Fess Parker Was a Man, Was Big Man

Television icons are a dying breed these days. Earlier this week Peter Graves left us, and now we hear of the death of Fess Parker, one of TV's most reliable heroes, an actor whose fame came from portraying some of America's brawniest historical characters with two-fisted aplomb.

Fess Parker started out in Hollywood at the beginning of the 1950s in an assortment of small roles in film and TV. Walt Disney, looking for a he-man to star as pioneer soldier and adventurer Davy Crockett in an upcoming project, spotted Parker in a small role in the giant ant movie Them! (1954), and signed him up. He starred in several incredibly popular segments of the Disneyland weekly series as Crockett in 1955 (with Buddy Ebsen as his sidekick), creating a craze for coonskin caps and making him the idol of youngsters all over the country, and beyond.

Disney compiled some of the episodes into theatrical releases, as seen here. (This one will possibly be a revelation of sort for visitors to Disneyland who always wondered what the heck the Mike Fink Keel Boats were all about!)



Parker also was an accomplished singer whose rendition of the Crockett theme song sold plenty of records in the series' heyday. In this amusing clip he sings "Old Betsy" with Ebsen on the Disneyland episode commemorating the opening of Disneyland.



Just as 1950s childhood idol George "Superman" Reeves found it hard to break away from his kiddie-fueled fame, so did Parker find it difficult to recreate his Crockett-mania in other roles after Disney stopped making the series. He kept busy with many roles in film and television, including a short-lived TV version of the James Stewart classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in the 1962 season, a really great casting fit that somehow didn't work well enough for a second season.

Finally in 1964 Fess Parker met up with another frontier character who was larger-than-life enough to fit Parker's qualifications. NBC's Daniel Boone ran for six successful seasons, and armed with a catchy theme song that most of us can still easily recall today, it captured the imagination of Americans and titillated their appreciation for history. The series co-starred the lovely Patricia Blair as Boone's wife Rebecca, young Darby Hinton as his son Israel, and of course singer Ed Ames as Boone's Native America friend Mingo (in the first four seasons), an unlikely and un-PC bit of casting that nevertheless was a key component in the show's early success.



Daniel Boone went off network in 1970, but of course was a staple in syndication for many years and gathered new fans everywhere it ran. (Check out this excellent Daniel Boone fansite for more info on the series.) Parker tried his hand at a sitcom in 1974, a kind of "My Three Daughters" idea, but it didn't take. Felicitously, Parker had a wonderful second career for the past couple of decades as a successful winemaker with his own Santa Ynez, California winery, a satisfying change of profession that made his transition away from Hollywood a graceful one.

Let's hope that Mr. Parker's passing brings his Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone television work back into the spotlight, where it belongs. (Not to sound like an old lady, but I can't help thinking that if a few more kids watched Boone and his family having their frontier adventures, maybe they wouldn't need to watch so much of that damned anime stuff. You know what...it's impossible not to sound like an old lady and make a statement like that, isn't it? Oh, well.)

Fess Parker was an important part of TV history, and The Flaming Nose salutes his contribution to the medium and offers our condolences to his family and friends. And to his fans, naturally... (We highly recommend the wonderful Fess Parker article on the always fascinating TV Party website.)

Here's another cute clip, from 1978, on a special honoring the 25th Anniversary of the Disney TV show, with Parker and Ebsen singing and dancing. Very sweet!)

Fess Parker, 1924 - 2010.

Still up? Then St. Patrick prescribes some Dave Allen fer ye

I had a fortuitous St. Patrick's Day, somehow. First, this morning, I unthinkingly put on a deep blue shirt and rushed out of the house, only later realizing that said blouse was given to me by two good Irish buddies, one of whom works at the Dublin Zoo and thusly delivered to me a cool-ass shirt from its gift shop. I thought, "Weird. Danny must have whispered to me from across the ocean to wear my only even vaguely piece of Irish clothing today." And now, a while ago, I found myself at home, gabbing with an old friend on Facebook, and the name of the great Irish comic Dave Allen snuck into the chat. Another intervention of fate. So I knew I had to get on the Nose and dig up some Dave Allen pieces. Given his name, Mr. Dennis Day was a perfect previous post for the lighted hours of St. Patrick's Day. But for the night owls who still might be up celebrating, or for those who might be nursing a blitzkrieged noggin come morning, no addendum or remedy is better than a few brash laughs.

On his 1971-79 show Dave Allen at Large, the man would always hold court from a high stool, a smoke always lit and withering away into the air, and a highball glass filled with a brown liquid that you were sure was scotch and water but which was actually ginger beer. Nattily dressed, Allen would be on stage energetically recounting the sort of sodden tales you might hear bandied in any number of Dublin bars. These would segue into skits that were great, but always you were waiting to see Allen on stage again. He was just that mesmerizing. I spent a few summers in the mid-1970s at my grandmother's house, and she and I would get together with my Uncle Jeff, and we'd howl for ninety minutes at Dave Allen at Large, then at You Bet Your Life, and finally at The New Soupy Sales Show. This was a trifecta that made me fall in l'amour fou with television. The night's fun would always begin with a cold opening, followed by Alan Hawkshaw's smashing theme song, "Blarney Stoned."

And then, more jokes hit, like this corker:

Allen (born O'Mohoney) was a staunch atheist, having had some trying experiences with the Catholic Church early in life. So he'd sock it to the clergy on a regular basis. This, of course, did not endear him to the Catholics, which might explain why the Brits readily embraced him.
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And finally, Allen had had an accident in his twenties that was often plainly visible. This is one of the many ways he explained it away.

The man had a TV career that spanned from the early 60s to the mid 80s, and he peacefully passed away to the spirit world in 2005. And with that, we at the Nose hope you had a happy St. Paddy's. And that Dave Allen found his place in the hereafter--if there IS a hereafter...

Irishman Mr. Dennis Day on St. Patrick's Day

Well, sure an' we'd be missing a parfect opportunity on this fine day to present that wonderful tenor Mr. Dennis Day in a lovely liting tune, titled "An Irishman Will Steal Your Heart Away". You remember the pleasing Mr. Day was appearing on The Jack Benny Show on radio at the time, doncha'?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Dennis Day....



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Milton Berle: By Himself

There's nothing timely about this, except to say that it was just posted on You Tube today. But I wanted to direct all Nosers to this very strange, beautiful, classic clip of good ol' Uncle Milty, from the long-gone Buick Berle Hour on NBC. You've never really seen the comic like this, all down-in-the-mouth 'n' sad 'cuz everyone else is having all the fun, and slinking backstage as he sings "I'm By Myself" over the soundtrack. It's an agile, noiry look behind the scenes, predating Saturday Night Live's reflexive jaunts into Lorne Michaels' office by 25 years. Plus, it takes a positively David-Lynch-by-way-of-Vincente-Minnelli turn at about the four minute mark that makes you wonder if, the next day, NBC execs were scratching their heads, wondering if Milton had gone around the bend from all that dress-wearin'. At any rate, this is total TV-centric fun, so I hadda post it here.

Remembering Peter Graves

The Flaming Nose is sad to hear of the death tonight of Peter Graves, one of the most iconic of television personalities. Those of us who thrilled to his adventures as Jim Phelps on Mission: Impossible will never forget his cool determination as he received his orders via dissolving reel-to-reel tape recordings each week. Graves became most famous and an outstanding pop culture god for his role as Phelps, but of course he had been a working actor since 1942, appearing in many motion pictures of all kinds, but eventually settling into a more successful career primarily in television.

Several series preceded his fame in Mission: Impossible, including the family horse drama Fury as the father to young Bobby Diamond, the Australian-set Western Whiplash, and the WW II military legal drama Court Martial, opposite Bradford Dillman. He was also a frequent guest star of nearly every popular series of the time before landing the role of Jim Phelps in the second season of M:I, replacing the departing team leader played by Steven Hill.

There was never a more smoothly-oiled machine than those early years with the Impossible Missions Force, when Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Greg Rollins and Peter Lupus merged into the coolest ensemble cast on television, thanks in part to Lalo Schifrin's theme, probably the best ever written for TV. Graves continued to work in features throughout the series' 1967 - 1973 run, but television was his forte, his likeable, low-key charm and grace best suited to the small screen, and he knew it.

In later years, Peter Graves' presence as host of the A&E Network series Biography pretty much created that network and propelled the program to such popularity that the series was spun off into an entire network of its own. (I'm not forgetting about Jack Perkins, who actually hosted more segments than Graves and is also responsible for Biography's great success.) We can't forget his hilarious big-screen turn as the airline captain in 1980's Airplane, a change-of-pace for him that gained him new fans and showed off his versatility and good humor about himself.

Graves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last October, and more importantly had continued working and had a reputation as one of Hollywood's good guys, a modest and a devoted family man. Peter Graves will live on as the dauntless leader of the Mission: Impossible force as long as people are watching television, which basically makes him immortal, doesn't it? I think he can handle that last mission, don't you?

We'll leave you with one version of the unforgettable Mission: Impossible opening credits, and then the trailer for one of my all-time favorite monster movies of the 1950s, the giant cicada SF thriller Beginning of the End from 1957. Snicker if you will -- though you shouldn't -- but this is a creepy insect invasion movie that certainly had a lasting and wonderful effect on me!

R.I.P. Peter Graves, 1926 - 2010.

Back to WW II in "The Pacific" on HBO Tonight

Prepare to be shocked and awed. HBO follows up their acclaimed 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers with The Pacific, the new production from the company headed up by big-names Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. This time they're doing for the Pacific theater of war what they did for the battlefields of Europe last time out. The ten-part miniseries unfolds beginning tonight at 9pm, and it's clearly a do-not-miss event.

The Pacific follows four Marines through their time in the field, and the characters are based closely on real Marines: Leckie (played by the intense James Badge Dale), Basilone (played by the interesting Jon Ceda), Sledge (played by Joe Mazzello, who was the little boy in Jurassic Park!), and Phillips (played by Ashton Holmes). Their lives and missions bring them together in historic wartime locales that most of us know only about from history books -- Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa -- and neither they -- nor we the viewers -- will ever be quite the same again.

From the looks of the comments on the HBO Message Boards for the program, many Americans feel it's high time this important part of WW II history, and the men and women who endured it, were honored with this miniseries. I'm certain many of us will wish our fathers were still alive to see this amazing story that they lived through brought to life like this. I know I do.

In many ways this part of the War has always seemed more real to me, perhaps because my dad Harry (that handsome swabby to the left) was in the Navy on the West Coast in Long Beach, CA, during the war, and also because I've always loved the movies about the Pacific theater. (So Proudly We Hail, anyone? Or Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison? Or even South Pacific...)

We're going to post a selection of trailers for The Pacific here so you can get a good overview of what's in store for you. They are terrific, and will surely get you securely settled in front of your TV come 9pm for tonight's premiere. We also highly recommend that you check out HBO's website for The Pacific, as well as join their Facebook fan page, if that's your thing. You also might like to visit Marines of the Pacific's website, where you can find more info on the real men behind the miniseries.

The Pacific will undoubtedly be the most powerful programs on TV this season, and you've just got to watch it. It's the history of your country and the men who defended it, and we owe it to them to watch. Thanks, Hanks, Spielberg, et al...

Our Favorite William Shatner Will Be "Dad"!

We neglected to offer our heartfelt congrats to Flaming Nose Favorite Forever William Shatner on landing the title role in CBS' pilot Shit My Dad Says (presumably there will be an "*" in the title there somewhere). SMDS is based on a popular Twitter feed of the same name, and if you're not a regular follower, check out the link and get in on the sage amusement it offers. The creative team behind Will and Grace is also behind this one, so expect it to be plenty funny.

We love William Shatner embracing his gift for eccentric humor, and for being such an incredible survivor and TV god! (Check out a great selection of his hilarious moments here.) We can't wait for this show!

Giant Snakes are Coming!

The long running and superb PBS Nature series will feature an awesome hour of giant snakes tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm. The Invation of the Giant Python is going to slither right into your living room. Who wouldn't want to watch that?!? This invasive species is taking over in South Florida. They can grow 15 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. They'll eat humans, deer, sheep, pets. There's video out there showing pythons even consuming Florida's native (former) top carnivore...the alligator!

Don't miss this this real life horror. And if you visit Florida, be careful where you sit!

"Parks" Proves the Death of the TV Comedy has been Greatly Exaggerated

It seems like just a few years ago, pundits were predicting that television comedy was dead. These days, nothing could be further from the truth. Though the ratings might not be quite what they were in decades past, NBC's Thursday night comedies are still thriving in a sea of critical acclaim and Emmy awards. The Office and 30 Rock are well established phenoms now (and truthfully a little "off" this season, although still wonderfully watchable).

The biggest surprise in the line-up, and an absolute don't miss is the gem "Parks and Recreation", at 8:30pm on Thursday nights.

At the helm is Saturday Night Live's versatile Amy Poehler. She plays Leslie, an officious little do-gooder who works for the Parks commission in the small town of Pawnee Indiana. The surprise is that even with a job description that makes you want to hammer nails into your kneecaps, she is absolutely adorable in the role. The rest of the cast is an inspiration, including the wonderfully likable and funny Rashida Jones (formerly of The Office), Nick Offerman as the gruff, whiskey swilling politically incorrect boss, and Aziz Ansari as the hapless nerd who pines for a Canadian hottie who married him only so she could get a green card. Aziz is part of the latest trend in TV comedies, where the funniest breakout character is always of Indian descent (see Dani Pudi as Abed on "Community"). There is no end of quirky characters in this series, and not one of them strikes a false note.

This week's episode "Galintine" featured John Larroquette in a guest star roll as the long lost (and most hilariously psychotic) boyfriend of Leslie's mom. I searched in vain for a clip of this or any other episode...they just are no where to be seen on YouTube. I thought NBC was friendlier to online blogging, but I guess they just can't help doing things to tick off viewers these days!

"Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." on PBS

We hope that you've begun watching PBS' new four episode series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a genealogical journey through the lives of twelve prominent Americans, and by extension, all of our lives. Gates, the Harvard professor whose previous PBS efforts were the acclaimed two series of African American Lives, sits down with these dozen celebrities -- a diverse group including Meryl Streep, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Colbert, Malcolm Gladwell, Mike Nichols -- and weaves the life stories of their ancestors and their varied paths to America.

It was an interesting and no doubt the right decision not devote separate episodes to individual stories, but rather skip around to tell bits of the immigrant experience behind the subjects. Each episode explores a different theme using traditional genealogical resources and finally in the last episode Gates (right) turns to the latest scientific DNA research to further understand humanity's bonds to each other. (Gates, you may remember, was arrested in July 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while breaking into his own home after a trip -- off filming this show, in fact -- resulting in much media attention for the bizarre and unpleasant incident. Only in America, right?) Much as there's an over-emphasis on celebrities in our country today, it also was surely the right decision to use this collection of notables to appeal to viewers. A little star power can hopefully be a useful thing, if it brings people to this thoughtful series.

Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will appeal to those who've been bitten by the family tree bug, and should appeal to everybody else, too, since there's nothing more intimate or more fascinating than the lives of real people. This is the kind of reality show that we should be watching. Forget the battling savages of Survivor or all the other unpleasant contestants on the shows littering every network these days -- this is the real deal. And of course, nothing could be more germane than the subject of immigration, one of the key issues of this century. It has yet to be truly understood by todays' citizenry and will inevitably change the face of the future America, just as Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows how it changed the America that came before.

Check out the website for Faces of American with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., where you can learn all about the series itself and also access resources to help you look back into your own ancestry. Episodes are also available online after their initial airings. Check the PBS website for the airtimes in your local market.

Wouldn't it be great if Americans quit wasting time caring about minor celebrities with nothing but scandal to distinguish them, and tried to understand more about themselves? This series will help the effort.

Temple Grandin on HBO

Heads up from the Nose about an extraordinary (do they make any other kind?) film on HBO Saturday night at 8pm (2-06-2010). "Temple Grandin" is the true story of an autistic woman who overcomes an isolating and little understood affliction, to become a world renowned scientist and animal behavior specialist.

Born in 1947, Dr. Grandin struggled to find her way. Many folks were (are) routinely teased in high school for being a little "out of the box". Temple Grandin endured gulag level torture and ostracism in high school. Through the grace of a favorite science teacher, she persevered and ultimately emerged as one of the world's most accomplished experts in the study of livestock behavior.

Temple Grandin features Claire Danes in the title role as well as Julia Ormond, Cathryn O'Hara and David Strathairn.

Patty Duke for Social Security

Have you seen the series of PSAs for the Social Security Administration, starring our baby boomer TV favorite Patty Duke -- star of course of the classic sitcom The Patty Duke Show -- reprising her Patty and Cathy Lane characters? The spots encourage seniors to go online to conduct their Social Security business.

I guess I've been out of the loop, evidently not watching enough U.S. TV in the wee hours to catch public service announcements, but just this morning I caught one of the five spots. Honestly I didn't pick up on the Patty Duke connection (or even that it was Patty Duke) until they reprised the iconic theme song in the last moments of the PSA, but I've since found out all about them, mainly that they've been around since the beginning of last year. They are cute spots, with enough knowing references to the series that fans won't be rolling their eyes bemoaning their lameness.

And here they are:











I did a post here almost two years ago (!) about The Patty Duke Show, so take a look at that if you want to see the original show open that so charmed us all back in the 1960s. Patty Duke did a fair amount of publicity for these PSAs, and one nice interview is here, and I think you will be heartened to know that Ms. Duke volunteered to do these spots, good citizen that she is. (If you'd like to visit the SSA site and watch the vids online, go here.) There is supposed to be an additional spot featuring the remaining castmembers of the show coming up, and we'll be looking forward to that. In October of last year Patty appeared in a spot with flu shot information, also available at the SSA site.

Fans of Patty Duke -- and who isn't, and I mean that -- will want to check out the well-informed website Call Me Anna: The Official Patty Duke Website for the latest on Patty.

Leonard Nimoy on "Mission:Impossible" -- Paris When He Sizzles!

I'm down in Sarasota, Florida, for a few weeks this winter, and was pleasantly surprised to see that a local indie is playing the great Mission: Impossible series in the mornings. Sure, I know you can get them now on DVD, but there's nothing like turning on your television set and seeing something this terrific in front of your eyes in real time. I'm a great believer in the power of shared TV viewing, and I surely hope I wasn't the only Sarasotan watching this morning.

Anyway, they aired an episode from the fourth season of the show, when masters of disguises Martin Landau and Barbara Bain had left the show, and a just-off-the-cancelled-Star Trek Leonard Nimoy stepped in to co-star as Paris, a former magician who was also another master of disguise, a crucial job skill on Mission: Impossible. The episode this morning was the penultimate of that season, called "The Choice", and featured Nimoy in the dual role of Paris and Emile Vautrain, a Rasputin-like mystic who was trying to usurp the throne of a mythical country called Trent. Two Nimoys for the price of one! Very typically good episode, with a bunch of great character actors like Sid Haig and Arthur Franz running around and of course that great Lalo Shifrin music score making everything so dramatic.

I guess I'm trying to get you to try to watch some vintage Mission: Impossible! The show is iconic and eternally classy, and I'd never steer you wrong!

Happy Birthday to Michael C. Hall!

The Flaming Nose wishes a very Happy 39th Birthday today to one of our favorite performers, the talented Michael C. Hall. We send our greatest hopes for continued health and happiness to Mr. Hall, the star of two of our favorites series, Showtime's Dexter and his previous success HBO's incredible Six Feet Under.

Mr. Hall is seen in the above photo with his Dexter co-star and wife, the equally gifted Jennifer Carpenter. If you're as much of a MCH fan as we are, you'll want to check out the Michael C. Hall Online webpage, and this article about his recent win at the Golden Globes, including some info on his ongoing successful battle against cancer.

Happy Birthday, Michael C. Hall! You make television worth watching!

Exiting and Uplifting: Watch "Brace for Impact" on TLC

Sorry for the late notice on this, but if you like riveting true life documentaries with a happy ending, then "Brace for Impact" airing tonight on TLC is definitely worth watching. It tells the harrowing story of the US Air flight that lost both engines over NYC last January after hitting a flock of geese. By now most people on the planet Earth know the story of hero pilot (Captain Sullenberger "Sully") who with expert aviation skills and focus, glided the crippled jet to a perfect landing on the Hudson River.

Very little new information in this mostly feel good docu-drama, but the interviews with Sully and some of the passengers on the flight are still compelling. I wish they would have made it a bit longer to focus more on the additional heroism of the first responder ferry boat people, and NYC emergency personnel who raced to pull the passengers out of the freezing cold river before the aircraft sank.

I also think the story of how Sully and his family have fared in this past year is very interesting. Their lives have been catapulted from ordinary family into the highest realms of fame. But just like his landing in the river, Captain Sullenberger has handled his sudden celebrity with grace and calm focus. While so many actors, athletes and politicians turn out to have feet of clay, this man is the real deal.

Art Clokey, Creator of "Gumby" has died

The Flaming Nose mourns the passing of animator genius Art Clokey who passed away yesterday on January 8th. Creator of Gumby, the claymation series about a little green boy with a slanted head, and Pokey, his trusty orange horse and best friend.

It is a wonder that Mr. Clokey was able to create such a sweet and surreal television series, considering his horrific, almost Dickensian childhood. He lost his father at a young age and was subsequently abandoned by his mother to an orphanage. At the age of 12 he was adopted by Joseph Clokey, a music composer who taught at Pomona College and who encouraged Art's artistic inclinations.

I grew up watching and loving Gumby and even once appeared in a KTTV-TV Christmas promo with a giant Gumby (wearing a matching green dress). I still have that Gumby and was going to post a picture of it here, but unfortunately my dumb iPhone has not yet delivered it to my email box.

Take a look at the video above for some classic, vintage Gumby from 1956. Rest in peace, Art Clokey. You enchanted many generations of fans.

Veteran TV Producer David Gerber has Died

The Flaming Nose is sorry to hear of the death of talented and prolific television producer and executive David Gerber. Read the obituary from The Hollywood Reporter here:

TV producer, exec David Gerber dies

In addition to his studio duties, he was the brains behind such popular series as Police Woman (below) starring the alluring Angie Dickinson as the kick-butt lady cop Pepper Anderson, and the still fondly remembered (by Babyboomers at least) sitcoms The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Nanny and the Professor (check out great site TV Intros for more of these wonderful show opens!). He was also the exec producer of important TV movies and miniseries such as 1984's George Washington (above left), starring Barry Bostwick as the first President and Patty Duke as his wife Martha and more recently 2006's Flight 93. Also some fun ones, like Elvis and the Beauty Queen (below) from 1981, starring Don Johnson as The King and Stephanie Zimbalist as Linda Thompson, and 1980's Civil War-set romance Beulah Land miniseries (right) with Lesley Ann Warren and Michael Sarrazin, and so many others.

David Gerber was one of the stalwarts of the television world we all grew up loving, and his contributions will continue to be appreciated by all of us.

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Episode is Coming!

Heads up everybody, the Fox network is turning yellow next week in honor of the longest running TV comedy of all time. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie will be celebrating a 20th birthday on Sunday, January 10th at 8pm, with a special anniversary episode on Fox television. The 450th episode of the world's most lovable and dysfunctional family is called "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" and it promises to unleash your inner Simpson, no matter which character is your cup of tea. Personally, I'm quite fond of Groundskeeper Willie the Scotsman and I loved the U2 guest cameo from about a million seasons ago.

My son quite literally grew up with this venerable series. He claims that it "jumped the shark" about 8 years ago, but that still leaves a dozen year's worth of wonder to celebrate this coming Sunday. This special is for anyone who's ever coveted Homer's pink donut, or pondered the relationship between Mr. Burns and his assistant, or wondered why Lisa plays the saxophone or....well the list goes on and on and on. Don't have a cow or anything, but Reagan was the President when The Simpsons debuted as a segment on fledgling Fox network's "Tracy Ullman Show" in 1987. The 80's and The Gipper are long gone, but Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and crew still keep churning out original episodes week after week.

For that reason alone, it will be worth checking out the 450th episode on Sunday, as well as an incredible anniversary special on 1-14-2010 called THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL-IN 3-D-ON ICE! Don't miss it for a reminder of why this series has won a grand total of 24 Emmy awards over the years.

2009 - 2010 New Year's Eve, TV Style

Although it seems as though New Year's Eve television programming isn't as creative as it used to be -- i.e., when I was programming it -- there still are enough interesting offerings to guide us couch potatoes smoothly into 2010.

First on the list is AMC's classic Three Stooges Marathon, with newly remastered episodes playing starting from early this morning until 6am on New Year's Day (or whenever in your particular time zone -- I'm using Eastern). There's been a dearth of Stooges on television as of late -- I used to watch them on a Boston station but no sign of them recently -- and I'm thrilled to see that AMC seems to have picked up the torch. There is nothing better than one of the best Stooges shorts (I'm thinking for instance of something like "Pardon My Scotch" playing at about 2:30pm today), or lots of other good ones particularly after midnight tonight.

SyFy features a two day-long Twilight Zone Marathon, of course, again borrowing a leaf from the various independent stations who pioneered the TZ Marathon concept back in the 1980s.

USA Network features a marathon of their successful and immensely entertaining Burn Notice (left) series all day today and tonight until 6am Friday, at which time they switch over to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ick -- from charming rogues to serial rapists, murdered hookers and sexually abused children...don't like that transition much! Nothing like celebrating the New Year with tales of the most unpleasant criminality out there, is there? Creepy.

Comedy Central has South Park all day, culiminating with the SP movie, all ending at 5am tomorrow morning. Logo has a marathon of The Sarah Silverman Show until 3am tonight, TV Guide Network features a day and night of specials about celebrities who died during 2009, including of course several hours on Michael Jackson. History has a string of their Strange Rituals series lined up, with a look at weird rites of passage and other incredible ordeals, if that's your thing.

HBO has a marathon of their Thomas Jane-starring series Hung beginning at midnight tonight. This is probably the most appealing line-up next to the Three Stooges, as Hung is a very watchable show with not only a heavy dose of ribald comedy but with a melancholy wry tone that really captures the mood of the world today. Worth watching if for nothing else than the wonderful performance of Jane Adams as the main character's friend and lady pimp.

If you like your New Year Eve celebration classy and classic, tune into Turner Classic Movies for an all-night marathon of The Thin Man movies. If newer science fiction is more your taste, join BBC America for a marathon of Doctor Who episodes and movies starting at midnight tonight, and culminating on Saturday evening with the final episode of the series starring the wonderful David Tennant (below) as the Doctor. Highly recommended!

Whatever you choose, have a very Happy New Year and here's to a great 2010 from everyone here at The Flaming Nose!

See "The Gates" Documentary on HBO

During the December TV doldrums, try to catch the wonderful documentary, THE GATES, now running on HBO. The Gates chronicles the long and winding road that artists Christo and his wife Jeanne Claude endured to erect their gorgeous public art project in Central Park. It starts in 1979, when they first approached NYC officials to get permission for their progressive effort. If you ever want to see the utter banality, futility and folly of bureaucracy in action, watch the first 30 minutes of The Gates. Even though Christo and Jeanne Claude always intended to use their own money (ultimately $20 million) to produce this art spectacle, they were accused of being everything from racists to environmental terrorists.

Fast forward to 2005, and Mayor Bloomberg, an art lover, finally gave the famous artists the thumbs up. The documentary shows the flowing orange curtains being erected, unfurled and, most gloriously, enjoyed thoroughly by an appreciative populace. As children run through the Gates, and lovers stroll hand in hand, and musicians play symphonies and Buddhist monks worship, The Gates are vindicated and public art triumphs.

I had the extreme good fortune of seeing The Gates in person, when they briefly turned the grey winter sidewalks of Central Park into a trail of golden glory. Beautiful Jean Claude, who's flame colored hair matched the color of the nylon panels in the artwork, just passed away this November 2009 at the age of 74. This documentary, which can be found on HBO on Demand, is a fitting tribute to her tenacity and talent.