Wesley’s Week (Jan. 1-7, 2007)

by Wesley

Heaven, I’m in heaven …. Why? Because I have now had enough time to enjoy my Christmas presents, namely some DVDs of old TV series that I wanted, and I am happy to report that none has disappointed me so far in the features that I really like about them – the audio commentaries and documentaries involving participants from the shows. I just always find it extremely interesting to learn more about the shows from the actual personnel involved, and luckily the DVDs I now have in my possession include some great stories from “behind the tube,” if you want to call it that (and I do).

For example, when I listened to individual voiceovers from Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White on selected episodes of The Golden Girls, I realized how they each made a special and appropriate note of praising the writing on the series. What was really fascinating was what else they emphasized, such as Betty White praising the acting ability and looks of Harold Gould, who played her boyfriend Miles; Rue McClanahan talking extensively about the fashions on the show and which outfits she wore that she kept, as well as which ones she wished she would have kept; and Bea Arthur laughing uproariously at the episode where Blanche’s daughter goes to a sperm bank to be artificially inseminated (I agree, it was a good one).

I had another nice time watching the 50th anniversary DVD for The Phil Silvers Show (a/k/a “Sgt. Bilko” and “You’ll Never Get Rich” – three titles for a show was actually par for the course for a 1950s series, since they tried to sell them in as many ways as possible). The main surviving actor, Allan Melvin, obviously relished his time on the series and gladly recounted how he got his job there when he went to read for a guest part eventually done by Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster on The Munsters) and wound up being drafted as one of Sgt. Bilko’s co-conspirators in con games being run at a military base in Kansas. It’s a nice tribute to a show often forgotten today, even though it earned the Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Series every year it ran, a feat few other series have achieved.

The second season of The Bob Newhart Show includes commentaries from the leading man himself plus Jack Riley (the hilariously low-key neurotic Mr. Carlin) and Marcia Wallace (Bob’s devoted secretary Carol). Bob had me chuckling when he noted that if you follow the path he took home on the train based on the station stops shown in the opening titles, it meant he would have had to walk more than 40 blocks home where the train let him off! As with “The Golden Girls,” Bob and the others credited much of the show’s success to the writing, and there was a nice camaraderie between them, as they were doing their commentaries at the same time (and presumably in the same recording booth). I just wish someone had done something about the artwork on the selection page for the episodes contained on each DVD – they are truly the most garish and unattractive drawings of a TV show cast I have ever seen in my life.

There are a couple of other DVDs I have yet to review, but for the ones I have done so far, it reaffirms my belief that the format is ideal for making a perfect package of old TV shows combined with great memories from those recalling their creation. I thank all who participated in the DVDs I received, and I hope other talent will do so in future releases too. Are you listening, Clint Eastwood, for Rawhide?

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