Insight Sundays: Watts Made Out of Thread (1968)

 YouTube describes "Watts Made Out of Thread" as a wild comedy about redemption. Paul Frees returns to Insight (he was the announcer during season 1) to voice a pair of figurines. Otherwise, our cast consists of Roscoe Lee Browne, Harold Gould, and Alice Ghostley (Bewitched):

When Icons Meet: Elvis on the Milton Berle Show (1956)

 Everyone knows Elvis Presley made his first television appearance on Milton Berle's variety show. Well, here it is, from 1956. The audio is down at first on "Heartbreak Hotel", but things pick up in time for "Blue Suede Shoes":

Family Fridays: Thanksgiving with the Andersons (Father Knows Best, 1950)

 A little change of pace, as we're reaching back for some old time radio to start our climb to Thanksgiving.

First up is a 1950 episode of Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young. This would be from season 2, in 1950.

Next week, we start our Countdown to Christmas.

Gomer & Duke get breakfast via special delivery (1964-5)

 Here's an in-show ad from season 1 of Gomer Pyle, USMC:

Gomer (Jim Nabors) gets a package in the mail from Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith, who appears near the end of the ad), which gets the attention of Duke Slater (Ronnie Schell)........

Post, at the time a unit of General Foods, was one of the sponsors of both The Andy Griffith Show & Gomer Pyle, among a fair number of primetime shows across the networks. Too bad Gomer never met Linus The Lionhearted, whose Saturday morning show bowed the same season......

Classic TV (?): Gene Gene makes his debut. So does the Unknown Comic. Just another day on the Gong Show? (1976-7)

 Two weeks ago, we featured a skit from The Carol Burnett Show in which Eunice (Burnett) appeared on The Gong Show.

Well, Carol stuck around long enough to actually introduce Chuck Barris for a day, and oh, did Chuck get roasted, or what? The Family skit was, I believe, part of this taping, with judges Jamie Farr (M*A*S*H), Jaye P. Morgan, & Allen Ludden.

As the header says, Gene Gene The Dancing Machine (Gene Patton) makes his debut, billed as "Gene & His Magic Feet", but you know he'd soon become a semi-regular. The Unknown Comic (Murray Langston) also makes his Gong debut. Unfortunately for the contestants, with Carol as an "opening act", it was difficult to follow.....

Chuck's jokey intros of the judges fell flatter than usual.

Rating: B.

The week so far in presidential stupidity

 After a bill to officially release the files on the late Jeffrey Epstein swept through Congress, it won't surprise anyone if Orange Beavis himself, president Trump, reneges on his promise to sign the bill into law.

On Friday, aboard Air Force One, Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey tried to ask Trump if he would keep his word, and sign the bill. Donnie Diapers cut her off and fat-shamed her for no reason.

"You're not being nice to me! WAAAAH!"

Funny how a 79 year old, overweight man with the comportment of a toddler would do that.

But that ain't all.

After being interviewed by ABC's Mary Bruce, reports surfaced that Trump is again demanding that his lapdog at the FCC, Brendan "Used" Carr, revoke ABC's broadcast license, which is something Carr does not have the authority to do, but Donnie Diapers doesn't understand that.

This is all he understands:

"WAAA! She's mean! Take her network off the air! WAAAH!"

Look, dude, I'll explain it to you again, even if you can't be bothered to actually comprehend the message. Criticism comes with the territory. Always has, always will. Just because you have the basic understanding of a kindergartener, doesn't mean you can wave it off and disrespect anyone who doesn't agree with you.

And, then, there is a recent case where Trump was in conversation with Just Dumb Vance, actually told Vance while being interviewed by another female reporter, "I just like to watch her talk".

CNN's Anderson Cooper had Ana Navarro, a CNN contributor in addition to being a part-time panelist on The View, on his program, and expressed disbelief, as it seemed Trump dismissed yet another woman just doing her job, this time going so far as to call her, "darling". Flirting while being interviewed ain't part of your duties, fella. The perception, unfortunately, is that the White House staff accepts it because "it's what he does". Translated: Orange Beavis ain't changing his habits for anyone, ever.

Sooner or later, the Archduke of Affluenza will find out the hard way how wrong he's always been. Preferably sooner.

Wild West Wednesdays: Mission to The Mountains (Death Valley Days, 1960)

 There are those occasions when the white man will work with a Native American to preserve peace. This installment of Death Valley Days dramatizes such an event. Wayne Rogers & John Hoyt star in "Mission to The Mountains":

A few short months later, Rogers would land his first lead role in a series in the short-lived Stagecoach West.

We're going to be scouring for Christmas episodes of various westerns starting in 2 weeks.