PBS has just posted a steampunk episode as part of its Off Book web series. It contains info about how the trend weaves into fashion, art, music and theater. Watch the full episode or see more Off Book.
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
The Boob Tube #24: The Top 20 TV Catch Phrases of the 70's
Of late, we've had "Bam!" (Emeril) and "No soup for you" (Seinfeld), but there's been precious few catch phrases compared to the 1970's - the Golden Era of TV catch phrases. Anyone growing up in that decade at some point exclaimed "Kiss my grits!" - it was just a part of the day to day lexicon. What was it about the seventies that made audiences erupt into laughter and applause every time J.J. said "Dy-no-mite"? Sounds like a good idea for a sociology term paper. What were the top TV catch phrases of the seventies? Sounds like a good idea for a post, so here goes.
- Dy-No-Mite! (Good Times)
- Up your nose with a rubber hose (Welcome Back, Kotter)
- Whachu-talkin'-bout, Willis? (Diff'rent Strokes)
- Hey, hey, hey (What's Happening?)
- Stifle! (All in the Family)
- Sit on it! (Happy Days)
- Ayyyyyy. (Happy Days)
- You big dummy (Sanford & Son)
- Book 'em Danno (Hawaii 5-0)
- De plane! De plane! (Fantasy Island)
- Nanu, Nanu (Mork & Mindy)
- Shazbot! (Mork & Mindy)
- Good night, John Boy (The Waltons)
- Jane, you ignorant slut (Saturday Night Live)
- Who loves you, baby (Kojak)
- Kiss my grits! (Alice)
- Lookin' good (Chico and the Man)
- Hello... how are ya? (Welcome Back, Kotter)
- Elizabeth, I'm comin' to join you (Sanford & Son)
- Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry (The Incredible Hulk)
Note 2: This list is in no particular order - ranking them would just be silly.
Note 3: Please submit any glaring omissions, I'd love to read them. Before you comment, know that "God'll get you for that, Walter" would've made the list if this was the top 21 catch phrases.
The Boob Tube #24: Daytime TV Game Shows
 |
| Bob Barker put pimps to shame in the 70s |
When I found this magazine at a used bookstore, how could I resist? Bob Barker in Huggy Bear's wardrobe is worth any price. With his Barker Beauties, he was, after all, a daytime TV pimp.
Reading through the magazine, it got me all sentimental about the glory days of daytime TV. Hardly any women worked, so there was a huge audience available while dad and the kids were gone. Soap operas were plentiful: Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, Ryan's Hope, All My Children, Days of Our Lives, Edge of Night, As the World Turns, Young and the Restless..... the list goes on. But there was also a huge audience during the daytime for games.
 |
| a scan from the magazine - click all images to enlarge |
 |
| Are those prizes from Door #9.... or boxes of pure Evil marked with the Number of the Beast (being held upside down)? |
Listen to the Card Sharks theme
I loved the whole costume element of Let's Make a Deal. The costumes were never elaborate; often ridiculous, sometimes super hot. There was nothing better than watching a guy dressed as Raggedy Andy choose a goat instead of a brand new refrigerator. I always wondered - did they really take home the goat?
Never was much of a fan of The Hollywood Squares. The jokes were unbelievably corny, and I didn't recognize most of the celebs (not many elementary schoolers were familiar with Joey Bishop or Virginia Graham. Needless to say, Paul Lynde's brand of humor was lost on me as well.
Didn't care for the $25,000 Pyramid either. The show made me a nervous wreck.
- Losers made to feel worse by shitty consolation prizes (usually Turtle Wax)
- Winners of The Wheel of Fortune getting to spend their winnings on crap from a rotating circular prize stage
- Hot chicks on The Dating Game trying to hide their disappointment when they chose the butt ugly dude over the hunk
 |
| Feel free to make this your desktop wallpaper |
 |
| What is an article on dieting doing in a Game Show magazine? I don't know, but I just had to share the shitty illustration with you. You're welcome. |
Opinions and Rants #34: News Channels and How Awful They Are
What the hell happened? Headline News is now nothing but a snarling Nancy Grace. Fox News is basically a Republican megaphone. CNN does absolutely no journalism; it specializes in senseless conjecture and witless talking heads. MSNBC is just more talking heads trying desperately to counter Fox, and failing miserably. If they were at least failing flamboyantly a la Keith Oberman, things might get interesting.
Sure, you dig deep enough, watch long enough, you're bound to come across some kernels of real investigative hard hitting reporting that doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence.... right? Don't answer.
How did we go from Cronkite to Glenn Beck at a chalkboard? Say what you will about Cronkite's political views, it was still "just the facts" with very little in the way of gimmicks and sensationalism.
I remember when talking heads were found on Sunday mornings via shows like Meet the Press, Firing Line and The McGlaughlin Group. I seem to recall Crossfire with Pat Buchanan and Michael Kinsley being somewhat of a "new thing" by having the left and right battling it out. No one emerges from the conflict enlightened and changed. Instead, year after year, left and right fight it out, with no one EVER conceding that they were wrong. Never. It's just a battle of wills. Not news.
I try to give these channels the benefit of the doubt, but I keep walking away disappointed. Today, television news is just an unholy amalgamation of Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Glenn Beck, Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly, Nancy Grace and other non-journalists. And given the financial difficulties some of these networks are experiencing, it is evident that people are not tuning in any more (except Fox, of course).
This is not a good thing IMHO. As people turn away from the boob tube, they either become completely removed from world events or they flock to blogs which compliment their views rather than challenge them. Instead, a staunch conservative is NEVER going to hear a counterpoint or an unbiased report (likewise for the liberal). The division between the two will widen as both sides migrate to blogs of similar perspectives instead of meeting collectively together each night in front of the TV.
No. You can keep your niche news blogs and Glenn Beck for an hour at a f***ing chalkboard. Give me Cronkite, Chancellor and Huntley-Brinkley for 15 minutes each evening and I'll be happy.
Opinions and Rants #33: Farewell Network TV. It Was Nice Knowing You.
Growing up, I had three networks plus PBS. That was it.... every day.... for years. No internet, no HBO, no DVD, no VHS, no cable channels, no Hulu, no Netflix... nada. I was perfectly okay choosing between (A) Sonny & Cher, (B) The Brady Bunch, or (C) Sanford & Son every Friday night. The three networks offered up stuff we liked and we were satisfied.
Fast forward to today, and I can honestly say (excluding certain sporting events) I haven't watched NBC, ABC or CBS in years.... and, quite frankly, I haven't missed them. They were my three childhood "friends", offering me everything from The New Zoo Revue to The Powers of Matthew Star; however, I feel no loyalty to them, considering they have betrayed me.
That's right - betrayed me. The networks all but killed off the situation comedy, and any drama I get into is cancelled without notice. I understand reality shows are waaaaay cheaper to produce: no actors, no writers, no sets, no locations.... just dump a bunch of fat people in a room and see if they can lose weight. It's the cheap and lazy route. Keeping truly quality shows alive like Freaks and Geeks and Arrested Development seems to be just too much to ask. They're motto seems to be: "Let's just let HBO and AMC make good original stuff, while we make drivel on the cheap like Dancing with the Stars."
Considering there's so many options now besides the networks, I honestly don't see how this strategy can lead anywhere but bankruptcy - or, at the very least, total and complete insignificance.
To alter a famous quote by T.S. Eliot: "This is the way the networks end. Not with a bang, but a whimper."
Mash-Up: Mad Men / Portal
The Mad Men opening redone with Portal by Mat Recardo.
Recardo writes: "Having played through Portal 2 a number of times, and just seen the end of Season 4 of Mad Men, I had an idea! The models were grabbed from Portal 2 directly and the music is of course from the Mad Men Intro."
Daily Links: April 18, 2011
Christopher Lee Makes Everyone From Wolverine to Stormtroopers More Dapper
A colorful portrait of Carl Sagan
The disturbing yet beautifully illustrated world of Anton Semenov.
Fandomania offers a gallery of Harley Quinn fan art
MC Escher as a Woodcut Jigsaw Puzzle
Propworx is selling the original blueprints used to build the Stargate gate room from the film on eBay, so now you, too, can build your own Stargate!
Mash-Up: Fringe / Watchmen
"The scientist will look up and shout 'Save him!'... and I'll look down and whisper "The boy is important. He has to live." Get it on a t-shirt at Ript Apparel.
Infographic: Battlestar Galactica Timeline
If you're still reeling from Battlestar Galactica, trying to figure out what it was all about, this might help. Billy Ray, who created the graphic, says "I created this visual timeline of the Battlestar Galactica universe after the season 4, episode 17 "No Exit" data dump resulted in near aneurysm for my friends and me. I later updated it to include key points from the “Caprica” pilot movie."
Whatever Happened To? #10: TV Personalities
Joyce Bulifant from "The Match Game"
Involved in Child Abuse Prevention organizations; but, more importantly, became the mother-in-law of Jenny McCarthy.
Jon Walmsley (Jason Walton on "The Waltons")
Currently plays a pirate at Disneyland
Peter Bonerz (The orthodontist on "The Bob Newhart Show")
Periodically directed a bunch of sitcoms; also directed Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Fred Berry (Rerun from "What's Happening?")
Lost 100 pounds, married six times, and became a Baptist preacher. Died of a stroke.
Lara Jill Miller (Tomboy Samantha on "Gimme a Break!")
Earned a law degree; practiced law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Returned to Hollywood and does voice acting for kids shows (Higgleytown Heroes, Curious George, etc.)
Whitman Mayo (Grady from "Sanford and Son")
M.I.A. for a long time, promting Conan O'Brien to launch the "Where's Grady?" search. Ultimately, Whitman spent his later years in retirement and passing away at, get this, GRADY Memorial Hospital!
Adam Rich (Nicholas from "Eight Is Enough")
You may have heard of the legal troubles Rich has gotten into via his substance abuse. On one occasion, he busted into a pharmacy, and had to be bailed out by Dick Van Patten. Fairly recently, he crashed into a police car while driving drunk. A freaking shame - I loved Nicholas when I was a kid.
Jack Wild (Jimmy from "H.R. Puffinstuf")
Jack became a big time alcoholic. It ruined his marriage, career and health. He ended up living with his retired father, then made a brief comeback before his death at the age of 53.
Jameson Parker (the straight laced Simon from "Simon and Simon")
Wrote a couple books, one autobiographical. In 1992, Jameson was shot by his next door neighboor. Jameson survived and the neighbor got nine years in prison (yes, he's out now - hopefully not planning on gunning down the other Simon).
Roz Kelly (Pinky Tuscadero from "Happy Days")
In 1998, she pled guilty to firing a 12 gauge shotgun into a neighbor's living room (the car alarm was bothering her). In 2001, she went to jail for assaulting someone with her cane.
Music Video: Tonight I'm Frakking You
Featuring the completely adorkable Alessandra Torressani of Caprica fame, this raunchy rap is sort of the geek's answer to a Ke$ha anthem. It stars Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar (Raj), The Guild's Amy Okuda (Tinkerballa) and Caprica's Zoe. Admittedly it's not "Fuck Me Ray Bradbury," but it gets credit for the drool-worth Princess Leia cosplay.
Vintage Wheels #10: The Top 40 Greatest TV Cars
It's time to forget that Prius parked in your driveway and drift back to the good ol' days of muscle cars and shaggin' wagons. Here's a definitive list of the greatest vehicles (as in cars, trucks and vans) in television history as determined by the research staff at Retrospace Headquarters. And for those of you that need eye candy with your reading material, we've inserted a bunch of dynamite chicks for your viewing pleasure.
Please note that these aren't "cars I'd most like to own". These are favorites - iconic vehicles that were awesome each in their own way. Thus, the Trans Am from Knight Rider and Fred Sanford's pickup both make the list. Also, don't get hung up on the order - the numerical placement is haphazard at best. But please contribute your own favorites in a comment. I'd love to hear of any glaring omissions. Enjoy!
1. The General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard
2. Dan Tana's 1957 Thunderbird from Vega$
3. The Coyote X from Hardcastle & McCormick
4. The Pontiac Trans Am from Knight Rider
5. The Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS on Magnum PI
6. The Munster Koach
7. The Sunbeam Tiger on Get Smart
8. The Monkee Mobile
9. Frank Poncherello's 1970 Trans-Am from C.H.i.Ps
10. The 1950 Mercury pickup on Sanford & Son
11. The Bradymobile station wagon
12. The Mystery Machine on Scooby Doo
13. Rooster's pimpmobile from Baretta
14. The GMC A-Team van
15. "Dixie", Daisy Duke's 1981 AMC Golden Eagle Jeep
16. The 1974 Firebird Esprit from The Rockford Files
17. Emma Peale's Lotus Elan from The Avengers
18. Dragula (another one from The Munsters)
19. Major Nelson's GTO from I Dream of Jeannie
20. The Batmobile
21. Black Beauty from The Green Hornet
22. The Ferrari Daytona Spider from Miami Vice
23. The Corvette Roadsters from Route 66
24. Bill Bixby's 1974 Corvette from The Magician
25. The 4X4 GMC Pickup from The Fall Guy
26. The 1979 Dodge Power Wagon from Simon & Simon
27. The Model T pickup from The Beverly Hillbillies
28. The 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra II from Charlie's Angels
29. The Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch
30. The Lamborghini from Automan
31. Columbo's 1959 Peugeot Convertible
32. The Mach 5 from Speed Racer
33. Roger Moore's Volvo 1800 from The Saint
34. Uncle Jessie's F-150 from The Dukes of Hazzard
35. The Partridge Family bus
36. Speed Buggy
37. Ralph Malph's T-Roadster pickup from Happy Days
38. The Kenworth truck from B.J. and the Bear
39. Al Bundy's 1974 Dodge Dart
40. Dobie Gillis' tricked out hot rod
The Boob Tube #23: The Greatest Sci-Fi TV Themes and Intros
Like any "greatest ever" list, it's just someone's opinion. Take it or leave it. I've had over forty years of science fiction intros entering my skull. Before I could even walk, I was watching Doctor Who with my dad. Naturally, my choices are affected by nostalgia and sentimentality, and not a purely objective look at the pieces themselves. It's unavoidable.
Before I ramble on even further, here's my choices for the greatest science fiction television show intros and theme songs. The best part is, I've included audio clips so you can listen to each one!
1. Star Trek
download
How can the Star Trek intro not be at the top of the list. No matter what you think of the show, you'll have to agree this intro captures the thrill of exploration about as good as can be done. We may be office workers or school children, but when this intro plays, the dashing and adventurous Magellan lurking deep inside all of us gets conjured up.
2. Doctor Who
download
Ominous and futuristic, this theme song has been going strong for decades, and it's been imitated countless times. Nostalgia aside, for my money, the sound of this track captures the "sci-fi feel" better than any other. Only Star Trek trumps it due to Kirk's brilliant prose.
3. UFO
download
Takes a few seconds to kick in; but once it does, this theme music is about as groovy as it gets. You can just picture the Moon Maidens in go-go boots rockin' to the groove.
4. The Twilight Zone
download
Is there an intro to any show, science fiction or otherwise, more iconic than this? The "doo dee doo doo, doo dee doo doo" notes have become a part of our lexicon.
5. The Tomorrow People
download
Like Doctor Who, the theme for this one has that kinda creepy vibe, with nice science fiction sound to it. While not as recognizable as many other on this list, it's no less amazing.
6. The Six Million Dollar Man
download
“We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better...stronger...faster.”.... Yes! Gives me goosebumps to this day.
7. The Outer Limits
download
"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture."
8. The Jetsons
download
Like The Brady Bunch theme and The Flintstones, you've got to give it props for being so damn catchy. People will probably be reciting the lyrics till the day we actually are flying around in space cars.
9. Lost in Space
download
10. The Bionic Woman
download
11. Thunderbirds
download
12. Time Tunnel
download
13. Max Headroom
download
14. Fireball XL-5
download
15. My Favorite Martian
download
16. V: The Series
download
17. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
download
The Boob Tube #21: TV Shows That Time Forgot (C)
Time for another round of forgotten
"Co-Ed Fever" (1979)
What's remarkable about this Animal House rip-off was that, despite the presence of Heather Thomas, this show lasted only one episode. Did you catch what I just said? ONE EPISODE! There's only been a handful of shows that were so bad they didn't make it to a second episode - and I don't think any situation comedy from the sixties through the eighties bears this dubious distinction.
"Calucci's Department" (1973)
The seventies were big on blue collar. Shows like Sanford & Son, Chico & the Man, Taxi, Barney Miller, and All in the Family reveled in their low income bracket. The eighties flushed all that down the toilet in favor of upper class daydreams like The Cosby Show and Silver Spoons. Rosanne became the only gritty thing in town... but I digress...
"Calucci's Department" took place at the unemployment office, where James Coco played the department head. I don't remember the program, but it might've been good. Unfortunately, it had to go up against Sanford & Son and was clobbered.
"The Cop and the Kid" (1975)
A few years before Mr. Drummond adopted a couple of kids from the ghetto, fat-ass Charles Durning was adopting a black kid of his own in this sappy short lived sitcom. The seventies were full of stuff like this. The only thing interesting about this one is Tierre Turner. The actor who played the titular Kid became a very successful stunt double and coordinator. His IMDb filmography is something to behold.
"Condo" (1983)
Mclean Stevenson left the much heralded MASH to land in one dud after another. I remember seeing him on Match Game appearing drunk and groping all over the pretty contestants.... it was embarrassing. "Hello Larry" is his most famous failure, but there were others, "Condo" being the last. After this, his career was done.
I mean, look at the promotional photograph: a Caucasian family tries to get along with a Hispanic family (yawn). I literally yawned uncontrollably when I typed that sentence. I'm not kidding.
Mash-Up: The Wrath of Conan
The hilarious Conan O’Brien is back on the air tonight thanks to TBS! Kevin Bolk commemorates the occasion with this fan art.
The Boob Tube #20: TV Shows that Time Forgot (B)
Time for a second round of shows that hardly anyone remembers - this time ones that start with "B". Ball Four, Big John Little John, and The Bob Crane Show certainly desrve mention as shortlived duds in the "B" category, but the next three shows are the ones that interest me most...
Bridget Loves Bernie (1972)
It's about a Jewish cab driver (David Birney) who marries a wealthy Catholic girl (Meredith Baxter).
Sounds very Dharma & Greg-ish to me. The only reason I'd ever watch this is to see Elise Keaton back before she added "Birney" to her name.
This show has the distinction of being the highest rated series ever cancelled by any American network. It actually performed better than Mary Tyler Moore before it was canned! Many believe it was cut because of complaints about the Jewish-Catholic thing. That was a no-no.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1973)
It's amazing that they ever tried to make a TV show based on a movie about two unmarried couples living together and sleeping with each other's spouses. They toned it down for television audiences, but was abruptly cancelled.... not due to its risque nature, but due to it being horrible.
FYI - Jodie Foster played their kid.
Big Eddie (1975)
This one lasted a whopping ten episodes. Big Eddie is trying to get past his gambling past and establish a relationship with his ex-stripper wife, Honey, and their granddaughter.
Sharee North played Honey; she also played Kramer's mom on Seinfeld - the first to announce his first name "Cosmo". The granddaughter, played by Quinn Cummings, is now co-owner of the Hip Hugger baby carrier business
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
