A golden age of television is now blindingly aglitter, if you agree with the critics and the fans who gush about Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Homeland... But what about the original “golden” age?

2013

Oct

AMERICA IN THE 1950S: GONE FISSION By Noel Holston

We saw mushroom clouds in our nightmares. Fallout freaked us out. We had plenty more to fear than fear itself...

2013

Sep

WASHINGTON IRVING: HE'S BACK. HE'S PUMPED. AND HE'S PISSED... By Noel Holston

The pitch: Washington Irving rises to avenge the ripoff and reconfiguring of not only The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but also the plot of his other best known story, Rip Van Winkle...

2013

Sep

SHERMAN, SET THE WAYBACK MACHINE FOR PEABODY TV FESTIVAL By Noel Holston

Mr. Peabody, the erudite dog in the Bullwinkle cartoons, had his WABAC (“way back”) machine for visiting the past. George Foster Peabody, no relation, has his own version... A very large time capsule...

2013

Jun

HORACE NEWCOMB: FROM PROFESSOR TO PEABODYS, A LIFETIME CELEBRATING QUALITY TV By Noel Holston

“Mr. Television Studies” may not be a zingy moniker, but it suits the courtly scholar and overseer of the most revered prize for TV, radio and other electronic media...

2013

Apr

AND THE PEABODY AWARDS GO TO... By Noel Holston

The 2012 programs picked for Peabody recognition included everything from a documentary about Tibetan nomads to HBO's Girls...

2013

Mar

DALE ROBERTSON AND HIS LONGHORN BUICK By Noel Holston

Dale Robertson, who joined those ghost riders in the sky this week at the age of 89, was the first celebrity I ever met. And though I went on to interview hundreds more as a media and entertainment writer, it’s still one of my favorite encounters...

2013

Feb

CARTOON CREATOR BUCK BIGGERS WAS NO UNDERDOG By Noel Holston

Let’s have a moment of silence for Buck Biggers, and follow it up with a rousing sing-along of the theme from his best-known contribution to television: Underdog...

2013

Jan

'VOICE' LESSONS: THOUSANDS VIE FOR A CHANCE TO FACE THE SWIVEL CHAIRS By Noel Holston

There were no high-tech swivel chairs at the recent Atlanta auditions for the forthcoming edition of NBC’s The Voice. Just one anonymous talent scout and a long, long line...

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