During the decade of the 1970s one of the busiest and most-watched actors on television was John Amos. Not a bad trick considering the New Jersey native did not start out in television as an actor. He was writing for a local news show when singer-actress Leslie Uggams started working on her variety show. She
The tributes to Bob Newhart last week were universal in tone. A great comic, great sitcom star, great guy. If there was anyone who had a bad word to say about Newhart, I didn’t hear it or read it. The passing of Newhart brought back memories for those of us lucky enough to remember his
What’s the opposite of a Golden Age? Tin? Aluminum? Plastic? Whatever it is, we are definitely NOT in a golden age of network TV comedy. NBC has just two lame programs, the revived Night Court and something called Lopez vs. Lopez. ABC has Abbott Elementary, which despite critical acclaim, is at best feel-good pablum. The
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,
It wasn’t easy being Mary Tyler Moore. Sure, she starred in two of TV’s most beloved sitcoms. She won Emmys, Golden Globes and a special Tony and had the respect of her peers as well as her colleagues. But oh, the heartaches. It was a good thing she had spunk. Past TV biographies have skimmed
UPDATED: NBC will re-broadcast White’s Mother’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live from 2010 this Saturday, Jan. 1 at 11:30 p.m. ET. Twenty twenty-one — don’t let the door hit you on on your way out. Just 18 days before her 100th birthday, beloved TV icon Betty White has passed away at 99. One of
If you ever watched an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or The Cosby Show, or even I Love Lucy, you enjoyed the work of Jay Sandrich. The veteran TV director passed away Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 89. Sandrich, who was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2020, directed many TV all-time
Towards the end of the “Chuckles Bites the Dust” episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the WJM News gang is sitting around thinking about how they’d like to make their final exit. “I don’t want anybody to make a fuss,” said Mr. Grant. “When I go, I just want to be stood outside in