When the original copyright was allowed to lapse on this 1946 holiday movie, it was all over the place during the Christmas season – and I do mean all over, because even local broadcast stations and low-rent cable channels could run It’s a Wonderful Life for free. No rights fees. Every ad they crammed into the telecast, and there were plenty, amounted to 100 percent pure profit. What could be more perfect for the commercialization of the season than that? But when NBC and U

2019

Nov

THE PINK PANTHER MARATHON By David Bianculli

TCM realizes that, the day after Thanksgiving, lots of people have the day off, and may want to spend a few hours entertained by their TV sets. Presto: an all-day marathon of Pink Panther movies. The best ones, the ones with Peter Sellers starring as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the role that he made his own (even though others adopted it after he quit the Blake Edwards comedy film franchise). And the fun here starts early, with the two 1964 comedy gems, The Pink Panther and&n

2019

Nov

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW By David Bianculli

Here’s another example of why Graham Norton continues to reign over television’s most entertaining and genuine talk show. By bringing his guests on all at the same time, he allows for moments of true spontaneity, and interactions you won’t witness anywhere else. Tonight’s guests include Elizabeth Banks, Ricky Gervais and singer Kylie Minogue, all of whom have been on Norton’s show before – but not together. In her most recent appearance, Banks was surprised wh

2019

Nov

WITH HIS FILM PLAYING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER MISTER ROGERS By Mike Hughes

TV critics are used to pomp and hype, to overstuffed praise for shows in development. So it's refreshing when we get the opposite: That was the day Fred Rogers showed up...

2019

Nov

93RD ANNUAL MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE By David Bianculli

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade – and it looks like relatively good weather for today’s outdoor festivities in New York City, so here it is. The parade is broadcast live, as usual, by NBC – but not even NBC Radio, which was founded in 1926, was around when the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1924. The country’s first Thanksgiving Parade held in a major city, though, was in Philadelphia, which held its first celebration in 1920.

2019

Nov

SERVANT By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: I don’t have the slightest idea why Apple TV+ didn’t include this spooky new M. Night Shyamalan series when the streaming service launched earlier this month, because it’s better than The Morning Show or anything else the service has offered thus far. Well, actually, that may explain it, because had Servant rolled out with all the other new Apple TV+ shows November 1, it would have eclipsed them all. I don’t have an explanation, though

2019

Nov

THE WIZARD OF OZ By David Bianculli

This marks the 80th anniversary of this all-time classic family film, which premiered in 1939. On this occasion, Thanksgiving night, TBS is showing it twice to families curling up around the TV after dinner – once at 6 p.m. ET, and again at 8:15. Both showings are hosted, for the evening, by Angela Lansbury.

2019

Nov

DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL By David Bianculli

And once the Thanksgiving turkey has been carved and ingested, it’s time for two other holiday traditions: pumpkin pie, and TV’s first Christmas specials. And right on time, Starz presents an 8 p.m. ET showing of 2009’s Disney’s A Christmas Carol, showcasing the voices of Jim Carrey (no Mickey, no cartoons: what the Dickens?), shifting the focus from Thanksgiving to the next major holiday, not counting Black Friday. Pumpkin pie not included…

2019

Nov

DAS BOOT: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT By David Bianculli

For years, I misunderstood the genesis and development of this outstanding Wolfgang Petersen WWII drama, told from the German point of view by staying with the crew of a claustrophobic U-boat. I used to think Das Boot began as a German TV miniseries, then was cut down into the shorter movie form that was distributed internationally to great acclaim. Nope. Turns out the movie was edited and released first, in 1981, followed four years later by the much-expanded miniseries version, enhan

2019

Nov

MONTY PYTHON DOUBLE FEATURE By David Bianculli

And now for something completely similar: Tonight at 8 ET, IFC presents a double feature of two Monty Python films, which share the same delight in comic anarchy and irreverence. With 1979’s Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the irreverence of this alternative biblical tale culminates with a musical number sung by men hanging from crucifixes (pictured). Then, at 10 p.m. ET, IFC follows that with 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a movie financed almost sin

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