The TV Zone

Remember "The Superstars"?

ABC's Sunday-afternoon '70s "sports" show virtually invented the genre of "trash sports," not to mention "Battle of the Network Stars" and every other celeb/jock/reality show since. On it, pro athletes of the day competed with each other in sports to which they might not be naturally suited. (Commentators included Reggie Jackson and O.J. Simpson.)

The point of this nostalgic digression is that ABC has just announced it will bring back a brand- spankin'-new 2009 version of the show this summer. The network didn't say which athletes will be there, so we'll have to hold our collective breath until they do. Who would you

Continue reading "'The Superstars' Coming Back" »

Eartha Kitt, who died Thursday at 81, had a rich showbiz career as a dancer, actress and singer.

But we'll always recall the sultry star as the third Catwoman on "Batman," following in the claw-steps of Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether.

Here's a great clip of Ms. Kitt as Catwoman (teaming up with Cesar Romero as the Joker) in an episode from the show's jump-the-bat era (originally airing Jan. 4, 1968) , namely when Yvonne Craig joined the cast as Batgirl.

Last-minute alert: A New York TV holiday tradition continues tomorrow...

No, not the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but WPIX's annual broadcast of the Laurel and Hardy classic "March of the Wooden Soldiers" at 9 a.m. on Ch.11 on Thanksgiving morning.

This movie used to freak me out when I was a kid, and still does now, if this clip of the movie's final nine minutes is any indication:

Betty James, who named the toy her husband invented -- the Slinky -- and then ran the toy company he abandoned, has died at 90.

Is there not an American kid alive today -- whether boomer, gen X, gen Y or millennial -- who wasted hours playing with one of these wacky toys?

To learn more about Mrs. James and how she came up with the name Slinky, read her obit here, then check out this super-classic commercial from the early 1960s.

Rosie O'Donnell will attempt to revive one of TV's greatest genres next Wednesday, when she hosts "Rosie Live," a variety special on NBC.

We applaud Rosie's attempt, but doubt that she's going to get very far.

Nevertheless, Rosie's show puts us in mind of the 1970s, the last Golden Age of the Variety Show. It seemed back then nearly anyone who wanted was given a variety show by the networks, desperate to emulate the success of "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour." The list is so long, if I had to put it here, it would probably crash the computer.

If you want to get a taste of the '70s variety show yourself, check out this great clip from "Tony Orlando & Dawn," which CBS originally developed as the summer replacement for "Sonny and Cher" in 1974.

This weekend marks the 39th anniversary of that romp-in-the-mud known as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.
You won't see a lot of hype this year, but the marketing around next year's round number anniversary is sure to be substantial.

Your best bet to catch a whiff of Woodstock nostalgia this weekend is VH1 Classic's screening
(Saturday at 8 p.m.) of Michael Wadleigh's memorable 1970 documentary. I'll be watching it, for probably the 800th time since I saw it the week it came out with my pal Jeff Goldman and two girls we were dating, whose names I've forgotten.

I digress. Here's my all-time favorite performance from the movie: Alvin Lee and Ten Years After absolutely killing in "I'm Going Home."

Re-book 'em, Danno.

There's going to be a new "Hawaii Five-O," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The original show aired from 1968-80 on CBS. Like the original series, the newbie will be a procedural chronicling the workings of the fictional Hawaiian state police department. In the
original, the unit was headed by Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord.

In the new series, McGarrett’s son Chris will be the top cop.

The famous opening music will be back but may get a face-lift, similar to how the theme from the 1966-73 series “Mission: Impossible" was rearranged for the 1990s movie franchise.

My question to you: Who should play the new McGarrett? Post your answers here.

Meanwhile, check out this clip from a 1972 episode:

Here at Boomer TV, it is a cultural imperative to keep track of the up-to-the-minute activities of our childhood tube idols.

So it is with great pleasure that we announce the newest Marcia Brady sighting. Maureen McCormick will be one of the "celebs" who will populate "Outsiders Inn," a new reality competition announced today by Country Music Television (CMT).
The show documents the trials and tribulations that ensue when McCormick decides to run a bed and breakfast in rural East Tennessee and enlists the help of her "Gone Country" friends, Bobby Brown and Carnie Wilson.
:
The show debuts Aug. 15 at 9 p.m.

Abcnews.com Photos

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the debut of "The Lawrence Welk Show," which is still airing in reruns on WLIW (and many other PBS stations). I am a big-time, Johnny-come-lately fan of the show, something that I am not ashamed to admit and in fact have said so many times in the pages of the Newsday.

Anyway, the idea that Mr. Welk was hostile to rock and roll is not 100% true. And I'm not just talking about the time his clean-cut crew performed Brewer and Shipley's 1971 druggie hit. "One Toke Over the Line." (The video briefly became an internet sensation last year.)

In this clip from 1963, the surf band The Chantays, whose "Pipeline" is one of the coolest r&r; instrumentals of all time, performed on the show. Well, actually from the looks of it, they're instument-syncing, but the point is, they were here.

No indication whether Myron Floren played "Wipeout," but the indifferent expressions on the faces of the Welk band speak volumes.

Bob Keeshan, who played Captain Kangaroo for 29 years (1955-84), would have been 81 today.

The entertainer, a Long Island resident for most of his life, died on Jan. 23, 2004.

I still have one burning question, which maybe somebody out there can answer: Did Captain Kangaroo have a first name?

Meanwhile, here's the classic opener from the show, a melody that will undoubtedly continue playing in your head all day.

It's been a long time since we saw "Hogan's Heroes" on the tube.

But thanks to TV Land -- in an apparent fit of sanity or at least a nod to its Classic TV roots -- is bringing back the WW II POW comedy with a July 6th marathon from 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

"HH" was incredibly politically incorrect even in its day (1965-71) , so we're wondering what it must seem like today.

Here's a rarity: the cast of "Hogan's Heroes" in a commercial for Jell-O (served at the finest POW camps in the world, no doubt).

One of the catchiest songs of all time, The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" topped the charts this week in 1964, a three-week American break in between British chart-toppers "Love Me Do" and.""A World Without Love."

By the way, I hated this song as a kid because it was so "girly" and "mushy," but I got my act together by the time I got married, using this song on my answering machine in the month leading up to my nups.

I've died and gone to Boomer TV heaven.

Tomorrow, WPIX will air nine hours of shows to mark its 60th birthday. It's like seeing my TV life flash before my eyes.

From noon to 9 on that Saturday, Ch. 11 will feature nine hours of vintage programs including: The Little Rascals, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges, The Adventures Of Superman, Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Odd Couple and The Honeymooners.

The only thing better would be for WPIX to announce that they will be unthawing Officer Joe Bolton on air, years after he was cryogenically frozen..

Here's the sked:

The Little Rascals

12-1230pm: Teacher’s Pet

1230p-1pm: Hearts Are Thumps/ Feed ‘Em and Weep

Abbott & Costello

1pm Getting a Job

130pm The Actor’s Home

The Three Stooges

2pm Gents without Cents

230pm A Plumbing We Will Go

The Adventures of Superman

3pm Crime Wave

330pm The Perils of Superman

Get Smart

4pm Mr. Big

430pm A Spy for A Spy

My Favorite Martian

5pm My Favorite Martian

530pm A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine and Peaches

I Dream Of Jeannie

6pm The Lady In The Bottle

630pm Tomorrow Is Not Another Day

The Odd Couple

7pm Password

730pm My Strife in Court

The Honeymooners

8pm Better Living Through TV

830pm The $99,000 Answer

All these episodes will be followed by an anniversary special at 9 p.m. anchored by Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong.

Until then, enjoy this clip of Bud and Lou and one of their classic routines from their TV show:

With the big-screen "Get Smart" opening Friday, lets give props to the original -- which, coincidentally, took home an Emmy 38 years ago this week as Outstanding Comedy, while Don Adams won for best actor in a comedy. (There are no coincidences in Boomer TV.) FYI, those ceremonies featured Merv Griffin hosting from Carnegie Hall and Bill Cosby hosting from the Santa Monica Civic Center.

Here's the great opening from the show: After watching it, I guarantee the theme song will be playing in your head all day.

We don't see what the big deal is about CBS' "Swingtown," which premieres tonight at 10. Swingers in the 1970s? Ho hum. Been there done that. And on CBS, to boot.

We're speaking of "The Bunkers and the Swingers," one of the most memorable "All in the Family" episodes ever. In it, Archie and Edith are visited by a middle-aged couple played by Vincent Gardenia and Rue McClanahan, with swapping on their mind.

Have a look:

The number one song in America 43 years ago this week was one of the best The Beach Boys ever recorded. Check out this performance of "Help Me Rhonda."

Back in the day when award ceremonies weren't as media-mad events as they are today, the Emmys were held after the TV season ended.
Forty-five years ago this week, the 1962-63 Emmys were handed out to such programs as "The Defenders" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

And the Best Actress statue went to... Shirley Booth, who starred as a domestic extraordinaire in the sitcom "Hazel." Actually, the official name of the award was quite a mouthful -- Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Series.

Have a look:

Today marks 16 years since Johnny Carson's final "Tonight Show" aired. I'm not sure late-night TV has ever been the same.

Here's a clip from the "Today" show that was part of a weeklong tribute to Johnny:

Hah! Fooled ya! Thought you were gonna see a clip of David Lee and Nate Robinson jamming together? (Or given this post's nostalgic bent, Bill Bradley and Earl the Pearl belting out "Stairway to Heaven?")

No, this isn't about our beloved sixth-place lottery pick team and corporate sibling-to-be.

This is about another Knickerbockers, a classic one-hit wonder, a garage/frat band from Bergenfield, NJ, who were probably the first American band to truly nail the Beatles' sound. Close your eyes and you're sure to think -- as I did back in 1966, the first time I heard this song -- that The Knickerbockers' "Lies" is actually the Fab Four performing under an alias.

Dig this clip (especially the saxophonist who never plays his instrument!):

Lets set the wayback machine for 50 years ago this week: May 20, 1958.

Topping the charts was one of the sweetest songs ever recorded, 'All I Have to Do Is Dream," by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Everly Brothers. It's their second of three No. 1 songs (preceded by "Wake Up, Little Susie" and followed by "Bird Dog.")

Check out this performance from some long-forgotten tv show:

Pete Townshend hasn't died before he got old. In fact, today the Who's leader turns 63.

Here's a clip from an amazing performance of "My Generation" (complete with instrument-smashing, whadya expect?) from the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" from September 17, 1967 (BTW, Bette Davis was also a guest on this show -- I'm wondering what the heck she may have said to Pete, Keith and the boys backstage).

Today's installment of Places We Wish We Could Go To This Weekend takes us to Freedomland, a noble attempt to create a history-based Disneyland in da Bronx.

The park lasted from just 1960-64, but to those boomers who went there (the site is now occupied by the massive Co-Op City), the memories are indelible. (bet most of you can still sing the words to the commercial: "Mommy, daddy take my hand/take me out to Freedomland.")

Here's a great clip, showcasing Freedomland's many attractions.

This week marks National Police Week, honoring the men and women of law enforcement and the difficult, but rewarding job they do every day..

With that in mind, here's a great clip from my favorite cop show ,"Car 54, Where Are You?," with Officer Francis Muldoon and company singing a ditty celebrating the policeman's lot.

In today's Newsday, you'll find a really great article taste-tasting hot dogs, which I read avidly even though I am a vegetarian.

And reading about all those Hebrew National and Nathan's franks, inspired me to track down one of the few "hot dog" songs, Perry Como's "Hot Diggity!" a No. 1 hit from May, 1956.

Mary Wells, the great Motown singer of such smashes as "My Guy" and "Two Lovers," would have turned 65 today.

Ms. Wells passed way too young, dying July 26, 1992, from larynx cancer.

Here's a terrific clip of Mary singing her No. 1 hit from 44 years ago this month:

You know what I wish I could do this weekend? Head over the GWB to Joisey and spend a fun day at Palisades Amusement Park. Alas, ther park has been gone since the end of the summer of 1971, replaced by high-rise condos.

If you went to Palisades Park (or listened to the radio in the 1960s), then surely you know the words to their song.

It's a beautiful spring day today, and I really want to escape the office. Unfortunately, all I can do is time-travel in my mind. For some reason, I keep focusing on a place where I spent many great spring days back in 1964 and 1965 -- the New York World's Fair.Here's a video that brought back many memories of those days in Flushing Meadows:

Louis Armstrong had his only chart-topper with his version of the theme from the then-hot Broadway musical, "Hello, Dolly!" It broke a three-month run at the top by the Beatles, but remained No. 1 for just one week, yielding the following week to Mary Wells' "My Guy."

Here's Satchmo belting it out in a live performance.

Marvin Gaye gets some big-time props Wednesday night when PBS' "American Masters" series turns its attention on him. (You'll be able to read a review by my colleague Verne Gay, Marv's long-lost bro, in Wednesday's paper. Verne changed his last name to avoid cashing in on the singer's fame.)

Here's a clip of the master himself -- Marv, not Verne performing his signature 1971 hit live.

The Godfather of Soul. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Mr. Dynamite.

No matter what you called him James Brown was one singular sensation. Tomorrow he would have turned 75 and in his honor, here's a clip of JB at his absolute insanest, performing "Night Train" from the classic 1964 "TAMI Show." Dig it!

Tommy James, leader of Tommy James and the Shondells, turns 61 tomorrow.

Here's a rare video of the band performing "Hanky Panky," their No. 1 hit from 1966. And by the way, one of my goals in life has been to determine how many times Tommy says "My baby does the hanky panky" during the song. Forty two years later, I still haven't got around to doing so, any help would be appreciated.

Today marks the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color line.

Here's an extremely rare clip of the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers star reading the alphabet on a 1969 episode of "Sesame Street," just three years before his untimely death.

Don Knotts may be best known for his role as Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," but he also carved out a movie career of sorts, in the mid-1960s, starring in several kooky, kid-friendly comedies. Two of them, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "The Reluctant Astronaut," air tonight on AMC at 8 and 10 p.m., respectively.

(As for me, I'm still waiting to again catch "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," in which Knotts dreams about becoming a fish (what the heck does that mean, Dr. Freud?) and then -- becomes one.

Anyway, here's the trailer from 1966's "Ghost and Mr. Chicken," in which Knotts plays a reporter who spends a night in a haunted house. The cast also includes Dick (Darrin, Too) Sargent and the world's grouchiest character actor, Charles Lane.

You can't make this stuff up.

Today is International 'Louie Louie' Day. It's actually the birthday of the song's composer, Richard Berry, but lovers of the all-time great party song have decided to take that occasion and make a real party of it. Togas are optional.

And who are we to deny a party?

Anyway, here's a rare 1965 clip of The Kingsmen performing their No. 1 hit from two years earlier. And when you've figured out the words, drop me a comment and let me know. I've been trying to decipher them for more than half my life.

Louise Lasser, best known as Woody Allen's real-life and on-screen romantic interest in "Bananas" and "Take the Money and Run," turns 69 today. (How can that be?)

The fine comic actress may be best known, though, for her starring role in the syndicated soap parody "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." We watched it avidly at 11 p.m. weeknights on Ch.5 back in the day when the Bicentennial and Peter Frampton dominated our dinner conversation.

Enjoy this clip, showing Mary at her ditziest.

That ol' scamp, Hugh Hefner, turns 82 today. And while we still read Playboy for the articles, we watch (ed) "Playboy After Dark" for that late '60s/early 70s groovefest's sheer awesome audaciousness.

Take, for instance, this episode on which a dapper Hef introduces (the, as he calls them) Iron Butterfly performing their psycho-acid signature hit, "In A Gadda Da Vida."We couldn't make this stuff up.

"Secret Talents of the Stars," which premieres tonight at 10 on CBS, is the real deal: 100% Velveeta! The cheese includes George Takei singing country music, Danny Bonaduce riding a unicycle and Joe Frazier singing r&b.;

But we've been down this road before many times. Take, for instance, this amazing clip of Brooke Shields showing off her gymnastic ability from a 1983 version of "Circus of the Stars" and pass the Gorgonzola!

Charlton Heston, the towering actor who died Saturday, was of course best-known for his film portrayals, ranging from Moses in "The Ten Commandments" to a simian-imprisoned astronaut in "Planet of the Apes."

But later in his career, when the movie gigs began drying up, Heston turned to TV, notably a stint on the "Dynasty" spinoff, "The Colbys," where he played millionaire businessman Jason Colby. Here's a clip from one of that 1985-87 series' most dramatic scenes, in which it's revealed that Jason is actually the father of Jeff Colby (John James, son of legendary New York morning deejay Herb Oscar Anderson).

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the murder of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis.

Here's how the tragedy was covered the night of April 4, 1968 by Walter Cronkite on "The CBS Evening News." This was how many Americans first heard the news in those primitive, pre-Internet, pre-cable news days. And as always, Cronkite did a comprehensive, professional job.

One of our favorite '70s icons has a birthday today.

To celebrate the 64th birthday of the man born Michael Orlando Cassivitis, here's a great clip from his awesome variety show, "Tony Orlando & Dawn." Of course, Tony and the girls are singing "Tie a Yellow Ribbon (Round the Old Oak Tree").

Well, wheee doggies, as Jed Clampett might've said, today marks the 100th anniversary of Buddy Ebsen's birth.

He had a long show-biz career (Barnaby Jones, anyone?), but we'll always love him best as the patriarch of the family that packed up and moved to Bever-ley.

To celebrate April Fool's Day, we thought we'd recall one of the most "foolish" songs of all time.

We speak of course of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," performed by the legendary Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Check out this rare clip from 1956 that originally aired live on "The Frankie Laine Show."

It's hard to believe that Frankie -- Lymon that is -- died 40 years ago this February of a drug overdose. He was just 26.

On last night's "Lost" (smartly recapped as usual by my colleague Verne Gay), in the scene where Michael tried to kill himself, he turns on his car radio and hears Mama Cass' minor 1969 song "It's Getting Better."

"Lost" fans with long memories probably recall another minor Mama Cass song ("Make Your Own Kind of Music") being used in an earlier episode that took place the first time we saw Desmond in the infamous hatch (what that coincidence means, I'll leave up to "Lost" deconstruction experts such as VGay).

Anyway, now that you've heard the song, here's an extremely rare clip of Mama Cass performing it.

Ivan Dixon, a fine actor who was best known for portraying the levelheaded Kinchloe on
“Hogan’s Heroes,” has died. He was 76.

Here's a clip of Dixon and his POW pals from that funny, but highly controversial '60s sitcom:

Soul superstar Otis Redding's posthumous "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts 40 years ago this week.

Check out this tribute video to Redding, who died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967:

It's St. Patrick's Day today, but it also marks the 113th birthday of Shemp Howard, who for many folks is their Stooge of choice.

Let's toast Shemp here with a clip from the 1947 short, "Sing a Song of Six Pants." (Sorry, but it's the colorized version.)

Let's give the end of the working week an appropriate sendoff today with a song that's been playing in my head since, oh, 9 a.m. Monday morning. (And maybe it's been playing in yours, too.)

From the spring of 1967, check out The Easybeats, one of the coolest bands to come out of Down Under, and their biggest hit, "Friday on My Mind."

On Tuesday night's "American Idol," presumptive front-runner David Archuleta butchered the Beatles' 1965 hit (via Stevie Wonder's 1971 version) "We Can Work It Out".

Wednesday night, he was -- not surprisingly -- rewarded for his puerile efforts by being voted safe for another week.

As Randy might say, check it out, dawg, here's the way the song really should be performed:

Steve Guttenberg will be very much with us again soon. Starting Monday, he's one of the celebs making fools of themselves on the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

The North Massapequa native may be best known for his movie work, but he's done some TV as well.

Dig this clip of "No Soap, Radio," Guttenberg's short-lived (very short lived, like one month) 1982 series set at a seedy hotel in Atlantic City. And be prepared for a scene with Jerry Stiller in drag! -- that's even better than the time he was caught wearing the mansier on "Seinfeld"!

And, no, I don't know what language this clip's subtitles are in. German? Dutch? Danish? Any thoughts? Bueller? Bueller?

Steve Guttenberg will be very much with us again soon. Starting Monday, he's one of the celebs making fools of themselves on the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

The North Massapequa native may be best known for his movie work, but he's done some TV as well.

Dig this clip of "No Soap, Radio," Guttenberg's short-lived (very short lived, like one month) 1982 series set at a seedy hotel in Atlantic City. And be prepared for a scene with Jerry Stiller in drag! -- that's even better than the time he was caught wearing the mansier on "Seinfeld"!

And, no, I don't know what language this clip's subtitles are in. German? Dutch? Danish? Any thoughts? Bueller? Bueller?

Gov. Eliot Spitzer's new-found identity as "Client 9" inspired this post today.

When we first heard "Client 9," what came to our heads immediately was "number 9... number 9... number 9..." from the Beatles' "Revolution 9," easily the weirdest and most annoying song on the 1968 "White Album."

We can't get you a clip of the Fab 4 performing that song (it's unlikely they ever did it live, anyway), but here's a really cool tribute to "Rev 9" re-imagined as a flat-out rocker, circa 1963.

Remember "The Saint?"

Of course you do. That was the '60s Brit series that gave U.S. viewers their first look at Roger Moore, who played the title character, a dapper adventurer named Simon Templar.

Well, "Saint" fans out there, here's some good news: The show is coming back, thanks to producers Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson. The Hollywood Repoter says the duo is cooking up a pilot with James Purefoy (not to be confused with soul singer James Purify, half of the brother duo who sang the 1966 hit "I'm Your Puppet") in the title role.

While we're waiting for that show to materialize, check out the opening credits from the '60s "Saint."

To get you ready for the massive rainfall we're about to experience this weekend, here's a clip of B.J. Thomas singing (actually lip-syncing) his No. 1 hit from 1970, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," but you knew that).

I wish I knew on which TV show this was first shown -- dig the faux-psychedelic, proto-"Teletubbies" backdrop and those umbrella-wielding dancers, who no doubt were rejected from "The Lawrence Welk Show" for not being hip enough.

TV Land's new version of "High School Reunion" (airing tonight at 9) made me think of some of TV's classic shows set at those esteemed institutions of learning.

Like "Mr. Novak", which starred James Franciscus as idealistic teacher John Novak and aired from 1963-65. Here's a clip from a 1963 episode starring a young Walter Koenig, who four years later, would of course, go on to play Chekov on "Star Trek."

And appropos of nothing, my seventh-grade math teacher at H. Frank Carey High School was named Mr. Novak. As a 13-year-old, I thought that was unbelievably cool.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its Class of 2008 on Monday night, with the ceremony airing live on VH1 Classic at 8:30.

Inductees include Leonard Cohen, Madonna, the Dave Clark Five, John Mellencamp and the Ventures.

Check out this late-'60s clip of The Ventures -- amazingly playing their instruments on a beach (were they powered by off-shore windmills, perhaps?) -- with their extremely cool version of the theme song from "Hawaii Five-O."

We love cavemen movies and there's a new one, "10,000 BC" coming out Friday that's getting lots of buzz.

To get you in the mood, here's the opening to one of TV's most memorable cavemen series. Not "The Flintstones" and certainly not that silly pseudo-Geico sitcom that ABC foisted on us last fall.

We're talking about "It's About Time," which ran for just one season (1966-67). Created by the legendary Sherwood Schwartz ("The Brady Bunch," "Gilligan's Island"), it starred two TV greats -- Joe E. Ross ("Car 54") and Imogene Coca ("Your Show of Shows") -- as a cave couple whose lives were interrupted by two modern-day astronauts (played by the not-so-great Jack Mullaney and Frank Aletter) who smashed through the time barrier and ended up in the prehistoric era.

Check it out here.

Did you watch "Oprah's Big Give" last night? Ms. O might deny it, but "Queen for a Day," that wondrous weepie from the 1950s, clearly was the show that inspired it.

Check out this clip and form your own opinion.

But what I really wanna know is this: Why don't men today have moustaches like host Jack Bailey?

Did you know that Jackie Gleason had a sitcom before “The Honeymooners”? That he starred in a 1960s Woody Allen movie? That he had a 1980s TV movie reunion with Art Carney?

Everything Gleason is there at a new “online museum” launched last week on what would have been The Great One’s 92nd birthday. JackieGleason.com has a timeline of Gleason’s Broadway, film and TV career, an in-depth biography and, best of all, video clips of many of Gleason’s memorable characters -- not just Ralph Kramden but Reggie Van Gleason III, Joe the Bartender, the pantomime Poor Soul, and more.

It’s a nice place to visit while waiting for WPIX/11’s weekly “Honeymooners” salute to begin March 16. Or for that Allen-scripted movie, “Don’t Drink the Water,” to hit DVD March 18.

We’re still waiting for an official release of his 1949 season on NBC’s “The Life of Riley.” [See photo at right.] His 1985 TV movie “Izzy and Moe” costarring Carney is already on disc and is available for download to Windows users at Amazon Unbox. With two “Color Honeymooners” collections out on DVD from his 1960s Miami Beach variety show, a third one is due May 27.

Today's video is a tribute to Mike Smith, the lead singer of the Dave Clark 5, who passed away yesterday -- just two weeks shy of seeing his British Invasion band being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Here's a rare newsreel from the band's first U.S. visit in 1964, including knockout performances of "Glad All Over" and "Because."

Every weekday at lunchtime, Boomer TV will post a video that we hope will amuse you while you're scarfing down your sandwich.

This morning, the local oldies radio station played "Get a Job" by the Silhouettes, which was the No. 1 song in the USA 50 years and one month ago, although I haven't heard it in years It's one of the funniest rock and roll songs ever and also spawned the immortal debate: Did these one-hit wonders from Philly sing "sha da da da" or "sha na na na" (from which the '50s revival band reportedly took its name)?

(Of course, if you're old enough to remember this song, you'd probably be considered too old to actually get a job today. But I digress.)

Here's a TV performance of the group, although I'm unclear of what show this was taken from.

When you wake up the morning of March 20, make sure you put on a sweater.

That's because March 20 would have been Fred Rogers' 80th birthday. So to mark the occasion, the day is being promoted as “Sweater Day” to honor the kids' TV pioneer's tradermark apparel.

“Sweater Day” will cap a six-day celebration planned by Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh. Rogers created the company to produce "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

David Newell, who played speedy deliveryman Mr. McFeely on the
show, appears in this video that touts the event:

.

If you're a fan of "The Honeymooners" (and who isn't?), we have some good news and less good news about the Greatest Sitcom of Them All.

WPIX/11 announced today that it will begin airing every "Hooneymooners" episode (108 of 'em, not just the classic 39) based on a viewers' choice poll, starting Sunday, March 16.

That's the good news (although for diehard Mooner Maniacs, the classic 39 are all that matter).

Now the less-good news: The episodes will air from 1-2 a.m. late Sunday/early Monday. So that means unless you're a sleepwalking insominiac like Ed Norton, you're gonna have to fire up the DVR. (Or maybe this hour is homage to "The Late Late Late Show" that Ralph and Ed watched during the classic "TV or Not TV" episode.)

Starting on March 7, you can go to CW11.com to vote for your favorite episodes. Each week, the two episodes with the most votes will air in the Viewer’s Choice Hour. If you can’t remember the title, CW11.com will feature a short clip from all 108 episodes (with title, cast and summary information) on the voting page.

Each week, viewers can log on and vote for the two episodes they want to see on air that weekend. On Sunday nights, back-to-back-episodes of the top two vote-getters will air. Once an episode has aired it will be removed from the polls and all episodes will air only once.

We'll take Ralph, Ed, Alice and Trixie where we can (and we are grateful for Ch.11's "Honeymooners" marathons). But there are still some of us out there who remember when Ch. 11 aired "The Honeymooners" every weeknight at 11:30.

How about you? Which two "Hooneymooners" would you vote for?

As for our favorites, we'll take the aforementioned "TV or Not TV" and "The $99,000 Answer."

One of TV's classic episodes airs tonight at 8:30 on TV Land.

It's the "I Love Lucy" episode in which Lucy and Ethel go to work making chocolates. The episode first aired on Sept. 15, 1952 and kicked off the show's second season.

The plot is mega-'50s sexist: Ricky and Fred think doing housework is much easier than earning money. Lucy and Ethel feel the opposite. So the guys try doing the housework while the girls attempt to hold down a job working on a candy factory's assembly line

Speed it up, ladies!

Now we await ABC getting into the game. This week, both NBC and CBS announced massive new web streams of full episodes of vintage TV shows.

NBC.com has launched a Way Back Wednesdays page featuring episodes of such NBC Universal library series as “Miami Vice,” “Emergency,” “Buck Rogers” and “The A-Team.” (Who doesn’t need to see Mr. T in “Mexican Slayride”?)

Sci Fi.com, ChillerTV.com and SleuthChannel.com are other NBC-owned channel sites planned to start vintage streaming this month. Expect shows like “Tek War” and “Night Gallery” (SciFi.com), “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” and “Swamp Thing” (ChillerTV.com), and “Kojak” and “Simon & Simon” (SleuthChannel.com).

CBS.com’s new Television Classics list taps the CBS Library (vintage Paramount and CBS shows) for episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Star Trek” and “Melrose Place.” Even “MacGyver,” for you “MythBusters” fans.

The CBS shows are also available through “more than 300 Web sites currently making up the CBS Audience Network,” says the press release, including “partners such as AOL, Microsoft, CNET Networks, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Netvibes, Sling Media and Veoh and social application partners including Automattic, Brightcove, Clearspring, DAVE Networks, Goowy Media, meebo, MeeVee, Musestorm, Ning, RockYou!, Slide, VideoEgg, Voxant and vSocial, as well as Web sites from CBS's owned television, radio, and affiliated stations.” (Think they missed anybody?)

But nothing comes free, does it? While these vintage streams don’t cost anything to watch, they do come ad-supported. Sorry, no escaping commercials.

The funniest insult comic to come out of Jackson Heights may be 81, but Don Rickles is still going strong.

And you should never miss an opportunity to see him.

The Merchant of Venom drops by to zap Craig Ferguson on tonight’s “Late Late Show” (CBS/2 at 12:35 a.m.)

The DVD of his great John Landis-directed doc, "Mr. Warmth," hit shelves Tuesday.

And looking forward, Rickles plays North Fork Theatre at Westbury on May 31. (That’s a make-up date from an earlier scheduled show that he canceled due to an injury.)

In the meantime, check out Rickles mixing it up with Johnny Carson in one of the funniest moments in “Tonight Show” history.

Here’s a real gen-u-ine treat for tv-obsessed boomers.

On May 6, Shout Factory is releasing “HiYa Kids!! A ‘50s Saturday Morning,” a 4-DVD set (retailing for $34.99) featuring 21 shows that we still remember well (even if we have no idea where we placed our reading glasses 15 minutes ago).

Just to name five: “Kukla, Fran & Ollie,” "Howdy Doody,” "Ding Dong School,” "Winky Dink & You” and “The Pinky Lee Show.” For a complete list shows, click here.

The set takes its name, of course, from Froggy the Gremlin’s greeting to Andy Devine each week on “Andy’s Gang" (which is another of the 21 shows in the collection).

While you’re waiting for the DVD to come out, check out this clip from this truly surrealistic kids’ show.

Former “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon has just been booked at the North Fork Theatre at Westbury.

He’s set for an April 27th date at 3 p.m. Tix are $45 and $55.

Now, we dig Ed as much as the next guy and he helped us get through many late nights with Johnny Carson.

But we’re wondering what exactly will Ed do at Westbury, besides reprising, we’re sure, his trademark “heeere's Johnny.” Will he show never-before-seen footage from “TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes?” Analyze his old Budweiser commercials (those Clydesdales rock!)?

Speaking of the King O'Beers, check out Ed pushing the brew back in 1978:

What’s the big whoop with Fox’s “The Moment of Truth?” I don’t get it. It’s mean-spirited and not even original.

Check out this much more amusing (and much less sadistic) moment of truth from a 1966 episode of the classic quiz show “I’ve Got a Secret.”

On the show, panelists Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan and Bill Cullen get hooked up to an “emotion-reading machine” to gauge how they really feel when the special guest, insult comic Jack E. Leonard, zings them.

And by the way, “Fat Jack” (as he was known quite benignly in those pre-PC days) is one comic who is long overdue to be rediscovered. His barbed remarks paved the way for the much more acerbic Don Rickles, as well as the legions of putdown artists who followed.

Ray Davies, longtime frontman for the one and only Kinks, will perform on tonight’s “Late Show with David Letterman" (11:35 p.m. on CBS).

The 63-year-old Davies is sure to perform a song from his new CD, “Working Man’s Cafe,” which drops today and has been getting some very good buzz.

Watch Davies perform the title song here.

"

Here's a really nice news story about what Andy Griffith is up to these days.

Turns out that Sheriff Andy/Ben Matlock is 81, lives on a waterfront estate off Roanoke Island, NC, collects antique cars and has plenty to say.

Read it here.

John Wayne may not usually be thought of as a TV star. But he he did make a bunch of guest appearances on sitcoms over the years, most notably the two-episode “I Love Lucy” in 1955 in which Lucy discovers that the cement slab with Wayne's footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater has come loose.

But who out there remembers when Wayne cameod on “The Beverly Hillbillies”? (The Duke should not be confused with Duke, the Clampetts’ hound). You’ll get your chance to see Tuesday night at 9 when TV Land airs the 1967 episode, “The Indians Are Coming.”

This mega-politically incorrect plot has something to do with Indians (or “Injuns” as Granny says) taking over the Clampetts' land back in Bug Tussle. Turns out it’s just a lil’ ol’ boundary dispute. Nevertheless, Chief Running Wolf and Little Fox travel to Beverly Hills to settle the problem, but Granny is alarmed and she prepares to take on the Injuns by herself. Wayne visits Granny at the end after the Indians “attack.”

According to several sources, Wayne asked for only a bottle of bourbon as payment for the episode.

By the way, an excellent recap of Wayne’s TV career can be found on the TV Party website.

And if you want a great Clampett fix, check out this commercial in which they shill for Kellogg's Corn Flakes!

David Groh, who played Rhoda Morgenstern's husband Joe Gerard on the '70s sitcom "Rhoda" -- their Oct. 28, 1974 wedding was one of the most-watched episodes in TV history -- has died. He was 68.

The TV nuptials lasted only three seasons -- in a shocking development (for TV of the time) -- the couple divorced and Joe was soon gone from the show. Many viewers were so upset that when they split people sent them condolence cards.

Groh’s good looks and real-life good nature were key to helping him win the part of her TV husband, Valerie Harper, who played Rhoda, said Thursday. “We looked all over and he finally came on the scene,” Harper told the AP. “I read every cute guy of a certain age in Hollywood and he was the one. ... I enjoyed very much working with him. He was a lovely, lovely guy.”

Read more about Groh here.

And by the way, why the heck isn't "Rhoda" on TV anywhere these days?

It’s Valentine’s Day, so the folks at digital cable’s Biography Channel (Ch. 160 for Cablevision viewers) have cooked up a sort-of appropriate show.

At 11 p.m., it’ll air a bio of the late Barry White, the deep-voiced, over-the-top soul singer whose songs (“Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby”) provided the soundtrack for many rolls across many water beds in the 1970s.

On the other hand, maybe you should set your DVR. If you’re around to watch a cable show at 11 p.m., then one would assume you’re probably having a pretty rotten V-Day. (If you're really desperate, the show repeats at 3 a.m. early Friday.)

To get in the mood, you can watch the Great One sing one of his biggest hits here.

We’ll forgive TV Land for adding “Just Shoot Me” to their schedule long enough to give ‘em some props for airing two of the funniest episodes in TV history Sunday night.

Not surprisingly, both of ‘em come from “I Love Lucy.” (Both are part of a programming stunt called “Ricky Loves Lucy Valentine’s Day,” which runs from 8-10 p.m. and is repeated the same time on Thursday, V-Day.)

At 8:30 it’s the Dec. 8, 1952 episode in which Lucy lets Ricky know — or attempts to let him know — that she is expecting. Remember, back then you couldn’t even say the word “pregnant” on TV. After many delays and interruptions, she finally breaks the news while Ricky is performing at the Tropicana. She slips him a note about the "blessed event", but Ricky misunderstands, thinking the message is for someone else. When he realizes that he is the expectant father, he breakd down, singing “We're Having a Baby.”

At 9 it’s the classic episode in which Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky. (Twelve hours earlier Lucille Ball, had given birth to Desi Arnaz Jr.) The episode aired on Jan. 19, 1953, 72% of all American homes with television sets, about 44 million viewers, tuned in. That’s 15 million more than tuned in the next day to watch President Eisenhower’s inauguration.

Fifty-five years later, it’s no secret why America liked Ike, but loved Lucy.

No disrespect intended, but the passing of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru to the stars, made me immediately think of one of my favorite ‘60s episodes of all time.

That would be the 1968 “Groovy Guru” episode of “Get Smart,” which captured perfectly how adult TV writers tried to get their heads around the youth culture of the 1960s. In it, Larry (“F Troop”) Storch plays the title character, whose evil spells are causing the nation’s teenagers to incessantly dance. It’s up to Max and 99 to thwart his insidious plans.

Here’s a more detailed description of the episode, courtesy of the “Get Smart”-obsessed folks at wouldyoubelieve.com:

The episode, by the way, was ranked as one of the 100 best episodes ever by TV Guide.

Again, apologies to M.M. Yogi (as the Newsday obit’s headline called him — I’ve never seen him referred to as such), but what can I say, this is how my mind works.

Photo: Larry Storch as the Groovy Guru

Even though Barry Morse appeared in more than 3,000 TV, film and stage roles, he’ll always be best remembered as the relentless Lt. Philip Gerard on “The Fugitive.” The Canadian actor died Saturday at 89, although his death was not announced until Monday.

For four seasons, Lt. Gerard doggedly pursued Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), a prisoner wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife.

The series opened in 1963 with Gerard taking Kimble to the Big House to be executed when the train in which they were riding derailed. Gerard was knocked unconscious and Kimble escaped.

Their cat-and-mouse game ended on Aug. 29, 1967 in “The Fugitive’s” final episode when Gerard shot the infamous one-armed man, the true killer of Kimble’s wife. At the time, the episode was the most-watched in TV history.

“He thought it was a good show -- well filmed, well directed and well acted,” the actor’s son Hayward Morse said. “He had nothing disparaging to say about 'The Fugitive.”

And by the way, the name Gerard was inspired by Javert, the relentless pursuer in Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables.”

Check out the opening sequence from the final episode here.

Photo: David Janssen and Barry Morse in their "Fugitive" days.

Cable’s Hallmark Channel continues its pursuit of baby boomers — the same demographic coveted by TV Land.

The channel completed one of its biggest series acquisition deals this week, grabbing rights to "7th Heaven," "Cheers" and "I Love Lucy" along with additional episodes of "Matlock" and "Touched by an Angel," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"7th Heaven" will be the first of the three newly acquired series available to the network, where it will launch as early as January, while "Cheers" will become available later next year and "Lucy" in January 2009. The deal includes rights to all episodes of all three series.

Hallmark already airs reruns of two Boomer-friendly shows, "M*A*S*H" and "Little House on the Prairie."

"Angel," which previously aired on the network, will return in January, while the newly acquired episodes of "Matlock" will join those already running on the channel.

I love watching reruns and unexpectedly seeing well-known performers Before They Were Stars.

Last night, I stumbled yet again on a “White Shadow” rerun on YES and discovered a very young future Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, then billed as “Brian Mitchell.”

Mitchell played a thuggish student named Lucius Robinson, who provoked Coach Reeves (Ken Howard) into a fight. Ever the earnest liberal, Ken tried to “understand” Lucius (the kid said his dad was an absent alcoholic, the family was on welfare and he lived in a slum), so he wouldn’t press charges.

But Ken changed his mind after seeing Lucius’ permanent record card, and cemented it by visiting his “slum” house, which turned ou to be a nice, middle-class ranch and meeting the boy's parents, including his hard-working postman father. The parents admitted Lucius was the bad seed in the family, and couldn’t understand why.

The bad seed part was certainly true — the episode ended when Lucius attempted to rape the vice-principal in her office, only to be interrupted and pummelled by Coach Reeves, who then commanded her to call the cops.

Mitchell showed great acting chops here, and of course, in the ensuing three decades, went on to a distinguished acting career, especially on Broadway. He won a 2000 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for a revival of Cole Porter's “Kiss Me, Kate.”

He later added the “Stokes” to his name because there were too many other Brian Mitchells in Hollywood. Stokes, by the way, is his mother's maiden name.

I’m the first to admit that my life has been extremely influenced by Rolling Stone, to which I faithfully subscribed from 1967 to 1982.

Growing up on Long Island, I used RS as my biweekly ticket to the counterculture I so desperately wanted to be a part of. It influenced everything from my vocabulary to my musical tastes to writing style. (And no, I’m not bitter beacause I was turned down for a job there as a copy editor in 1978.)

But honestly, it hasn’t really been a part of my life for quite awhile, except as a nostalgic artifact.

In fact, I’d guess most boomers haven’t perused a copy of RS since the beginning of the Reagan administration, unless they happen to pick up their kids' (or grandkids') copy.

So I was a little skeptical when I sat down to watch the Paul Shaffer-hosted “Rolling Stone Magazine: Voice of Our Generation,” which airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on WLIW/21 (PBS loves boomers, as we all know.)

Celebrating RS' 40th anniversary, the show re-traces yet again the mag’s journey from counterculture San Francisco-based rag
into slick Manhattan periodical. A worthy tale, but one told many times.

And what about that “Voice of Our Generation?” ... well, maybe up to a point. It’s more likely that AARP, the magazine, with its articles about when to apply for Social Security or best arthritis cures, is today’s voice of our generation.

Nevertheless, title aside , this special does contain lots of fun clips to watch, ranging from the Beatles doing “We Can Work It Out” to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner” and Bruce Springsteen performing “Glory Days.” All those and John Denver and the Carpenters, too.

For those alone, I’d recommend tuning in.

TV fans, of course, remember the late Robert Goulet from his scores of appearances on variety and talk shows over the years.

But how many of you out there remember when he actually starred in a serious, World War II-era espionage drama?

The show in question was “Blue Light” and back in January 1966, ABC had high hopes for it.
The show debuted on the same night the network launched the soon-to-be-smash “Batman” as part of its then-radical notion of a “second season.” (Fancy way of saying our fall shows really stunk.)

In “Blue Light” (not to be confused with Kmart’s “Blue Light Special”), Goulet played David March, an American espionage agent. He posed as a foreign correspondent who had officially renounced his American citizenship. But he secretly belonged to an elite secret group called “Code Blue Light,” whose purpose was to infiltrate the Nazi high command. (Time magazine said “Robert Goulet has turned in his operetta cloak for a dagger.”)

Alas, “Blue Light” aired against “The Beverly Hillbillies.” one of the most popular shows of its era. It never attracted an audience and was gone by the fall.

If it’s Halloween, then it must be time for Zacherle to resurface.

And yep, the calendar doesn't lie. Cool Ghoul John Zacherle, now 89, the legendary host of NY TV’s horror/comedyfest “Chiller Theatre” way back in the day (before moving into a successful radio career at the original WNEW-FM and elsewhere), still walks among us.

Zach will be heard doing his thing Halloween night on the new-and-improved WCBS-FM/101.FM night between 8 and 10 p.m.

Now, if only some local TV brainiac would bring back “Chiller Theatre!”

Pardon me, but I’m about 30 years late on this one.

I have discovered a great TV drama: “The White Shadow.”

The back story: I was bored watching Game One of the World Series last night so I wanted to see what other sports might be on. I clicked to YES and what I found there wasn’t sports per se, but a rerun of the drama about a white ex-NBA player who now coaches at a predominantly minority L.A. high school.

I never watched it back in 1978 and ‘79. But, bored, I stuck around and found myself riveted for the entire hour.

This episode featured Peter Horton, a decade before “thirtysomething,” as a wealthy kid whose father transfers him from a ritzy high school to the inner-city Carver High because — there are rumors the boy might be gay. (Of course, the word used throughout the show isn’t gay, but “homosexual.”) And of course, the rumors dog the boy at his new school.

Per that time, the issue gets tiptoed around but enough for Ken Howard’s Coach Ken Reeves to smell something akin to McCarthyism (guilty until proven innocent). The teenaged Horton puts on a compelling performance.

It was all so earnest — and Afros, sideburns and bad fashion aside — it made for great viewing.

Much more compelling than the BoSox’ blowout.

I can’t wait for the next episode.

Classic TV faves shuffle in the TV Land schedule starting Monday, Oct. 15.

Joining the early morning lineup weekdays: “Night Court” (7 a.m.) and “Wings” (7:30 a.m.). Both sitcoms restart Monday from their premiere episodes. (“Star Trek” is starting over at 6 a.m., too.)

Added later in the morning: “Designing Women” (10:30 a.m.) and “The Brady Bunch” (11 a.m.). “Green Acres” moves to 1:30 p.m.

In prime time starting Monday, “M*A*S*H” airs at 8 and 8:30 weekdays, leading into nightly two-hour blocks (“Designing Women” Monday, “Andy Griffith” Tuesday, “Sanford and Son” Wednesday, “Good Times” Thursday, another “M*A*S*H” hour 9-10 p.m. Friday).

Check out the changes at TV Land’s just relaunched (and much crisper looking) web site, packed with show clips, interviews, episode guides, interactive goodies and more.

Feeling nostalgic these days for the New York City of 1977, are you?

If ESPN’s “The Bronx Is Burning” isn’t enough to bring you back to those halcyon days of serial killers, looting mobs and midget mayors, then VH1’s excellent ” “NY '77: The Coolest Year in Hell” (Saturday at 9 p.m.) is sure to satisfy your jones big time.

The VH1 doc crew has done its homework here. It's hard to believe the same channel that asks us to take Flavor Flav and Scott Baio seriously could produce such an insightful and fascinating film.

You want Son of Sam? You got him, along with the July blackout, The Koch-Cuomo-Beame-Abzug mayoral smackdown. Studio 54, Plato’s Retreat, the birth of hip-hop, CBGB.

Dig this commercial for Plato's Retreat, the Upper West Side swingers club (no, that's not where people like A-Rod and Barry Bonds hang). Don't worry, it's PG-rated.

And while you're being moved by the Spirit of '77, check out the Ramones rockin' the Bowery.

For more good, clean fun, head uptown to Studio 54, the disco where fascistic doormen ushered the high and mighty into its innards. Schlubs like you and me need not apply.

The two-hour doc is filled with commentary by such luminaries as Geraldo Rivera, Gloria Gaynor, pioneering deejay Jellybean Benitez, Richard Hell, Ed Koch (he utters the F-word!) and Jimmy Breslin (he says Times Square was better when it was full of whores instead of suburbanites going to see “The Lion King.”)

"NY ' 77" was co-written by Jonathan Mahler, author of “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning,” the book on which the ESPN miniseries is based. But thankfully, there’s nothing about Reggie, Billy and the Yankees here. But there’s also nothing about the Midnight Massacre in which the Mets dumped Tom Seaver on the Reds for a bag of golf balls on June 15.

That's what I remember being most obsessed with during the summer of '77, not whether I could get into Studio 54, from which I most assuredly would be barred.

Those folks at WLIW/21 have unearthed a goodie Saturday night at 7.

They call it “Johnny Cash: A Man and His Vision,” but it’s really just a compilation of clips from Cash’s 1969-71 ABC show featuring one heckuva bunch of guest singers.

Like: Bob Dylan (I Thew It All Away), Neils Young (The Damage Done) and Diamond (Cracklin' Rosie), James Taylor (Sweet Baby James), Joni Mitchell (Long Black Veil), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Bad Moon Rising) and Derek and the Dominoes (It's Too Late). Let's not forget Cash's old Sun Records cronies, Carl Perkins (Blue Suede Shoes), Roy Orbison (Crying) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On).

Check out this amazing clip of Ray Charles performing Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” You’ll never think of that song in the same way again.

Definitely worth watching.

You know what I really miss -- and they ain't coming back -- are summer replacement shows.

These were shows that literally took the place of an established program while it took off the summer. A quaint TV institution that has vanished in favor of an avalanche of cheap and increasingly dumber reality shows. I'm not bitter, right?

Because I don't wan't to watch "American Inventor," starting today, Boomer Tube will take a look back at some of the most memorable summer replacement shows.

Lets set the wayback machine for the summer of 1968 and tune into “The Summer Brothers Smothers Show.”

That groovy title was no doubt thought up by some sideburned, Nehru-jacketed exec at CBS for the Glenn Campbell show that took the place of the variety-comedy hour hosted by the Bad Boys of CBS Tom and Dick Smothers.

To keep the connection going between the two shows, “Smothers” regular deadpan comic Pat Paulsen appeared here each Sunday night — and why not? He was, famously, running for President. He lost, btw, to Richard Nixon.

Also on the show, “Smothers” head writer Mason Williams debuted his instrumental hit “Classical Gas,” which he touts here as the first-ever music video.

Campbell was so successful that he got his own CBS show a few seasons later. Check out this clip from "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" in which Glen grooves with Stevie Wonder.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER REPLACEMENT SHOW? POST A COMMENT HERE

For some folks, the Fourth of July holiday means barbecuing, shooting off firecrackers and a day off from work.

For me, two out of three ain't bad. I don't eat meat and I'm scared of firecrackers. (At least I'll be off from work.)

But what I really look forward to about the Fourth -- besides celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Bicentennial -- is the semiannual "Twilight Zone" marathon the folks at Sci Fi channel graciously provide.

This year, they're really going all out. It kicked things off at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and goes through 4 a.m. on Thursday morning.

That's a lot of Rod Serling -- and I, or rather my VCR, will be loving every minute of it.

Here is the Wednesday schedule.

And if you're looking for a one-stop "Twilight Zone" site, check out Sci-Fi's very own.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE 'TWILIGHT ZONE' EPISODE? POST A COMMENT HERE.

Seeing Paul and Ringo on Larry King the other night got me to thinking about the many times I’ve seen the Beatles on TV.

You know the drill: Their first appearance on "Ed Sullivan" in 1964, singing "Hey Jude" on the Smothers Brothers in 1968, the worldwide hookup for "All You Need Is Love" in '67 and so on.

There was one piece of Beatle TV-mania that's been missing, from my overstuffed mind, anyway -- something I havent seen in decades.

I'm talking about "The Beatles" cartoon series.

These were the crudely drawn adventures of the Fab 4 which ran Saturday mornings on ABC from 1965 to 1969. Two Beatles songs were usually performed on each episode. The boys were voiced by Paul Frees, a voiceover wiz perhaps best known for Cold War creep Boris Badenov on "Rocky & Bullwinkle" (John and George) and by Lance Percival (Paul and Ringo).

Everything you ever wanted to know about the show can be found here.

Thanks to the miracle of You tube (natch), I was able to watch a bunch of 'em for the first time since the beginning of the Nixon administration.

For starters, check out this episode in which they sing "I'll Follow the Sun":

:

Or this one, which was actually the final episode:

You know what? they’re still pretty tacky, but they are the Beatles, after all.

DO YOU REMEMBER "THE BEATLES" CARTOONS? POST A COMMENT HERE.

Larry King’s guests last night were a lot more of interest to me than the bimbo grilling that’s scheduled for tonight.

As you may know, the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (along with the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison) sat down with LK to hype the first anniversary of the Las Vegas’ Fab 4 show, “Love.”

To see a clip from the interview, go here.

Here are some of the highlights:
McCartney and Starr on the influence of The Beatles’ music:
KING: Come on, you changed the world.
MCCARTNEY: We were just kids from Liverpool.
KING: Yes.
MCCARTNEY: And, yes, it is quite amazing, because as time goes on, it kind of becomes more and more of a phenomenon.
KING: It grows.
MCCARTNEY: And the young kids, you know, talk about it like as if it's history, which it is.
STARR: I think the most exciting thing is that, you know, we expect people our age to know the music. But, actually, a lot of the kids know the music. And if anything is left, we have left really good music. And that's the important part, not the mop tops or whatever, you know?

McCartney on the passing of George Harrison:
MCCARTNEY: Yes. We -- we all knew and he knew. But it was great. You know, in all these -- well, in, actually, in John's case -- I was going to say in all these tragedies. In George's case, in that tragedy, there were some good things about it. In John's case there weren't.
But with George, I got to see him...
KING: Oh, you did?
MCCARTNEY: ... A short time before he died. And it was just the best because we just -- we sat like this, if you don't mind. We sat and just stroking hands like this. And this is a guy, you know, I'd known since he was a little kid. And you don't stroke hands with guys like that. You know, it was just beautiful. And we just...
STARR: Not unless you're secure.
MCCARTNEY: We just spent a couple of hours and it was really lovely. It was like a favorite memory of mine.

Paul also deftly parried Larry’s “toughest” question of the night, an inquiry about “how are you doing” — obviously, a veiled reference to Paul and Heather’s unamicable split. “I’m doing surprisingly well,” said Sir Paul. “But I don’t talk about it, and that helps.”

Saw this commercial the other night for the Kia Spectra that brought me way back.

It wasn’t so much the spot’s plot: just a bunch of drivers play “musical cars” in a parking lot, jockeying for one open space. Ho-hum.
It was the music used as background.

After you’ve clicked on the above link, any boomer who grew up in the NY Metro area should instantly recognize that snippet: It's the theme song that Officer Joe Bolton used for his daily “Three Stooges Funhouse” show back in the day on Ch. 11 -- when WPIX was WPIX and not the CW/11.

BTW, the song was called “A Whistler and His Dog.” And it was written in 1905 by Arthur Pryor, a trombonist for John Philip Sousa.

I've waited 45 years to learn that piece of useless information. Gotta give a big shoutout to Kia for sparking my curiosity.

And Officer Joe, we still miss you!

Do you remember Officer Joe? Share your thoughts here.

It’s getting more and more difficult to find real old-time TV shows on TV anymore.

Nick at Nite long ago abandoned its boomer-centric menu (“Mr. Ed,” “Car 54,” etal). TV Land, despite claiming to be the home for baby boomers, showed its true colors last month by proudly trumpeting its acquistion of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” reruns. The American Life Network has a terrific lineup (“I Spy,” “Combat,” “UNCLE”) but that channel is rarely available.

So what’s a frustrated boomer to do?

Head to the web. Natch.

As this article points out, the web has become a treasure trove of vintage programs, thanks largely to one old-time TV collecting fanatic named Ira Gallen who has put many of his clips on youtube.com

So now you can invest hours of your valuable time, clicking on clips from the days when Maypo was considered a health food.

I’ll be writing more about these shows individually, but to get you started. dig this clip from “Andy’s Gang,” a show that has special meaning to me, needless to say.

Magic twanger, indeed!

TV for those who remember the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s — and those who wish they could

If you haven’t seen the 1969 film “Monterey Pop” in awhile (or have never seen it), check out “Monterey 40,” (Saturday at 9 p.m. on VH1 and VH1 Classic), a new “Rock Docs” film chronicling the 40th anniversary of that landmark rock festival. The doc captures the event in all in its counter-culture grooviness.

Unlike Woodstock (two summers later), the June 1967 Monterey Pop festival — which featured bands from San Francisco (Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & The Holding Company), Los Angeles (The Byrds, Mamas & Papas), England (The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience) and elsewhere (Simon & Garfunkel, Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding and Hugh Masekela) — was not the focus of major media attention.

It may have been big news on the West Coast, but I recall seeing no coverage of it any New York-area newspapers at the time nor was it even acknowledged at on WOR-FM, New York’s pioneering FM rock station.

There are too many incredible performances to list here, but check out this one by Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother & the Holding Company.

Warm up for “Monterey 40” with “Hippies” (Friday at 8 p.m., History Channel), a documentary about the folks we once called “flower children.” And if you really can’t get enough, there’s also “American Experience’s” “Summer of Love” rerun late Sunday/early Monday at midnight.

MOVIES
M*A*S*H (Friday, 8 and 11:30 p.m., FMC) — The dark 1970 comedy from Larry Gelbart that inspired the hit TV series. Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland and Sally Kellerman. Watch an interview with director Robert Altman here.

Reefer Madness (Midnight, late Friday/early Saturday, IFC) — Not made in the ‘60s, but this 1936 movie sure found a willing audience among counterculturalists who hooted at its over-the-top anti-pot message. Don't freak out when you see this.

All the President’s Men (Saturday at 10 p.m., WNET/13) -- Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman “follow the money” and help bring down the Nixon administration. It’s followed at 12:20 a.m. by “Watergate Plus 30: Shadow of History,” with interviews with many key Watergate figures including Redford and Hoffman, I mean Woodward and Bernstein. At this point in time, you may click on the trailer to the 1976 film here.

The Exorcist (late Saturday/early Sunday, 1 a.m., FUSE) — Hey, any chance to see Linda Blair’s head spin again is cool, but what the hell is this movie doing on this music-video channel?

AND CHECK THIS OUT:
Sam Cooke: Legend (Saturday at Noon, WLIW/21) — No-warts portrait of the smooth-voiced singer of “You Send Me,” “Cupid” and many other hits. Sam performs "Blowin' in the Wind" in this rare clip from "Shindig" in 1964, a few months before his death.

I couldn't believe it when I just saw the new Dell commercial..

The spot uses one of the coolest songs in the universe, a shot of fuzzttone wackiness straight out of 1966. And while I don't give a byte about what they're actually pushing I applaud whomever their Madison Avenue brainiacs might be for unearthing this classic.

For they are using "You're Gonna Miss Me" by the 13th Floor Elevators, one of the five greatest garage bands of all time. (The others are the Standells, the Chocolate Watch Band, Long Island's own Vagrants, and the Seeds). The song, one of the highlights of the legendary Nuggets collection, perfectly captures the tentative first co-minglings of punk and psychedelia. (sheesh, I sound like a damn rock critic here).

What it has to do with computers beats the heck out of me. On the other hand, the Elevators were from Texas and Dell is headquartered in Texas. Maybe there's some kind of Lone Star nudge-nudge wink-wink going on.

If this commercial made me refrain from hitting the clicker, I can only imagine the reaction of Roky Erikson, the Elevators' over-the-top lead singer, wherever he may be.

Do you have any favorite garage-band songs from the '60s that you think would sound great in a commercial.?Talk
back to the Boomer Tube here.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22, 2006

HERE'S ANOTHER CLASSIC '60s TV ROCK 'N' ROLL MEMORY....Since it got awfully lonely on "Gilligan's Island," the writers often had to think of inventive ways of dropping in "special guests" onto the island (Phil Silvers, Don Rickles, among others) to interact with the castaways and then get the hell back to civilization.

On this 1964 episode, the show's brain trust dragooned a semi-obscure faux-British band called the Wellingtons. These were the guys who sang the theme song on the show's first season, btw. (hey, I remember seeing them on "Shindig!") and pretend that they were a Fab Four-wannabee band called the Mosquitoes.
(Those grown-ups really must've thought they were brilliant with their insect analogies.)

Anyway, the Mosquitoes ended up on the island because they needed a place to avoid their rabid fans. Here. they serenaded Gilligan and Co.

A brilliant idea, no? How come Mark Burnett hasn't airlifted The Killers or Arctic Monkeys onto "Survivor" yet? Just asking.

TONIGHT'S PICK
Check out tonight's Andy Griffith Show (9 p.m., TV Land). Elinor Donahue -- yes Princess from "Father Knows Best" -- guests as a new pharmacist who comes to Mayberry. And in that vein, "Biography" (8 p.m., Biography Channel) profiles Don Knotts aka Barney Fife (or Ralph Furley if you're in that younger demo.)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15

Remember “The Mothers In-Law?”

It was a short-lived comedy (1967-69) about two sets of very different neighbors (Eve Arden and Herbert Rudley; Kaye Ballard and Roger C. Carmel) whose kids married each other. Great premise, but it’s not particularly well-remembered today. Although it should be.

One particularly groovy moment occurred when the proto-punk band The Seeds ( nudge-nudge wink-wink drug reference alert) performed their one and only hit, “Pushin’ too Hard” (a genuine punk classic!) on the show. You know it was one of those decisions by the show’s producers (who included Desi Arnaz) to get the “kids” will tune in. The episode originally aired on April 28, 1968 and is entitled, "How Not To Manage A Rock Group"

As you can see, it is priceless.

THIS JUST IN AND IT'S BIG:
Brady Bunch" star Barry Williams will play Mr. Howell and Dawn Wells will star as Mrs. Howell in the latest incarnation of the "Gilligan" musical.

Book me on the next plane to Florida

TUESDAY, NOV. 14

Rewinding the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s on your TV

Tonight’s Pick:
EASY COME, EASY GO (ACMAX, 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Cablevision Ch. 371)

Poor Elvis. It’s 1967 and he’s 32 years old, the youth of America are entranced by hippies and the nascent counter-culture.

Yet here he is still churning out movies, like this one, his 23rd, in which he plays a Navy frogman diving for buried treasure. And singing classics like “Yoga Is As Yoga Does” (check out “Bride of Frankenstein’s” Elsa Lanchester as the Yoga instructor).

Besides that, you might notice if you care, that the cast includes The Munsters’ Pat Priest (the second Marilyn Munster) as the bad chick and Pat “Mr. Schneider” Harrington Jr. as the frogman’s former partner.

Anyway, an Elvis Presley movie, any Elvis Presley movie is beyond criticism. It just is. Enjoy.

MONDAY, NOV. 6

Vintage fare for those who care

HEY THERE: A SAMMY DAVIS JR. SIGHTING!

Sammy Davis Jr. made one of the classic guest appearances in a 1972 episode of “All in the Family” in which he dropped in on Archie Bunker to retrieve a briefcase he had left in Archie’s cab.
Five years later, he played himself on a memorable “Charlie’s Angels” episode in which the girls become his bodyguards after several attempts to kidnap him. You can see it tonight at 9 on WPXN, which is Ch. 31 over-the-air, but airs as Ch. 3 on Cablevision.

THE QUESTION: Can you name three other series on which Sammy guested during the 1970s? Look for the answer here tomorrow.

ALSO OF NOTE

THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1 a.m. Tuesday morning on Sci Fi). One of the classics, “A Game of Pool.” A pre-Oscar, pre-Quincy Jack Klugman’s a pool shark who finds himself in the game of his life against his long-dead rival (Jonathan Winters).

THE LAST WALTZ. (11 p.m., VH1 Classic) — Martin Scorsese’s memorable filming of the Band’s 1976 farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland. It really was a swan song to the ‘60s (but you knew that), with performances by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters.

FRIDAY, NOV 3

TV for the TV Generation

TONIGHT’S PICK: AIRPLANE! (10 p.m., TV Land)

Still brilliantly funny after 26 years. It relaunched the careers of Robert Stack and Leslie Nielsen (whose “Airplane!”-inspired series “Police Squad!” comes out on DVD Tuesday) And who can ever forget Barbara Billingsley’s turning her June Cleaver legacy upside down with her jive-talk dialogue.

And speaking of the Cleavers...
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER (5:30 a.m., Saturday, TV Land) has an amusing episode (but weren’t they all?: Wally decides to grow a moustache to impress a girl.

ALSO OF NOTE:
BIOGRAPHY (8 p.m., Biography Channel) profiles singer Brenda Lee, who straddled the worlds of rock and country. I’m guessing that by Thanksgiving weekend we’ll be hearing Little Miss Dynamite’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” for the first of at least 10,000 times until Dec. 25.

DANIEL BOONE: FRONTIER TRAIL RIDER (8 p.m., Encore Westerns) — Even I didn’t know that a 1968 feature film was released based on Fess Parker’s TV series. And why should I? This clipjob apparently was put together for distribution outside the U.S. market. But here it is — in which Dan’l encounters Indians while leading a wagon train to the Kentucky valley, resulting in a servant's injury.

THURSDAY, NOV.. 2

Tonight’s TV must-see is: DEAN MARTIN :GREATEST HITS (9 p.m., WNET/13) —

OK, I know when we were younger the idea that PBS would air a Dean Martin special was ludicrous. But this isn’t your parents’ PBS anymore. This show is a compilation of songs from two TV specials by the hippest dude to ever come straight outta Steubenville. We haven’t seen the show, but we're pretty confident he's gonna sing “That’s Amore” and “Everybody Loves Somebody.”

BTW, expect to see a lot more of Dino in ‘07: the late singer’s trust made a deal last week to market his name, image and likeness. Can’t wait to buy that shot glass engarved with the Rat Packer’s mug. Anybody have any thoughts about what Dean Martin merchandise they’d want to own

ALSO OF NOTE

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (9 p.m., TV Land) — One of the show’s classic episodess, “Opie's First Love,” in which Opie's party date jilts him at the last moment.

AMERICAN MUSCLE CAR (9 p.m., Speed) — looks at the 1964 GTO, the car that started the Detroit muscle-car craze. And as you know, was one of the handful of cars to have a hit song recorded in its honor. Which reminds me: anybody out there know what ever happened to Ronny and the Daytonas?

Boomer Tube is one baby boomer’s musings on what’s on that’s of particular interest to those who think the TV and movies of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s is forever groovy.

I’m stewing today because I subscribe to Cablevision and I can’t get the American Life Network. Yeah, I realize nobody knows about this channel (which is available on satellite), but darn it, I wanna be able to see reruns of “Hawaiian Eye,” “My Favorite Martian,” “The Man from UNCLE,” “I Spy.” Yo, C’vision: you did a real solid when you added Turner Classic movies -- so how about it?

TONIGHT’S PICKS

THE LONG LONG TRAILER (8 p.m., TCM) — Lucille Bell and Desi Arnaz took a break from “I Love Lucy” to film this 1954 comedy in which they play newlyweds who splurge on a trailer for their honeymoon, which includes
Yosemite National Park.

CHARLIE’S ANGELS (9 p.m., WXPN/31, Ch. 3 on Cablevision) — Kelly poses as an unwed mother to find a girl planning to sell her unborn child to the black market. Don’t mess with Kelly.

AMERICAN MASTERS (9 p.m., WNET/13) — “Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval” — This doc definitely shows why “The Twilight Zone’s” creator was the coolest thing to come out of Binghamton, NY since the invention of the spiedie (if you have to ask, you’ve never tasted one).