TV Time Bonus: All About Eve Arden

Last week, my latest TV Time piece went live at ClassicFlix, and while I enjoyed talking about the feature film version of "Our Miss Brooks," I wasn't able to share some of the more awesome moments. Here are a few screencaps:

 

Eve Arden with Nick Adams because...why not?

 Hijinks with Eve and Dandy Don Porter:

 

 

 

Classic Eve reaction on the boat:

That musical number. Ouch!

 

An even MORE classic Eve reaction--the take I mention in the article:

 

 Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for: The Two Mr. Wilsons:

 

The Wonderful World of TCM

One of the greatest things about The Greatest Cable Channel Known to Mankind (Turner Classic Movies to the squares) is its distinguished face of the network, Bobby Osbo (Robert Osbourne to the squares). It's understandable that a man of his age would scale back hosting duties, but while B-Mank (Ben Mankewicz to the--aw, forget it) has grown into a likable alternative for me, it's still a letdown to tune in during prime time on the channel and not see the silver fox of screen set-up welcoming me to the feature presentation.

And yet...

I don't want to suggest I want to see Bobby Osbo take more time off or that I wouldn't miss him were he not a regular, but, boy, did I see a suitable fill-in last week. Full disclosure: I am never watching TCM live these days, so I caught the 1957 crime flick "Timetable" on demand. In that format, you never know who's going to intro the movie or if there will be one, so imagine my delight when I saw the lovely and talented Madeleine Stowe discussing the film I was about to see.

Actually don't imagine it; it could get embarrassing for both of us. I'm a big fan of Stowe, and it's been a while since I've seen her in anything--I never watched "Revenge" because, yeah, it had her, but come on--so what a pleasant collision of worlds this was.

Apparently she has been a recurring guest presenter, but much to my shame, I hadn't caught her on TCM. She did a great job of setting up "Timetable," and I'd love to see more of her, but it looks like Turner is--surprise, surprise--leaning just a bit younger as it prepares for Bobby's retirement (which I fear is imminent):  http://www.turner.com/story/tcm-announces-new-saturday-daytime-host-tiffany-vazquez

Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week 11

Let's get to it for Week 11:

1) Hulu: Not much on the movies this month, but, hey, that gives us more time to watch all those Criterions that are going away in the fall. Right? Right?

2) Netflix: Yeah, folks, that Disney deal is NOT going to give you hundreds of new things to watch in September. It's going to give you...what, one? Two, maybe?

3) Warner Archive Instant: The good news is, they added a couple hundred movies. The bad news is, almost all of them were on there before. Still, it's a step in the right direction. The even badder news: I have gone through all the "Flo" episodes. The terrible news: They deleted "Eleventh Hour" before putting it in the "Leaving Soon" category, which to me is the worst sin an SVOD service can do. I'm tempted to boot it all the way down the list, but the big movie add indicates there are signs of life. Plus I did watch a lot of stuff on here last week.

4) Shout Factory TV: Hey, Shout, this month's update is rather paltry. What happened to those Glen Campbell specials that were up for a few hours? I can wait for the Christmas ones, but the other one would be nice.

5) Pub-D-Hub: Well, I watched an "I Married Joan" involving a chimpanzee. That's something.

6) SeeSo: Season 8 "SNL" is much more entertaining than I expected so far.

7) YouTube: This week, I noticed yet another unasked-for, unnecessary update to the Roku channel.

8) Watch TCM: Some really, really good movies on here right now.

9) WWE Network: There are signs of improvement: interesting archival content being added, more frequent uploads...Plus there's a decent-looking special or two coming up. They'll get me to re-up sooner or later.

10) Highspots: Yes, another wrestling service! It's currently offering a free month in conjunction with Place to Be Nation, and there is all kinds of cool stuff to watch while you wait for WWE Network to add pre-1996 content.

Summer of Angst: The (previous) Pepsi Generation Part 2

Last time out, we examined the first of two Pepsi ads in the excellent collection "The Lost Television Legacy of James Dean." Today we kick it up a notch, as Jimmy does more than just sit on a merry go round and smile (That sounds like a put-down on "Happy Days;" I can imagine Joanie telling Potsie to go sit on a merry go round and smile.)

This second spot has Dean at the jukebox:

I love the expression on his face, like he's Edison discovering the lightbulb. "Hey, this thing plays MUSIC!"

The problem is, it's only playing a little boring old piano tune until Dean smacks the piano, and then we get the full song about bounce to the ounce:

Ayyyyyyy!!!!!

Then it's dance time, but here's the thing: The gal behind the piano dances with 3 different guys (one of whom is said to be Hans Conreid by some wags on YouTube, though I don't buy it), none of whom is James Dean! As we will see, it took a while in his TV career before Dean got the girl. Here at least he gets the Pepsi.

Jimmy Dean with a little of the old HA-CHA-CHA!

Actually, now that I see this screenshot, I kind of understand why he didn't get the girl.

I think I'd rather have the girl, but Pepsi wants you to get the soda. In fact, the announcer urges you to buy it by the CARTON!

I assure you these first two posts in the Summer of Angst do not constitute an endorsement of Pepsi, nor of bouncing, nor fun. If Pepsi wants to send me a carton or two, though, I won't turn it down.

So far the Summer of Angst has been filled with...cheer? Fun? Most shocking of all...JOY? Yes, indeed, but fear not, folks. Our next installment will give us a chance, with apologies to the great Jermaine Jackson, to get serious!

Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week 10

Week 10! And there were those who thought we'd never make it this far. Well, as long as there are channels to rank, and as long as I have comments about that not warranting an entire post, the rankings will continue.

1) Hulu: Last week Hulu added season 5 of "Make Room for Daddy" and several more seasons of 'Family Affair." The point is, Hulu still gives a damn. Plus I am enjoying the heck out of 11/22/63.

2) Netflix: A lot of stuff got added this past week, and a few classics arrived with the June 1 dump, but I think a lot of people  are going to be irritated when they find out these stories circulating about Netflix showing "every Disney movie ever made" this fall are (I think) quite false.

3) Warner Archive Instant: It's still unbelievable that no one is updating this service, but I am enjoying the old TV that's on there...at least for a month.

4) Shout Factory TV: Odd thing happened yesterday: As part of the June 1 update, several Glen Campbell specials appeared, including a few Christmas ones. Later that night, they were gone. I know from experience that Shout doesn't always add everything right away in its monthly update, so maybe those will come back. In the meantime, I've been enjoying "MST3K" and Dick Cavett, so even if the June update is weak, Shout is still bringing it.

5) Pub-D-Hub: Hey, you saw my post about Martin Kane earlier this week, right? I thank Pub-D-Hub for making my enjoyment of that episode possible.

6) SeeSo: I'm digging several things on here, but I still  wish navigation were faster. I'd love to see more classic American content on here, too.

7) YouTube: I still dislike the new video controls.

8) Watrch TCM: Some really, really good movies on here right now.

9) Tubi TV: The June update looks like a bunch of recycled MGM movies that make the rounds elsewhere, but, hey, this is free. And if you haven't seen "Johnny Be Good" yet, now's your chance.

10) MLB.TV: Pirates are on the Free Game of the Day again tonight!

Shameless Self-Promotion: TV Time again at ClassicFlix

TV Time goes to the movies with a look at TV shows that became feature films in the 1950s and 1960s--you know, back in the day when they made good movies from TV shows.


TV TIME: Movies from Classic TV Shows
Yesterday | by Rick Brooks
Hollywood loves taking television properties and turning them into feature film franchises. If the studios think audiences will go to a theater to pay for what they've already seen on the small screen, then they will make it happen. In the 1950s and 1960s, they took shows already on television, or were just recently taken off the air, and made movies with much of the same talent. It might look like a cash grab, but the films hold up quite well.

Click here to read about "Dragnet," "Batman," "McHale's Navy," and more...and tell 'em Cultureshark sent you! Don''t you dare miss it!