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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 2, 2008 15:29:12 GMT -5
17. Star Trek Genre: Science Fiction. Created by: Gene Roddenberry. Executive Producer(s): Gene Roddenberry. Starring: William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Lieutenant Commander, later Commander, Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy), Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura), James Doohan (Lieutenant Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott), George Takei (Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu), and Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 3. Number of Episodes: 80. Running Time: 51 minutes. Original Channel: NBC. Original Run: September 8, 1966 – September 2, 1969. Spinoffs: A lot; it holds the Guinness World Record for the TV with the most spinoffs. There were 6 movies based on the show: “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979), “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” (1982), “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock” (1984), “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” (1989), and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991). Also, the characters of Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov appear in the move “Star Trek: Generations.” It has also spawned five TV shows: Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Generation (which also had 4 movies), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. And, there are also the countless comic books and novels. A longtime fan of science fiction, in 1960 Roddenberry put together a proposal for Star Trek, a science fiction television series set on board a large interstellar space ship dedicated to exploring the galaxy. Some influences Roddenberry noted were A. E. van Vogt's tales of the Space Beagle, Eric Frank Russell's Marathon stories, and the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet. Parallels have also been drawn with the 1954 TV sci-fi series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, a much less sophisticated space opera that nevertheless included many of the elements, organization, crew relationships, missions, elements of bridge layout, and even some technology, that made up Star Trek.[9] Roddenberry also drew heavily from the Horatio Hornblower novels depicting a daring sea captain exercising broad discretionary authority on distant missions of noble purpose; his Kirk character was more or less Hornblower in space. Roddenberry had extensive experience in writing westerns that were particularly popular television fare at the time, and pitched the show to the network as a "Wagon Train to the stars." In 1964, Roddenberry secured a three-year development deal with leading independent TV production company Desilu (founded by comedy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz). In Roddenberry's original concept, the protagonist was named Captain Robert April of the "S.S. Yorktown". Eventually, this character became Captain Christopher Pike. The first pilot episode, "The Cage", was made in 1964, with actor Jeffrey Hunter in the role of Pike after Roddenberry's first choice, Lloyd Bridges reportedly turned it down. At a time when racial segregation was still firmly entrenched in many areas of the United States, Roddenberry envisaged a multi-racial and mixed-gender crew, based on his assumption that racial prejudice and sexism would not exist in the 23rd century. He also included recurring characters from alien races, including Spock, who was half human and half Vulcan, united under the banner of the United Federation of Planets. Other innovative Star Trek features involved solutions to basic production problems. The idea of the faster-than-light warp drive was not new to science fiction, but it allowed a narrative device that permitted the Enterprise to quickly traverse space. The matter transporter, where crew members "beamed" from place to place, solved the problem of moving characters quickly from the ship to a planet, a spacecraft landing sequence for each episode being prohibitively expensive. The famous flip-open communicator was introduced as a plot device to strand the characters in challenging situations by malfunctioning, being lost or stolen, or out of range; absent such a device, the characters could simply beam up at the first sign of trouble. The flip-open communicator has been copied in many popular cell phone designs from the mid-1990s on. The Star Trek concept was first offered to the CBS network, but the channel turned it down for the more mainstream Irwin Allen production, Lost In Space. Star Trek was then offered to NBC, who commissioned and then turned down the first pilot (NBC executives would later be quoted as saying that the initial pilot episode was 'too cerebral'). However, the NBC executives were favorably impressed with the concept and made the unusual decision to commission a second pilot: "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Only the character of Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) remained from the original pilot, and only two cast members (Majel Barrett and Leonard Nimoy) carried on to the series. Much of the first pilot's footage was used in a later two-part episode, "The Menagerie." The second pilot introduced the main characters: Captain Kirk (William Shatner), chief engineer Lieutenant Commander Scott (James Doohan) and Lieutenant Sulu (George Takei). Sulu's title in this episode was Ship's Physicist (changed to Helmsman in subsequent episodes). Paul Fix played Dr. Mark Piper in the second pilot. Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, (DeForest Kelley) joined the cast with principal photography began on the first season, along with Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) and communications officer Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols.) Majel Barrett's role of Nurse Christine Chapel would make her debut later in "The Naked Time". Barrett, Roddenberry's wife, also did the voice for the ship's computer. She also played (as a brunette) the part of Captain Pike's First Officer in the pilot episode "The Cage". Barrett married Roddenberry in 1969. Roddenberry's inclusion of the Asian Sulu and black Uhura, both of them intelligent, well-spoken professionals, was a bold move when most television characters of the time were white and those who weren't were often presented in a highly stereotypical manner. Sulu and Uhura were not given first names in this series. Sulu's first name, Hikaru, was revealed non-canonically in Vonda McIntyre's Pocket Book novel "The Entropy Effect". The name was "officially" put into the canon by George Takei in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Uhura's first name was never mentioned on screen, but the name Nyota was used in fandom, and in Pocket Book novels. The Original Series holds the record for the most original novels, with over 100 published (including the James Blish and Star Trek Logs book series). Kirk's middle name was never used in the series until the episode B.E.M. in Star Trek: The Animated Series. Due to internal disagreements on the status of The Animated Series as official Star Trek canon, Kirk's middle name ('Tiberius') would not become canon until the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. A tombstone in the second pilot intended for Kirk reads "James R. Kirk". The relatively young, mop-topped Russian navigator Ensign Chekov was added in the second season. There may be some truth to the unofficial story that the Soviet newspaper Pravda complained that there were no Russians among the culturally diverse characters. However, studio documentation suggests that the intention was to introduce a character with more appeal to a teenage market, especially the female sector. Walter Koenig himself noted in the 40th (2006) anniversary special of Star Trek The Original series that he doubted the Pravda rumor since Star Trek was never even shown on Soviet television. It's also been claimed that former Monkees member Davy Jones may have served as a model for the character. In addition, the series frequently included characters (usually security personnel wearing red uniforms) who are killed or injured soon after their introduction. So prevalent was this plot device that it inspired the term "redshirt" to denote a stock character whose sole purpose is to die violently in order to demonstrate the dangerous circumstances facing the main characters. Roddenberry's production staff included art director Matt Jefferies. Jefferies designed the Enterprise; his contribution was commemorated in the so-called Jefferies tube, which became a standard part of the (fictional) design of Federation starships. Jefferies' starship concepts arrived at a final saucer-and-cylinders design that became a template for all subsequent Federation space vehicles. Jefferies also developed the main set for the Enterprise bridge (based on an original design by Pato Guzman) and used his practical experience as a WWII airman and his knowledge of aircraft design to come up with a sleek, functional, ergonomic bridge layout. Costume designer William Ware Theiss created the striking look of the Enterprise uniforms and the risqué costumes for female guest stars. Artist and sculptor Wah Chang, who had worked for Walt Disney, was hired to design and manufacture props: he created the flip-open communicator, the portable sensing-recording-computing tricorder and the phaser weapons. Later, he would create various memorable aliens, such as the Gorn. The series introduced television viewers to many ideas which later became common in science fiction films: warp drive, teleportation, wireless hand-held communicators and scanners, directed energy weapons, desktop computer terminals, laser surgery, starship cloaking devices, and computer speech synthesis. Although these concepts had numerous antecedents in sci-fi literature and film, they had never before been integrated in one presentation and most of them were certainly new to TV. Even the ship's automatic doors were a novel feature in 1966. In the 2002 book 'Star Trek: I'm Working On That', William Shatner and co-author Chip Walter explore some of these technologies and how they relate to today's world. After a few episodes were filmed, but before they had been officially aired, Roddenberry screened one or two of them at Worldcon in Cleveland in August, 1966 and, as he related in a telegram to Desilu production executive Herbert F. Solow, received a standing ovation. Star Trek made celebrities of its cast of largely unknown actors. Kelley had appeared in many films and TV shows, but mostly in smaller roles. Nimoy also had previous TV and film experience but was also not well-known. Shatner had played Cyrano on Broadway, was well-known in the trades, and had even turned down the part of Dr. Kildare. However, when roles became sparse he took the regular job after Jeffrey Hunter's contract wasn't renewed. After the episodes aired, many performers found themselves typecast due to their roles. The three main characters were Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, with writers often playing the different personalities off each other: Kirk was passionate and often aggressive, Spock was coolly logical, and McCoy was sardonic but always compassionate. In many stories the three clashed, with Kirk forced to make a tough decision while Spock advocated the logical but sometimes callous path and McCoy (or "Bones," as Kirk nicknamed him, short for "sawbones," a traditional, slightly pejorative nickname for doctors) insisted on doing whatever would cause the least harm. McCoy and Spock had a sparring relationship that masked their true affection and respect for each other, and their constant arguments became very popular with viewers. The Spock character was at first rejected by network officials who feared his vaguely "satanic" appearance (with pointed ears and eyebrows) might prove upsetting to some viewers. The network had even airbrushed out Spock's pointed ears and eyebrows from publicity materials sent to network affiliates. But Spock went on to become one of the most popular characters on the show, as did McCoy's impassioned country-doctor personality. Spock, in fact, became a sex symbol of sorts to many young girls, something no one connected with the show had expected. Leonard Nimoy notes that the question of Spock's extraordinary sex appeal emerged "almost any time I talked to someone in the press...I never give it a thought....to try to deal with the question of Mr. Spock as a sex symbol is silly." The series was created during a time of Cold War politics, and the plots of its episodes occasionally reflected this. The Original Series shows encounters with other advanced spacefaring civilizations, including the Klingons and the Romulans, used as symbolic references to the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, respectively. The sequel to the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, which premiered in 1987, was set approximately 80 years after the events of TOS. As that show and its spin-offs progressed, several TOS characters made appearances: Spock, now a Vulcan ambassador, goes underground in the Romulan Empire in hopes of fostering peaceful coexistence with the Federation and reunification with Vulcan society ("Unification, Parts I and II"). Leonard "Bones" McCoy, now a 137-year-old admiral, inspects the Enterprise-D during its maiden flight in "Encounter at Farpoint." Scotty, now chronologically 147 years old but still only physically 77 years old due to spending about 70 years trapped in suspended animation (inside a transporter buffer and not aging as a result), was rescued by the Enterprise-D crew and resuming his life in "Relics". Captain Picard indefinitely loans him a shuttlecraft, and Scott decides that he might have some more traveling left to do after all. Sulu, promoted to captain of the USS Excelsior in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” reprises his role from that performance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback". Grace Lee Whitney also reprises her role as Janice Rand in that same episode. Sarek (portrayed by Mark Lenard), Spock's father, continued to be an ambassador for the next century, finally retiring to Vulcan where he passed away during the events of "Unification". Mark Lenard also appeared as Sarek in several of the movies, as well as playing the Romulan commander in the ST:TOS episode "Balance of Terror", and as a Klingon in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” Kang, Koloth, and Kor, the three Klingons featured in "Day of the Dove," "The Trouble With Tribbles," and "Errand of Mercy," continued to serve the Empire well into the 24th century. They appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Blood Oath" in which Kang and Koloth were killed. Kor later appeared in two more episodes: "The Sword of Kahless" and finally in "Once More Unto the Breach" where he died fighting in the Dominion War. A younger version of Kang, from the era of “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” later appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback." James Kirk disappears in 2293 during the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B but 78 years later Kirk is recovered from The Nexus, an alternate plane of existence, by Enterprise-D Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Kirk's time in the 24th century is short however, when he is killed by Dr. Soran in “Star Trek Generations.” Besides the above examples, there have been numerous non-canon novels and comic books published over the years in which TOS-era crew are depicted in the TNG era, either through time-travel or other means. In addition, many actors who appeared on TOS later made guest appearances as different characters in later series, most notably Majel Barrett, who not only provided the voice for most Starfleet computers in episodes of every spin-off series (including Enterprise), but also had the recurring role of Lwaxana Troi in TNG and DS9. In terms of its writing, Star Trek is notable as one of the earliest science-fiction TV series to utilize the services of leading contemporary science fiction writers, such as Robert Bloch, Norman Spinrad, Harlan Ellison, and Theodore Sturgeon, as well as established TV writers. Series script editor Dorothy C. Fontana (originally Roddenberry's secretary) was also a vital part of the success of Star Trek; she edited most of the series' scripts and wrote several episodes. Her credits read D.C. Fontana at the suggestion of Gene Roddenberry since he felt that a woman might not be taken seriously because almost all science fiction writers were men. Several notable themes were tackled throughout the entire series including the exploration of major issues of 1960s USA, like sexism, racism, nationalism, and global war. Roddenberry utilized the allegory of a space vessel set many years in the future to explore these issues. Although Sammy Davis, Jr. and Nancy Sinatra had openly kissed on the December 1967 musical-variety special Movin' With Nancy, Star Trek was the first American television show to feature an interracial kiss between fictional characters (in the episode "Plato's Stepchildren") although the kiss was only mimed and depicted as involuntary. Episodes such as "The Apple," "Who Mourns for Adonis?," and "The Return of the Archons" display subtle anti-religious and anti-establishment themes. "Bread and Circuses" and "The Omega Glory" have themes that are more overtly pro-religion and patriotic. Network interference, up to and including wholesale censorship of scripts and film footage, was a regular occurrence in the 1960s and Star Trek suffered from its fair share of tampering. Many scripts had to be revised after vetting by the NBC censors. The Original Series was also noted for its sense of humor, such as Spock and McCoy's pointed, yet friendly, bickering. Episodes like "The Trouble with Tribbles," "I, Mudd," and "A Piece of the Action," are written and staged as comedies. Star Trek's humor is generally much more subdued in the spin-offs and movies, with notable exceptions such as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Several episodes used the concept of duplicate Earths, allowing re-use of stock props and sets. "Bread and Circuses," "Miri," and "The Omega Glory." depict such worlds, and three episodes, "A Piece of the Action," "Patterns of Force," and "Plato's Stepchildren" are based on alien planets that have adopted period Earth cultures (Prohibition-era Chicago, Nazi Germany, and ancient Greece, respectively). In 1968, Star Trek's most critically acclaimed episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever," written by Harlan Ellison, won the prestigious Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Teleplay, although this was for Ellison's original draft script, and not for the screenplay of the episode as it aired. All 79 episodes of the series have been digitally remastered by CBS Television Distribution (now the rights holders for the Star Trek television franchises), and have since been released on DVD in production order. As of 2008 there has been no announcement as to whether the original versions of the episodes will be made available in the high definition video formats, as CBS/Paramount is presently only releasing Star Trek Remastered in that format. In 1983, Leonard Nimoy hosted a one-hour special as a promotional tie-in with the film “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” called "Star Trek Memories." In the special, he recounted his memories of working on The Original Series and explained the origins of things such as the Vulcan nerve pinch and the Vulcan salute. This special continues to be widely seen in some areas; it was included in the syndication package for The Original Series, in order to bump up the episode count to 80. The show's theme tune, immediately recognizable by many, was written by Alexander Courage, and has been featured in a number of Star Trek spin-off episodes and motion pictures. The lyrics for the introduction were written by Gene Roddenberry without Courage's knowledge and without intending for them ever to be sung. Roddenberry would nevertheless wrangle himself a 50% share of the music's performance royalties, which was the motivation for Courage's leaving the series. Later episodes would use stock recordings from his earlier work. Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson recorded a jazz fusion version of the tune with his big band, during the late 1970s, and Nichelle Nichols would perform the song live complete with lyrics. For budgetary reasons, this series made significant use of "tracked" music, or music written for other episodes that was re-used in later episodes. Of the 79 episodes that were broadcast, only 31 had complete or partial original dramatic underscores created specifically for them. The remainder of the music in any episode was tracked from a different episode. It was mostly the decision of Robert H. Justman, the Associate Producer during the first two seasons, of which episodes would have new music. Screen credits for the composers were given based on the amount of music composed for, or composed and re-used in, the episode. Some of these final music credits were occasionally incorrect. Beyond the short works of "source" music (music whose source is seen or acknowledged onscreen) created for specific episodes, eight composers were contracted to create original dramatic underscore during the series run: Alexander Courage, George Duning, Jerry Fielding, Gerald Fried, Sol Kaplan, Samuel Matlovsky, Joseph Mullendore, and Fred Steiner. Each conducted his own music. Of these composers, Steiner composed the original music for the largest number of episodes (thirteen) and it is his instrumental arrangement of Alexander Courage's main theme that is heard over many of the end title credits of the series. The tracked musical underscores were chosen and edited to the episode by the music editors, principal of whom were Robert Raff (most of Season One), Jim Henrikson (Season One and Two), and Richard Lapham (Season Three). The original recordings of the music of some episodes were released in the United States commercially on the GNP Crescendo Record Co. label. Music for a number of the episodes were re-recorded by the Varese Sarabande label, with Fred Steiner conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and on the Label X label, with Tony Bremner conducting the Royal Philharmonic. Episodes of the Original Series were among the first television series to be released on the VHS and laserdisc formats in North America the 1980s, with all episodes eventually being released to VHS. With the advent of DVD in the late 1990s, single DVDs featuring two episodes each were released. In the early 2000s, Paramount Home Video reissued the series to DVD in a series of three deluxe season boxes with added featurettes and documentaries. As of 2008 there are no plans for the Original Series to be released in either HD DVD or Blu-Ray formats, as Paramount has chosen to reserve high definition release for the reedited Remastered version of the series; it is not known if Paramount intends to keep the Original Series available in DVD format. In September 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television (now known as CBS Television Distribution) began syndication of an enhanced version of Star Trek: The Original Series in high definition with new state-of-the-art CGI visual effects. These are being done under the supervision of Mike Okuda, technical consultant to several of the later series. The restoring and updating of the visual effects is being performed by CBS Digital. All live action footage was scanned in high definition from its first generation 35 mm film elements, while visual effects shots have been digitally reproduced. As noted in the "making of" DVD feature, first generation "original camera negatives" were used for all live action footage but not for external shots of the ship and planets, etc. Notable changes include new space shots with a CGI Enterprise, and other new models (for example, a Gorn ship is shown in Arena), redone matte background shots, and other minor touches such as tidying up viewscreens. A small number of scenes have also been recomposed, and in some cases new actors have been placed into the background of some shots. In addition, the opening and closing music has been re-recorded in digital stereo. The first episode to be released to syndication was "Balance of Terror" on the weekend of September 16, 2006. Episodes are being released at the rate of about one a week and broadcast in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Star Trek Remastered is also being broadcast in Japan, but the Japanese version is presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio rather than in a 4:3 ratio. While the CGI shots have already been mastered in a 16:9 aspect ratio for future applications, they are currently broadcast in the US - along with the live action footage in the original 4:3 aspect ratio TV format to respect the show's original composition. If the producers choose to reformat the entire show for the 16:9 ratio, live action footage would have to be recropped, widening the frame to the full width of the 35 mm negatives while trimming its height by nearly 30%. Although this would add a marginal amount of imagery on the sides, much more would need to be eliminated from the tops and bottoms of the frames to fit. This is what has been done for the Japanese version of the show. On July 26, 2007, CBS Home Entertainment announced that the remastered episodes of TOS will be released on a DVD/HD DVD hybrid format. The remastered season one was released on November 20, 2007. Season 2 had been scheduled for release in the summer of 2008, but it was cancelled when Toshiba (which had been financing the remastering of the show) pulled out of the HD-DVD business. No Blu-ray Disc releases for the remastered series have as yet been scheduled. However, it was announced on March 21, 2008 that Season 2 will be released on DVD only, with a street date of August 5, 2008. On April 10, 2006, an interactive version of TOS, known as "Star Trek 2.0," began broadcast on the television channel G4 where members can use the online chat and "Spock Market." Messages from the online chat may be shown during the broadcast along with "Trek Stats" and "Trek Facts." The feature debuted on the cable network G4 began playing episodes of Star Trek along with showing interactive menus. Sometime in 2007, they stopped airing the show in its 2.0 format. The show aired though on the network every Monday in a marathon until it was cancelled. As a promotion of Star Trek 2.0, advertising agency 72andSunny created four 30-second stop-motion commercials using detailed Mego action figures of the crew, which became enormously popular on video site YouTube as well as G4TV.com's "Streaming Pile" video site. They also released a minute-long "Director's Cut" of the "Cribs" clip. On January 15, 2007, G4 launched Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0 at 9:00pm Monday through Friday. A press release for the show indicated it features TNG Facts and Stats along with 32 (up from 24) new stocks for the Spock Market game. Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0 was later removed from Monday nights. An "urgent subspace message" on the Star Trek 2.0 Hailing Frequencies e-newsletter stated that Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0 was scheduled for a "refit". It no longer featured live chat, stats, or facts on screen. The Spock Market game continued running as usual until it was shut down. Star Trek has inspired fan-made and -produced series for free internet distribution, including Star Trek: Phase II. Walter Koenig, D. C. Fontana and other Star Trek actors and production personnel have participated in producing various episodes. CBS Interactive is presenting all 3 seasons of the series online via Adobe Flash streaming media. They are full-length episodes available free of charge, but with ads embedded into the stream of each episode. They are currently viewable at www.cbs.com/classics/star_trek. In January 2007, the first season of Star Trek became available for download from Apple's iTunes Store. Although consumer reviews indicate that some of the episodes on iTunes are the newly "remastered" editions, iTunes editors had not indicated such, and if so, which are which. All first season episodes that had been remastered and aired were available from iTunes, except Where No Man Has Gone Before, which remains in its original form. On March 20, 2007, the first season was again added to the iTunes Store, with separate downloads for the original and remastered versions of the show, though according to the customer reviews, the original version contains minor revisions such as special effect enhancements. Microsoft's Xbox 360 videogame console provides downloads of the Original series on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The world is made up of two kinds of people: the Faithful, those who embrace the Star Trek universe, the original series, the 10 films (a prequel is scheduled to come out in 2009), the five spinoffs, and every piece of Star Trek memorabilia ever made; and the Disbelievers, who sneer that William Shatner named it perfectly in a Saturday Night Live skit when he ordered a roomful of nerdy Trekkies to “get a life.” Shatner’s quip stung, and here’s why: Star Trek fans do indeed hanker after a different life, but not necessarily the one belonging to Capt. James T. Kirk. No, what they really want is the optimistic vision of the future Gene Roddenberry created with the show. In the world according to Trek, we aren’t destined to blow ourselves to smithereens or degenerate into “Blade Runner”-like squalor. Instead, we’ll spend our lives going “boldly where no man has gone before,” unsullied by racism and sexism and untroubled by finances. Who wouldn’t want to go? And, it isn’t hard to see why Roddenberry came up with this vision of the future. For a show that was set hundreds of years in the future, Star Trek was very 1960s: not just the miniskirts, but the war and race allegories that Roddenberry wrote into the series. Capt. Kirk led a crew of all colors (and ear shapes) across the universe to follow (more like “follow) the Prime Directive and defuse conflicts. And, let’s remember that those 1960s were a troubled time of war, political division, and civil rights struggles. It isn’t surprising that such a turbulent time would cause a man to make a non-turbulent future. Though the sci-fi show was colored by its troubled times, it also had a genuine postwar optimism, believing that technology, science and cooperation could actually lead humanity to unity and progress. Dated as the original Trek can look (with Kirk chasing galactic babes and space hippies) its first-rate sci-fi plots still hold up. And, it hasn’t stopped holding up, because Trekkies won’t let it stop. In its original run, Star Trek never made it into the Top 25 of any season, and NBC pulled the plug in 1969. Yet, 10 years later, like Tribbles that wouldn’t stop breeding, reruns had popped up on more than 140 stations. In response, conventions popped up everywhere, the original cast was reassembled in feature films, and a new series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, premiered in 1987. This show has had more spinoffs than any other show in TV history. And, why won’t it just die? Because, in an era of movies with skyscraper-high monsters and mindless explosions, Star Trek had always possessed something rare in pop culture: a real vision of hope that hundreds of years from now we might be still boldly going where no one has gone before. And, that trumps soulless state-of-the-art special effects any day of the week.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 2, 2008 18:15:06 GMT -5
16. The Honeymooners Genre: Sitcom. Created by: Jackie Gleason. Executive Producer(s): Jack Philbin. Starring: Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden), Audrey Meadows (Alice Kramden), Art Carney (Ed Norton), and Joyce Randolph (Thelma “Trixie” Norton). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 1. Number of Episodes: 39. Running Time: 30 minutes. Original Channel: CBS. Original Run: October 1, 1955 – September 22, 1956. Spinoffs: The show is the first spinoff in TV history, based on sketches of the same name that originally aired on Cavalcade of Stars and later aired on The Jackie Gleason Show. There was also a movie made based on the show “The Honeymooners” (2005), which had African-American actors in the main character roles. The roles of Ralph, Alice, Ed, and Trixie were played by Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Mike Epps, and Regina Hall, respectively. The film was a commercial and critical flop. In July 1950, Jackie Gleason took over as the host of Cavalcade of Stars, a variety show that aired on the DuMont Television Network. After a few episodes, Gleason and his writing staff developed a sketch that drew upon familiar domestic situations for its material. Gleason wanted a realistic portrayal of life for a poor husband and wife living in Brooklyn. The couple would fight constantly, but ultimately show their love for each other. After rejecting titles such as "The Beast", "The Lovers", and "The Couple Next Door", Gleason and his staff settled on "The Honeymooners" for the name of the new sketch. Gleason took the role of Ralph Kramden, a blustery bus driver, and he chose veteran comedy movie actress Pert Kelton for the role of Alice Kramden, Ralph's acerbic wife. The majority of The Honeymooners focused on its four principal characters, although various secondary characters made multiple appearances. The main characters were: Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason): a bus driver for the fictional Gotham Bus Company. He is never seen driving a bus (except in publicity photos), but is shown multiple times at the bus depot. Ralph is frustrated by his lack of success, and often develops schemes designed to earn him and his wife a quick fortune. Ralph is very quick-tempered, and frequently resorts to insults and hollow threats of physical violence. Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows): Ralph's patient, but sharp-tongued wife of roughly 15 years. Alice often finds herself bearing the brunt of Ralph's insults, which she returns in fine form. She is bitingly sarcastic and very level-headed, trying to convince Ralph of the stupidity of his various schemes, which makes him lose his temper. However, she is considerably unruffled and never fazed by Ralph's constant threats to strike her "one of these days..." She studied to be a secretary before her marriage and works briefly in that capacity when Ralph is laid off. Ralph's jealousy of Alice's handsome boss "Tony Amico", who is told that Ralph is Alice's brother because married women have a harder time finding jobs, soon puts paid to that venture, particularly after Amico asks Ralph about dating Alice. Another foil for Ralph is Alice's mother, even sharper-tongued, whom Ralph despises. Alice's father is occasionally mentioned but never seen. Edward "Ed" Norton (Art Carney): a New York City sewer worker and Ralph's best friend. He is considerably more good-natured than Ralph, but nonetheless trades insults with him on a regular basis. Ed (typically called "Norton" by Ralph) often gets mixed up in Ralph's schemes, and his carefree and rather dimwitted nature usually results in raising Ralph's ire, while Ralph often showers him with verbal abuse, shoves him around, and throws him out of the apartment when Ed irritates him. Ed and Ralph are both members of the fictional Raccoon Lodge. Thelma "Trixie" Norton (Joyce Randolph): Ed's wife and Alice's best friend. She did not appear on every episode and had a less developed character, though she is shown to be bossy towards her husband and rather disposed towards violence. In one episode she is depicted as a pool hustler. On another episode, Ralph insults Trixie by making a reference to Minsky's (a burlesque theatre; the original Trixie (played by Elaine Stritch) was a burlesque dancer). However Randolph's characterization was more wholesome and there are no references to her background. She is even rather prudish, complaining to her husband when a "fresh" store employee called her "sweetie-pie." Some of the actors that appeared multiple times on the show include Jimmy Guarasci, Blanche Rothstein (who played Alice's mother); and Meg Laduca. "The Honeymooners" made its debut on October 5, 1951, as a six-minute sketch. Cast member Art Carney made a brief appearance as a police officer who gets hit with flour Ralph had thrown out the window. The tone of these early sketches was much darker than the later series, with Ralph exhibiting extreme bitterness and frustration with his marriage to an equally bitter and argumentative middle-aged woman (Kelton was nine years older than Gleason). The Kramdens' financial struggles mirrored those of Gleason's early life in Brooklyn, and he took great pains to duplicate on set the interior of the apartment where he grew up (right down to his boyhood address of 328 Chauncey Street). The Kramdens (and later the Nortons) are childless, an issue never explored, but a condition on which Gleason insisted. Early additions to the cast of later sketches were upstairs neighbors Ed and Trixie Norton. Ed (played by Carney) was a sewer worker and Ralph's best friend, although his innocent and guileless nature was the source of many arguments between the two. Trixie Norton (maiden name unknown), Ed's wife, was originally portrayed as a burlesque dancer by Elaine Stritch, but was replaced by the more wholesome looking Joyce Randolph, after just one appearance. Trixie is a foil to Ed, just as Alice does for Ralph, but derivatively, and almost always off-screen. Due in part to the colorful array of characters that Gleason invented (including the cast of "The Honeymooners"), Cavalcade of Stars became a huge success for DuMont. It increased its audience share from nine to 25 percent. Gleason's contract with DuMont expired in the summer of 1952, and the financially struggling network (which folded in the mid-1950s) was unable to re-sign him. CBS president William S. Paley convinced Gleason to leave the DuMont Network and bring his show to CBS. In July 1952, the cast of the retitled Jackie Gleason Show embarked on a highly successful five-week promotional tour across the United States, performing a variety of musical numbers and sketches (including the popular "Honeymooners"). The cast performed four shows a day, which was too much for Kelton, who was suffering from "heart problems." In actuality, Kelton was blacklisted as a suspected communist. She was replaced on the tour by Gingr Jones [sic], and subsequently was blacklisted (having earlier been named on the Red Channels blacklist) by CBS, which meant that a new Alice was needed. Jones's replacement was Audrey Meadows, already known for her work in the 1951 musical Top Banana and on Bob and Ray's television show. Before receiving the role, Meadows had to overcome Gleason's reservations about her being too attractive to make a credible Alice. To accomplish this, she hired a photographer to come to her apartment early in the morning and take pictures of her with no make-up on, wearing a torn housecoat, and with her hair undone. When the pictures were delivered to Gleason, he looked at them and said, "That's our Alice." When it was explained to him who it was he said, "Any dame who has a sense of humor like that deserves the job." With the addition of Meadows the now-famous Honeymooners lineup of Gleason, Carney, Meadows, and Randolph was in place. The Honeymooners was filmed using three Electronicams. In 1955, most television shows (including The Jackie Gleason Show) were performed live and recorded using kinescope technology. One notable exception was I Love Lucy, which was recorded directly onto 35 mm film. For The Honeymooners, Gleason utilized the Electronicam TV-film system, developed by DuMont in the early 1950s. As a result of the superior picture and sound quality afforded by the Electronicam system, episodes of The Honeymooners were much more suitable for rebroadcast than some other shows of the era. All 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were filmed at the DuMont Television Network's Adelphi Theater in New York City, in front of an audience of 1,000. Episodes were never fully rehearsed, as Gleason felt that rehearsals would rob the show of its spontaneity. The result was that while the cast was able to bring a fresh approach to the material, mistakes were often made: lines were either recited incorrectly or forgotten altogether, and actors did not follow the scripted action. To compensate, the cast developed visual cues for each other: Gleason patted his stomach when he forgot a line, while Meadows would glance at the refrigerator when someone else was supposed to retrieve something from it. In contrast to other popular comedies of the era (such as Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), which depicted their characters in comfortable, middle class suburban environments, the set design for The Honeymooners reflected the blue collar existence of its characters. The Kramdens' apartment, in particular, was sparsely furnished; the main set was a kitchen, which consisted of a functional table and chairs, a curtain-less window (with a view of a fire escape) and an outdated icebox. The instrumental theme song for The Honeymooners, "You're My Greatest Love", was composed by Gleason and performed by an orchestra led by Ray Bloch (who had previously served as orchestra leader on Gleason's variety show, as well as The Ed Sullivan Show). Although lyrics were composed, they were never sung. Sammy Spear, who later became Gleason's musical director, provided the arrangement. The music heard in the episodes was not performed during the show, so to enhance the feeling of a live performance for the studio audience an orchestra performed before filming and during breaks. The show's original announcer was Jack Lescoulie, who was also a spokesman for the sponsor, Buick. For the non-sponsored syndicated version, the introduction was voiced by CBS staff announcer Gaylord Avery. The rising popularity of "The Honeymooners" was reflected in its increasing prominence as part of The Jackie Gleason Show. During the first season, it appeared on a regular basis (although not weekly) as a short sketch during part of the larger variety show. The sketches ranged in length from seven to thirteen minutes. For the 1953–54 season, the shorter sketches were outnumbered by ones that ran for a half hour or longer. During the 1954–55 season, most episodes consisted entirely of "The Honeymooners". Fan response was overwhelming. Meadows received hundreds of curtains and aprons in the mail from fans who wanted to help Alice lead a fancier life. By January 1955, The Jackie Gleason Show was competing with (and sometimes beating) I Love Lucy as the most-watched show in the United States. Audience members lined up around the block hours in advance to attend the show. Before Gleason's initial three-year contract with CBS expired, he was offered a much larger one by CBS and Buick (the carmaker having dropped their sponsorship of The Milton Berle Show). The three-year contract, reportedly valued at $USD 11 million, was one of the largest in show business history. It called for Gleason to produce 78 filmed episodes of The Honeymooners over two seasons, with an option for a third season of 39 more. He was scheduled to receive $65,000 for each episode ($70,000 per episode in the second season), but had to pay all production costs out of that amount. Art Carney received $3,500 per week, Audrey Meadows received $2,000 per week, and Joyce Randolph (who did not appear in every episode) received $500 per week. Production for The Honeymooners was handled by Jackie Gleason Enterprises, Inc., which also produced the show's lead-in, Stage Show. The first episode of the new half-hour series aired Saturday, October 1, 1955, at 8:30 pm (during prime time), opposite Ozark Jubilee on ABC and The Perry Como Show on NBC. As it was sponsored by Buick, the opening credits ended with an advertisement ("Brought to you by your Buick dealer. And away we go!"), and the show concluded with a brief Gleason sales pitch for the company. All references to the carmaker were removed when the show entered syndication. Critical reaction to The Honeymooners was mixed. While The New York Times and Broadcasting and Telecasting Magazine wrote that it was "labored" and lacked the spontaneity of the live sketches, TV Guide praised it as "rollicking", "slapsticky" and "fast-paced." In February 1956, the show was moved to the 8 pm time slot, but had already started to lose viewers to the hugely popular Perry Como Show. Gleason's writers had also begun to feel confined by the restrictive half-hour format, and Gleason felt that they were starting to run out of original ideas. After just one season, Gleason and CBS agreed to cancel The Honeymooners, which aired its 39th and last original episode on September 22, 1956. In explaining his decision to end the show with $7 million remaining on his contract Gleason said, "the excellence of the material could not be maintained, and I had too much fondness for the show to cheapen it. Gleason subsequently sold the films of the "Classic 39" episodes of the show to CBS for $USD 1.5 million. One week after The Honeymooners ended, The Jackie Gleason Show returned on September 29, 1956. "The "Honeymooners" sketches were soon brought back as part of the revived variety show. When Art Carney left the show in 1957, the sketches ceased production. In 1962, Gleason's variety show returned as Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine. The “Honeymooners" sketches returned as well, whenever Carney was available. Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph were replaced as Alice and Trixie by Sue Ane Langdon and Patricia Wilson, respectively. In January 1966, Meadows returned as Alice for a musical special entitled The Honeymooners: The Adoption, a re-enactment of a 1955 sketch of the same name. When The Jackie Gleason Show (now based in Miami Beach, Florida) returned in 1966, the "Honeymooners" sketches (now in color for the first time) returned as a series of elaborate musicals. The sketches, which comprised ten of the first season's thirty-two shows, followed a story arc that had the Kramdens and Nortons traveling across Europe after Ralph won a contest. "The Color Honeymooners", as it has since become known, featured Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean in the roles of Alice and Trixie, respectively (Meadows and Randolph did not want to relocate to Miami). One notable 1967 segment featured the return of Pert Kelton, this time playing Alice's mother, Mrs. Gibson. "The Honeymooners" ended again when The Jackie Gleason Show was canceled in 1970, the result of a disagreement in direction between Gleason and the network. Gleason wanted to continue interspersing "The Honeymooners" within the confines of his regular variety show, while CBS wanted a full-hour "Honeymooners" every week. On October 11, 1973, Gleason, Carney, MacRae and Kean reunited for a 'Honeymooners' skit called "Women's Lib" on a Gleason special on CBS. Finally, the Kramdens and Nortons were brought back for four final one-hour specials on ABC, which aired from 1976–78. Alongside Gleason and Carney, Audrey Meadows returned as Alice (for the first time since 1966) while Jane Kean continued to play Trixie. Joyce Randolph, the actress most identified as Trixie, never played the part after the 1950s. These four specials were the final original "Honeymooners" productions. Art Carney won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Ed Norton: two for the original Jackie Gleason Show, one for The Honeymooners, and two for the final version of The Jackie Gleason Show. He was nominated for another two (1957, 1966) but lost. Gleason and Meadows were both nominated in 1956 for their work on The Honeymooners. Gleason was nominated for Best Actor – Continuing Performance but lost to Phil Silvers, while Meadows was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role but lost to Nanette Fabray. Meadows was also nominated for Emmys for her portrayal of Alice Kramden in 1954 and 1957. Most of The Honeymooners took place in Ralph and Alice Kramden's kitchen. Other settings used in the show included the Gotham Bus Company depot, the Raccoon Lodge, and on occasion the Nortons' apartment. Many episodes began with a shot of Alice in the kitchen, awaiting Ralph's arrival from work. Most episodes focused on Ralph and Ed Norton's characters, although Alice played a substantial role. Ed's wife, Trixie, played a smaller role in the series, and didn't appear in every episode as the other three did. Each episode presented a self-contained story, which never carried over into a subsequent one. The show employed a number of standard sitcom clichés and plots, particularly those of jealousy and comic misunderstanding. The show presented Ralph as an everyman and an underdog who struggled to make a better life for himself and his wife, but who ultimately failed due to his own shortcomings. He (along with Ed) devised a number of get-rich-quick schemes, none of which succeeded. Ralph was quick to blame others for his misfortune, until it was pointed out to him where he had fallen short. Ralph's anger was replaced by short-lived remorse, and he would then apologize for his actions. Many of these apologies to Alice ended with Ralph saying, "Baby, you're the greatest", followed by a hug and kiss. In most episodes, Ralph's short temper got the best of him, leading him to yell at others and to threaten physical violence, particularly against Alice. Ralph's favorite threats to her were "Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!" and "One of these days … one of these days … POW, right in the kisser!" This has led some to criticize the show as displaying an acceptance of domestic violence. Ralph never carried out his threats, however, and others have pointed out that Alice knew he never would. In retaliation, the targets of Ralph's verbal abuse often responded by simply joking about his weight, a common theme throughout the series. Alice was never seen to back down during any of Ralph's tirades. The Honeymooners gained its greatest fame in syndication, where it has aired almost continually since its cancellation. New York's WPIX-TV airs The Honeymooners nightly and on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day for more than four decades, with occasional breaks, in a marathon entitled The Honeymooners' blowout. BBC2 aired 38 of the original 39 episodes beginning in 1989 and ending in 1991. The show has also aired in Australia, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Ireland and Suriname. In 1984, the Museum of Television and Radio announced the discovery of four original Honeymooners sketches from the original The Jackie Gleason Show. When they later held a public viewing for three of them, the response was overwhelmingly positive. In January 1985, Gleason announced the release of an additional group of lost episodes from his private vault. As with the previously released sketches, these "lost episodes" were actually kinescopes of sketches from the 1952–55 run of The Jackie Gleason Show. Gleason sold the broadcast rights to the lost episodes to Viacom, and they were first aired from 1985–86 as a series of 68 22-minute episodes on the Showtime cable network. They have since joined the original 39 episodes in syndication, and have also been released on VHS and DVD. In September 2004, another "lost" episode was reported discovered at the Peabody Award archives in Georgia. This episode, "Love Letter," originally aired on The Jackie Gleason Show on October 16, 1954. It aired for the first time since then on October 16, 2004 (its fiftieth anniversary), on TV Land. CBS Paramount Television (the modern-day successor to Viacom), via CBS Broadcasting, owns the "classic 39" series outright, while the Gleason estate owns the "lost episodes" (although CBS Paramount does distribute them). Paramount Home Entertainment released a six disc-DVD set entitled The Honeymooners "Classic 39" Episodes in November 2003 (only available in Region 1). The set contains all 39 episodes from the series' original 1955–56 broadcast run. Also included in the set is an edited version of a 1990 anniversary special hosted by Audrey Meadows, as well as original show openings and closings (sponsored by Buick) that were removed when the show entered syndication. MPI Home Video released the "lost episodes" on DVD in Region 1 in 24 volume collections from 2001 - 2002. They have subsequently re-released these episodes in 6 box sets featuring all 80 episodes. In June 2006, MPI Home Video released The Color Honeymooners – Collection 1 (NTSC and PAL), which collects the "Trip to Europe" story arc presented on The Jackie Gleason Show in 1966. Another set of eight episodes will be released on February 26, 2008. The AmericanLife TV Network is currently airing The Color Honeymooners shows under license from Gleason Enterprises and Paul Brownstein Television. “The first one was about four, five minutes,” recalled writer Walter Stone. “He comes home from work, she’s steaming. She says ‘Go to the store,’ or something. Just five minutes of that.” From one humble off-the-cuff running sketch in 1951 on Cavalcade Of Stars, which featured Jackie Gleason as the MC, grew a TV comedy whose proportions were even more epic that its star’s. The Honeymooners represented a number of historical firsts, most notably being the first spinoff series and the first show to present an unvarnished picture of blue-collar life. But, the reason it endures is that its characters and their relationships were timeless right off the bat. It presented the story of bus driver Ralph Kramden and wife Alice and was an unfancy celebration of unfancy people. In a landscape in which Ozzie and Harriet Nelson were the norm, Ralph and Alice Kramden were real. Between “Bang-zoom!” and “Baby, you’re the greatest!”, they caught the arc of marriage and magnified it until the only recourse was laughter. The episodes, most of them sketches within Cavalcade Of Stars and the two versions of The Jackie Gleason Show, were limited to sparse sets, usually the Kramdens' bare bones Brooklyn walkup. But the dynamics among the cast made the setting seem expansive. Gleason submerged his charismatic bluster into this little big man: Brooklynite bus driver Ralph is a study in the comic frustrations of the working stiff, ballooning with dreams (furniture shampoo, Kram-Nor’s hair restorer, glow-in-the-dark shoe polish), sagging when reality hits, then shrugging and moving on. Meadows played Alice as the Good Shrew, just as ready with the fat jokes “If you knew how to throw your weight around, you wouldn’t leave it where it is!”). And, then, there was Ed Norton” sewer worker, coconspirator, best friend, patsy. Art Carney pulled off the impossible trick of seeming both smarter and denser than his costar; in essence, he was the Sancho Panza of 358 Chauncey Street. And, yes, it had TV's most famous example of spouse-abuse-threats-as-comedy. But knowing that there was no way Alice was ever actually going to go to the moon only added to Ralph's blobby comic ineffectuality. It’s startling to realize that The Honeymooners wasn’t truly a hit the first time around. Yes, audiences loved the recurring sketches when they originally aired on Cavalcade and both Jackie Gleason Shows. But, in 1955, when Gleason signed a $6 million two-season contract to spin Honeymooners off on its own, the deal was to last only a year thanks to unexpected competition from The Perry Como Show on NBC. When The Honeymooners finished 20th in the ratings, Gleason called it quits and sold the 39 episodes to CBS, which later sold them into syndication. There “the classic 39” ran and reran and reran until they became almost biblical in their towering impact. And, it has been the inspiration for every “fat guy with a beautiful wife” show since then, from The Flintstones to The King Of Queens; but they all paled in comparison to The Honeymooners. Baby, it was the greatest!
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 2, 2008 20:18:06 GMT -5
15. Sesame Street Genre: Kid’s show. Created by: Joan Ganz Cooney and her Sesame Workshop staff. Special mention to Jim Henson for creating the Muppets on the show. Executive Producer(s): Jon Stone (1969-1975), Dulcy Singer (1984-1994), Carol-Lynn Parente (2005-2007), Kevin Clash (2005-2008), Lewis Bernstein (2005), David D. Connell (unknown), Joan Ganz Cooney (unknown), Nina Elias-Bamberger (unknown), and Steve Garfinkel (unknown). Starring: Loretta Long (Susan Robinson 1969-present), Bob McGrath (Bob 1969-present), Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar The Grouch 1969-present), Frank Oz (Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, and various muppets 1969-2007), Jim Henson (Kermit The Frog, Ernie, and Guy Smiley 1969-1990), Will Lee (Harold Hooper 1969-1982), Sonia Manzano (Maria 1970-present), Fran Brill (Various muppets 1970-2007), Jerry Nelson (Various muppets 1970-2007), Emilio Delgado (Luis 1971-present), Matt Robinson (Gordon Robinson 1969-1972), Hal Miller (Gordon Robinson 1972-1973), Roscoe Orman (Gordon Robinson 1973-present), Pam Arciero (Grundgetta and various muppets 1975-2007), Martin P. Robinson (Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and various muppets 1985-present), Miles Orman (Miles Robison 1985-1992), Imani Paterson (Miles Robinson 1992-2003), Olamide Faison (Miles Robinson 2003-present), Kevin Clash (Elmo, Clifford, Splinter, Hoots the Owl, and various muppets 1985-present), Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly (Gina Jefferson 1987-present), Steve Whitmire (Ernie 1990-present), Joey Mazzarino (Various muppets 1991-present), Carmen Osbahr (Rosita 1991-present), David Rudman (Baby Bear, Cookie Monster, and various muppets 1992-present), Desiree Casado (Gabriella Rodriguez (1993-present), Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Various muppets 1993-present), Alan Muraoka (Alan 1997-present), Eric Jacobson (Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Guy Smiley 2000-present), Bill Irwin (Mr. Noodle 2000-present), Christopher Knowings (Chris Robinson 2007-present), and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (Abby Cadabby 2006-present). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 38. Number of Episodes: 4,160. Running Time: 54 minutes. Original Channel: PBS. Original Run: November 10, 1969 – present. Spinoffs: Several specials featuring characters from the show have been made, as have two movies “Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird” (1985) and “The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland” (1999). There are also several different versions of Sesame Street in different countries around the world. Sesame Street is a kid’s show that uses combinations of animation, and live actors to stimulate young children's minds, improve their letter and word recognition, basic arithmetic, geometric forms, classification, simple problem solving, and socialization by showing children or people in their everyday lives. Since the show's inception, other instructional goals have been basic life skills, such as how to cross the street safely, proper hygiene, healthy eating habits, and social skills. The show displays a subtle sense of humor that has appealed to older viewers since it first premiered; this was devised as a means to encourage parents and older siblings to watch the series with younger children, thus becoming involved in the learning process, rather than having Sesame Street act as a babysitter. A number of parodies of popular culture appear, especially ones aimed at the Public Broadcasting Service, the network that broadcasts the show. For example, the recurring segment Monsterpiece Theatre once ran a sketch called "Me Claudius". Children viewing the show might enjoy watching Cookie Monster and the Muppets, while adults watching the same sequence may enjoy the spoof of the Masterpiece Theatre showing of I, Claudius on PBS. Over two hundred notable personalities have made guest appearances on the show, beginning with Carol Burnett on the first episode, and ranging from performers like James Brown, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Johnny Cash, to political figures such as Laura Bush and Kofi Annan. By making a show that not only educates and entertains kids, but also keeps parents entertained and involved in the educational process, the producers hope to inspire discussion about the concepts on the show. In 1999, the series became the longest running American children's program, taking the title from Captain Kangaroo. The British series Blue Peter still retains the worldwide record. The series has made many published lists, including greatest all-time show compilations by TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. Nielsen Media Research has found that 99% of American preschoolers recognize the series' characters. Another study found that 81% of kids under the age of six own a Sesame Street toy or game, and 87% own a book based on the series. The series' music has appeared on music charts around the world, including Ernie's "Rubber Duckie" song, which made #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970; the song achieved an even higher position in Germany. In 1992, British band Smart E's released Sesame's Treet, a techno dance track which sampled the "classic" version of the Sesame Street theme. It reached #2 on the UK singles chart. Sesame Street has won 11** Grammy Awards, most recently for 2001 release Elmo and the Orchestra. The show's format called for the humans to be intermixed with the segments of animation, live-action shorts and Muppets. These segments were created to be like commercials, quick, catchy, and memorable, and made the learning experience much more like fun. The format became a model for what is known today as edutainment-based programming. CTW aired the program for test groups to determine if the revolutionary new format was likely to succeed. Results showed that test watchers were entranced when the ad-like segments aired, especially those with the jovial puppets, but were remarkably less interested in the street scenes. Psychologists warned CTW against a mixture of fantasy and reality elements, but producers soon decided to mix the elements. A simple dose of cartoon-like characters lets the humans deliver messages without causing viewers to lose interest. Prior to its national debut, a week of test episodes were seen in July 1969 on Philadelphia educational station WUHY-TV (now WYBE). Sesame Street, along with several other Sesame Workshop-produced shows (such as The Electric Company, which was produced for six seasons, when Sesame Workshop was still known as CTW) were all taped in New York City. Originally they were shot at the Teletape Studios at West 81st Street and Broadway in Manhattan, but to make room for the incoming production of Search For Tomorrow, Sesame Street moved first to another Manhattan studio that was formerly WNET's Dick Cavett studio at 9th Ave. and 55th St in 1982. With the bankruptcy of Teletape's parent company Reeves Entertainment in 1986, operation of Sesame Street's studio was taken over by Unitel Video NY in that year. In 1992, the production moved again to Kaufman Astoria Studios in neighboring Queens where it is to this day. The show is broadcast worldwide; in addition to the U.S. version, many countries have locally-produced versions adapted to local needs, some with their own characters, and in a variety of different languages. In Canada, beginning in 1970, 15-minute shows called Canada's Sesame Street were broadcast, and by 1972 an edited version of the one-hour American program was airing but with specially filmed Canadian segments, which featured the French language. In 1995 the American version was replaced by a half-hour long all-Canadian version of the series entitled Sesame Park. Since the original Sesame Street was still accessible to Canadians, and more familiar, the format change didn't find acceptance with audiences and was taken off the air in 2002. Broadcasts in New Zealand and Australia began in 1971. In the United Kingdom its introduction was controversial. The ITV network company London Weekend Television first showed the series in the London region in the early 1970s to much criticism (generally regarding its Americanism). In time the show was subsequently broadcast by other ITV regions in the early 1980s, after which it moved to Channel 4, where it was a lunch-time fixture for many years through to the early 2000s. Later broadcasts of the show featured the hour-long episodes in a format of 2½-hour episodes. 120 countries have aired the show, many of which partnered with Sesame Workshop to create local versions. In recent years Sesame Street has made what area educators consider to be critical advances in its international versions. In the late 1990s versions appeared in China and Russia as these countries shifted away from communism. There is also a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian project, called Sesame Stories, which was created with the goal of promoting greater cultural understanding .The show along with 123 Sesame Street and Sesame Street Unpaved aired on the half Sesame Workshop/Viacom Noggin until 2005. The show has also spawned the spin-off series Play with Me Sesame, ESL program Sesame English, the "classics" show Sesame Street Unpaved, and the segment-only series Open Sesame. Elmo's World and Global Grover, both of which are segments of Sesame Street, have been distributed as individual series. Jennifer Monier-Williams, Vice President, Worldwide Television Distribution at Sesame Workshop commented "The expansion of the Sesame brand through wonderfully interactive shows like Play With Me Sesame and Elmo's World give children around the globe new ways to experience fun and learning in the way Sesame does it best." Funding for season 38 of Sesame Street is provided by a Ready To Learn grant in partnership with New Balance, the McDonald's Corporation, Beaches Family Resorts, Earth's Best Organic, American Greetings, and EverydayKidz.com from Astra Zeneca. Major funding for Sesame Street is provided by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (did not fund from 1972–1992, or from 1998–2000) and by contributions to PBS stations from "Viewers Like You." Previous donors of funding for Sesame Street included The Ford Foundation, Discovery Zone, Pfizer, Life Cereal from the Quaker Oats Company, LookSmart, AOL, PNC Grow Up Great, Pampers Baby-Dry, U.S. Department of Education, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. During the first 29 seasons, Sesame Street did not show its underwriting credits at the start of the show. Other CTW productions, such as The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact and Square One Television, also limited underwriting announcements to the end of the show, unlike most PBS series, where they opened and closed each episode. Occasionally, local businesses and organizations fund local telecasts of Sesame Street on PBS stations throughout the U.S. For example, the W. M. Keck Foundation underwrites the broadcast of Sesame Street on KCET in Los Angeles. Within the context of the show, and before the actual underwriting announcements, it is announced that "Sesame Street is brought to you by" the letters and number of the day, as though they too were sponsors. As a result of its success in revolutionizing the standards of children's television, Sesame Street inadvertently diminished its own audience share. According to PBS Research, the show went from a 2.0 average on Nielsen Media Research's "people meters" in 1995–1996 to a 1.3 average in 2000–2001. Even with this decrease, Sesame Street's viewership in an average week came from roughly 5.6 million households with 7.5 million viewers. This placed Sesame at 8th place in the overall kids' charts, as of 2002. The program fares better among mothers age 18–49 who had children under the age of 3, taking second place. A format change helped the show's ratings, boosting them up 31% in February 2002 among children age 2–5, in comparison to its ratings in 2001. As of 2005, Sesame Street and three other PBS shows are in the top 10 shows for children ages 2 to 5. As of season 36 in 2005, there were 8 million viewers daily. Sesame Street is known for its multicultural element and is inclusive in its casting, incorporating roles for disabled people, young people, senior citizens, Hispanic actors, Black actors, Asian actors, and others. While some of the puppets look like people, others are animal or "monster" puppets of different sizes and colors. This encourages children to believe that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, and that no particular physical "type" is any better than another. Jim Henson commented that "The only kids who can identify along racial lines with the Muppets have to be either green or orange." In harmony with its multiculturalist perspective, the show pioneered the idea of occasionally inserting very basic Spanish words and phrases to help young children become acquainted with the concept of a foreign language, doing so almost three decades before Dora the Explorer made her debut on Nickelodeon. Perhaps in response to the popularity of Dora, the recently revamped format gives Rosita, the bilingual muppet who "emigrated" in 1993 from the Mexican version of the show, more time in front of viewers, and also introduced the more formalized "Spanish Word of the Day" in every episode. Each of the puppet characters has been designed to represent a specific stage or element of early childhood, and the scripts are written so that the character reflects the development level of children of that age. This helps the show address not only the learning objectives of various age groups, but also the concerns, fears, and interests of children of different age levels. Big Bird is an 8 ft 2-inch (250cm) tall yellow bird who lives in a large nest on an abandoned lot which is located in 123 Sesame Street's garbage heap. Big Bird is often visited by his friend Aloysius Snuffleupagus, who is a very large, brown creature, which looks very much like the prehistoric wooly mammoth, and is known more popularly by his nickname "Snuffy". Various other Snuffleupaguses have appeared on the show from time to time, most notably Snuffy's little sister Alice and his unnamed mother. Initially, Snuffy showed up when no one but Big Bird was around, leaving the rest of the neighborhood to think he was imaginary. In the mid-1980s, however, Snuffy was revealed to be "real" and incorporated into the regular cast of the show. Oscar the Grouch lives with his pet worm Slimey and his pet elephants Fluffy, Sophie, Blitzen, and Schopenhauer in a garbage can in the heap. He is always grumpy, and loves everything that other people hate, and vice versa- he loves rainy days, but hates cute puppies and kittens. His favorite thing in the world is rubbish (trash, or garbage), hence his signature song, "I Love Trash", and consequently, he lives in a garbage can. Bert and Ernie two of the most-recognized Muppets, are roommates who share the basement apartment of 123 Sesame Street, and regularly engage in comic routines which showcase their odd-couple personalities. Ernie's flowerbox was once a hotspot for Twiddlebugs, a colorful family of insects. Ernie is a fun-loving orange Muppet who is always ready to play a game, and is always trying, often in vain, to interest Bert in his latest idea for one. Bert usually ends up grudgingly, or in the case of the "Feelings Game", unwittingly, joining in. Ernie especially loves his Rubber Duckie, who is the subject of several of Ernie's songs. Bert's idea of having fun involves doing things which most people find boring, like playing with pigeons, and collecting paperclips and bottle caps. The Bear family, which is identified as the bears of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, resides in Sesame Street. This family, headed by Papa Bear and Mama Bear, welcomed their second child Curly Bear, and Baby Bear became a good friend of the monsters Telly and Zoe, Mexico-born Rosita, and the furry, red preschooler Elmo. Elmo has his own segment near the end of each episode, in which viewers explore topics in Elmo's World. New to Sesame Street is Abby Cadabby, a fairy-in-training who attends Storybook Community School with Baby Bear. Grover's regular segment, Global Grover, follows the self-described "cute, furry monster" around the world as he explores local cultures and traditions. Grover has had several notable roles over the years, often as a waiter or a superhero (Super Grover). In the waiter sketches, Grover always serves the same customer- a blue Muppet with very little hair on his head. Grover always serves the customer inappropriate food, and he eventually loses his temper. Cookie Monster is a character who, as he name would suggest, loves cookies, but doesn't seem to mind eating anything, edible or not. He currently has a segment of the show in which he fights with his conscience daily during Letter of the Day, as he tries to control his urges to eat the letters, shown as icing on cookies. Prairie Dawn often attempts to help Cookie Monster refrain from eating the letters, but never succeeds and always leaves frazzled. Count von Count has fewer problems during the Number of the Day segment, where he indulges in counting until the mystery number is revealed by his pipe organ. He is usually known simply as "The Count". He has more songs than most of the other characters. They are usually catchy songs, such as "The Batty Bat", and "The First Day of School", in which he tells the story of how he soon settled in at school, because he enjoyed counting his fellow pupils. Humphrey and Ingrid are a married couple who have a baby named Natasha, and they are the proprietors of the hotel known as The Furry Arms, which is located near the Sesame Street Subway station. The hotel's bellhop, Benny Rabbit, tends to be easily irritated, but begrudgingly helps out. His sketch usually includes someone mistakenly referring to him as Bunny, which makes him very angry. The Two-Headed Monster sounded out words coming together, and the Yip-Yip aliens, furry blue monsters with long, curly antennae, named after the only word in their vocabulary, discovered telephones and typewriters. For two seasons, Googel, Narf, Mel and Phoebe hung out in the Monster's Clubhouse. Kermit the Frog hosted the segment Sesame Street News Flash. The newsflashes were often takes on popular fairy tales, although there was also one about the first ever day at school, in which Kermit assists the inexperienced caveman teacher, Mr. James, in his lesson about the letter "N". In other segments, Kermit would play straight man to the wacky antics of other Muppets. Incidental characters include television personality Guy Smiley, who presented various game shows, such as "Beat The Time", and "Mystery Guest", construction workers Sully and Biff, the large Herry Monster (who does not know his own strength), and The Big Bad Wolf, who is not a terror to the Street. Forgetful Jones, a cowboy with a short-term memory disorder, rode his trusty Buster the Horse with his girlfriend Clementine, and Rodeo Rosie was an early cowgirl. The Amazing Mumford tries his hardest to amaze with his magic, but his tricks always end up backfiring. "Sherlock Hemlock", was the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Detective, although he was actually rather hapless, and it was usually someone else, often his dog Watson, who solved the mystery. Whenever he discovered a clue, he would say "Egad!" He had only one song, "X Marks The Spot." Don Music wrote songs such as "Yankee Doodle" and "Mary had a Bicycle". He always banged his head on the piano every time he forgot a word to each song. His favourite catchphrase is "Oh I will never get the word to my song, Never Never NEVER"!. Kermit always helped him every time he entered the studio. A slate of live actors pull the zaniness of the Muppets back to reality. They were not always meant to serve this purpose. The show lost test viewers' attention during the Street Scenes, meaning Muppets needed to be added, to hide the fact it was educational. Music teacher Bob has been on Sesame Street since its inception. He dated Linda the local New York Library librarian, who was the first regular deaf character on television. Linda owns Barkley, a Muppet dog. The Robinson family are an African-American family that includes schoolteacher Gordon, nurse Susan, and adopted son Miles. The Puerto Rican Rodriguez Family include Maria and Luis, who ran the Fix-It Shop, which was turned into the Mail-It Shop; Maria gave birth to daughter Gabby in 1989, and her pregnancy was covered on the show. General store and restaurant operator Harold Hooper, played by actor Will Lee, was a mainstay at Mr. Hooper's Store. When Lee died in 1982, the producers opted to help their young viewers deal with the death of someone they loved rather than cast a new actor in the role, and the character's death was discussed in a landmark 1983 episode. Afterwards, Hooper's apprentice David took over, followed by later owners Gina, Mr. Handford, and Alan. Gina stopped running the store in the 1990s, to earn a PhD and became a veterinarian. Mr. Noodle and his brother and sister (sister played by Kristin Chenoweth), who appear only in Elmo's World are meant to provide a vaudevillian perspective on subjects, contrary to most of the show's current human characters (though reminiscent of such earlier insert characters as Buddy and Jim, Larry and Phyllis, and The Mad Painter). Famous guest stars and various children from New York schools and day-care centers are a constantly changing part of the cast, including children who would later become celebrities, like actor Tyler James Williams, actress Tatyana M. Ali and rapper GM Grimm. Some countries have co-produced their own unique versions of Sesame Street, in which the characters and segments represent their country's cultures. Other countries simply air a dubbed version of Sesame Street, or a dubbed version of Open Sesame. Among various other countries, Australia has and still does broadcast the American version on the ABC and the UK had broadcast the American show, on Channel 4 until 2001 when it was replaced with Henson production The Hoobs. Dubbed versions include Seesamtie in Finnish, Boneka Sesame in Indonesian, Sesam Opnist Þú in Icelandic, Sesamo Apriti in Italian, Sezame, otevři se in Czech, and Taman Sesame in Malay. In 2004, one Japanese network cancelled the dubbed American Sesame, while another created a local version. In New Zealand, locally produced segments entitled "Korero Māori" (in English: "let's speak Māori") were inserted into episodes to educate children in the Māori language. Likewise, in Canada the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation substituted locally-produced French language segments in place of the Spanish language portions of the US version. Spanish program La Cometa Blanca also includes segments from Sesame Street. Locally produced adaptations of Sesame Street include: 1972: Vila dos Glofinhos, Brazil 1972: Plaza Sésamo, Mexico 1973: Sesamstraße, Germany 1973: Canadian Sesame Street, Canada (reformatted as Sesame Park in the 1990s) 1976: Sesamstraat, Netherlands 1978: 1, rue Sesame, France 1979: Iftah Ya Simsim, Arab World (in classical Arabic) 1979: Barrio Sésamo, Spain 1981: Svenska Sesam, Sweden 1983: Rechov Sumsum, Israel 1984: Sesame! (Batibot), Philippines 1986: Susam Sokağı, Turkey 1989: Rua Sésamo, Portugal 1991: Sesam Stasjon, Norway 1996: Ulitsa Sezam, Russia 1996: Sezame otevři se, Czech Republic 1996: Ulica Sezamkowa, Poland 1998: Rechov Sumsum and Shari'a Simsim, Israel and Palestinian Territories 1998: Zhima Jie, China 1999: Sesame English, Taiwan, China, Italy, Poland 2000: Takalani Sesame, South Africa 2000: Alam Simsim, Egypt (using the local dialect) 2002: Play with Me Sesame, United Kingdom 2003: Open Sesame, Australia 2004: Koche Sesame, Afghanistan 2004: Sesame Street, Japan 2005: Sisimpur, Bangladesh 2005: 5, Rue Sésame, France 2005: Sabai Sabai Sesame, Cambodia 2006: Galli Galli Sim Sim, India 2007: Jalan Sesama Indonesia 2008: Sesame Tree Northern Ireland 2008: Tar ag Spraoi Sesame (Ireland), Irish language dub of Play With Me Sesame Note that dates solely refer to the year production on the series began. It should also be noted that popular, long-running British children's series Rainbow was originally conceived as a British equivalent of Sesame Street, however it holds no official affiliation with Sesame Workshop. On Sesame Workshop's website for the program, on the games, the voices for the Muppet characters in the games are done by their respective puppeteers (for example, Fran Brill voices Zoe, Kevin Clash voices Elmo, etc). Sesame Street has operated with a rigorous research standard since its foundation, to ensure that programming addresses its viewers' needs. The Education and Research (E&R) department of Sesame Workshop, which started with Sam Ball, then employed at Teachers College Columbia University and editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology. E&R is currently headed by Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D. and Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D. Truglio states that the level of interaction between E&R, Content, and Production is " ntimately•hand-in-hand. They are not creating anything without our knowledge, our guidance and our review. We are involved in content development across all media platforms." This close-knit organizational structure has been an integral part of Sesame Workshop since it began. Writers create plots for Sesame Street scenes and segments, and the content is reviewed by the E&R team, which has authority to reject a script and force rewrites if the content is not acceptable. When a script is factually correct, but includes gray areas that may not be comprehensible to children, the writers and E&R work together to tweak everything. "A balance between content and humor" is always pursued, according to Truglio. Since 1998 Sesame Workshop has provided a great deal of content on its website and others such as Random House. The content is targeted at parents and children ranging in age from birth to school-age, and includes information on dozens of topics, such as appropriate parenting techniques, dealing with children's fears, development of literacy, and maintenance of good health. Research is funded by government grants, corporate and private donations (including, recently, The Prudential Foundation for the Sesame Beginnings program), and the profits gained from the sale of Sesame Workshop merchandise. In 2005, Sesame Street launched its Healthy Habits for Life programming, to encourage young viewers to lead more active and nutritious lifestyles. A major catalyst for this was data published by the US Centers for Disease Control regarding obesity in children. Health content has existed on Sesame Street for years, but to a limited extent. In one instance press kits for a project were made available, news wires latched onto the story, and literally hundreds of newspapers reported that Cookie Monster was "going on a diet". In actuality there was no change to Cookie Monster's character. The new season featured a new segment with musician Wyclef Jean singing the praises of fruits and vegetables, similar to segments in the 1990s which featured Cookie doing nearly the same. According to people from Sesame Workshop,
“Health has always been a part of our Sesame Street curriculum, therefore we will always be committed to ensuring kids are given information and messages that will help them become healthy and happy in their development. For season 36, we have turned up the dial in health, but it will always be part of our curriculum.”
The Workshop formed an Advisory Board consisting of experts such as Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States. This board examines the research of other organizations, and also conducts pilot studies to determine which areas of research should be expanded, based on social, ethnic and socio-economic sections of the population. Characters Elmo and Rosita filmed public service announcements with various U.S. Governors in 2006. Sesame Street is known for its extensive merchandising, which includes many books, magazines, video/audio media, and toys. A percentage of the money from any Sesame Workshop product goes to help fund Sesame Street or its international co-productions. Current licensors include Fisher-Price, Nakajima USA, Build-A-Bear Workshop (Build-An-Elmo, Build-A-Cookie Monster, And Build-A-Big Bird), Hasbro (Sesame Street Monopoly), Wooly Willy, Betty Crocker (Elmo Fruit Snacks), C&D Visionary (air freshners) and Children's Apparel Network. Former licenses include Applause, Child Dimension, Gibson Greetings, Gorham Fine China, Ideal Toys, Milton Bradley Company, Nintendo, Palisades Toys, Questor, Radio Shack, Tyco, and the Western Publishing Company. Creative Wonders (a partnership between ABC and Electronic Arts) produced Sesame Street software for the Macintosh, since at least 1995 and on the PC since 1996; Atari produced Sesame Street games in 1983. Before going bankrupt, Palisades Toys was to release a line of deluxe series action figures, for adults, as part of Sesame Workshop's push to expand into retro products for teens and adults. Tickle Me Elmo was one of the fastest selling toys of the 1996 season. That product line was and still is one of the most successful products Mattel has ever launched. Both it and its most notable successor, TMX, have caused in-store fights. Elmo starred in a Christmas special that year, in which he wished every day of the year was Christmas. After Fisher-Price recalled a large number of Sesame Street brand toys (among multiple licenses) in 2007, Sesame Workshop announced that they would independently inspect the products of all manufacturers. It went so far as to threaten withdrawing entirely from toy licensing, if it were not satisfied with the manufacturer's guarantees. Its fiction books are published on five continents, primarily by Random House in North America. Over 18 million Sesame Street books and magazines were purchased in 2005. The books often mention that children do not have to watch the show to benefit from its publications. Live touring show Sesame Street Live presents costumed actors and dancers as characters from the series, in original plots. In recent years, VEE has had four touring casts, each performing a unique multi-million dollar budget show. Each season, the tours reach 160 different cities across North America, reaching 2 million people annually. Since the first production of Sesame Street Live on September 17, 1980, 48 million children and their parents have seen the show performed, across the world. Langhorne, Pennsylvania, United States, is the long-time home to Sesame Street theme park Sesame Place. SeaWorld Orlando started a stage show called Elmo and the Bookaneers in 2007. Another theme park, Parque Plaza Sésamo, exists in Monterrey, Mexico, and Universal Studios Japan includes a three-dimensional movie based on the show. The Sesame Beginnings line, launched in mid-2005, consists of apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products. The products in this line are designed to accentuate the natural interactivity between infants and their parents. Most of the line is exclusive to a family of Canadian retailers that includes Loblaws, Fortinos, and Zehrs. Although Sesame Street characters occasionally endorse non-educational products, they rarely appear in their puppet form, to limit the suggestion to children that the characters are formally endorsing the product. The Muppets do appear in puppet form to endorse select causes. Big Bird has promoted safe seating practices and the wearing of seatbelts, for the Ford Motor Company, while Grover promoted a new course on children's informal learning, created by Harvard University with Sesame Workshop. Elmo has appeared before the US Education Appropriations Subcommittee to urge more spending on music in schools. Barrio Sésamo, Plaza Sésamo, Sesamstraße, Sesame English and Sesamstraat have all had merchandise of their local characters. Shalom Sesame videos and books have also been released. In 2004, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) became Sesame Workshop's licensing representative for The Benelux, adding to their United Kingdom representation. Sesame Street's Web site was one of the first to include educational materials, for both parents and children. "There are downloadable games plus number- and alphabet-coloring pages for the children. Their parents can consult references covering everything from how to comb their baby's hair to how to play with their 4-year-old." The Web site has been recommended by academic journals. It receives over 1 million visitors daily. On August 11, 2008, a new site is expected to debut with new features such as videos, games, etc. A series of Sesame Street telefilms have featured the characters on day trips or in foreign countries. Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983) saw the cast locked in the gallery overnight; Big Bird and Snuffy help a cursed boy pharaoh. NBC's Big Bird in China (1983) followed Big Bird, Barkley, and their new friend Xiao Foo traveling through China to find Feng Huang, the phoenix bird. In Big Bird in Japan (1988), the titular character gets lost. Out to Lunch (1974) features the cast of Sesame Street and The Electric Company taking over ABC News. Big Bird turned six in Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991), despite being referred to as four years old previously. CinderElmo (1999) was a FOX special, with Keri Russell as the princess looking for her match in the kingdom. Telly fears what the New Year will bring in Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993, DVD in 2004). Various strictly musical programs have been made. Julie Andrews and Perry Como performed with the Muppets on Julie on Sesame Street (1974). Special episodes of the PBS series Evening at Pops variety show have featured Sesame Street characters. The Sesame Street Special (1988) also included many guest performances. Holiday special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) won an Emmy Award, while another special that year, A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978), has mostly unfavorable reviews. Anniversary specials include A Walking Tour of Sesame Street with James Earl Jones (1979), Sesame Street: 20 And Still Counting (1989), All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever (1994) and Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration (1994), and The Street We Live On (2004). Jon Stewart is set to host a "live" retrospective on the series on ABC, but is accidentally locked in his dressing room with the tapes. Elmo attempts to salvage the show, improvised, in Elmopalooza! (1998). In 1987 and 1992, episodes of Shalom Sesame were produced, focusing on introducing Jewish culture, customs, and language to Jewish-American children. International co-productions of Sesame Street have created many of their own specials as well. The characters have made appearance on television series including Between the Lions (2001), The Electric Company (1972, 1975), Emeril Live (2005), Fanfare, The Flip Wilson Show (1970), The Frugal Gourmet (1992, 1995, 1997), Hollywood Squares, Jeopardy!, Martha (2006), Martha Stewart Living, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1981), Soul Man (1998), The Torkelsons (1991), The Muppet Show (1976), The West Wing (2004), What's My Line?, and numerous talk shows and mornings shows, ranging from The Ed Sullivan Show to The Today Show. Two feature films based on the series have been made. Co-produced with Warner Bros., the 1985 film “Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird” revolved around a social worker forcing Big Bird into adoption. Big Bird gets homesick and tired of his adoptive parents, and heads back to New York, when he is kidnapped by evil carnival leaders (played by Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty); the residents of Sesame Street launch a cross-country search to find him. In the second Sesame Street theatrical film, 1999's “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,” fourteen years after Follow That Bird, Elmo spends time with his favorite blanket. After Zoe accidentally tears the blanket, when Elmo refuses to share, the blanket winds up in Grouchland, ruled by the Queen of Trash (Vanessa L. Williams). Elmo ventures forth, to rescue his blanket from the villainous Huxley (Mandy Patinkin). Soon, the rest of the Sesame Street gang follow in pursuit. According to a rumor posted on /FILM, Elmo has suggested to TVguide.com that Elmo's World might later be turned into a movie. Some educators criticized the show when it debuted, as it emphasized cognitive learning rather than play and activities like other children's shows at the time. In addition it was believed that it would only worsen children's attention spans. These concerns still exist today, although there is no conclusive proof of this being the case, even after more than 38 seasons of televised shows. In a letter to the Boston Globe, Boston University professor of education Frank Garfunkel commented "If what people want is for their children to memorize numbers and letters without regard to their meaning or use and without regard to the differences between children, then Sesame Street is truly responsive. To give a child 30 seconds of one thing and then to switch it and give him 30 seconds of another is to nurture irrelevance." In the magazine Childhood Education, Minnie P. Berson of SUNY Fredonia asked "Why debase the art form of teaching with phony pedagogy, vulgar sideshows, bad acting, and layers of smoke and fog to clog the eager minds of small children?" For an animation on the letter "J", the writers included "a day in jail." This drew criticism from San Francisco Chronicle columnist Terrence O'Flaherty, despite executive producer David Connell's assertion that kids are familiar with the word through shows like Batman and Superman, and that "when you're trying to come up with a lot of words starting with J, you soon run short" of words they are already familiar with. The series also met with criticism in its attempts to help the underprivileged. Educator Sister Mary Mel O'Dowd worried that the show might start to replace "personalized experiences". "If Sesame Street is the only thing ghetto kids have, I don't think it's going to do much good. It never hurts a child to be able to count to 10 or recognize the 26 letters of the alphabet. But without the guidance of a teacher, he'll be like one of our preschoolers who was able to write 'CAUTION' on the blackboard after seeing it on the back of so many buses, and told me 'That says STOP.'" Sesame Street has long had to contend with those who disagree with its social content. Gerald S. Lesser comments in his book Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street that the show faced hostility in the southern United States when it first aired because it portrayed people of various races mingling peacefully. At first the Commission for Educational Television in Mississippi refused to air the show. However, the commission had no choice but to allow their local public television stations to air the show when commercial stations in Mississippi said they would air the program themselves. When Sesame Street premiered in Australia on the ABC in 1973 it replaced the long-running and popular Australian children's series Adventure Island. Australian TV historians Tony Harrison and Albert Moran record that the cancellation of Adventure Island and its replacement with an American-made program caused a controversy and that questions were asked in federal parliament about the detrimental effects of the ABC's decision on local TV production. While many rumors have been started about the series, a few have been widely promulgated and perpetuated over the years. It has widely been suggested that Bert and Ernie are a gay couple, as they are apparently adult human males portrayed sharing a bedroom, though with separate beds. A 1980 collection of humorous essays by Kurt Andersen, titled The Real Thing, made light of the growing rumor. "Bert and Ernie conduct themselves in the same loving, discreet way that millions of gay men, women and hand puppets do. They do their jobs well and live a splendidly settled life together in an impeccably decorated cabinet." The rumor was promulgated repeatedly, so much so that by 1993, Sesame Workshop had a prepared statement to send out to people inquiring on the topic. In a 1994 effort to get the characters banned, Rev. Joseph Chambers stated on his radio show: "Bert and Ernie are two grown men sharing a house and a bedroom. They share clothes, eat and cook together and have blatantly effeminate characteristics. In one show, Bert teaches Ernie how to sew. In another, they tend plants together. If this isn't meant to represent a homosexual union, I can't imagine what it's supposed to represent." Both Steve Whitmire as Ernie and Eric Jacobson as Bert have stated publicly that the characters are not gay. The alleged relationship has been parodied on the animated series Family Guy and by Ernest & Bertram. The latter, a 2002 short film that ran at the Sundance Film Festival, was the subject of a cease and desist order from the legal department of Sesame Workshop. The Broadway musical Avenue Q includes two characters similar to Bert and Ernie, named Rod and Nicky, one of which is gay. The pair's relationship bears similarity to that of Laurel and Hardy, who were also occasionally shown sleeping together; this became such a comedy staple as to be adopted by Morecambe and Wise in the 1970s, all of whom were similarly asexual. The Odd Couple is another, more apposite, contemporary comparison. Some adult viewers are upset by the assertions, as in their view, Ernie and Bert act like children, teenagers at the oldest, and are no more different than brothers or cousins who share a room. In 1990, puppeteer Jim Henson's death spurred rumors that Ernie would be "killed off" in the show, much the way the character of Mr. Hooper was after actor Will Lee's passing some years earlier. Rumor said that he would be either killed by a vehicle, AIDS, or cancer. There was no legitimacy to this rumor, but because producers took their time recasting a puppeteer for Ernie, the delay allowed the claims to burgeon. A spokesperson for the series was quoted as saying "Ernie is not dying of AIDS, Ernie is not dying of leukemia. Ernie is a puppet." In 2002, Sesame Workshop announced that a character with HIV would be introduced to Takalani Sesame, the South African version of the show. Many conservatives and religious groups wrongly presumed that the American version would be getting a "gay Muppet." This concern came about presumably because of a perceived connection between homosexuality and HIV in the United States, but the character with HIV is only present on this international version of the show. The character, Kami, contracted HIV from a blood transfusion as an infant.
How do you get a kid to swallow something icky? You put it on a brightly colored spoon and fly it around the room like an airplane while making keen barnstorming noises. In other words, you make a game out of it. And, that’s what Sesame Street did with education: It dolled up learning and made it fun. Recognizing that television was going to be an electronic babysitter whether anyone liked it or not, Joan Ganz Cooney, Jim Henson, and his Muppets provided a safe, friendly haven that spoofed the media world that kids were immersed in when the show wasn't on. And, this richly imaginative series, arguably the most ambitious educational experiment ever mounted on TV, has become so engrained in the global culture (forget pop culture; this is way bigger than that) that to imagine a world without Kermit The Frog is…well, inhuman. Conceived by Cooney in 1968, Sesame Street was a radical departure from the lazy, hazy ways of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. From Kermit's news reports to Guy Smiley's game shows to Elmo's World, Sesame Street has been filled with shows within shows, which take the frenzied appeal of Rowan And Martin’s Laugh-In and the repetitive lure of TV commercials and apply them to educational building blocks. The show boasted a snappy style and catchy tunes, but what really made the show fly into the hearts of children in 120 countries around the world was Henson’s Muppets. When the Muppet maestro decided to take up residence in the brownstone at 123 Sesame Street, Kermit, Big Bird, Oscar The Grouch, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, The Count, and countless others became neighbors to the kids of the world. And, while the Muppets indulged young viewers’ flights of fancy, the multiethnic human cast reflected the varied hues of Sesame Street’s target viewers: urban youth. And, along the way, kids have learned about numbers, letters, friendship, cooperation, and even (through Mr. Hooper) death. The show's format has evolved over the years (recently taking cues from hits like Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer), tons of accolades have been heaped upon it, and scores of celebs have visited the playful patch of pavement. But, the true measure of its success can be found in the hearts and minds of the kids who have grown up and taken their place in a society formed, in part, through the eternal lessons taught on the show. To this day, Sesame Street remains one of the savviest things ever brought to kids by the letters T and V.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 2, 2008 20:19:46 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 14-11. Here are the hints:
A really big shew, a fake talk show, what you say at a toast, and they hold plants to the ground.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 3, 2008 13:52:10 GMT -5
Countdown time, Barbie! Here's number 14: 14. The Ed Sullivan Show Genre: Variety Show. Created by: CBS. Executive Producer(s): Ed Sullivan. Starring: Ed Sullivan (host). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 24. Number of Episodes: 1087. Running Time: 60 Minutes. Original Channel: CBS. Original Run: June 20, 1948–June 6, 1971 Spinoffs: None. The Ed Sullivan Show ran on CBS every Sunday night at 8 p.m., and is one of the few shows to have been run in the same time slot, weekly on the same day of the week, and on the same network, for more than two decades. Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; opera singers, rock stars, songwriters, comedians, ballet dancers, and circus acts were regularly featured. The format was essentially the same as vaudeville, and although vaudeville had died a generation earlier, Sullivan presented many ex-vaudevillians on his show. The show was originally titled Toast of the Town, but was widely referred to as The Ed Sullivan Show for years before September 25, 1955, when that became its official name. In its debut, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed along with Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II previewing the score to South Pacific. The show was broadcast live from CBS-TV Studio 50 in New York City, which is now named The Ed Sullivan Theater and is the home of The Late Show with David Letterman. The last Ed Sullivan Show was episode #1071, aired on March 28, 1971. It featured the following musical acts: Melanie, Joanna Simon, Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, and Sandler and Young. Along with the new talent Sullivan booked each week, he also had recurring characters appear many times a season, such as his "Little Italian Mouse" puppet sidekick Topo Gigio, who debuted April 14, 1963, and ventriloquist Señor Wences. While most of the episodes aired live from New York City, the show also aired live on occasion from other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. For many years, Ed Sullivan was a national event each Sunday evening, and was the first exposure for foreign performers to the American public. On the occasion of the show's tenth anniversary telecast, Sullivan commented on how the show had changed during a June 1958 interview syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA): The chief difference is mostly one of pace. In those days, we had maybe six acts. Now we have 11 or 12. Then, each of our acts would do a leisurely ten minutes or so. Now they do two or three minutes. And in those early days I talked too much. Watching these kines I cringe. I look up at me talking away and I say "You fool! Keep quiet!" But I just keep on talking. I've learned how to keep my mouth shut. The show enjoyed phenomenal popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. As had occurred with Amos 'n Andy on the radio in the early 1930s, the family ritual of gathering around the television set to watch Ed Sullivan became almost a U.S. cultural universal. Ed Sullivan was regarded as a kingmaker, and performers considered an appearance on his program as a guarantee of stardom. The show's iconic status is illustrated by a song from the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie. In the song "Hymn for a Sunday Evening," a family of viewers expresses their regard for the program in worshipful tones. In the late 1960s, Sullivan remarked that his program was waning as the decade went on. He realized that to keep viewers, the best and brightest in entertainment had to be seen, or else the viewers were going to keep on changing the channel. Along with declining viewership, Ed Sullivan attracted a higher median age for the average viewer as the seasons went on. These two factors were the reason the show was canceled by CBS after the end of the 1970-1971 season. Because there was no notice of cancellation, Sullivan's landmark program ended without a series finale. Sullivan would produce one-off specials for CBS until his death in 1974. Many episodes still exist; reruns aired on TV Land in the late 1990s. The program did not shy away from airing performances from black entertainers. Sullivan also commented on this during his NEA interview: "The most important thing [during the first ten years of the program] is that we've put on everything but bigotry. When the show first started in '48, I had a meeting with the sponsors. There were some Southern dealers present and they asked if I intended to put on Negroes. I said yes. They said I shouldn't, but I convinced them I wasn't going to change my mind. And you know something? We've gone over very well in the South. Never had a bit of trouble." The show included frequent performances from black entertainers such as Diahann Carroll, Dionne Warwick, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Bo Diddley, The Fifth Dimension, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Miracles, Little Anthony & The Imperials , The Jackson 5, Jackie Wilson , Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and The Temptations. One telecast included black bass-baritone Andrew Frierson singing Ol' Man River from Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat, a song that, at that time, was usually sung on television by white singers, although it was specifically written for a black character in the musical. However, Sullivan featured "rockers", particularly black musicians, on his show "not without censorship." For instance, he scheduled Fats Domino "at the show's end in case he had to cancel a guest – a year later he would do just that to Sam Cooke, actually cutting him off in the middle of 'You send me.'... Aware that many white adults considered Domino a threat, Sullivan hid his band behind a curtain, reducing the number of black faces. He presented Fats alone at his piano singing the Tin Pan Alley ballad, as if he were a young Nat 'King' Cole or Fats Waller," and he "had Fats stand up during the last verse of the song to reveal his pudgy figure." In that same 1958 NEA interview, Sullivan noted his pride about the role that the show had had in improving the public's understanding of mental illness. Sullivan considered his May 17, 1953 telecast to be the single most important episode in the show's first decade. During that show, a salute to the popular Broadway director Joshua Logan, the two men were watching in the wings, and Sullivan asked Logan how he thought the show was doing. According to Sullivan, Logan told him that the show was dreadfully becoming "another one of those and-then-I-wrote shows;" Sullivan asked him what he should do about it, and Logan volunteered to talk about his experiences in a mental institution. Sullivan took him up on the offer, and in retrospect believed that several advances in the treatment of mental illness could be attributed to the resulting publicity, including the repeal of a Pennsylvania law about the treatment of the mentally ill and the granting of funds for the construction of new psychiatric hospitals. The Ed Sullivan Show is especially known to today's generation for airing breakthrough performances by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The Elvis Presley Performance: "I wouldn't have Presley on my show at any time" — Ed Sullivan, early 1956 "And now, here is Elvis Presley!" — Ed Sullivan, October 28, 1956 On September 9, 1956, Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (after earlier appearances on shows hosted by the Dorsey Brothers, Milton Berle, and Steve Allen) even though Sullivan had previously vowed never to allow the performer on his show. According to biographer Michael David Harris, “Sullivan signed Presley when the host was having an intense Sunday-night rivalry with Steve Allen. Allen had the singer on July 1 and trounced Sullivan in the ratings. When asked to comment, the CBS star said that he wouldn't consider presenting Presley before a family audience. Less than two weeks later he changed his mind and signed a contract. The newspapers asked him to explain his reversal. 'What I said then was off the reports I'd heard. I hadn't even seen the guy. Seeing the kinescopes, I don't know what the fuss was all about. For instance, the business about rubbing the thighs. He rubbed one hand on his hip to dry off the perspiration from playing his guitar.'” At the time Presley was filming Love Me Tender so Sullivan's producer Marlo Lewis flew to Los Angeles, California to supervise the Hollywood side of the show taping. Sullivan, however, was not able to host his show in New York City because he was recovering from a near fatal automobile accident. Oscar-winner Charles Laughton guest-hosted in Sullivan's place. Laughton appears in front of plaques with gold records and states, “These gold records, four of them... are a tribute to the fact that four of his recordings have sold, each sold, more than a million copies. And this by the way is the first time in record making history that a singer has hit such a mark in such a short time. ... And now, away to Hollywood to meet Elvis Presley.” However, according to Greil Marcus, Laughton was the main act of Sullivan's show. "Presley was the headliner, and a Sullivan headliner normally opened the show, but Sullivan was burying him. Laughton had to make the moment invisible: to act as if nobody was actually waiting for anything. He did it instantly, with complete command, with the sort of television presence that some have and some — Steve Allen, or Ed Sullivan himself — don’t.” Once on camera, Elvis cleared his throat and said, “Thank you Mr Laughton, ladies and gentlemen. Wow”, and wiped his brow. “This is probably the greatest honor I’ve ever had in my life. Ah. There’s not much I can say except, it really makes you feel good. We want to thank you from the bottom of our heart. And now..." "Don't Be Cruel," which was, after a short introduction by Elvis, followed by "Love Me Tender." According to Elaine Dundy, Presley sang "Love Me Tender" "straight, subdued and tender ... – a very different Elvis from the one in the Steve Allen Show three months before", when Allen smirkingly presented him "with a roll that looks exactly like a large roll of toilet paper with, says Allen, the 'signatures of eight thousand fans.' " When the camera returns to Laughton, he states, “Well, well, well, well, well Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis Presley. And Mr Presley, if you are watching this in Hollywood, and I may address myself to you. It has been many a year since any young performer has captured such a wide, and, as we heard tonight, devoted audience.” Elvis's second set in the show consisted of "Ready Teddy" and a short on air comment to Sullivan, "Ah, Mr Sullivan. We know that somewhere out there you are looking in, and, ah, all the boys and myself, and everybody out here, are looking forward to seeing you back on television." Next, Elvis declares, "Friends, as a great philosopher once said, ‘You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog...,' " as he launches into a short (1:07) version of the song. According to Marcus, "For the first of his two appearances that night, as a performer Elvis had come on dressed in grandma’s nightgown and nightcap." Concerning the singer's second set in the show, the author adds that there were "Elvis, Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Black on stand-up bass, D. J. Fontana on drums, three Jordanaires on their feet, one at a piano. They were shown from behind; the camera pulled all the way back. They went into 'Ready Teddy.' It was Little Richard’s most thrilling record," however, "there was no way Elvis was going to catch him, but he didn’t have to — the song is a wave and he rode it. Compared to moments on the Dorsey shows, on the Berle show, it was ice cream — Elvis’s face unthreatening, his legs as if in casts ..." When "he sang Little Richard’s 'Reddy Teddy' and began to move and dance, the camera pulled in, so that the television audience saw him from the waist up only." Although Laughton was the main star and there were seven other acts on the show, Elvis was on camera for more than a quarter of the time allotted to all acts. The show was viewed by a record 60 million people which at the time was 82.6% of the television audience and the largest single audience in television history. "In the New York Times," however, "Jack Gould began his review indignantly: Elvis Presley had 'injected movements of his tongue and indulged in wordless singing that were singularly distasteful.' Overstimulating the physical impulses of the teenagers was 'a gross national disservice.' " Sullivan hosted a second appearance by Presley on October 28 later the same year. Elvis performed "Don't Be Cruel," then "Love Me Tender." Sullivan then addresses the audience as he stands beside Elvis, who begins shaking his legs, eliciting screams from the audience. By the time Sullivan turns his head, Elvis is standing motionless. After Presley leaves the stage, Sullivan states, "I can’t figure this darn thing out. You know. He just does is this and everybody yells." Elvis appears a second time in the show and sings "Love Me." Still later he does a nearly four minute long version of "Hound Dog" and is shown in full the entire song. For the third and final appearance, January 6, 1957 Presley performed a medley of "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender," and "Heartbreak Hotel," followed by a full version of "Don't Be Cruel." For a second set later in the show he did "Too Much" and "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again". For his last set he sang "Peace in the Valley." Although much has been made of the fact that Elvis was shown only from the waist up, except for the short section of "Hound Dog," all of the songs on this show were ballads. "Leaving behind the bland clothes he had worn on the first two shows," Greil Marcus says, Elvis "stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha, if not a harem girl. From the make-up over his eyes, the hair falling in his face, the overwhelmingly sexual cast of his mouth, he was playing Rudolph Valentino in The Shiek, with all stops out. That he did so in front of the Jordanaires, who this night appeared as the four squarest-looking men on the planet, made the performance even more potent." Sullivan praised Elvis at the end of the show, saying "This is a real decent, fine boy. We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you.... You're thoroughly all right." Years later, Sullivan "tried to sign the singer up again... He phoned Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, and asked about a price. Parker came up with a list of instructions and conditions and after hearing the demands Sullivan said, 'Give Elvis my best—and my sympathy,' and he hung up." The singer never again appeared in Sullivan's show, although in February 1964 at the start of the first of three broadcasts featuring the Beatles (see below), Sullivan announced that a telegram had been received from Presley and Parker wishing the British group luck. Many television historians consider Elvis Presley's three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show as helping to bridge a large generation gap between Great Depression and World War II era parents and their baby boomer children. Later performers would use this bridge to introduce themselves to millions of American households. Among them were The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and The Beatles. The Beatles Performance: In late 1963, Sullivan found himself among a throng of 15,000 excited kids at Heathrow Airport in London who were there to see a young British recording group, The Beatles. Sullivan was intrigued. In December, 1963, Beatles manager Brian Epstein arranged for the group, still relatively unknown in the United States, to appear three times on the show at $4000 per appearance. Epstein was then able to convince Capitol Records to mount a publicity campaign for the Beatles arrival, and to release "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February, 1964, to great anticipation and fanfare as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had swiftly risen to #1 in the charts. Their first appearance on February 9 is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers, at the time a record for an American television program, and was characterized by an audience composed largely of screaming teenage girls in tears. The Beatles followed Ed's show opening intro, performing "All My Loving," "Till There Was You (featuring the Beatles names imposed on the screen and the famous "SORRY GIRLS, HE'S MARRIED" caption under John), and "She Loves You." Then, late in the hour, they returned to perform "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The Beatles returned to the show, this time broadcast from Miami Beach, on February 16. A crush of people nearly prevented the boys from making it on stage in time. A wedge of policemen was needed, and the band began playing "From Me to You" only seconds after reaching their instruments. They continued with "This Boy," and "All My Loving," and returned later to close the show with "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." They were shown on tape February 23 (this appearance had been taped earlier in the day on February 9 before their first live appearance). They followed Ed's intro with "Twist and Shout" and "Please Please Me" and closed the show once again with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The Beatles appeared for the final time on September 12, 1965 and earned Sullivan a 60 percent share of the nighttime audience for one of the appearances. This time, they followed three acts before coming out to perform "I Feel Fine," "I'm Down" and "Act Naturally," then closed the show with "Ticket to Ride," "Yesterday" and "Help!." Although this was their final live appearance on the show, the group would for several years provide filmed promotional clips of songs to air exclusively on Sullivan's program. Such as in 1966 and 1967 airing clips of Paperback Writer, Rain, Penny Lane, and Strawberry Fields Forever. Although the appearances by The Beatles and Elvis are considered the most famous rock and roll performances on Ed Sullivan, several months before Elvis debuted, Sullivan invited Bill Haley & His Comets to perform their then-current hit "Rock Around the Clock" in early August 1955. This was later recognized by CBS and others (including music historian Jim Dawson in his book on "Rock Around the Clock") as the first performance of a rock and roll song on a national television program. The show has been noted for several controversies throughout its run. These included: On November 20, 1955, African-American rock 'n' roll singer and guitarist Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show only to infuriate him ("I did two songs and he got mad"). Diddley had been asked to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons". But when he appeared on stage, he sang his #1 R&B hit "Bo Diddley." Diddley later recalls, "Ed Sullivan says to me in plain words: 'You are the first black boy - quote - that ever double crossed me!' I was ready to fight, because I was a little young dude off the streets of Chicago, an' him callin' me 'black' in them days was as bad as sayin' 'nigger'. My manager says to me 'That’s Mr Sullivan!' I said: 'I don’t give a shit about Mr Sullivan, [h]e don't talk to me like that!' An' so he told me, he says, 'I'll see that you never work no more in show business. You'll never get another TV show in your life!' "[16] Indeed, Diddley seems to have been banned from further appearances, as "the guitarist never did appear on The Ed Sullivan Show again." On October 18, 1964, Jackie Mason allegedly gave Sullivan the finger on air. A tape of the incident shows Mason doing his stand-up comedy act and then looking toward Sullivan, commenting that Sullivan was signaling him. Sullivan was reportedly telling Mason to wrap it up, since CBS was about to cut away to show a speech by President Lyndon Johnson. Mason began working his own fingers into his act and pointed toward Sullivan with his middle finger slightly separated. After Mason left the stage, the camera then cut to a visibly angry Sullivan. Sullivan argued with Mason backstage, then terminated his contract. Mason denied knowingly giving Sullivan the finger and later filed a libel suit. Sullivan publicly apologized to Mason when he appeared on the show two years later. At that time, Mason opened his monologue by saying "it is great to see all of you in person again." Mason dropped the lawsuit, but never appeared on the show again. Bob Dylan was slated to make his first nationwide television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 12, 1963, and intended to perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," a song he wrote lampooning the John Birch Society and the red-hunting paranoia associated with it. During the afternoon rehearsal that day, CBS officials told Dylan they had deemed the song unacceptable for broadcast and wanted him to substitute another. "No; this is what I want to do," Dylan responded. "If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show." He then left the studio, walking out on the stint. The Doors were notorious for their appearance on the show. CBS network censors demanded that lead singer Jim Morrison change the lyrics to their hit single "Light My Fire" by altering the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," before the band performed the song live on September 17, 1967 . The line was changed to, "Girl, we couldn't get much better". However, Morrison sang the original line, and on live television with no delay, CBS was powerless to stop it. A furious Ed Sullivan refused to shake the band members' hands, and they were never invited back to the show. According to Ray Manzarek , the band was told they would never do the Ed Sullivan show again; Morrison replied, "So what. We just did the Ed Sullivan Show"—at the time, an appearance was a hallmark of success. Manzarek claims the band agreed with the producer beforehand but had no intention of altering the line. In contrast, the Rolling Stones were instructed to change the title of their "Let's Spend the Night Together" single for the band's January 15, 1967 appearance. The band complied, with Mick Jagger ostentatiously rolling his eyes heavenward whenever he reached the song's one-night-only, clean refrain, "Let's spend some time together." Ironically, Diana Ross & The Supremes, frequent guests on Sullivan's show, performed their then-release and eventual controversial #1 hit song "Love Child" on Ed's show, but nothing about its title or content seemed to faze Ed or its producers, or the network. The show is also famous for showcasing original cast members of Broadway shows performing hit numbers from the musicals in which they were then appearing, at a time when this was rare. There were appearances from Broadway celebrities such as Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert singing "Tonight" from West Side Story, Julie Andrews singing "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" from My Fair Lady, as well as with Richard Burton singing "What Do The Simple Folk Do?" from Camelot, Robert Goulet singing "If Ever I Would Leave You" from the same show, and Richard Kiley singing "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. La Mancha leading lady Joan Diener also made an extremely rare television appearance in her stage role of Aldonza/Dulcinea, singing the song "What Does He Want of Me?" All of these artists performed their songs wearing the same makeup and costumes that they wore in the shows, in order to preserve the illusion that one was actually seeing the musical in question. This was also extremely rare on television at the time. Several of these performances have recently been released on a DVD. Due to the program's legacy, many musicians have parodied The Ed Sullivan Show over the years in countless music videos. Among the notable include: L.A. Guns' "Never Enough," Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It," Nirvana's "In Bloom," Outkast's "Hey Ya!," Red Hot Chili Peppers's "Dani California," “The Rutles” (1978) (Movie), and Rain: The Beatles Experience, which opens their concerts with prerecorded footage of a man doing an intentionally poor Ed Sullivan impression in black and white and then introducing the band, which plays the first part of the show with an exact recreation of the set the Beatles used, For someone under 40, seeing Ed Sullivan on a television screen is astonishing. Stooped, brusque and imposing, he seems not only pre-televisual, but prehistoric (his contemporaries nicknamed him "Old Stone Face"). On Ed Sullivan’s stiff, finger-pointing style of bringing on his guests, radio comic Fred Allen once said, “A dog could do that, if you rubbed meat on the actors. His introductions were famously inept (“Here’s José Feliciano. He’s blind, and he’s Puerto Rican!”). Sullivan himself once commented that it took him six years to “thaw out” in front of the camera. This guy brought us The Beatles and Elvis!? Hell, I’m amazed he was able to stay on the air for more than two decades! And yet, he did. How? It’s pretty simple. Where we now skip nervously through a bewildering agora of 500 specialty channels, The Ed Sullivan Show packed it all into one hour on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm EST. The very first broadcast of Toast Of The Town (the original name), on June 20, 1948, set the standard for the host’s weirdly polyglot mix of talent: the hot young comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, concert pianist Eugene List, Broadway songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, boxing referee Ruby Goldstein, singing fireman John Kokoman, and the Toastette dancers. Tune into CBS on a Sunday night and you might find the Bolshoi Ballet, 17-year-old Liza Minnelli, Albert Schweitzer playing an organ solo from his African mission, scenes from the latest Broadway smash, or a demented Italian mouse-puppet called Topo Gigio (who appeared over 50 times, more than any other act). Oh yeah, there were also those famous performances by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. And, that’s what made the show so great. Sullivan defined pop culture every Sunday night. By making comfortable older viewers who had grown up before TV, the square Sullivan bridged the generation gap like a Soviet-bloc leader transitioning from socialism to runaway capitalism. Hell, 60 million people (83% of everyone watching TV) saw his show. And over the course of 1,087 “rilly big shews” from 1948 to 1971, Sullivan both tailored the variety format and saw its demise. He knew that the ultimate power was in the hands of the viewer (“This isn’t vaudeville,” he said. “People flip that knob.”) and consequently front-loaded his big acts into the opening minutes of the show, promising audiences they would return later. But, as the 1960s turned into the 1970s, the revolution he started overtook him. The Rolling Stones mocked him, The Doors defied him, and the young audience finally flipped that knob. But not before he established TV as America's new arbiter of taste and tastelessness.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 3, 2008 14:38:18 GMT -5
13. The Larry Sanders Show Genre: Sitcom. Created by: Dennis Klein & Garry Shandling Executive Producer(s): Brad Grey (1992-1998), Garry Shandling, (1992-1998), Peter Tolan (1992-1994), Fred Barron (1992), Judd Apatow (1993-1998), Paul Simms (1993-1994), Maya Forbes (1994-1995), Jon Vitti (1995-1997), Steven Levitan (1995), Richard Day (1997-1998), Craig Zisk (1997-1998), and Adam Resnick (1998). Starring: Garry Shandling (Larry Sanders), Rip Torn as (Arthur "Artie"), Jeffrey Tambor (Hank Kingsley), Penny Johnson (Beverly Barnes), Janeane Garofalo (Paula 1992-1997), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Mary Lou 1996-1998), Jeremy Piven (Jerry), Wallace Langham (Phil), Linda Doucett (Darlene Chapinni), Scott Thompson (Brian 1995-1998), Megan Gallagher (Jeannie Sanders 1992-1995), Kathryn Harrold (Francine Sanders 1993), Deborah May (Melanie Parrish), and Bob Odenkirk (Stevie Grant 1993-1998). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 6. Number of Episodes: 89. Running Time: 30 minutes. Original Channel: HBO. Original Run: August 15, 1992 – May 31, 1998. Spinoffs: None. The Larry Sanders Show was created by Dennis Klein and Garry Shandling and starred Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders. It centered around the running of his TV show and the many people behind the scenes. It is notable for featuring celebrities as themselves (often parodying themselves, by being themselves) and its character-based humor, which is similar to other series like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and Extras, all of which also air or have aired on HBO. The series, in which Shandling used his experience as a guest host on The Tonight Show, is ranked by various critics and fans alongside Seinfeld as one of the best TV comedies of the 1990s. The Larry Sanders Show mixed video-taped footage of the fictional broadcast show (which was recorded in front of an actual live studio audience) with "behind the scenes" footage shot on film (for example, Larry talking to his guests during the commercial break or the everyday workings of the office between shows). As such it featured real-life celebrity guests as they appeared on the talk show, but also as they appeared behind the scenes. This gave the writers and the celebrity guests the opportunity to send up their media images while making the show appear more realistic. Most episodes featured celebrity guests who usually played themselves appearing on the fictional Larry Sanders Show, and who were often the primary source of conflict between Sanders and his co-workers. Guests included Robin Williams, David Duchovny, Roseanne Barr, Elvis Costello, Chris Farley, Sharon Stone, Jon Stewart, Danny DeVito, Rob Reiner, Alec Baldwin, Jon Lovitz, David Spade, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey, John Ritter, Bob Saget, Bruno Kirby, Ellen DeGeneres and Howard Stern, among others. Jeff Cesario was the butt of a long running joke, being frequently "bumped" when booked to appear. On the season 1 DVD, Shandling says the guests were invariably very happy to parody their media images and generally shared the same sense of humor as himself and the other writers. In addition to Shandling, the show featured the following regular primary actors and characters: Rip Torn as Arthur ("Artie"), the show's producer Jeffrey Tambor as Larry's sidekick Hank Kingsley Penny Johnson as Larry's personal assistant, Beverly Janeane Garofalo as the show's booker Paula (until episode 76) Mary Lynn Rajskub as the show's booking assistant/booker Mary Lou (from episode 69) Jeremy Piven as head writer Jerry (until episode 25) Wallace Langham as writer/head writer Phil Linda Doucett as Hank's personal assistant Darlene (until episode 48) Scott Thompson as Hank's personal assistant Brian (from episode 50) Megan Gallagher as Larry's second ex-wife Jeannie (episodes 1-13, 53) Kathryn Harrold as Larry's first ex-wife Francine (episodes 14-30) Deborah May as network executive Melanie Parrish Bob Odenkirk as Larry's agent Stevie Grant Directors and writers of note include Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) who also became an executive producer on the show, Todd Holland (Twin Peaks, Malcolm in the Middle, Friends), Ken Kwapis (The Office (US), Malcolm in the Middle), David Mirkin (The Simpsons, Get A Life), Jon Vitti, (The Simpsons, Da Ali G Show), Joe Flaherty (SCTV), Carol Leifer (Seinfeld), comedian Jeff Cesario (Dennis Miller Live), Adam Resnick (Late Night with David Letterman, Get A Life) and Paul Simms (NewsRadio). Ken Kwapis and Todd Holland, who directed the bulk of the first season, were particularly instrumental in determining the style of the program. These were the final words heard on The Larry Sanders Show: “I’m such a prick.” Spoken by the usually obsequious sidekick Hank Kingsley (Tambor), it was his apology for blowing up after Larry (Shandling) cut short Hank’s farewell speech on the talk show’s final telecast. Those words were the perfect epitaph for The Larry Sanders Show, with wallowed brilliantly in the self-loathing world of Hollywood. And, if there's one thing Hollywood has more of than self-love, it's self-loathe. Premiering right around the King-Lear-like bloodsport over the future of Johnny Carson's throne, Garry Shandling's comedy cast a gimlet eye on insecure, petty late-night host Sanders, and found no shortage of takers in showbiz to send themselves up: Ellen DeGeneres (who had sex with Larry (this was before she came out of the closet)), Carol Burnett (who whispered the immortal words “I saw your balls” after Larry’s loincloth slipped during a Tarzan sketch), Jim Carrey (who sang a song to Larry on the final show only because he knew it would be a memorable moment), and David Duchovny (who evincing the most unsettling man-crush TV has ever seen). And, one of the reasons the show was so dark and self-loathing was that it aired on HBO. On the pay cable network, Shandling’s satire of late-night shows was free from censorship and ratings constraints. As Shandling explained in 1994: “We can show people in the show-business world talking as they really do, which does include profanity. Also we explore a dark side of people’s personalities that often network shows aren’t willing to explore, because it’s not always pleasant.” Maybe not, but it was always funny, even when it may you squirm. Consider this exchange between Larry and head writer Jerry (Jeremy Piven), backstage before the last show: Jerry: I just wanted to see, after you fired me and f***ed up my life, if you’d stand there and smile at me like we were old buddies. Larry: (smiling like they were old buddies) Well, now you know. And, that was another reason the show was so great; the needy heart of The Larry Sanders Show was its supporting characters: Jeffrey Tambor as self-promoting, self-hating sidekick Hank "Hey Now!" Kingsley, Wallace Langham as the “loves to be miserable” writer Phil, Penny Johnson as Larry’s unassuming but secretly knows all assistant Beverly, and Rip Torn as Artie, the most terrifyingly unctuous producer ever to stalk a green room. But, the true mark of the show’s greatness is that it is guaranteed to stand the test of time thanks to its incisive portrayal of the behind-the-scenes politics of showbiz. Shandling revealed Hollywood's blemishes like the world's funniest jar of makeup remover, and he and his show will be remembered as the most brutally honest and hilarious portrait of Hollywood in TV history.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 3, 2008 15:56:02 GMT -5
12. Cheers Genre: Sitcom. Created by: James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. Executive Producer(s): James Burrows, Glen Charles, Les Charles, Phoef Sutton, Rob Long, and Dan Staley. Starring: Ted Danson (Sam Malone), Shelley Long (Diane Chambers 1982-1987), Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe 1987-1993), Nicholas Colasanto (Ernie “Coach” Pantusso 1982-1985), Rhea Perlman (Carla Tortelli), John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin), Woody Harrelson (Woody Boyd 1985-1993), Kelsey Grammer (Dr. Frasier Crane 1984-1993), Bebe Neuwirth (Dr. Lilith Sternin 1986-1993), and George Wendt (Norm Peterson). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 11. Number of Episodes: 269, plus 2 specials. Running Time: 24 minutes. Original Channel: NBC. Original Run: September 30, 1982 – May 20, 1993. Spinoffs: Frasier, based on character Dr. Frasier Crane moving back to his hometown of Seattle, which lasted from 1993 to 2004. However, Frasier was not the first spinoff from Cheers but rather The Tortellis, premiering in 1987. The show featured Carla's husband Nick Tortelli and his wife Loretta but was cancelled after 13. The concept for Cheers was the end result of a long consideration process. The original idea was a group of workers who interacted like a family, hoping to be similar to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The creators, James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles, considered making an American version of the British Fawlty Towers centered around a hotel or an inn. When the creators settled on a bar as their setting the show began to resemble the radio show Duffy's Tavern. They liked the idea of a tavern as it provided a continuous stream of new people arriving, giving them a constant supply of characters. After choosing a plot, the three had to choose a location. Early discussions centered around Barstow, California, then Kansas City, Missouri. They eventually turned to the East Coast and Boston. The Bull & Finch Pub in Boston that Cheers was styled after was originally chosen from a phone book. When Glen Charles asked the owner to shoot initial exterior and interior shots the owner agreed, charging $1. He has since gone on to make millions, licensing the pub's image and selling a variety of Cheers memorabilia, making the Bull & Finch the 42nd busiest outlet in the American food and beverage industry in 1997. Coincidentally during Shelley Long's casting (who was in Boston at the time filming A Small Circle of Friends), she remarked that the bar in the script resembled a bar she had come upon in Boston, which turned out to be the Bull & Finch. Most Cheers episodes were shot before a live studio audience on Paramount Stage 25, generally on Tuesday nights. Scripts for a new episode were issued the Wednesday before for a read-through, Friday was rehearsal day, and final scripts were issued on Monday. Nearly 100 crewmembers were involved in the shooting of a single episode. Burrows, who directed most episodes, insisted on shooting on film rather than videotape. He was also noted for using motion in his directorial style, trying to always keep characters moving rather than standing still. The crew of Cheers numbered in the hundreds; as such, this section can only provide a brief summary of the many crewmembers for the show. The three creators stayed on throughout the series as executive producers along with Tom Palmer. In fact, the two Charles brothers kept offices on Paramount's lot for the duration of Cheers run. In the final seasons, however, they handed over much of the show to Burrows. Burrows is regarded as being a factor in the show's longevity, directing 243 of the episodes and supervising the show's production. David Angell was also a part of the crew from the start, writing many Cheers episodes. The show was often noted for its writing which most credit along with other production factors and the ensemble cast for the show's success. Cheers maintained an ensemble cast, keeping roughly the same set of characters for the entire run. Numerous secondary characters and love interests for these characters appeared intermittently to complement storylines that generally revolved around this core group. The character of Sam Malone was originally intended to be a retired football player and was originally supposed to be played by Fred Dryer, but after casting Ted Danson it was decided that a former baseball player would be more believable, given Danson's slimmer physique. The character of Cliff Clavin was created for John Ratzenberger after he auditioned for the role of "Norm". While chatting with producers afterwards, he asked if they were going to include a "bar know-it-all", the part which he eventually played. Kirstie Alley joined the cast when Shelley Long left, and Woody Harrelson joined when Nicholas Colasanto died. Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman were the only actors to appear in every episode of the series. Paul Willson, who played the recurring barfly character of "Paul", made early appearances in the first season as "Glen", was credited as "Gregg", and also appeared in the show as a character named "Tom". Although Cheers operated largely around that main ensemble cast, guest stars did occasionally supplement them. Notable repeat guests included Jay Thomas as Eddie LeBec, Dan Hedaya as Nick Tortelli, Jean Kasem as Loretta Tortelli, Roger Rees as Robin Colcord, Tom Skerritt as Evan Drake, and Harry Anderson as Harry the Hat. Other celebrities guest-starred in single episodes as themselves throughout the series. Some sports figures appeared on the show as former team-mates of Sam's from the Red Sox such as Luis Tiant and Wade Boggs, while others appeared with no connection to Cheers such as Kevin McHale (star player of the Boston Celtics, Cheers' hometown basketball team) or Mike Ditka. Some television stars also made guest appearances such as Johnny Gilbert, Alex Trebek, Arsenio Hall, Dick Cavett, and Johnny Carson. Some political figures even made appearances on Cheers such as then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe, former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, then-Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, Senator John Kerry, then-Governor Michael Dukakis, and then-Mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn (the last four of which all represented Cheers' home state and city). Musician Harry Connick, Jr. appeared in an episode as Woody's cousin and plays a song from his Grammy winning album We Are in Love (c. 1991). John Cleese won an Emmy for his guest appearance as "Dr. Simon Finch-Royce" in a fifth season episode "Simon Says". Emma Thompson guest starred as Nanny Gee/Nanette Guzman, a famous singing nanny and Frasier's ex-wife. Christopher Lloyd guest starred as a tortured artist who wanted to paint Diane. The Righteous Brothers, Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley, also guest starred. Nearly all of Cheers took place in the front room of the bar, but they often went into the rear pool room or the bar's office. Cheers didn't show any action outside the bar until the first episode of the second season, which took the action to Diane's apartment. Cheers had some running gags, such as Norm arriving in the bar greeted by a loud "Norm!" Early episodes generally followed Sam's antics with his various women, following a variety of romantic comedy clichés to get out of whatever relationship troubles he was in for each episode. As the show progressed and Sam got into more serious relationships the general tone switched to comedy on Sam settling down into a monogamous lifestyle. Throughout the series, larger story arcs began to develop that spanned multiple episodes or seasons interspersed with smaller themes and one-off episodes. The show's main theme in its early seasons was the romance between the intellectual waitress Diane Chambers and bar owner Sam Malone, a former major league baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a recovering alcoholic. After Long left the show, the focus shifted to Sam's new relationship with neurotic corporate climber Rebecca. Both relationships featured multi-episode "will they or won't they" sexual tension that drew viewers in. After Sam and Diane's courtship was consummated, the show's popularity grew greatly and subsequent TV shows now very commonly have such "will they or won't they" tensions between opposites. Many Cheers scripts centered around or were improved with a variety of social issues. As Toasting Cheers puts it: “The script was further strengthened by the writers' boldness in successfully tackling controversial issues such as alcoholism, homosexuality, and adultery.” Social class was a subtext of the show. The "upper class" - represented by characters like Diane Chambers, Frasier Crane, Lilith Sternin and (initially) Rebecca Howe — rubbed shoulders with middle and working class characters — Sam Malone, Carla Tortelli, Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. An extreme example of this was the relationship between Woody Boyd and millionaire's daughter Kelly Gaines. Many viewers enjoyed Cheers in part because of this focus on character development in addition to plot development. Feminism and the role of women were also recurring themes throughout the show, with some seeing each of the major female characters as a flawed feminist in her own way. Diane was a vocal feminist, but Sam was the epitome of everything she hated: a womanizer and a male chauvinist. Their relationship led Diane to several diatribes on Sam's promiscuity, while Carla merely insulted people. Carla was respected because of her power, while Diane was ignored as she commanded little respect. Rebecca was a stereotypical ambitious and golddigging woman, seeking relationships with her superiors at the Lillian Corporation, most notably Robin Colcord, to gain promotions or raises. However, she encountered a glass ceiling and ended the show by marrying a plumber rather than a rich businessman. Homosexuality was dealt with from the very first season, a rare move for American network television in the early 1980s. In the first season episode "The Boys In The Bar" (after the 1970s film The Boys in the Band) a friend and former teammate of Sam's comes out in his autobiography. Some of the male regulars pressure Sam to take action to ensure that Cheers does not become a gay bar. The episode won a GLAAD Media Award, and the script's writers, Ken Levine & David Isaacs, were nominated for an Emmy Award for their writing. Harvey Fierstein would later appear in the 1990s as "Mark Newberger", Rebecca's old high school sweetheart who is gay. Finally, the final episode included a gay man who gets into trouble with his boyfriend (played by Anthony Heald) after agreeing to pose as Diane's husband. Addiction also plays a role in Cheers, almost exclusively through Sam, although some critics believed the issue was never really developed. Sam was a recovering alcoholic who ended up buying a bar after his baseball career was ruined by his drinking. Frasier also has a notable bout of drinking in the fourth season episode "The Triangle." Some critics believe Sam was a generally addictive personality who had largely conquered his alcoholism but was still a sexual addict, shown through his womanizing. Another theme throughout the show was the numerous owners the bat Cheers had. Cheers obviously had several owners before Sam, as the bar was opened in 1889 (The "Est. 1895" on the bar's sign is a made-up date chosen by Carla for numerological purposes as revealed in the 8th season episode "The Stork Brings a Crane"). In the second episode, "Sam's Women", Norm tells a customer looking for the owner of Cheers that the man he thought was the owner has been replaced, and his replacement was replaced by Sam. The biggest storyline surrounding the ownership of Cheers begins in the fifth season finale, "I Do, Adieu", when Sam and Diane part ways, Shelley Long leaves the regular cast, and Sam leaves to attempt circumnavigating the Earth. Before he leaves, Sam sells Cheers to the Lillian Corporation. Sam returns in the sixth season premiere, "Home is the Sailor", having sunk his boat, to find the bar under the new management of Rebecca Howe. He begs for his job back and is hired by Rebecca as a bartender. Throughout the sixth season, Sam tries a variety of schemes to buy back Cheers. This plot largely comes to an end in the seventh season premiere, "How to Recede in Business", when Rebecca is fired and Sam is promoted to manager. Rebecca is allowed to keep a job at Lillian vaguely similar to what she had before, but only after Sam had Rebecca "agree" (in absentia) to a long list of demands that the corporation had for her. From there Sam would occasionally attempt to buy the bar back with schemes that usually involved wealthy executive Robin Colcord. Cheers did eventually end up back in Sam's hands in the eighth season finale, when it was sold back to him for eighty-five cents by the Lillian Corporation after he alerted the company of Colcord's insider trading. Rebecca earns back a waitress/hostess job from Sam. Aside from the storylines that spanned across the series, Cheers had several themes that followed no storylines but that recurred throughout the series. There was a heated rivalry between Cheers and the rival bar, Gary's Olde Towne Tavern. One episode of every season depicted some wager between Sam and Gary, which resulted in either a sports competition or a battle of wits that devolved into complex practical jokes. Aside from the very first and very last "Bar Wars" episodes, the Cheers gang almost always lost to Gary's superior ingenuity, though they managed to trick him into missing the annual Bloody Mary contest in one episode. Another episode had Sam collaborating with Gary's to get revenge on his co-workers on a prior practical joke. Sam also had a long-running feud with the management of the upscale restaurant situated directly above the bar, Melville's. The restaurant's management found the bar's clientele decidedly uncouth, while Sam regarded the restaurant as snobbish (despite the fact that customers often drifted between the two businesses via a prominent staircase). This conflict escalated in later seasons, when Melville's came under the ownership of John Allen Hill (Keene Curtis), and it emerged that Sam did not technically own the bar's poolroom and bathrooms. Sam subsequently was forced to pay rent for them and often found himself at the mercy of Hill's tyranny. Norm Peterson continually searched for gainful employment as an accountant but spent most of the series unemployed, thereby explaining his constant presence in Cheers at the same stool. The face of his wife, Vera, was never fully seen onscreen, despite a few fleeting appearances and a couple of vocal cameos. Cliff Clavin seemed unable to shake the constant presence of his mother, Esther Clavin (Frances Sternhagen). Though she did not appear in every episode, he would refer to her quite often, mostly as both an emotional burden and a smothering parent. Carla Tortelli carried a reputation of being both highly fertile and matrimonially inept. The last husband she had on the show, Eddie LeBec, was a washed-up ice hockey goaltender who ended up dying in an ice show accident. Carla later discovered that Eddie had cheated on her, marrying another woman after impregnating her. Carla's sleazy first husband, Nick Tortelli, also made frequent appearances, mostly to torment Carla with a new custody battle or legal scam that grew out of their divorce. Carla's eight children (four of whom were "born" during the show's run) were also notoriously ill-behaved. Over its eleven-season run, Cheers and its cast and crew earned many awards. Cheers earned 117 Emmy nominations. In addition, Cheers has earned 31 Golden Globe nominations with a total of 6 wins. All ten of the actors who were regulars on the series received Emmy nominations for their roles. Cheers won the Golden Globe for "Best TV-Series - Comedy/Musical" in 1991 and the Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series" in 1983, 1984, 1989 and 1991. Cheers was presented with the "Legend Award" at the 2006 TV Land Awards, with many surviving cast members attending the event. Cheers was critically acclaimed in its first season, though it landed a disappointing 74th in the ratings that year out of only 74 shows. This critical support, coupled with early success at the Emmys and the support of the president of NBC's entertainment division Brandon Tartikoff, is thought to be the main reason for the show's survival and eventual success. The cast themselves went across the country on various talk shows to try to further promote the series after its first season. With the growing popularity of Family Ties which ran in the slot ahead of Cheers from both shows' inceptions until the end of the former was moved to Sundays in 1987 and the placement of The Cosby Show in front of both at the start of their third season (1984), the line-up became a runaway ratings success that NBC eventually dubbed "Must See Thursday". The next season, Cheers ratings increased dramatically after Woody Boyd became a regular character as well. By its final season Cheers had a run of eight consecutive seasons in the Top Ten of the Nielsen ratings. Some critics now use Frasier and Cheers as a model of a successful spin-off for a character from an already successful series to compare to modern spin-offs. NBC dedicated a whole night to the final episode of Cheers. The show began with a "pregame" show hosted by Bob Costas, followed by the final 98-minute episode itself. NBC affiliates then aired tributes to Cheers during their local newscasts, and the night concluded with a special Tonight Show broadcast live from the Bull & Finch Pub. Although the episode fell short of its hyped ratings predictions to become the most-watched television episode, it was the most watched show that year, bringing in 80.4 million viewers (64 percent of all viewers that night), and ranked 11th all time in entertainment programming. The episode originally aired in the usual Cheers spot of Thursday night and was then rebroadcast on Sunday. Some estimate that while the original broadcast did not outperform the M*A*S*H finale, the combined non-repeating audiences for the Thursday and Sunday showings did. Toasting Cheers also notes that television had greatly changed between the M*A*S*H and Cheers finales, leaving Cheers with a broader array of competition for ratings. Some of the actors and actresses from Cheers brought their characters into other television shows, either in a guest appearance or in a new spin-off. The most successful Cheers spin-off was the show Frasier which directly followed Frasier Crane after he moved back to Seattle, Washington (on the other end of Interstate 90) to live with his recently-disabled father and to host a call-in radio show. Frasier was originally supposed to be a small disliked character who only existed to further Diane and Sam's relationship, but Kelsey Grammer's acting turned what were supposed to be unfunny lines into comedy the audience enjoyed. Sam, Diane and Woody all had individual crossover appearances on Frasier where they came to visit Frasier, and his ex-wife Lilith was a constant supporting character throughout Frasier. Cliff, Norm, Carla, and two of Cheers' regular background barflies Paul and Phil had a crossover together in the Frasier episode "Cheerful Goodbyes". In the episode Frasier, on a trip to Boston, meets the Cheers gang (not at Cheers itself however); and Cliff thinks Frasier has flown out specifically for his (Cliff's) retirement party, which Frasier ends up attending. Rebecca Howe is the only "Cheers" regular aside from Coach (whose actor, Nicholas Colasanto, had died, after which the character died in the series) to not appear on "Frasier". Frasier was on the air for as many seasons as Cheers, going off the air in 2004 after an eleven-season run. Although Frasier was the most successful spin-off, The Tortellis was the first series to spin-off from Cheers, premiering in 1987. The show featured Carla's husband Nick Tortelli and his wife Loretta, but was cancelled after 13 episodes and drew protests for its stereotypical depictions of Italian Americans. Characters also had crossovers with Wings, which was created by Cheers producers/writers, and St. Elsewhere in a somewhat rare comedy-drama crossover. Cheers was perhaps the first major non-science fiction TV series to have an important licensing campaign since I Love Lucy. The show lent itself naturally to the development of "Cheers" bar-related merchandise, culminating in the development of a chain of "Cheers" themed pubs. Paramount's licensing group, led by Tom McGrath, developed the "Cheers" pub concept initially in partnership with Host Marriott which placed "Cheers" themed pubs in 24+ airports around the world. A full-scale Cheers reproduction was built in Piccadilly Circus in London and Boston boasts of the original Cheers bar (historically known to generations of Boston insiders as the Bull and Finch) as well as a Cheers restaurant in the Faneuil Hall marketplace and Sam's Place, a spin-off sports bar concept also located at Faneuil Hall. The theme song to the show was licensed to a Canadian restaurant, Kelsey's. Cheers grew in popularity as it aired on American television and entered into syndication. When the show went off the air in 1993, Cheers was syndicated in 38 countries with 179 American television markets and 83 million viewers. Then, after going off the air, Cheers entered a long, successful, and continuing syndication run on Nick at Nite. While the quality of some earlier footage of Cheers had begun to degrade, it underwent a careful restoration in 2001 due to its continued success. Notably, a Cheers rerun replaced Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos on Australia's Nine Network. The latter was cancelled mid-episode on its only broadcast by Kerry Packer, who pulled the plug after a phone call. Cheers was aired by NCRV in the Netherlands. After the last episode, NCRV simply began re-airing the series, and then again, thus airing the show three times in a row, showing an episode nightly. The series now airs weekday mornings on TV Land and will premiere on Hallmark Channel in fall 2008. CBS Home Entertainment has released the first nine seasons of Cheers on DVD for Region 1. Cheers season 1-6 have been released on DVD for Region 2. Kelsey Grammer was arguably the most successful with his spin-off Frasier, which lasted for the same eleven-season run Cheers had and a recurring guest role on The Simpsons as Sideshow Bob. By the final season of Frasier, Grammer had become the highest paid actor on television, earning about $1.6 million an episode. Woody Harrelson has also had a successful career following Cheers, including appearances in a number of notable films that have established him as a box-office draw. He also earned an Academy Award nomination in 1997 for “The People vs. Larry Flynt.” Ted Danson, who had been the highest paid Cheers cast member earning $450,000 an episode in the final season, has starred in the successful sitcom Becker as well as the unsuccessful sitcoms Ink and Help Me Help You and the drama series Damages. He has starred in a number of movies, including “Three Men and a Baby” and “Made in America.” Ted and his wife Mary Steenburgen regularly play themselves on Curb Your Enthusiasm as Larry David's friends. John Ratzenberger has voice acted in all of Pixar's computer-animated feature films and currently hosts the Travel Channel show Made in America. On Made in America he travels around the U.S. showing the stories of small towns and the goods they produce. Coincidentally, Ted Danson starred in a film also called Made in America. He is heavily involved in a charity known as the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation, which encourages children to get involved with tinkering and mechanical work, as well as to encourage schools to resurrect Industrial Arts programs. He also was on Dancing with the Stars. Bebe Neuwirth has gone on to star in numerous Broadway musicals, earning two Tony Awards for her work, and co-star in numerous successful films. She also did voice work for “All Dogs Go To Heaven 2” and All Dogs Go To Heaven the TV series. Kirstie Alley starred in the 2 TV series, Veronica's Closet and Fat Actress, as well as numerous miniseries and film roles. Although some believe Shelley Long leaving the show was a bad career move, she has gone on to star in several television and film roles, notably “The Brady Bunch Movie” and its sequels. In addition to continuing careers after Cheers, some of the cast members have had personal problems. In 2004, Shelley Long grew depressed after divorcing her husband of 23 years and appears to have attempted suicide by overdosing on drugs. Kirstie Alley gained a significant amount of weight after Cheers, which somewhat affected her career. She went on to write and star in a sitcom partly based on her life and weight gain, Fat Actress. She formerly was a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig. The Host Marriott Corporation installed 46 bars modeled after Cheers in their hotel and airport lounges. Paramount Pictures licensed the characters and details of the show, allowing the bars to have fake memorabilia such as Sam Malone's supposed jersey while playing for the Red Sox. Among the details Marriott included were two robots, "Bob" and "Hank", one of which was heavy (resembling Norm Peterson), with the other wearing a postal uniform (Cliff Clavin). Ratzenberger and Wendt filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against Paramount in 1993 (around the time that Viacom purchased Paramount), claiming that the company was illegally licensing and earning off their images without their permission. Ratzenberger and Wendt claimed that Paramount could not earn off their images simply because the robots are dressed like the characters over which Paramount still holds rights. The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in 1996, though a federal judge reinstated the case in the Los Angeles court. Paramount tried to bring the case before the Supreme Court of the United States but the court refused to hear the case, instead merely reaffirming the ruling to reinstate the case in the Superior Court. Some believe the case could have had significant implications in Hollywood, as its outcome would have determined whether rights over a character imply rights to reproduce the actor's image with or without his or her permission, so long as the image is of the actor as the character. Rather, Paramount settled with the two before a ruling in the suit was delivered. The first year of the show took place entirely within the confines of the bar. (The first location outside the bar ever seen was Diane's apartment.) When the series became a hit, the characters started venturing further afield, first to other sets and eventually to an occasional exterior location. The exterior location shots of the bar were actually of the Bull & Finch Pub, located directly north of the Boston Public Garden, which has become a tourist attraction because of its association with the series and draws in nearly a million visitors annually. It has since been renamed Cheers Beacon Hill, though its interior is different from the TV bar. To further capitalize on the show's popularity, another bar, Cheers Faneuil Hall, was built to be a replica of the show's set to provide tourists with a bar whose interior was closer to the one they saw on TV. It is near Faneuil Hall, about a mile from the Bull & Finch Pub. The official Cheers site is www.cheersboston.com. In 1997 Europe's first officially licensed Cheers bar opened in London's Regent's Street W1. Like Cheers Faneuil Hall, Cheers London is an exact replica of the set. The gala opening was attended by James Burrows and cast members George Wendt and John Ratzenberger. The actual bar set was on display at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum until the museum’s closing in early 2006. NBC was thinking cheap beer; what it got was fine wine. All revved up over a series of popular Miller Lite commercials that featured famous athletes bellying up to the bat, the network went looking for a new sitcom with the same hell raising atmosphere. While the writing team of Glen and Les Charles and director James Burrows, coming off their success with Taxi, obliged with a comedy set in a Boston bar (modeled after the city’s real Bull & Finch). The three creators wanted to create a show like Fawlty Towers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Duffy’s Tavern, but it amazingly has a lot more in common with the show Lost. Long before Lost, there was a series about the connections among a group of unrelated people on an island. This island just happened to have stools around it and an alcoholic ex-pitcher pulling beers in the middle of it. Cheers's bar setting, not the home or the office, set it at the margins of its characters' lives; a bar is where you go to get away from the big events of your life, not live them out. That meant that Cheers was free to find humor in the little things: Cliff Clavin's obsession with his mother and trivia (“Due to the shape of the North American elk’s esophagus, even if it could speak, it could not pronounce the word ‘lasagna’”), cuddly but beleaguered bar-stool fixture Norm's greetings (“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and I’m wearing Milk Bone underwear”), caustic barmaid Carla's insults (she constantly referred to Diane as “stick,” one of the more polite nicknames). And, let’s not forget the other characters: pompous shrink Dr. Frasier Crane, the old dim-bulb bartender Ernie “Coach” Pantusso, the young dim-bulb bartender Woody Boyd, and the sultry bur insecure Rebecca Howe. And, the one big thing driving the show's early years was likable lunkhead with a drinking problem and baseball career in his past Sam Malone and pretentious, just-slumming grad-student barmaid Diane Chamber's bickering romance. It is painful when TV writers boast that they’re going for Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn-style repartee and end up with dialogue more on the level of Who’s The Boss, but with Sam and Diane, the art of the sitcom came damn close to 1940s-era sparkle. Their intercourse was a cocktail of crackling wordplay and sexual tension; it was a rare will-they-won't-they-oh-they-just-did storyline that didn't disappoint. Amazingly, the show was able to survive Shelley Long (Diane) leaving the show, with Kirstie Alley stepping in as Rebecca, and not losing its fizz for an instant. One of the keys to Cheers’s longevity at the top of the Nielsen heap (it was a top five show for seven straight years) was the Charles-Burrows-Charles team’s careful avoidance of easy sentimentality; to Cheers, the Very Special Episodes about “serious” topics that dragged down many aging comedies were anathema. Its humor was adult but never grown-up; it was playful, urbane, and bracing as a tall cold one. When Cheers closed its doors in 1993 because Ted Danson (Sam) wanted to move on and no one wanted to continue without him, the characters were spectacularly unredeemed. They had made it through 11 seasons with their frailties as firmly in place as when they first descended the steps to the bar “where everybody knows your name.” And, that’s something worth drinking to.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 3, 2008 16:41:04 GMT -5
11. Roots Genre: Miniseries; Period Piece. Created by: Alex Haley. Executive Producer(s): David L. Wolper. Starring: Levar Burton (Kunta Kinte/Toby), John Amos (Kunta Kinte/Toby adult), Cicely Tyson (Binta), Thalmus Rasulala (Omoro), Maya Angelou (Nyo Boto), Ji-Tu Cumbuka (Wrestler), O.J. Simpson (Kadi Touray), Moses Gunn (Kintango), Hari Rhodes (Brima Cesay), Ren Woods (Fanta), Beverly Todd (Fanta adult), Ernest Lee Thomas (Kailuba), Edward Asner (Capt. Davies), Ralph Waite (Third Mate Slater), Louis Gossett Jr. (Fiddler), Lorne Greene (John Reynolds), Lynda Day George (Mrs. Reynolds), Vic Morrow (Ames), Paul Shenar (John Carrington), Robert Reed (Dr. William Reynolds), Madge Sinclair (Bell Reynolds), Gary Collins (Grill), Raymond St. Jacques (The Drummer), Chuck Connors (Tom Moore), Sandy Duncan (Missy Anne Reynolds), Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Noah), John Schuck (Ordell), Leslie Uggams (Kizzy Reynolds), Macdonald Carey (Squire James), Olivia Cole (Mathilda), Scatman Crothers (Mingo), George Hamilton (Stephen Bennett), Carolyn Jones (Mrs. Moore), Ian McShane (Sir Eric Russell), Lillian Randolph (Sister Sara), Richard Roundtree (Sam Bennett), Ben Vereen (Chicken George Moore), Lloyd Bridges (Evan Brent), Georg Stanford Brown (Tom Harvey), Brad Davis (Ol' George Johnson), Lane Binkley (Martha Johnson), Hilly Hicks (Lewis), Doug McClure (Jemmy Brent), Lynne Moody (Irene Harvey), Burl Ives (Sen. Arthur Johnson), Thayer David (Harlan), Roxie Roker (Melissa), Austin Stoker (Virgil), John Quade (Sheriff Biggs), Charles Cyphers (Drake), Todd Bridges (Bud), Ross Chapman (Sergeant Williams), Grand L. Bush (Captured Runaway Slave), with: Tanya Boyd, Helen Martin, William Watson, Lee de Broux, Fred Covington (actor), Maurice Hunt, Lee Kessler, Hank Rolike, Allen Williams and more. Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 1. Number of Episodes: 8. Running Time: 573 minutes (full miniseries). Original Channel: ABC. Original Run: January 23, 1977 – January 30, 1977. Spinoffs: Roots: The Next Generations, a sequel that aired in 1979, and “Roots: The Gift,” a 1988 TV movie that takes place between the first two miniseries. Roots was a 1977 miniseries based on Alex Haley's work Roots: The Saga of an American Family, his critically acclaimed but factually disputed genealogical novel. It was a ground-breaking event in U.S.A. television history, receiving 37 Emmy Award-nominations. It went on to win 9 Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen Ratings with the finale still standing as the 3rd highest rated U.S. program ever, behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and Super Bowl XLII and captivated American television audiences, successfully crossing racial lines and piquing the interest of families, in all ethnic groups. The series and its 1979 sequel Roots: The Next Generations featured many African American actors at all levels of experience. The program introduced LeVar Burton in the role of Kunta Kinte. It also starred Louis Gossett Jr. as Fiddler. A second sequel, “Roots: The Gift,” was also produced as a Christmas movie and is widely considered inferior to the other two entries in the series, despite the fact that LeVar Burton and Louis Gossett Jr. star. Roots and the book it was adapted from revived interest in oral and genealogical history among all segments of the population. It also spurred an interest in African or African sounding names; Kizzy (played by Leslie Uggams), for example, became popular for African-American baby girls. Even an entire generation later, famous black American comedian Dave Chappelle satirized the TV series in a popular sketch aired on his Chappelle's Show. The series was directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene and Gilbert Moses. It was produced by Stan Margulies; David L. Wolper was executive producer. The now-familiar score was composed by Gerald Fried and Quincy Jones. Alex Haley narrates the last few minutes of the series, where photos of him appear along with other people who connect him as the 9th generation from Kunta Kinte's grandmother to him. The story begins in the Gambia, West Africa, in 1750. Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is born to Mandinka warrior Omoro Kinte (Thalmus Rasulala) and his wife Binta (Cicely Tyson). When their son reaches the age of 15, he and a group of other adolescent males take part in a tribal ceremony known as the "coming of manhood", after which they officially become Mandikan warriors themselves. While trying to find wood outside his village to make a drum, Kunta Kinte is captured by slave traders and put on a slave ship commanded by Captain Davies (Edward Asner) and his third mate Slater (Ralph Waite) for a three month journey to Colonial America. During the course of their forced journey, a group of Africans rebel but fail to take over the ship. The ship lands months later in Annapolis, Maryland, where the captured Africans are sold as chattel slaves. Kunta Kinte is sold to plantation owner John Reynolds (Lorne Greene) and is forced to take the slave name of Toby. An older slave named Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.) is charged with teaching Toby the ways of being a chattel slave, including learning English. In his desperate struggle to survive, he makes several attempts to escape. Eventually, he submits to the harsh life, but only after having half his foot chopped off to keep him from attempting further escapes. The adult Kunta Kinte/Toby (John Amos) learns then what it means to be a chattel slave but is still haunted by his Mandinkan roots and what it was to once be free. He is sold to John Reynolds' brother William (Robert Reed), eventually marrying another slave named Bell (Madge Sinclair) and having a daughter named Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) When Kizzy is in her late teens, she is sold away to Tom Moore (Chuck Connors) in North Carolina when it was discovered that she had written a fake traveling pass for a young slave boy she was in love with (she had been taught to read and write secretly by Missy Anne (Sandy Duncan), niece to the plantation owner Reynolds). Kizzy is then raped by Moore and bears a son named Chicken George (Ben Vereen). Chicken George becomes an expert in cockfighting, which eventually gives him the opportunity in the 1820s to be sent into servitude in England. He later returns to America as a free man. George's son Tom Harvey (Georg Stanford Brown) becomes a blacksmith and then is recruited into the army during the American Civil War. After the war, racists led by Evan Brent (Lloyd Bridges) start to frequently harass George, his family and other blacks, exploiting them economically in the daytime and trying to haunt them wearing hooded robes during the evening. The miniseries ends as Tom and his family move to Tennessee to start a new life. Alex Haley narrates the last few minutes of the miniseries: a montage of photos of family members connecting Tom's daughter Cynthia, the great-great-granddaughter of Kunta Kinte, to Haley himself. There are numerous differences between the miniseries and novel that it is based on. The differences include: All the characters surnames are different. (Waller is changed to Reynolds, Lea is changed to Moore, and Murray is changed to Harvey.) Additionally, Murray's first name is not revealed in the book, whereas Harvey is given the first name Samuel in the miniseries. Kunta's grandfather, Kairaba Kunte Kinte, is only mentioned one time, at the very end of the third episode, as Kunta is describing his newborn daughter Kizzy's Mandinka lineage to her. While Sireng, Kairaba's first wife, is not referenced in the miniseries as in the book, it is important to note that Kunta's narrative to his daughter is the final scene of the episode (the audio gradually tapers off with Kairaba's name barely distinguishable). Thus, presumably Kunta would have mentioned Sireng shortly after mentioning Kairaba. The book records the early life and adolescence of Kunta Kinte in Juffure while the miniseries covers only his birth and teenage years before his capture. The Character of Nyo Boto is a combination of the same character in the novel as well as Kunta's paternal grandmother Yaisa. Also Nyo Boto seems to be Kunta's maternal grandmother in the television adaptation whereas the novel portrays her as a family friend and someone who fills in the void of grandmother when Yaisa dies. Kunta has two more brothers besides Lamin, named Suwadu and Madi in the novel while he is only referred to have two total brothers in the television adaptation. The character of Fanta is a widow at least twenty years older than Kunta in the novel while she is portrayed as closer to his age in the miniseries. She also plays a more crucial role in Kunta's journey whereas in the novel she has only one scene, and is never captured along with Kunta. Kunta's two half-uncles Janneh and Saloum Kinte are omitted entirely. The sub plot of Captain Thomas Davies and his crew was expanded. In the book only Capt. Davies is named, two times, toward the very end of the book (pp 582-583, 1st Edition printing, Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1976). The women captured, most notably one who commits suicide in order to escape, are topless like the men. The woman who tries to escape seemingly dies by drowning but in the novel she is quickly attacked and killed by sharks. An entire scene of John Reynolds and his family is only in the miniseries. Also later scenes of Reynolds and his brother were made in order to link the story. Kunta escapes at least three times from the Reynolds plantation during his first year there. While the miniseries only shows one escape when he is young, and the other when he is older. The characters of Fiddler, Mrs. Reynolds, and William Reynolds have larger roles in the miniseries than in the book. When Kunta is first purchased, the black slave bringing him back to Virginia is named "Samson" and is cruel towards Kunta. Kunta tries to kill him and is later sold and only then does he meet Fiddler. In the mini-series, Fiddler was present from the beginning at Annapolis. In the book Kunta's foot is amputated after his third escape at the age of seventeen, but in the miniseries this occurs when he is twenty six. Kunta's process of counting the number of rains he has seen by placing pebbles in a gourd has been omitted. Fiddler tries to buy his freedom in the book, something not mentioned in the mini-series, and comes to a very bad end with Dr. Waller (Reynolds, in the miniseries) who won't sell it to Fiddler except for double the originally agreed-upon price. Some may argue that this is due chiefly to the slave-price inflation of that day, spurred by the invention of the cotton gin and a resulting greater need for slave labor in the deep South. However, it is more likely that slave-owners seldom, if ever, felt obligated to keeping their word to chattel slaves and were not legally compelled to do so. Kunta is somewhat more willing to engage in sexual relations with other slaves in the miniseries than he is in the book. In the miniseries, a beautiful mulatto slave named Genelva directly propositions Kunta in his cabin, though they are interrupted when the overseer barges in. As depicted in the book, however, Kunta is far too proud a Mandinka to engage with anyone with the lack of self-dignity to not want to be free, until his eventual marriage to Bell. Bell and Kunta are married after just over four years from when she cares for him, but in the novel it takes nearly twenty two years after she cares for him before they finally marry. The character of Missy Anne is given a unique backstory as the product of an adulterous affair between William Reynolds and his sister-in-law. In the book Reynolds is simply Missy Anne's adopting Uncle. Also Missy Anne is slightly older in the miniseries as opposed to the novel, and plays a much larger role. William Reynolds's backstory involving Bell's admiration toward him and Missy Anne has been omitted. Kizzy's childhood has been omitted from the miniseries. Bell's knowledge of reading and writing was shared by Kizzy in the book. Bell seems proud--though very cautiously so, given the laws of that day regarding black people and literacy--with her daughter's knowledge, but in the television adaptation she is furious with Kizzy for learning how to read and write from Missy Anne. When Kizzy is sold to Tom Lea (Moore, in the miniseries) she befriends the cook Ms. Malizy and the two become good friends for years. In the miniseries the character's name is slightly changed to Melissa, and only appears in two scenes. Also several characters whom Kizzy befriends including Uncle Pompey and Sister Sarah have been omitted entirely. In the miniseries, there is only one "Pompey" shown. This is the drummer, whose real name is "Bodeyn Bodiako", who is plotting to escape to the north. In the novel, his real name is spelled "Boteng Bediako", and he is not planning escape. Rather, he is an attendee at Kunta's and Bell's wedding. In the novel, Mrs. Moore is a scatterbrained but somewhat understanding woman who shows benevolence at times. But in the television adaptation, she is an aloof shrew who is very disturbed by her husband's adultery and has a quick temper. The romance between Kizzy and Sam Bennett, and her returning to the Reynolds plantation where she finds Kunta's grave, were both created for the miniseries. Matilda's father, a Reverend, is seen briefly, while in the book Matilda claims she never knew anything about her father except that his name was Virgil, and it was a reverend who formally owned her. Out of Matilda's eight children only Tom and Lewis and Julius remain in the miniseries. The plot regarding Nat Turner and his rebellion is dated as occurring in 1841 but in reality it happened a decade before. Chicken George leaves for England and does not return for fourteen years whereas the novel portrays his stay as four years. The selling of Chicken George's family and his later return to the Moore plantation are only referenced but never shown. Additionally, the skills that Tom Harvey shows as a blacksmith at a young age and his eventual marriage to Irene Holt, are not shown. In the book Irene is pregnant when she first meets Chicken George but in the miniseries she already has at least four children as opposed to eight in the book. C. J. Barnes is changed to Evan Brent. In the novel, Tom is shoeing horses for Captain J. D. Cates, a former Alamance County sheriff. In the mini-series he is working for Evan Brent. Most of the plot from the eighth episode was created especially for the miniseries and was not derived from the book. In the film, Martha is with Ol' George Johnson when he arrives. In the novel he goes and fetches her after a time. Senator Arthur Johnson was created for the miniseries, as was the selling of Sam Harvey's property and the delayed freedom of the slaves. Warner Home Video, which released a 25th-anniversary 3-disc DVD edition of the series in 2002, released a four-disc (three double-sided, one single-sided) 30th-anniversary set on May 22nd, 2007. Bonus features include a new audio commentary by LeVar Burton, Cicely Tyson and Ed Asner among other key cast members, "Remembering Roots" behind-the-scenes documentary, "Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated an Entire Nation" featurette, new interviews with key cast members and the DVD-ROM "Roots Family Tree" feature. Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Again, you put a miniseries on this list when you know full well this is a list of TV shows! And, you can’t fall back on the “it was made into a weekly TV show” defense like with V.” And, you’re right. I can’t justify putting Roots on this list because it wasn’t turned into a TV show, and I’m not going to say that the two sequels it had make it a full TV show. But, I can justify Roots’s inclusion on the list by saying this: how dare you imply that Roots doesn’t belong on a 100 Greatest TV Shows countdown simply because it was a miniseries! This just doesn’t have to do with the fact that miniseries are just as much a part of TV as weekly shows! It has to do with its importance. Roots is too damn important to TV to leave it off the list. I mean, from the minute viewers first met Kunta Kinte, the young, proud, and very frightened African man being taken to America in chains, they were engaged by his story. It was a star-studded affair (featuring everyone from LeVar Burton to John Amos Louis Gossett Jr. to Cicely Tyson to Ed Asner to Robert Reed to O.J. Simpson; yes, O.J. Simpson was in Roots), a 12-hour saga based on author Alex Haley’s own family history, and had an entire county captivated for one entire week in January of 1977. The most watched TV drama ever, Roots reached the height of TV's ability to spur social discussion by surveying the depths of America's original sin. The show, viewed by over 100 million Americans, provided a surrogate family story for millions of African Americans whose histories were lost in the culture-obliterating diaspora, and confronted whites with the brutalities of slavery. How authentic Roots' history was remains open to question: scholars have cast doubt on Haley's novel (which he said was based on genealogical research into his own family), and, yes, the miniseries itself tended toward melodrama. But, it was still the first TV program to give the issue of slavery national TV exposure and started an important conversation about race in America and spurred popular interest in long-neglected African American history. Since then, no miniseries has equaled its ratings and only one came close to equaling its impact, NBC’s 1978 miniseries Holocaust. Roots got the country talking about an ugly period in human history. Whether Roots offered the right answers or not, its power came from getting America to ask the right questions. So, that is why I put Roots on this list and so high; much like its subject, it cannot be ignored or forgotten.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 3, 2008 16:43:07 GMT -5
Tomorrow, we reach the Top 10. Here are the hints:
Two places that no one knows really where they exist: one is known for a dysfunctional family, and the other is known for the mysterious man who introduced and ended the show.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 4, 2008 20:50:41 GMT -5
It is countdown time, and we're entering the Top 10! So, here is the show at number 10: 10. The Simpsons Genre: Animation, Comedy. Created by: Matt Groening. Executive Producer(s): Al Jean, James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon. Starring: Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Hans Moleman, Sideshow Mel, Itchy, Kodos, Gil Gunderson, Squeaky Voiced Teen, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Rich Texan, Louie, Bill Arnie Pie, Mr. Teeny, Yes Guy, Scott Christian, Assistant Superintendent Leopold, Rabbi Krustofski (replaced Jackie Mason), Charlie, Gary, Santa's Little Helper (replaced Frank Welker), and Frankie the Squealer), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson, Patty Bouvier, Selma Bouvier, and Jacqueline Bouvier), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Todd Flanders, Ralph Wiggum, Kearney, Database, Wendell Borton, and Lewis), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson), Hank Azaria (Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Lou, Carl Carlson, Dr. Nick Riviera, Snake Jailbird, Professor Frink, Kirk Van Houten, Luigi Risotto, Bumblebee Man, Captain Horatio McCallister, Superintendent Chalmers, Cletus Spuckler, Disco Stu, Duffman, Crazy Old Man, Drederick Tatum, Legs, Wiseguy, Akira, Doug, and Johnny Tightlips), Harry Shearer (Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Seymour Skinner, Otto Mann, Lenny Leonard, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Dr. Julius Hibbert, Kent Brockman, Jasper Beardley, Eddie, Rainier Wolfcastle, Scratchy, Marty, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Kang, Herman, Dewey Largo, Judge Snyder, Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon, Benjamin, Jebediah Springfield, and God), Tress MacNeille (Agnes Skinner, Lindsey Naegle, Brandine Spuckler, Cookie Kwan, Crazy Cat Lady, Bernice Hibbert, Dolph Starbeam, Mrs. Glick, Poor Violet, Lunchlady Doris (previously voiced by Doris Grau), Ms. Albright, and Brunella Pommelhorst), Pamela Hayden (Milhouse Van Houten, Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones, Janey Powell, Sarah Wiggum, Malibu Stacy, Patches, Ruth Powers (replaced Pamela Reed), Wendell Borton, Lewis, Richard), Maggie Roswell (Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover (her plus the previous two characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven from 1999 to 2002 because Roswell resigned after FOX refused to raise her travel expenses), Luann Van Houten, Princess Kashmir, and Mary Bailey), Russi Taylor (Martin Prince, Üter, Sherri and Terri, Wendell Borton, and Lewis), Karl Wiedergott (Various voices), Marcia Wallace (Edna Krabappel), Kelsey Grammer (Sideshow Bob), Joe Mantegna (Fat Tony), Albert Brooks (Hank Scorpio, Jacques "Brunswick", Cowboy Bob, Brad Goodman, and Tab Spangler), Jon Lovitz (Artie Ziff, Professor Lombardo, Aristotle Amadopoulos, Jay Sherman, Llewellyn Sinclair, Mrs. Sinclair, and Enrico Irritazio), Jan Hooks (Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon), Maurice LaMarche (Various voices), Jane Kaczmarek (Judge Constance Harm), Doris Grau (Lunchlady Doris), Phil Hartman (Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz), Frank Welker (Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, and various other animals) Marcia Mitzman Gaven (Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover, and voiced the majority of Maggie Roswell's characters between 1999 and 2002, due to Roswell's contract dispute), Jo Ann Harris (Various voices), and Christopher Collins (Moe Syszlak, Mr. Burns, and the presenter of America's Most Armed and Dangerous). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 19. Number of Episodes: 420. Running Time: 22-24 minutes. Original Channel: FOX. Original Run: December 17, 1989 – present. Spinoffs: The show originally started as a series of short cartoons on The Tracy Ullman Show and was eventually spunoff into its own show. There was also a movie made based on the show: “The Simpsons Movie” (2007). Though, not an actual spinoff, it should be mentioned that Matt Groening created another show with a similar tone and sense of humor but with a radically different premise: Futurama, which is about a pizza boy that gets frozen and wakes up in the year 3000. Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of a dysfunctional family. He named the characters after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned-up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial short episodes. In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the FOX Broadcasting Company. The team included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house. Jim Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the FOX network that prevented FOX from interfering with the show's content. Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching. The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989 with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", a Christmas special. "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990 because of animation problems. The Simpsons was the FOX network's first TV series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows. Its success prompted FOX to reschedule the series to compete with The Cosby Show, a move that hurt the ratings of The Simpsons. In 1992, Tracey Ullman filed a lawsuit against FOX, claiming that her show was the source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of the profits of The Simpsons, a claim rejected by the courts. The show was controversial from its beginning. The rebellious lead character at the time, Bart, frequently received no punishment for his misbehavior, which led some parents and conservatives to characterize him as a poor role model for children. At the time, then-President George H. W. Bush said, "We're going to strengthen the American family to make them more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons." Several U.S. public schools even banned The Simpsons merchandise and t-shirts, such as one featuring Bart and the caption "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')." Despite the ban, The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated US$2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. Matt Groening and James L. Brooks have served as executive producers during the show's entire history, and also function as creative consultants. Sam Simon, who served as creative supervisor for the first four seasons, also still receives an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since 1993. A more involved position on the show is the show runner, who acts as head writer and manages the show's production for an entire season. The Simpsons's writing team consists of sixteen writers who propose episode ideas at the beginning of each December. The main writer of each episode writes the first draft. Group rewriting sessions develop final scripts by adding or removing jokes, inserting scenes, and calling for re-readings of lines by the show’s vocal performers. The leader of these sessions is George Meyer, who has developed the show since Season One. According to long-time writer Jon Vitti, Meyer usually invents the best lines in a given episode, even though other writers may receive script credits. Each episode takes six months to produce so the show rarely comments on current events. However, episodes occasionally mention planned events, such as the Olympics or the Super Bowl. At the end of 2007 the writers of The Simpsons went on strike together with the rest of the Writers Guild of America, East. The show's writers had joined the guild in 1998. The strike will only affect one of the planned twenty-three episodes in the 19th season. With one exception, episode credits list only the voice actors, and not the characters they voice. Both FOX and the production crew wanted to keep their identities secret during the early seasons and, therefore, closed most of the recording sessions while refusing to publish photos of the recording artists. However, the network eventually revealed which roles each actor performed in the episode "Old Money", because the producers said the voice actors should receive credit for their work. In 2003, the cast appeared in an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, doing live performances of their characters' voices. The Simpsons has six main cast members. Dan Castellaneta performs Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble and other adult, male characters. Julie Kavner speaks the voices of Marge Simpson and Patty and Selma, as well as several minor characters. Nancy Cartwright performs the voices of Bart Simpson, Ralph Wiggum and other children. Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, is the only cast member who regularly voices only one character, although she occasionally plays other episodic characters. There are two male actors who do not voice members of the title family but play a majority of the male townspeople. Hank Azaria voices recurring characters such as Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Apu, and Harry Shearer provides voices for Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, and Dr. Hibbert. With the exception of Harry Shearer, every main cast member has won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance. Up until 1998, the six main actors were paid $30,000 per episode. In 1998 they were involved in a pay dispute with FOX. The company threatened to replace them with new actors, even going as far as preparing for casting of new voices. The series creator Groening supported the actors in their action. However, the issue was soon resolved and, from 1998 to 2004, they were paid $125,000 per episode. The show's revenue continued to rise through syndication and DVD sales, and in April 2004 the main cast stopped appearing for script readings, demanding they be paid $360,000 per episode. The strike was resolved a month later and their salaries were increased to something between $250,000 and $360,000 per episode. In 2008, production for the twentieth season was put on hold due to new contract negotiations with the voice actors, who wanted a "healthy bump" in salary to an amount close to $500,000 per episode. The dispute was soon resolved, and the actors' salary was raised to $400,000 per episode. In addition to the main cast, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Marcia Wallace, Maggie Roswell, and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters. From 1999 to 2002, Maggie Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven. Karl Wiedergott has appeared in minor roles, but does not voice any recurring characters. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert Brooks, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna, and Kelsey Grammer. Episodes will quite often feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, bands, musicians and scientists. In the earlier seasons, most of the guest stars voiced characters, but eventually more started appearing as themselves. Tony Bennett was the first guest star to appear as himself, appearing briefly in the season two episode "Dancin' Homer". The Simpsons holds the world record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series." The show has been dubbed into several other languages, including Japanese, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. It is also one the few programs dubbed in both French and Quebec French. The Simpsons has been broadcast in Arabic, but due to Islamic customs, numerous aspects of the show have been changed. For example, Homer drinks soda instead of beer and eats Egyptian beef sausages instead of hot dogs. Because of such changes, the Arabized version of the series met with a negative reaction from the life-long Simpsons fans in the area. Several different U.S. and international studios animate The Simpsons. Throughout the run of the animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, the animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo. With the debut of the series, because of an increased workload, FOX subcontracted production to several international studios, located in South Korea. Artists at the U.S. animation studio, Film Roman, draw storyboards, design new characters, backgrounds, props and draw character and background layouts, which in turn become animatics to be screened for the writers at Gracie Films for any changes to be made before the work is shipped overseas. The overseas studios then draw the inbetweens, ink and paint, and render the animation to tape before it is shipped back to the United States to be delivered to FOX three to four months later. For the first three seasons, Klasky Csupo animated The Simpsons in the United States. In 1992, the show's production company, Gracie Films, switched domestic production to Film Roman, who continue to animate the show as of 2008. In Season 14, production switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint. The first episode to experiment with digital coloring was "Radioactive Man" in 1995. Animators used digital ink and paint during production of the Season 12 episode "Tennis the Menace", but Gracie Films delayed the regular use of digital ink and paint until two seasons later. The already completed "Tennis the Menace" was broadcast as made. The Simpsons are a typical family who live in a fictional "Middle American" town of Springfield. Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant: a position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge Simpson, a stereotypical American housewife and mother. They have three children: Bart, a ten-year-old troublemaker; Lisa, a precocious eight-year-old activist; and Maggie, a baby who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier. The family owns a dog, Santa's Little Helper, and a cat, Snowball II. Both pets have had starring roles in several episodes. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays, the Simpsons do not physically age and still appear just as they did at the end of the 1980s (slight differences in animation style notwithstanding). The show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes. According to Matt Groening, the show adopted the concept of a large supporting cast from the comedy show SCTV. The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town of Springfield, without any geographical coordinates or references to U.S. states that might identify which part of the country it represents. Nevertheless, fans have tried to determine the town's location by taking the town's characteristics, surrounding geography, and nearby landmarks as clues. As a response, the show has become intentionally evasive in regard to Springfield's location. The name "Springfield" is a common one in America and appears in over half of the states. Springfield's geography, and that of its surroundings, contain coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, tall mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires. Despite this, Groening has said that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon, the city where he grew up. The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy or "sitcom" as its premise. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town. However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons's scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can comment on the state of the environment. Through Bart and Lisa's days at Springfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast array of media channels from kids' television programming to local news, which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the entertainment industry. Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias. Al Jean admitted in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive ideals, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum. The show portrays government and large corporations as callous entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons, politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are indifferent to churchgoers, and the local police force is incompetent. Religion also figures as a recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the show has dealt with most of the major religions. The show is know for man hallmarks: Opening sequence (Chalkboard And Couch Gags): The Simpsons' opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. Most episodes open with the camera zooming through the show's title towards the town of Springfield. The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The opening was created by David Silverman, the first task he did when production began on the show. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro style piece. This piece, which took two days to create, has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career. One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that several segments are changed from episode to episode. Bart writes something different on the school chalkboard, Lisa might play a different solo on her saxophone and a different visual gag accompanies the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch. Halloween episodes (Treehouse of Horror): The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. "Treehouse of Horror" first broadcast in 1990 as part of season two and established the pattern of three separate, self-contained stories in each Halloween episode. These pieces usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres. They always take place outside the normal continuity of the show. Although the Treehouse series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years, new installments have premiered after Halloween due to FOX's current contract with Major League Baseball's World Series. Humor: The show's humor turns on cultural references that cover a wide spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the show. Such references, for example, come from movies, television, music, literature, science, and history. Whenever possible, the animators also put jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in a single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show. Kristin Thompson argues that The Simpsons uses a "...flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the program as a television show." The show uses catchphrases, and most of the primary and secondary characters have at least one each. Notable expressions include Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!", Mr. Burns' "Excellent..." and Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!". Some of Bart's catchphrases, such as "¡Ay, caramba!", "Don't have a cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts!" appeared on t-shirts in the show's early days. However, Bart rarely used the latter two phrases until after they became popular through the merchandising. The use of many of these catchphrases has declined in recent seasons. The episode "Bart Gets Famous" mocks catchphrase-based humor, as Bart achieves fame on the Krusty the Clown Show solely for saying "I didn't do it." Due to being on for so long, the show has had a big impact on popular culture: Language: A number of neologisms that originated on The Simpsons have entered the popular vernacular. Mark Liberman, director of the Linguistic Data Consortium, remarked, "The Simpsons has apparently taken over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our culture's greatest source of idioms, catchphrases and sundry other textual allusions." The most famous catchphrase is Homer's annoyed grunt: "D'oh!" So ubiquitous is the expression that it is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, but without the apostrophe. Dan Castellaneta says he borrowed the phrase from James Finlayson, an actor in early Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced it in a more elongated and whining tone. The director of The Simpsons told Castellaneta to shorten the noise, and it went on to become the well-known exclamation in the TV series. The phrase has even been used (in a Homer Simpson context) in international productions, such as a 2008 episode of the UK television series, Doctor Who. Other Simpsons expressions that have entered popular use include "excellent" (drawn out as a sinister "eeeexcelllent…" in the style of Charles Montgomery Burns), Homer's triumphant "Woohoo!" and Nelson Muntz's mocking "HA-ha!" Groundskeeper Willie's description of the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was used by conservative National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg in 2003, after France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq. The phrase quickly spread to other journalists. "Cromulent", a word used in "Lisa the Iconoclast" has since appeared in the Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary of English. "Kwyjibo", a fake Scrabble word invented by Bart in "Bart the Genius", was used as one of the aliases of the creator of the Melissa worm. "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords", was used by Kent Brockman in "Deep Space Homer" and has seeped into popular culture to describe a number of events. Variants of Brockman's utterance are used to express mock submission, usually for the purpose of humor. It has been used in media, such as New Scientist magazine. The dismissive term "Meh" has also been popularized by the show. Television: The Simpsons was the first successful animated program in prime time since Wait Till Your Father Gets Home in the 1970s. During most of the 1980s, pundits considered animated shows as appropriate only for children, and animating a show was too expensive to achieve a quality suitable for prime-time television. The Simpsons changed this perception. The use of Korean animation studios doing in-betweening, coloring, and filming made the episodes cheaper. The success of The Simpsons and the lower production cost prompted television networks to take chances on other animated series. This development led to a 1990s boom in new, animated prime-time shows, such as South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Futurama, and The Critic. South Park later paid homage to The Simpsons with the episode "Simpsons Already Did It." The Simpsons has also influenced live-action shows like Malcolm in the Middle, which debuted January 9, 2000 in the time slot after The Simpsons. Malcolm in the Middle featured the use of sight gags and did not use a laugh track like most sitcoms. Ricky Gervais has called The Simpsons a major influence on his British comedy The Office, which also dispenses with a laugh track. The Simpsons has been praised by many critics, being described as "the most irreverent and unapologetic show on the air." In a 1990 review of the show, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly described it as "the American family at its most complicated, drawn as simple cartoons. It's this neat paradox that makes millions of people turn away from the three big networks on Sunday nights to concentrate on The Simpsons." Tucker would also describe the show as a "pop-cultural phenomenon, a prime-time cartoon show that appeals to the entire family." The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 23 Emmy Awards, 26 Annie Awards, and a Peabody Award. In a 1998 issue celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and entertainment, Time magazine named The Simpsons the century's best television series. In that same issue, Time included Bart Simpson in the Time 100, the publication's list of the century's 100 most influential people. Bart was the only fictional character on the list. On January 14, 2000, the Simpsons were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also in 2000, Entertainment Weekly magazine TV critic Ken Tucker named The Simpsons the greatest television show of the 1990s. Furthermore, viewers of the UK television channel Channel 4 have voted "The Simpsons" at the top of two polls: 2001's 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows, and 2005's 100 Greatest Cartoons, with Homer Simpson voted into first place in 2001's 100 Greatest TV Characters. Homer would also place ninth on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "50 Greatest TV icons". In 2002, The Simpsons ranked #8 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time; in 2007 it was included in TIME's list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time"; in 2008 the show placed first on AOL's list of "TV's 50 best comedies - ever"; and also in 2008 the show was placed in first on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 100 Shows of the Past 25 Years" On February 9, 1997, The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones with the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" as the longest-running prime-time animated series in the United States. In 2004, The Simpsons replaced The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952 to 1966) as the longest-running sitcom (animated or live action) in the United States. In October 2004, Scooby-Doo briefly overtook The Simpsons as the American animated show with the highest number of episodes.[ However, network executives in April 2005 again cancelled Scooby-Doo, which finished with 371 episodes, and The Simpsons reclaimed the title with 378 episodes at the end of their seventeenth season. In May 2007, The Simpsons reached their 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth season. While The Simpsons has the record for the number of episodes by an American animated show, other animated series have surpassed The Simpsons. For example, the Japanese anime series Sazae-san has close to 2,000 episodes to its credit. The year 2007 marks the twentieth anniversary of The Simpsons franchise. With its nineteenth year (2007–2008), the series will be only one season behind Gunsmoke's U.S. primetime, scripted television record of 20 produced seasons. However, Gunsmoke's episode count of 635 episodes far surpasses The Simpsons, which would not reach that mark until its 29th season, under normal programming schedules. Critics' reviews of new Simpsons episodes praised the show for its wit, realism, and intelligence. In the late-1990s, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling the show "tired." By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics. Author Douglas Coupland described claims of declining quality in the series as "hogwash", saying "The Simpsons hasn't fumbled the ball in fourteen years, it's hardly likely to fumble it now." Mike Scully, who was showrunner during seasons nine through twelve, has been the subject of criticism. Chris Suellentrop of Slate wrote "under Scully's tenure, The Simpsons became, well, a cartoon. [...] Episodes that once would have ended with Homer and Marge bicycling into the sunset now end with Homer blowing a tranquilizer dart into Marge's neck. The show's still funny, but it hasn't been touching in years." In 2003, to celebrate the show's 300th episode "Barting Over", USA Today published a pair of Simpsons related articles: a top-ten episodes list chosen by the webmaster of The Simpsons Archive fansite, and a top-15 list by The Simpsons' own writers. The most recent episode listed on the fan list was 1997's "Homer's Phobia"; the Simpsons' writers most recent choice was 2000's "Behind the Laughter". In 2004, Harry Shearer criticized what he perceived as the show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so Season Four looks very good to me now." The Simpsons managed to maintain a large viewership and attract new fans. While the first season enjoyed an average of 13.4 million viewers per episode in the U.S., the nineteenth season had an average of 7.7 million viewers. In an April 2006 interview, Matt Groening said, "I honestly don't see any end in sight. I think it's possible that the show will become too financially cumbersome... but right now, the show is creatively, I think, as good or better than it's ever been. The animation is incredibly detailed and imaginative, and the stories do things that we haven't done before. So creatively there's no reason to quit." The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandizing industry. The title family and supporting characters appear on everything from t-shirts to posters. On April 24, 2007, it was officially announced that a Simpsons Ride will be implemented into the Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is scheduled for a Spring 2008 opening. The Simpsons has inspired special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, and The Game of Life, as well as the trivia games What Would Homer Do? and Simpsons Jeopardy!. Several card games such as trump cards and The Simpsons Trading Card Game have also been released. Numerous Simpson-related publications have been released over the years. So far, nine comic book series have been published by Bongo Comics since 1993. The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comics are also reprinted in the United Kingdom, under the same titles, with various stories from the other Bongo series reprinted in the main Simpsons comic. The comics have also been collected in book form; many other Simpsons books such as episode guides have also been published. Collections of original music featured in the TV series have been released on the albums Songs in the Key of Springfield and Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons. Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show. The best known single is "Do the Bartman", which was co-written by Michael Jackson, and became an international success, topping the UK Singles Chart for three weeks, and being certified gold by the BPI. In the United Kingdom, "Deep, Deep Trouble" was released as a follow up to "Do The Bartman." The albums The Simpsons Sing the Blues and The Yellow Album contained cover versions of songs, as well as some originals. As a promotion for “The Simpsons Movie,” twelve 7-Eleven stores were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts and sold The Simpsons related products. These included "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O" cereal, Pink doughnuts with sprinkles, and "Squishees." In 2007, it was announced that The Simpsons Ride, a motion simulator ride, would open at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood and would replace Back to the Future: The Ride at both locations. The ride at Universal Studios Florida opened on April 28, 2008, with the official ceremonies set to take place in May. The ride at Universal Studios Hollywood opened on May 19, 2008. In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Krustyland built by Krusty the Clown. However, Sideshow Bob is loose from prison to get revenge on Krusty and the Simpson family. Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years. When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the best-selling television DVD in history, although it was later overtaken by the first season of Chappelle's Show. In particular, seasons one through ten have been released on DVD in the U.S. (Region 1), Europe (Region 2) and Australia/New Zealand/Latin America (Region 4) with more seasons expected to be released in the future. The video game industry was quick to adapt the characters and world of Springfield into games. Some of the early games include Konami's arcade game The Simpsons (1991) and Acclaim Entertainment's The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants (1991). More modern games include The Simpsons Road Rage (2001), The Simpsons Hit & Run (2003) and The Simpsons Game (2007). Two Simpsons pinball machines have been produced; one that was available briefly after the first season, and another that is still available for purchase. 20th Century Fox, Gracie Films, and Film Roman produced an animated The Simpsons film that was released on July 27, 2007. The film was directed by long-time Simpsons producer David Silverman and written by a team of Simpsons writers comprising Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, George Meyer, Mike Reiss, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, David Mirkin, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, and Ian Maxtone-Graham. Production of the film occurred alongside continued writing of the series despite long-time claims by those involved in the show that a film would enter production only after the series had concluded. There had been talk of a possible feature-length Simpsons film ever since the early seasons of the series. James L. Brooks originally thought that the story of the episode "Kamp Krusty" was suitable for a film, but encountered difficulties in trying to expand the script to feature-length. For a long time, difficulties such as lack of a suitable story and an already fully engaged crew of writers delayed the project. After winning a FOX and USA Today competition, Springfield, Vermont hosted the film's world premiere. “The Simpsons Movie” grossed a combined total of $74 million in its opening weekend in the United States, taking it to the top of the box office, and set the record for highest grossing opening weekend for a film based on a television series, surpassing Mission Impossible II. It opened at the top of the international box office, taking $96 million from seventy-one overseas territories, including $27.8 million in the United Kingdom, making it FOX's second highest opening ever in that country. In Australia, it grossed AU$13.2 million, the biggest opening for an animated film and third largest opening weekend in the country. As of December 17, 2007 the film has a worldwide gross of $526,622,545. Yes, I know The Simpsons is not as good as it use to be, but here’s the thing…well, two things actually: 1. It may not be as good as it once was, but it is better than a lot of shows on TV today (I’d rather watch all The Simpsons episodes for the last four years than just one episode of The Hills or I Love New York). 2. When it was good, there was practically nothing better or funnier. The Simpsons is the TV equivalent of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (once parodied in the opening "couch gag"): after it came along, nothing was the same. It established a generation's cultural references and sensibility; is there any situation without a suitable Simpsons quote? And, to think this all started back in the mid 1980s, when an indigent Los Angeles-based newspaper cartoonist named Matt Groening was approached by a fan, producer-director James L. Brooks, to provide some animated cartoons to run between sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show. Groening came up with the Simpsons, a bright-yellow-skinned dysfunctional family who debuted in April of 1987. The dad, Homer, was a stupid but wily, loving but greedy oaf with an insatiable appetite for doughnuts in the morning (Mmm…doughnuts) in the morning, beer (Mmm…beer) at night, and pretty much anything and everything in between (Mmm…free goo.). The mom, Marge, was wise and kind but nagging and had a think column of blue hair. The son, Bart, was the consummate 10-year-old wise guy who constantly gets in trouble. The daughter, Lisa, was the consummate 8-year-old sensitive girl with an annoying genius intellect. And, the baby, Maggie, was a sweet little tot who loves her pacifier and hurting people (she did shoot Mr. Burns). After three years on The Tracey Ullman Show, FOX decided to give the Simpson clan their own show. Needless to say, the rest is history…but I’ll say it anyway: the show quickly became the deepest, richest, and wittiest cartoon ever made for TV and becoming an international pop-cult phenomenon, characterized by much solemn media hand-wringing over Bart’s guilt-free impudence and his rude catchphrase, “Don’t have a cow, man!” And, much like the show itself, the town of Springfield (on the borders of Ohio, Maine, Nevada, and Kentucky) grew huge as well, becoming one of the richest and densest universes on TV since Star Trek. Starting out as a family cartoon, it grew a cast of hundreds that spanned celebrity (Ranier Wolfcastle, Troy McClure), religion (Reverend Lovejoy, the de-diddly-vout Flanders family), business (C. Montgomery Burns, the Rich Texan), crime (Chief Wiggum, Fat Tony), and immigration (Apu, Groundskeeper Willie). But maybe its best and favorite subject has been television itself ("Teacher, mother, secret lover!" as Homer would say, getting closer to the heart of the medium’s appeal than entire generations of pop culture scholars ever could) which it has lampooned through Krusty the Clown, Kent Brockman, Duffman, and the Laramie Cigarette sponsorship of Radioactive Man. It even embodies its own critique in the person of crabby superfan Comic Book Guy, who would probably call any episode that disappointed a little “Worst. Episode. Ever.” And, yeah, maybe it should have gone off the air years ago. But, I doubt it will go away anytime soon. It has become such a fixture on TV that it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The Simpsons is stuck on Sunday nights on FOX like Homer stuck in an inflatable tube (D’OH!).
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 4, 2008 22:04:11 GMT -5
9. The Twilight Zone Genre: Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Comedy, Drama. Created by: Rod Serling. Executive Producer(s): Rod Serling. Starring: Rod Serling. Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 5. Number of Episodes: 156. Running Time: 30 minutes (Seasons 1-3 and 5), 60 minutes (Season 4). Original Channel: CBS. Original Run: 1959-1964 Spinoffs: There were two revivals: The New Twilight Zone that aired on CBS from 1985-1989, and The Twilight Zone that aired on UPN from 2002-2003. There were also two Twilight Zone movies: “The Twilight Zone Movie” (1983) and “The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics” (1994). By the late 1950s, Rod Serling was not a new name to television. His successful teleplays included Patterns (for Kraft Television Theater) and Requiem for a Heavyweight (for Playhouse 90), but constant changes and edits made by the networks and sponsors frustrated Serling, who decided that creating his own show was the best way to get around these obstacles. He thought that behind a television series with robots, aliens and other supernatural occurrences, he could also express his political views in a more subtle fashion. "The Time Element" was Serling's 1957 pilot pitch for his show, a time travel adventure about a man who travels back to Honolulu in 1941 and unsuccessfully tries to warn everyone about the impending attack on Pearl Harbor. The script, however, was rejected and shelved for a year until Bert Granet discovered and produced it as an episode of Desilu Playhouse in 1958. The show was a huge success and enabled Serling to finally begin production on his anthology series, The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone premiered the night of October 2, 1959 to rave reviews. "...Twilight Zone is about the only show on the air that I actually look forward to seeing. It's the one series that I will let interfere with other plans," said Terry Turner for the Chicago Daily News. Others agreed, the Daily Variety ranking it with "the best that has ever been accomplished in half-hour filmed television" and the New York Herald Tribune finding it to be "certainly the best and most original anthology series of the year." Even as the show proved popular to television's critics, it struggled to find a receptive audience of television viewers. CBS was banking on a rating of at least 21 or 22, but its initial numbers were much worse. The series' future was jeopardized when its third episode, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" earned an abysmal 16.3 rating. The show attracted a large enough audience to survive a brief hiatus in November, during which it finally surpassed its competition on ABC and NBC and convinced its sponsors (General Foods and Kimberly-Clark) to stay on until the end of the season. With one exception ("The Chaser"), the first season featured only scripts written by Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, a team that was eventually responsible for 127 of the show's 156 episodes. Many of the first season's episodes proved to be among the series' most celebrated, including "Time Enough at Last", "Walking Distance" and "The After Hours". The first season won Serling an unprecedented fourth Emmy for dramatic writing, a Producers Guild Award for Serling's creative partner Buck Houghton and the Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation. The second season premiered on September 30, 1960 with "King Nine Will Not Return", Serling's fresh take on the pilot episode "Where Is Everybody?". The familiarity of this first story stood in stark contrast to the novelty of the show's new packaging: Bernard Herrmann's original theme had been replaced by Marius Constant's guitar-and-bongo riff, the Daliesque landscapes of the original opening were replaced by an even more surreal introduction inspired by the new images in Serling's narration ("That's the signpost up ahead"), and Serling himself stepped in front of the cameras for the first time to present his opening narration surrounded by the scenery he was describing. A new sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive, replaced the previous year's Kimberly-Clark and a new network executive, James Aubrey took over CBS. "Jim Aubrey was a very, very difficult problem for the show", said associate producer Del Reisman. "He was particularly tough on The Twilight Zone because for its time it was a particularly costly half hour show.... Aubrey was real tough on [the show's budget] even when it was a small number of dollars." In a push to keep The Twilight Zone's expenses down, Aubrey ordered that seven fewer episodes be produced than last season and that six of those being produced would be shot on videotape rather than film. The second season saw the production of many of the series' most acclaimed episodes, including "The Eye of the Beholder" and "The Invaders". The trio of Serling, Matheson and Beaumont began to admit new writers, and this season saw the television debut of George Clayton Johnson. Emmys were won by Serling (his fifth) for dramatic writing and by director of photography George T. Clemens and, for the second year in a row, the series won the Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation. It also earned the Unity Award for "Outstanding Contributions to Better Race Relations" and an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama." In his third year as executive producer, host, narrator and primary writer for The Twilight Zone, Serling was beginning to feel exhausted. "I've never felt quite so drained of ideas as I do at this moment", said the 37-year old playwright at the time. In the first two seasons he contributed 48 scripts, or 73% of the show's total output. He contributed only 56% of the third season's. "The show now seems to be feeding off itself", said a Variety reviewer of the season's second episode, who couldn't understand Serling's endless and exhaustive treatment of themes, "Twilight Zone seems to be running dry of inspiration." Despite his avowed weariness, Serling again managed to produce several teleplays that are widely regarded as classics, including "It's a Good Life", "To Serve Man" and "Five Characters in Search of an Exit". Scripts by Montgomery Pittman and Earl Hamner Jr. supplemented Matheson and Beaumont's output, and George Clayton Johnson submitted three teleplays that examined complex themes. The episode "I Sing the Body Electric" could boast: "Written by Ray Bradbury". By the end of the third season, the series had reached over 100 episodes. The Twilight Zone received two Emmy nominations (for cinematography and art design), but was awarded neither. It again received the Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation", making it the only three-time recipient. In spring 1962, The Twilight Zone was late in finding a sponsor for its fourth season and was replaced on CBS' fall schedule with a new hour-long situation comedy called Fair Exchange. In the confusion that followed this apparent cancellation, producer Buck Houghton left the series for a position at Four Star Productions. Serling meanwhile accepted a teaching post at Antioch College, his alma mater. Though the series was eventually renewed, Serling's contribution as executive producer decreased in its final seasons. In November 1962 CBS contracted Twilight Zone (now sans the “The”) as a mid-season January replacement for Fair Exchange, the very show that replaced it in the September 1962 schedule. In order to fill Fair Exchange’s timeslot each episode had to be expanded to an hour, an idea which did not sit well with the production crew. “Ours is the perfect half-hour show,” said Serling just a few years earlier. “If we went to an hour, we’d have to fleshen our stories, soap opera style. Viewers could watch fifteen minutes without knowing whether they were in a Twilight Zone or Desilu Playhouse." Herbert Hirschman was hired to replace long-time producer Buck Houghton. One of Hirschman's first decisions was to direct a new opening sequence, this one illustrating a door, eye, window and other objects suspended Magritte-like in space. His second task was to find and produce quality scripts. This season of Twilight Zone once again turned to the reliable trio of Serling, Matheson and Beaumont. However, Serling’s input was limited this season; he still provided the lion’s-share of the teleplays, but as executive producer he was virtually absent and as host, his artful narrations had to be shot back-to-back against a gray background during his infrequent trips to Los Angeles. Due to complications from a developing brain disease, Beaumont’s input also began to diminish significantly. Additional scripts were commissioned from Earl Hamner, Jr. and Reginald Rose to fill in the gap. With five episodes left in the season, Hirschman received an offer to work on a new NBC series called Espionage and was replaced by Bert Granet, who had previously produced "The Time Element". Among Granet’s first assignments was "On Thursday We Leave for Home", which Serling considered the season's most effective episode. There was an Emmy nomination for cinematography, and a nomination for the Hugo Award. The show returned to its half-hour format for the fall schedule. Beaumont was now out of the picture entirely, contributing scripts only through the ghostwriters Jerry Sohl and John Tomerlin, and after producing only thirteen episodes, Bert Granet left and was replaced by William Froug, with whom Serling had worked on Playhouse 90. Froug made a number of unpopular decisions, first by shelving several scripts purchased under Granet's term (including Matheson’s The Doll, which was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award when finally produced in 1986 on Amazing Stories). Secondly, Froug alienated George Clayton Johnson when he hired Richard deRoy to completely rewrite Johnson’s teleplay Tick of Time, eventually produced as "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". "It makes the plot trivial," complained Johnson of the resulting script. Tick of Time became Johnson’s final submission to The Twilight Zone. Even under these conditions, several episodes were produced that are generally remembered, including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", "A Kind of a Stopwatch" and "Living Doll". Although this season received no Emmy recognition, episode number 142, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," a French-produced short film, received the Academy Award for best short film, making Twilight Zone one of only two television series in history (the other being the Canadian news/documentary series the fifth estate) to win both an Emmy and an Oscar. In late January 1964, CBS announced Twilight Zone's cancellation. "For one reason or other, Jim Aubrey decided he was sick of the show", explained Froug. "He claimed that it was too far over budget and that the ratings weren't good enough". Serling countered by telling the Daily Variety that he had "decided to cancel the network". ABC showed interest in bringing the show over to their network under the new name Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves, but Serling wasn't impressed. "[The network executives seem] to prefer weekly ghouls, and we have what appears to be a considerable difference in opinion. I don't mind my show being supernatural, but I don't want to be booked into a graveyard every week". Shortly afterwards Serling sold his 40 percent share in The Twilight Zone to CBS, leaving the show and indeed all projects involving the supernatural behind him until 1969 and the debut of Night Gallery. Being an anthology series, with no recurring characters, The Twilight Zone featured a wide array of guest stars for each episode. Among others, Jack Klugman, Burgess Meredith, James Best, Cliff Robertson, Lee Marvin, and William Shatner appeared in multiple episodes. Several episodes feature early career performances of actors who later became quite famous, such as Peter Falk, Carol Burnett, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dennis Hopper and Charles Bronson. Other episodes feature late career performances by such stars as Franchot Tone, Dana Andrews, Mickey Rooney, Andy Devine, Cedric Hardwicke, Buster Keaton, Ida Lupino and Ed Wynn. Many talented character actors who made successful careers out of guest roles on television programs also were featured on the show, like Albert Salmi, Harold J. Stone, Vito Scotti, Nehemiah Persoff, Nancy Kulp, and John Anderson. The Twilight Zone episodes continue to be broadcast in syndication, are available on DVD, and can be streamed online. Episodes are broadcast most weeknights on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States. On every Fourth of July and New Year's Eve, SciFi airs a marathon of The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone was released on Region 1 DVD for the first time by Image Entertainment. The various releases include: 43 volumes of 3 to 4 episodes each (released December 29, 1998 - June 12, 2001), five 9-disc Collection DVD sets (released December 3, 2002 - February 25, 2003), season sets (released December 28, 2004 - December 26, 2005), The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection (released October 3, 2006), Treasures of The Twilight Zone (3 episode compilation released November 24, 1997), More Treasures of The Twilight Zone (3 episode compilation released November 24, 1998), The Twilight Zone: 40th Anniversary Gift Pack (19 episode compilation released September 21, 1999), and The Twilight Zone: Gold Collection, a 49 disc set of the entire series, released by V3 Media on December 2, 2002. Only 2,500 sets were made. Episodes of The Twilight Zone can be seen free of charge on the official CBS website. There have been two revivals of the show: The New Twilight Zone (1985-1989): It was Serling's decision to sell his share of the series back to the network that eventually allowed for a Twilight Zone revival. As an in-house production, CBS stood to earn more money producing The Twilight Zone than it could by purchasing a new series produced by an outside company. Even so, the network was slow to consider a revival, shooting down offers from the original production team of Rod Serling and Buck Houghton and later from American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Their hesitation stemmed from concerns familiar to the original series: Twilight Zone had never been the breakaway hit CBS wanted, why should they expect it to do better in a second run? The answers to this question began to surface in the early 1980s, as a new generation of writers and directors emerged from the very teenagers who formed the core of Twilight Zone's original audience. First came The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree, an in-depth look into the history of the series that won critical accolade, a 1983 nomination for the American Book Award and a place on best-seller lists across the nation. Also encouraging were the new numbers from Nielsen and the box office alike. Despite lukewarm response to “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller's theatrical homage to the original series, CBS gave The New Twilight Zone a greenlight in 1984 under the supervision of Carla Singer, then Vice President of Drama Development. While the show didn't match the enduring popularity of the original, it did develop its own cult following and some episodes, including the love story "Her Pilgrim Soul" and J. Michael Straczynski's deeply moving "Dream Me a Life," were widely acclaimed. Second revival (2002–2003): A second low-budget revival was attempted by UPN in 2002, with narration provided by Forest Whitaker and theme music by Jonathan Davis (of the rock group Korn). Broadcast in an hour format with two half-hour stories, it was cancelled after one season. The critical and audience reaction to this revival was generally not very good, although reruns continue to air in syndication and in the summer of 2008 on MyNetwork TV. Noteworthy episodes featured Jason Alexander as Death wanting to retire from harvesting souls, Lou Diamond Phillips as a swimming pool cleaner being shot repeatedly in his dreams, Susanna Thompson as a woman whose stated wish results in an "upgrading" of her family, Usher as a policeman being bothered by telephone calls from beyond the grave, and Katherine Heigl playing nanny to an infant Adolf Hitler. The series also includes remakes and updates of stories presented in the original Twilight Zone television series, including the famous "The Eye of the Beholder." One of the updates, "The Monsters Are On Maple Street", is a modernized version of the classic episode similarly called "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". The original show was about the paranoia surrounding a neighborhood-wide blackout. In the course of the episode, somebody suggests an alien invasion being the cause of the blackouts, and that one of the neighbors may be an alien. The anti-alien hysteria is an allegory for the anti-communist paranoia of the time, and the 2003 remake, starring Andrew McCarthy, replaces aliens with terrorists. The show also contains a follow-up episode to the events of the original episode "It's a Good Life." Bill Mumy returned to play the adult version of Anthony, the demonic child he had played in the original story, with Mumy's daughter, Liliana, appearing as Anthony's daughter, a more benevolent but even more powerful child. Cloris Leachman also returned as Anthony's mother. Mumy went on to serve as screenwriter for other episodes in the revival. The Twilight Zone revival series tended to address contemporary issues head-on; i.e. terrorism, racism, gender roles, and sexuality. Other guest stars include, but not limited to: Jessica Simpson, Christopher Titus, Eriq La Salle, Jason Bateman, Method Man, Linda Cardellini, Jaime Pressly, Jeremy Sisto, Molly Sims, Portia de Rossi, Christopher McDonald, Jeremy Piven, Ethan Embry, Shannon Elizabeth, Jonathan Jackson, Amber Tamblyn, Dylan Walsh and Elizabeth Berkley. The complete series was released on DVD by New Line in a six disc boxset on September 7, 2004. There were also two films made based on the show: one a theatrical motion picture, the other a TV movie: “Twilight Zone: The Movie”: “Twilight Zone: The Movie” is a 1983 feature film produced by Steven Spielberg. It starred Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, John Lithgow and Scatman Crothers. The film remade three classic episodes of the original series and included one original story. John Landis directed the prologue and the first segment, Steven Spielberg directed the second, Joe Dante the third, and George Miller directed the final segment. The Landis-directed episode is possibly best known for the helicopter accident that resulted in the deaths of Morrow and two child actors during filming. Leonardo DiCaprio, a fan of The Twilight Zone, is planning to make a new movie with Warner Bros. However, unlike the first film, which was an anthology feature, it will be a big-budget, SFX-laden continuous story possibly based on classic episodes of the series such as "The Eye of the Beholder," "To Serve Man," or any of the 92 scripts written by Rod Serling, to which Warner Bros. owns the rights. “The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics” (1994): In the early 1990s, Richard Matheson and Carol Serling produced an outline for a two-hour made-for-TV movie which would feature Matheson adaptations of three yet-unfilmed Rod Serling short stories. Outlines for such a production were rejected by CBS until early 1994, when Serling's widow discovered a complete shooting script ("Where the Dead Are") authored by her late husband while rummaging through their garage. Serling showed the forgotten script to producers Michael O'Hara and Laurence Horowitz, who were significantly impressed by it. "I had a pile of scripts, which I usually procrastinate about reading. But I read this one right away and, after 30 pages, called my partner and said, "I love it," recalled O'Hara. "This is pure imagination, a period piece, literate—some might say wordy. If Rod Serling's name weren't on it, it wouldn't have a chance at getting made." Eager to capitalize on Serling's celebrity status as a writer, CBS packaged "Where the Dead Are" with Matheson's adaptation of "The Theatre," debuting as a two-hour feature on the night of May 19, 1994, under the name Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics. The title represents a misnomer, as both stories were conceived long after Twilight Zone's cancellation. Written just months before Serling's death, "Where the Dead Are" starred Patrick Bergin as a 19th century doctor who stumbles upon a mad scientist's medical experiments with immortality. "The Theatre" starred Amy Irving and Gary Cole as a couple who visit a cineplex, only to discover that the feature presentation is their own lives. James Earl Jones provided opening and closing narrations. Critical response was mixed. Gannett News Service described it as "taut and stylish, a reminder of what can happen when fine actors are given great words." USA Today was less impressed, even suggesting that Carol Serling "should have left these two unproduced mediocrities in the garage where she found them." Ultimately ratings proved insufficient to justify a proposed sequel featuring three Matheson-adapted scripts. In 2002, episodes of the original The Twilight Zone were adapted for radio, with Stacy Keach taking Serling's role as narrator. Western Publishing published a Twilight Zone comic book, first under their Dell Comics imprint for 4 issues, one in 1961 and 3 further issues in 1962, with the first two published as part of their long running Four Color anthology series as issue numbers 1173 and 1288, and then two further one shots numbered separately in Dell's unique fashion as 01-860-207 and 12-860-210 (numbered as 01-860-210 on the inside) respectively. Western then restarted the series under their Gold Key imprint with a formal issue #1, which ran 92 issues from 1962 to 1979, with the final issue being published in 1982. Several of the stories would be reprinted in their Mystery Comics Digest, which mentioned the title on the covers. A wide range of artists worked on the title, including Jack Sparling, Reed Crandall, Lee Elias, George Evans, Russ Jones, Joe Orlando, Jerry Robinson, Mike Sekowsky, Dan Spiegle, Frank Thorne, and Alex Toth. In 1990, NOW Comics published a new comic series with using the title logo from the 1985 revival. The publisher made great efforts to sign established sci-fi/fantasy writers, including Harlan Ellison, adapting his story "Crazy as a Soup Sandwich." Beginning in 2001, Gauntlet Press began publishing collections of original scripts from The Twilight Zone by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling. A ten-volume signed, limited edition series of all 92 of Rod Serling's scripts, authorized by his wife, Carol Serling, began yearly publication in 2004. Many of the scripts contain handwritten edits by Serling himself and differ in significant ways from the aired versions; most volumes contain an alternate version of a selected script. The script for "Monsters Due On Maple Street" has been published into 7th grade reading books in the form of a play. Live theater productions of the original episodes can be seen in Los Angeles and Seattle, where Theater Schmeater has continuously produced a late night series, "The Twilight Zone — Live" with permission of the Serling estate, since 1996. In 2005, 4 Letter Entertainment produced “Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?” in Los Angeles. In 1993, Midway released a widebody pinball game, Twilight Zone (based on the original TV series). After his Addams Family pinball became the best selling pinball machine of all time, Midway gave designer Pat Lawlor creative control over the game. The game uses Golden Earring's 1982 hit song "Twilight Zone" as its theme song. The game sold 15,235 units. A text adventure based video game of The Twilight Zone for the PC and Amiga was also published in 1988 by Gigabit Systems Inc. The game has been panned by players for various problems. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a theme park attraction at the Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, Disney's California Adventure in California and Walt Disney Studios Paris in Paris. Tokyo DisneySea, Japan also has a version, but it does not carry on the Twilight Zone theme, due to constraints in copyrights for the Oriental Land Company, owner and operator of the Tokyo parks. Submitted for your approval: A man. A TV writer. His name: Rod Serling. Mr. Serling has won Emmys for writing serious teleplays like 1955’s “Patterns” for Kraft Television Theater and 1956’s “Requiem For A Heavyweight” for Playhouse 90 and is considered by many to the single finest drama of TV’s Golden Age. However, this Mr. Serling has decided to turn his energies to producing and writing a science fiction show in an era when sci-fi is considered comic book stuff. Mr. Serling is even asked by Mike Wallace in a famous 1959 interview, “You’ve given up writing anything important for television, right?” However, Mr. Serling has something up his sleeve with this comic book stuff. Many TV writers back then and today spend their entire careers trying to get critics to take them seriously; Mr. Serling's genius is to create a serious show and convince people that it was frivolous. This anthology show Mr. Serling creates has episodes that are mini masterworks of pulp storytelling and is so deeply lodged in the craniums of the baby-boom generation that you can still get a nervous laughter out of anyone just by imitating its pinprick theme music. Each episode is a tautly written morality play with supernatural and sci-fi elements that tease out the characters’ good or evil nature. For example: A man who despises machines is attacked by his home appliances. An antisocial bookworm survives a nuclear holocaust and has all the time he needs to read…until his glasses break. A woman has multiple plastic surgeries in order to make herself the standard of “beauty” in a world full of ugly people. A society is visited by a group of aliens who want to serve them…as their dinners. These episodes are comments on conformity, McCarthyism, and the threat of nuclear war, among other (often unnoticed) subjects. These episodes are neither self-important nor editorial. Many of these episodes were about more philosophical conflicts, or just old-fashioned sci-fi mind-blowers. And, our Mr. Serling has chosen the science fiction genre because he has no choice. He has long strained against the straightjacket of TV’s blandness: After a Studio One drama he has written about the Senate has been watered down, Mr. Serling groused, “I probably would have had a much more adult play had I…put it in the year 2057 and peopled the Senate with robots.” This is why Mr. Serling has chosen science fiction: because with it he can get away what he wants to write. It is the only place he can be subversive without scaring off sponsors. And, Mr. Serling lessons will live on in other shows like Battlestar Galactica or The X-Files: if you've got a point to make, sometimes it's better to let the monsters and robots do the talking. And, if you are wondering just what is this show Mr. Serling has created, then you will have to look for it in The Twilight Zone.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 4, 2008 22:06:05 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 8 and 7. Here are the hints:
A hospital on the move in a dangerous place, and a cop show that is depressed.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 5, 2008 20:52:31 GMT -5
Countdown time, here is number 8: 8. M*A*S*H Genre: Medical Drama, Dramedy, Black Comedy/ Created by: H. Richard Hornberger. Executive Producer(s): Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds. Starring: Alan Alda (Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Loretta Swit, (Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), Jamie Farr (Corporal, later Sergeant, Maxwell Klinger), William Christopher (Lieutenant, later Captain, Francis Mulcahy), Wayne Rogers (Captain “Trapper” John MacIntyre 1972–1975), McLean Stevenson (Lt. Colonel Henry Blake 1972–1975), Larry Linville (Major Frank Burns 1972–1977), Gary Burghoff (Corporal Walter Eugene “Radar” O’Reilly 1972–1979), Harry Morgan (Colonel Sherman Potter 1975–1983), Mike Farrell (Captain B.J. Hunnicutt 1975–1983), and David Ogden Stiers (Major Charles Emerson Winchester III 1977-1983). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 11. Number of Episodes: 251. Running Time: 24-25 minutes. Original Channel: CBS. Original Run: September 17, 1972 – February 28, 1983. Spinoffs: Three spinoffs, well two official spinoffs and one unofficial. The official ones are AfterMASH, which featured the characters of Father Mulcahy, Sherman Potter, and Maxwell Klinger working in a Midwestern hospital and lasted from 1983-1985; and W*A*L*T*E*R, a pilot made in 1984 for the character of Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, in which he moves to St. Louis and becomes a police officer. The unofficial spinoff is Trapper John, M.D., a show that lasted from 1979 to 1986 and focuses on the character of “Trapper” John McIntyre, who is played by Pernell Roberts rather than Wayne Rogers, who played him in the show. Legally, the show is considered a spinoff of the original movie “MASH,” rather than the M*A*S*H television show. This is due to a court case in which the producers of the series had sought royalty payments on the grounds that Trapper John, M.D. was a spinoff of their television series. However, the court found that the series was a spinoff of the original movie. As a result, the series producers did not receive any royalties from Trapper John, M.D. M*A*S*H was a weekly half-hour situation comedy, sometimes described as “black comedy” or a "dramedy," because of the dramatic subject material often presented (the term "dramedy," although coined in 1978, was not in common usage until after M*A*S*H had gone off the air). The show was an ensemble piece revolving around key personnel in a United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH; the asterisks in the name are meaningless, introduced in the novel) in the Korean War (1950–1953). The 4077th MASH was just one of several surgical units in Korea. As the show developed, the writing took on more of a moralistic tone. Richard Hooker, who wrote the book on which the show (and the film version) was based, noted that Hawkeye was far more liberal in the show (in one of the sequel books, Hawkeye in fact makes reference to “kicking the bejesus out of lefties just to stay in shape”). While the show was mostly comedy, there were many episodes of a more serious tone. Stories were both plot- and character-driven. Most of the characters were draftees, with dramatic tension often occurring between them and "Regular Army" characters, either among the cast (Swit as Houlihan, Morgan as Potter) or as guest stars (including Eldon Quick, Herb Voland, Mary Wickes, and Tim O'Connor). A letter to TV Guide written by a former MASH doctor in about 1973 stated that the most insane jokes and idiotic pranks on the show were the most true to life, including Klinger's crossdressing. The hellish reality of the MASH units encouraged this behavior out of a desperate need for something to laugh at. M*A*S*H maintained a relatively constant ensemble cast, with four characters, Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alda), Father Francis Mulcahy (Christopher), Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Swit), and Maxwell Q. Klinger (Farr), appearing on the show for all eleven of the seasons in which it ran. Several other main characters who left or joined the show midway through its original run supplemented these four, and numerous guest stars and one-time characters supplemented all of them. Only four characters left the show. The characters “Trapper” John McIntyre (Rogers), and Henry Blake (Stevenson) were written off the show after the third season; both characters were sent home, but Blake’s plane crashed while over the Sea Of Japan. The character Frank Burns (Linville) was written off the show after the fifth season; his character was sent home on a Section 8, a medical discharge for anyone suffering mental illness, after Margaret, whom he was in love with, married another man and had a mental breakdown due to a broken heart. The character Radar O’Reilly (Burghoff) was written out of the show during the eighth season; he was given a hardship discharge after his uncle Ed died. Also, three characters were added to the show to replace the departing ones. B.J. Hunnicutt (Farrell) and Sherman Potter (Morgan) joined the show in the fourth season to replace “Trapper” John and Blake respectively. Burns was replaced by Charles Emerson Winchester III (Stiers). Radar was the only character not replaced by a new character; his position was replaced by Klinger. Throughout the series, Klinger frequently introduces himself by his full name, Maxwell Q. Klinger, but never says what the Q. stands for. B.J.'s real name is never given. In one episode, Hawkeye goes to extreme lengths to learn what "B. J." stands for, but all official paperwork concerning his friend claims that B. J. really is his first name. Toward the end of the episode, B. J. explains "My mother, Bea Hunnicutt and my father, Jay Hunnicutt.", and claims that this is the reason for his odd name. A recurring joke in that episode is that upon being asked what B. J. stands for, B. J. merely replies "Anything you want." Frank Burns had three middle names during his time on the show: W., Marion, and D. (as in, "Franklin D. Whitebread marries Miss Cynthia Soon-to-be-Frigid") Radar's first name is stated as Walter and once, in "Fade In, Fade Out", he introduces himself by his full name to Charles Emerson Winchester, III, as "Walter Eugene O'Reilly." The book says his name is J. Robespierre and his first name is not revealed in the film. Throughout the run of the series, any "generic" nurses (nurse characters who had a line or two, but were minor supporting characters otherwise) were generally given the names "Nurse Able", "Nurse Baker", or "Nurse Charlie". These names stem from the phonetic alphabet used by the military and ham radio operators at the time. During the time period of the Korean War, the letters A, B, and C in the phonetic alphabet were Able, Baker, and Charlie (since then, the standard has been updated, and A and B are now Alpha and Bravo). In later seasons, it became more common for a real character name to be created, especially as several of the nurse actors became semi-regulars. For example, Kellye Nakahara played both "Able" and "Charlie" characters in season three before becoming the semi-regular "Nurse Kellye"; on the other hand, Judy Farrell (then Mrs. Mike Farrell) played Nurse Able in eight episodes, including the series finale. By the time the series ended, three of the regulars were promoted: Klinger (Jamie Farr) from Corporal to Sergeant, and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) from Lieutenant to Captain. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel when he was shipped back to the US following Margaret's marriage. (Farr and Christopher also saw their names move from the closing credits of the show, to the opening credits.) Radar O'Reilly was fraudulently "promoted" through a machination of Hawkeye and B.J. to Second Lieutenant, but disliked officer's duties, and asked them to "bust" him back to Corporal. It was Mike Farrell who asked to have his character's daughter's name be Erin, after his real-life daughter (the character's name was originally going to be Melissa). When B.J. spoke on the telephone on-camera, Erin or his then-wife Judy were on the other end. Three MASH 4077 staff members suffered fatalities on the show: Colonel Blake, when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan; an ambulance driver, O'Donnell, in a traffic accident; and a nurse, Millie Carpenter, by a landmine. Though actually an imaginary person made up by Hawkeye Pierce to provide money for Sister Teresa's orphanage, Captain Tuttle was reportedly killed at the front when he came to the attention of too many people. Hawkeye provided him a very ironic eulogy (“Tuttle”). Among those wounded were Hawkeye Pierce ("Hawkeye", "Lend A Hand", "Out of Sight Out of Mind" and "Comrades In Arms (Part I)"), Radar O'Reilly ("Fallen Idol"), B.J. Hunnicutt and Max Klinger ("Operation Friendship"), Klinger again ("It happened One Night"), Father Mulcahy ("Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"), and Sherman Potter ("Dear Ma"). Henry Blake was injured three times - once by a disgruntled chopper pilot ("Cowboy"), once by friendly fire ("The Army-Navy Game"), and in season 3, episode 15 ("Bombed"), Henry is injured when the latrine he is in is blown up. The gag of Blake being caught in a exploding latrine is also in episode "Cowboy." At least three personnel suffered emotional breakdowns: Hawkeye Pierce ("Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"), Frank Burns ("Fade Out, Fade In (Part 1)" and "Fade Out, Fade In (Part 2)"), and B.J. Hunnicutt ("Period of Adjustment"). Sherman Potter had two near-nervous breakdowns, once when he almost lost a patient and once while he was given information on treating burn victims. There were also several recurring characters on the show: Nurse Kealani Kellye, a recurring character in the 4077th appearing in 82 episodes, played by Kellye Nakahara. Jeff Maxwell played the bumbling Pvt. Igor Straminsky in 66 episodes. In his earlier appearances, he was the camp cook's aide, complaining that despite not actually cooking the food, he still had to listen to everyone's gripes about it. He was often the target of Hawkeye's wrath because of the terrible food and the recipient of his "river of liver and ocean of fish" rant in "Adam's Ribs." Supply sergeant for the 4077th, Staff Sgt Zelmo Zale, was portrayed by Johnny Haymer. He made his first appearance in the Season 2 episode, "For Want of a Boot", and his final appearance in the Season 8 episode, "Good-Bye Radar". Zale's name is mentioned for the final time in "Yessir, That's Our Baby." G. W. Bailey played the perpetually lazy Staff Sgt. Luther Rizzo in 14 episodes. Dr. Sidney Freedman, a psychiatrist, was played by Alan Arbus who appeared twelve times (once as Dr. Milton Freedman). Col. (Sam) Flagg, a paranoid intelligence officer, was played by Edward Winter and visited the unit six times. Marcia Strassman played nurse Margie Cutler six times. She disappeared after episode “Ceasefire.” Herb Voland appeared four times as Henry Blake's commander, Brigadier General Clayton. G. Wood appeared three times as Brigadier General Hammond, the same role he played in the movie. Robert F. Simon appeared three times as Major General Mitchell. Loudon Wainwright III appeared three times as Captain Calvin Spaulding, who was normally seen playing his guitar and singing. Eldon Quick appeared three times as two nearly identical characters, Capt. Sloan and Capt. Pratt, officers who were dedicated to paperwork and bureaucracy. Sgt. Jack Scully, played by Joshua Bryant, appeared in three episodes as a love interest of Margaret Houlihan. Pat Morita appeared twice as Capt. Sam Pak of the Republic of Korea Army. Sorrell Booke appeared twice as Brigadier General Bradley Barker. Robert Symonds appeared twice as Col. Horace Baldwin. Robert Alda, Alan Alda's father, appeared twice as Maj. Borelli, a visiting surgeon, "The Consultant" and "Lend a Hand." According to Alan Alda, "Lend a Hand" was his way of reconciling with his dad; he was always giving suggestions to Robert for their vaudeville act, and in "Lend a Hand" Robert's character was always giving Hawkeye suggestions. It was Robert's idea for the doctors to cooperate as "Dr. Right" and "Dr. Left" at the end of that episode, signifying both a reconciliation of their characters and in real life as well. Antony Alda, Alan Alda's half-brother, also appeared in "Lend a Hand" as Corporal Jarvis. Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot appeared twice (played by two different actors), once as Margaret's fiancé and once as her husband. Sgt. "Sparky" Pryor, a friend of Radar and Max, was a person whom people appeared to talk to on the telephone. He was seen only once, played by Dennis Fimple, in Tuttle (Season 1, Episode 15), but was sometimes faintly heard on the phone when he yelled. Sal Viscuso and Todd Susman played the camp's anonymous P.A. system announcer throughout the series. This unseen character broke the fourth Wall only once, in the episode "Welcome to Korea" (4-1) when introducing the regular cast members. Normally he just tells the camp about the incoming wounded with a sense of humor. Both Viscuso and Susman appeared onscreen as other characters in at least one episode each. At least 18 guest stars made appearances as multiple characters: Hamilton Camp appeared twice. First as the insane Corporal "Boots" Miller in "Major Topper" and again as a film distributor named Frankenheimer in "The Moon Is Not Blue." Dennis Dugan appeared twice; as O.R. orderly Pvt. McShane in 3.20, "Love and Marriage" and again in 11.11, "Strange Bedfellows" as Col. Potter's philandering son-in-law, Robert (Bob) Wilson. Tim O'Connor appeared as wounded artillery officer Colonel Spiker, and as visiting surgeon, Norm Traeger. Both characters were noticeably at odds with Hawkeye. Dick O'Neill appeared three times (each time in a different U.S. service branch); as a Navy Admiral Cox, as an Army Brigadier General Prescott, and as a Marine Colonel Pitts. Harry Morgan played both the 4077th's second beloved C.O. (Col. Sherman T. Potter), and the mentally unstable Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele in the show's third season in the episode "The General Flipped at Dawn." Soon-Tek Oh appeared five times; twice as North Korean POWs (in 4.6, "The Bus", and 8.10, "The Yalu Brick Road"), once as a North Korean doctor (5.9, "The Korean Surgeon"), once as O.R. orderly Mr. Kwang ("Love and Marriage") and once as a South Korean interpreter who posed as a North Korean POW (11.3, "Foreign Affairs"). (Soon-Tek Oh is one of the few Korean actors to play a Korean on MASH; most of the other "Korean" characters were played by either Japanese or Chinese actors.) Robert Karnes appeared twice: once as a Colonel in 4.1 and as a General in 6.4. Clyde Kusatsu appeared four times; twice as a Korean bartender in the Officer's Club, once as a Chinese-American soldier, and once as a Japanese-American surgeon. Robert Ito played a hood who works for the black market in 1.2, "To Market, To Market", and a North Korean soldier, disguised as a South Korean, looking for supplies, in "The Korean Surgeon." Mako appeared four times; once as a Chinese doctor, once as a South Korean doctor, once as a South Korean officer, and once as a North Korean soldier. Jerry Fujikawa appeared as crooked Korean matchmaker Dr. Pak in "Love and Marriage", as Trapper John's tailor in 3.3, "Officer of the Day", and as an acupuncturist named Wu in 8.24 "Back Pay." John Orchard starred as the Australian anesthetist, Ugly John, in the first season, and later appeared in 8.13 as a disgruntled and drunken Australian MP Muldoon, who has an arrangement with Rosie the barkeep: he takes bribes (in the form of booze in is "coffee" mug) to "look the other way." Richard Lee Sung appeared ten times as a local Korean who often had merchandise (and in one case, real estate) he wished to sell to the hospital staff; sold a backwards running watch to Major Burns. Jack Soo appeared twice; once as black market boss Charlie Lee with whom Hawkeye and Trapper made a trade for supplies in "To Market, To Market", and in "Payday" as a peddler who sold Frank two sets of pearls, one real, the other fake. Ted Gehring appeared twice: in 2.12 as moronic Supply Officer Major Morris who refuses to let the MASH doctors have a badly needed incubator, and in 7.6 as corrupt supply NCO Sgt Rhoden. Eldon Quik appeared three times, once as a finance officer and twice as Captain Sloan. Edward Winter appeared as an Intelligence Officer named "Halloran" in 2/13, and in 6 episodes as Colonel Flagg (although Halloran may have been one of Flagg's numerous and often mid-episode changing aliases). Shizuko Hoshi appeared at least twice: once as "Rosie" of "Rosie's Bar" in episode 3.13, "Mad Dogs and Servicemen," and once in 4.18, "Hawkeye," as the mother in a Korean family. John Fujioka, who played the uncredited role of a Japanese Golf Pro in the movie, appeared three times in the series. The first time was in "Dear Ma" (1975) as Colonel Kim, the second time was in "The Tooth Shall Set You Free" (1982) as Duc Phon Jong and the last time he played a peasant in "Picture This" (1982). Stuart Margolin appeared twice. First as psychiatrist Captain Phillip Sherman in Season 1's "Bananas, Crackers and Nuts" (1.07) and again as plastic surgeon Major Stanley 'Stosh' Robbins in Season 2's "Operation Noselift" (2.18). While most of the characters from the movie carried over to the series, only three actors appeared in both: Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) and G. Wood (General Hammond) reprised their movie roles in the series (though Wood appeared in only three episodes). Timothy Brown (credited as "Tim Brown") played "Cpl. Judson" in the movie and Spearchucker Jones in the series. Two of the cast members, Jamie Farr (Klinger) and Alan Alda (Hawkeye Pierce) served in the U.S. Army in Korea in the 1950s after the Korean War. The dog tags Farr wears on the show are his actual dogtags. Farr served as part of a USO tour with Red Skelton. Gary Burghoff's left hand is slightly deformed, and he took great pains to hide or de-emphasize it during filming. He did this by always holding something (like a clipboard), or keeping that hand in his pocket. Most of the M*A*S*H main cast guested on Murder She Wrote. Wayne Rogers made five appearances as roguish PI Charlie Garrat. David Ogden Stiers appeared three times as a Civil War-infused college lecturer and once as a classical music radio host. G. W. Bailey appeared twice as a New York City cop. Larry Linville made two appearances as a cop who was sure that Jessica was CIA. Harry Morgan appeared once in a cleverly cut episode that mixed with a film he had once been in. William Christopher made an appearance as a murderous bird-watcher. Jamie Farr appeared in two episodes, once as a hopeful new publisher for Jessica Fletcher and again with Loretta Swit (she played as a modern artist framed for murder). Mike Farrell appeared as a Senate hopeful. The 4077th actually consisted of two separate sets. An outdoor set, located in the mountains near Malibu, California in Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California was used for most exterior and tent scenes for every season. The indoor set, located on a sound stage at Fox Studios, was used for the indoor scenes for the run of the series. Later, after the indoor set was renovated to permit many of the "outdoor" scenes to be filmed there, both sets were used for exterior shooting as script requirements dictated (for example, night scenes were far easier to film on the sound stage, but scenes at the chopper pad required using the ranch). Just as the series was wrapping production, a major brush fire destroyed the entire set on October 9, 1982. The fire was written into the final episode as a forest fire caused by enemy incendiary bombs. The Malibu location is today known as Malibu Creek State Park. Formerly called the Fox Ranch, and owned by 20th Century Fox Studios until the 1980s, the site today is returning to a natural state, and marked by a rusted Jeep and an ambulance used in the show. On February 23, 2008, series stars Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit, and William Christopher along with producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe and prolific M*A*S*H director Charles S. Dubin reunited at the set to celebrate its partial restoration. The rebuilt iconic signpost is now displayed on weekends along with tent markers and maps and photos of the set. The state park is open to the public. It was also the location where the film “How Green Was My Valley” (1941) and the Planet of the Apes TV series (1974) were filmed, among other productions. When M*A*S*H was filming its last episode, the producers were contacted by the Smithsonian Institution, which asked to be given a part of the set. The producers quickly agreed and sent the tent, signposts and contents of "The Swamp," which was home to Hawkeye, BJ, Trapper, Charles and Frank during the course of the show. The Smithsonian has The Swamp on display to this day. Originally found on the Ranch, Radar's teddy bear, once housed at the Smithsonian, was sold at auction July 29, 2005, for $11,800. M*A*S*H was the first American network series to use the phrase "son of a bitch", in the 8th season episode ("Guerilla, My Dreams"), and there was brief partial nudity, (notably Gary Burghoff's buttocks in "The Sniper" and Hawkeye in one of the Dear Dad episodes.) A different innovation was the show's producers not wanting a laugh track as the network did. They compromised with a "chuckle track", played only occasionally. DVD releases of the series mostly allow viewers a no-laugh-track option. In his blog, writer Ken Levine revealed that on one occasion when the cast offered too many nit-picky "notes" on a script, he and his writing partner changed the script to a "cold show" - one set during the frigid Korean winter. The cast then had to stand around barrel fires in parkas at the Malibu ranch when the temperatures neared 100 degrees. Levine says, "This happened maybe twice, and we never got a ticky tack note again." The helicopters used on the series were model H-13 "Sioux" (military designation and nickname of the Bell-47 civilian model). The Jeeps used were "Willy's" Jeeps, while the Ambulances were Dodges and the bus used to transport wounded was a 1960 Chevy bus. The series had several unique episodes, which differed in tone, structure and style from the rest of the series, and were significant departures from the typical sitcom or dramedy plot. Some of these episodes include: The "letter episodes", which are flashback episodes narrated by a character as if they are writing a letter: Hawkeye writes to his Dad ("Dear Dad", "Dear Dad Again", "Dear Dad...Three", and he tape records a message in "A Full Rich Day"); Potter writes to his wife ("Dear Mildred"); BJ writes home to his wife ("Dear Peggy"); Radar writes to his mother ("Dear Ma") and tries his hand at creative writing ("The Most Unforgettable Characters"); Sidney writes to Sigmund Freud ("Dear Sigmund"); Winchester "writes" home by recording an audio message ("The Winchester Tapes"); Winchester's houseboy—a North Korean spy—writes to his superiors ("Dear Comrade"); Father Mulcahy writes to his sister, a nun ("Dear Sis"); Klinger writes home to his uncle ("Dear Uncle Abdul"); and the main characters all write to children in Crabapple Cove ("Letters"). The "mail call episodes"; "Mail Call", "Mail Call Again", and "Mail Call Three". In these episodes the members of the 4077th receive letters and packages from home. "O.R." (originally aired October 8, 1974), which takes place entirely within the confines of the operating room and preop/postop ward (and was the first episode to omit the laugh track completely). "Bulletin Board" (originally aired January 14, 1975), an episode showing various camp activities as seen on notices found on the camp bulletin board. These include a sex lecture by Henry, a letter written by Trapper, a Shirley Temple movie, and a picnic. "Hawkeye" (originally aired January 13, 1976), in which Hawkeye is taken in by a Korean family (who understand no English) after a jeep accident far from the 4077th, and he carries on what amounts to a 23-minute monologue in an attempt to remain conscious. Alan Alda is the only cast member to appear in the episode. "The Interview" (originally aired February 24, 1976), which is a sort of mockumentary about the 4077th. It is shot in black and white and presented as a 1950s television broadcast, with the cast partially improvising their responses to interviewer Clete Roberts' questions. Roberts returned for "Our Finest Hour" (originally aired October 9, 1978), which interspersed new black and white interview segments with color clips from previous episodes. "Point of View" (originally aired November 20, 1978), which is shot from the point of view of a soldier who is wounded in the throat and taken to the 4077th for treatment. "Life Time" (originally aired November 26, 1979), which takes place in real-time as the surgeons perform an operation that must be completed within 22 minutes (as a clock in the corner of the screen counts down the time). "Dreams" (originally aired February 18, 1980), in which the dreams of the overworked and sleep-deprived members of the 4077th are visually depicted, revealing their fears, yearnings, and frustrations. This episode was conceived by James Jay Rubinfier and co-written with Alan Alda. The episode received two prestigious writing honors: The Humanitas Prize (1980), and a Writers' Guild of America nomination for episodic television writing in the dramatic category, which was a first as M*A*S*H received WGA nominations in both comedy and drama categories that same year. "A War for All Seasons" (originally aired December 29, 1980), which compresses an entire year in the life of the 4077th into a single episode. "Follies of the Living—Concerns of the Dead" (originally aired January 4, 1982), in which a dead soldier's ghost (Kario Salem) wanders around the compound, and only a feverish Klinger is able to see him or speak with him. "When There's a Will, There's a War" (originally aired February 22, 1982), which features a series of flashbacks as Hawkeye recalls his friends' most endearing qualities while writing his last will and testament during heavy fighting at a front-line aid station. During the first season, Hawkeye and Trapper's bunk mate was an African American character called Spearchucker Jones, played by actor Timothy Brown, who appeared in the film version as a neurosurgeon. The character disappeared after 1.11 "Germ Warfare"; there is no record of African-American doctors serving in Korea. Another actor, George Morgan, played Father Mulcahy only in the pilot episode. By season three, McLean Stevenson was growing unhappy playing a supporting role to Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers. Midway through the season, he informed the producers he wanted out of the show. With ample time to prepare a “Goodbye Henry” show, it was decided that Henry Blake would be discharged and sent home for the Season Three finale, which aired on Tuesday March 18, 1975. In the final scene of his last episode, “Abyssinia, Henry,” Radar tearfully reports that Henry's plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan, and he was killed. The scene was the last one shot of the entire episode, and the page of script that reveals that development was only given to the cast moments before cameras rolled. The scene had to be shot twice due to a noise off camera, the actors had to recompose and act shocked at the news a second time. Up until then, they were going to get a message that Blake had arrived safely home. Although this is now regarded as a classic episode, at the time it garnered a barrage of angry mail from fans. As a result, the creative team behind M*A*S*H pledged that no other characters would leave the show in such a tragic fashion. Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre) was planning to return for Season Four but also had a disliking of his supporting role to Alda and because of his contract, left the series. Though Rogers had been threatening to leave the series since Season One, his departure was unexpected, as compared to that of McLean Stevenson. In addition, Rogers felt his character was never given any real importance and that all the focus was on Alda's character. Mike Farrell (Rogers’ replacement) was hastily recruited during the 1975 summer production hiatus. Actor Pernell Roberts later would assume the role of a middle-aged John "Trapper" McIntyre, in the seven-year run of "Trapper John, M.D." As a result of two of the three leads having departed the series, Season Four was, in many ways, a major turning point for M*A*S*H. At the beginning of the fourth season, Hawkeye was informed by Radar that Trapper had been discharged while Hawkeye was on leave, and audiences did not see Trapper's departure, while B. J. Hunnicutt came in as Trapper's replacement. Trapper, however, was described by Radar as being so jubilant over his release that "he got drunk for two days, took off all his clothes, and ran naked through the Mess Tent with no clothes on," and left with a message: a kiss on the cheek for Hawkeye. In the season's second episode, Colonel Sherman T. Potter was assigned to the unit as commanding officer, replacing Frank Burns (who had taken over as commander after Blake's departure). The series, while still remaining a comedy, gradually became more emotionally rounded. Major Houlihan's role continued to evolve during this time; she became much friendlier towards Hawkeye and B.J., and had a falling out with Frank. She later married a fellow officer, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscot, but the union did not last for long. The “Hot Lips” nickname was rarely used to describe her after about the midway point in the series. In fact, Loretta Swit wanted to leave the series in the 8th season to pursue other acting roles (most notably the part of Christine Cagney on Cagney & Lacey), but the producers refused to let her out of her contract. However, Swit did originate the Cagney role in the made-for-TV movie which served as that series' pilot. Larry Linville noted that his “Frank Burns” character was easier to “dump on” after head comedy writer Larry Gelbart departed after Season Four and "Frank" and "Margaret" parted ways. Throughout Season Five, Linville realized he’d taken Frank Burns as far as he could, and he decided that since he’d signed a five-year contract originally, and his fifth year was coming to an end, he would leave the series. During the first episode of Season Six, Frank Burns (off camera) suffered a nervous breakdown due to Margaret's marriage, and was held for psychiatric evaluation. In an unexpected twist, Burns was then transferred stateside to an Indiana Veteran's Administration hospital, near his home, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel - in a sense, Frank's parting shot at Hawkeye. Unlike McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, Linville had no regrets about leaving the series, saying “I felt I had done everything possible with the character.” Major Charles Emerson Winchester, III (David Ogden Stiers) was brought in as an antagonist of sorts to the other surgeons, but his relationship with them was not as acrimonious (although he was a more able foil). Unlike Frank Burns, Winchester did not care for the Army. His resentment stemmed, in part, from the fact that he was transferred from Tokyo General Hospital to the 4077th thanks, in part, to a cribbage debt owed to him by his CO, Colonel Horace Baldwin. What set him apart from Burns as an antagonist for Hawkeye and B.J. was that Winchester was clearly an excellent, technically superior surgeon, though his work sometimes suffered from his excessive perfectionism when rapid “meatball surgery” was called for. Winchester was respected by the others professionally, but at the same time, as a Boston “blueblood,” he was also snobbish, which drove much of his conflict with the other characters. Still, the show's writers would allow Winchester's humanity to shine through, such as in his dealings with a young piano player who had partially lost the use of his right hand, the protection of a stuttering soldier from the bullying of other soldiers (it is revealed later that his sister stutters), his keeping a vigil with Hawkeye when Hawkeye's father went into surgery back in the States, or his continuing of a family tradition of anonymously giving Christmas treats to an orphanage. The episode featuring this tradition is considered by many fans to be among the most moving in the series, as Winchester subjects himself to condemnation after realizing that “it is sadly inappropriate to offer dessert to a child who has had no meal.” Isolating himself, he is saved by Corporal Klinger's own gift of understanding. For the final moment of the episode, Major and Corporal are simply friends. Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) had been growing restless in his role since at least season four. With each year he appeared in fewer episodes, and by season seven Radar is in barely half of the shows. Burghoff planned to leave at the end of the seventh season, but was convinced by producers to wait until the beginning of season eight, when he filmed a 2-part farewell episode, plus a few short scenes that were inserted into episodes preceding it. The series' final nod to Radar came when his iconic teddy bear was included in a time capsule of the 4077th instigated by Hot Lips. Max Klinger also grew away from the transvestite reputation that overshadowed him. He dropped his Section 8 pursuit when taking over for Radar as Company Clerk. Both Farr and the producers felt that there was more to Klinger than a chiffon dress, and tried to develop the character more fully. Farr stayed throughout the rest of the series. As the series progressed, it made a significant shift from being primarily a comedy to becoming far more dramatically focused. Changes behind the scenes were the primary cause rather than the oft-cited cast defections. Executive Producer Gene Reynolds left at the end of season five, this coupled with head writer Larry Gelbart's departure the year before stripped the show of its comedic foundation. While M*A*S*H continued at a high level, the series' best comedic work was, for the most part, in the past. Beginning with season six, Alan Alda and new Executive Producer Burt Metcalfe became the "voice" of M*A*S*H. By season eight, the writing staff had been overhauled and M*A*S*H displayed a different feel, consciously moving between comedy and drama, unlike the seamless integration of years gone by. While this latter era showcased some fine dramatic moments, the attempts at pure comedy were not so successful. The quirky, fractured camp of the early years had gradually turned into a homogenized "family", clever dialogue gave way to puns, and the sharply defined characters were often unrecognizable and lost most of their comedic bite. In addition, the episodes became more political, and the show was often accused of “preaching” to its viewers. While the series remained popular through these changes, eventually it began to run out of creative steam. Harry Morgan, who played Colonel Potter, admitted in an interview that he felt "the cracks were starting to show" by Season Nine, and the cast had agreed to make season ten their last. In the end, they decided to extend the show for an additional year, making for a total of eleven seasons. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” was the final episode of M*A*S*H. The episode aired on February 28, 1983 and was 2½ hours long. It was viewed by nearly 106 million Americans (77% of viewership that night) which established it as the most watched episode in United States television history, a record which still stands. A common urban legend states that the episode was seen by so many people that just after the end of the episode, the New York City Sanitation/Public Works Department reported the largest use of water ever around the city, due to New Yorkers waiting through the whole show to go to the toilet. However, this claim is unfounded. M*A*S*H won a total of 14 Emmys during its eleven-year run. And, Alan Alda became the only person to win an Emmy for acting, writing, and directing. Starting on January 1, 2007, TV Land aired M*A*S*H from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. for one week in a marathon. According to a press release available at the Futon Critic,[citation needed] the marathon of M*A*S*H episodes and specials that aired during the first week of January drew "an average of 1.3 million total viewers and scored double-digit increases in demo rating and delivery." Additionally, the marathon helped TV Land rank in the top ten basic cable channels among the adults 25–54 demographic for the week. Ratings for specific episodes and specials are also included in the press release: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen "– 1.3 million total viewers, Memories of M*A*S*H (20th Anniversary) – 1.5 million total viewers, and 30th Anniversary Reunion Special – 1.4 million total viewers. M*A*S*H airs on TV Land and also airs four times a day, Monday through Friday on Hallmark Channel. In Australia, M*A*S*H is aired every weekday at 5pm on the Seven Network in an extensively cut-down form, and the network recently screened the final 2½-hour-long final episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" at the special time of midday in place of the normal midday movie. In New Zealand, the Australian-owned Prime Television channel airs M*A*S*H every weekday at 4:30pm. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, digital channel Paramount Comedy 2 broadcasts two episodes each weekday morning between 9am and 10am, which are then repeated at 7pm that evening and in the early hours of the following morning. The channel also sometimes devotes entire weekends to M*A*S*H, with every episode from a particular season being broadcast. The outdoor set used for the movie, the early years of the series, and then limited times in later seasons, is now a part of Malibu Creek State Park. In early 2008, years of overgrown brush were cleared away, the iconic signpost was rebuilt and tent markers were installed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the program's finale. On February 23, 2008 cast members Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit, William Christopher and Jeff Maxwell, producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe and prolific M*A*S*H director Charles S. Dubin reunited at the outdoor set for the first time to celebrate the milestone. One of the most recognizable sites in entertainment history has been reborn. It can be visited with park entry and a two mile hike, across some pretty rugged terrain (the roads formerly leading to the set have long since washed away). The indoor scenes were filmed on sound stage 9 at 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, Los Angeles, California. M*A*S*H had two official spin-off shows: the short-lived AfterMASH, which features Sherman Potter, Maxwell Klinger, and Father Mulcahy reunited in a midwestern hospital after the war, and an unpurchased television pilot, W*A*L*T*E*R, in which Walter “Radar” O’Reilly joins a stateside police force. The unofficial spinoff is Trapper John, M.D. It focused on the character of Trapper John working in a hospital years after the Korean War. There was a lawsuit between the producers of M*A*S*H and Trapper John, M.D. over royalty payments from Trapper John, M.D. A court ruled that the more successful Trapper John, M.D., is actually a spinoff of the original theatrical film. The producers of Trapper John, M.D. did tell the producers of M*A*S*H that their show was a spinoff of the movie. However, they were able to prevent M*A*S*H from doing an episode, in which Hawkeye gets depressed after learning that Trapper John had died in a car crash, because of a conflict with their show, in which Trapper John was alive, despite claiming that their show wasn’t a spinoff of the show M*A*S*H. A documentary special titled “Making M*A*S*H,” narrated by Mary Tyler Moore and taking viewers behind the production of the Season 9 episodes "Old Soldiers" and "Lend a Hand", was produced for PBS in 1981. The special was later included in the syndicated rerun package, with new narration by producer Michael Hirsch. Two retrospective specials were produced to commemorate the show's 20th and 30th anniversaries, respectively. “Memories of M*A*S*H,” hosted by Shelley Long and featuring clips from the series and interviews with cast members, aired on CBS on November 25, 1991. A 30th Anniversary Reunion special, in which the surviving cast members and producers gathered to reminisce, aired on the Fox network on May 17, 2002. Hosted by Mike Farrell, he also got to interact with the actor he replaced, Wayne Rogers. Both specials are included as bonuses on the Collector's Edition DVD of "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen". Also included is "M*A*S*H: Television's Serious Sitcom", a 2002 episode of the A&E cable channel's Biography program detailing the history of the show. There was also an E! True Hollywood Story episode produced about the show. Many of the show's cast members appeared in a series of television commercials for IBM personal computers in the late 1980s. 20th Century Fox has released all 11 Seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD in Region 1 & Region 2 for the very first time. The author of the original novel, Richard Hooker, hated it. The director of the earlier film, Robert Altman, called it “terrible.” In its first season, even the public didn’t like it too much. But over 11 seasons and 251 episodes, the TV version of M*A*S*H came to be regarded as one of the finest shows of all time. Before M*A*S*H, things were a little different than they are today. For one, comedies about the military relied heavily on farce; think Hogan’s Heroes and F Troop. And, the line between TV comedy and TV drama was as well demarcated as the DMZ between the two Koreas. The 38 North Parallel is the most heavily guarded border in the world, with landmines and army personnel and tanks, long-range artillery, and armored personnel carriers on each side, and that is pretty much where comedy and drama stood before M*A*S*H. But, when the show debuted in 1972, the goings-on at the 4,077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital cut much deeper. Larry Gelbart set out to establish a ground breaking “dramedy” approach: to convey war’s hilarity, heartbreak, and hellishness, all in the same episode. This military-doctor comedy daringly combined zany humor, equal parts Marx-Brothers slapstick and high-class wordplay, with dark drama, as when the war claimed the life of the base's first chief, Col. Henry Blake, which outraged the public. But, it wasn’t just the tone that was innovative; it was the technique, too. M*A*S*H was shot on film. The camera moved cinematically, jumping from subplot to subplot to emphasize the ensemble. The show also banned canned laughter in its operating-room scenes (where the doctors often cracked wisest), presaging the single-camera, laugh-track-free comedies of today. Certain episodes even toyed with the boundaries of the genre: a black-and-white “documentary,” a first-person story in which the camera took the place of a wounded soldier, an episode in which the characters, all sleep depraved, had these incredibly horrific dreams. But, what really made M*A*S*H enduring was the most basic asset of all: a crew of great characters: bemused Henry Blake, fatherly Sherman Potter, mischievous Trapper John (and later B.J. Hunnicutt), perpetually outraged Margaret Houlihan, intransigent Frank Burns, snobbish Charles Winchester, humble yet capable Radar O’Reilly, scheming Maxwell Klinger, kind Father Mulcahy, and, of course, the wounded jester at the center of it all, Hawkeye Pierce. Like many great shows, M*A*S*H stayed on the air a few years too long. Sure, the characters changed and deepened over time: Margaret softened up, Hawkeye straightened up, Radar grew up, etc; which led to some of the best acting in TV history. However, the show got preachy and grew as shaggy and soft as B.J. Hunnicutt’s anachronistic hairdo, mainly due to Alan Alda increasing taking more and more control of the show (he would go on to win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing). Nevertheless, when M*A*S*H did go off the air on February 28, 1983, some 125 million people watched, still a record to this day. And, it left a big legacy: M*A*S*H proved that comedy could be serious, drama could be funny, and both could cut like a scalpel.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 5, 2008 21:45:26 GMT -5
7. Hill Street Blues Genre: Police Procedural. Created by: Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll. Executive Producer(s): Gregory Hoblit (1981-1984), Steven Bochco (1981-1984), and Michael Kozoll (1981). Starring: Daniel J. Travanti (Captain Francis “Frank” Furillo), Barbara Bosson (Fay Furillo 1981-1986), Joe Spano (Sergeant, later Lieutenant, Henry Goldblume), Michael Conrad Sergeant Philip “Phil” Esterhaus 1981-1984), Veronica Hamel (Joyce Davenport), René Enríquez (Lieutenant, later Captain, Ray Calletano), Charles Haid (Officer Andrew “Andy” Renko), James B. Sikking (Sergeant, later Lieutenant, Howard Hunter), Ed Marinaro (Officer Joe Coffey 1981-1986), Michael Warren (Officer Robert “Bobby” Hill), Betty Thomas (Officer, later Sergeant, Lucille “Lucy” Bates), Bruce Weitz (Sergeant Michael “Mick” Belker), and Dennis Franz (Det. Sal Benedetto 1983; Lieutenant Norman Buntz 1985-1987). Country of Origin: United States. Number of Seasons: 7. Number of Episodes: 146. Running Time: 60 minutes. Original Channel: NBC. Original Run: January 15, 1981 – May 12, 1987. Spinoffs: Beverly Hills Buntz, a 30-minute dramedy starring Dennis Franz as his character Norman Buntz, who moved to Beverly Hills and became a private detective. It lasted only one season, 1987-1988. Brandon Tartikoff commissioned a series from MTM Productions, appointing Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll as series writers. The pilot was produced in 1980, but was held back as a mid-season replacement so as not to get lost amongst the other programs debuting in the fall of 1980. Barbara Bosson, who was married to Bochco, had the idea to fashion the series into 4- or 5- episode story "arcs." Robert Butler directed the pilot, developing a look and style inspired by the 1977 documentary The Police Tapes, in which filmmakers used handheld cameras to follow police officers in the South Bronx. Butler went on to direct the first four episodes of the series, and Bosson had hoped he would stay on permanently. However, he felt he was not being amply recognized for his contributions to the show's look and style, and left to pursue other projects. He would return to direct just one further episode ("The Second Oldest Profession" in season two). The writers were allowed considerable creative freedom, and created a series which brought together for the first time a number of emerging ideas in TV drama. Each episode features a number of intertwined storylines, some of which are resolved within the episode, with others developing over a number of episodes throughout a season. Much play is made of the conflicts between the work and private lives of the individuals. In the workplace there is also a strong focus on the struggle between doing "what was right" and "what worked" in situations. The camera is held close in, action cut rapidly between stories, and there is much use of overheard or off-screen dialogue, giving a "documentary" feel to the action. Rather than studio (floor) cameras, hand-held Arriflexes are used to add to the "documentary" feel. The show deals with "real-life" issues, and uses "real-life" language to a greater extent than had been seen before. Almost every episode began with a pre-credits sequence consisting of "roll call" at the beginning of the day shift. Many episodes are written to take place over the course of a single day, a concept later used in the NBC series L.A. Law. Though filmed in Los Angeles (both on location and at CBS Studio Center in Studio City), the series is set in a generic location with a feel of a Northern urban center. The program's focus on failure and those at the bottom of the social scale is pronounced, and very much in contrast to Bochco's later project L. A. Law. It has been described as Barney Miller out of doors; the focus on the bitter realities of 1980s urban living was revolutionary for its time. Later seasons are accused of becoming formulaic (a shift that some believe to have begun after the death from cancer of Michael Conrad midway through the fourth season, which led to the replacement of the beloved Sgt. Esterhaus by Sgt. Stan Jablonski, played by Robert Prosky) and the series that broke the established rules of television ultimately failed to break its own rules. Nonetheless it is a landmark piece of television programming, the influence of which is still seen in such series as NYPD Blue and ER. In 1982, St. Elsewhere was hyped as "Hill Street Blues" in a hospital." In fact the very concept of the modern 'ensemble' drama can probably be traced back to Hill Street Blues. The quality work done by MTM led to the appointment of Grant Tinker as NBC chairman in 1982. In season seven, producers got scripts from acclaimed writers outside of television, such as Bob Woodward and David Mamet. The series had cable runs on TV Land, Bravo and currently, AmericanLife TV. The pilot aired on Thursday, January 15, 1981 at 10 pm, which would be the show's time slot for nearly its entire run. Episode 2 aired two nights later; the next week followed a similar pattern (episode 3 on Thursday, 4 on Saturday). NBC had ordered 13 episodes, and the season was supposed to end on May 25 with a minor cliffhanger (the resolution of Sgt. Esterhaus' wedding). Instead, building critical acclaim prompted NBC to order an additional 4 episodes to air during May sweeps. Bocho and Kozoll fashioned this into a new story arc, which aired as two two-hour episodes to close the season. One new addition with these final 4 episodes was Ofc. Joe Coffey (played by Ed Marinaro) who originally had died in the first season finale's broadcast. In early season 1 episodes, the opening theme has several clearly audible edits; this was quickly replaced by a longer, unedited version. The end credits for the pilot differed from the rest of the series, in that the background still shot of the station house was completely different; it was also copyrighted in 1980, instead of 1981. The show became the lowest-rated program ever renewed for a second season. However, it was only renewed for ten episodes. A full order was picked up part way through the season. A writer strike pushed the start of the second season forward to October 29, meaning that only nineteen episodes were completed that year. Kozoll was now listed as a consultant, signifying his diminished role in the show. He later stated he was already feeling burnt out, and in fact was relying more on car chases and action to fill the scripts. A less muted version of the closing theme was played over the end credits. Michael Kozoll left the show at the end of season 2, replaced for the most part by Anthony Yerkovich and David Milch. Yerkovich later created Miami Vice after leaving Hill Street Blues at the end of this season. This was the show's most popular in terms of viewership, as it finished #21. This was also the birth of Must See TV, as the show was joined by Cheers, Taxi and Fame. The network deemed Thursdays "the best night of television on television." Michael Conrad was increasingly absent from the show due to his ongoing battle with cancer. Michael Conrad's final appearance was halfway through Season 4, as he had died in real life. His character was kept alive until February 1984, when he was sent off in a memorable episode, "Grace Under Pressure." The show won its fourth and final Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series this season. The show changed drastically during the fifth season, entering a somewhat "soap operatic" period according to Bochco. New characters included Sgt. Stanislaus Jablonski (played by Robert Prosky), Det. Patsy Mayo (Mimi Kuzyk), and Det. Harry Garibaldi (Ken Olin), while Mrs. Furillo (Bosson) became a full-time member of the squad room. Bochco would be dismissed at season's end by then-MTM President Arthur Price. The firing was due to Bochco's cost overruns, coupled with the fact that the show had achieved the 100 episode milestone needed to successfully syndicate the program. Betty Thomas would win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series this season. However, at the awards ceremony, an unidentified man rushed the stage ahead of Thomas and claimed she was unable to attend. He then claimed the award and left the stage, confusing viewers and robbing Thomas of her moment in the sun. Major changes occurred in Season 6 as Joe Coffey, Patsy Mayo, Det. Harry Garibaldi, Lt. Ray Calletano (Rene Enriquez), Fay Furillo (Barbara Bosson) and Officer Leo Schnitz (Robert Hirschfeld) all leave the show. The sole addition is Lt. Norman Buntz, played by Dennis Franz. In a 1991 interview on Later with Bob Costas, Ken Olin explained that these characters were removed so that the new showrunners could add characters for which they would receive royalties. The season premiere opened with a roll call filled with officers never before seen on the show, briefly fooling viewers into thinking the entire cast had been replaced. It was then revealed that this was, in fact, the night shift. The action then cut to the day shift pursuing their after-work activities. Another unique episode from this season explained through flashbacks how Furillo and Ms. Davenport met and fell in love. This would be the first season that Travanti and Hamel were not nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama Series. Officer Patrick Flaherty (played by Robert Clohessy) and Officer Tina Russo (Megan Gallagher) joined the show in the seventh season in an attempt to rekindle the Bates-Coffey relationship of years past. Stanislaus Jablonski became a secondary character part way through this season, and when Travanti announced he would not return the next year, the producers decided to end the show in 1987. The program was also moved to Tuesday nights after six years to make way for L.A. Law on Thursdays. This would be the only season that Weitz was not nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. This was also the only season for which the show was not nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. The producers went to great lengths to avoid specifying where the series took place, even going so far as to obscure whether the call letters of local TV stations began with "W" (the FCC designation for stations east of the Mississippi) or "K" (signifying a station west of the Mississippi). However, Renko stated in the season one episode "Politics As Usual" (to his partner, Officer Hill) "Just drop that 'cowboy' stuff. I was born in New Jersey, (and) never been west of Chicago in my life" was one of many indications that the series took place in the Midwest or Northeast. About 11 minutes into episode 25 The World According to Freedom Lt Calletano, talking on the telephone in Furillo's office, appears to identify himself as a member of "Chicago Police" although there is sufficient ambiguity that he could have been calling the Chicago Police. Many background exterior shots were filmed in Chicago, sans the principal actors, including the station house, which is the old Maxwell Street police station on Chicago's Near West Side (943 West Maxwell Street), and the current home of the University of Illinois at Chicago Police Department. The show's police cruisers are painted and marked almost exactly like Chicago police cars, the main difference being the red door lettering reading "METRO POLICE" rather than "CHICAGO POLICE", and the quarter panels featuring the United States flag vice the Chicago flag. In addition, the opening credits clearly show a squad car with an Illinois "M" plate, which are used for municipal police cars. The series frequently used establishing shots, under the credits at the beginning of the first act, showing an Interstate 80 sign, commuter trains entering and leaving the old Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago terminal (the C&NW yellow and green livery was clearly evident), and aerial views of South Side neighborhoods. Exterior views of the Cook County Criminal Courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue were used to establish court scenes. The illegality of dumping Sgt. Esterhaus' cremains anywhere in the city except in the ocean was discussed in fourth season dialogue, implying that the series was set in a coastal city. Many of the street names used in the show, especially for identifying crime locations on police radio calls, are from Buffalo, New York. In the episode 'Rites of Spring Part I', Joyce Davenport announces that the Phillies baseball team are "in town," not "at home", indicating the city is not Philadelphia, which is coincidentally Veronica Hamel's hometown. A first-season episode features a modified armored personnel carrier (described as an "urban tank") enthusiastically used by Lieutenant Hunter for his SWAT team, which ended up stolen and dumped in the "East River", suggesting the setting is New York City or, less likely, Minnesota (at the time of the series, there was no inter-league play between the Minnesota Twins and the Phillies). There was a reference to the Lower East Side in the "Fecund Hand Rose" episode (Phil's attempted wedding to Cindy) in the first season about where Det. LaRue lived. In the episode "Gung Ho", a woman mentions committing crimes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, York, Pennsylvania and Newark, New Jersey. If the show was set in one of those states, she probably would not have used both the city and state name when mentioning the locations, thus ruling out New Mexico, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In another episode, a carjacked couple mention that they were on their way home to Buffalo after visiting relatives in Arizona. If so, they wouldn't have taken the much longer route through New York or Philadelphia, which pretty much rules out any east-coast cities. Additionally, in another episode, mention is made of a hired killer coming in from Detroit; Belker also gets knocked out in one episode and is thrown on to a bus headed for "Springfield" (there are Springfields in twenty-nine of the fifty American states and in most Canadian provinces). In the season 6 episode, "Hacked to Pieces", Mayor Cleveland's son, Lee, is desperate to get help for his addictions and wants to be sent to a special clinic in Rockford. Rockford, Illinois is located about 75 miles west of Chicago. The name of the show is based on Pittsburgh's Hill District station. Chief writer Steven Bochco attended college at the nearby Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and used the always active Hill District Pittsburgh Police Zone 2 station as inspiration for naming the show. Due to writer David Milch being from Buffalo, NY, many of the street names, intersections and once in awhile park names were placed within the Hill Street precinct. Throughout the 146 episodes there are various references to the other police precincts in the city. They are specifically numbered in a series one episode by Commander Swanson, who states that he has "16 precincts" to take care of; but this conflicts with a further specific numbering in the series 2 episode The Shooter when Officer Wallins of the Property Department states that he has to look after all the city's property, "from 14 Precincts". The sixteen Precincts which are named during the course of the various programs include: Hill Street, Polk Avenue, Midtown, Von Steubben Avenue, North-East, St James's Park, Michigan Avenue, Washington Heights, South Ferry, West Delavan, Philmore, South Park, Preston Heights, Richmond Avenue, Farmingdale and Jefferson Heights. The use of numbers for precincts is implied, but not clear. The Hill Street precinct house is marked "7th District" outside. In some scenes the Midtown precinct house is marked "5th District", though in others it is marked "14th Precinct". Officers in uniform (apart from the EAT) wore shoulder flashes with the name of their precinct embroidered; the only other shoulder flash seen was that marked "IMPOUNDS" and worn by LaRue whilst assigned to the motor pool in series 2. A number of characters changed rank during the seven years of production. The pilot episode presented a simple command structure. Captain Furillo had one Lieutenant (Ray Calletano), and they had three Sergeants, one in each of the three main areas of operations - Sgt Phil Esterhaus (uniform), Sgt Henry Goldblume (detective), Sgt Howard Hunter (EAT). There was a process of evolution into a more complex command structure (more reflective of general real-life practice). In this 'evolved' structure Capt. Furillo has three Lieutenants - Calletano, plus Goldblume and Hunter, both promoted; Buntz replaced Calletano when the latter was promoted to Captain, and left the Precinct (though not the series). Uniforms: There are likewise three uniformed Sergeants - Esterhaus, Bates (following promotion), and a third, elderly, unnamed, Sergeant who appeared in the background of almost every episode (from the final scene of episode 2 until the final episode 6 years later) without ever receiving any story-line; Jablonski replaced Esterhaus following the death of actor Michael Conrad. A further character to appear throughout all 7 seasons without ever being given a storyline was Officer Jock Buchanan, a middle-aged grey-haired officer with a mustache. At the start of the third series he was promoted to Corporal. Although his appearance with two uniform stripes was never given a title in any episode, the existence of the 'corporal' rank in the Metro Police was demonstrated in an early episode of series 1 when Furillo visited Headquarters and during a conversation with Commander Swanson a list of names and ranks (including Corporal) was displayed on a blackboard in the background. Detectives: Amongst the detectives Alf Chesley was the detective Sergeant, until he was promoted to Lieutenant and left the show; this left undercover officer Mick Belker as the only notable Detective Sergeant. Walsh was also referred to as 'Sergeant' by Fay Furillo during the first series. Emergency Action Team: Strangely, after Hunter's promotion to Lieutenant no EAT Sergeant was ever depicted. Corporal Schmeltzer appeared to be Hunter's second-in-command, although the role of 'right hand man' was assumed jointly by EAT Officers Webster and Ballantine. Their roles were so interchangeable that in the credits of episode Of Mouse and Man Gary Miller (Ballantine) is credited as playing Webster. However, in the final year of programming it was Ballantine who assumed the more prominent storyline, having apparently gone insane and turned against Hunter. These various promotions are reflected in the ranks of the characters, as referenced in the following cast list: Officers are listed by the rank they held at first appearance on the program; some officers later held higher ranks Chief of Police Fletcher P. Daniels (1981-1987) (historically, was Captain at 23rd Precinct) — Jon Cypher Deputy Chief Dennis Mahoney — Ron Parady Inspector Warren Briscoe (1982-1987) — Andy Romano Commander (later Deputy Chief) David (Dave) Swanson — George Dickerson Commander 'Buck' Remington (Head of the EAT) — George Murdock Commander William Lakeland (Dated Bates) — J. Patrick McNamara Captain Francis Xavier (Frank) Furillo (Hill Street Precinct) (1981-1987) — Daniel J. Travanti Captain Jerry Fuchs (1981-1984) (Special Narcotics) — Vincent Lucchesi Captain Roger MacPherson (Midtown Precinct) (1981-1982) — Andy Romano (on promotion to Inspector, Romano's character inexplicably changed his name to Warren Briscoe) Captain Lewis 'Lou' Hogan (Jefferson Heights Precinct) — Robert Hogan Captain Leder — Charles Cyphers Lieutenant (later Captain) Ray Calletano (1981-1987) — René Enríquez Lieutenant Norman Buntz (1985-1987) — Dennis Franz Lieutenant (later Captain)(later Commander) Ozzie Cleveland (1982-1985) (Midtown Precinct - he resigned upon election as Mayor) — J. A. Preston Lieutenant Emil Schneider (Internal Affairs) — Dolph Sweet Lieutenant Shipman (1983-1987) (Internal Affairs) — Arthur Taxier Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Howard Hunter (EAT commander) (1981-1987) — James B. Sikking Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Henry Goldblume (Negotiator) (historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights)(1981-1987) — Joe Spano Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Alf Chesley (Detective) (1981-1982) — Gerry Black Sergeant Philip Freemason (Phil) Esterhaus (1981-1984) — Michael Conrad Sergeant Michael (Mick) Belker (Undercover Detective) (1981-1987) — Bruce Weitz Sergeant Neil Washington (LaRue's partner) — Taurean Blacque Sergeant Stan Jablonski (1984-1987) — Robert Prosky Sergeant Jenkins (1985-1987) (Night-shift sergeant) — Lawrence Tierney (has final line of final episode) Sergeant Ralph Macafee (Corrupt cop) — Dan Hedaya Corporal Schmeltzer (EAT) — Actor unknown Officer (later Sergeant) Lucille (Lucy) Bates (1981-1987) — Betty Thomas Officer (later Corporal) Jock Buchanan (1981-1987) — Actor unknown Officer Joe Coffey (Bates' partner) (1981-1986) — Ed Marinaro Officer Robert Eugene (Bobby) Hill (historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights)(1981-1987) — Michael Warren Officer Andrew Jackson (Andy) Renko (Hill's partner)(1981-1987) — Charles Haid Officer Patrick Flaherty (1986-1987) — Robert Clohessy Officer Tina Russo (1986-1987) — Megan Gallagher Officer Leo Schnitz (1981-1985) — Robert Hirschfeld Officer Mike Perez (1981-1985) — Tony Perez Officer Robin Tataglia (1982-1987) — Lisa Sutton Officer 'Pete' Dorsey (rookie with Tataglia) (murdered in episode 48) — Peter Lownds Officer 'Nate' Crawford (rookie with Tataglia) — Franklyn Seales Officer Ron Garfield (1983-1986) — Mykelti Williamson Officer Marvin Oliver (Marv) Box (1981) (Phone installing expert of series 1) — Actor unknown Officer Santini (series 1) — Jeff Seymour Officer Bernard (Bern) Harris (series 1) — Mark Metcalf Officer Cooper (Perez's partner in series 1) — Actor unknown Officer Ellis (Perez's partner in series 2) — Leonard Lightfoot Officer Gerald (Gerry) Nash (series 2)(historically, was a patrol officer at Jefferson Heights with Hill) — Stephen McHattie Officer Estella Sanchez (series 2) — Livia Genise Officer Lyle (series 2) — Phil Peters Officer Clara Pilsky (1984) — Jane Kaczmarek Officer Archie Peyser (1984) — Barry Tubb Officer Randall Buttman (1984) — Michael Biehn Officer Rudy Davis (1984) — Harold Sylvester Officer Arthur 'Art' Delgado (series 2) — Jerome Thor Officer Jack Halloran (killed in series 2) — Actor unknown Officer Wallace 'Wally' Tubbs — Arnold Johnson Officer Coley (1981-1982) — Robin Coleman Officer Wallins (Property Dept.) (series 2) — Ben Slack Officer Webster (EAT) (1981-?) (one of Hunter's key assistants) — Tom Babson (series 1) / Dwyane McGee (from series 2 onwards) Officer Jack Ballantine (EAT) (1981-1987) (one of Hunter's key assistants) — Gary Miller Officer Brunswick (EAT) (1981-1982) — Wesley Thompson Detective John (J. D.) LaRue — Kiel Martin Detective Sal Benedetto (1983) — Dennis Franz Detective Patsy Mayo (1984-1985) — Mimi Kuzyk Detective Harry Garibaldi (1984-1985) — Ken Olin Detective John Walsh (1981-1982) — John Brandon Detective Ben Lambert (1981-1982) — Charles Guardino Detective Virgil Pattison Brooks (1981-1982) (Belker's fellow undercover cop, murdered in episode 20) — Nathan Cook Detective Michael Benedict (1984-1987) — Gerald Castillo Other characters Fay Furillo (Capt Furillo's ex-wife) (1981-1986) — Barbara Bosson Joyce Davenport (Public Defender) — Veronica Hamel Mayor Ozzie Cleveland (1982-1985) — J. A. Preston Grace Gardner (1981-1985) — Barbara Babcock Asst. D.A. Irwin Bernstein (1982-1987) — George Wyner Sidney (Sid the Snitch) Thurston (Belker's informant; later Buntz's paid informant) (1985-1987) — Peter Jurasik Jesus Martinez (Gang leader-turned community activist) — Trinidad Silva Judge Alan Wachtel — Jeffrey Tambor Judge Maurice Schiller — Allan Rich Coroner Wally Nydorf — Pat Corley Celeste Patterson (1985-1986) — Judith Hansen Eddie Gregg (1982-1986) — Charles Levin James Logan (the bald pickpocket, his real name is only discovered in his final appearance) — Nick Savage Rosa Calletano (Ray Calletano's wife) — Irena Du Barry Rachel Goldblume (Henry Goldblume's wife) — Rosanna Huffman Harvey (Fay Furillo's boyfriend) — Philip G Schultz Debbie Kaplan (Belker's girlfriend in early series) — Gela Jacobson Jill Thomas (Washington's girlfriend in series 1 & 2) — Lynn Whitfield Cindy Spooner (Esterhaus's fiancée) — Lisa Lindgren John Renko (father of Andrew Renko) — Morgan Woodward Tommy Renko (brother of Andrew Renko) — David Haid Tracy Renko (sister of Andrew Renko) — Alley Mills Daryl Ann Renko (girlfriend, later wife, of Andrew Renko) — Deborah Richter Vivian DeWitt (Fabian's mother) — Beverly Hope Atkinson Fabian DeWitt (youth adopted by Bates) — Zero Hubbard Bailiff (1981-1987) — Dean Wein "Buck Naked" (recurring flasher) — Lee Weaver Prunella Ashton-Wilkes (refined English dog-loving girlfriend of Hunter) — Elizabeth Huddle The producers did not intend Officers Renko and Hill to be ongoing characters - Renko was not supposed to survive their shooting in the pilot episode. NBC was sufficiently impressed with the chemistry between Charles Haid and Michael Warren that they insisted that Renko survive and become series regulars. Similarly, Coffey was "resurrected" after being killed at the end of the first season. In reruns, the scene was replaced and Coffey was said to be only wounded. Ed Marinaro joined the series as a regular the next season only to be shot down fatally again in season 6. Barbara Bosson had been cast, having been Bochco's wife at the time. NBC president Fred Silverman noticed her and requested that she appear regularly in the series. Dennis Franz appears as dirty cop Sal Benedetto in a memorable 3rd season story arc before taking on the role of Lt. Norman Buntz. Franz and Ken Olin also starred in the 1983 Bochco series, Bay City Blues. Daniel J. Travanti and Charles Haid appeared on a 1974 episode of Gunsmoke together, playing a pair of criminals looking to rob a bank. Haid and Michael Conrad were regulars on the Steven Bochco series Delvecchio. Michael Warren and Kiel Martin each appeared in an episode, as well. Patrick Clohessy appears as a uniformed cop in the fifth-season finale of St. Elsewhere as a wrecking ball strikes St. Eligius Hospital. As actors contracts were due to expire at the end of season seven, there was talk that if the show survived for season eight, Buntz would become the precinct's commanding officer. James B. Sikking appears as Hunter in an episode of 1990 Bochco series Cop Rock. Marinaro, Spano, Weitz, Warren and Blacque appear as police officers in the HBO sitcom Dream On in 1994. Travanti rarely wishes to discuss the series in interviews, and often will not refer to it by name. In a 1989 episode of Later with Bob Costas, he compares it to referring to an estranged ex-wife. He and Veronica Hamel were reunited in 2002 at the NBC 75th Anniversary Special. One minor recurring character was a flasher who would shout "I'm buck naked!" whenever he exposed himself. In one episode, the desk sergeant entered "Buck Naked" as the suspect's name in the arrest logs. The character (played by Lee Weaver) was also billed as "Buck Naked" in the credits, and later reappeared in NYPD Blue. In 2004-2005 Charles Haid played C. T. Finney, a New York Police Captain on the sixth season of the NBC show Third Watch. Veronica Hamel also guest-starred as the mother of New York firefighter Alex Taylor as part of the NBC 75th Anniversary programming in May 2002, along with Marinaro and Weitz. Entertainment Tonight did a one-hour retrospective to the series in 2000. Officer Andrew Renko and his younger brother Tommy Renko are played by actual brothers Charles Haid and David Haid. The violent portrayal of gang culture was a constant feature across all seven seasons. At the time it was a relatively unknown concept in some countries where the program was aired. Many storylines relate to features of gang life, and also the very different approach of officers like Furillo and Goldblume compared with others such as Hunter. The constantly recurring gangs included the Gypsies, the Shamrocks, the Black Arrows, the Royal Blood, the Dragons, the Street Lords, the Mao-Mao, the Pagans, the Emperors, and Los Diablos. The two-hour pilot episode, "Hill Street Station," was awarded an Edgar for Best Teleplay from a Series. Over its seven seasons, the show earned 98 Emmy Award nominations. That averages out to 14 nominations every year. The series shares the Emmy Award record for most acting nominations by regular cast members (excluding the guest performer category) for a single series in one year. (Both L. A. Law and The West Wing also hold that record). For the 1981-1982 season nine cast members were nominated for Emmys. Daniel J. Travanti and Michael Conrad were the only ones to win (for Lead Actor and Supporting Actor respectively). The others nominated were Veronica Hamel (for Lead Actress), Taurean Blacque, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, and Charles Haid (for Supporting Actor), and Barbara Bosson and Betty Thomas (for Supporting Actress). Also that year, for the first and only time in Emmy Award history all five nominees in an acting category (in this case, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) were from a single series. In 2007, Channel 4 (UK) ranked Hill Street Blues #19 on their list of the "50 Greatest TV Dramas." 20th Century Fox has released the first two seasons of Hill Street Blues on DVD in Region 1. In Region 2, Season 1 & 2 have been released by Channel 4 DVD. Season 1 can also be found on hulu.com. Hill Street Blues was also the name of a computer game that was based on the TV show released in 1991 by Krisalis. The game placed the player in charge of Hill Street Station and its surrounding neighborhood with the aim being to promptly dispatch officers to reported crimes, apprehending criminals and making them testify at court. If certain areas had less serious crimes unresolved, such as bag-snatching, they would soon escalate to more serious ones such as murder in broad daylight. Beverly Hills Buntz was a short-lived spinoff from Hill Street Blues. It aired on NBC during the 1987-88 season. The show was a 30-minute 'dramedy', that was a hybrid between light private eye fare and a sit-com. The main character, Norman Buntz, was previously seen as a morally and ethically questionable cop on Hill Street Blues. The series has the character quitting the police force, moving to Beverly Hills, and becoming a private investigator. In a programming experiment, NBC president Brandon Tartikoff announced that this show would be a "designated hitter" and was originally given prize time slots once a month following Cheers and Night Court. The other two "designated hitters" that season were Bruce Weitz and Nancy Walker sitcom, "Mama's Boy" and the second season of Edward Asner drama The Bronx Zoo. Eventually, Buntz was scheduled Fridays at 9:30pm between Night Court and Miami Vice in March 1988. The line-up didn't click for Night Court and "Buntz" but gained Miami Vice a fifth season with an improved performance having moved from 9pm back to 10pm. Three pilots of "Buntz" were filmed including one by director Hal Ashby. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which only nine were broadcast. The first episode was broadcast 5 November 1987 and the last on 22 April 1988. The series starred Dennis Franz as Norman Buntz, and Peter Jurasik as Sid 'The Snitch' Thurston. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson joined the cast and former "Blues" character 'Irwin Bernstein' played by George Wyner made an appearance. Someone said to me that he felt that The Wire was better than Hill Streets Blues. Well, that is his opinion. However, I should point out that there probably wouldn’t be any show like The Wire if it wasn’t for Hill Street Blues. Hell, there wouldn’t be any Homicide: Life On The Street, NYPD Blue, The Shield, Law And Order, and pretty much any cop drama that has come out in the last twenty years and longer if it wasn’t for Hill Street Blues. Why? Because, Hill Street Blues took the cop show and turned it upside down. Law enforcement officials had previously been portrayed on TV as either dutiful civil servants (Dragnet, Adam-12) or larger-than-life superheroes (The Untouchables, Starsky & Hutch). Hill Street Blues took a more humanistic view, painting cops as complicated individuals. Foremost amongst these was soft-spoken, intense Captain Frank Furillo (Travanti), the supervisor of a chaotic precinct in an unnamed city, done intentionally to make the show seem more universal). Furillo oversaw a squad room, but he spent much of his time dealing with his hectoring ex-wife, Fay (Bosson), and carrying on a torrid relationship with sultry, bleeding-heart public defender Joyce Davenport (Hamel), who would later become his wife in the series. Each installment opened with a roll call that set up that week’s stories. These briefings were initially delivered by Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (Conrad), a gentle soul who turned out the troops with his trademark phrase, “Let’s be careful out there.” After Conrad died in 1984, Esterhaus suffered a fatal heart attack while making love to his flamboyant girlfriend, Grace Gardner (Barbara Babcock). He was replaced by Stan “Stosh” Jablonski (Robert Prosky), whose less-refined manner was summed up by his blunt tag line, “Let’s do it to them before they do it to us.” Hill Street’s teeming ensemble swelled to 17 at one point, but several characters stood out: good ol’ boy Andrew Renko (Haid); his profoundly decent partner Bobby Hill (Warren), who was the show’s conscience; Lucy Bates (Thomas), the most believable TV policewoman ever; gung ho Emergency Action Team leader Lt. Howard Hunter (Sikking); abrasive Norman Buntz (Franz); and growling undercover detective Mick “Mad Dog” Belker (Weitz), who often provided the gallows humor. Besides the characters, there were many things that made the show unique. For one, as the squad investigated cases ranging from domestic abuse to gangland warfare, the series examined important social issues while avoiding preachiness. Also, comedy and tragedy frequently collided, as in the episode in which self-appointed superhero Captain Freedom (Dennis Duggan) was shot and killed by a thug; as he expired, Belker barked at him, “You di, you hair bag, I’ll kick your but across the block!” And, there was the fact that the show was a pioneer of the story arc. Well, I use the term pioneer loosely. The Prisoner and miniseries told serial stories before Hill Street, and The Fugitive hung a years-long chase on its otherwise self-contained episodes. And, other shows, like Miami Vice and Wiseguy, usually get the claim to fame as the story arc starters. But Hill Street Blues popularized the serialized "story arcs" by proving that audiences would have the patience to stick with a story longer than 60 minutes. It also proved that a TV show could make a virtue of messiness in plots that didn't resolve neatly (or sometimes at all) and heroes who crossed ethical lines. It showed us imperfect people delivering imperfect justice in an imperfect world and did it to near perfection. Like a great blues song, Hill Street Blues featured recurring themes, a soulful tone, and a sense of joy underlying the melancholia. These cops had it bad, but that was good for us.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Aug 5, 2008 21:47:14 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 6 and 5. Here are the hints:
Girl who gets affection, and it was called "too New York, too Jewish."
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