Ramblin' with Roger

I bring this up now because I read in Evanier’s column from Saturday that Harold Stone, who played the Jewish father on the show, died at the age of 92. Since I don’t often go around talking about “Bridget Loves Bernie”, a show I seem to remember liking (but it WAS 30+ years ago and I haven’t seen it since), I found that coincidence mildly unsettling.
(When ABC canceled a show called “Welcome to the Neighborhood” that offended blacks, Latinos, gays, and most importantly, the government, earlier this year it wasn’t unprecedented. What WAS unusual about that show it that the show NEVER AIRED.)

Not so incidentally, the CBS Saturday lineup for the following season (1973-1974) was considered the best ever with:
8 AiTF (#1)
8:30 M*A*S*H (#4)
9 MTM (#9)
9:30 Bob Newhart (#11)
10 Carol Burnett (#27), replacing the canceled Mission:Impossible

Here’s a best comedy list, in alphabetical order, not quality order. The ones I’ve seen are in in italics. The ones I own will be in the notes.

Airplane! – one of my favorites. I think, in part, it’s due to the exquisite acting of one Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, who not only played the part of Roger, but also appeared on JEOPARDY! the week before I did, and won! (What that latter point has to do with the movie, I’ll never tell.) The terrible follow-up has only one good scene: JEOPARDY! with Art Fleming.
All About Eve
Amelie -swet, but never thought as top comedy material.
Annie Hall– there are more things about this movie that have happened in my life that it’s scary. This was my touchstone film for a good 20 years. So la-dee-da, la-dee-dah. OWN on cassette tape.
The Apartment– I assume he means the original.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery – and no particular interest in seeing it, for some reason.
Blazing Saddles– violence to horse, scathing racial cliches. Painfully funny.
Bringing Up Baby
Broadcast News– Albert Brooks was BRILLIANT in this film.
Caddyshack-saw on commercial TV, which doesn’t count for me.
Le diner de con
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb- I MUST see this film!
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story -wasn’t interested.
Duck Soup
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off– possibly my wife’s favorite comedy
Four Weddings and a Funeral– I like it, but I think it’s uneven, and probably not 50 best.
The General
Ghostbusters– I remember that Ray Parker, Jr. was SHOCKED how fast that video came out. OWN on videocassette.
The Gold Rush
Good Morning Vietnam – how many movies and TV shows since this one have used “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong?
The Graduate– I finally saw THIS YEAR! Very fond.
Groundhog Day– Another linchpin film for me. It’s all about redemption. AND it has a JEOPARDY! scene. OWN on videocassette.
A Hard Day’s Night– saw after I saw Help!
His Girl Friday
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Lady Killers
Local Hero
Manhattan– liked, and was discomforted, the way Woody films do
M*A*S*H – the TV show should have ended when Gary Burgoff, the only member of the movie cast on the TV show, left. The football game fels like The Longest Yard.
Monty Python’s Life of Brian– this was on last week’s indy film list. I defended this film vigorous at the time from those who thought it an attack on Christianity.
National Lampoon’s Animal House– if I’m surfing through the TV, and I hit on this movie from ther Bluto speech (“Germans bombed Pearl Harbor”) to the end, I have to watch.
The Odd Couple. Saw after the TV show. I got used to the Randall/Klugman rhythm.
The Producers -the audience reaction to “Springtime for Hitler” still cracks me up.
Raising Arizona– I saw this in a movie theater with about six people. THE best before-the-credits-come-up movie segment ever.
Roxanne-very sweet. I had forgotten this movie, which I saw in first run.
Rushmore- meant to. Someone’s promised to lend me the DVD.
Shaun of the Dead
A Shot in the Dark
Some Like it Hot Joe e. Brown’s face is a classic face.
Strictly Ballroom
Sullivan’s Travels
There’s Something About Mary
This is Spinal Tap– OWN the soundtrack.
To Be or Not to Be
Tootsie– possibly Dustin Hoffman’s best film, because he tapped into that anger he has admitted to living with at the time.
Toy Story– I’m very fond of this movie, though I prefer the sequel
Les vacances de M. Hulot
When Harry Met Sally…– source of endless conversations about relationships.
Withnail and I
The one movie that I wish were on the list: Young Frankenstein; during one later scene, I literally fell out of my seat in the movie theater, I laughed so hard.

The basic idea is to say “hello” to 10 people tomorrow, preferably people you would not normally say hello to. Maybe that strange person on the bus, or a total stranger walking by.

So, in honor of World Hello Day, I am having a contest. Be the first person to e-mail me with the answer to the question will win:
1) a copy of a mixed CD with hello/welcome as a theme
2) a copy of a mixed CD of my favorite Hello Records songs (that I haven’t made yet)
3) a Dave Barry book about terrible songs (this has nothing to do with the theme, I just happen to have two copies), and
4) other hello-related stuff to be determined
The next four winners will receive 2) 3) and 4)

The question:
At first so strange to feel so friendly
To say good morning and really mean it
To feel these changes happening in me
But not to notice till I feel it.
1) What is the full name of the song above Title (and Parenthetical Title)
2) Who sang it first?
3) Who wrote it?

10. “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” (1968-73, NBC).
9. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-77, CBS).
8. “Hill Street Blues” (1981-87, NBC).
7. “The Real World” (1992-present, MTV).
6. “All in the Family” (1971-83, CBS).
5. “Sesame Street” (1969-present, PBS).
4. “The Tonight Show” (1954-present, NBC).
3. “Dragnet” (1952-59; 1967-70, NBC).
2. “The Milton Berle Show” (1948-57, NBC).
1. “I Love Lucy” (1951-57, CBS).
Other shows he deemed worthy of consideration: “Law & Order” (NBC), “The Simpsons” (Fox), “Roots,” (ABC), “Saturday Night Live” (NBC), “Gunsmoke,” (CBS), “Monday Night Football (ABC),” “An American Family” (PBS).

You can read his rationale here.

He also listed the five best spinoffs:
5. “Lou Grant” (“Mary Tyler Moore Show”)
4. “Knots Landing” (“Dallas”)
3. “Happy Days” (“Love, American Style”)
2. “Frasier” (“Cheers”)
1. “The Simpsons” (“The Tracy Ullman Show”)
and the five worst spinoffs:
5. “Joanie Loves Chachi” (“Happy Days”
4. “Gloria” (“All in the Family”)
3. “The Tortellis” (“Cheers”)
2. “Joey” (“Friends”)
1. “AfterMASH” (“M*A*S*H”)

So, my questions to you:

1) What do you consider the 5 or 10 most influential programs in television history? Not necessarily the best, but the ones that help define the genre.
2) What are the 5 best and 5 worst spinoffs of American television shows?
3) What are the 3 or 5 or 10 best shows derived from another medium (book, play, movie, oh what the heck, British TV)?

My answers will be below. You can block it to see it, or put your responses in first, THEN go back and see mine. (Thanks to Tom the Dog for explaining this process to me.)

MOST IMPORTANT:
I Love Lucy
Milton Berle
Dragnet
The Honeymooners- precursor to everything from the Flintstones to the King of Queens
The Real World
Hill Street Blues
All in the Family
M*A*S*H
The Jeffersons
Saturday Night Live
CSI
Gunsmoke
That Girl-precuror to MTM

WORST SPINOFFS
AfterMASH
Fish (from Barney Miller)
The Tortellis
Joanne Loves Chachi
Gloria

BEST SPINOFFS
Simpsons
Frasier
Lou Grant
Happy Days
Andy Griffith Show (from the Danny Thomas Show)