Tag Archives: john ritter

A Very Special Television Event, Boob Tubery

Gramps

This marks the launch of a new Scratchbomb series called A Very Special Television Event, where I take a look at forgotten boob tube content of yesteryear, focusing on TV movies, miniseries, short-lived series, and one-off specials.

One of my favorite leisure activities is watching compilations of old commercials. I believe there are very few activities that can give you a better sense of the flavor of a certain time than watching its advertising. Sure, someone who lived through that decade can give you their impressions of what the 1990s were like, but you will get a much clearer view of The Clinton Years by watching a collection of Must See TV promos and a buffet of ads telling you to dial 17 digits just to save money on long distance calls. (Seriously, if you were not alive then you have no idea how huge that industry was. How serious? They even got George Carlin!)

Not too long ago, I was viewing a commercial compilation from 1995 when I was stopped dead in my tracks by this teaser for a TV movie starring Andy Griffith as a sinister kidnapping grandfather. Now here was a perfect distillation of what TV in 1995 was all about.

The made-for-TV movie has been part of the boob tube landscape since the invention of the medium. In its early days, this was the platform for renowned screenwriters penning prestige work; Rod Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight and Paddy Chayevsky’s Marty both began their lives as teleplays prior to their Hollywood adaptations. This pedigree continued through the 1970s and 1980s, when TV movies were often the preferred format in which to discuss Serious Issues: child abuse, homosexuality, substance abuse, adult illiteracy, and similar fun topics. By the 1990s, however, TV movies had become a salacious format, leaning heavily on quickie adaptations of tabloid fodder (think “Homer S: Portrait of an Ass Grabber”) and other lurid fare, With its threatening premise (“what if your grandfather was a violent nut?”), Gramps looked like it was very much a TV movie of the 90s, and I decided I must watch it immediately.

Luckily we live in a world where no copyrights are honored (thanks, Sam Altman!), certainly not for 30+ year-old TV movies, and I found the entire thing free to watch on YouTube. I expected it to be something very much of its time, along with Pearl Jam, baggy jeans, Fruitopia drinks, and deindustrialization. What I got instead was a view of something timeless, or perhaps out of time, as something produced by an alien civilization might seem to mere humans.

Continue reading Gramps →
VCRitage

The Lost Art of the Anniversary Special, Featuring Nazi Donald Duck

I know that the readers of Scratchbomb are students of genuine American folklore. Therefore, this will be of interest you: A Donald Duck 50th Anniversary special from 1984.

Back in those days, television loved to pay tribute to beloved pop culture figures via one-hour programs, during which the figure in question was feted by whatever random celebrities could be assembled. The pinnacle of this art was, of course, the Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary Special. Produced by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, it remains one of the most amazing things humans have made. This was just one example; in the mid-80s, it seemed every three months brought another such tribute to the airwaves.

People tuned in by the millions to watch these shows because back then, if you wanted to catch a “highlight reel” for I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners, this was your only recourse. Nowadays, if you want to see someone’s greatest moments, you can search for them on YouTube and you don’t have to pay Cher or Jeff Goldblum to punch up the proceedings.

However, back in 1984, the heyday of such programming, a special about Donald Duck all but demanded to be MC’ed and narrated by Dick Van Dyke, who also has some split animation/live action bits with the guest of honor. As in other such specials of its time, Donald is further celebrated by testimonials from a polyglot selection of stars seemingly picked out of a hat: Donna Summer, John Ritter, Kenny Rogers, Henry Winkler, and Andy Warhol, who is seen sketching out his own illustrated salute.

andy warhol + donald duckThe special also contains an enormous amount of old cartoon footage that is, I’m sure, locked up in a vault somewhere along with Walt’s frozen head, never to be seen again. For instance, a cartoon meant to promote postwar “understanding” between America and its neighbors to the south, with that understanding achieved by drinking cachaça and dive bombing bikini-clad girls on a beach with some kind of magic carpet. But that pales in comparison to a war-time short wherein Donald has a nightmare he lives in Nazi Germany and has to assemble bombs all day to the tune of Spike Jones’ “In Der Fuhrer’s Face.” So if you ever wondered what Donald Duck covered in swastikas would look like, wonder no more.

As with my Halloween presentation, the Donald Duck special is presented here with commercials included, intended to be viewed as one would have viewed it back when it was aired. (Source tape comes from a rebroadcast in 1985.) Again, the quality is not fantastic, but some sacrifices are needed to bring you Nazi Donald Duck.