From the 1960s onward, David L. Wolper was the first name that came to mind when thoughts turned to television's biggest events.
Wolper, who died this week, produced the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles - complete with 84 grand pianos playing George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue." He also produced the 1986 Liberty Weekend, which included some of the world's biggest entertainers (back when there were many big entertainers) and President Ronald Reagan re-lighting the restored Statue of Liberty during its 100th birthday celebration.
As a television producer, Wolper shot to fame creating documentaries such as "The Making of the President: 1960," followed by a series of National Geographic specials and "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau."
He was a champion of diversity, producing the NBC sitcom "Chico and the Man," the ABC comedy "Welcome Back, Kotter" and his crowning glory, the 1977 miniseries "Roots" - still the most-watched miniseries in television history.
The David Wolper Center at the University of Southern California features the entire collection of his work. Much of the most successful work is available on DVD. That work will remain as a lasting tribute to him.
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Given her great success in film, it sometimes comes as a surprise to know that Patricia Neal, who also died this week, had a large television resume as well. During the 1950s, she was featured in such programs as CBS' "Playhouse 90" and "Omnibus." Through the years, she had guest-starring roles in such shows as "The Untouchables," "Little House On the Prairie" and "Murder, She Wrote."
Unquestionably, her crowning glory on the small screen came during the holiday season of 1971, when she starred as Olivia Walton in "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," the predecessor to the long-running series "The Waltons."
In the series, Michael Learned, as Olivia, would successfully share the screen with Ralph Waite, as John Walton, as well as Ellen Corby (Grandma), Will Geer (Grandpa), and Richard Thomas (John-Boy). But given the plot of the pilot film (Olivia and the entire Walton family wait all day Christmas Eve for John (Andrew Duggan) to come home), the script required a dominant actress. Neal was perfect, especially in her scenes with then-18-year-old Thomas. Here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3LaDngGBoE
Neal was nominated for an Emmy, and the film was a hit that CBS would repeat for years during the holiday season. Thomas, Corby and the remaining cast of Walton children would go on to the series, and more ratings and Emmy glory.
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Fans of classic TV are also mourning the death of Lorene Yarnell, once part of the mime team Shields and Yarnell.
Yarnell was a dancer on variety shows when she met Robert Shields in 1972. The two married, were originally street performers as mimes and later went onto success, again on variety shows. CBS gave them their own show in 1977. While that show didn't last long and Shields and Yarnell would later divorce, the team created memorable characters that fans still enjoy.
Here are two of them, the Clinkers, saying "Good Morning."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km1QRnzIKpI
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Finally, "At the Movies" is coming to an end after 35 years.
It's a quiet end, but its peak years, of course, were when film critics Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune were doing the weekly reviews. After Siskel died of cancer in 1999, Ebert teamed with Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper until Ebert got sick. They had a falling-out with producing company Disney, and the show went through assorted hosts after that.
Here's a Siskel and Ebert review from 1989, of a certain Kevin Costner film about a farmer plowing his corn to build a baseball field. Yep, they disagreed about the classic "Field of Dreams":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1gLX2t5GEc
But like "Field of Dreams," Siskel and Ebert were magic together on "At the Movies." So sorry the balcony is closed.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
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