Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Mork & Mindy...the Game
I recently had the chance to play the vintage Mork & Mindy board game with friends of the show Amy, Dann, and Tina (and June watching)*. We had a good time playing this silly and slightly complicated game--or complicated till we got a handle on its rules and oddities (like 6-sided dice labeled with 1, 2, and 3), and it offered ample opportunity to utter, "shazbot," and other Orkan words, so who can complain?
*Tina donated this game to Amy's collection, which includes a number of TV-related games, and we also played a 1970s game about the sinking of the Titanic. Really.
Check out some pictures and minor commentary below!
*Tina donated this game to Amy's collection, which includes a number of TV-related games, and we also played a 1970s game about the sinking of the Titanic. Really.
Check out some pictures and minor commentary below!
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| The full board. Lots of Morks, fewer Mindys. |
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| "Na-no, na-no"? We think not! |
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| Grebbles equal money, but money seems very un-Orkan. |
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| I'm not a Nimnul! I'm not! |
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| "Gleek"? I thought this was about Mork and Mindy, not the Wonder Twins. |
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| So cheerful and so pink! |
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| "SHAZBOT!=NUTS!"? Kayooooooooooooo. |
Friday, May 26, 2017
Show Notes: Episode 2-8: Mork and Mindy
*"Mork's Mixed Emotions premiered Thursday, February 20, 1979, at 8:00 P.M. on the ABC television network.
*The OJ Simpson episode we reference is "Mork the Gullible," also from season 1, in which Robert Donner's eccentric Exidor character begins worshipping the Juice. We'll save you the trouble: Simpson does not appear in the episode.
*It is believed there are about 1,500 independent record shops in the USA today, including several in Boulder, Colorado.
*Mork premiered as a Thursday 8pm series, then moved to Sundays at 8pm for season 2. When ratings slipped, ABC switched back to Thursdays, but the damage had been done.
*Ralph James voiced Orson as well as Mr. Turtle in the Tootsie Pop ads (see an example in our YouTube playlist for this episode).
*The article I reference in the episode, a great oral history leaning on interviews with the show's writers, is right here.
*In and Out with Kevin Kline premiered September 1997 and was a modest success. It earned Joan Cusack a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination and also co-starred BOTNS fave Tom Selleck.
*Just the Ten of Us aired on ABC from 1988-1990, meaning it does fall into our timeline. I stand by my dislike of the show, but does anyone want to hear us cover it?
*Jeffrey Jacquet, who appeared in some first season episodes as Eugene, is now retired and practicing law in L.A. according to Wikipedia.
*Conrad is a 'SAG New Media Web Series and can be found here.
*The Mork and Mindy cartoon was part of the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, which aired on ABC Saturday mornings in the 1982-1983 TV season. See an example in the playlist!
*The OJ Simpson episode we reference is "Mork the Gullible," also from season 1, in which Robert Donner's eccentric Exidor character begins worshipping the Juice. We'll save you the trouble: Simpson does not appear in the episode.
*It is believed there are about 1,500 independent record shops in the USA today, including several in Boulder, Colorado.
*Mork premiered as a Thursday 8pm series, then moved to Sundays at 8pm for season 2. When ratings slipped, ABC switched back to Thursdays, but the damage had been done.
*Ralph James voiced Orson as well as Mr. Turtle in the Tootsie Pop ads (see an example in our YouTube playlist for this episode).
*The article I reference in the episode, a great oral history leaning on interviews with the show's writers, is right here.
*In and Out with Kevin Kline premiered September 1997 and was a modest success. It earned Joan Cusack a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination and also co-starred BOTNS fave Tom Selleck.
*Just the Ten of Us aired on ABC from 1988-1990, meaning it does fall into our timeline. I stand by my dislike of the show, but does anyone want to hear us cover it?
*Jeffrey Jacquet, who appeared in some first season episodes as Eugene, is now retired and practicing law in L.A. according to Wikipedia.
*Conrad is a 'SAG New Media Web Series and can be found here.
*The Mork and Mindy cartoon was part of the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, which aired on ABC Saturday mornings in the 1982-1983 TV season. See an example in the playlist!
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Episode 2_8: Mork and Mindy "Mixed Emotions"
In 1978, aliens walked among us in the form of Robin Williams in his breakout role as Mork from Ork. In "Mixed Emotions," a little encouragement and a kiss from Mindy (Pam Dawber) release Mork's emotions all at once. They overwhelm in a flurry of comic activity. We discuss this and more, including the complexities of Orkan anatomy, the shape of Jay Thomas' face, and Conrads.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Friday, May 19, 2017
Show Notes: Episode 2-7: Search, "The Murrow Disappearance"
*This episode premiered on NBC September 13, 1972, at 10:00 P.M.
*The TV movie that launched the series, Probe, aired February 11, 1972.
*Name of the Game (1968-1971) rotated Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack as its leads.
*According to Hugh O'Brian's interview for the Archives of American Television, Hugh O'Brian asked for the rotating leads situation because he didn't want to do the whole series. Other sources have indicated the network asked for it.
*TV Obscurities reported that the series was renamed Search to avoid conflict with a local TV news show called Probe.
In fact, check out these great pieces (and their comments) for more tidbits about the series:
http://senensky.com/ends-of-the-earth/
http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/search/
The TV Obscurities article reprints excerpts from negative reviews of the first episode (what were they thinking?) and has some specific numbers about the show's ratings/lack thereof from the get-go.
*Doug McClure died of lung cancer at the age of 59.
*I believe it was the Warner Archive Podcast, a great pod with people who were truly committed to bringing Search to the modern world, that referred to Grover as a savant.
*Mary Frann guested in the episode "Operation Iceman" and later went on to play Joanna Loudon on Newhart.
*The theme music was composed by Dominic Frontiere.
*Hugh O'Brian was born in 1925, making him 47 when this episode aired. His swagger made him seem...well, actually, still about 47, but easily twice as cool as most men half his age.
*The TV movie that launched the series, Probe, aired February 11, 1972.
*Name of the Game (1968-1971) rotated Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack as its leads.
*According to Hugh O'Brian's interview for the Archives of American Television, Hugh O'Brian asked for the rotating leads situation because he didn't want to do the whole series. Other sources have indicated the network asked for it.
*TV Obscurities reported that the series was renamed Search to avoid conflict with a local TV news show called Probe.
In fact, check out these great pieces (and their comments) for more tidbits about the series:
http://senensky.com/ends-of-the-earth/
http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/search/
The TV Obscurities article reprints excerpts from negative reviews of the first episode (what were they thinking?) and has some specific numbers about the show's ratings/lack thereof from the get-go.
*Doug McClure died of lung cancer at the age of 59.
*I believe it was the Warner Archive Podcast, a great pod with people who were truly committed to bringing Search to the modern world, that referred to Grover as a savant.
*Mary Frann guested in the episode "Operation Iceman" and later went on to play Joanna Loudon on Newhart.
*The theme music was composed by Dominic Frontiere.
*Hugh O'Brian was born in 1925, making him 47 when this episode aired. His swagger made him seem...well, actually, still about 47, but easily twice as cool as most men half his age.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Episode 2_7: Search "The Murrow Disappearance"
This week, we introduce you to one of the shows that inspired the podcast. In Search, private security agents use a high-tech approach to solve problems. "The Murrow Disappearance" features Hugh O'Brian, one of three rotating lead actors, as suave, unflappable Hugh Lockwood plus a crew of technicians led by the grouchy Burgess Meredith and the sassy Angel Tompkins. Plus, we say the word "cool," like, 300 times.
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