What classics did you see last week? (31 Dec to 6 Jan 2018)

During the week I watched 31 vintage TV episodes, 3 vintage music videos, and 13 short films from the 1920s. Rather than provide a list of everything I watched, I will provide general descriptions.

First-time viewings:
"State Trooper" was a 1956 to 1959 half-hour crime drama produced by what would eventually become Universal Television. It was a syndicated show. It was set and filmed in Nevada. As the episodes only run for 25 minutes, the pacing is enjoyably brisk. I watched a single episode during the week.

"Mr. Men" was a brief, 7-minute cartoon series aired in the mid-1970s and repeated various times. It was based on the popular children's books of the same name. The animation is basic but pretty, and the background music is lovely....I watched a single episode during the week, but should have watched more...it's lovely.

"Take a Letter Mr. Jones" was a 1981 UK sitcom starring John Inman as a male secretary working for a female business executive. It only lasted 6 episodes. I watched a single episode during the week, which was pretty dated but still entertaining.

"Crown Court" was a 1972-1984 UK half-hour daytime drama series. It consisted of fictional court cases, with each case spread over three episodes. However, although the cases were fictional, the "jury" was real. I watched three episodes during the week.

"The Cuckoo Waltz" was a 1975 to 1980 UK sitcom. I don't know much about the series. I watched a single episode during the week, will watch more to see whether I like the show.

"Dawson's Weekly" was a short-lived 1975 UK sitcom. It starred Les Dawson. A reviewer on IMDb compares this series to "Hancock's Half Hour", and indeed, both series had the same writers. I watched a single episode during the week, which I found entertaining.

"Queenie's Castle" was a 1970 to 1972 UK sitcom starring Diana Dors. It was set in a run-down and grimy tower block (the building used for exterior scenes was built in the 1930s, thus making it an early example of high-rise low-income housing). Diana Dors played a woman with a fondness for booze, along with her three worthless sons and equally worthless brother-in-law. Not exactly a pleasant show, but seems entertaining based on the two episodes I watched.

"Backs to the Land" was a 1977 to 1978 UK sitcom. Set during world war two, it concerned three women who work at a farm as part of the "Women's Land Army". Most reviewers of the show complain about the over-use of the laugh-track, but that doesn't bother me (hey, I grew up on laugh-tracks, and I miss them when they aren't used!). I must admit though, the thick rural accents of some of the characters can be a problem for me. The odd thing about this show was that it was produced by Anglia Television, an unprolific production company which struggled to get their shows shown nationally on the commercial ITV network. I watched a single episode of this series during the week.

Re-watches:
During the week I watched various short films released by Vitaphone during the 1920s. These were sound shorts, often featuring vaudeville entertainers. These appear as bonus features on the DVD release of "The Jazz Singer" (1927). This included the 1927 shorts "The Pennant Winning Battery of Songland", "Hazel Green & Company", "The Night Court", "Blossom Seeley and Bennie Fields", "Bernado De Pace", and "The Police Quartette". They also included the 1928 shorts "When East Meets West", "Stories in Song", "The Jazzmania Quintette", "The Band Beautiful", "Chips of the Old Block" and "Dick Rich and His Melodious Monarchs". I also watched the 1926 short "Behind the Lines". I found these shorts to be a lot of fun....and so I purchased some more on DVD!

"The Abbott and Costello Show" was a 1952-1954 comedy program starring the popular comedy duo. Although short-lived, the series had a long life in repeats. I watched a single episode during the week.

"Man About the House" was a 1973 to 1976 UK sitcom. Although short-lived, it was popular during its run. The series concerned a man and two women who share a flat together. I watched two episodes during the week. It's a funny show. It had two successful spin-offs in the form of "George & Mildred" and "Robin's Nest". "Man About the House" was later remade in the U.S. as "Three's Company" (which ended up becoming a very different show).

"George & Mildred" was a 1976-1979 UK sitcom. Popular during its run, it only ended because the actress who played Mildred had died very suddenly from alcohol abuse. Although the "class differences" premise has dated, the episodes remain entertaining. I watched two episodes during the week. The series was later remade in the U.S as "The Ropers".

"Robin's Nest" was a 1977-1981 UK sitcom. The series concerned a couple who live together but are not married, with the man running his own restaurant (later in the series the two get married). The second and final spin-off from "Man About the House", it had the longest run of all three shows, yet is less fondly remembered and to be honest that is not surprising. It is more dated and less funny than the other two shows. Mind you, it's fairly easy to watch, and I watched two episodes during the week. The series was later remade in the U.S. as "Three's a Crowd".

"The Rag Trade" was a 1977-1978 UK sitcom. It was a remake of a 1961-1963 series. Why they decided to do a remake, I don't know, except that the original was B&W and the remake was in colour. Both series concerned the employees at a clothing factory, and their constant attempts to do as little work as possible. Somehow, the remake is more dated than the original....nevertheless, I watched one episode during the week which I enjoyed.

"Mixed Blessings" was a 1978-1980 UK sitcom about an interracial married couple. The episodes I watched were from the second and third series, which sees the show starting to focus less on race and become more of a domestic comedy. I watched eight episodes during the week....it's easy-to-watch fluff.

"Marriage Lines" was a 1963-1966 UK sitcom. Five seasons were produced, but only the 1st and 3rd seasons still survive, the rest are lost. The middle-of-the-road series was about a married couple. I watched a single episode during the week.

"Punky Brewster" was a 1984 to 1988 U.S. children's sitcom, sometimes more dramatic than funny, with the first two seasons aired on NBC and the second two seasons aired in first-run syndication. A very dated show, but in a charming way. I enjoyed both of the episodes I watched during the week.

"The Fosters" was a 1976 to 1977 UK sitcom which has no relation to the current show of the same name. The series was notable as the first British sitcom to have an all-Black cast. It was actually a remake of the American series "Good Times", but was lighter, more cheerful than "Good Times". Two seasons were produced for a total of 27 episodes. I watched a single episode during the week.

I also watched three vintage music videos, for songs from Michael Jackson's 1979 album "Off the Wall". These music videos were for the songs "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You" and "She's Out of My Life".

BONUS: Here are (most of) the production companies responsible for the shows and films I watched:

wmcclain Another lovely set of posters. Is it just me, or are the 1980s posters always more dated than the 1930s/1940s ones? 

claudius I've been needing to check out Mary Pickford's films. Also been needing to check out "Dark Shadows" (one of the very few 1960s soap operas for which nearly every episode still exists). 

politicidal Not a very good week of viewing I take it...