Oh dear my fellow Americans - on this eighth of November, 45th Presidential Election Day. If you would like it to be ejection day, tune in to the C.O.U.C.H. today after you finish with the ballots, on today's ticket for the main running folk - P.T. Barnum and Madame Nhu, some warm and fuzzy television memories await you in The Projection Room this day.
Another Keith Waterhouse keeper starring the darling Diana Dors - Queenie's Castle, this series was screened at a telly near you between 1970 and 1972.
When it came to boasting a prolific series ,The Liver Birds had the mother lode with ten of them. It was Carla Lane's moneymaker extraordinaire and given the premise, so few are actual legitimate scousers. It graced the waves between 1969 - 1979 with a redux in '96 -
From Barker to Baker, he had the general store, and she sold pickles on the sea shore and that music hall gem - Jimmy Jewel, what could be more delicious a duo. Nearest and Dearest - This Granada series strutted its stuff from 1968 - 1973.
Open All Hours : With just one Ronnie - the Barker one - but sometimes that's all you need innit, and you thought all you needed was love, silly wabbit. From 1981 - the second series, episode title - The New Suit.
And if you are familiar with the that Floury Towers show you know set in Torquay, (Torkee), you will surely know what series this show was inspired by. Bea Arthur carries her weight - on paper it seems a little sacrilege but it really does have a mite of the je ne sais quoi . From 1983 - Amanda's
The satirical series Fernwood 2 Night, yet another of King Norman Lear's babies, and this one had some serious colic, and Martin Mull and Fred Willard's effortless genius make this well worth it's weight in televisual gold.
And now from the creators of Cheers another sleeper keeper. Wings. This had a long television shelf life of eight seasons as well. From 1990 - 1997. And once part of the now defunct Must See TV segment from NBC. Tim Daly and Crystal Bernard star and shine
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Now Bob Newhart is so understated, that's an understatement and with all the other idiosyncratic characters in support, this show hit s the ground running, well maybe a brisk walk nay maybe tippy toe step by step. But ain't it wonder bar! Newhart This show ran a whopping eight seasons for CBS between 1982 and 1990. Tom Poston and Julia Duffy co-star
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| Cagney but no cigar |
Cagney & Lacey (The Meg Foster Year)
This critically acclaimed Emmy award ensuing series (1981-88) did not
come without its fair share of red tape to cut through. Loretta Swit was
intended to be Miss Christine Cagney and did portray her in the pilot movie, however she was bound to her
contract at the 4077 and was still hot-lipping it in 1981. Meg Foster would be cast for the
first season, and in my opinion the right choice, however the producers
deemed Foster to be a bit too intense for the audience, imagine that - and so they replaced
her with the infinitely less intense Sharon Gless .
Get Some In! was a five-season number and a love song to the earlier socksknocker - Dad's Army, it's run was betwixt 1975 and 1978. Robert Lindsay is one of the brood in this inspired Thames affair.
More British Broadcasting COUCH with Sid James and his celluloid clan - Bless This House, the six season wonderment from the powers that ITV , this episode from its closing series in 1976 titled, The Phantom Pools Winner
The Thin Blue Line was a 1995 Beeb series a la Ben Elton. Rowan Atkinson leads the way as Inspector Fowler though he may not have been much cop on doing this show, there's a few laughs to be had, there was that one laughing policeman who may get a tickle out of it
And now it's Yesterday's News Today
Art James and friends from 1986, a one season game show affair that was conceptualized as an American show - but the British would take the proverbial ball and run with it and garnered a more successful run. Catchphrase
William Castle did television too, in 1972 for one season. This series was initially titled Ghost Story before it was hailed Ghost Story and that lasted a befitting thirteen shows. The sublime Sebastian Cabot introduces and narrates each of the stories that feature the character actors du jour of the time. This episode stars the formidable Frank Converse, the affable amnesiac of Coronet Blue. This episode entitled Earth, Air, Fire & Water originally aired on January 19, 1973
Television becomes the new tower of babel, a visual language for all.
and in 1973 one such ' boob tube' theme would change it's face. A zealous documentarian and writer named Craig Gilbert had his next novel idea - to incorporate 'Direct Cinema' more commonly recognized as cinema verite, with pages from the book of verite pioneer Richard Leacock. A concept was born. To televise a creative fiction, an observational real life documentary that with curious lens, follow the lives of an affluent California septet family called The Louds. PBS stood at attention, for nothing of this caliber had ever been produced for public or terrestrial television as the media world at the time knew it. Exclusively aired in The Projection Room , and so proudly I present the first episode of this groundbreaking series that I hold so dear to my heart. Will show the remaining episodes in upcoming broadcasts. From 1973 and rarely screened since.
Here's another little-known couch gem. Sarge. There were all but fifteen episodes in this George Kennedy vehicle that spawned from our beloved FNM alum - Ironside. And though there is a paltry amount of shows - they did make every frame count and it excels in all areas from premise to delivery. Keeper it is. From 1971 and created by David Levy, the creator and penner of The Addams Family
Now this series was acclaimed for its realism and it goes high on the zeitgeist - o -meter with its apt soundtrack, it's all sign o the times. Lance Kerwin as the unusually self-aware teenager - James at 15 who becomes 16 going on 50 on this series. Off-set, maybe Kerwin wasn't so aware, he had trouble with the law several times. Dan Wakefield created this series that bandied itself on the NBC network in 1977
And now a short-lived sequestered diamond - The Jimmy Stewart Show starring, well Jimmy Stewart that graced itself on the NBC fall lineup, despite the paeans the critics sang, it was cancelled.
Today we start with an episode of London Weekend Television's Romany Jones that boasted a four season run from 1972-75. This from the series featuring James Beck who died untimely during production of the first season. There was a spin-off series also featuring Queenie Watts and the future Frank Butcher - Yus My Dear.
