by David Krell | Mar 11, 2015 | David Krell
In 1959, George Reeves committed suicide. Or did he? The 2006 movie Hollywoodland, directed by Allen Coulter, mixes fact with speculation about television’s Superman portrayer taking his own life in the home that he shared with Leonore Lemmon. Adrien Brody...
by David Krell | Mar 10, 2015 | David Krell
Advertising has provided great fodder for prime television, including the characters Larry Tate of Bewitched, Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond of Bosom Buddies, Jack McLaren of The Closer, Mason McGuire and Conner of Trust Me, Ann Romano of One Day at a Time, and Don...
by David Krell | Mar 9, 2015 | David Krell
HBO’s drama series The Wire showcased Baltimore’s politicians, detectives, and drug dealers for five seasons with a multiracial cast, compelling story lines, and locations throughout Baltimore. Created by former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and...
by David Krell | Feb 28, 2015 | David Krell
In 1985, ABC debuted Our Family Honor. Ultimately short-lived, it lasted half of the 1985-86 television season. Our Family Honor presented the classic format of two families battling each other, with star-crossed lovers from each family complicating matters;...
by David Krell | Feb 27, 2015 | David Krell
In the 1980s, America’s three television networks changed hands. ABC to Capital Cities. NBC to General Electric. CBS to Loews. Ken Auletta documented the decade in his 1991 book Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way. It is, indeed, a fantastic...
by David Krell | Feb 26, 2015 | David Krell
When I Love Lucy utilized Hollywood as its setting, movie stars provided verisimilitude. Lucy Ricardo, starstruck, attempted to meet them, often with hilarious results. Guest stars included William Holden, Van Johnson, Richard Widmark, and Harpo Marx. But...
by David Krell | Feb 25, 2015 | David Krell
Leader. Visionary. Gentleman. Leonard Goldenson. The founder of ABC. In the early years of television, NBC and CBS had dominance, prestige, and history. ABC had Leonard Goldenson. NBC and CBS had A-list talent. ABC had Leonard Goldenson. NBC and CBS had their...
by David Krell | Feb 24, 2015 | David Krell
Growing Up Brady, by Barry Williams with Chris Kreski, exposed life behind the scenes of The Brady Bunch; it was, for Baby Boomers who saw the show’s original broadcast and Generation Xers who feasted on reruns, a fascinating, revealing, and titillating look at...
by David Krell | Feb 23, 2015 | David Krell
“Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” is a game that can be played anytime and anywhere by anybody. It is, indeed, light enjoyment perfect for holiday conversation around the dinner table during dessert. The game’s purpose is to connect an actor or an...
by David Krell | Feb 20, 2015 | David Krell
Jimmy Smits was a cornerstone on prime time television in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. In the 1980s, Smits played Victor Sifuentes on L.A. Law, working in the Public Defender’s office before Michael Kuzak recruits him to the private sector, specifically, the law...
