Bonus video! Turn-On, the Forgotten Disaster that Accidentally Made All in the Family Possible
Hello!
As of this week, all of the Patreon bonus videos should be transferred from Vimeo to YouTube -- which should mean an end to the "video not found" errors. Now that the change-over is done, everything ought to play normally. But if you run into any errors or weird behavior, please let me know so I can fix it! And thanks for your patience.
In this week's bonus video, I'm meandering from Seattle to Portland and back again while recounting the story of Turn On, a disastrous TV show that holds the distinction of being one of the fastest-cancelled programs in television history. Very few people recall this show, since in some markets it didn't even finish airing before it was pulled from the air; but it inadvertently paved the way for All in the Family to change the face of television. I also have a brief clip of an incredible Norman Lear show called McGurk: A Dog's Life, that you have to see to believe. (And if you know where I can find the rest of the show, please let me know!)
And just a reminder that I host livestreams every Sunday afternoon -- join me over at http://twitch.tv/mattbaume
Oh and also if you're in LA, please come see me at Book Soup this Wednesday, June 28! Here are the details: https://www.booksoup.com/event/matt-baume
And I'll be at the Seattle Public Library on June 29: https://www.spl.org/event-calendar?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D166919812
Watch the full episode of Turn On here (though be warned, it's AWFUL): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Turn-On_Episode_1.webm
Here's a little clip of McGurk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxcjvXHWdgk
Backup link in case the video embed doesn't play: https://youtu.be/DYf9DtJEF8Q
Comments (7)
Love the editing!
I don't remember A Dog's Life, but it does remind me of an unsold pilot I saw, probably in the 80s, called "Claws" (I think, I can't find it on IMDB). It was a show about talking cats, using real live cats (less predictable & only marginally more trainable than dead ones!). I seem to remember Florence Henderson doing one of the voices but can't be sure. I remember enjoying it (very cutting "catty" humor) and lamenting that the pilot was the only episode made. But working with a cast of cats must have been challenging!
love that you take the train
On another subject, I've been watching reruns of 3rd Rock from the Sun and That 70's Show, and there is a lot of gay stuff that runs throughout both series and not just limited to the explicitly gay episodes. Coincidentally, straight actor (and frequently plays gay in films) Joe Gorden-Leavitt figured prominently in the gay episodes of both series. But another series that has a good bit of lgbtq content and characters sprinkled throughout the entire 50 episodes is Japanese series Midnight Diner and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, and both are exceptionally wonderful series. Some of the nost intriguing characters are gangsters, strippers, trans people, con arists, and regular people who recur from beginning to end. The first series just left Netflix, but hopefully it will surface somewhere, but Tokyo Stories is still there. I think you might enjoy them. Loved your viideos on Ellen. David and I were at the Beacon that hight and witnessed the scene you showcased from about 15 rows away. I'll never forget that wonderful moment. Still sorry we missed you at the Strand. If you do come back to NYC, dinner's on us.
Oh I'll have to check out those Japanese shows, I've heard the name but haven't seen any episodes. Always so interesting to see LGBTQ+ cultures in other countries, especially to compare the aspects that are shared and those that are more unique to that country. I hope to make it back to New York this fall, hopefully our paths can cross then!
Well, Matt, I don't quite remember A Dog's Life, but I did see the episode of Turn On, and it was not good. It was confusing and disappointing, but worst of all just not funny. It deserved to disappear after one episode. It was trying to capitalize on the popularity of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, but it had no clear point of view. We deserved something better in 1969.
I absolutely agree! You can see the first, oh, 10% of a joke in some of the bits, but I'm not surprised audiences weren't eager to meet the show so much more than halfway to a punchline.