by David Krell | Mar 1, 2017 | David Krell
When Happy Days premiered on January 15, 1974 as a mid-season replacement for ABC, it began a 10-year journey as a refuge from the barrage of daily headlines indicating malaise, frustration, and tension—particularly in the second half of the 1970s with inflation, gas...
by David Krell | Feb 19, 2017 | David Krell
Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige was, to be sure, past his prime when the Cleveland Indians signed him in 1948. An icon of the Negro Leagues, Paige reportedly signed on his 42nd birthday, making his major league début two days later. Pitching against the St....
by David Krell | Feb 14, 2017 | David Krell
Before he governed North Fork, New Mexico with a Winchester rifle on ABC’s The Rifleman, Chuck Connors played in the major leagues. It was, however, a short stint—one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers and 66 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1949 and 1951,...
by David Krell | Nov 30, 2016 | David Krell
Jackie Robinson, the black knight who rescued baseball from the claws of segregation, accomplished his mission neither immediately nor solitarily. His was a burden of entrenched bigotry, racial taunts, and blind ignorance. When Branch Rickey selected Robinson, his...
by David Krell | Sep 30, 2015 | David Krell
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...