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It's another empty week for fans of classic television, with no notable DVD releases to report, although fans of FOX's Parker Lewis Can't Lose may be interested to know that the complete first season is now available. Also, a 1976 Canadian version of The Swiss Family Robinson -- not the 1975 ABC version starring Martin Milner.
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 am trying to locate information on a segment of television programming that disappeared in the 1960's when stations began to edit movies into even 1/2 hr. run times.
In the 50's when a local station ran an unedited/uncut-for-time movie it might end at 9:45 or some other odd time. So there was a class of content that filled the void to the next 1/2 hr. time period. I remember "Industry On Parade" and "This Accident Should Never Have Happened".
Is there a source / expert who can help me research this lost segment of programming?
Thank you,
-E.B.
This is an interesting question. In the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s there were daytime and prime time programs that ran 15 minutes long. During the daytime it was common to see movies or shows ending at, say, 10:45AM or 1:15PM, often leaving 15 minutes unaccounted for. Cartoons, film shorts and serials were used to fill up gaps in the schedule.
Read the rest of this entry »The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Gale Storm, who starred in two sitcoms back-to-back during the 1950s, has passed away at the age of 87. She starred in My Little Margie from 1952 to 1955 and The Gale Storm Show (syndicated as Oh! Susanna) from 1956 to 1960. Prior to television, Storm appeared in dozens of movies. She was also a talented singer and released several popular records. Her official website can be found here.
