The Tv Museum

Grab your six shooters and your ten gallon, 'cause the TV Museum's finally tackling a Western! We take a look at one of the 28 (yes, really!) primetime shows set in the Old West that aired in 1958: The Rifleman. Listen in to hear about star Chuck Connors's bizarre and varied pro sports career, find out which Rat Packer made not one but two guest appearances on the show, and learn where to go when you just can't afford enough salt to get through the winter. Note: We apologize if you hear a little audio crackle in this ep. Just imagine we're all sitting around a camp fire, shootin' the breeze.... Mentioned in the exhibit and worth a look: Inside the Box podcast talks about the Dumont Network AV Club's The Rifleman Roundtable The Encyclopedia of TV on westerns FCC Chair Newton Minnow on the "vast wasteland" of TV A look at the special effects challenges of The Ordeal The Rifleman's casualty list on RiflemanConnors.com The Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra   We are sponsored again by Audible and hope you'll take a

This exhibit explores a critically-acclaimed but never-before-seen (by your hosts, anyway) show that offers up plenty of surprises. Tune in to find out what makes Taxi such a keystone in the history of the American sitcom. Hint: echoes of Taxi are all over better-known hits like Cheers and Seinfeld.  Episodes we watched: Pilot/ “Like Father, Like Daughter” S1 E3 "Blind Date" S1 E17 "Elaine and the Lame Duck" S3 E20 - “Latka the Playboy” S4 E1 - “Jim the Psychic” S4 E21 "Latka’s Wedding" Learn more: Museum of Television entry on Taxi Extensive video interview with co-creator James L. Brooks Jeffrey Tambor talks about Taxi Tony Danza in Animal House Talking Apes TV Skywalking Through Neverland And, just for fun, here's a picture of Tony Danza wiping out on rollerblades:   Step up your glasses game with Warby Parker and a FREE five-day at-home trial of five stylish frames. Check out Warby Parker's funky, chic offerings now!  

In this installment of the TV Museum we dig into the fondly remembered cult hit Quantum Leap - will it succeed where its ancestor The Time Tunnel failed?  Listen in to learn more about the largely glow-in-the-dark nature of future technology, discover how meteorological conditions affect time travel, and hear a guy in a truly horrible suit rap about the ABCs. More importantly, we'll answer the question: does Quantum Leap have The Right Stuff?   Episodes we watched: Pilot/Genesis Parts 1 & 2 Color of Truth (S 1 EP 7) What Price Gloria  (S2 EP 4) Catch a Falling Star  (S2 EP 10) The Leap Back (S4 E1)   Dive deep to be a true Leaper: Al's Place (the ultimate QL fan site) Eight Sad Truths You Realize When Re-Watching Quantum Leap QL soundtrack on Spotify   Step up your glasses game with Warby Parker and a FREE five-day at-home trial of five stylish frames. Check out Warby Parker's funky, chic offerings now!  

On this (very!) special episode of the TV Museum Podcast, we meet up with The Munsters' Butch Patrick for an in-person interview. Listen in to hear his take on life as a child star in 1960s Hollywood, his time as a resident of 1313 Mockingbird Lane, and some of the highs and lows he's experienced in the years since. Many thanks to Butch for his time and to Joel McGee (America's Toy Scout) for playing host to our interview. Butch Patrick's The Munsters Website America's Toy Scout If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell Get a FREE 30-Day Trial of Audible NOW!

In this episode we hurtle through time to explore a 60s cult classic. The facial expression that defined a series.   What do a cancer patient aboard the Titanic, a scarlet lady in ancient Jericho, and the 16th president of the United States all have in common? Getting their butts saved by Doug and Tony, of course! Tune in to learn what other hijinks these two valiant scientists get up to while careening through history. Episodes We Watched: "Rendezvous With Yesterday" (Pilot) "The Walls of Jericho" (Ep. 20) "The Death Trap" (Ep. 12)   Need more? The Lost World trailer (aka Iguanas in Hats) Original Time Tunnel trailer The TV Party of The Time Tunnel   Can't get enough TV history? Sign up for a FREE TRIAL of Audible.com to access titles like The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business.  

This week we visit one of the most beloved families of 80s TV, the Keaton clan.  Tune in to hear more about the only sitcom in network history in which someone gets laid after attending a lecture on conservative fiscal policy! Reminisce about heads stuck in bannisters and watch a future Oscar winner tie one on at a PBS affiliate! Discover how many Family Ties stars later formed not-very-famous bands and which Keaton sought therapy on what appeared to be the set of Charlie Rose! Episodes We Watched: Pilot  S 1 Ep 4 "Summer of ‘82" S2 Ep 14 "Say Uncle" S3 Ep 11 “Don’t Kiss Me, I’m Only the Messenger”  S 4 Ep 1 and 2 “The Real Thing, Parts One and Two”  S 5 Ep 22 "A, My Name is Alex (part one)"     Learn more: The Atlantic on "very special episodes" Family Ties at the Museum of Broadcast Communications "How Family Ties Spawned a Conservative Hero" Bootjack and Bonz (Brian Bonsall's band)    Start your free trial of Audible and get a free audiobook. Our listeners might enjoy Lucky Man, a memoir by Michael J. F

In this episode we look at one of the most successful primetime soaps of the 80s, in which a secretary can marry a billionaire, long-lost daughters turn up nearly every week, and Moldavian freedom fighters can really ruin a celebration. Is Blake Carrington about to choke a ... lady? Listen in to learn how many last names Joan Collins's character had, why Rock Hudson's guest starring stint on the show was so controversial, and what drove William Faulkner out of Hollywood. Episodes we watched: Pilot “Enter Alexis” (S2 E1) “Royal Wedding” (S4 E30) Comprehensive list of Dynasty cat fights Fashion tips from Alexis Carrington Linda Evans on her scene with Rock Hudson Producer Aaron Spelling's unbelievably enormous mansion   Want to learn more about Aaron Spelling? We suggest you listen to Aaron Spelling: A Primetime Life, with your 30-day free trial from Audible. Thanks as ever to Minden for our theme music.

In this special bonus episode, guest hosts Sylvia (7) and Judith (4) take a look at Peabody's Improbable History.    Learn more: Full Segment List Courtesy of Wikipedia Peabody's Improbable History at Toonpedia Go visit the Paley Center to learn more about Jay Ward's work.

This week we combine two great tastes: Mary Tyler Moore, a comedy about a woman who can turn the world on with her smile, and that show's landmark hour-long spin-off, the newsroom drama Lou Grant. Tune in to learn which Robocop star goose-stepped through an episode of Lou Grant, hear Cloris Leachman sing about social disease, and discover why Ron Burgundy's dog is named Baxter.  Keep listening for an interview with Lou Grant himself, the great Ed Asner.   Episodes we watched: The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Pilot  “Love is All Around”  S3 E16 "Lou’s Place" S2 E1 “The Birds and..um..Bess”   S2 E 23 "Some of my Best Friends Are Rhoda"  S7 E 24 “The Last Show”  Lou Grant: Pilot - "Cophouse" S3 E1 "Cop" S1 E5 "Nazi"   Check out a photo from the interview on our Facebook page. Highlights from Someone I Touched Check out The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant on Hulu   Get a free audiobook and free 30-day trial from our sponsor, Audible.  And thank you to the fabulous Minden, who composed our theme music.   

This week we brave the horrors of late 70s fashion to give you a review of a television show about radio: Tune in to learn whatever happened to Dr. Johnny Fever, who the heck Ol' Lonely is, and how to make a career out of a sultry swimsuit photo. Show links: NPR calls WRKP the first show to take rock seriously Nedra Volz IMDB Vincent Schiavelli IMDB

This week we looked at a show whose reputation permeates pop culture but which we'd never actually seen. A show in which a sweet mullet, a roll of duck tape, and a phone number for the Boys' and Girls' Club will get you out of any sticky situation: MACGYVER! Pilot (9/29/85) Partners (S2 E40 3/2/87) Runners (S4 E77 3/13/89) Tune in to learn the second best use for chocolate bars, how not to succeed in the world's oldest profession, and what the 80s Action Show Rule of Three is all about. Get geeky: MacGyver Online Will there be a MacGyver remake? The A.V. Club suggests 10 essential MacGyver eps Emerald Point N.A.S. intro (it stands for Naval Air Station) The Fall Guy theme song Animotion's Obsession (co-written by Michael des Barres)  

Did you watch this seminal series gathered around the TV with your parents and siblings, slightly uncomfortable about your feelings for either Kevin or Winnie? We took a deep dive into a childhood favorite and watched six full episodes of the highly-decorated The Wonder Years: PilotSwingers My Father’s OfficeSummer Song (S3 Ep 1)Summer (S6 Ep 21)Independence Day (S6 Ep 22)   Listen to find out what Kevin Arnold and Jason Voorhees have in common, learn whatever happened to Paul Saviano (spoiler: he's not Marilyn Manson), and contemplate whether the 60s are worthy of the unparalleled reverence they are accorded in popular culture. Mentioned on the 'cast: Silent Wonder Years Wall Street Journal article about the quest to get TWY to dvd

For our second foray into the archives we watched three episodes of the short-running but long-syndicated CBS gothic sitcom The Munsters: THE FIRST ONE: "Munster Masquerade" THE FAMOUS ONE: "Hot Rod Herman" THE RANDO ONE: "Treasure of Mockingbird Lane" Listen as we dive into the history and trivia of this quirky family comedy. Which cast member recorded a regrettable novelty song? What's the connection between The Munsters and Syfy's FaceOff? Just how much of an earworm is the theme song? Subscribe on iTunes! For Munsterphiles: Here Comes the Munster Koach Whatever Happened to Eddie? The psychology of Munsters viewers The couple in Texas who built there own replica Munster Mansion (no really, they did)

"That twilighty show...about that zone."  -- Homer Simpson We begin our first exhibit in the TV Museum with a look at the iconic CBS sci-fi anthology The Twilight Zone. This cult hit ran for five seasons and spawned various spin-offs, but is it worth revisiting? We watched three episodes to find out: THE FIRST ONE: "Where is Everybody?" THE FAMOUS ONE: "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" THE RANDO ONE: "The Hunt" Listen to the full show to learn more about notable "Hey! It's That Guy"s and whether there is raccoon hunting in the hereafter. For a deeper dive, check out: The Twilight Zone Podcast The Twilight Zone imdb page All 156 episodes available on CBS All-Access (subscription) And thanks again to Minden for composing our awesome in-and-out music, "Something Small".