Retro TV Channels: ”The Good Old Days of Television”

[Tom Holmberg]

38 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 I can't recall how many seasons it aired, so sometimes a show that ran for under the five-year that would start syndication is also a factor? Which makes no sense for those shows that ran for less than five that are available.

"Lou Grant" ran for 5 seasons.  They show "The Invaders" which only ran for 2 seasons, and "Kolchak" which only ran for one I believe, for example.

[GHScorpiosRule]

24 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

"Lou Grant" ran for 5 seasons.  They show "The Invaders" which only ran for 2 seasons, and "Kolchak" which only ran for one I believe, for example.

See? They're so inconsistent!

[Tom Holmberg]

Unfortunately I don't get Decades

Friday, September 3 on Decades, viewers can tune in for a special presentation of a rarely-seen interview with Asner on The Dick Cavett Show during which he discussed Lou Grant and his life before Hollywood. The following day on September 4, Decades invites viewers to enjoy a weekend binge of 84 episodes from The Mary Tyler Moore Show library spanning through Sunday.

Friday, September 3 (Decades)

9/8c – The Dick Cavett Show featuring a 1980 interview with Ed Asner

Saturday, September 4 (Decades)

12/11c – #DECADES WeekendBinge of 84 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, airing thru Monday, September 6th at 6am ET

 

Still no Lou Grant!

Edited August 31, 2021 by Tom Holmberg

[DXD526]

October Decades binges - 10/2-3: Time Tunnel; 10/9-10: The Adventures of Superman; 10/16-17: Wonder Woman; 10/23-24: The Twilight Zone (the 80s series); 10/30: One Step Beyond; 10/31: Hammer House of Horror. 

[roseha]

I just saw the mention of The Time Tunnel above.  I watched that show when I was maybe 12, I had a crush on James Darren.  The funny thing about it now is that I immediately recognize Whit Bissel every time he turns up on Perry Mason, as he just did on the episode I watched tonight.  Why I remember Whit and almost nothing else about the show I don't know.  I do seem to remember that the first episode had a Titanic theme and in another Robert Colbert speaks to President Lincoln?  Such random memories...

[Tom Holmberg]

On 9/17/2021 at 10:24 PM, roseha said:

 The funny thing about it now is that I immediately recognize Whit Bissel every time he turns up on Perry Mason, as he just did on the episode I watched tonight.

Whit Bissell was everywhere during that era. IMDB shows 323 credits.  It seemed he often had roles that are just "Judge", "General", "Minister", "Doctor", etc., with no name.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Tom Holmberg

[Tom Holmberg]

On 9/24/2021 at 2:13 PM, icemiser69 said:

I have never heard of One Step Beyond.

"One Step Beyond" was an early anthology show (started in 1959) dealing with the "paranormal". The shows were presented as docudramas of reputedly true events.  It ran for 3 seasons.  Probably dated today, but was an early "scifi" entry. 

[Tom Holmberg]

So, what are your favorite TV theme songs from the retro era?  I would go with "The Addams Family" theme song as my favorite, which isn't too controversial, but my second favorite would be "Car 54, Where Are You?"  I like the historical references - Khrushchev and Idlewild (which of course weren't historical at the time). Too bad theme songs have largely disappeared today.

[HyeChaps]

Patty Duke

[Tom Holmberg]

1 hour ago, HyeChaps said:

Patty Duke

I'd put it in the top 10.

[chessiegal]

Well, that's spooky. I'm sitting here watching an episode of The Wild Wild West where William Shallert is playing a Secret Service agent.

[roseha]

7 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

So, what are your favorite TV theme songs from the retro era?  I would go with "The Addams Family" theme song as my favorite, which isn't too controversial, but my second favorite would be "Car 54, Where Are You?"  I like the historical references - Khrushchev and Idlewild (which of course weren't historical at the time). Too bad theme songs have largely disappeared today.

I think the "Green Acres" theme song deserves a mention simply because it's so hilarious hearing Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor acting it out.

[wilsie]

Love "The Addams Family" theme and show.   Also "Car 54, Where are You?".   I wish I could still watch "The Patty Duke Show"  Love that and the theme.  I'll add "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" to my favorite tv themes and shows. 

"The Patty Duke Show" three of the original stars died in that same year.  Of varying ages and illnesses.  Patty Duke was first on March 29 at age 69.  She died from sepsis.  William Shallert died on May 8 aged 93 from natural causes.  Eddie Applegate died on October 17 at the age of 81 after a long illness.   A similar thing happened this year with three members of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."  Although all of those were over 90.   Cloris Leachman died January 27, 94, from complications from a stroke with covid 19 contributing.  Gavin MacCleod, 90, died on May 29, no cause of death was given.  Ed Asner, 91, died on August 29 of natural causes.

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, because I've been watching this since I was wee and it's been in syndication for years:

The Brady Bunch. Well, seasons 2-5, when the actors sang the theme song.

And ditto for The Patty Duke Show. "They're cousins! Identical cousins!"

Facts of Life

And this one, while no lyrics, I just LOVE the music, and I bopped to it when it was last in syndication on MeTV before they pulled it off it's schedule three? four? years ago:

Hawaii Five-O.

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, wilsie said:

I wish I could still watch "The Patty Duke Show"

It's on fetv weekdays at 8 and 8:30 am ET.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 9/28/2021 at 10:26 AM, Tom Holmberg said:

"One Step Beyond" was an early anthology show (started in 1959) dealing with the "paranormal". The shows were presented as docudramas of reputedly true events.  It ran for 3 seasons.  Probably dated today, but was an early "scifi" entry. 

I noticed there's a book on the show coming out

The Outer Limits - TV Milestones
Author Joanne Morreale
Paperback (05 Apr 2022)
Wayne State University Press

In this TV Milestone, author Joanne Morreale highlights the differences of The Outer Limits (ABC 1963-65) from typical programs on the air in the 1960s. Morreale argues that the show provides insight into changes in the television industry as writers turned to genre fiction-in this case, a hybrid of science fiction and horror-to provide veiled social commentary. The show illustrates the tension between networks who wanted mainstream entertainment and the independent writer-producers, Leslie Stevens and Joseph Stefano, who wanted to use the medium to challenge viewers.

In five chapters, The Outer Limits makes a case for the show's deployment of gothic melodrama and science fiction tropes, unique televisual characteristics, and creative adaptation of many cultural sources to interrogate the relationship between humans and technology in a way that continues to influence contemporary debate in such shows as Star Trek, The X-Files, and Black Mirror. Underlying the arguments is the eerie notion of The Outer Limits as a disruptive force on television at the time, purposely making audiences uncomfortable. For example, in its iconic opening credit sequence a disembodied Control Voice claims to be taking over the television as images mimic signal interference. Other themes convey Cold War paranoia, ambivalence about the Kennedy era New Frontier, and anxiety about the burgeoning military-industrial-governmental complex. The book points out that The Outer Limits presaged what came to be known as quality television. While most episodes followed the lowbrow tradition of televised science fiction by adapting previously published stories and films, the series elevated the genre by rearticulating it through themes and images drawn from myth, literature, and the art film.

[chessiegal]

I am puzzled by fetv's schedule changes. Now I see they are replacing the 1-2 pm Matlock, that replaced my beloved The Wild Wild West, with Wagon Train. They keep adding shows that are already on MeTV. I get both those channels with my cable package, but I assume they are subchannels on over the air tv. Do some markets not carry both fetv and MeTV so that fetv feels the need to duplicate what's on MeTV? 

[Cobb Salad]

MeTV+ showed up in my listing a few weeks ago.  There’s some shows I haven’t seen much lately (Mayberry RFD, Family, Mod Squad, The Rookies, Streets of San Francisco as examples) and others that I could live without like Mama's Family.  More chance for overlap!

[DXD526]

Some Decades binges for November. Interesting choices! The first one I think I've seen as a binge before, but not the last two - 11/6-7: Get Smart; 11/13-14: Hardcastle & McCormick; 11/20-21: Riptide. 

[WendyCR72]

12 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Some Decades binges for November. Interesting choices! The first one I think I've seen as a binge before, but not the last two - 11/6-7: Get Smart; 11/13-14: Hardcastle & McCormick; 11/20-21: Riptide. 

Lots of '80s cheesy goodness with the last two, especially Riptide. Which I have never seen aired in syndication. Maybe that's why this choice seems fresh.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 10/19/2021 at 6:51 PM, Cobb Salad said:

MeTV+ showed up in my listing a few weeks ago.  There’s some shows I haven’t seen much lately (Mayberry RFD, Family, Mod Squad, The Rookies, Streets of San Francisco as examples) and others that I could live without like Mama's Family.  More chance for overlap!

Not available yet in my market (NYC/New Jersey).  I wonder why.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 10/19/2021 at 6:51 PM, Cobb Salad said:

MeTV+ showed up in my listing a few weeks ago.  There’s some shows I haven’t seen much lately (Mayberry RFD, Family, Mod Squad, The Rookies, Streets of San Francisco as examples) and others that I could live without like Mama's Family.  More chance for overlap!

Is this MeTV or MeTV+? Because I have the former, and none of these are in the line up. And I don't have the latter in where I live in MD.

23 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Some Decades binges for November. Interesting choices! The first one I think I've seen as a binge before, but not the last two - 11/6-7: Get Smart; 11/13-14: Hardcastle & McCormick; 11/20-21: Riptide. 

DAMMIT! I want DECADES in my area!!!! I loved Hardcastle & McCormick and Riptide!!! After Tom Selleck's Magnum, Perry King was the only other actor I liked with a 'stache! Otherwise, I'm a no 'stache or beard gal!

And Brian Keith as former Judge Hardcastle! The one line from that show that is forever burned in my brain is him telling McCormick "You're not Gonna die" when McCormick is whining about that happening when Hardcastle is driving.

Fun Times! Good Times!

[Cobb Salad]

@GHScorpiosRule it’s MeTV+, a 2nd MeTV channel.  In my area it was previously the home shopping channel Shop LC then I think the channel was acquired by MeTV’s parent company.  

5 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Not available yet in my market (NYC/New Jersey).  I wonder why.

I am in NJ and have Verizon FIOS.  It is channel 519.  It may depend on your cable provider, if you have one.  I don’t know if it is an over the air channel or just through cable.  

[chessiegal]

I believe MeTV is an over the air subchannel. I get it through Verizon Fios in the Baltimore/DC market. I know that Decades is an over the air subchannel out of Baltimore. I'm 30 miles from Baltimore and can't get it with an antenna that's supposed to have a 60 mile range.

[ratgirlagogo]

13 hours ago, Cobb Salad said:

I am in NJ and have Verizon FIOS.  It is channel 519.  It may depend on your cable provider, if you have one.  I don’t know if it is an over the air channel or just through cable.  

I'm in NYC and have Spectrum, so I'm sure that's the reason.    

[roseha]

I looked up METV plus in the New York area but the closest over the air channel is channel 43-1 out of Stamford Connecticut.  It doesn't come in for me, it reminds me of the way METV from WJLP was broadcasting from New Jersey for awhile though I think they must have moved their transmitter to NYC now.

[Tom Holmberg]

RIP, Mort Sahl, a fixture of 60s and 70s talk shows,

https://people.com/tv/stand-up-comedian-mort-sahl-dead-at-94/

[ratgirlagogo]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:45 PM, roseha said:

It doesn't come in for me, it reminds me of the way METV from WJLP was broadcasting from New Jersey for awhile though I think they must have moved their transmitter to NYC now.

Nope, still broadcasting out of New Jersey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WJLP

I'm sure that's the reason that they still have brief  NJ news updates during the day and the Jersey Matters show with Larry Mendtje on Saturdays and Sundays.

[Tom Holmberg]

I noticed INSP replaced "Alias Smith & Jones" with "Centennial" on Saturdays. 😪 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

27 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I notices INSP replaced "Alias Smith & Jones" with "Centennial" on Saturdays. 😪 

OMG. Talk about a show that drags on and on. I borrowed it from the library because I wanted to see Robert Conrad. He only appears in the first 5 episodes, but is in the credits for the entire series. Raymond Burr is good too. But my goodness, it drags on and on, just like Michener's books do. I finally gave up on it. Not sure if I get that channel - I'll have to check.

[Tom Holmberg]

48 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

OMG. Talk about a show that drags on and on. I borrowed it from the library because I wanted to see Robert Conrad. He only appears in the first 5 episodes, but is in the credits for the entire series. Raymond Burr is good too. But my goodness, it drags on and on, just like Michener's books do. I finally gave up on it. Not sure if I get that channel - I'll have to check.

I tried to watch it when it was on INSP before (I think Sunday mornings).  Couldn't get into it, though I thought I might try the book at some time (never read any Michener).

[GHScorpiosRule]

59 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Raymond Burr is good too

Did someone say Raymond Burr????!!!!!

[chessiegal]

So, I do get INSP. I see episode 2 of Centennial is this Saturday. I'll record up to episode 5 just to add to my Conrad library. I wonder how much editing will be done for commercials as compared to the original. I've found the syndication edits noticeable in my DVDs of The Wild Wild West.

[Tom Holmberg]

33 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

So, I do get INSP. I see episode 2 of Centennial is this Saturday. I'll record up to episode 5 just to add to my Conrad library. I wonder how much editing will be done for commercials as compared to the original. I've found the syndication edits noticeable in my DVDs of The Wild Wild West.

They also show "Young Riders" among other mainly westerns. 

[Tom Holmberg]

R.I.P., "Quantum Leap"'s Dean Stockwell.

[Tom Holmberg]

This evening (11/11) MeTV will be showing the final "MASH" episode followed by cast interviews, in honor of Veteran's Day.

[DXD526]

Some upcoming Decades binges - 11/27-28: S.W.A.T.; 12/4-5: Beauty and the Beast; 12/11-12: The Addams Family; 12/18-19: Here Come the Brides.

[DXD526]

On Christmas weekend, 12/25-26, Decades is running Carol Burnett and Friends. All day on Thanksgiving will be The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. 

[chessiegal]

MeTV is dropping Columbo starting November 28th, replacing it with an hour of The Andy Griffith Show followed by an hour of Mash. That seems so odd. They air both shows every weekday. Plus both the shows are all over other retro channels. I wonder if those are just place holders until they get the rights to something else.

[One Tough Cookie]

On 8/10/2021 at 4:25 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

In fact, when members of the wardrobe department initially sought to outfit the unkempt Oscar, they looked no further than Klugman himself. "They paid me $360 for everything in my closet, and I still made a profit on the deal," he told Sports Illustrated in 2005.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/la-me-jack-klugman-obit-20121225-story.html

 

 

God, how I miss them.  My DIL gave me the complete set for Christmas and I pull out a dvd every now and then when I need a laugh. 

[mmecorday]

Does anyone else get RewindTV? That station plays the most random TV shows. The evening lineup is pretty decent. We've been watching "Family Ties" at 6, "Wings" at 7, "227" at 8 and "Designing Women" at 9. "Murphy Brown" comes on at 10, but that show has not aged well. It was too much a product of its time. On Thanksgiving Day, the channel is running a marathon of "The Hogan Family." I remember watching that sporadically when it originally aired on NBC, but it wasn't must-see TV for me. This was the show that originally starred Valerie Harper. She was replaced by Sandy Duncan and Harper sued the network over her dismissal.

Edited November 20, 2021 by mmecorday

[Tom Holmberg]

On 11/18/2021 at 9:35 AM, chessiegal said:

MeTV is dropping Columbo starting November 28th,

This Sunday they are running 4 "Columbo" episodes as "Thanks, Columbo."

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

This Sunday they are running 4 "Columbo" episodes as "Thanks, Columbo."

I can take or leave Columbo, but started watching when they sandwiched it between my guilty pleasure The Love Boat and Monk. I hope Hallmark Mysteries and Movies starts airing Monk again after they're done with their sappy Christmas movies.

ETA: I see one of the 4 episodes they are airing on Sunday is the Pilot - I'll watch that.

Edited November 20, 2021 by chessiegal

[chessiegal]

Looks like MeTV is placing the blame of not airing any more Columbo squarely on someone else. On breaks, I've heard twice now that they didn't want to say good bye to Columbo, but they had no choice.

[Maverick]

On 11/19/2021 at 1:31 PM, mmecorday said:

On Thanksgiving Day, the channel is running a marathon of "The Hogan Family." I remember watching that sporadically when it originally aired on NBC, but it wasn't must-see TV for me. This was the show that originally starred Valerie Harper. She was replaced by Sandy Duncan and Harper sued the network over her dismissal.

 Valerie Harper went full on diva on that show.  She and her husband (who was producing the show) pushed the network hard, which got them fired.  I think she also had a problem with Jason Bateman's popularity and that he was eclipsing her.   

 With or without her the show wasn't particularly impressive.   I've seen it here and there on Antenna TV and it's just meh.  It doesn't really bring back nostalgic feelings like some other shows.   

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Looks like MeTV is placing the blame of not airing any more Columbo squarely on someone else. On breaks, I've heard twice now that they didn't want to say good bye to Columbo, but they had no choice.

 They say the same thing on their website.   From the Why is Columbo no longer on MeTV page:

Unfortunately, Columbo will no longer be available on MeTV after Sunday, November 21, 2021.

MeTV wanted to continue to air Columbo, but the studio that owns the rights chose to end our agreement. That was their decision, not ours.

[chessiegal]

Sounds like MeTV wouldn't meet the studio's price.

[Tom Holmberg]

15 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Sounds like MeTV wouldn't meet the studio's price.

I think streaming is ruining television.  Back in the 1960s movie theaters ran a campaign against "pay TV" (i.e., cable television).  Someone needs to do that now.  The networks are nothing but bad game shows, stupid reality shows, serial killers, and doctors. Even the premium cable channels are losing content to streaming services. The streaming services need content so they are outbidding everyone else for even old movies and shows.

[Tom Holmberg]

Now they are rebooting "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life"!  Isn't there anyone in Hollywood who has an original idea?

[Annber03]

34 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Now they are rebooting "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life"!  Isn't there anyone in Hollywood who has an original idea?

It's not a reboot. It's just a special "one night" sort of thing paying homage to the original series, where actors will get together and recreate a particular episode of the original series. They did this for "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" a couple years ago, now they're going to do the same for these show. 

[Tom Holmberg]

8 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

It's not a reboot. It's just a special "one night" sort of thing paying homage to the original series, where actors will get together and recreate a particular episode of the original series. They did this for "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" a couple years ago, now they're going to do the same for these show. 

Never Mind (in Emily Litella's voice). 😔