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    Thursday, November 19th, 2009

    New Exhibit: Irwin Allen Promotional Spots

    The title of this exhibit, Irwin Allen Promotional Spots, is a bit of a misnomer, I admit. The thirteen promotional spots you can watch aren’t publicizing Irwin Allen but instead five of his six television shows. The only show I don’t have any promotional spots for is Code Red, which ran from 1981 to 1982 and starred Lorne Greene. I’ve pulled a few of these spots from other parts of the site but the bulk of them are new. I believe some of them are included as bonus features on various DVD releases (one of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea releases has a whole slew of spots, I think) and those versions may be of better quality. But it’s neat to see them all together in their colorful glory (aside from the few that are black and white). So take some time to watch a few promotional spots for your favorite Irwin Allen shows; please leave any comments at the exhibit page.

    Posted at 8:52PM in Exhibits, The Time Tunnel | Comments Off

    Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

    Bookshelf: Captain Nice

    Captain Nice
    By William Johnston
    First Published in 1967 by Tempo Books
    155 Pages

    I must preface this review with a caveat: I haven’t actually finished reading this novel. Nevertheless, I feel confident discussing it because, frankly, the plots in novels like this one really aren’t all that important. Really, when the protagonist is, as the title boldly declares, a “mild, meek, mother’s boy,” the only thing Captain Nice has to deliver is outrageous humor. And boy, does it deliver. Some of the humor is so outrageous, in fact, that it’s almost painful to read. But it reflects the tone of the series.

    Read the rest of this entry »

    Posted at 9:10PM in Bookshelf, Captain Nice | 1 Comment »

    Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

    Batman Trading Cards

    According to Old Bubblegum Cards.com three sets of Batman trading cards were released in 1966 by Topps (the third of which was issued in two versions). The four cards I’ve scanned are from Series 1, known as the “Orange Backs” or “Black Bat” cards. Another set, based on the 1966 feature film, was also released.

    Card #3 Front

    Card #3 Back


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    Posted at 11:30PM in Artifacts, Batman | 3 Comments »

    DVD Tuesday: Wagon Train

    The only release of note today is Wagon Train – The Complete First Season – Special Limited Edition from Timeless Media Group. Included are all 39 black and white episodes from the 1957-1958 season. A variety of episodes have been released in the past in both VHS and DVD and last November Timeless issued the 1963-1964 color season (the show’s seventh). Whether additional seasons will see the light of day remains to be seen.

    Posted at 9:28PM in DVD Releases, DVD Tuesday | 1 Comment »

    Monday, November 16th, 2009

    Q & A: The Mystery of K and W Call Letters

    I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about television shows, made-for-TV movies or miniseries they remember from years or decades past. I try to answer each question as best I can. Every now and then I like to dig through my inbox and pull out a few choice e-mails to answer here at Television Obscurities for everyone to read. Keep reading for today’s questions and answers.

    I very much enjoy your blog–I’ve always been interested in early TV.

    I’ve asked the following question for years, and never got a good answer: Why do stations east of the Mississippi generally start with W, and west of the Mississippi start with K? I’ve heard something about early transmitters from Westinghouse and Kaiser, but nothing definitive. Any ideas? Thanks.

    -Mark

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    Posted at 4:33PM in Q & A | 2 Comments »

    Sunday, November 15th, 2009

    More on the Ratings for Bob Hope’s 1950 Easter Special

    In August I wrote about an article in The Chicago Daily Tribune that provided Nielsen, Videodex and The Pulse, Inc. television ratings for May of 1950. I used Bob Hope’s Easter Sunday Special, titled “Star Spangled Revue,” to determine the period the ratings covered. According to the Nielsen list in the article, “Star Spangled Revue” ranked 3rd with a 57.6 rating. It wasn’t included in ratings from Videodex or The Pulse, Inc., however.

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    Posted at 10:54PM in Historical TV Ratings | 1 Comment »

    Saturday, November 14th, 2009

    Television Almost Went Without Music in 1949

    Contract negotiations can be incredibly complex, drawn out and frustrating for all involved. In the television industry, they occasionally explode into the public eye in the form of strikes. In 1949, when the television industry was still new, negotiations with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) nearly forced the networks to stop using its music in all of their programs. Thanks to numerous extensions, however, it seems only a few programs had to go without ASCAP tunes.

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    Posted at 8:11PM in Television History | 1 Comment »

    Friday, November 13th, 2009

    View Scenes from Earliest Existing Television Footage

    I cannot believe I did not know about this until today. In August, The Paley Center for Media posted a short clip from a very old television play titled “The Streets of New York” and Ron Simon, the Center’s Television and Radio curator, has written a wonderful discussion about both the program and the clip itself. Why am I mentally kicking myself for not having seeing it earlier? Because “The Streets of New York” was broadcast on Thursday, August 31st, 1939 and is the earliest television footage known to exist.

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    Posted at 9:24PM in Editorial, TV's Lost & Found, W2XBS | 2 Comments »

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