Monthly Archives: February 2004

Nice piece on Julie Schwartz on CBS Sunday Morning. You can nitpick little almost-errors in these things but the overall effect was something that would have pleased Julie greatly. Also, Alan Brennert informs me there was a nice Schwartz obit on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos.

And here's a link to a good column by Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith, though I will nitpick a few points: He says, "Schwartz (with John Broome and Carmine Infantino) introduced a brand-new Flash in Showcase No. 4." Broome was the most important writer of that incarnation of The Flash but the introductory story was written by Robert Kanigher. There were four Showcase issues of the character and each had one story by Kanigher and one by Broome. Julie also — and I made this mistake, myself — did not introduce H.P. Lovecraft to the world. He sold a few of Lovecraft's last stories. But all in all, it's another tribute that would have delighted its subject.

By the by: Amidst all these obits, there seems to be some argument over whether Julie lived to be 88 or 89. I just did the math. Julius Schwartz was born on June 19, 1915. He died early the morning of February 8, 2004. Therefore, he was 88 years, 7 months and 20 days old. I may have contributed to the confusion because I told a story involving Julie last year and said he was 88 at the time…but that story occurred after that year's birthday.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk about two Tonight Show appearances this past week by men ostensibly running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. I say "ostensibly" because Dennis Kucinich's on Thursday night seemed like such a desperate bid for attention. He came on, not to discuss politics or what he'd do as Chief Exec, but to participate in a sketch. They did The Dating Game with bachelor Kucinich picking from three celeb bachelorettes — Jennifer Tilly, Kim Serafin and Cybill Shepherd. Radio talk show host Serafin gave some anti-Democrat responses and Shepherd was acting boisterous, so Kucinich chose Tilly…for a "dream date" at a Vegan restaurant in Santa Monica. Jay Leno kept thanking the Ohio congressman for being a good sport, which is always a tip-off that someone is being demeaned. It should have been, "Thanks for coming here and sacrificing the last scraps of your image as a serious politician so we could do this during Sweeps Week." More humbling was that elsewhere in the show, Leno talked about how much he was looking forward to chatting with Senator John Edwards the following night. In other words, at this key time in the primaries, Edwards would be coming on to boost his candidacy and speak about a few issues, whereas Kucinich was only welcome if he let them poke fun at his height, diet and lack of spouse.

It's hard to say what was on Kucinich's mind. It's long past the stage where he can have any delusions about being this year's Democratic nominee, and I haven't heard anyone mention him for the veep slot. Like Al Sharpton from the start, he's running to enhance his profile as a statesman, perhaps for future candidacies, and also to get his message out. I don't see that playing The Dating Game does either of those things. He looked awkward and not thrilled to be there, and I can't imagine one viewer coming away from the experience more likely to mark his name on a ballot…not even Jennifer Tilly. That Kucinich was ever even marginally a contender came from the fact that he's a good, fiery orator with the ability to mobilize an audience. When they don't let him do that, he certainly doesn't look like leadership material.

The following night, John Edwards did. Sitting (unlike Kucinich) in the guest chair, the Senator was folksy and managed to get in a lot of personal anecdotes that suggested he was "one of us" but still managed to hit a few issues. He said flatly that he was for letting individual states decide on the matter of gay marriage…and it wasn't so much his position as the fact that he said it so clearly that may have impressed some voters. Much has been made of the fact that Edwards is from the South, and some believe a Democrat cannot win the presidency without some Southern support…but what struck me was that Edwards' real strength may be that he's just plain a better, more interesting speaker than anyone else in the contest, except maybe Sharpton who, of course, isn't really in. Kerry seems to be racking up delegates in landslide numbers but I suspect that's mostly a matter of him being the front-runner at a time when people who hate George W. Bush are eager to get behind a Democrat. I can't help thinking that most of them are buying Kerry but would be happier with Edwards.

As umpteen e-mails inform me this A.M., the piece on Julie Schwartz did indeed air on CBS Sunday Morning. It's about 46 minutes into the show, I'm told. I have it on my TiVo and will watch it later.

Vince Waldron suggests that I was deficient (or maybe he was too polite to suggest, foolish) in not providing Amazon links to the DVD recorder I was just discussing. They have the Panasonic DMR-E80H for around $512, which is a pretty good price.

In reciprocation, I plug Vince's website (where you can order his must-own book on sitcoms) and his comedy improv troupe (where you can laugh your buttocks off). I am nothing if not fair.

The fellow who was assembling the story on Julius Schwartz for CBS Sunday Morning said he'd call to let me know how likely it was to air tomorrow. He hasn't called, which I guess confirms that you can't trust CBS News. I've set my TiVo just in case but I suspect it either won't be on or won't be very long.

Here's Larry David (Yes, the guy from Curb Your Enthusiasm) on his wartime experiences.

Continuing in my crusade to buy every neat thing in the world that plugs into the wall, I purchased as my second DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR-E80H. No, you don't really need two of them but if I go more than about a month without buying some expensive high-tech toy, I develop facial tics and my gums hurt. The Panasonic does some things that my Pioneer DVR-810H doesn't do and vice-versa. In both cases, you record shows to the machine's hard disk, either off-the-air or inputting from a VCR or camera. Then you can burn them to DVD-R disks, which are DVDs that play in most (not all) DVD players. The Panasonic also allows you to burn directly to a DVD-R but I don't see the advantage of being able to do this.

What the Pioneer can do that the Panasonic can't: When you're recording off cable or satellite, the Pioneer is about eight zillion times (conservative estimate) easier because it can change channels on your cable box or satellite receiver. The Panasonic can't. With the Pioneer, which has a built-in TiVo, you just select the shows you want to record from its on-screen lists of upcoming programming and forget about it. If you want to do that with the Panasonic, you consult your TV Guide to select a show, then you enter its start and stop time or VCR Plus code. Then you have to make sure the cable box or receiver is on and set to the right station at the right time…which means you can only program one show at a time unless they're both on the same channel. Messy.

What the Panasonic can do that the Pioneer can't: On the other hand, the Pioneer has no editing capabilities. If when you record your show, you get a lot of black or the end of some other show on the start or end of the recording, that stuff will wind up on your DVD. The Panasonic lets you trim it off. You can also rearrange scenes in ways I have not yet attempted. I am mostly transferring my old tapes to DVD and the Panasonic saves me a lot of headache in figuring out where to start and stop the tapes. I can just transfer them over and then trim off the heads and tails with great precision. Here are some other observations…

• I tried comparing the video quality of the DVDs made by each machine and to my eye, they look very close. If there's a difference, the Panasonic seems to be a teensy bit better, but I'm not prepared to say there's a difference.
• This one might matter to some people. Both machines have four speeds and you have to step down in hours. That is, if you're making a DVD of a show that is 60 minutes or less, you record it on the highest speed and you get the best quality image. If it's 61 minutes to 120, you put it on the second speed which, of course, has a bit less image quality. You can also use even slower speeds but then you really start to see pixelation and grain in your image. With the Pioneer, you set the speed when you record the show and it stays that speed forever…so if you record it at the top speed, you have to make the DVD at that speed. With the Panasonic, you can change. You could record two one-hour shows onto the hard disk at the top speed and then fit them both on one DVD at the second speed or record them to individual DVDs at the top speed.
• The Pioneer has a much better user manual. The Panasonic manual is in desperate need of a rewrite by one of those folks who do the …for Dummies books. Matter of fact, I misunderstood the Panasonic manual (its fault, I think) and wiped out the first thing I recorded on the machine.
• Both machines make little on-screen DVD menus. The Pioneer menus are much more attractive. Also, when you make a DVD on the Pioneer, it automatically "finalizes" that DVD, meaning that you copy everything you're going to copy onto the DVD at once and then it's done. With the Panasonic, you dub shows onto the DVD whenever you want and then when you've put all the material you want on (or can fit) on the DVD, then you finalize it as a separate action. This may or may not be preferable. It gives you more flexibility in filling your DVDs but it takes an extra step so you can't just punch "copy," walk away and then come back to a finished DVD.

And I'm sure I'll find other pros and cons of both machines as I play with them. Right now, my main concern is copying all my old tapes, some of which are in pretty ghastly condition. At this moment, I'm dubbing a Love Boat that I co-wrote in 1976. My then-partner Dennis Palumbo (a fine human being and author of this fine book and co-author of this fine movie) and I were hired to write one long before the show went on the air, before any of the final cast members were even selected. At the time, the idea was to do a series of racy TV-movies for late Saturday nights that would be more adult and risqué than anything then being done for network television. In fact, the production company was talking about shooting extra footage with naughtier dialogue and nude scenes so that they could release the films overseas as theatricals. Anyway, we wrote our episode with that in mind. (The cruise director was tentatively named Sandy because they were then thinking of getting Sandy Duncan — or someone who presented an equally wholesome image — for the role. The idea was that everyone on the Love Boat was having sex with everyone else on the Love Boat, and the constantly-shocked cruise director was always running around, trying to organize shuffleboard tournaments instead.) Eventually, the premise turned into a much more conventional series that aired earlier in the evening. Some luckless story editor had to rewrite our script, which was all about sex and one-night stands, to something that was about romance between a guy and a girl who'd known each other for years and, after making love, would immediately discuss getting married. I think the story editor's name was Ashcroft…

When the show aired, I recorded it onto a 3/4" videotape — this was before Betamax or VHS — and I don't think I've run the tape since that night. I'm not sure I'll even run the DVD I'll be making of it as soon as I finish posting this, but if only for the old commercials, I want to salvage it. And of course, it'll be nice to not have shelves full of bulky 3/4" videocassettes.

For some time, one of my favorite places to eat has been Koo Koo Roo, a chain that I suppose comes under the broad classification of "fast food" but not exactly. The Southern California-based operation was founded in 1987 by two brothers who believed in offering non-fried, non-frozen fare…like their skinless broiled chicken, served with an array of mostly-fresh veggies and side dishes. They quickly expanded their menu to include rotisserie chicken and turkey, and expanded their reach throughout the state and to a few others. Eventually, there were 44 outlets and I ate in at least 18 of them.

But despite my patronage and that of others, it's been a rocky life for Koo Koo Roo. The company was briefly solvent enough to acquire the Hamburger Hamlet chain but went through a dizzying series of management shake-ups and takeovers. Not long ago, it was purchased by a different hamburger company, Fuddrucker's, which has downsized to eighteen stores. Rumors are that even they've been failing and almost every time I've walked into one lately, there's been a new experimental menu item like roast beef or burritos or some kind of weird toasted sandwiches that I never saw anyone order. Tonight, I walked into one and discovered it's now a combination Koo Koo Roo and Fuddrucker's. That's right: The Koo Koo Roo chain, founded on the idea that people want a healthy alternative to burgers and fries, is now selling…burgers and fries.

I'm sure the parent company is optimistic but this smells like the beginning of the end of Koo Koo Roo to me. The chain's been getting smaller and smaller and now they're even being squeezed out of their own shops. There's also a schizophrenic quality to the place encouraging, as it does now, a mix of people who watch what they eat and people who don't care. My guess is they won't come together; that we'll eventually see all the Koo Koo Roos close or turn into Fuddrucker's. Sure hope I'm wrong.

A public memorial for the late Julius Schwartz will be held in New York on the morning of Thursday, March 18. I don't like posting e-mail addresses or phone numbers on this page but that info will probably be available on the DC Comics website shortly. I'm hearing chatter that there may also be some sort of Los Angeles function but that's far from definite.

I agree with darn near every word of this article by Frank Rich on the Janet Jackson controversy.

The night of 2/9/64, the Beatles made their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and everyone's world changed at least a little. It was an especially wrenching evening for the comedy team of Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill who were on the same show and they didn't do very well in maybe the worst spot two comedians ever found themselves. I've worked with Mitzi and Charlie over the years and find them to be two of the funniest, nicest folks in show business…and it's always been great to hear them laughing over that horrible night. Here's an article that will tell you more about it.

Valentine's Day is coming up. To celebrate, The Official Pogo Website is presenting four wonderful Walt Kelly strips having to do with romance. Go read.

The folks who bring you The Price is Right are looking for a new announcer to replace the late Rod Roddy. They've tried a few gents out and are now running a poll on the CBS website to ask who should get the job. If you have a moment, do me a favor and go over there and vote for Randy West. He's a good guy and the right man for the job.

I sort of agree with Dahlia Lithwick on the practical side of dealing with the issue of gay marriage. I know I agree completely with the notion that two adult human beings, regardless of gender, should be able to marry but I also don't believe enough of America is ready to embrace that concept. So what this article proposes may be the best bit of common sense on how the matter stands at the moment, or should stand.

This one's in The Los Angeles Times. And today, I helped a gent who is putting together a segment that is tentatively planned for next Sunday's CBS Sunday Morning. I'll let you know if it looks like it's going to get on.

We're in the Golden Age of DVD Collections of Old TV Shows, we are! Here are some of the ones I plan to purchase when they come out. And note that some of these listings are linked to Amazon where you can advance-order them. If you do so through our links, this site gets a tiny commission…

• The Dick Van Dyke Show, Season 3 – My favorite TV show of all time. What can I say? And the third season was really when it started to get good. (The fourth season comes out a month or two later.)
• Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Vol. 2 – I watch these on the Trio network which, despite rumblings to the contrary, is still available via DirecTV satellite. Amazingly, they hold up pretty well.
• I Married Joan, Vol. 1 – I don't know why but I always liked this old sitcom, which featured Joan Davis trying to be Lucy, and Jim Backus doing a great job of being Jim Backus. No link yet for purchasing.
• The Flintstones, Season 1 – And it was the best season, done when Hanna-Barbera was still laboring under the apparent delusion that they were doing this show for adults. It was on at 9:00 Friday nights and sponsored sometimes by Winston cigarettes. It was not a kids' show, though this kid sure loved it.
• SCTV, Vol. 1 – Just announced is a five-disc set that, happily, will not start with the crude, half-hour first seasons. Instead, they're going to start with the 90-minute shows, which are easily the best. And some of the best sketch comedy ever done on TV. No link yet for purchasing.
• The Amazing Spider-Man – This is the 1967 animated Saturday morning series. This six-disc set includes a mini-documentary on the history of the show, including interviews with Stan Lee and (as a supposed expert on such matters) Yours Truly.
• The Complete Jonny Quest – I also helped out with a documentary that will be included on the upcoming release of a DVD collection that features all 26 episodes of the 1964 Hanna-Barbera series created by Doug Wildey. No link yet for purchasing.
• The Jack Paar Collection – Shout! Factory, which is the company formed by the folks who used to be the nucleus of Rhino Records and Rhino Home Video. They have a three-disc set that includes the recent PBS special on Paar, three complete hours of the prime-time show he did after The Tonight Show, and some moments from what little of his Tonight Show work survives. No link yet for purchasing.

A complete collection of the prime-time Jetsons episodes was announced and advertised but it seems to have disappeared from the websites that were soliciting advance orders. Also, later this year we'll have the second volume of Rocky & Bullwinkle and the first of a show I worked on, Garfield and Friends. When they're getting down to shows I wrote, I have to think that eventually, every show that has ever existed will become available.