I had "Staying Alive" (1983)--as if there could be another movie with the title "Staying Alive"--in my Netflix queue for a while because--well, I don't know why. It wasn't like I had never seen any of the movie before. I'm pretty sure I saw most of it years ago. I didn't like it then. I loved "Saturday Night Fever," but didn't care for the sequel. Maybe I just wanted to have easy access to Frank Stallone's 'Far From Over" without having to sit through an add on Vevo/YouTube.
It expires tomorrow, though, so last week I made time even in the midst of my busy schedule of helping orphans and cute animals. Yes, I sat down and watched the movie!
Sure enough, once you get past the wonderful cheese of the opening credits and the aforementioned Frank Stallone tune, it's all downhill for this sequel, directed and co-written by Sylvester Stallone. All told, Frank at least has an iconic "inspirational" 80s anthem and a few musical numbers. As far as Stallones go, he comes out best here.
Stayin' Alive isn't just ill conceived, poorly executed, and hopelessly dated; it's so unlikable that it threatens the reputation of the original. As I watch it and think that it's a bunch of lame music videos and a time capsule of the 80s--but not in a good way--I wonder, "Wait, was Saturday Night Fever like this?" I prefer to think not, that SNF epitomized certain aspects of the Super 70s in a good way, that its "music videos" were entertaining but supported the story rather than supplanting it, that it had compelling characters. That's what I choose to think. I'm too afraid to actually dig out the DVD and watch it again, though.
One of the big problems with this sequel is...not enough Frank Stallone. OK, that's enough Stallone references. It's time to discuss the Travoltas. John's Tony Manero character spends much of the movie as a complete d-bag, stringing along likable "nice girl" type Cynthia Rhodes while making time with vixen Finola Hughes. Manero has moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan, struggling as an aspiring pro dancer while tending bar and teaching (no, not astrophysics; dance). We're supposed to sympathize with his struggle, but he's not very likable, mostly due to his continued a-holish behavior to Jackie, the dancer/singer played by Rhodes.
At one point, hitting bottom, Tony walks to the old 'hood (I guess in 1983 NYC, he thinks it's safer then riding the subway) and chats up Mama Manero. He apologizes for being such a selfish prick, and Mama lets him off the hook by saying his selfish attitude is what got him out of Brooklyn in the first place. This INSPIRES him, and he's energized to go back to Manhattan, dance his booty off, tell Finola Hughes to kiss off while starring with her in a Broadway production, and live happily ever after. I don't know, this scene is supposed to remind us of Tony's roots and--perhaps more importantly--remind us that we like "SNF" and, hey, this is kind of like "SNF." Yet it just falls flat to me. If anyone needed motivation, I would rather have heard "Far From Over" again. And if we needed a strong dose of family, instead of Julie Bovasso reprising her role as Tony's mom, maybe we should have seen Ellen (Hey, I'm his sister, not his mother!) Travolta make an appearance.
I will say that "Stayin' Alive" is almost worth watching for the fashions, the ridiculousness of the over-the-top dance numbers, the slick and silly eighties-ishness of it all. The production Tony ends up starring in, "Satan's Alley," has to be seen to be believed. I can only hope that somehow Sly personally supervised the creation of everything associated with it, right down to the choreography and the costumes. Against all odds, "SNF"makes disco on the edge of being cool, but "Staying Alive" makes dance itself, maybe even the concept of physical movement, repellent.
You don't really get to see vintage Travolta strutting to vintage Bee Gees until the end of the movie. Until then you get an hour and a half of bad music, annoying characters, and Frank Stallone. My advice: Fire it up before it expires, listen to 'Far From Over," and let it poof out of your queue at midnight tonight.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Cool clip on You Tube/Mising in Action/Stuff We Should Bring Back
I'm cramming 3 post themes into one today because this clip epitomizes several things we need to talk about, like, for example, Ron Rifkin was on One Day at a Time?
First of all, though, where the heck IS One Day at a Time? When I was growing up, it was a fixture on CBS' primetime schedule, and it was even in daytime reruns. Somehow it fell off the national landscape after the series ended in first run, and apart from a run on E! (doesn;t that seem odd now?), I haven't seen it on a national platform in decades. I think one of the Chicago versions of Me-TV ran it, so it's presumably not in some kind of TV limbo. Yet it only got one DVD release--its first season--and although just about every other big Norman Lear sitcom has appeared on Antenna TV, ODAAT has never showed up.
Seeing this clip of the sixth season intro reminds me that the show was on a long time. In fact it was on a really long time--9 seasons. So if the sight of a sixth season jolts you, well, there were 3 more after this one, pal. Also, I just don't remember as much about this sitcom as I thought. For instance--well, let's just wach this clip:
Wow, where to begin? Well, let's begin at the beginning! That telop of Archie Bunker's Place is exactly what I was talking about last week when I said we needed to bring this stuff back. It's just beautiful.
Then, due to the kindness of this fantastic uploader, we see the classic CBS SPECIAL PRESENTATION bumper, perhaps the single most fondly remembered several seconds of television from my childhood. I find it amusing that a one-hour episode of One Day at a Time gets this treatment. I guess the "Special" in 'CBS Special Presentation" was a bit more loosely defined that I would have recalled.
The song itself is great. It's one of the most underrated theme songs in sitcom annals, maybe because of its limited exposure in recent years. It has energy, it sets up the premise. and it still feels fresh 30 years later. Watching more "One Day" openings on YouTube, you notice that it's one series that did not feel compelled to screw around with its theme song just for the sake of change. I respect any series that has the discipline to resist commissioning an "updated" (usually worse) version.
Now look at who is and who is not in these credits. Mackenzie Phillips, evidently in one of her dark periods at the time, is not there, but Ron Rifkin is. Ron Rifkin? Holy cow, I forgot he was ever a cast member. I remembered the rise of Michael Lembeck and even Boyd Gaines, I remembered the Glenn Scarpelli phenomenon, and if pressed I could have recalled the Howard Hesseman era. But Rifkin?
Wait, I just looked this up: Rifkin was the father of the Scarpelli character? And he was KILLED OFF after this one season? Bummer. OK, that makes sense.
Towards the end we see the credit of producer Bud Wiser, and many of the YouTube commenters express their amusement. I wish I had something witty to say, but, nah, I just chuckled at that myself.
The most fascinating credit is the co-creator one for Whitney Blake/ THE Whitney Blake of "Hazel" fame? Indeedy, and she based the series on her experiences raising Meredith Baxter. Wow. See, there is a lot going on here, and this is just one opening of 9 seasons' worth of show. Maybe someone should put this series back on so we can explore the Schneider thing again.
First of all, though, where the heck IS One Day at a Time? When I was growing up, it was a fixture on CBS' primetime schedule, and it was even in daytime reruns. Somehow it fell off the national landscape after the series ended in first run, and apart from a run on E! (doesn;t that seem odd now?), I haven't seen it on a national platform in decades. I think one of the Chicago versions of Me-TV ran it, so it's presumably not in some kind of TV limbo. Yet it only got one DVD release--its first season--and although just about every other big Norman Lear sitcom has appeared on Antenna TV, ODAAT has never showed up.
Seeing this clip of the sixth season intro reminds me that the show was on a long time. In fact it was on a really long time--9 seasons. So if the sight of a sixth season jolts you, well, there were 3 more after this one, pal. Also, I just don't remember as much about this sitcom as I thought. For instance--well, let's just wach this clip:
Wow, where to begin? Well, let's begin at the beginning! That telop of Archie Bunker's Place is exactly what I was talking about last week when I said we needed to bring this stuff back. It's just beautiful.
Then, due to the kindness of this fantastic uploader, we see the classic CBS SPECIAL PRESENTATION bumper, perhaps the single most fondly remembered several seconds of television from my childhood. I find it amusing that a one-hour episode of One Day at a Time gets this treatment. I guess the "Special" in 'CBS Special Presentation" was a bit more loosely defined that I would have recalled.
The song itself is great. It's one of the most underrated theme songs in sitcom annals, maybe because of its limited exposure in recent years. It has energy, it sets up the premise. and it still feels fresh 30 years later. Watching more "One Day" openings on YouTube, you notice that it's one series that did not feel compelled to screw around with its theme song just for the sake of change. I respect any series that has the discipline to resist commissioning an "updated" (usually worse) version.
Now look at who is and who is not in these credits. Mackenzie Phillips, evidently in one of her dark periods at the time, is not there, but Ron Rifkin is. Ron Rifkin? Holy cow, I forgot he was ever a cast member. I remembered the rise of Michael Lembeck and even Boyd Gaines, I remembered the Glenn Scarpelli phenomenon, and if pressed I could have recalled the Howard Hesseman era. But Rifkin?
Wait, I just looked this up: Rifkin was the father of the Scarpelli character? And he was KILLED OFF after this one season? Bummer. OK, that makes sense.
Towards the end we see the credit of producer Bud Wiser, and many of the YouTube commenters express their amusement. I wish I had something witty to say, but, nah, I just chuckled at that myself.
The most fascinating credit is the co-creator one for Whitney Blake/ THE Whitney Blake of "Hazel" fame? Indeedy, and she based the series on her experiences raising Meredith Baxter. Wow. See, there is a lot going on here, and this is just one opening of 9 seasons' worth of show. Maybe someone should put this series back on so we can explore the Schneider thing again.
This Week in DVD and Instant Watching Part --yes, 3! Warner Instant
Hey, Warner Archive Instant, this is how you do it! Several weeks ago, they had a big movie update, featuring titles such as...uh, I didn't write them down, and it's hard to keep track because they disappear into the main catalog once they update again. The good news is, they updated again.
First, let's talk about the TV additions. Two weeks ago, we got the entire MGM Our Gang series, which is pretty darn cool. This week saw two sets of Fitzpatrick's Traveltalks. Are these titles stretching the definition of "television?" Yep. Do I care? Nope. Short subjects are always welcome on the service, and I look forward to seeing what else they throw up there.
Now back to the movies. One thing to note is that while WAI used to be consistent about updating each Friday, now new titles are liable to come during the week, so you have to keep an eye out. Two updates ago, we gained such movies as Background to Danger with Lorre, Greenstreet, and Raft. Virginia City (Bogart and Flynn), Stranger on the Third Floor (Lorre), John Ford's The Lost Patrol, John Wayne in The Wings of Eagles (also John Ford)...aw, I really should have paid closer attention.
THIS week, I can tell you we get Treasure Island with Wallace Beery, and shouldn't more Beery always be a priority for WAI? Gangster fans get Kid Galahad (Robinson and Davis) and G-Men (Cagney). A few new Spencer Tracy titles including A Guy Named Joe and Cass Timberlane are up.
Speaking of Kid Galahad, it was reworked as The Wagons Roll at Night, which isn't Bogart's best film, but it's still Bogart. Bogart and carnies! Come on! Ronnie Reagan was always proud of Kings Row, but I've never seen it. Not because Reagan was proud of it, but just because--jeez, does everything have to be poilitical these days?
Film noir fans get Tension, mystery fans get a quartet of 1960s Miss Marple features. The slow trickle of Andy Hardy continues with Love Finds Andy Hardy. An all-star cast appears in 1936's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Harlow and Gable, two all-stars themselves, appear in Hold Your Man.
That's the good news. The bad news is I just noticed the watchlist only has allows up to 100 titles, which makes the concept a little useless if you go over 100 and titles you are trying to keep track of disappear from your list. Worse yet, my watchlist still has several titles that are no longer available! Come to think of it, I can't dump anything from my watchlist. Uh, yeah, this thing is pretty screwed up. I guess I'm gonna have to send them an e-mail.
Speaking of disappearing, the other bad news is another purge took place. So long, Get Yourself a College Girl! Wish I could have seen you! Wish you weren't still tempting me by appearing in my watchlist!
First, let's talk about the TV additions. Two weeks ago, we got the entire MGM Our Gang series, which is pretty darn cool. This week saw two sets of Fitzpatrick's Traveltalks. Are these titles stretching the definition of "television?" Yep. Do I care? Nope. Short subjects are always welcome on the service, and I look forward to seeing what else they throw up there.
Now back to the movies. One thing to note is that while WAI used to be consistent about updating each Friday, now new titles are liable to come during the week, so you have to keep an eye out. Two updates ago, we gained such movies as Background to Danger with Lorre, Greenstreet, and Raft. Virginia City (Bogart and Flynn), Stranger on the Third Floor (Lorre), John Ford's The Lost Patrol, John Wayne in The Wings of Eagles (also John Ford)...aw, I really should have paid closer attention.
THIS week, I can tell you we get Treasure Island with Wallace Beery, and shouldn't more Beery always be a priority for WAI? Gangster fans get Kid Galahad (Robinson and Davis) and G-Men (Cagney). A few new Spencer Tracy titles including A Guy Named Joe and Cass Timberlane are up.
Speaking of Kid Galahad, it was reworked as The Wagons Roll at Night, which isn't Bogart's best film, but it's still Bogart. Bogart and carnies! Come on! Ronnie Reagan was always proud of Kings Row, but I've never seen it. Not because Reagan was proud of it, but just because--jeez, does everything have to be poilitical these days?
Film noir fans get Tension, mystery fans get a quartet of 1960s Miss Marple features. The slow trickle of Andy Hardy continues with Love Finds Andy Hardy. An all-star cast appears in 1936's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Harlow and Gable, two all-stars themselves, appear in Hold Your Man.
That's the good news. The bad news is I just noticed the watchlist only has allows up to 100 titles, which makes the concept a little useless if you go over 100 and titles you are trying to keep track of disappear from your list. Worse yet, my watchlist still has several titles that are no longer available! Come to think of it, I can't dump anything from my watchlist. Uh, yeah, this thing is pretty screwed up. I guess I'm gonna have to send them an e-mail.
Speaking of disappearing, the other bad news is another purge took place. So long, Get Yourself a College Girl! Wish I could have seen you! Wish you weren't still tempting me by appearing in my watchlist!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
This Week (and Last Week) in DVD and Instant Watching part 2: The streaming
OK, thanks for joining us the other day for the DVD roundup. Now let's see what is new on the various streaming services.
Hulu added a few interesting older series. I don't get excited about adding new episodes of something like Surviving Jack because my attitude is that they SHOULD be adding those. Right? However, I see 8 episodes of Peter Graves' old horse show Fury. Ooh, 8 episodes! Can you spare it, Hulu?
"Hey, why should we bother putting up more than 8 episodes of that thing? It's OLD! And besides, even some nut who watches old shows could see one a week and go for TWO MONTHS without repeating anything!"
More compelling is season 1 of the original Route 66. Now, THIS is a pleasant (and unheralded) surprise addition to the site. I haven't had a chance to see any, but they all run about 51 minutes, so I am assuming they are uncut episodes. Who knows, maybe by 2023 they'll add a few more seasons!
Netflix added some really intriguing new titles and some titles that are just...new. I mean, yeah, Big Wedding was in theaters last year, but does that make it inherently worth seeing? Folks might be curious to see Jobs, but most of America really wants to see more info about Ashton and Mila. Is she pregnant? Come on, guys, give us the scoop!
If you missed Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark a few months ago on DVD, now's your chance to see it for "free." Harrison Ford has a supporting role in Paranoia, a poorly received tech thriller.
Kathleen Hanna is profiled in The Punk Singer, and Oscar winning doc 20 Feet from Stardom, about backup singers, comes to Instant Watching just as I hoped it would. Too bad my hoping for stuff never works on Hulu, huh?
Maybe the best recent theatrical to hit Netflix this month is Mud. Star Matthew McConaughey won an Academy Award for 'Dallas Buyers Club," of course, but many thought he really could have won for..."True Detective." It was _that_damn_good. But "Mud" is supposed to be good, too.
I have a lot to say about Warner Archive Instant, but it's so much I'm going to save it for Part 3 tomorrow. Yes, an unprecedented TRILOGY this week! Check it out tomorrow morning.
Hulu added a few interesting older series. I don't get excited about adding new episodes of something like Surviving Jack because my attitude is that they SHOULD be adding those. Right? However, I see 8 episodes of Peter Graves' old horse show Fury. Ooh, 8 episodes! Can you spare it, Hulu?
"Hey, why should we bother putting up more than 8 episodes of that thing? It's OLD! And besides, even some nut who watches old shows could see one a week and go for TWO MONTHS without repeating anything!"
More compelling is season 1 of the original Route 66. Now, THIS is a pleasant (and unheralded) surprise addition to the site. I haven't had a chance to see any, but they all run about 51 minutes, so I am assuming they are uncut episodes. Who knows, maybe by 2023 they'll add a few more seasons!
Netflix added some really intriguing new titles and some titles that are just...new. I mean, yeah, Big Wedding was in theaters last year, but does that make it inherently worth seeing? Folks might be curious to see Jobs, but most of America really wants to see more info about Ashton and Mila. Is she pregnant? Come on, guys, give us the scoop!
If you missed Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark a few months ago on DVD, now's your chance to see it for "free." Harrison Ford has a supporting role in Paranoia, a poorly received tech thriller.
Kathleen Hanna is profiled in The Punk Singer, and Oscar winning doc 20 Feet from Stardom, about backup singers, comes to Instant Watching just as I hoped it would. Too bad my hoping for stuff never works on Hulu, huh?
Maybe the best recent theatrical to hit Netflix this month is Mud. Star Matthew McConaughey won an Academy Award for 'Dallas Buyers Club," of course, but many thought he really could have won for..."True Detective." It was _that_damn_good. But "Mud" is supposed to be good, too.
I have a lot to say about Warner Archive Instant, but it's so much I'm going to save it for Part 3 tomorrow. Yes, an unprecedented TRILOGY this week! Check it out tomorrow morning.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
This Week (and Last Week) in DVD and Instant Watching
Or should it be Last Week (and This Week)? I think you guys are smart enough to adjust. Sorry for the weeklong absence on the blog. I've been busy with my day job of bounty hunting in the Florida Keys. There should be a lot of content over the next few weeks, though.
There SHOULD be.
Anyway, we have two weeks worth of DVDs to cover:
Frozen: I didn't see this in theaters, but between listening to the songs a hundred times, seeing clips from the movie over and over, and hearing my own kids talk about it, I kind of feel like I had. Well, now that the DVD is out, I HAVE seen this, and I will write more about it soon.
American Hustle: Gee, no wonder I skipped last week--only a few Academy Award nominees, no biggie. Amy Adams alone makes this worth seeing, I'm sure, and you're gonna tell me it also has male perms? I'm there, dude! This looks to me like one of those movies like Boogie Nights where it's not exactly supposed to be a flat-out comedy but is funny as hell anyway. And if the cast lines up over the end credits and actually dances The Hustle, please don't spoil it for me.
Saving Mr. Banks: How did we get to the point where it was cool to spread scurrilous stories about Walt Disney being a chauvinist? I miss the good, old days when it was cool to spread scurrilous stories about Walt Disney being a Nazi.
Reasonable Doubt: Laurence Fishburne stars with Dominic Cooper in this thriller about--oops, wait, it was Samuel Jackson starring with Dominic Cooper. Sorry.
Classic Wrestling Battles: 2-disc set from Shout/Timeless consisting of mostly really old pro wrestling footage. It looks like a good buy for fans of the vintage stuff if you can get it for a good price. I don't know, maybe you can find it all online for free, but as a public service, here is the only detailed match listing I could find. Not even Shout!'s official site has this information. Why the heck not?
WWE: The Music of WWE: I'd elaborate, but I probably tested most folks' patience with that paragraph about "Classic Wrestling Battles."
This week brings:
Wolf of Wall Street: I made my peace with DiCaprio years ago, but is it too much ask that Marty Scorcese make a new "F-bomb movie" (one in which you hear it at least a few dozen or hundred times) with someone else?
Walking with Dinosaurs: I see this title and I go right into the past. No, not the age of the dinosaurs, I mean the recent past, because I could have sworn this came out, like, 5 years ago. Is there something wrong with me?
Delivery Man: After donating to a fertility clinic, Vince Vaughn discovers years later he has 533 children. Somehow the thought of Vince Vaughn having sex 533 times, even if it's with himself, makes me want to avoid this movie at all costs.
Avengers Confidential Black Widow and Punisher: I find Marvel Animation features dull to begin with, and this is in that anime style, so...I'd rather catch up on a DC joint.
Veep Season 2: It may sound off, but I mean it as high praise when I say Julia Louis Dreyfus is as funny on this as Kevin Spacey is on "House of Cards."
William and Mary Complete Collection: Charming dramedy with Martin Clunes and...uh, someone else. But I know who Martin Clunes is, and he's great!
And Warner Archive releases 5 Richard Dix movies, a welcome dose of old-school, as well as a Blu-Ray of Nicholas Roeg's Performance. Last week brought the animated Green Lantern series, which didn't grab me at first, but the guys on the Warner Archive Podcast were so enthusiastic about it, I kind of want to give it another shot. Also coming last week: Tim Holt Western Classics Volume 4, several years after Volume 3. That's an indication of how seriously Warners takes this stuff: They didn't hold back to torture fans, but they were doing restoration, and good for them for putting the effort into a series of B-pictures.
Check back tomorrow or Saturday for a look at the last week or two in streaming.
There SHOULD be.
Anyway, we have two weeks worth of DVDs to cover:
Frozen: I didn't see this in theaters, but between listening to the songs a hundred times, seeing clips from the movie over and over, and hearing my own kids talk about it, I kind of feel like I had. Well, now that the DVD is out, I HAVE seen this, and I will write more about it soon.
American Hustle: Gee, no wonder I skipped last week--only a few Academy Award nominees, no biggie. Amy Adams alone makes this worth seeing, I'm sure, and you're gonna tell me it also has male perms? I'm there, dude! This looks to me like one of those movies like Boogie Nights where it's not exactly supposed to be a flat-out comedy but is funny as hell anyway. And if the cast lines up over the end credits and actually dances The Hustle, please don't spoil it for me.
Saving Mr. Banks: How did we get to the point where it was cool to spread scurrilous stories about Walt Disney being a chauvinist? I miss the good, old days when it was cool to spread scurrilous stories about Walt Disney being a Nazi.
Reasonable Doubt: Laurence Fishburne stars with Dominic Cooper in this thriller about--oops, wait, it was Samuel Jackson starring with Dominic Cooper. Sorry.
Classic Wrestling Battles: 2-disc set from Shout/Timeless consisting of mostly really old pro wrestling footage. It looks like a good buy for fans of the vintage stuff if you can get it for a good price. I don't know, maybe you can find it all online for free, but as a public service, here is the only detailed match listing I could find. Not even Shout!'s official site has this information. Why the heck not?
WWE: The Music of WWE: I'd elaborate, but I probably tested most folks' patience with that paragraph about "Classic Wrestling Battles."
This week brings:
Wolf of Wall Street: I made my peace with DiCaprio years ago, but is it too much ask that Marty Scorcese make a new "F-bomb movie" (one in which you hear it at least a few dozen or hundred times) with someone else?
Walking with Dinosaurs: I see this title and I go right into the past. No, not the age of the dinosaurs, I mean the recent past, because I could have sworn this came out, like, 5 years ago. Is there something wrong with me?
Delivery Man: After donating to a fertility clinic, Vince Vaughn discovers years later he has 533 children. Somehow the thought of Vince Vaughn having sex 533 times, even if it's with himself, makes me want to avoid this movie at all costs.
Avengers Confidential Black Widow and Punisher: I find Marvel Animation features dull to begin with, and this is in that anime style, so...I'd rather catch up on a DC joint.
Veep Season 2: It may sound off, but I mean it as high praise when I say Julia Louis Dreyfus is as funny on this as Kevin Spacey is on "House of Cards."
William and Mary Complete Collection: Charming dramedy with Martin Clunes and...uh, someone else. But I know who Martin Clunes is, and he's great!
Check back tomorrow or Saturday for a look at the last week or two in streaming.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Stuff We Should Bring Back: " __ will not be seen tonight..."
Maybe they still make announcements when a network TV program is pre-empted--I seldom watch TV live these days--but I suspect the powers that be are wary of anything that would rob the parent company of 10 seconds of ad time it could sell. I mean, we don't even get full theme songs anymore.
Still, I miss the old days when after a commercial, you'd see a telop slide with a publicity still from the show that was about to be pre-empted. A network announcer would boom something like, "The Love Boat will not be seen tonight so that we may bring you the following special presentation." Maybe sometimes you'd get a reassurance that it would return next week at its regular time.
The best ones looked about 10 years older than they really were and maybe even seemed a little blurry at first glance. Often they wouldn't use an actual show photo, but a piece of artwork akin to something off the cover of an "Official Novelization" paperback.
This is the kind of simple yet charming little extra that made television fun back in olden times. I think we ought to bring it back.
Still, I miss the old days when after a commercial, you'd see a telop slide with a publicity still from the show that was about to be pre-empted. A network announcer would boom something like, "The Love Boat will not be seen tonight so that we may bring you the following special presentation." Maybe sometimes you'd get a reassurance that it would return next week at its regular time.
The best ones looked about 10 years older than they really were and maybe even seemed a little blurry at first glance. Often they wouldn't use an actual show photo, but a piece of artwork akin to something off the cover of an "Official Novelization" paperback.
This is the kind of simple yet charming little extra that made television fun back in olden times. I think we ought to bring it back.
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