Shout! Factory to Release WKRP In Cincinnati: The Complete Series...With Original Music?

Shout! Factory has announced that they will be releasing the complete WKRP In Cincinnati series on DVD, and rumor has it that it will be including the original music. I've been having trouble finding the original press release, and going to the product page of Shout! Factory's website (via a Google search -- the site's internal search returns nothing) displays a message stating that you must be registered to view the page. I registered and logged in, but the page still gave me the same message.

However, viewing the page via Google's cache, Shout! Factory describes the show as ""Pairing an impeccable ensemble cast with hilarious wit and popular tunes". In addition, the set is available for pre-order on Amazon, albeit without an expected release date.

You can view the cached version of Shout! Factory's WKRP product page here.
You can pre-order the set on Amazon here.

Episode Review: The Six Million Dollar Man - The Price of Liberty

Over the past year or so I've been watching The Six Million Dollar Man, starting with the original made-for-TV-movie, and progressing an episode at a time in order through the seasons. Yesterday I watched the 3rd season episode, "The Price of Liberty".

When I saw that the episode was written by Kenneth Johnson, I knew I was in for a treat. Johnson is responsible for some of the series' best episodes, as well as having created the character of Jamie Summers (the Bionic Woman), bringing The Incredible Hulk to television, creating the original "V" miniseries, and helming the TV version of Alien Nation.

Johnson excels in writing characters, and this episode is a prime example. The premise of the episode involves the heist of the Liberty Bell prior to its tour of the United States in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. Without giving away too much of the plot, Steve Austin must enlist the help of a convict (played, quite effectively, by Chuck Conners) in securing the bell.

Now, I love the 1970s. And I have a nostalgia for the U.S. Bicentennial, which I was too young to remember at the time. And, of course, I love classic television. So this episode appealed to me in many areas. The script is excellent, and Lee Majors and Richard Anderson are solid as Steve Austin and Oscar Goldman, respectively.

The episode does, however, have one comical shortcoming: even though it's supposed to take place in the Philadelphia area, it was obviously filmed in California. I'm very familiar with the Philadelphia area, and the the building they tried to pass off as Independence Hall looks nothing like the real thing, but much more amusing is their use of the dry, arid hills of California as a stand in for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania isn't exactly known for dry areas of sand and brush -- its name means "Penn's Woods" after all. So I had to chuckle a few times during this episode when it came to the scenery. But hey, they couldn't exactly justify a location shoot on the opposite side of the country, could they?

A great episode, scenery shortcomings notwithstanding.

You can visit Kenneth Johnson's website here. At some point, I'm going to have to create the Classic TV World Hall of Fame, and Mr. Johnson will most likely be the first inductee.

It's Been Awhile...

It's been quite awhile since I've written here. My schedule has been pretty hectic and I haven't had much time to post anything here. Of course, whenever someone from the world of television passes away, I want to try to find the time to post a tribute here, yet at the same time, I don't want this to become the "Classic TV World of Celebrity Deaths".

Over the past year, we've lost some of TV's greats, even though some of them weren't household names. Hal Sutherland of Filmation passed away in January, as did Lou Scheimer, also of Filmation, in October of 2013.

We lost Harold Ramis -- more famous for movies than television, but he made a huge impression in SCTV as both an actor and a writer -- back in February. And, most recently, Casey Kasem passed away last Sunday, June 15th.

All of these talented people are sorely missed.