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Top TV Moments: Sherry Jackson
In an interview looking back on her career, Sherry Jackson recalled what it was like to be a child star in the 1950s: “I couldn’t stand it when they called me “pigtailed moppet Sherry Jackson,” she...
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After A Very Brady Renovation, What’s Next?
One of the most famous lines of modern literature belongs to Thomas Wolfe: “You can’t go home again.” The Brady kids respond, “Oh, really?”No other television show this year – current, classic or...
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Two-Part Episodes: More Hits and Misses
It’s been a while (four years, actually!) since we last appraised a roundup of memorable two-part stories from the classic TV era. As mentioned in a previous write-up, the two-parter is an option that...
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Halloween Comfort TV: Ghost Story
If you’re a classic TV fan you probably have a few go-to shows that are fun to pull up around Halloween. Perhaps it’s a seasonal sitcom episode, like “Halloween Party” (The Adventures of Ozzie &...
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The Unshakeables: Lou Grant Confronts the “Unthinkable”
Halloween celebrated the fun part of being scared. But there are some fears that have no place in such a colorful, festive holiday. Nuclear war is not a prevalent topic in the Comfort TV era for...
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Top TV Moments: Victor Buono
Given these hypersensitive times, I’m not sure if “larger than life” is acceptable praise for Victor Buono. But if you’ve seen him in just about any of his classic TV roles, I think you’ll agree the...
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Five Classic Shows That Deserved One More Season
If you could have one more season of any TV show, which show would you choose?That was a question posted recently in a Facebook classic TV group. The responses ranged from Grizzly Adams to Family Ties...
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Ranking The “Julies” of Aaron Spelling
A television show’s executive producer exerts his influence on a series in countless ways. For Aaron Spelling, one of TV’s most successful EPs, that meant indulging his penchant for characters named...
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My (Almost) Brady Bunch Book
Earlier this year I was offered an opportunity to write a book about The Brady Bunch. It was an intriguing prospect as this is one of my favorite Comfort TV era shows. After discussing the overall...
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Celebrating the Season With Kraft
Back in the Comfort TV era, a familiar expression when someone didn’t enjoy a particular show was “the commercials were more entertaining.” I’m not sure how often that was actually true, but I can...
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Classic TV 2019: The Year in Review
This is the time when networks and newspapers look back on the year that’s ended to highlight its most newsworthy moments. You wouldn’t think that concept would work for this blog, but there were a few...
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Top TV Moments: Karen Valentine
What’s fascinating to me about Karen Valentine is how her career parallels that of Mary Tyler Moore…until it doesn’t. Both were young, attractive brunette ingénues when they were cast in a hit...
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Celebrating Classic TV Stars on The Hollywood Walk of Fame
Recently, Burt Ward received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was happy for him, but it also made me think about Bill Bixby.For years, Brandon Cruz (Bixby’s young costar on The Courtship of...
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Remembering John Karlen – and TV Moments That Changed Everything
The passing of John Karlen was felt in particular by two TV fanbases: those who remember him from his Emmy-winning performance as Harvey Lacey on Cagney and Lacey, and those who first met him 15 years...
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Terrible Shows I Like: Magic Mongo
There’s no justifiable way to defend the joy I get from watching Magic Mongo. Sure, I’m an easy mark for what Sid and Marty Krofft unleashed upon an unsuspecting generation. But there are limits: try...
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Television’s Tough Guy: Robert Conrad
In 1999 I wrote an article on The Wild, Wild West for Cowboys & Indians magazine, to coincide with the release of a movie adaptation of the series. I contacted Robert Conrad’s publicist to ask if...
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Purchase or Pass: Our Miss Brooks
In some of my freelance writing I have occasionally been accused of burying a lead. So let’s settle the main question for this piece up front: my verdict for Our Miss Brooks on DVD is a pass.If you’re...
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Three Shows That Put Me to Sleep
I have a friend who likes to pop in a Flintstones DVD before he drifts off to sleep. The familiar sounds of voices and stories he grew up watching induce a calm, soothing feeling that makes it easier...
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Quarantined? These Shows Can Help Pass the Time
Well.A lot of stuff has happened since my last post. Concerns over Coronavirus have shut down all professional and collegiate sports, most theater performances, conventions, and every other type of...
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Still More Two-Part Episode Hits and Misses
I haven’t done one of these for a while, so let’s take another look at a grab bag of Comfort TV-era two-part episodes and separate the hits from the misses.As I previously wrote, two-parters should be...
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