This great medical insurance ad displays that everyman quality Brian Keith could bring to the small screen. A recent post of this 1987 commercial let us upgrade it for our Hardcastle and McCormick playlist this week. Let Brian explain the Medicare Gap to you:
I really like how laid back yet methodical he is. The pencil gives him instant credibility, even if he's really just circling printed numbers.
This whole thing could be a scam for all I know, but BK has me wanting to sign up.
Showing posts with label Hardcastle and McCormick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hardcastle and McCormick. Show all posts
Monday, June 24, 2019
Saturday, June 22, 2019
YouTube Spotlight: I Married Dora goes out in memorable fashion
Welcome to YouTube Spotlight, a weekly feature in which we highlight a video from each week's episode-specific YouTube playlist! This week, we discussed Hardcastle and McCormick on the show, and one of the most intriguing videos from the list is:
Imagine tuning in to watch an unheralded sitcom in that pre-Internet era and seeing it end like that. Maybe you'd be aware it was the series finale because you read that in a blurb in the morning paper's TV listings or in TV Guide it was designated as such, but this must have had quite the kick.
I Married Dora starred the late Elizabeth Pena as a Salvadoran illegal alien domestic who marries her boss, played by H&M's Daniel Hugh Kelly, to stay in the USA. Hijinks ensued, but ratings did not, and the series only lasted 13 episodes. I guess the creators just decided, "Eh, what the heck," and went with this hilarious final scene, and I for one love that they did.
Despite the talented cast, including a young Juliette Lewis, Dora had little impact on Friday nights in ABC's Fall 1987 lineup, but the premise and that finale have given it some notoriety. Two of my trusty reference books here go out of their way to highlight the wild conclusion.
Another amusing aspect of the series: As TV Obscurities describes:
Rarely has a television network felt the need to air a disclaimer warning viewers that what they were about to see was illegal. But that’s just what ABC did prior to its special sneak preview of I Married Dora [35]. Why was a disclaimer necessary? Because the series was about a widower who married his housekeeper to prevent her from being deported. That was, and is, against the law, but ABC must have felt the unlawful premise of the series was worth any whispers of impropriety.
For some reason, I really want to see that disclaimer.
Imagine tuning in to watch an unheralded sitcom in that pre-Internet era and seeing it end like that. Maybe you'd be aware it was the series finale because you read that in a blurb in the morning paper's TV listings or in TV Guide it was designated as such, but this must have had quite the kick.
I Married Dora starred the late Elizabeth Pena as a Salvadoran illegal alien domestic who marries her boss, played by H&M's Daniel Hugh Kelly, to stay in the USA. Hijinks ensued, but ratings did not, and the series only lasted 13 episodes. I guess the creators just decided, "Eh, what the heck," and went with this hilarious final scene, and I for one love that they did.
Despite the talented cast, including a young Juliette Lewis, Dora had little impact on Friday nights in ABC's Fall 1987 lineup, but the premise and that finale have given it some notoriety. Two of my trusty reference books here go out of their way to highlight the wild conclusion.
Another amusing aspect of the series: As TV Obscurities describes:
Rarely has a television network felt the need to air a disclaimer warning viewers that what they were about to see was illegal. But that’s just what ABC did prior to its special sneak preview of I Married Dora [35]. Why was a disclaimer necessary? Because the series was about a widower who married his housekeeper to prevent her from being deported. That was, and is, against the law, but ABC must have felt the unlawful premise of the series was worth any whispers of impropriety.
For some reason, I really want to see that disclaimer.
Friday, June 21, 2019
The Hardcastle and MccCormick playlist is now live!
There's a phrase I never expected to type! Our weekly video companion to the podcast is now available, this time focusing on Hardcastle and McCormick! See the theme songs we mention in our episode! Learn the secret of the typewriter thing at the end of the Stephen J. Cannell shows! Plus moments from Tracy Scoggins, Buddy Ebsen, and even Colonel Flagg! And do you remember I Married Dora? All this and great vintage promos when you click below:
Remember to check our official YouTube page for more playlists like this one, plus past episodes of the podcast!
Show Notes: Episode 6-3: Hardcastle and McCormick
*Hardcastle and McCormick ran 1983-1986--3 seasons and 67 episodes--on ABC. The episode we discuss this week, Killer B's, premiered Sunday, November 6, 1983, at 8:00 P.M.
*The book Mike mentions is available right here.
*Check out our YT playlist this week for both versions of the series' theme song, Drive and Back to Back. Which do YOU prefer?
*The series was a top-15 hit its first season but dropped quickly.
*I Married Dora with Daniel Hugh Kelly aired 13 episodes in the 1987-88 season on ABC. Check out our YouTube playlist this week for a glimpse of the short-lived sitcom.
*Barnaby Jones, which starred this episode's guest star Buddy Ebsen, lasted 8 seasons on CBS. Ebsen was 75 when Killer B's aired.
*Thunder Road is a 1958 United Artists picture with Robert Mitchum and Gene Barry.
*Tracy Scoggins was not on Baywatch, but, oh, I tried to find her. She was on the 1984 Hawaiian Heat.
*Quinn Martin (1922-1987) was indeed a real person. He produced The Fugitive and The Invaders in addition to Barnaby Jones and other BOTNS candidates like Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, and Dan August.
*The 1985 series Stingray DID feature a character named Stingray, but it wasn't a man named Bob Stingray, but a guy nicknamed Stingray after his car. His car wasn't named Bob Stingray, either, but was an actual Stingray car.
*The book Mike mentions is available right here.
*Check out our YT playlist this week for both versions of the series' theme song, Drive and Back to Back. Which do YOU prefer?
*The series was a top-15 hit its first season but dropped quickly.
*I Married Dora with Daniel Hugh Kelly aired 13 episodes in the 1987-88 season on ABC. Check out our YouTube playlist this week for a glimpse of the short-lived sitcom.
*Barnaby Jones, which starred this episode's guest star Buddy Ebsen, lasted 8 seasons on CBS. Ebsen was 75 when Killer B's aired.
*Thunder Road is a 1958 United Artists picture with Robert Mitchum and Gene Barry.
*Tracy Scoggins was not on Baywatch, but, oh, I tried to find her. She was on the 1984 Hawaiian Heat.
*Quinn Martin (1922-1987) was indeed a real person. He produced The Fugitive and The Invaders in addition to Barnaby Jones and other BOTNS candidates like Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, and Dan August.
*The 1985 series Stingray DID feature a character named Stingray, but it wasn't a man named Bob Stingray, but a guy nicknamed Stingray after his car. His car wasn't named Bob Stingray, either, but was an actual Stingray car.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
6-3: Hardcastle and McCormick "Killer B's"
Start your ignition, rev your engine, put the pedal to the metal, and accelerate into a high-octane episode full of high-octane action, high-octane bickering, and high-octane Buddy Ebsen! Our spark plugs are firing on all cylinders as we pull one of those sweet spin aroundy moves and, um, hydroplane into "Hardcastle and McCormick." Yeah, we’re car guys. So what?
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
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