they hadn't even counted on. Although they always
screw up, somehow, things usually end up right. Read and watch more...
Remembering
Captain Kangaroo Captain
Kangaroo was
the longest-running network children's show of all time - from 1955
until 1984, the good Captain could be seen mornings on CBS. Hugh "Lumpy"
Brannum played sidekick Mr. Green Jeans, joining Cosmo Allegretti's
hand-puppets Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit in the Captain's Treasure
House. Read
and watch more...
Enola
Gay's In The Military FROM
1950: The next time you're watching Jackass or Fear
Factor or some sports stunt show, and you see a guy jump a car, set
himself on fire, eat a bucket of worms or whatever, think about Col. Paul
Tibbetts - who took off in a 1940's era airplane, flew it over the ocean
with the biggest bomb ever made shoved up his ***, dropped that mega-bomb
on target and - here's the best part - made it back alive! And by doing
so, he ended a World War. Read and watch
more...
The
Redd Foxx Comedy Hour
"I
remember it well because it was my first national television debut
and I truly loved Redd. We had some real good talks and I met some
really super artists. This was a huge springboard for me. I got a
holding contract from ABC and a costarring role in a pilot at Paramount
Studios. I was 27 years old then and I am a happy 52 now." Read
and watch more...
1964
- Year in Review
After
years of trial and error, the networks finally became somewhat adept at
creating entertainment that appealed to the masses. Look at all of the
familiar, iconic shows in the top 25 in 1964 and judge for yourself. But
keep in mind, former FCC chairman Newton Minow referred to this era as
a "vast wasteland." And while color TV was rapidly catching
on, most of these programs were broadcast in black-and-white. Read
and watch more...
One
of Duke Ellington's Final TV Appearances
In the spring of 1970, former Ellington
vocalist Joya Sherrill became the first African/American female to host
a kid's TV show. Until now, no tapes of those shows were known to exist,
but we uncovered two rare examples - including an episode of 'Time For
Joya' featuring Sir Duke. Read
and hear more...
Origin
of the TV-Movie Not only was the animated opening sequence to the ABC
Movie of the Week a magnificent graphic achievement (and precursor
to modern computer animation) but the 30-second teasers forever redefined motion picture advertising. We'll
show you some of the best examples from the seventies. Read
and see more...
Winky
Dink and You "I
used to watch Winky Dink... I had the kit, but I would intentionally
draw the wrong things. When Winky needed a ladder to get out of a
hole, I would draw a cover on the hole. When he needed a parachute,
I would draw an anvil to pull him down, etc. I
would tease my younger sister and tell her that I was making Winky
die! Whenever she left the room crying, I would laugh and laugh. Winky
was cool!" Read
and watch more...
The
Bette Davis Show?
Television's
early years are one long blur of dizzy dames. The very idea of women
in the workplace was usually met with belly-laughs or outright contempt
on TV shows. Bette
Davis would have none of this! On her program, the women wouldn't
be played for laughs - they would be the players. Read
and watch more...
Lucy
Battles With Her Co-Stars
Most
everyone loved Lucy but there were times when things got pretty heated
on the set, especially when Tallulah Bankhead, Richard Burton and
Joan Crawford appeared with the queen of comedy. After one taping,
Crawford was quoted as saying, "My God, they tell me I'm a
bitch - Lucy can outbitch me any day of the week!" Read and watch more...
Playboy
After Dark
There were two remarkable attempts by Hefner to create a television spin-off
of his famous magazine. While neither caught on in a big way, both were
critical and audience hits with unique formats that presented timeless
performances by some of the greatest comedians, jazz, soul, folk and be-bop
artists of all time. Read
and watch more...
Batman's
Batmania! Together
with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., executive producer William
Dozier crafted a show that could be enjoyed by adults as well as kids.
Batman debuted on January 12, 1966 on ABC and within the
first few weeks, the telecast was attracting fifty-five percent of
the viewing audience, with a surprising two-thirds over the age of
eighteen. Read and watch
more...
Kids,
Guns and TVs Long before technology
gave us realistic video games that allowed kids to simulate predatory
gun fighting, America's children took to their backyards with toy guns
to battle it out amongst themselves. We look at classic war toys sold
during the Vietnam war era. Read
and see more...
Lucy's
Tragic Last Series
"All of us 'little people' who worked on the
show knew it was a complete train wreck, but the executive producers and
writers insisted from the very beginning that Life With Lucy would
zoom to the top of the ratings and be on the air for years. Sadly, this
didn't prove to be the case. I can tell you the best shows were the ones
that aired; the others were reaaalllly bad." Read and watch more...
Sky
King "Sky
King was kind of a cowboy type that would fly around in a twin engine
plane. I watched that show religiously. Every time the opening sequence
was shown I had to be sitting directly in front of the TV set. The
final shot while the opening credits were rolling was of the plane
coming straight at you, very low to the ground, and zooming right
over your head. I would always time it so that I rolled onto my back,
as though the plane had come out of the set and just barely missed
the top of my head." PLUS: one TVparty-er
discovers the original Sky King hacienda! Read
and see more...
New
York City Local Kid Shows The
most comprehensive look at local children's programs ever attempted.
More than 75 pages with hundreds of photos. If you grew up in NYC
you'll find all your favorites - The Merry Mailman, Sandy
Becker, Bob McAllister, Wonderama, and
dozens more along with rare video, audio and outtakes. Read
and watch more...
Sea
Hunt "I
have been looking for re-runs of a fabulous show that I'd like to
request. Sea Hunt - the Lloyd Bridges (pre-comedy) underwater
classic. My afternoon staple diet in the early to mid-sixties and
it shaped my life since then. If you have anything about Sea
Hunt, I'd be one happy '60's TV junkie!" Read
and watch more...
Classic
TV on DVD - Archived Reviews! NEW:Tom
Jones, Twin Peaks, Stargate Atlantis, Voyage to the Bottom of the
Sea, Dallas, Men Behaving Badly, Captain N, Hootenanny, ER, Wanda
Sykes, Adventures of Superman, Battlestar Galactica, F Troop, and
so many more hot DVD releases.And they're all deep discounted
- for you! Read
more...
Classic
TV Shows on DVD?
An
extensive catalogue of every classic program available on DVD! See what's
available today - with big discounts
for you!
1980's
TV Wrestling - Greats and Near Greats! NOW WITH ADDED RARE VIDEO!
John
Hitchcock's look back at the heart of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling - with
grapplers known and unknown. Wahoo McDaniel! Ric Flair! Dusty Rhodes!
Jim Cornette! Magnum TA! Buddy "Killer" Austin! Johnny Weaver!
Johnny Valentine! Harley Race! Dick Murdock! Jimmy Garvin! Nikita Koloff!
Have you ever heard of these guys?!? Read
and watch more...
1980's
PUNK ROCK
In the early-eighties, young people in Los Angeles were flocking to
makeshift clubs in droves to see new, up and coming bands. Live new
music, not DJs, was what they craved. These writings provide a sketchy
look at the underground club scene in Los Angeles during the time
that groups like X, Missing Persons, The Go-Go's, The Minutemen and
Wall of Voodoo entered the public consciousness. Read
and see more...
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Remembering
Captain Kangaroo
Classic
TV on DVD - Archived Reviews!
1980's
TV Wrestling - Greats and Near Greats!
TV's
First Angry Conservative!
Origin
of the TV-Movie
Sea
Hunt
