GET CHRISTIE LOVE! I mean, how can you write about this series without talking IN CAPITAL LETTERS? Hal Horn does an admirable job of restraining himself at The Horn Section as he reviews "The Big Rematch," complete with Bobby Riggs and Rosemary Casals as an extra bonus! I'm not sure I could stand much more excitement.
There was, once upon a time, a football player called Fair Hooker. Don't believe me? Go ahead, you can look it up. Or you can just read Jeff's article at Classic TV Sports, in which he examines whether or not Monday Night Football's Don Meredith really told that joke - you know, the one that goes. . .
The Bob Crane Show: Reloaded has a pair of podcasts just right for Halloween. Carol and Eric do look at Bob Crane's involvement with the TV version of Arsenic and Old Lace, as well as an episode of the radio program The Zero Hour. Good stuff, but it's the wild two-part story involving a rescue mission to Transylvania that steals the show(s). And if you listen closely, you'll have the chance to hear a rare audio appearance by yours truly - in character, of course. All objectivity aside, I love those two!
At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan has a very good writeup of "The Gift,"the third season episode that might well mark the beginning of the series' decline. I really enjoy the in-depth writeups of these episodes; like Jack's Hitchcock Project posts, they offer a critical examination of episodes that goes far beyond the kind of background one usually reads.
Speaking of which, I was listening to a TZ podcast the other day, one of the points in the discussion being that classic TV (especially Twilight Zone) was dialogue-heavy - we've become so accustomed to chases and action and whatnot that it would be difficult for a show to duplicate Rod Serling's often insightful writing. Does The Good Place offer that kind of insight? The Ringer talks to a philosopher about that very thing - and I probably ought to write about it someday.
You'll recall that last week in this space we looked at 1939's "Peace on Earth," the post-apocalyptic Christmas cartoon, at Christmas TV History. This week Joanna gives us that cartoon's sequel, "Good Will to Men," from 1955. Whereas "Peace on Earth" recalled the horrors of World War I, "Good Will to Men" resides firmly in the shadow of nuclear war, which comes clear in its chilling conclusion.
"The Secrets Broker"is, writes John at Cult TV Blog, one of those episodes that makes The Avengers The Avengers. It's all there - mystery, blackmail, suspense, technology, Steed and Mrs. Gale, and wine tasting - all in glorious black-and-white. Who, I say, could ask for anything more? Read on and find out.
That should give you something to think about until tomorrow - see you then! TV