Friday, December 19, 2008
Sam Bottoms and "East of Eden"
Reading about the untimely passing of actor Sam Bottoms yesterday, I began remembering the wonderful 1981 miniseries he starred in, "East of Eden," with Jane Seymour. Since "Centennial" was released on DVD earlier this summer, I decided to check and see if "East of Eden" would be released anytime soon. I didn't expect much, but imagine my delight when I checked Amazon and saw it will indeed come out on DVD in the spring! This is an absolutely fabulous miniseries (not IMHO as good as "Centennial," but close!) and I can't wait to own it! Why does TV not do quality programming like this anymore? I'd much rather watch a wonderful miniseries like this, with a great cast, great script, great music, than watch people voting each other off an island, or stars dancing with each other, or talent contests. Well, at least we will have these classics on DVD to enjoy, even if the networks don't bother to make any new miniseries anymore!
Children's programming on TV
My discovery last week of clips from "The Friendly Giant" on You Tube made me nostalgic for the TV shows I grew up with, and sad that today's children, such as my own 8-year-old grandnephew Patrick, will never see these shows. The TV networks no longer seem to care about programming for children the way they did 40 years ago. How well I remember getting up every morning to watch "Captain Kangaroo," and waiting to see what animals Mr. Green Jeans would have on! Or "Romper Room," and hoping Miss Whoever would see me in her magic mirror and say my name (she never did, but I always hoped!) And our local PBS station (or perhaps it's PBS in general, I don't know for sure) has stopped airing reruns of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which had aired for a couple of years following the passing of Fred Rogers. And there are no longer cartoons on Saturday mornings on the major three networks like there used to be. Of course there is cable TV, with kids programming, but somehow it's not the same as knowing that one morning a week, Saturday, had cartoons on from 6:00 through noon, and some great classic cartoons like "Scooby Doo" got their start on Saturday mornings back in the 60's and 70's.
Speaking of "Romper Room," I'm reminded of an incident a few years ago when I was eating lunch with some co-workers. Most of us were in our 40's, and one gentleman was in his 30's. We were complaining about the management of the company where we worked, and one woman said, "They treat us like we're in Romper Room." The 30ish man said, "Romper Room? What's that?" There was a startled moment while all of us in our 40s looked at each other, and then the woman who had been doing the complaining said, "That was a kid's show on TV."
That made us feel old! This man was too young to have seen "Romper Room!" But then, on the other hand, how can you NOT have at least a passing, surface familiarity with "Romper Room" even if you were not born when it was on? I never saw "Howdy Doody" but I know it was a kid's show in the 50's.
Then there's my erstwhile friend, Lisa in Gardena, who was not familiar with the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Say WHAT? You never watched Bugs Bunny growing up? That's just - that's just - that's UNAMERICAN! (LOL!) Not to mention just plain weird!
Speaking of "Romper Room," I'm reminded of an incident a few years ago when I was eating lunch with some co-workers. Most of us were in our 40's, and one gentleman was in his 30's. We were complaining about the management of the company where we worked, and one woman said, "They treat us like we're in Romper Room." The 30ish man said, "Romper Room? What's that?" There was a startled moment while all of us in our 40s looked at each other, and then the woman who had been doing the complaining said, "That was a kid's show on TV."
That made us feel old! This man was too young to have seen "Romper Room!" But then, on the other hand, how can you NOT have at least a passing, surface familiarity with "Romper Room" even if you were not born when it was on? I never saw "Howdy Doody" but I know it was a kid's show in the 50's.
Then there's my erstwhile friend, Lisa in Gardena, who was not familiar with the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Say WHAT? You never watched Bugs Bunny growing up? That's just - that's just - that's UNAMERICAN! (LOL!) Not to mention just plain weird!
"Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura"
I want to give a plug to a new DVD that has recently become available, focusing on the boyhood of Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was of course the author of the famous "Little House" books. The "Little House" books have been among my favorite books since I was 9 years old. (The TV series was a big disappointment in that it did not stay faithful to the Ingalls family unit. I didn't care that they deviated from the books, but I *DID* care that they didn't stay true to the basic Ingalls family unit and began inventing relatives who never existed, such as Albert, James, Cassandra, Adam, and Adam Charles. Puh-leeze. But that's another story for another post.)
This new DVD, produced and narrated by Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo on the TV series, is a wonderful mixture of live-action recreations of scenes from Almanzo's boyhood (with a little boy who looks very much like photos of the real Almanzo as a boy), and the famous Garth Williams illustrations from the book "Farmer Boy." Mr. Butler's wife Katherine Cannon (you'll remember her from the early 80's series "Father Murphy" with Merlin Olsen) reads excerpts from "Farmer Boy" as well.
This DVD is delightfully done and very enjoyable. While it's too late to get it for Christmas, you can order it for yourself or a Wilder fan anytime through the website www.almanzowilderfarm.com.
Incidentally, I'm very pleased that they pronounce Almanzo's name correctly on this DVD. The TV series mangled the pronunciation of his name. It was never "Al-MON-zo" but rather "Al-MAN-zo." The middle syllable of his name was pronounced "man," which is where his boyhood nickname of "Mannie" came from. This is verified by a tape of Laura Ingalls Wilder herself that is available through the various Wilder memorial societies throughout the Midwest, on which she says her husband's name several times, each time saying "Al-MAN-zo." Since she was married to him for 64 years, I would trust her pronunciation of his name!
This new DVD, produced and narrated by Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo on the TV series, is a wonderful mixture of live-action recreations of scenes from Almanzo's boyhood (with a little boy who looks very much like photos of the real Almanzo as a boy), and the famous Garth Williams illustrations from the book "Farmer Boy." Mr. Butler's wife Katherine Cannon (you'll remember her from the early 80's series "Father Murphy" with Merlin Olsen) reads excerpts from "Farmer Boy" as well.
This DVD is delightfully done and very enjoyable. While it's too late to get it for Christmas, you can order it for yourself or a Wilder fan anytime through the website www.almanzowilderfarm.com.
Incidentally, I'm very pleased that they pronounce Almanzo's name correctly on this DVD. The TV series mangled the pronunciation of his name. It was never "Al-MON-zo" but rather "Al-MAN-zo." The middle syllable of his name was pronounced "man," which is where his boyhood nickname of "Mannie" came from. This is verified by a tape of Laura Ingalls Wilder herself that is available through the various Wilder memorial societies throughout the Midwest, on which she says her husband's name several times, each time saying "Al-MAN-zo." Since she was married to him for 64 years, I would trust her pronunciation of his name!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
"Centennial" and "Into the West"
If anyone in your family loves wonderful historical drama set against the backdrop of the American West in the 19th and 20th centuries, you need to rush out and get the DVD of the 1978 miniseries "Centennial" which was released this past summer.
I saw "Centennial" for the first time when I was in high school, and it is one of my favorite series that has ever been on TV. What a magnificent job they did, telling the story of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado over 150 years or so of history! Truly this was the finest acting job Robert Conrad ever did as feisty French fur trapper Pasquinel, and the rest of the cast, especially Gregory Harrison as Levi Zendt, were equally as wonderful.
A few years back, a miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg aired, called "Into the West." I watched that one as well, but while it was okay, it was not nearly in the same league as "Centennial." Perhaps it's unfair to compare the two since "Into the West" was only 12 hours long compared to 25 hours or so for "Centennial," and thus didn't have the same length of time to tell a detailed story. Still, there were many annoyances with "Into the West," the two primary ones being characters and storylines that just petered out with no resolution, and the jarring use of different actors to play the same roles. It seems like they didn't feel one actor could portray the same character from age 20-something to age 70-something, so they changed actors in mid-stream for almost all the major roles in the miniseries.
Contrast that with "Centennial" where Gregory Harrison portrayed Levi Zendt from about age 25 to age 70 or so, and all the other actors in the great cast (William Atherton, Barbara Carrera, Timothy Dalton, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Chamberlain) aged over the decades with their characters. Old-age makeup along with the actors actually *acting* by pretending to be middle-aged and elderly did the trick. For the most part, the old-age makeup used in 1978 in "Centennial" was fantastic, especially on Redgrave and Carrera. (They could have done a better job on a few of the others, but you could overlook it.) Couldn't actors and actresses in 2005 in "Into the West" have been made up to look older, and used their acting skills to portray age convincingly? I can't imagine someone taking over the role of Levi from Gregory Harrison halfway through "Centennial," or another actress portraying Charlotte Seccombe Lloyd after she got older the way Lynn Redgrave portrayed her.
So "Into the West" was a disappointment in several aspects, but you can't go wrong with "Centennial!" Truly a classic!
I saw "Centennial" for the first time when I was in high school, and it is one of my favorite series that has ever been on TV. What a magnificent job they did, telling the story of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado over 150 years or so of history! Truly this was the finest acting job Robert Conrad ever did as feisty French fur trapper Pasquinel, and the rest of the cast, especially Gregory Harrison as Levi Zendt, were equally as wonderful.
A few years back, a miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg aired, called "Into the West." I watched that one as well, but while it was okay, it was not nearly in the same league as "Centennial." Perhaps it's unfair to compare the two since "Into the West" was only 12 hours long compared to 25 hours or so for "Centennial," and thus didn't have the same length of time to tell a detailed story. Still, there were many annoyances with "Into the West," the two primary ones being characters and storylines that just petered out with no resolution, and the jarring use of different actors to play the same roles. It seems like they didn't feel one actor could portray the same character from age 20-something to age 70-something, so they changed actors in mid-stream for almost all the major roles in the miniseries.
Contrast that with "Centennial" where Gregory Harrison portrayed Levi Zendt from about age 25 to age 70 or so, and all the other actors in the great cast (William Atherton, Barbara Carrera, Timothy Dalton, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Chamberlain) aged over the decades with their characters. Old-age makeup along with the actors actually *acting* by pretending to be middle-aged and elderly did the trick. For the most part, the old-age makeup used in 1978 in "Centennial" was fantastic, especially on Redgrave and Carrera. (They could have done a better job on a few of the others, but you could overlook it.) Couldn't actors and actresses in 2005 in "Into the West" have been made up to look older, and used their acting skills to portray age convincingly? I can't imagine someone taking over the role of Levi from Gregory Harrison halfway through "Centennial," or another actress portraying Charlotte Seccombe Lloyd after she got older the way Lynn Redgrave portrayed her.
So "Into the West" was a disappointment in several aspects, but you can't go wrong with "Centennial!" Truly a classic!
More memories on You Tube - "In the News" with Christopher Glenn
If you were a child in the 70's, watching Saturday morning cartoons (and only weird kids didn't watch cartoons on Saturday mornings - it's what you DID as a normal child in the 60's and 70's on Saturday mornings!) - you saw these little two-minute summaries of events in the week's news, written and designed to be understood by children and narrated by the CBS reporter with the wonderful voice, Christopher Glenn. Everybody who remembers "In the News" remembers the weird sound effects heard at the beginning and end of each segment.
I've never forgotten these, and lo and behold, some "In the News" segments are on You Tube! (Where do people FIND this stuff to post??) What a trip, to go back to yesteryear and see some of these again and remember Saturday mornings in the 70's!
I've never forgotten these, and lo and behold, some "In the News" segments are on You Tube! (Where do people FIND this stuff to post??) What a trip, to go back to yesteryear and see some of these again and remember Saturday mornings in the 70's!
Robert Montgomery/"Bewitched"
One of my all-time favorite TV series is "Bewitched." I loved that show as a child and still love the reruns as an adult. It never gets old.
I read somewhere that consideration had been given to using Elizabeth Montgomery's dad, Robert Montgomery, to play her father on the show. Ultimately, of course, the role of her bombastic, blustering, domineering but loveable father went to Maurice Evans, who was just marvelous in the role (Maurice is one of my favorite characters on the series, along with Uncle Arthur and Dr. Bombay).
I have to wonder, though, what it would have been like to see Robert Montgomery acting with his daughter on this series. What a shame we never got to find out! I wish they could have cast him as another uncle. Since Arthur was Endora's brother, Mr. Montgomery could have perhaps played Maurice's brother. What fun that would have been!
Oh well - "Bewitched" was classic anyway! Still, it makes you think about what might have been.....
I read somewhere that consideration had been given to using Elizabeth Montgomery's dad, Robert Montgomery, to play her father on the show. Ultimately, of course, the role of her bombastic, blustering, domineering but loveable father went to Maurice Evans, who was just marvelous in the role (Maurice is one of my favorite characters on the series, along with Uncle Arthur and Dr. Bombay).
I have to wonder, though, what it would have been like to see Robert Montgomery acting with his daughter on this series. What a shame we never got to find out! I wish they could have cast him as another uncle. Since Arthur was Endora's brother, Mr. Montgomery could have perhaps played Maurice's brother. What fun that would have been!
Oh well - "Bewitched" was classic anyway! Still, it makes you think about what might have been.....
"The Friendly Giant"
The things you can find on the Internet - it's truly amazing!
Years ago, when I was very small, one of my favorite TV shows was "The Friendly Giant." The format was quite simple - a friendly giant would invite you into his castle, put out chairs (dollhouse furniture, but as a child you were supposed to believe it was real furniture and looked small because, well, he was a giant, of course) for his young visitors to sit in, and then he would visit with a chicken named Rusty and a giraffe named Jerome (hand puppets, but if you were a child, you imagined they were real). The series was so gentle, so sweet, so simple, and the Giant (Bob Homme) had such a soft, friendly, gentle, soothing voice. He played a recorder, and the theme music to the series was done with a recorder and a harp, adding to the overall sweet and gentle feel of the show.
I watched this series all the time as a young child, but never saw it again after we moved to Arizona when I was 6. I never ever forgot it over the years, though, and have always wished I could find some way to see it again.
So this evening when I found several lengthy clips from it on You Tube while searching for other things, I have to confess, I sat in front of my computer crying! There was everything I remembered - the recorder music, the Giant's castle with the drawbridge, the tiny furniture, his soft, melodious voice, everything. It was as if I had stepped into a time machine and gone back to my earliest childhood.
Could today's children enjoy something like this? My own 8-year-old grandnephew loves action-packed, loud and noisy video games. He never saw Mister Rogers, or Romper Room, or Captain Kangaroo, and would have no idea what those were. I can't help but think his generation is the poorer for having missed out on all of this.
Years ago, when I was very small, one of my favorite TV shows was "The Friendly Giant." The format was quite simple - a friendly giant would invite you into his castle, put out chairs (dollhouse furniture, but as a child you were supposed to believe it was real furniture and looked small because, well, he was a giant, of course) for his young visitors to sit in, and then he would visit with a chicken named Rusty and a giraffe named Jerome (hand puppets, but if you were a child, you imagined they were real). The series was so gentle, so sweet, so simple, and the Giant (Bob Homme) had such a soft, friendly, gentle, soothing voice. He played a recorder, and the theme music to the series was done with a recorder and a harp, adding to the overall sweet and gentle feel of the show.
I watched this series all the time as a young child, but never saw it again after we moved to Arizona when I was 6. I never ever forgot it over the years, though, and have always wished I could find some way to see it again.
So this evening when I found several lengthy clips from it on You Tube while searching for other things, I have to confess, I sat in front of my computer crying! There was everything I remembered - the recorder music, the Giant's castle with the drawbridge, the tiny furniture, his soft, melodious voice, everything. It was as if I had stepped into a time machine and gone back to my earliest childhood.
Could today's children enjoy something like this? My own 8-year-old grandnephew loves action-packed, loud and noisy video games. He never saw Mister Rogers, or Romper Room, or Captain Kangaroo, and would have no idea what those were. I can't help but think his generation is the poorer for having missed out on all of this.
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