The Swamp

This is probably the one opinion my wife and I have that isn't shared with anyone else - we actually tolerated Caillou. It got us through a 15-hour road trip with a two-year-old, the holiday special is fantastic (fight me), and my kids absolutely loved it (I guess we're the only ones who live in a house where we can go to other rooms instead of having to watch whatever the kids watch).

We also tolerated Calliou with our daughter, but we mostly succeeded in keeping him away from our son. I think there were changes with Sprout, either in their programming or schedule (we had moved three time zones, which probably also contributed), then eventually DirecTV switched out the channel. Of course, we had two kids sharing the TV at the later point, as well.

Jeez, what a bunch of cynical, snarky twats. It was a sweet, inoffensive kids show.

Easy to say when home televisions didn't become common until one's kids were already out of the house.

Neil Sheehan, who exposed The Pentagon Papers and was one of the great journalists of the 20th century (like seriously up there with Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell).

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:38 pm Jeez, what a bunch of cynical, snarky twats. It was a sweet, inoffensive kids show.

15 years ago, my former writing partner (who had written a few episodes of Caillou) and I were called in to pitch ideas on a Caillou movie. We worked like dogs and prepared an outline. We didn't get the job even though they led us on and we made revisions. (a Writers' Guild no-no).

Fuck Caillou. May he rot in hell forever. He may be sweet and inoffensive, but he was a front man for a whole crew of exploitative assholes.

Awwww. The driving test from the first PA is such a good scene.

Michael Apted, best known as the director of the "Up" documentary series (7 Up, 14 Up, etc.), though he also directed a very, very underrated Val Kilmer movie in the late 80s (Thunderheart)

The Pope's personal doc...complications from COVID.

Also Thunderheart holds a strange warm place in my heart. Remember going to see it with a buddy which turned into a really fun night.

ETA: Guess he deserves his own thread.

Siegfried Fischbacher (of Siegfried and Roy).

Sad that he's passed, but it's nice to think those two are reunited again.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 10:09 am Siegfried Fischbacher (of Siegfried and Roy).

Sad that he's passed, but it's nice to think those two are reunited again.

Predeceased by his brother British Fischbacher

Sylvain Sylvain, guitar player for the New York Dolls. Honestly surprised any of them were still alive.

Square Rob wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:28 pm Sylvain Sylvain, guitar player for the New York Dolls. Honestly surprised any of them were still alive.

David Johansen's still around.

I saw Johnny Thunders perform in a club in New York in the mid-80s. He was in bad shape.

I was a fan of the Dolls. A big influence on the music of the mid/late 70s punk bands. I have their first two albums and also one by Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers (pre-dating Tom Petty's band). David Johansen is the only one left alive now of the five. The first three all died years ago.

Donald G. Tober....Sweet N Low N Splat. Went out on his own terms it seems.
https://www.businessinsider.com/former- ... Insider%29

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:08 pm Donald G. Tober....Sweet N Low N Splat. Went out on his own terms it seems.
https://www.businessinsider.com/former- ... Insider%29

The writer Rich Cohen's grandfather invented Sweet 'n' Low, and he wrote a fantastic family saga centred around it. Highly recommended.

NY Times Review of "Sweet and Low"

Barney Miller was such a great show.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:19 am

Barney Miller was such a great show.

The quintessential dramedy. Yemana, Wojo, Harris, Dietrich. That show would’ve been great on a streaming service.

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:33 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:19 am

Barney Miller was such a great show.

The quintessential dramedy. Yemana, Wojo, Harris, Dietrich. That show would’ve been great on a streaming service.

Fish

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:38 am

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:33 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:19 am

Barney Miller was such a great show.

The quintessential dramedy. Yemana, Wojo, Harris, Dietrich. That show would’ve been great on a streaming service.

Fish

Loved that show as a kid.

And it was incredible that the vast majority of the stories took place on the one set. You never saw the cops in the field.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:42 am

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:38 am

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:33 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:19 am

Barney Miller was such a great show.

The quintessential dramedy. Yemana, Wojo, Harris, Dietrich. That show would’ve been great on a streaming service.

Fish

Loved that show as a kid.

And it was incredible that the vast majority of the stories took place on the one set. You never saw the cops in the field.

Great show. Probably in the top 5 greatest theme songs in TV history.

I had a strange crush on Barbara Barrie who occasionally played Barney's wife.

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:43 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:42 am

bfj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:38 am

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:33 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:19 am

Barney Miller was such a great show.

The quintessential dramedy. Yemana, Wojo, Harris, Dietrich. That show would’ve been great on a streaming service.

Fish

Loved that show as a kid.

And it was incredible that the vast majority of the stories took place on the one set. You never saw the cops in the field.

Great show. Probably in the top 5 greatest theme songs in TV history.

I actually left Fish off that list because I had an anecdote setup (that I apparently deleted) revolving around the fact he looked 95 when the show ran in the 70s and early 80s, yet ultimately passed in 2016 at the tender age of 94.

cue the sound of a toilet flushing.

Seriously though, what (if any) TV show theme songs would you rank higher? I got Rockford Files and White Shadow.

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:28 pm Seriously though, what (if any) TV show theme songs would you rank higher? I got Rockford Files and White Shadow.

Terrible show...great theme song...

Night Court was pretty good.

It’s all a matter of personal taste but the 70s and 80s were the pinnacle of TV theme songs. Knight Rider and Miami Vice were cool if you like techno synths, Taxi’s smooth jazz theme is iconic and even something like the cheese of Welcome Back, Kotter is better than anything today.

brian wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:06 pm It’s all a matter of personal taste but the 70s and 80s were the pinnacle of TV theme songs. Knight Rider and Miami Vice were cool if you like techno synths, Taxi’s smooth jazz theme is iconic and even something like the cheese of Welcome Back, Kotter is better than anything today.

Jeffersons, All in the Family and Sanford and Son were pretty good also.

And Good Times. It might be nostalgia but it doesn’t seem like too many sucked those Diff’rent Strokes, Three’s Company and Facts Of Life all did IMO

Simon and Simon was underrated:

brian wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:15 pm And Good Times. It might be nostalgia but it doesn’t seem like too many sucked those Diff’rent Strokes, Three’s Company and Facts Of Life all did IMO

Hanging in a chow line? I learned a new thing today.

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:22 pm Simon and Simon was underrated:

From the guy who composed S.W.A.T.’s theme song.

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:22 pm Simon and Simon was underrated:

Not by me. The best.

I got Cheers at #1 theme song just ahead of the other greats.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 4:25 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:22 pm Simon and Simon was underrated:

Not by me. The best.

I’ve never watched an episode of Simon and Simon.

Me neither. It always followed Magnum PI and was my bedtime.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:37 pm I got Cheers at #1 theme song just ahead of the other greats.

I’ve been noodling and cheers and the fresh prince pretty much set the scene for then entire premise of the show.