NBC, given its recent poor track record with revivals & reboots, has decided against going ahead with a full-on revamp of the beloved 1964-6 horrorcom, The Munsters, and will air Mockingbird Lane as a stand-alone, 1-shot special, airing later this month. Creative differences between creator Bryan Fuller (ex-Pushing Daisies) and the network are said to be the cause of this change of heart.
NBC spent $10 million putting this together, but as cast photos appearing on Yahoo! pretty much tell the tale. Fuller was putting himself at risk of alienating fans of Munsters by making the characters appear to be a little more human than originally presented nearly 40 years ago. For example, Jerry O'Connell (ex-The Defenders, Sliders, My Secret Identity) as Herman is identifiable by a large scar around his neck. If that didn't throw up a red flag, what would?
Mockingbird Lane will air 2 weeks from tonight. Beyond that, it'll likely be shunted off to cable cousin SyFy for dumping before being released on DVD to recoup the losses if at all possible (and you know that's likely). I for one can't wait to read the reviews......
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Classic TV: C. P. O. Sharkey (1976)
In the 60's, producer Aaron Ruben turned the Marine Corps on its ear by introducing them to Gomer Pyle, USMC in a spin-off from The Andy Griffith Show. More than a decade later, Ruben decided to go after the Navy.
The premise of C. P. O. Sharkey, set in San Diego, was a tough but lovable Chief Petty Officer training a racially diverse group of recruits. So Ruben thought it was a genius move to cast insult comic Don Rickles as Otto Sharkey. Rickles' brand of humor was as politically incorrect as you could imagine back in the day, though he was actually an equal opportunity offender. If remade today, it'd have to be retooled to appease the PC Police, that much is certain. What Ruben was looking for was to blend together various ethnic characters similar to the police comedy, Barney Miller, over on ABC. He got 2 years, while Miller lasted 7 (and Gomer, as memory serves, went for 4 or 5, as star Jim Nabors decided to move on and do a variety show). So what went wrong?
From what I remember, Sharkey aired on Wednesdays, an often difficult night to program. Here's the intro:
Rickles hasn't had a series gig since, other than his regularly appearing on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.
Rating: B-.
The premise of C. P. O. Sharkey, set in San Diego, was a tough but lovable Chief Petty Officer training a racially diverse group of recruits. So Ruben thought it was a genius move to cast insult comic Don Rickles as Otto Sharkey. Rickles' brand of humor was as politically incorrect as you could imagine back in the day, though he was actually an equal opportunity offender. If remade today, it'd have to be retooled to appease the PC Police, that much is certain. What Ruben was looking for was to blend together various ethnic characters similar to the police comedy, Barney Miller, over on ABC. He got 2 years, while Miller lasted 7 (and Gomer, as memory serves, went for 4 or 5, as star Jim Nabors decided to move on and do a variety show). So what went wrong?
From what I remember, Sharkey aired on Wednesdays, an often difficult night to program. Here's the intro:
Rickles hasn't had a series gig since, other than his regularly appearing on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.
Rating: B-.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Alex Karras (1935-2012)
News has just come over the wires of the passing of former NFL standout turned actor Alex Karras at 77.
Karras played collegiately at Iowa and led the Hawkeyes to a Big 10 title and a victory in the Rose Bowl, and played his entire NFL career with Detroit, retiring in 1971. During this time, Karras began a successful second career as an actor, appearing as himself in the 1968 film adaptation of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion". Karras more famously had a small role in Mel Brooks' seminal "Blazing Saddles", punching out a horse. ABC hired him as a commentator for Monday Night Football, and Karras was credited with stating that Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Otis Sistrunk, who never went to college, had gone to "the University of Mars".
One thing that Sistrunk & Karras also had in common was professional wrestling. Karras wrestled in, I believe, the AWA in the 60's, moonlighting during the offseason from the Lions, and it served him well while suspended from the NFL in 1963 for gambling. Sistrunk would later swap his shoulder pads for tights and wrestle for Georgia Championship Wrestling, a branch of the NWA, in the early 80's. Karras' mat experience would also serve well during a stint on Match Game in 1975. A lady wrestler, Lola Kiss, was a contestant on the show, and offered to demonstrate some techniques. Panelist Teresa Graves (Get Christie Love!, ex-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) tried first, then backed off. Karras was then called on. Movienotes presents this choice clip.......
And, here's Karras as Mongo in "Blazing Saddles", courtesy of TooneyReed:
In the 80's, Karras returned to the spotlight as the adoptive father of Emmanuel Lewis' title character in Webster. Phillipmg78 uploaded the intro:
Earlier this morning, Karras succumbed after complications resulting from kidney failure. Perhaps as early as tomorrow's Steelers-Titans game, the NFL will honor Karras with a moment of silent prayer.
Rest in peace, Alex.
Karras played collegiately at Iowa and led the Hawkeyes to a Big 10 title and a victory in the Rose Bowl, and played his entire NFL career with Detroit, retiring in 1971. During this time, Karras began a successful second career as an actor, appearing as himself in the 1968 film adaptation of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion". Karras more famously had a small role in Mel Brooks' seminal "Blazing Saddles", punching out a horse. ABC hired him as a commentator for Monday Night Football, and Karras was credited with stating that Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Otis Sistrunk, who never went to college, had gone to "the University of Mars".
One thing that Sistrunk & Karras also had in common was professional wrestling. Karras wrestled in, I believe, the AWA in the 60's, moonlighting during the offseason from the Lions, and it served him well while suspended from the NFL in 1963 for gambling. Sistrunk would later swap his shoulder pads for tights and wrestle for Georgia Championship Wrestling, a branch of the NWA, in the early 80's. Karras' mat experience would also serve well during a stint on Match Game in 1975. A lady wrestler, Lola Kiss, was a contestant on the show, and offered to demonstrate some techniques. Panelist Teresa Graves (Get Christie Love!, ex-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) tried first, then backed off. Karras was then called on. Movienotes presents this choice clip.......
And, here's Karras as Mongo in "Blazing Saddles", courtesy of TooneyReed:
In the 80's, Karras returned to the spotlight as the adoptive father of Emmanuel Lewis' title character in Webster. Phillipmg78 uploaded the intro:
Earlier this morning, Karras succumbed after complications resulting from kidney failure. Perhaps as early as tomorrow's Steelers-Titans game, the NFL will honor Karras with a moment of silent prayer.
Rest in peace, Alex.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Classic TV: Mork & Mindy (1978)
To think that a mere episode of Happy Days touched off a cultural phenomenon.
Viewers were introduced to a wacky alien named Mork (Robin Williams, ex-The Richard Pryor Show), who wanted to bring back a human to his homeworld, Ork. Of course, Fonzie (Henry Winkler) would have none of that, but it turned out to be a sort-of dream. Or was it?
It wasn't long before ABC decided that Mork merited his own series, set in the present day, hence the debut of Mork & Mindy, which premiered in September 1978, airing on Thursdays, occupying the slot formerly held by Welcome Back, Kotter. Instead of returning to Milwaukee (although he'd do that early on for a 1-shot), Mork now settles in Boulder, Colorado, his egg-shaped spacecraft crashing in a wooded area. Ultimately, he finds shelter with Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber), who just came out of a bad relationship. Mindy's father (Conrad Janis, ex-Quark), a music store owner and orchestra leader, wasn't too keen on the newcomer at first, which was normal, but his mom, Mindy's grandmother (Elizabeth Kerr), didn't seem to mind.
Still, Mork had a mission, to observe life on earth, and report telepathically to Orson (Ralph James), whom he'd often greet with "Your Immenseness", implying that Orson was a rather large being, a subtle jab at film legend Orson Welles, whose girth had grown in recent times after his movie career had ended.
By the end of season 3, however, Mork & Mindy had become husband & wife, as they had--predictably---fallen in love. In a bizarre twist, it would be Mork that became pregnant with child, and, bizarrely, on Ork, children begin as fully grown adults. In this case, Mork's offspring, Mearth, was played by comedy legend Jonathan Winters, whom Williams looked upon as an idol. The series ended after 4 seasons, but ABC, unwilling to let go, decided to green-light an animated version for the Saturday morning crowd, and commissioned Ruby-Spears to produce the cartoon, which retconned Mork & Mindy to high school. Predictably, the unofficial 5th season was a dud and the series finally came to an end. The cartoons have been tucked away in Paramount's vaults ever since. I have a review of the cartoon on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives.
YouTube takes us back to season 1 and "Mork Goes Public", in which Mork decides to reveal himself and collect a reward from a magazine in order to help Mindy pay her college tuition. Jeff Altman guest stars. Seeing Mindy pretend to be a "Catwoman from Mars", albeit in a costume inspired by Filmation's 2nd Batman series, is worth the price of admission alone.
Edit, 4/12/19: Had to change the video. Here's an excerpt from "Mork Goes Public", with Mindy as a sexy "Catwoman From Mars":
Last I knew, the Hub had the cable rights to the series, so check your listings.
Rating: A.
Viewers were introduced to a wacky alien named Mork (Robin Williams, ex-The Richard Pryor Show), who wanted to bring back a human to his homeworld, Ork. Of course, Fonzie (Henry Winkler) would have none of that, but it turned out to be a sort-of dream. Or was it?
It wasn't long before ABC decided that Mork merited his own series, set in the present day, hence the debut of Mork & Mindy, which premiered in September 1978, airing on Thursdays, occupying the slot formerly held by Welcome Back, Kotter. Instead of returning to Milwaukee (although he'd do that early on for a 1-shot), Mork now settles in Boulder, Colorado, his egg-shaped spacecraft crashing in a wooded area. Ultimately, he finds shelter with Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber), who just came out of a bad relationship. Mindy's father (Conrad Janis, ex-Quark), a music store owner and orchestra leader, wasn't too keen on the newcomer at first, which was normal, but his mom, Mindy's grandmother (Elizabeth Kerr), didn't seem to mind.
Still, Mork had a mission, to observe life on earth, and report telepathically to Orson (Ralph James), whom he'd often greet with "Your Immenseness", implying that Orson was a rather large being, a subtle jab at film legend Orson Welles, whose girth had grown in recent times after his movie career had ended.
By the end of season 3, however, Mork & Mindy had become husband & wife, as they had--predictably---fallen in love. In a bizarre twist, it would be Mork that became pregnant with child, and, bizarrely, on Ork, children begin as fully grown adults. In this case, Mork's offspring, Mearth, was played by comedy legend Jonathan Winters, whom Williams looked upon as an idol. The series ended after 4 seasons, but ABC, unwilling to let go, decided to green-light an animated version for the Saturday morning crowd, and commissioned Ruby-Spears to produce the cartoon, which retconned Mork & Mindy to high school. Predictably, the unofficial 5th season was a dud and the series finally came to an end. The cartoons have been tucked away in Paramount's vaults ever since. I have a review of the cartoon on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives.
YouTube takes us back to season 1 and "Mork Goes Public", in which Mork decides to reveal himself and collect a reward from a magazine in order to help Mindy pay her college tuition. Jeff Altman guest stars. Seeing Mindy pretend to be a "Catwoman from Mars", albeit in a costume inspired by Filmation's 2nd Batman series, is worth the price of admission alone.
Edit, 4/12/19: Had to change the video. Here's an excerpt from "Mork Goes Public", with Mindy as a sexy "Catwoman From Mars":
Last I knew, the Hub had the cable rights to the series, so check your listings.
Rating: A.
Musical Interlude: Under Pressure (1981)
Queen joined forces with fellow British music icon David Bowie for their 1981 hit, "Under Pressure", which appeared on Queen's "Greatest Hits" package.
The video, as you'll see, pays homage to the silent film era. Who knew these guys were fans?
The video, as you'll see, pays homage to the silent film era. Who knew these guys were fans?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Weasels of the Week: Mitt Romney & Kansas City Chiefs "fans"
I think we've all heard by now that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has reportedly said he would cut funding to PBS if elected.
SAY WHAT?
You would think the GOP would've paid closer attention to the bumbling on local levels last year that cost them some elections, including in my home district. PBS, home to Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece Theatre, Nova, and so much more, relies on viewer support, and, while I'm not certain about other parts of the country, local affiliate WMHT has had more pledge break periods than usual in recent years. More like every other month instead of every 3-4. Cutting funding, or at least the threat of doing so, has angered some folks, and the fact that Romney name-checked Sesame Street icon Big Bird prompted the giant canary (Carroll Spinney) to make a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend to address the issue with Seth Meyers during Weekend Update.
I am reminded of last year's Mayoral election in Troy, in which the local GOP resorted to a last minute attack ad in a desperate bid to swing the election. Instead, Republican candidate Carmella Mantello was routed at the polls as County Legislator Lou Rosamilla was elected. 11 months later, Mitt Romney's mouth has all but gift-wrapped a second term for President Obama.
The bottom line? PBS means different things to a lot of people, kids and adults alike. Slashing funding has viewers in a panic, afraid they'll lose their favorite shows. Real smooth, Mitt. NOT!
Less than 48 hours after fans in Atlanta pelted the field with debris in protest of a call that went against the Braves and ultimately cost Atlanta a chance to advance in the National League playoffs, another group of overly inebriated morons made headlines in Kansas City, but this time, there was no junk tossed out onto the field.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was being attended to by team doctors after taking a vicious hit from a Baltimore player. Cassel would have to leave the game, and it was later reported that he had suffered a concussion. Given the greater emphasis on player safety, the normal thing to do would be if Cassel were to leave the field under his own power, the fans would applaud in support of their player. In this case, with Cassel down on the turf at Arrowhead Stadium, some fans, and I'm using the term loosely here, applauded the fact that he'd been knocked out of the game.
Again, SAY WHAT?
I have to guess that these clueless, classless, pie-eyed clowns weren't Chiefs fans at all, and I doubt very seriously they made the pilgrimage all the way from Baltimore to cheer on the Ravens. The only other time I can think of a classless scenario such as this would be in---where else?---Philadelphia, where Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irvin, then with the hated Dallas Cowboys, now a NFL Network analyst, was similarly removed from a game several years back. Then again, in Philadelphia, they cheer when Santa Claus gets abused, that's how wacky they are. Of course, fans in Philadelphia are also cruel enough to cover for one of their own when they use a laser pointer on opposing players, as happened in a Phillies-St. Louis game on national television 3 years ago.
In this country, we have a God-given right to cheer and boo who we want to and when. Problem is, the line blurs when some people have too much to drink too soon, and while we handed out Dunce Caps to the goofs in Atlanta, the drunks in Kansas City get Weasel ears, for giving the city, the Chiefs, and the NFL a black eye they don't deserve.
Mitt Romney gets the ears for daring to take the pruning shears to PBS. Enough said there.
SAY WHAT?
You would think the GOP would've paid closer attention to the bumbling on local levels last year that cost them some elections, including in my home district. PBS, home to Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece Theatre, Nova, and so much more, relies on viewer support, and, while I'm not certain about other parts of the country, local affiliate WMHT has had more pledge break periods than usual in recent years. More like every other month instead of every 3-4. Cutting funding, or at least the threat of doing so, has angered some folks, and the fact that Romney name-checked Sesame Street icon Big Bird prompted the giant canary (Carroll Spinney) to make a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend to address the issue with Seth Meyers during Weekend Update.
I am reminded of last year's Mayoral election in Troy, in which the local GOP resorted to a last minute attack ad in a desperate bid to swing the election. Instead, Republican candidate Carmella Mantello was routed at the polls as County Legislator Lou Rosamilla was elected. 11 months later, Mitt Romney's mouth has all but gift-wrapped a second term for President Obama.
The bottom line? PBS means different things to a lot of people, kids and adults alike. Slashing funding has viewers in a panic, afraid they'll lose their favorite shows. Real smooth, Mitt. NOT!
Less than 48 hours after fans in Atlanta pelted the field with debris in protest of a call that went against the Braves and ultimately cost Atlanta a chance to advance in the National League playoffs, another group of overly inebriated morons made headlines in Kansas City, but this time, there was no junk tossed out onto the field.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was being attended to by team doctors after taking a vicious hit from a Baltimore player. Cassel would have to leave the game, and it was later reported that he had suffered a concussion. Given the greater emphasis on player safety, the normal thing to do would be if Cassel were to leave the field under his own power, the fans would applaud in support of their player. In this case, with Cassel down on the turf at Arrowhead Stadium, some fans, and I'm using the term loosely here, applauded the fact that he'd been knocked out of the game.
Again, SAY WHAT?
I have to guess that these clueless, classless, pie-eyed clowns weren't Chiefs fans at all, and I doubt very seriously they made the pilgrimage all the way from Baltimore to cheer on the Ravens. The only other time I can think of a classless scenario such as this would be in---where else?---Philadelphia, where Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irvin, then with the hated Dallas Cowboys, now a NFL Network analyst, was similarly removed from a game several years back. Then again, in Philadelphia, they cheer when Santa Claus gets abused, that's how wacky they are. Of course, fans in Philadelphia are also cruel enough to cover for one of their own when they use a laser pointer on opposing players, as happened in a Phillies-St. Louis game on national television 3 years ago.
In this country, we have a God-given right to cheer and boo who we want to and when. Problem is, the line blurs when some people have too much to drink too soon, and while we handed out Dunce Caps to the goofs in Atlanta, the drunks in Kansas City get Weasel ears, for giving the city, the Chiefs, and the NFL a black eye they don't deserve.
Mitt Romney gets the ears for daring to take the pruning shears to PBS. Enough said there.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Let's try it again......
There's a reason why I often tag my predictions by saying, "of course, I could be wrong". Last night's Wild Card games were evidence that such prognostications aren't an exact science. That being said, let's retrench and reconfigure the Division Series only, and take each remaining round as it comes.
ALDS: We'll stick with our pick of Detroit over Oakland. Meanwhile, given how competitive the season series was between East rivals New York & Baltimore, we're pegging this as going the full five games. The real storyline here is former Yankee manager Buck Showalter looking to eliminate his former team and send the Orioles to the ALCS for the first time since 1997, when they lost to Cleveland.
NLDS: We'll stick with Cincinnati over San Francisco, but figuring the Washington-St. Louis series is the same as Yankees-Orioles. This, too, will go five, and it'll be St. Louis moving on, setting up an all-Central division NLCS.
The reason I didn't fill out an online bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament is that it usually gets blown up on the first day or two. Last night, I went 0-2 on the Wild Cards, which reminded me of those failures. Now, if we can just convince Potato Bud Selig and his people to try to avoid dragging every game out to 3-4 hours every night. It's either that, or they can buy stock in Sominex........
ALDS: We'll stick with our pick of Detroit over Oakland. Meanwhile, given how competitive the season series was between East rivals New York & Baltimore, we're pegging this as going the full five games. The real storyline here is former Yankee manager Buck Showalter looking to eliminate his former team and send the Orioles to the ALCS for the first time since 1997, when they lost to Cleveland.
NLDS: We'll stick with Cincinnati over San Francisco, but figuring the Washington-St. Louis series is the same as Yankees-Orioles. This, too, will go five, and it'll be St. Louis moving on, setting up an all-Central division NLCS.
The reason I didn't fill out an online bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament is that it usually gets blown up on the first day or two. Last night, I went 0-2 on the Wild Cards, which reminded me of those failures. Now, if we can just convince Potato Bud Selig and his people to try to avoid dragging every game out to 3-4 hours every night. It's either that, or they can buy stock in Sominex........
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