As somebody who collects 16mm film, I’m always on the lookout for surviving remnants of past TV glories. Exhibit One for today: this YouTube video featuring a fresh transfer to digital of some 1973 footage shot 50 years ago in Minneapolis. The producers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James L. Brooks and Allan Burns,
In 1985, TV critics held the first Television Critics Awards. Handing out engraved plaques — “hastily designed at Trophy World” recalled one of the first TCA presidents, Ed Bark — had been a contentious move for the group. Several scribes were wary of creating something that could grow into that ultimate horror — another televised awards show.
Part of the fun in speaking with WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson for the long-awaited DVD release of his series was getting his back story. I’m always curious about where TV storytellers come from and how they got into The Game. I’m also fascinated about how shows were made in the ’70s and ’80s