Cartoon Tunes

Hard rock sounds of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors emerged as musical touchstones in the late 1960s.  A decade later, disco ruled, largely because of the phenomenon of the movie Saturday Night Fever and its soundtrack anchored by the Bee Gees.  In between,...

Guilt and Innocence on Hill Street

To kick off its third season, NBC’s 1980s prime time drama Hill Street Blues showcased Trial By Fury, an episode with a shocking, revolting, and riveting story line of the Hill Street precinct investigating the rape and assault of a nun that results in her...

Love on the High Seas

From 1977 to 1986, America went on vacation every Saturday night, beginning with short jaunts to Puerto Vallarta and graduating to longer trips to other ports of call, including Alaska, the Panama Canal, and Australia. American went on The Love Boat, vicariously...

The Green Hornet and Batman

In the superhero multiverse, Batman and the Green Hornet parallel each other. First, they’re not really superheroes.  As mortals, they rely on cunning, logic, and detective work to solve crimes. Second, they each have younger sidekicks.  Batman has Robin.  The...

Springfield’s First Family

The Simpsons began as cartoon shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.  It was the debut year of the FOX network.  FOX expanded The Simpsons to a half-hour show in 1989.  The Simpsons got so popular that FOX moved America’s favorite dysfunctional family from...