Tag: television
Cher & Tina Turner – Shame on You!
Johnny Carson – Carnak routine c1981
An evening pause: When humor was designed to be ludicrously silly, and make absolutely no sense. This clearly occurred during the 1981 air traffic controllers strike.
Hat tip David Lohnes
An evening pause: When humor was designed to be ludicrously silly, and make absolutely no sense. This clearly occurred during the 1981 air traffic controllers strike.
Hat tip David Lohnes
Bezos and Blue Origin to star in animated kids show
If you can’t build anything, than draw it! Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are now set to star in a kids animated show called “Blue Origins Space Rangers”.
The children’s series will feature the voices of Bezos, who founded his space tourism business Blue Origin in 2000, as well as “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan, who was a passenger in December 2021 on Blue Origin NS-19 on a 10-minute spaceflight. Bezos took his supersonic joy ride to space in July 2021.
Nor is this the only show that Blue Origin is part of. A feature film set to release in 2023 will feature Blue Origin’s proposed (but not yet built) Orbital Reef space station.
All of this is fun and good, but it once again raises a question of focus. Is Bezos and Blue Origin really focused on building rockets and space stations, or it is mostly a pr operation for Bezos to sell himself? The overall lack of progress on its real rockets and space stations suggests the latter.
If you can’t build anything, than draw it! Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are now set to star in a kids animated show called “Blue Origins Space Rangers”.
The children’s series will feature the voices of Bezos, who founded his space tourism business Blue Origin in 2000, as well as “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan, who was a passenger in December 2021 on Blue Origin NS-19 on a 10-minute spaceflight. Bezos took his supersonic joy ride to space in July 2021.
Nor is this the only show that Blue Origin is part of. A feature film set to release in 2023 will feature Blue Origin’s proposed (but not yet built) Orbital Reef space station.
All of this is fun and good, but it once again raises a question of focus. Is Bezos and Blue Origin really focused on building rockets and space stations, or it is mostly a pr operation for Bezos to sell himself? The overall lack of progress on its real rockets and space stations suggests the latter.
Dick Cavett – Burt Lancaster in the circus
An evening pause: This interview of Burt Lancaster on the Dick Cavett Show took place on July 21, 1969 (the day after Neil Armstrong took that first step on the Moon).
I could not help noting how humble and gracious Lancaster seemed. He might have been one of the world’s most charismatic actors, but he surely did not appear full of himself. The second part of this interview can be watched here.
Hat tip Cotour.
Barrington Pheloung – Morse’s Oxford
An evening pause: A tour of Oxford, set to the music used in the first two Morse television series, Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis, both of which were set in Oxford. As for the music, I wonder if my readers know the trick/pun Pheloung used as a basis for the theme’s main melodic line.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
The Jack Benny Show – November 4, 1951
An evening pause: This was the first episode in Benny’s second season on television, following nineteen years doing a regular radio show. The first singer is Bob Crosby, brother of Bing. The taxi driver is Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny and almost all of the characters in Warner Brothers best cartoons.
Almost everything in this episode works, but make sure especially you stay with it to see the Benny’s performance as lead fiddler of a hillbilly band.
Nana Visitor – Fever
An evening pause: Another musical gem from the sixth season of the Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Doctor Who – The Master Summons the Sea Devil
An evening pause: I never watched Dr. Who, so I have no idea if this clip is a typical representation of the show. Its schlockiness however is quite impressive.
Hat tip Cotour.
Benny Hill – Wife-Swap
From Deep Space 9 – Do-Re-Mi
An evening pause: A short but quite wonderful little performance from the Star Trek series Deep Space 9.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Mike Rowe – Can You Be There By Nine?
The Partridge Family – I think I love You
The Jack Benny Show – Casting For Television Special
An evening pause: Originally aired January 1, 1961. For those too young to know, Benny had two running gags that help explain some of the humor. First, he was ridiculously cheap, and second, he never admitted he was older than 39. Above all, you must recognize the intended silliness of everything said or done.
Note also that the telegram delivery man is Mel Blanc, who provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and almost all Warner Brothers cartoons from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Yes Prime Minister – The MPs Pay Rise
An evening pause: A nice sequence from the British series that brutally but with great humor described the reality of what goes on in high political circles. This clip comes from the follow-up to the original series, Yes, Minister.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
Sorry for the late arrival of this evening’s pause. It didn’t post when it should, and I only just realized it.
Nat King Cole – September Song
An evening pause: Performed live in 1957 on Cole’s television show. The music was composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Today’s blacklisted American: Weatherman fired after 33 years for not getting COVID vaccine
Weatherman Karl Bohnak, now a non-person.
Persecution is now cool! Karl Bohnak, who had been a weatherman for the Michigan television station WLUC for 33 years, was fired last week because he refused to get the COVID vaccine shot as now mandated by the station.
Bohnak announced his firing in an essay on his Facebook page [requires Facebook login]. I have posted the full text at the end of this essay, also posted here, to illustrate the rational, thoughtful nature of his decision. You might disagree with him, and think he should get vaccinated, but he outlines in clear detail his valid reasons for not doing so.
His essay also raises the very valid constitutional and ethically reasons for resisting the mandate of this company.
The abrogation of our liberty and freedom under the guise of a pandemic is very disturbing to me. Hopefully, whether you lean right or left, you are concerned about what has occurred the last year-and-a-half. I just wanted to go about my business, “live and let live”, and keep my mouth shut. But this act by the federal government through corporate America has brought me to a crossroads. Our way of life, our freedom and liberty, is collapsing before our eyes.
Sadly, Bohnak is not alone in this. Thousands of people across America are willingly losing their jobs because they will not submit to this dictatorial and entirely unconstitutional vaccine mandate. As the left has loudly proclaimed for decades, these Americans are declaring, “Our bodies, our choice!”
From the beginning, the data said that the lethality of COVID would merely be a variation of the flu. » Read more
Weatherman Karl Bohnak, now a non-person.
Persecution is now cool! Karl Bohnak, who had been a weatherman for the Michigan television station WLUC for 33 years, was fired last week because he refused to get the COVID vaccine shot as now mandated by the station.
Bohnak announced his firing in an essay on his Facebook page [requires Facebook login]. I have posted the full text at the end of this essay, also posted here, to illustrate the rational, thoughtful nature of his decision. You might disagree with him, and think he should get vaccinated, but he outlines in clear detail his valid reasons for not doing so.
His essay also raises the very valid constitutional and ethically reasons for resisting the mandate of this company.
The abrogation of our liberty and freedom under the guise of a pandemic is very disturbing to me. Hopefully, whether you lean right or left, you are concerned about what has occurred the last year-and-a-half. I just wanted to go about my business, “live and let live”, and keep my mouth shut. But this act by the federal government through corporate America has brought me to a crossroads. Our way of life, our freedom and liberty, is collapsing before our eyes.
Sadly, Bohnak is not alone in this. Thousands of people across America are willingly losing their jobs because they will not submit to this dictatorial and entirely unconstitutional vaccine mandate. As the left has loudly proclaimed for decades, these Americans are declaring, “Our bodies, our choice!”
From the beginning, the data said that the lethality of COVID would merely be a variation of the flu. » Read more
Robert Preston – Dying in movies
An evening pause: Performed live in 1963.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
An evening pause: Performed live on television, c1966. The sound on this video has been remastered using the studio recording, in a manner that really enhances the live performance in every way. (The original is available, but the sound was not great, and was partly drowned out by the audience.)
Hat tip Dan Steele.
Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall – Musical medley
An evening pause: Performed and aired live on television in June 12, 1962. Andrews is known for her singing, while Burnett is known for her comedy. In truth, their talent in both areas was special.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Doc Severinsen And The Tonight Show Band – Ode to Billie Joe
An evening pause: Another selection from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, from 1974.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody
Taxi -Jim Spikes Louie’s Coffee
An evening pause: From one of television’s best comedy shows. Note the number of people from this show who became very big movie stars.
Hat tip Cotour.
Vikki Carr – It Must Be Him
Devo – Uncontrollable Urge
The Grass Roots – Temptation Eyes
An evening pause: Forgive the television artifacts in the video. Recorded live in 1982.
Hat tip Roland.
Werner Klemperer & John Banner – Silent Night
An evening pause: Silent Night is followed by Robert Clary singing a French carol. All three were actors from the 1960s television comedy series, Hogan’s Heroes, with Klemperer playing the Nazi prison commander, Banner the foolish guard (“I know nothing!!!”), and Clary the French prisoner.
I don’t know exactly when this aired, but it was likely in the late 1960s. It signals the good will fundamental to western civilization. The Germans had only two decades earlier put the world through a horrible war. Still, Americans were glad to hear two Germans immigrants sing this gentle song in their native language, despite the evils that nation had subjected the world to so recently.
The war was over. We are all fallible humans. Time to forgive, and move on.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
Chiquita Banana – The original commercial
An evening pause: This will not mean anything to my younger readers, but this song and commercial seared itself into the brains of everyone who went to the movies or watched television in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The first version, shown here, was produced by Disney for the United Fruit Company.
I can think of no reason not to sear this song into some new generations.
Hat tip David Nudelman.
Jessica Farnsworth – The most famous man you never heard of
HBO to create six-part “scripted” series on Musk and SpaceX
Where NOT to get your facts about SpaceX’s history: HBO today announced that it is going to create a six-part “scripted” drama series describing the history of Elon Musk and SpaceX.
In terms of story, the small-screen narrative will follow Musk as he develops the first SpaceX rocket and launches it into orbit with a handpicked team of engineers on a remote island in the Pacific. His dream of humanity colonizing the universe takes one step closer to reality with the first (and successful) manned Falcon 9/Crew Dragon mission on May 30, 2020. The participating NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, have since returned to Earth from the International Space Station.
From my experience writing non-fiction screenplays for cable television when I was still in the movie business, I can guarantee that this drama will have very little connection to reality, and is more likely to get numerous basic facts wrong. It will thus accomplish nothing but to misinform anyone who watches it.
Where NOT to get your facts about SpaceX’s history: HBO today announced that it is going to create a six-part “scripted” drama series describing the history of Elon Musk and SpaceX.
In terms of story, the small-screen narrative will follow Musk as he develops the first SpaceX rocket and launches it into orbit with a handpicked team of engineers on a remote island in the Pacific. His dream of humanity colonizing the universe takes one step closer to reality with the first (and successful) manned Falcon 9/Crew Dragon mission on May 30, 2020. The participating NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, have since returned to Earth from the International Space Station.
From my experience writing non-fiction screenplays for cable television when I was still in the movie business, I can guarantee that this drama will have very little connection to reality, and is more likely to get numerous basic facts wrong. It will thus accomplish nothing but to misinform anyone who watches it.