People with guns collection # 56

"LOS ANGELES: Jack Webb (R) now producing, directing, and starring in Universal TV's 'Dragnet 1966' receives his old police revolver and badge 714 from Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker. In 1958 when Webb stopped production of his 'Dragnet' series, he turned his revolver and badge over to Parker. In the new show, to be released over NBC-TV this fall, Webb will portray Joe Friday, the same character he made famous in his old show." 2/28/66

Color Dragnet was one of my favorite TV shows growing up, ever! I could (and still can) watch reruns of it over and over again. For me there was just something mesmerizing about unwavering 1950s police detective Joe Friday fighting crime with a psychedelic 1960s L.A. as the backdrop. The Hippies and the Squares, the old vs. the new, a city at war with itself, and one dedicated cop caught in the middle of it all. It was epic.

Livin' in the 70s - Run Joe Run

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 4/20/2007.

Run Joe Run: David Janssen's The Fugitive recast as a dog. "Wanted: male German shepherd, black and tan, answers to the name of Joe. Accused of attacking his trainer Sergeant Will Corey, a crime he did not commit. Only Corey can prove him innocent, but he must find Joe before his pursuers track him down."

Brilliant simply brilliant. This would have to be my absolute favorite Saturday morning tv show ever. I can't recall ever missing an episode, even in reruns. Yes the storylines were simple (even for a children's show) but to my eight year-old mind this little morality play was completely engrossing. I loved dogs in general but particularly German shepherds so when this riveting live-action tale about a shepherd that was wrongfully accused and on the run from the authorities hit the airwaves I was hooked right away. My favorite part of the show was always when Joe, often in a difficult situation, would have a flashback to his old Army training days. The camera would close in with an extreme Sergio Leone type close-up on Joe's eyes while special "Joe thinking" sound effects would play. Suddenly Joe would remember something that had occurred during his training that would help him in the situation that he currently found himself, very smart dog indeed! Joe could do anything from turn on a water faucet, to help a lost blind girl find her way home (and anything in between). And much like the original Fugitive Joe would often selflessly help others without any consideration for himself. Why? Because he was an innocent dog accused of something he didn't do, and only an innocent dog would think of others. And have no doubt that he was completely innocent, the show's snappy intro let us know that fact right up front when it set up the entire premise for us (and in less than a minute too). Unlike the original Fugitive, Joe was never exonerated of his crimes and to this day is still on the run in badly worn bootleg copies of his adventures. But perhaps someday he will find some peace, or at the very least be released on DVD so that all of his old fans can enjoy his story all over again.

Livin' in the 70s - The After School Special

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 3/11/2007.

ABC's After School Special: Bite-sized life lessons for young people. In the 1970s one show that I absolutely could not miss was the ABC Television Network's After School Special, that program would come to teach me a lot about life and the world around me. The After School Special would often times take on difficult subjects, subjects that I might be too afraid to approach my parents with, and brought them out in the open for discussion. The After School Special took on those subjects and also made them understandable at a child's level while at the same time never talking down to us. Subject matter like divorce, alcohol and drug abuse, school bullies and death were all topics that were tackled and handled in a very effective and honest manner. And unlike most television programming for children they didn't always take the easy way out, just like in real life every story didn't have a happy ending and we were shown that to. In the After School Special we had a program that was designed to talk to us kids about the more serious problems and concerns that we might have in our young lives, and most importantly it did it in way we could understand. The After School Special would continue educating and entertaining young people for nearly two decades until finally it was done in by the very tv stations that had once championed it. With the rise of the afternoon talk show, intelligent, educational children's programming was no longer profitable. But long before that I had already stopped watching. By the early 1980s I no longer needed the wisdom of the After School Special, I had by then reached my early teens and like every other teenager since the beginning of time I suddenly knew everything. Looking back, I do miss those times when the world was simpler and all it took was a one-hour tv special to make you feel better about the world and your place in it.

Livin' in the 70s - Kristy McNichol

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 8/7/2006.

Kristy McNichol: Ultimate 70s tomboy. I first really noticed Kristy McNichol in 1977. Of course I had already seen her before in numerous tv programs like Run Joe Run, Starsky and Hutch, The Bionic Woman as well as her appearances on the ABC network's After School Specials (which I watched religiously), but it wasn't until '77 that I really took note of her. 1977 was a great year for Kristy, not only was she starring in the critically acclaimed drama Family but she made over a dozen television appearances that year in various primetime and syndicated programs. With appearances that not only included two episodes of Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, US Against the World, Battle of the Network Stars II and III, the Donny & Marie variety show, Circus of the Stars # 2, The Mike Douglas Show, The Carpenters At Christmas, two tours on The Love Boat as well as a very memorable performance in the short children's film The Pinballs I guess it would have been hard not to see her on television that year. Well I certainly saw her and thereafter made an effort to see her every chance I got. I had liked other girls on other shows before her but they were all "stars" and never seemed real, they all seemed to be beautiful dreams that only existed in the world of television. Kristy was different; she was a real person, she was the first girl that seemed like she could be someone that you might actually know in real life. She played sports and loved to compete, she also liked skateboarding, dirt bikes and go-karts just like one of the guys. But she wasn't one of the guys; she was a girl, a girl with big beautiful brown eyes and a bright smile, a smile that only seemed to be a small sampling of some brilliant glow that she carried inside her. And have no doubt that there was something very special inside her, it was quite obvious to anyone that was paying attention. Well I was most definitely paying attention and to my pre-adolescent mind she was the perfect girl, an ideal combination with just enough tomboyish charm to be appealing yet at the same time not too much of a "girl" to be threatening. The late 1970s were Kristy's; this was Kristy at her height. Television appearances, awards and accolades, movie deals and hit records would all come her way before the decade ended. She would become a superstar and she got it all just by being herself. Over the ensuing years her career had many ups and downs as she had her own personal demons to deal with. Finally this very talented lady's career came to an end with her self-imposed retirement in the late 1990s. Although it has been many years since Kristy has brightened our television screens, even all of these years later when I see one of her old shows I still can't help but be reminded of that pretty little tomboy with the inviting smile that first taught me that maybe, just maybe, girls might not be so bad after all.

Classic TV Collection

From my own personal archives!"Barnaby Jones (Buddy Ebsen) wants some straight answers from Dawn Carlson (Bonnie Ebsen, the star's daughter) whose boyfriend he suspects of having faked his death to avoid capture by the Coast Guard, in 'Barnaby Jones', Thursday, March 2 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network." 2/3/78

Lasting for 8 seasons (1973-1980) CBS Television's Barnaby Jones brought viewers something that we had never seen before, a milk drinking, sexagenarian, TV detective that always solved the case and got his man. Jones (Buddy Ebsen) originally came out of retirement to solve the murder of his own son and was aided by his daughter-in-law (Lee Meriwether), in later seasons his cousin "J.R." (Mark Shera) would also get into the act. Barnaby Jones with his laidback manner would lull suspects, while his keen eye and scientific mind would close the noose on any that thought they could outwit the law or escape justice. Produced by Quinn Martin Productions, who was no stranger to TV success in the 1960's and 70's, this memorable, popular and highly entertaining series would prove you didn't need to be a hard drinking, hard living, tough guy TV detective to get the job done. With the help of a huge assortment of special guest stars over the years and a great television opening sequence and theme song, Barnaby Jones would become one of the iconic TV detective shows for an entire decade.

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Friday, September 25, 2009

Classic TV Collection - From my own personal archives!"ROCKFORDS IN HAWAII -- A free trip to Hawaii turns into a frustrating experience for Rocky (Noah Beery, left) when his son, Jim Rockford (James Garner), is 'shanghaied' into working on a dangerous government intelligence mission, in 'The Hawaiian Headache', on NBC-TV's 'The Rockford Files' Friday, Nov. 23 (9-10 p.m. NYT). The episode was filmed entirely on location in Hawaii. (10/26/79)"

Spanning seven years and 122 episodes NBC's The Rockford Files took the well-known genre of the TV Private Eye and turned it on its head. Private Investigator Jim Rockford, wonderfully portrayed my James Garner, was nothing like the TV detectives that came before him, we had never seen a "Private Dick" like this before. Rockford was an ex-con who dressed in cheap suits and lived and worked out of a rundown trailer parked on the beach. Many times he would find himself with impossible cases, deadbeat clients and quite often left holding the short end of the stick. Unlike previous depictions of screen P.I.s as macho types who never turned from trouble, Jim Rockford tried his best to stay away from trouble, in fact given the chance he would usually run the other way! And although he did have a gun like other TV detectives it was seldom seen or used and spent the large majority of its time hidden away in a cookie jar. Mostly James "Jimbo" Rockford tried to use his brains and instincts (sometimes aided by dumb luck) to get himself out of the dangerous situations that nearly always found himself in. Along with his meddling, but well meaning father (Noah Beery), his long suffering police Sgt. friend (Joe Santos), former cell mate and perpetual con artist Evelyn "Angel" Martin (Stuart Margolin), and often much needed attorney and friend Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett) Rockford did have plenty of exciting adventures, although he rarely collected his much quoted "$200 a day, plus expenses". With smart scripts, an award winning theme song and a great collection of guest starring actors over the years The Rockford Files would become a high water mark in TV detective shows that few others would ever be able to reach.

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Friday, June 26, 2009

Yesterday saw the passing of actress and seventies icon Farrah Fawcett from cancer. She was 62. It's impossible to think about the decade of the 1970's without remembering her. The two are forever intertwined. She had a huge impact on American pop culture of the time, to the point of influencing how the women of an entire nation looked and dressed. How many untold millions of American women asked their hairdressers for "The Farrah"? Like many other boys (and men) I had her poster, watched her every week on Charlie's Angels and read with interest in the movie magazines about her exploits with then husband, actor Lee Majors. Farrah was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and fought it courageously. She even released a very private and revealing documentary of her experiences in the hope that telling her story might help others that were suffering. Even thru the worst of it Farrah never lost her dignity. I doubt that there will be another like her.

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Cheese Television - Celebrating underachievements in TV!

From my own personal archives!

Cheesy (che'-ze) - adjective
1) containing or resembling cheese
2) of or like cheese: a cheesy aroma; a cheesy taste
3) slang - inferior or cheap; chintzy
"EXCLUSIVE TO YOU IN YOUR CITY -- Mary McDonough (left) and Melissa Sue Anderson star as two high school girls endowed with the power of witchcraft -- Mary for good, Melissa Sue for evil -- in 'The Burning', 'The ABC Friday Night Movie' presentation, FRIDAY, FEB. 27 (9:00-11:00 p.m., EST) on the ABC Television Network." 2/3/81

There must have been a last minute name change as this movie originally aired as Midnight Offerings. I still remember it to this day, who could forget it! One of The Waltons girls vs. the blind older sister from Little House on the Prairie! Both were witches in the same high school and fighting over, you guessed it, a boy. Queen Bee-itch Melissa Sue rules over her school and everything is wonderful until nicey-nice Walton girl witch comes along and ruins everything. Goody-good is aided by the Yoda-like ponderings of another older, more experienced good witch, Happy Days Mom Marion Ross. While Gordon Jump (bumbling Arthur Carlson from WKRP in Cincinnati) plays Baddy-bad's father, completely oblivious to his daughter's black magic shenanigans occurring upstairs in his very own house (although you would think the satanic shrine in her bedroom might give him a clue). This is some of the best overacting that I have ever seen! Especially by Melissa Sue Anderson who has a veritable smörgåsbord of scenery chewing moments throughout the film. And you thought your high school had drama? Obviously you've never seen two teen-age witches having a telekinetic duel to the death in shop class. Whoever said that a movie had to have acting, writing or directing to be entertaining?

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Monday, January 5, 2009

1970s TV - The television of my wasted youth!

On Saturday, October 28th 1978 there occurred a single transfixing event that brought, if only for a brief time, the youth of this great nation together, gawk eyed in front of their glaring wood and velvet encased tube television sets. And what could bring America's younger generation together that night with such a single unified purpose? Was it a Presidential address? No. Was it a moon landing? No. What enthralled America's youth that night was the first ever television movie by the Rock & Roll blitzkrieg sensation known as the band KISS! It was the premiere of KISS Meets the Phantom! They had been, for several years now, shocking and delighting an ever increasing fanatical legion of followers and now here they were this night on tv for all of America to see, walking, talking, performing and even fighting super villains! Yes it was more than many of us mesmerized viewers could stand! Afterwards I am sure that there was many a youngster that had trouble sleeping that night! But it was over all too soon, only two hours of magic and then it was gone. Leaving us only with our cherished memories, our 8-Track tapes, posters, photos and a vague glimmer of a hope that maybe NBC would rerun the movie for us. Or perhaps if we were really lucky Kiss might even make another appearance on The Mike Douglas Show…

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Friday, December 12, 2008

Classic TV Collection - From my own personal archives!"ACTION IN 'ADAM-12' PREMIERE - Martin Milner (right), as senior officer Pete Malloy, and Kent McCord as his rookie partner Jim Reed capture two robbery suspects and save a child's life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, in 'Log-One', premiere episode of 'Adam-12', to be colorcast on the NBC Television Network Saturday, Sept. 21 (7:30-8 p.m. NYT). 'Adam-12' is the designation of the patrol car to which the two officers are assigned. (8/16/68)"

Patrolling the streets of Los Angeles for seven seasons and 175 episodes NBC's Adam-12 was one of the first shows of its kind. Attempting to show the day to day work life or average police officers, the stars of this program portrayed the deadly seriousness as well as the sometimes absurd comic situations that were part of the normal police officer's work day. Developed and produced my Jack Webb, who had major success with another police program, Dragnet, Webb insisted that his new cop show be as realistic as possible. Adam-12 actually drew from real case files of the L.A.P.D and every effort was made to get as many of the factual details and procedures of police work correct, including (but not limited to) using the right patrol cars and even the exact same issued handguns as the Los Angeles Police Department. Today Adam-12 can be remembered as a true innovator in this genre, showing cops not as superheroes but as real men and women working every day at a difficult and sometimes thankless job due mainly to their dedication and professionalism.

wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Saturday, April 19, 2008

Classic TV Collection # 1 - From my own personal archives!"(NEW SEASON PORTRAIT) Sharon Gless stars as Chris Cagney, a single, attractive, ambitious police detective who battles sexism in the precinct house and crime on the streets, in 'Cagney & Lacey', to be broadcast MONDAYS (10:00-11:00 PM, ET) starting this fall on the CBS Television Network." 8/18/82.Although well remembered today, most people seem to forget that Cagney & Lacey, one of the best cop shows of the 1980s, actually got off to a very rocky start. This innovative and multi-award winning program was canceled more than once before it could find just the right combination of stars and acquire an audience for its unique and new kind of police story. Although actress Sharon Gless is the one that nearly everyone thinks of as the tough, career minded Detective Christine Cagney, she was in reality the third actress to take on the role. Loretta Swit played the character in the original TV movie, she had wanted to continue with the new series but was unable to get out of her contract with the producers of another CBS program, the hit comedy M*A*S*H. The second Cagney, played by Meg Foster inseason one of the show, never really "clicked" with the character or her co-stars and left after only six episodes. Finally in the fall of 1982, starting with season two, Gless came onboard bringing her own distinctive take on Detective Christine Cagney. This time though there was magic, everything just came together and along with Tyne Daly, the only actress to ever play Mary Beth Lacey, as well as a great ensemble cast of supporting players they were able to create the much loved program that is still fondly thought of to this very day. Cagney & Lacey still had tough times ahead, but eventually it would find its audience and would go on for five more outstanding seasons, going places that cop shows had never gone before or since...