by David Krell | Sep 23, 2013 | David Krell
The Emma Sweeny played the Hooterville Cannonball in Petticoat Junction studio scenes shot at General Service Studios, now known as Hollywood Center Studios. Frequently, these scenes featured characters boarding or getting off the Hooterville Cannonball in front of...
by David Krell | Sep 22, 2013 | David Krell
Fifty years ago this week, America’s love affair with trains began a weekly trek of climbing aboard the Hooterville Cannonball train and rolling down the tracks to the junction. Petticoat Junction. Paul Henning created Petticoat Junction along with The Beverly...
by David Krell | Aug 7, 2013 | David Krell
When Charles Ebbets died in 1925, Ebbets Field remained as an emblem of his dedication to bring high-quality baseball to Brooklyn. The play on the field, less so. Hitting a one-in-a-million line drive to a second baseman that fuels an unassisted triple play in the...
by David Krell | Aug 6, 2013 | David Krell
Wilbert Robinson managed the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1914-1931. Gentle and genial, Robinson earned praise from The New York Times upon his departure. But Robinson was not always gentle and genial. Upon Robinson’s departure from the Dodgers’ helm, the...
by David Krell | Aug 5, 2013 | David Krell
Bill Dahlen earned his nickname “Bad Bill” because of his arguing style that had the finesse of a 300-pound ballerina. It triggered 65 ejections for Dahlen, a figure in the Top 10 in baseball history. Dahlen played from 1891-1911 for the Chicago Cubs, New...
by David Krell | Aug 4, 2013 | David Krell
Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson changed baseball when the former signed the latter to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. They broke organized baseball’s color line that was never codified but seemingly understood Earlier this year, the movie...
by David Krell | Jul 30, 2013 | David Krell
By the time 1941 turned into 1942, the exclamation point in the phrase “Play Ball!” became a question mark with the nation at war in two theatres, European and Pacific. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis sought counsel from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
by David Krell | Jul 26, 2013 | David Krell
After James Gandolfini died last month, HBO announced that it will make The Sopranos available on demand. I just finished screening Season 1. Being a native of northern New Jersey, I get a kick out of seeing or hearing places mentioned that I know. Los Angeles can...
by David Krell | Jul 23, 2013 | David Krell
In the 1980s, an NBC show about cops had it all. A new look. Story arcs existing through several episodes. And the elevation of lesser known actors to household name status. Hill Street Blues? No. Miami Vice? No. Crime Story? Yes. Michael Mann’s production...
by David Krell | Jul 22, 2013 | David Krell
Yuppies existed on prime time television before we had a word to describe them. Yuppie, of course, is a slang word for young, upwardly mobile professional. Dr. Bob Hartley was a Chicago yuppie on The Bob Newhart Show. Rob Petrie was a television comedy writer yuppie...
