By Sylvia Gurinsky
Today brings the late-breaking news that James Arness, best known as Marshall Matt Dillon on CBS' "Gunsmoke," has died.
A World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Arness acted in movies and television during the late 1940s and 1950s - including an appearance as William Tell in a 1955 Hallmark Hall of Fame production.
1955 was a terrific year for Arness because he proceeded to get the lead role as Dillon; rumors always had the role being offered to John Wayne, who wound up introducing the show when it went on the air.
Westerns were extremely popular on television during the 1950s and 60s. "Gunsmoke" was among the best because it took its lead from movies such as "High Noon." During the glory years, its supporting cast included Dennis Weaver ("McCloud") as Festus and Amanda Blake as saloon owner Kitty Russell. Despite the 1800s setting, "Gunsmoke" managed to address issues relevant to the mid-20th century - including civil rights.
(Viewers can catch "Gunsmoke" on TVLand and the first four seasons are available on DVD - but in that annoying format that splits seasons.)
While Arness would have less screen time during the later seasons of the show, he and Milburn Stone, who played Doc, were the only primary cast members to stay until "Gunsmoke" finally went off the air in 1975. Later, Arness would appear in several "Gunsmoke" movies, a miniseries version of "How the West Was Won" on ABC and the detective series "McClain's Law" for NBC in 1981-82.
Here's a clip from the "Gunsmoke" episode "The Killer," featuring Charles Bronson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqyojnM9tlc
You did fine, Marshall. Just fine.
***************************************************************************************
Note: Today is Jim Lehrer's last day as "NewsHour" anchor. YesterTube will pay tribute next week.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Week of May 27: Television News-Talk's Best Goodbyes
By Sylvia Gurinsky
"Subtle" will not be one of the words used to describe much of Oprah Winfrey's farewell to her talk show this week.
Yet, subtle goodbyes have historically been the best ones. Here are some examples of classy ones (I suspect Jim Lehrer, stepping down from PBS' "NewsHour" in coming days, will join them:
*Chet Huntley, NBC, July 31, 1970: Along with David Brinkley, Chet Huntley anchored the very successful "Huntley-Brinkley Report" from 1956 until 1970, along with various political conventions and countless special reports. Huntley's goodbye and Brinkley's response are winners:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYf3eyRjfYA
*Walter Cronkite, CBS, March 6, 1981: Cronkite, the anchor of the "CBS Evening News" for 19 years, said a gracious goodbye, with one of my favorite quotes: "Old anchormen don't fade away, you see, they just keep coming back for more:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9QEUfkRkZ0
*Johnny Carson, NBC, May 22, 1992: Carson (who, incidentally, did a hilarious send-off of a Cronkite farewell the night before Cronkite said goodbye) had an exit that was much covered in the press. At one point, he joked that he'd been in the news so much that his employees had started referring to him as "warm and approachable," rather than "cool and aloof."
Carson had two emotional goodbyes. The first one actually came on his second-to-last show, when comedian Robin Williams and actress/singer Bette Midler were guests. Midler and Carson sang one of Carson's favorites, "Here's That Rainy Day":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xty-L4Pp2CA&feature=fvst
The following night, Carson kept to the basics, showing clips from years past and saluting Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen and the band - as well as the audience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9LuLqsWgiQ
"If I could, magically.....make it run backwards, I'd like to do it all over again," are the comments Carson made at the beginning of that last show. We agree, Johnny, we agree.
*Charles Kuralt, CBS, April 3, 1994: Kuralt had hosted "CBS News Sunday Morning" since its 1978 creation. In his introduction to his last book, "Charles Kuralt's America," he would compare his parting from CBS to a divorce ("I realized I didn't love her anymore," he wrote.). But that Sunday, the tone ranged from a cheerful handoff to new host Charles Osgood (still going strong today) to the humor of those noisy geese ("My heart knows where the wild goose goes.") to the bittersweet poem of Clarence Day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQM3Yr18TjU
Bet Oprah didn't get a "tiddly-widdly-toodle-oo."
*************************************************************************************
Honor to all who have served on this Memorial Day weekend.
See you next week.
"Subtle" will not be one of the words used to describe much of Oprah Winfrey's farewell to her talk show this week.
Yet, subtle goodbyes have historically been the best ones. Here are some examples of classy ones (I suspect Jim Lehrer, stepping down from PBS' "NewsHour" in coming days, will join them:
*Chet Huntley, NBC, July 31, 1970: Along with David Brinkley, Chet Huntley anchored the very successful "Huntley-Brinkley Report" from 1956 until 1970, along with various political conventions and countless special reports. Huntley's goodbye and Brinkley's response are winners:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYf3eyRjfYA
*Walter Cronkite, CBS, March 6, 1981: Cronkite, the anchor of the "CBS Evening News" for 19 years, said a gracious goodbye, with one of my favorite quotes: "Old anchormen don't fade away, you see, they just keep coming back for more:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9QEUfkRkZ0
*Johnny Carson, NBC, May 22, 1992: Carson (who, incidentally, did a hilarious send-off of a Cronkite farewell the night before Cronkite said goodbye) had an exit that was much covered in the press. At one point, he joked that he'd been in the news so much that his employees had started referring to him as "warm and approachable," rather than "cool and aloof."
Carson had two emotional goodbyes. The first one actually came on his second-to-last show, when comedian Robin Williams and actress/singer Bette Midler were guests. Midler and Carson sang one of Carson's favorites, "Here's That Rainy Day":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xty-L4Pp2CA&feature=fvst
The following night, Carson kept to the basics, showing clips from years past and saluting Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen and the band - as well as the audience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9LuLqsWgiQ
"If I could, magically.....make it run backwards, I'd like to do it all over again," are the comments Carson made at the beginning of that last show. We agree, Johnny, we agree.
*Charles Kuralt, CBS, April 3, 1994: Kuralt had hosted "CBS News Sunday Morning" since its 1978 creation. In his introduction to his last book, "Charles Kuralt's America," he would compare his parting from CBS to a divorce ("I realized I didn't love her anymore," he wrote.). But that Sunday, the tone ranged from a cheerful handoff to new host Charles Osgood (still going strong today) to the humor of those noisy geese ("My heart knows where the wild goose goes.") to the bittersweet poem of Clarence Day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQM3Yr18TjU
Bet Oprah didn't get a "tiddly-widdly-toodle-oo."
*************************************************************************************
Honor to all who have served on this Memorial Day weekend.
See you next week.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Week of May 20: Saluting One of "Murrow's Boys"; Katie Couric and Mary Hart Back When
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Joseph Wershba was a brave man.
One of the reporters and producers who worked with Edward R. Murrow, Wershba was part of the team responsible for the discrediting of U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy's campaign to weed out Communists during the 1950s.
That campaign started with Wershba's own reporting in 1953 on Murrow's program, "See It Now," about United States Air Force Lt. Milo Radulovich, who was discharged as a security risk because family members were suspected of having Communist sympathies. That was the first in a series of reports that ultimately led to a direct confrontation between Murrow and McCarthy, who went on an episode of "See It Now" and basically did himself in with his words.
Years later, Wershba would produce documentaries - including "Gideon's Trumpet: The Poor Man and the Law," the saga of Clarence Earl Gideon, a poor man in Florida jailed for a felony without legal representation and eventually acquitted. The real story would later be turned into the acclaimed 1980 CBS television movie "Gideon's Trumpet," which starred Henry Fonda.
Wershba was one of the original producers in what has become a CBS institution, "60 Minutes." He stayed there until 1988, working quite a bit with correspondent Morley Safer. Twice, the team won Emmys: In 1971 for a look at the Gulf of Tonkin incident that triggered the Vietnam War, and in 1978 for a profile of Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek.
Here's a link to a tribute by Safer:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20063653-10391709.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
*****************************************************************************************
Katie Couric has given up her anchor chair at CBS, probably for an immediate future as a talk-show host, possibly with ABC.
Whatever her future, her past included time in Miami, at what was then known as WTVJ-Channel 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpHgMvM918
*************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, Mary Hart is leaving "Entertainment Tonight" after 29 years of enthusiastic coverage of celebrities.
Here's a clip from 1983 - back when there were actually celebrities worth covering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avOBNaU0fQY&feature=related
************************************************************************************
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Joseph Wershba was a brave man.
One of the reporters and producers who worked with Edward R. Murrow, Wershba was part of the team responsible for the discrediting of U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy's campaign to weed out Communists during the 1950s.
That campaign started with Wershba's own reporting in 1953 on Murrow's program, "See It Now," about United States Air Force Lt. Milo Radulovich, who was discharged as a security risk because family members were suspected of having Communist sympathies. That was the first in a series of reports that ultimately led to a direct confrontation between Murrow and McCarthy, who went on an episode of "See It Now" and basically did himself in with his words.
Years later, Wershba would produce documentaries - including "Gideon's Trumpet: The Poor Man and the Law," the saga of Clarence Earl Gideon, a poor man in Florida jailed for a felony without legal representation and eventually acquitted. The real story would later be turned into the acclaimed 1980 CBS television movie "Gideon's Trumpet," which starred Henry Fonda.
Wershba was one of the original producers in what has become a CBS institution, "60 Minutes." He stayed there until 1988, working quite a bit with correspondent Morley Safer. Twice, the team won Emmys: In 1971 for a look at the Gulf of Tonkin incident that triggered the Vietnam War, and in 1978 for a profile of Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek.
Here's a link to a tribute by Safer:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20063653-10391709.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
*****************************************************************************************
Katie Couric has given up her anchor chair at CBS, probably for an immediate future as a talk-show host, possibly with ABC.
Whatever her future, her past included time in Miami, at what was then known as WTVJ-Channel 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpHgMvM918
*************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, Mary Hart is leaving "Entertainment Tonight" after 29 years of enthusiastic coverage of celebrities.
Here's a clip from 1983 - back when there were actually celebrities worth covering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avOBNaU0fQY&feature=related
************************************************************************************
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Week of 5/13: Remembering Cooper and Wynter; Royal Weddings Past
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Jackie Cooper, who died last week, had two show business careers: The films he did as a child and the television and theater he did as an adult.
The latter undoubtedly satisfied him more; he had a chance to prove himself as an actor and director, and won accolades for both.
During the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, he was a mainstay on televised live drama programs such as Kraft Theatre and Studio One in Hollywood. During the late 1950s, he had his own situation comedy, "The People's Choice," on NBC for three years, and from 1959-62 was in the dramedy "Hennesey" on CBS.
From the 1960s through the 80s, Cooper made numerous guest-starring appearances on various shows, including "Hawaii Five-O," "The Rockford Files" and "Murder, She Wrote."
Doing his own series, Cooper got behind-the-camera experience as a director and would put it to good use for three decades. He directed numerous "M*A*S*H," episodes during the show's first two seasons - including "Carry On, Hawkeye," for which he won an Emmy. He won a second Emmy for directing the pilot episode of "The White Shadow" and also directed episodes of "Magnum, P.I.," "The Rockford Files" and "Cagney & Lacey," among others.
Alas, we wait for the live drama presentations to be released on DVD, but many of his guest-starring roles and directed episodes are available.
************************************************************************************
Dana Wynter, who died earlier this week, also had a long and steady career guest-starring in live dramas and television series. A few of those, including roles in "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum, P.I.," are available on DVD.
One that could get a release, given royal wedding interest, is "The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana," shown on CBS in 1982. Wynter played Queen Elizabeth long before Helen Mirren did.
*************************************************************************************
One final note for those who enjoyed watching the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge): ABC News not only has the highlights, but also has past royal weddings, going back to Princess Anne's first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.
The site also includes highlights of Prince Charles becoming Prince of Wales in 1969:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Wedding
***********************************************************************************
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Jackie Cooper, who died last week, had two show business careers: The films he did as a child and the television and theater he did as an adult.
The latter undoubtedly satisfied him more; he had a chance to prove himself as an actor and director, and won accolades for both.
During the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, he was a mainstay on televised live drama programs such as Kraft Theatre and Studio One in Hollywood. During the late 1950s, he had his own situation comedy, "The People's Choice," on NBC for three years, and from 1959-62 was in the dramedy "Hennesey" on CBS.
From the 1960s through the 80s, Cooper made numerous guest-starring appearances on various shows, including "Hawaii Five-O," "The Rockford Files" and "Murder, She Wrote."
Doing his own series, Cooper got behind-the-camera experience as a director and would put it to good use for three decades. He directed numerous "M*A*S*H," episodes during the show's first two seasons - including "Carry On, Hawkeye," for which he won an Emmy. He won a second Emmy for directing the pilot episode of "The White Shadow" and also directed episodes of "Magnum, P.I.," "The Rockford Files" and "Cagney & Lacey," among others.
Alas, we wait for the live drama presentations to be released on DVD, but many of his guest-starring roles and directed episodes are available.
************************************************************************************
Dana Wynter, who died earlier this week, also had a long and steady career guest-starring in live dramas and television series. A few of those, including roles in "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum, P.I.," are available on DVD.
One that could get a release, given royal wedding interest, is "The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana," shown on CBS in 1982. Wynter played Queen Elizabeth long before Helen Mirren did.
*************************************************************************************
One final note for those who enjoyed watching the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge): ABC News not only has the highlights, but also has past royal weddings, going back to Princess Anne's first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.
The site also includes highlights of Prince Charles becoming Prince of Wales in 1969:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Wedding
***********************************************************************************
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
April 17: Top 10 "Masterpiece"
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Continuing the celebration of the 40th anniversary of "Masterpiece" with a Top 10:
10. The Duchess of Duke Street: Created by John Hawkesworth, the episodes starred Gemma Jones as Louisa Trotter, who rose from the bottom to the top.
9. Downton Abbey: This magnetic series, a recent PBS sensation, stars Hugh Bonneville as the patriarch of a family of daughters in changing times during the second decade of the 20th century, with events in Series 1 framed by the sinking of the Titanic and the beginning of World War I. Series 2 will be shown on "Masterpiece" next year.
8. Edward and Mrs. Simpson: Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris played the title characters, whose romance upended a monarchy and changed England's future.
7. Bramwell: Jemma Redgrave starred as Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, who was a medical pioneer at a time when female doctors in England were almost unheard of. No "Dr. Quinn," this series was scandalous at times.
6. The Six Wives of Henry VIII: One of the early "Masterpiece" presentations, this had six episodes - each one devoted to one of King Henry's wives.
5. Reckless: The love triangle of a fortysomething woman (Francesca Annis), her unfaithful husband (Michael Kitchen) and a thirtysomething doctor (Robson Green) got pulses racing. Probably the best of the modern "Masterpiece" presentations, aside from the "House of Cards" trilogy (See below).
4. House of Cards trilogy: Sir Ian Richardson was memorable as the cold and calculating Sir Francis Urquhart in a trio of presentations: "House of Cards," "To Play the King" and "The Final Cut." This was Shakespearean tragedy (written by Andrew Davies) at its most modern.
3. I, Claudius: Long before Derek Jacobi went back to the future (12th century!) as Cadfael, he was Claudius, narrating the rise and fall of ancient Rome.
2. The Jewel In the Crown: A look at India in the last days of British rule, during the early 1940s. Tim Pigott-Smith starred as Captain Ronald Merrick, who had a few secrets influencing his actions.
1. Upstairs, Downstairs: 165 Eaton Place became one of television's classic addresses because of the 1970s show, which took a look at a family and their servants through the first three decades of the 20th century. "Upstairs, Downstairs," winner of numerous Emmys, was among the first programs shown on American television to be produced by women. One of those producers, Jean Marsh, is back for the continuation currently being shown on "Masterpiece."
*************************************************************************************
Note: YesterTube will be on hiatus until mid-May.
Until then, Happy Passover, Happy Easter, Happy Spring and Happy Viewing!
Continuing the celebration of the 40th anniversary of "Masterpiece" with a Top 10:
10. The Duchess of Duke Street: Created by John Hawkesworth, the episodes starred Gemma Jones as Louisa Trotter, who rose from the bottom to the top.
9. Downton Abbey: This magnetic series, a recent PBS sensation, stars Hugh Bonneville as the patriarch of a family of daughters in changing times during the second decade of the 20th century, with events in Series 1 framed by the sinking of the Titanic and the beginning of World War I. Series 2 will be shown on "Masterpiece" next year.
8. Edward and Mrs. Simpson: Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris played the title characters, whose romance upended a monarchy and changed England's future.
7. Bramwell: Jemma Redgrave starred as Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, who was a medical pioneer at a time when female doctors in England were almost unheard of. No "Dr. Quinn," this series was scandalous at times.
6. The Six Wives of Henry VIII: One of the early "Masterpiece" presentations, this had six episodes - each one devoted to one of King Henry's wives.
5. Reckless: The love triangle of a fortysomething woman (Francesca Annis), her unfaithful husband (Michael Kitchen) and a thirtysomething doctor (Robson Green) got pulses racing. Probably the best of the modern "Masterpiece" presentations, aside from the "House of Cards" trilogy (See below).
4. House of Cards trilogy: Sir Ian Richardson was memorable as the cold and calculating Sir Francis Urquhart in a trio of presentations: "House of Cards," "To Play the King" and "The Final Cut." This was Shakespearean tragedy (written by Andrew Davies) at its most modern.
3. I, Claudius: Long before Derek Jacobi went back to the future (12th century!) as Cadfael, he was Claudius, narrating the rise and fall of ancient Rome.
2. The Jewel In the Crown: A look at India in the last days of British rule, during the early 1940s. Tim Pigott-Smith starred as Captain Ronald Merrick, who had a few secrets influencing his actions.
1. Upstairs, Downstairs: 165 Eaton Place became one of television's classic addresses because of the 1970s show, which took a look at a family and their servants through the first three decades of the 20th century. "Upstairs, Downstairs," winner of numerous Emmys, was among the first programs shown on American television to be produced by women. One of those producers, Jean Marsh, is back for the continuation currently being shown on "Masterpiece."
*************************************************************************************
Note: YesterTube will be on hiatus until mid-May.
Until then, Happy Passover, Happy Easter, Happy Spring and Happy Viewing!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Week of April 15: Best of "Mystery!"
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Happy 40th birthday, Masterpiece Theater, and Happy 30th, Mystery!
OK, actually 31st for "Mystery," which went on the air in February, 1980. And the "Theater" is no longer attached to "Masterpiece," whose subheadings now include "Masterpiece Classic" and "Masterpiece Contemporary."
No matter. Both have set standards for television and for the quality of PBS. Mostly British programs, the offerings have been extremely popular.
Here's a Top 10 list for "Mystery." The one for "Masterpiece" will follow in a second blog to run Sunday.
Mystery Top 10
10. Dalgleish: Roy Mardsen played the cerebral detective from the P.D. James series of books.
9. Cadfael: How far back can crime-solving go? Try the 12th century, with Derek Jacobi playing the sleuthing monk.
8. Reilly, Ace of Spies: Sam Neill played Jewish spy Sidney Reilly in this 1983 series of episodes, which won a host of awards.
7. Rumpole of the Bailey: Leo McKern was the crusty lawyer in the series that was part of most of "Mystery's" first 15 seasons, including the first one. A courtroom drama among the detectives.
6. Miss Marple: Agatha Christie's most famous detective keeps going and going, though she didn't make her first "Mystery" appearance until 1985, with Joan Hickson playing the immortal role. Since then, viewers have also seen Geraldine McEwan ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") and now Julia McKenzie in the role.
5. Poirot: The incomparable David Suchet took Agatha Christie's fastidious Belgian detective and made the role his own, first playing it on "Mystery" in 1989 and continuing to the current day, although the new episodes no longer have his faithful assistant Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) or that wonderful opening theme by Christopher Gunning.
4. Inspector Morse: There was always a sense of melancholy, possibly taken from his own life, about the way John Thaw played Morse; few teams have been better than Morse and Sergeant Lewis ( Kevin Whately) in the sedate setting of Oxford, where murder seems to lurk at every turn. Viewers mourned Morse's death - and Thaw's soon after. Whately has continued in the fine "Inspector Lewis" with Laurence Fox as Sergeant Hathaway.
3. Foyle's War: Investigating murder during the horrors of World War II? Yes, for Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (the magnificent Michael Kitchen), who longs to serve the war effort but must stay in Hastings and do his bit for the police along Britain's South Coast. Fortunately, he has two capable assistants in Detective Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and plucky driver Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks). Foyle worries for his son, Andrew (Julian Ovenden), a Royal Air Force pilot. Really a drama about the war with mystery elements.
2. Sherlock Holmes: Jeremy Brett brought the world's greatest detective to life in a way no one else has. Channelling all of the quirks that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put into Holmes, he gave the character humanity and grace. David Burke played a perfect Dr. Watson, but Edward Hardwicke was pretty good, too. Benedict Cumberbatch has shown signs that history and quality will repeat itself (even with the annoying text message graphics) in the new "Sherlock," set in the modern day.
1. Prime Suspect: How can NBC even think of putting its own version on the air when the original was indelible? Before Dame Helen Mirren was an Oscar winner as Queen Elizabeth, she was alcoholic, frequently burned-out detective ("Don't call me Ma'am; I'm not the bloody Queen") Jane Tennison. Both Mirren and the series won Emmys and many other awards.
Happy 40th birthday, Masterpiece Theater, and Happy 30th, Mystery!
OK, actually 31st for "Mystery," which went on the air in February, 1980. And the "Theater" is no longer attached to "Masterpiece," whose subheadings now include "Masterpiece Classic" and "Masterpiece Contemporary."
No matter. Both have set standards for television and for the quality of PBS. Mostly British programs, the offerings have been extremely popular.
Here's a Top 10 list for "Mystery." The one for "Masterpiece" will follow in a second blog to run Sunday.
Mystery Top 10
10. Dalgleish: Roy Mardsen played the cerebral detective from the P.D. James series of books.
9. Cadfael: How far back can crime-solving go? Try the 12th century, with Derek Jacobi playing the sleuthing monk.
8. Reilly, Ace of Spies: Sam Neill played Jewish spy Sidney Reilly in this 1983 series of episodes, which won a host of awards.
7. Rumpole of the Bailey: Leo McKern was the crusty lawyer in the series that was part of most of "Mystery's" first 15 seasons, including the first one. A courtroom drama among the detectives.
6. Miss Marple: Agatha Christie's most famous detective keeps going and going, though she didn't make her first "Mystery" appearance until 1985, with Joan Hickson playing the immortal role. Since then, viewers have also seen Geraldine McEwan ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") and now Julia McKenzie in the role.
5. Poirot: The incomparable David Suchet took Agatha Christie's fastidious Belgian detective and made the role his own, first playing it on "Mystery" in 1989 and continuing to the current day, although the new episodes no longer have his faithful assistant Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) or that wonderful opening theme by Christopher Gunning.
4. Inspector Morse: There was always a sense of melancholy, possibly taken from his own life, about the way John Thaw played Morse; few teams have been better than Morse and Sergeant Lewis ( Kevin Whately) in the sedate setting of Oxford, where murder seems to lurk at every turn. Viewers mourned Morse's death - and Thaw's soon after. Whately has continued in the fine "Inspector Lewis" with Laurence Fox as Sergeant Hathaway.
3. Foyle's War: Investigating murder during the horrors of World War II? Yes, for Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (the magnificent Michael Kitchen), who longs to serve the war effort but must stay in Hastings and do his bit for the police along Britain's South Coast. Fortunately, he has two capable assistants in Detective Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and plucky driver Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks). Foyle worries for his son, Andrew (Julian Ovenden), a Royal Air Force pilot. Really a drama about the war with mystery elements.
2. Sherlock Holmes: Jeremy Brett brought the world's greatest detective to life in a way no one else has. Channelling all of the quirks that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put into Holmes, he gave the character humanity and grace. David Burke played a perfect Dr. Watson, but Edward Hardwicke was pretty good, too. Benedict Cumberbatch has shown signs that history and quality will repeat itself (even with the annoying text message graphics) in the new "Sherlock," set in the modern day.
1. Prime Suspect: How can NBC even think of putting its own version on the air when the original was indelible? Before Dame Helen Mirren was an Oscar winner as Queen Elizabeth, she was alcoholic, frequently burned-out detective ("Don't call me Ma'am; I'm not the bloody Queen") Jane Tennison. Both Mirren and the series won Emmys and many other awards.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Special Post: "All My Children" and "One Life To Live" Cancelled
By Sylvia Gurinsky
As many soap opera fans have heard by now, ABC has decided to cancel "All My Children" and "One Life To Live" in coming months. I talked about "AMC's" problems, which might be the same for "OLTL" - changing schedules, declining quality in plots and acting - but their replacements - cooking and lifestyle shows apparently in the style of "The View" - don't make the heart beat faster.
Starting next month, I'll chronicle the greatest moments in the history of the two soap operas - including moments featuring Susan Lucci, who has played Erica Kane through "AMC's" run, and Erika Slezak, who has played Victoria Lord on "OLTL" since 1970.
ABC called the decision "bittersweet."
No way. Damn sad is more like it.
As many soap opera fans have heard by now, ABC has decided to cancel "All My Children" and "One Life To Live" in coming months. I talked about "AMC's" problems, which might be the same for "OLTL" - changing schedules, declining quality in plots and acting - but their replacements - cooking and lifestyle shows apparently in the style of "The View" - don't make the heart beat faster.
Starting next month, I'll chronicle the greatest moments in the history of the two soap operas - including moments featuring Susan Lucci, who has played Erica Kane through "AMC's" run, and Erika Slezak, who has played Victoria Lord on "OLTL" since 1970.
ABC called the decision "bittersweet."
No way. Damn sad is more like it.
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