Improvisational satire, to me , at least, maybe the comic equivalent of performing neurosurgery on a high wire , without a net : You have to be fast,funny, fearless and facile.
For half a century, THE SECOND CITY , in Chicago, has been the American epicenter of improvised humor, an incubator for five generations of comic superstars, and a performing arts training center that is without peer.
From the earliest shows staged for young,Chicago intellectuals by the Compass Players, which was the precursor to SECOND CITY,to the brilliant SCTV series, and to the work currently done on the stage and behind the camera by SECOND CITY alumni, in New York and Hollywood, its influence is incalculable and its diaspora are everywhere in the entertainment industry.
As THE SECOND CITY celebrates it's golden anniversary, KINESCOPE HD, begins a continuing series of comic curiosities from the vaults of this incredible institution.
First up,an excerpt from YOU TUBE of a 1991, cable special entitled SECOND CITY'S LIFE AS WE KNOW IT . Look for a young Steve Carell, Brad Sherwood and Ryan Stiles.Enjoy!!!!!
John Drake was James Bond on a budget. The resourceful Drake was the dashing, M-9, undercover operative whose daring exploits in espionage were at the center of the action in the 1960's British, cult series DANGER MAN.
Starring the debonair and provocative Patrick McGoohan as the ironic, intelligence agent who gave his all for Queen and County in each episode, DANGER MAN was created and produced by the versatile Ralph Smart for ITC,Sir Lew Grade's London-based, global,syndication service.
The series, which debuted in B&W and later transitioned to COLOR, reached the apex of its world-wide popularity between 1964 and 1968.
In the UK, the Dominion of Canada,Ireland and other outposts of the British Empire, the gritty series was branded as DANGER MAN. But, when CBS-TV bought the rights to broadcast the series in the USA and then decided to run it as an April, 1965 addition to the Saturday night schedule, network programmers wanted a more energetic and distinctive opening title sequence in hopes of attracting a young,American television audience.
The youth movement was in full force across the media landscape, and prime time viewers were fascinated by tales of espionage , thanks to shows like THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. on NBC-TV.CBS programmers had heard a rock and roll paean to super spies called SECRET AGENT MAN, sung by a young,southern rocker named Johnny Rivers.
CBS and ITC bought the domestic rights to the song. Next, a high camp, animated opening sequence, designed to match the driving pace of River's antic anthem was created.
Prolific composer, Edwin Astley's droll, harpsichord intro and HIGH WIRE ,his intricately tooled theme for DANGER MAN were moved behind the title sequence.
SECRET AGENT , which had been expanded from 30 to sixty minutes in length, was ready for it's American television debut. The sophisticated series was a summer hit. It made its way onto the Fall 1965, CBS-TV schedule, and ran until 1968. That's when McGoohan left the series to develop and star in another ITC/CBS-TV, cult hit, THE PRISONER.
Below are three clips that show , in broad stroke, the progress from DANGER MAN to SECRET AGENT.
First, an excerpt of DANGER MAN, circa 1964, with a simple, elegant opening sequence, followed by Edwin Astley's expressive and intense theme, HIGH WIRE. Enjoy!!!!
Next, here is an opening "tease", and new title sequence for the same episode as above , when the series appeared on CBS-TV in 1965 as SECRET AGENT. There's also a bonus, network commercial for Westinghouse ovens. Enjoy!!!!
Finally,Johnny Rivers in a solo performance of SECRET AGENT MAN on a syndicated, teen dance show, circa 1966, riding the crest of the song's popularity.Enjoy!!!
As a teenager , multi-faceted performer, Vicki Lawrence was always told she looked so much like television icon, Carol Burnett, that she could be her sister. In the spring of 1967, when CBS-TV announced that it was going to debut a Monday night, COLOR, variety show, staring Ms.Burnett in the fall season , the daring Ms. Lawrence decided it was time to leverage her looks.
She wrote a letter to the Emmy award winning,comedienne, explaining their physical similarities and asking that Ms. Burnett come see her perform in a local venue. Intrigued, and , fortuitously for Ms.Lawrence, actually in search of an actress to appear as her stage sibling in a planned series of sketches for the new CAROL BURNETT SHOW, Ms. Burnett and then husband/executive producer Joe Hamilton,went to check out vibrant Vicki Lawrence.
The rest, as you know is television history.
While the CAROL & SIS sketches didn't survive the first season of the CAROL BURNETT SHOW, Ms. Lawrence's role as a member of one of Television's most celebrated and accomplished ensembles was cemented over the shows eleven year run on the network and over three decades in syndication.
Ms. Lawrence went onto star in MAMA"S FAMILY, her own spin-off based on a character she originated on the CAROL BURNETT SHOW. She also hosted the syndicated, VICKI LAWRENCE SHOW for GROUP W PRODUCTIONS and had a hit recording of the THE NIGHT THAT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA.
Ms. Burnett, as we all know, is revered as a performer and as a person, who has reached iconic status in television and is a beloved figure in American culture.
Below is a rare, October 1967 clip from the OHBUTYES YOU TUBE site, showcasing CAROL & SIS singing their version of PETER,PAUL AND MARY'S hit song, I DIG ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC.Enjoy!!!!!
The death of a mythic, media figure reminds all of us that even the most talented people are, in the end , mortal. Our true solace is that we benefited from their extraordinary creativity in life ,that the best of their work , and occasionally, their personal legend will endure long after their passing.
The loss of television news pioneer ,Don Hewitt , at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer, surprises me. Not because of his advanced age, or the repugnant nature of cancer. But, because he was a cyclonic force in media and in life. Don Hewitt's tenure , over six decades, at CBS News was more of an adventure than a career.
I say that, having read his excellent book, TELL ME A STORY, but never having worked with or for him.I met him only once and found him to be engaging, ebullient and warm.
You knew something incredible was going on behind those eyes.
The kind of cognitive combustion that created the the format for network news that is still applied to this day. The kinetic mind that envisaged a weekly , news magazine predicated on the rich, editorial heritage of Life Magazine. The competitive instincts that would drive him to construct arcane scams worthy of Sgt. Bilko in the effort to beat his friendly rivals at NBC News on any story to which he was assigned. It was all there, behind those penetrating eyes.
I have been a television producer for over 30 years, no matter what title was printed on my business card. So many in my generation of media practitioners have been influenced by the work of two towering video visionaries: Roone Arledge of ABC News and Sports, and Don Hewitt of CBS News.
Both are gone now, sadly.
Arledge understood how the application of advanced technology could enhance a news organization's ability to bring an eclectic array of stories from around the globe into your home.He was a Templar of aggressive journalism and a symphonic conductor in the control room.
In contrast, Hewitt's work was elegant in its simplicity. He took the most complex issues and connected the dots, providing context and linear clarity.He had a proper, American sense of fairness and outrage. Some of his best work at 60 Minutes were gritty stories ,that were almost passion plays, focusing on villains and their victims. Thanks to Hewitt's extraordinary stock company of high voltage correspondents, retribution came to the venal each Sunday night at 7pm Eastern Time.
Below are two pieces from CBSNEWS.COM, detailing the life, the loss and the legacy of Don Hewitt. Reflect and enjoy!!!!
What do you get when a major , television production studio marries Film Noir, crime drama to bluesy, brassy jazz against the background of mid-1950's Manhattan?
But wait, there's more!!!
Next,add a proven production team , including respected composer Elmer Bernstein,a talented cast , headed by 1940's, movie idol Dennis O'Keefe, plus name guest stars, like Jack Benny Program stalwart,Dennis Day.
What MCA/Revue studios, the 1950's, television arm of Universal Pictures, got was TAKE FIVE, a B&W television pilot that was gritty and entertaining, but was never purchased as a series by any of the three TV major networks.
The rare edition introduces the nocturnal, jazz infused adventures of Dick Richards,a former lawyer, who now publishes TAKE FIVE , a hip, urban, music magazine. His beat is New York by night, a neon painted world peopled by hipsters, hotshots and hooligans who dig bright lights , but live in the shadows. Their stories are at the center of TAKE FIVE.The single episode also showcases musical performances by acknowledged, real-life stars who are woven into the story line.
While TAKE FIVE has Big Apple ambiance,the show was shot in Los Angeles with the backlot doubling for Broadway.
Dennis O'Keefe plays Richards, with a pre-Mannix Mike Connors, New York Actress,Bethel Leslie, and bandleader, Ray Anthony in supporting roles.
The show was commensurate in tone and energy with detective shows of the era that did sell, like Peter Gunn and Johnny Staccato. Both were punctuated with heavy, Jazz soundtracks and painted downbeat portraits of the City after dark.
Below are three clips from the NTSTV You Tube site which comprise the pilot of TAKE FIVE.Enjoy!!!!!
Nobody could make more laughter with less dialogue on television than video virtuoso, Ernie Kovacs. The mad master of tv mime showcased his manifold talents on a 1957, LIVING COLOR special, called THE SILENT SHOW on the NBC television network.It was a television experiment that showcased Kovacs in a selection of comedy vignettes, performed without dialog.
The protean performer was also a visionary television tactician. While many great comedians and their writers labored to translate radio comedy to television,Kovacs was one of the first performers who used the technical tools of the young medium to true creative purpose in pursuit of laughter. He was a remarkable producer.
Kovacs,born in 1919,was a native of Trenton NJ and , today,a bronze bust , sculpted in his honor, resides in the executive offices of New Jersey Public Television. He began his television career in 1950, hosting an early morning show called THREE TO GET READY on what was then Philadelphia's NBC affiliate, WPTZ-TV. Today that station,KYW-TV, is a CBS Owned and Operated station.
One footnote in television history is that the station cancelled THREE TO GET READY, at the request of the NBC-TV. Network executives wanted the Philadelphia affiliate to clear a new morning program they were launching in January of 1952, called THE TODAY SHOW.
A demonstrative , mercurial man who was devoted to his wife, singer/comedienne Edie Adams, and family, Kovac's was also known to be consumed by gambling. He died , sadly, in a 1962 auto accident when heading home from a poker game.
Beyond his work on the small screen, he leaves an eclectic legacy of film performances.There is no way to fully assess his impact on generations of television performers , producers and to his loyal audience.
Below is a clip from the Retro TV website that features a rare, LIVING COLOR,excerpt from THE SILENT SHOW. This video , repackaged, some years later for a TV special about Kovac's myriad talents, starts with narration from NBC-TV's late night legend, Johnny Carson. Enjoy!!!!!
Jazz is dynamic, organic, and a uniquely American art form.In 1958, the NBC Television Network decided to explore the vibrant, expressive music that had been born of the African-American experience, and which was rapidly electrifying new audiences around the globe, in a video showcase.The resultant,erudite and entertaining, B&W series was called THE SUBJECT IS JAZZ and was produced at the NBC studios in New York.
The network engaged the distinguished,social commentator Gilbert Seldes as host and enlisted piano virtuoso Billy Taylor as musical coordinator of the young mediums first, weekly series that celebrated the history and heritage, power and passion of Jazz, in all of its iterations. Among the accomplished musicians who comprised the house band was Carl "Doc" Severinsen, who went on to play in and, later,conduct, THE TONIGHT SHOW ORCHESTRA. Billy Taylor distinguished himself serving as musical director for THE DAVID FROST SHOW and for Washington DC's Kennedy Center.Taylor also has served as a correspondent for CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING.
The public affairs show provided cerebral context for the vivid,visceral music that had become the soundtrack for the nation's brooding "beat" generation, while setting the tempo in London nightspots and the mood in Parisian coffee houses.
In an insistent display of "old school" interactivity, the limited run series offered a discography and book list, for those who wrote to a New York City post office.
Below is a rare clip of the series final episode, entitled THE FUTURE OF JAZZ. Enjoy!!!!!
My name is Paul Gluck ( aka PAGEONE ) and while I have been working in Television for over 30 years, I have watched Television for my entire life.From the very first, monochrome images of Dave Garroway on the TODAY SHOW that I saw flickering across the screen of my parents 21",blond wood, Zenith console TV, to the vibrant video of SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL blazing across the LCD flat panel in my living room, I have always loved television. I have worked as a production assistant,a writer, an assignment editor, a producer,an executive producer, an executive editor,a news director and a station manager. My fascination with the medium , the programs we create and the people who produce that content, grows with each & every day. KINESCOPE HD is a site dedicated to classic television, creative content production and vintage performances on video. I hope you share my love of television.If you do, share your thoughts on the programs we post.Enjoy!!!!!
