By Sylvia Gurinsky
As with the 1990s, the old rules of evaluating the most memorable television moments of the 21st century go out the window.
During these dozen years, the Internet has become a major factor. Traditional television viewing, even with record ratings for sports events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl, has evolved considerably, with viewers watching their favorite shows on DVD or online.
One awful day, of course, is unquestionably the most memorable television moment so far in this century: September 11, 2001.
In some manner, television was the way most people found out about the attack on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as the brave passengers of United Flight 93 who sacrificed their lives to prevent another attack.
Here's a fitting remark from that day, in the first portion of the clip, by ABC News anchor Peter Jennings:
Peter Jennings 9/11
With that, here are the YesterTube Top 5 Television moments. All are breaking news stories:
1. Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963
2. Terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
3. Apollo 11 Moon Landing and Neil Armstrong's first steps, July 20, 1969
4. Explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger, January 28, 1986
5. Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, June 5, 1968
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
July 27: Movin' On Up: The Best of Sherman Hemsley and Chad Everett
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Note: I will conclude the series on the YesterTube Most Memorable TV Moments next week.
Norman Lear created George Jefferson. Sherman Hemsley, who died this week, perfected him.
Even while Mel Stewart was playing Henry Jefferson (George's brother) on "All In the Family," Lear still had in mind that Hemsley would be playing the role of George. Once he did, the sparks flew between George Jefferson and Archie Bunker:
George & Archie
Like so many memorable Lear characters, George and Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) were destined for their own spinoff, to that "deluxe apartment in the sky"
The Announcement
"The Jeffersons" ran for a decade on CBS and established an African-American upwardly mobile family from humble beginnings. Interestingly, the last season of "The Jeffersons" coincided with the first season of NBC's "The Cosby Show," another trailblazer.
Hemsley didn't have to wait too long for another television job. During the fall of 1986, "Amen," produced by Johnny Carson's production company, made its debut on NBC. Hemsley played the often scheming but generally soft-hearted Deacon Ernest Frye:
Amen
During the late 80s, "Amen" was also a very successful part of NBC's lineup.
Hemsley would be featured in various series - even reprising his role as George Jefferson a couple of times - for the rest of his life.
The first six seasons of "The Jeffersons" have been released on DVD. Inexplicably, "Amen" has not yet been released.
Here's another look at George and "Weezy" - through "The Jefferson's" fantastic theme song, "Movin' On Up":
The Jeffersons
*********************************************************************
Chad Everett, who also died this week, set plenty of hearts aflutter on the CBS series "Medical Center" as Dr. Joe Gannon:
Medical Center
Like Hemsley, Everett also continued to work until recently. Only the first season of "Medical Center" is available on DVD so far, but Everett fans can catch his work on "Murder She Wrote," the mini-series "Centennial" and many more shows.
See you next week, with a wrap-up of the Most Memorable TV Moments.
Note: I will conclude the series on the YesterTube Most Memorable TV Moments next week.
Norman Lear created George Jefferson. Sherman Hemsley, who died this week, perfected him.
Even while Mel Stewart was playing Henry Jefferson (George's brother) on "All In the Family," Lear still had in mind that Hemsley would be playing the role of George. Once he did, the sparks flew between George Jefferson and Archie Bunker:
George & Archie
Like so many memorable Lear characters, George and Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) were destined for their own spinoff, to that "deluxe apartment in the sky"
The Announcement
"The Jeffersons" ran for a decade on CBS and established an African-American upwardly mobile family from humble beginnings. Interestingly, the last season of "The Jeffersons" coincided with the first season of NBC's "The Cosby Show," another trailblazer.
Hemsley didn't have to wait too long for another television job. During the fall of 1986, "Amen," produced by Johnny Carson's production company, made its debut on NBC. Hemsley played the often scheming but generally soft-hearted Deacon Ernest Frye:
Amen
During the late 80s, "Amen" was also a very successful part of NBC's lineup.
Hemsley would be featured in various series - even reprising his role as George Jefferson a couple of times - for the rest of his life.
The first six seasons of "The Jeffersons" have been released on DVD. Inexplicably, "Amen" has not yet been released.
Here's another look at George and "Weezy" - through "The Jefferson's" fantastic theme song, "Movin' On Up":
The Jeffersons
*********************************************************************
Chad Everett, who also died this week, set plenty of hearts aflutter on the CBS series "Medical Center" as Dr. Joe Gannon:
Medical Center
Like Hemsley, Everett also continued to work until recently. Only the first season of "Medical Center" is available on DVD so far, but Everett fans can catch his work on "Murder She Wrote," the mini-series "Centennial" and many more shows.
See you next week, with a wrap-up of the Most Memorable TV Moments.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
July 24: Most Memorable TV Moments: 1990s
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Because of the nature of these selections, the format will be different for the YesterTube look at the most memorable television moments of the 1990s and 21st Century - because of television's evolution.
Television began making major transitions during the 1990s, away from the largely three-network model that had taken the medium through its first 40 years. Cutbacks of news divisions starting during the mid-1980s would crimp network news abilities to cover international stories; the collapse of communism and the crackdowns on protestors in China in 1989 were the last gasps of success for ABC, NBC and CBS in the traditional mode.
No longer could the networks be entirely counted on to cover the most serious and truly important news stories of the day, except when they transcended other news as breaking stories (Examples include the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.).
Cable news looked promising during the early 1990s, when CNN distinguished itself in covering the first Gulf War. But in 1994, Rupert Murdoch put Fox News on the air and started the downslide towards partisan cable operations that continues today. ESPN would also rise in its coverage of sports, with memorable personalities and tongue-in-cheek programs such as "SportsCenter." But personality would begin to trump performance.
The 1990s would see a blurring of lines among sports, culture and news. Two stories would certainly get attention above all: The saga of O.J. Simpson and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The 1994 involvement of football Hall of Famer and sometime actor and broadcaster Simpson in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole, and Ronald Brown would start a year-and-a-half saga that much of America and the world could not turn away from, though the two relevant subjects - domestic violence and race/celebrity and an imbalanced justice system - didn't get nearly enough attention. Meanwhile, much of network news was ruined, the daytime soap opera was mortally wounded while the trial aired and the voyeurism of the saga extended itself into the "reality" prime-time programming that has contaminated much of network television ever since.
The death of Princess Diana in 1997 was reported after midnight in the United States on a Saturday. By the time the country was awake the next morning, the impact was being felt. With her divorce from Prince Charles, she had turned into a divided figure - both tabloid subject, with her jet-set life, and a woman with influence, given her campaign against land mines and her status as the mother of a prospective future monarch. Those halves would steer the public reaction to her death and motivate the British monarchy in a way it had not been - a way that, in the long run, helped to restore the credibility it had lost during the 1990s.
Coming Friday: The 21st Century
*********************************************************************
He was the lesser-known name in Franken and Davis. But Tom Davis, who died last week at the too-young age of 59, was just as prolific a writer. The pair was part of the early days of "Saturday Night Live," both on and off the screen. They created the Coneheads and other famous sketches and characters.
They also went on other shows, such as "Solid Gold":
Rolling Stones Spoof
*********************************************************************
Word came late this afternoon of the death of Sherman Hemsley, star of "The Jeffersons" and "Amen." Full tribute will be paid in Friday's column.
Because of the nature of these selections, the format will be different for the YesterTube look at the most memorable television moments of the 1990s and 21st Century - because of television's evolution.
Television began making major transitions during the 1990s, away from the largely three-network model that had taken the medium through its first 40 years. Cutbacks of news divisions starting during the mid-1980s would crimp network news abilities to cover international stories; the collapse of communism and the crackdowns on protestors in China in 1989 were the last gasps of success for ABC, NBC and CBS in the traditional mode.
No longer could the networks be entirely counted on to cover the most serious and truly important news stories of the day, except when they transcended other news as breaking stories (Examples include the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.).
Cable news looked promising during the early 1990s, when CNN distinguished itself in covering the first Gulf War. But in 1994, Rupert Murdoch put Fox News on the air and started the downslide towards partisan cable operations that continues today. ESPN would also rise in its coverage of sports, with memorable personalities and tongue-in-cheek programs such as "SportsCenter." But personality would begin to trump performance.
The 1990s would see a blurring of lines among sports, culture and news. Two stories would certainly get attention above all: The saga of O.J. Simpson and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The 1994 involvement of football Hall of Famer and sometime actor and broadcaster Simpson in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole, and Ronald Brown would start a year-and-a-half saga that much of America and the world could not turn away from, though the two relevant subjects - domestic violence and race/celebrity and an imbalanced justice system - didn't get nearly enough attention. Meanwhile, much of network news was ruined, the daytime soap opera was mortally wounded while the trial aired and the voyeurism of the saga extended itself into the "reality" prime-time programming that has contaminated much of network television ever since.
The death of Princess Diana in 1997 was reported after midnight in the United States on a Saturday. By the time the country was awake the next morning, the impact was being felt. With her divorce from Prince Charles, she had turned into a divided figure - both tabloid subject, with her jet-set life, and a woman with influence, given her campaign against land mines and her status as the mother of a prospective future monarch. Those halves would steer the public reaction to her death and motivate the British monarchy in a way it had not been - a way that, in the long run, helped to restore the credibility it had lost during the 1990s.
Coming Friday: The 21st Century
*********************************************************************
He was the lesser-known name in Franken and Davis. But Tom Davis, who died last week at the too-young age of 59, was just as prolific a writer. The pair was part of the early days of "Saturday Night Live," both on and off the screen. They created the Coneheads and other famous sketches and characters.
They also went on other shows, such as "Solid Gold":
Rolling Stones Spoof
*********************************************************************
Word came late this afternoon of the death of Sherman Hemsley, star of "The Jeffersons" and "Amen." Full tribute will be paid in Friday's column.
Friday, July 20, 2012
July 20: Most Memorable TV Moments: The 1980s
By Sylvia Gurinsky
YesterTube continues a look at the most memorable television moments, divided by decade, with the 1980s:
Sports: Game 6 of 1986 World Series, New York Mets v. Boston Red Sox, October 25, 1986
Nothing crystalized the so-called "curse" of the Boston Red Sox like what happened to them in the 10th inning of game six. Just one strike away from their first World Series championship since 1918, the Red Sox blew it - first with relief pitcher Bob Stanley's wild pitch that let the tying New York Met run in, then with Bill Buckner's major error:
Buckner's Boot
It would be 18 more years before the Red Sox finally won another World Series. The Mets have yet to win another.
Culture: The wedding of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, July 29, 1981
Never mind, for the moment, the heartbreak and tragedy that came later. For the United Kingdom, then emerging from economic troubles, and for the world, this wedding was a genuine celebration and a fairy tale come to life:
Charles & Diana
News: Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, January 28, 1986
After 24 missions, Space Shuttle travel had become almost routine to the public. What made this one different was the presence of Concord, N.H. teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had planned experiments for American students during the mission. Sadly, tragedy happened about a minute in:
Space Shuttle Challenger
McAuliffe and her six colleagues were killed.
That night, President Ronald Reagan, whose State of the Union address had been originally scheduled for that night, addressed the nation from the Oval Office:
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God,'" Reagan said.
*******************************************************************
Note: The next post, about the 1990s, will appear next Tuesday, as will a tribute to Tom Davis, the comedy partner of Al Franken. Davis died yesterday.
YesterTube continues a look at the most memorable television moments, divided by decade, with the 1980s:
Sports: Game 6 of 1986 World Series, New York Mets v. Boston Red Sox, October 25, 1986
Nothing crystalized the so-called "curse" of the Boston Red Sox like what happened to them in the 10th inning of game six. Just one strike away from their first World Series championship since 1918, the Red Sox blew it - first with relief pitcher Bob Stanley's wild pitch that let the tying New York Met run in, then with Bill Buckner's major error:
Buckner's Boot
It would be 18 more years before the Red Sox finally won another World Series. The Mets have yet to win another.
Culture: The wedding of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, July 29, 1981
Never mind, for the moment, the heartbreak and tragedy that came later. For the United Kingdom, then emerging from economic troubles, and for the world, this wedding was a genuine celebration and a fairy tale come to life:
Charles & Diana
News: Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, January 28, 1986
After 24 missions, Space Shuttle travel had become almost routine to the public. What made this one different was the presence of Concord, N.H. teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had planned experiments for American students during the mission. Sadly, tragedy happened about a minute in:
Space Shuttle Challenger
McAuliffe and her six colleagues were killed.
That night, President Ronald Reagan, whose State of the Union address had been originally scheduled for that night, addressed the nation from the Oval Office:
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God,'" Reagan said.
*******************************************************************
Note: The next post, about the 1990s, will appear next Tuesday, as will a tribute to Tom Davis, the comedy partner of Al Franken. Davis died yesterday.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Most Memorable TV Moments: The 1970s
By Sylvia Gurinsky
YesterTube continues its look at the most memorable television moments, divided by decade. Today, the 1970s:
Sports: Terrorism During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, September 5-6, 1972
Sports stopped being the world's "toy department" when 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered by Arab terrorists. Jim McKay, who was leading ABC's Olympic coverage, transformed from his accustomed position into the newsman who told Americans what was going on, until the tragic end:
"They're All Gone"
Culture (1 of 2): Premiere of "All In the Family," January 12, 1971
Since 1968, Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton had been cast to play Archie and Edith Bunker. Two failed pilots passed through ABC before creator Norman Lear took the show to CBS and cast Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers as Michael and Gloria Stivic (and Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson). The opening episode gave viewers dialogue they had never heard before:
All in the Family
It would take the show a bit of time to find its ratings legs, and some changes would be made (The character of Edith would be significantly softened, for instance.), but its cultural impact was already unmistakeable.
Culture (2 of 2): "Roots," January 23-30, 1977
In the course of a week, a television miniseries based on Alex Haley's story transformed perceptions about blacks, about American history and about storytelling - as well as making stars out of LeVar Burton, Ben Vereen and others:
Roots
"Roots" ran on ABC, which had already had success with "Rich Man, Poor Man" the season before and would be the best at creating miniseries in their heyday.
News: President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, August 8, 1974
Watergate was the top news story of the 1970s, as the noose tightened around President Richard Nixon. The Congressional hearings that were televised in 1973 made clear Nixon's involvement in covering up his administration's role in the June, 1972 break-in at Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington. He made his announcement from the Oval Office:
Nixon Resigns
Tomorrow: The 1980s.
********************************************************************
Of all the television shows that William Asher directed in his career, his name is tied to two above all: "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched."
Asher directed more than 100 episodes of "I Love Lucy." As for "Bewitched," that was a pet project for him and his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha Stephens. It's tough to underestimate the difficulty of directing cast members the quality of Montgomery, Dick York (the first Darrin Stephens), Agnes Moorehead (Endora), Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara), Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur), Maurice Evans (Maurice) and company and having the special effects added in later. Asher's touch was almost as skillfull as Samantha's twitch. Here's one of the best, "The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara":
The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara
Asher's first directed episode of "I Love Lucy" was also one of the best: "Job Switching," in which Lucy and Ethel go to battle with a conveyor belt of chocolates:
Chocolates
He was behind the camera and on the end credits, but William Asher made sure those in front sparkled.
YesterTube continues its look at the most memorable television moments, divided by decade. Today, the 1970s:
Sports: Terrorism During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, September 5-6, 1972
Sports stopped being the world's "toy department" when 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered by Arab terrorists. Jim McKay, who was leading ABC's Olympic coverage, transformed from his accustomed position into the newsman who told Americans what was going on, until the tragic end:
"They're All Gone"
Culture (1 of 2): Premiere of "All In the Family," January 12, 1971
Since 1968, Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton had been cast to play Archie and Edith Bunker. Two failed pilots passed through ABC before creator Norman Lear took the show to CBS and cast Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers as Michael and Gloria Stivic (and Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson). The opening episode gave viewers dialogue they had never heard before:
All in the Family
It would take the show a bit of time to find its ratings legs, and some changes would be made (The character of Edith would be significantly softened, for instance.), but its cultural impact was already unmistakeable.
Culture (2 of 2): "Roots," January 23-30, 1977
In the course of a week, a television miniseries based on Alex Haley's story transformed perceptions about blacks, about American history and about storytelling - as well as making stars out of LeVar Burton, Ben Vereen and others:
Roots
"Roots" ran on ABC, which had already had success with "Rich Man, Poor Man" the season before and would be the best at creating miniseries in their heyday.
News: President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, August 8, 1974
Watergate was the top news story of the 1970s, as the noose tightened around President Richard Nixon. The Congressional hearings that were televised in 1973 made clear Nixon's involvement in covering up his administration's role in the June, 1972 break-in at Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington. He made his announcement from the Oval Office:
Nixon Resigns
Tomorrow: The 1980s.
********************************************************************
Of all the television shows that William Asher directed in his career, his name is tied to two above all: "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched."
Asher directed more than 100 episodes of "I Love Lucy." As for "Bewitched," that was a pet project for him and his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha Stephens. It's tough to underestimate the difficulty of directing cast members the quality of Montgomery, Dick York (the first Darrin Stephens), Agnes Moorehead (Endora), Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara), Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur), Maurice Evans (Maurice) and company and having the special effects added in later. Asher's touch was almost as skillfull as Samantha's twitch. Here's one of the best, "The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara":
The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara
Asher's first directed episode of "I Love Lucy" was also one of the best: "Job Switching," in which Lucy and Ethel go to battle with a conveyor belt of chocolates:
Chocolates
He was behind the camera and on the end credits, but William Asher made sure those in front sparkled.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
July 17: Most Memorable TV Moments: The 1960s
By Sylvia Gurinsky
YesterTube continues this decade-by-decade look at the most memorable television moments with the 1960s. This decade probably had more earth-shaking items than any other - both in the type of news that was made and the way television was covering it.
Sports: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeats Sonny Liston, February 25, 1964
It was more than just a heavyweight championship fight that took place in Miami Beach that night. Clay had been gaining attention for being quite unlike any athlete who ever came before, with his poetry and his taunts. But there was another side to him: He had become a Black Muslim and after this fight, announced his name change to Muhammad Ali. Other athletes since have tried to show plenty of flash and dash. But none have ever quite had the substance of Ali, who was willing to sacrifice his boxing career and his freedom over the Vietnam War and later came back to reclaim his self-described label as "The Greatest." This is how it started:
Clay (Ali) - Liston
Culture: The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show," February 9, 1964
Just two weeks before the legend of Ali came to fruition, the legend of The Beatles did on the long-running CBS show. American audiences had been hearing about the four lads from Liverpool - and their teenage children were already hearing their records.
It was inevitable that television - and Ed Sullivan, whose show usually scored high ratings - would come calling. This legend started with the screaming:
The Beatles
John, Paul, George and Ringo only sang together for a few short years. But the music will go on forever.
News (1 of 2): JFK Assassination, November 22, 1963
One of the two most transformative news stories in a decade that was filled with them, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy would shake the nation in ways that are still felt today. From a television news standpoint, it was when live news coverage came of age - and when Walter Cronkite of CBS established himself as the go-to newsman:
JFK Assassination
News (2 of 2): Man On the Moon, July 20, 1969
Kennedy's dream was for the U.S. to go to the moon. A dozen astronauts would make that dream come true on live television between 1969 and 1972.
Walter Cronkite and retired astronaut Wally Schirra were among those without words the moment Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down the lunar module "Eagle" on the moon for the first landing. It was the high point of the decade, the 20th century and maybe television history:
Apollo 11
Note: The 1970s will be presented Thursday, as will a tribute to director William Asher, who died today.
YesterTube continues this decade-by-decade look at the most memorable television moments with the 1960s. This decade probably had more earth-shaking items than any other - both in the type of news that was made and the way television was covering it.
Sports: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeats Sonny Liston, February 25, 1964
It was more than just a heavyweight championship fight that took place in Miami Beach that night. Clay had been gaining attention for being quite unlike any athlete who ever came before, with his poetry and his taunts. But there was another side to him: He had become a Black Muslim and after this fight, announced his name change to Muhammad Ali. Other athletes since have tried to show plenty of flash and dash. But none have ever quite had the substance of Ali, who was willing to sacrifice his boxing career and his freedom over the Vietnam War and later came back to reclaim his self-described label as "The Greatest." This is how it started:
Clay (Ali) - Liston
Culture: The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show," February 9, 1964
Just two weeks before the legend of Ali came to fruition, the legend of The Beatles did on the long-running CBS show. American audiences had been hearing about the four lads from Liverpool - and their teenage children were already hearing their records.
It was inevitable that television - and Ed Sullivan, whose show usually scored high ratings - would come calling. This legend started with the screaming:
The Beatles
John, Paul, George and Ringo only sang together for a few short years. But the music will go on forever.
News (1 of 2): JFK Assassination, November 22, 1963
One of the two most transformative news stories in a decade that was filled with them, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy would shake the nation in ways that are still felt today. From a television news standpoint, it was when live news coverage came of age - and when Walter Cronkite of CBS established himself as the go-to newsman:
JFK Assassination
News (2 of 2): Man On the Moon, July 20, 1969
Kennedy's dream was for the U.S. to go to the moon. A dozen astronauts would make that dream come true on live television between 1969 and 1972.
Walter Cronkite and retired astronaut Wally Schirra were among those without words the moment Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down the lunar module "Eagle" on the moon for the first landing. It was the high point of the decade, the 20th century and maybe television history:
Apollo 11
Note: The 1970s will be presented Thursday, as will a tribute to director William Asher, who died today.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Monday July 16: Most Memorable Television Moments: The 1950s
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Here is Part 1 of YesterTube's series of Most Memorable Television Moments, focusing on the 1950s.
*Top Sports: World Series Game 5, October 8, 1956
Live sports telecasts would begin to come of age during the 1950s, and especially so with the classic Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, in which otherwise undistinguished New York Yankee pitcher Don Larsen would pitch a perfect game - to date, the only perfect game in World Series history.
Here's the last out with the icing on the cake: Vin Scully, among the greatest broadcasters in baseball history, calling it:
Don Larsen Perfect Game
*Top Culture: "Lucy Goes To the Hospital" on "I Love Lucy," January 19, 1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower would be sworn in as president of the United States the following morning, but never mind that: There was a baby to be born to Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The chaos - and hilarity - was shared equally among the four stars of "I Love Lucy" in this scene:
Lucy Goes To the Hospital
Add Ricky's Babalu makeup (for the "woodoo" number) in the hospital scene, and there is no doubt that this is a classic. Of course, Lucy and Ricky had a boy. In real life, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (known as Desi Arnaz, Jr.) was born the same night.
*Top News: Murrow Battles McCarthyism, "See It Now," March 9, 1954
Few journalists were more gutsy than Edward R. Murrow - whether broadcasting on radio from London during the Blitz in World War II, or indicting Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy with McCarthy's own words and Murrow's excellent closing statement:
Murrow
Tomorrow: The 1960s
Here is Part 1 of YesterTube's series of Most Memorable Television Moments, focusing on the 1950s.
*Top Sports: World Series Game 5, October 8, 1956
Live sports telecasts would begin to come of age during the 1950s, and especially so with the classic Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, in which otherwise undistinguished New York Yankee pitcher Don Larsen would pitch a perfect game - to date, the only perfect game in World Series history.
Here's the last out with the icing on the cake: Vin Scully, among the greatest broadcasters in baseball history, calling it:
Don Larsen Perfect Game
*Top Culture: "Lucy Goes To the Hospital" on "I Love Lucy," January 19, 1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower would be sworn in as president of the United States the following morning, but never mind that: There was a baby to be born to Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The chaos - and hilarity - was shared equally among the four stars of "I Love Lucy" in this scene:
Lucy Goes To the Hospital
Add Ricky's Babalu makeup (for the "woodoo" number) in the hospital scene, and there is no doubt that this is a classic. Of course, Lucy and Ricky had a boy. In real life, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (known as Desi Arnaz, Jr.) was born the same night.
*Top News: Murrow Battles McCarthyism, "See It Now," March 9, 1954
Few journalists were more gutsy than Edward R. Murrow - whether broadcasting on radio from London during the Blitz in World War II, or indicting Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy with McCarthy's own words and Murrow's excellent closing statement:
Murrow
Tomorrow: The 1960s
Friday, July 13, 2012
Week of July 13: Griffth and Borgnine: Beyond Mayberry, Matlock, McHale and Airwolf
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Television viewers embraced Andy Griffith on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock", and Ernest Borgnine on "McHale's Navy" and "Airwolf." But they also won fans when they pushed the boundaries they would have found on their own shows.
Borgnine had numerous guest-starring roles in television movies and series other than his own. One came in one of the most memorable episodes of "Little House On the Prairie" - "The Lord Is My Shepherd," from 1974:
The Lord Is My Shepherd
Griffith worked in a number of mini-series and specials, including 1976's unusual "Six Characters In Search of An Author" with John Houseman, done for PBS:
Six Characters
Those and many other works of Borgnine and Griffth - including, of course, their beloved series - are available on DVD.
********************************************************************
This week, Sony Electronics and Nielsen released a survey of top memorable news moments on television. The problem with that survey is that it's not accurate, simply because there are now more people alive who remember events of the 1990s and 21st century than such events as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy or the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Next week, day by day, YesterTube will feature a look at the most memorable moments, divided by decade and summed up with the Top 5 all-time memorable moments. Also, the decade moments will be divided into three categories: News, Culture and Sports.
So see you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Television viewers embraced Andy Griffith on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock", and Ernest Borgnine on "McHale's Navy" and "Airwolf." But they also won fans when they pushed the boundaries they would have found on their own shows.
Borgnine had numerous guest-starring roles in television movies and series other than his own. One came in one of the most memorable episodes of "Little House On the Prairie" - "The Lord Is My Shepherd," from 1974:
The Lord Is My Shepherd
Griffith worked in a number of mini-series and specials, including 1976's unusual "Six Characters In Search of An Author" with John Houseman, done for PBS:
Six Characters
Those and many other works of Borgnine and Griffth - including, of course, their beloved series - are available on DVD.
********************************************************************
This week, Sony Electronics and Nielsen released a survey of top memorable news moments on television. The problem with that survey is that it's not accurate, simply because there are now more people alive who remember events of the 1990s and 21st century than such events as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy or the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Next week, day by day, YesterTube will feature a look at the most memorable moments, divided by decade and summed up with the Top 5 all-time memorable moments. Also, the decade moments will be divided into three categories: News, Culture and Sports.
So see you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
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