The Doctors Are In

When City Hospital premiered in 1952, it set off the medical genre for prime time television.  Naturally, shows about medical implications offer drama that, in the right hands, captivate audiences. St. Elsewhere followed the model of Hill Street Blues by using story...

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Pelham

Hollywood’s 2009 remake of the 1970s classic movie The Taking of Pelham 123 starred three actors who got their big breaks on the small screen. Denzel Washington played Walter Garber, a New York City civil servant suddenly elevated to be the liaison to hostage...

The Comedy and Tragedy of Bob Crane

Bob Crane became a television icon with his starring role in Hogan’s Heroes, a comedy set in a POW camp in Germany during World War II. Hogan’s Heroes aired for six years on CBS—from 1965 to 1971—enthralling viewers with missions to help the French...

The Story of the Tampico Stogies

Based on the eponymous novel by Paul Hemphill, the 1987 HBO tv-movie Long Gone starred William Petersen, Dermot Mulroney, and Virginia Madsen.  Long Gone revolves around the fictional Tampico Stogies, a minor league team in Florida during the late 1950s. At the heart...

Baseball Announcers

Sounds associated with baseball form a vital part of the spectator experience.  Vendors hawking beer, fans booing and cheering, and a bat meeting a ball create an aural experience at the ballpark. For fans not watching the game in person, baseball announcers convey...