“Crime Story”

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...

Happy Anniversary, Elvis!

On this date in 1954, the Memphis airwaves debuted a singer.  And rock and roll was never the same. The singer was Elvis Presley. WHBQ played his rendition of That’s All Right on July 7, 1954.  Recorded two days prior in Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio,...

“Brooklyn Bridge”

To be a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the 1950s was to realize that Brooklyn is a heritage thing, rooted firmly in the cornerstone of family. Throughout the borough, several generations of a family lived in the same neighborhood.  In some cases, they lived in the same...

“Let Them Play!”

Baseball is a beautiful game, largely because it has no clock determining its end.  An NFL team has 45 seconds to execute an offensive play.  An NBA team, 24 seconds.  But baseball has no time limit. The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training illustrated this point with...

Origins: “The Dick Van Dyke Show”

Carl Reiner created The Dick Van Dyke Show as a parallel to his own life as a television comedy writer.  Indeed, Reiner initially played the main character, Robert Petrie, in a failed television pilot. CBS rejected the pilot, Head of the Family, but aired it as part...