Week of 11/19: A 71-Year-Old Thanksgiving "Experiment"

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Next Thursday, NBC (officially) and CBS (unofficially) will carry on an annual Thanksgiving tradition by telecasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

That tradition started as a local experiment in New York in 1939, then picked up again after World War II. NBC started transmission "In Living Color," of course, in 1960.

Parade lovers have favorite televised moments. A highlight is the introduction of the Kermit the Frog balloon during the 1977 parade. Other lovable balloon creatures have included Snoopy, Garfield and Big Bird.

Another favorite is this stat: Milton DeLugg, who is 92 years old, continues to be music director for NBC's coverage.

The parade is also locally televised in New York, and here's a look from 1990 at Kermit - with Miss Piggy, of course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355zeNySn10

Happy Thanksgiving! And since I'll be off next week, see you in two weeks. Happy Viewing!

Week of November 12: Robert Wagner: Man About Town

By Sylvia Gurinsky

In this week's episode of "NCIS," it was fun to see the return of Robert Wagner as the debonaire, but broke, father of Tony (Michael Weatherly).

(How much did I pay attention to Wagner? I just found out Bruce Boxleitner ("Scarecrow and Mrs. King") was also on the episode, so I've got to go back and re-watch. Ah, the perils.....)

The role is a variation on the portrayals Wagner has perfected in more than 40 years on television.

Wagner started in the movies during the 1950s. He was a featured player in such films as "With a Song In My Heart" and "The Pink Panther," but it took television to really let him shine.

Wagner is one of the rare "television triples" - a star with three hit shows:

*"It Takes a Thief," ABC, 1968-70: Wagner came to television prominence with this show, where he played cat burglar Alexander Mundy, who was recruited by the federal government to do his stealing for them as a spy. Part of the fun of this series was that legendary dancer Fred Astaire played Alistair Mundy, Alex's father.

Unbelievably, this series isn't yet available on DVD. Episodes could be seen on Hulu.com until a few months ago, but don't seem to be available now, alas.

*"Switch," CBS, 1975-78:

"Do you ever stop being a con man?"

"Do you ever stop being a cop?"

That was how the introduction between Eddie Albert's character, retired police officer Frank McBride, and Wagner's character, ex-con man Pete Ryan - both turned detectives - went each week. Sharon Gless ("Cagney and Lacey") was also in the cast as their receptionist, as was comedian Charlie Callas. Sorry, no DVD release yet.

*"Hart To Hart," ABC, 1979-84: The delightful best is saved for last with this series, a takeoff on the classic movie series "The Thin Man," with Wagner and Stefanie Powers starring as millionaire industrialist Jonathan Hart and his writer wife, Jennifer, whose hobby (so well put by butler/confidant Max, played by Lionel Stander) "is...murder." They also had one of the cutest dogs in television history, little Freeway.

The first two seasons have been released on DVD.

This is one series that's worth making into a big-screen film (but never, never remake it as a series, PLEASE!!!!).

So lift a glass of champagne to R.J. for truly gracing us with his television presence.

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of November 5: Fall Classic Memories To Take Us Into Winter

By Sylvia Gurinsky

It was a bittersweet final week of the baseball season in 2010, with the San Francisco Giants getting it off to a happy start with their first World Series Championship in the City By the Bay (The last time they won, in 1954, they were in New York.).

But events turned sad on Thursday with the announcement of the death of Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson.

It's a good time, then, to go back and savor World Series of seasons past.

Last year, "The Official World Series Film Collection" was released on DVD, featuring highlights of all World Series from 1943 to 2008. It includes 20 discs, and familiar memories for baseball fans everywhere.

Want individual games? It's still possible to find "Baseball's Greatest Games," released on VHS during the 1990s. They include the thrilling, 12-inning Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, which Anderson's Cincinnati Reds lost to the Boston Red Sox on Carlton Fisk's foul pole home run; Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when a ground ball hit by New York Met Mookie Wilson went between Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, allowing the Mets to win ; and Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, another thriller that the Los Angeles Dodgers' injured Kirk Gibson ended with a home run that beat the Oakland A's.

Add "The Tenth Inning," Ken Burns' new sequel to "Baseball," to your collection as well. And have a great offseason!

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!