TV’s Lone Ranger is on DVD

Posted on May 13, 2013 at 8:00 am

The Johnny Depp “Lone Ranger” will be out July 3, so it is a good time to take a look at the classic television series.

The Lone Ranger is America’s quintessential Western hero and a steadfast symbol for truth and justice. After three feature films, more than 3,000 radio shows, 220 TV episodes, 18 novels, hundreds of comic books, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—and now a new Disney theatrical feature film in theaters July 3—The Lone Ranger rides again!

Beginning May 21, three all-new classic Lone Ranger DVD singles, The Lone Ranger: Hi-Yo Silver, Away!, The Lone Ranger: Kemo Sabe, and The Lone Ranger: Who Was That Masked Man?, will be available at $6.99 each. For the serious fan, a special Collector’s Edition limited set will be available June 4 for $199.99. It will feature all five complete seasons (221 episodes on 30 DVDs) in a high-end box set resembling a coffee table book. Bonus content will include two full length features, a complete episode guide containing a synopsis for all 221 episodes, the original “Lone Ranger” radio broadcast from 1950, and a rare comic book and photo reprint, in addition to much more.

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My Dad and Television’s “Vast Wasteland”

Posted on May 9, 2013 at 9:00 am

52 years ago today my dad, the new 35-year-old Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission appointed by President John F. Kennedy, made a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters that was on every list of the most influential speeches of the 2oth century. We are very proud of him.

At that time, network news on television was pretty much limited to 15 minutes once a day. Children’s programming was local and had very little educational component.

Here’s a look at some of what was on the air back then:

And here’s what dad had to say as an update.

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Mel Brooks on American Masters

Posted on May 5, 2013 at 8:00 am

American Masters salutes Mel Brooks on May 20 (check your local PBS station listings for details). I love this photo of Brooks with his 2000 Year Old Man collaborator (and fellow Sid Caesar “Your Show of Shows” writer) Carl Reiner. Brooks is an Oscar and Tony winner (for “The Producers”), one of the creators of the classic “Get Smart” spy spoof television series, and the mad genius behind “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” and “Spaceballs.” He also produced the serious drama “The Elephant Man” and the bittersweet gem “84 Charing Cross Road,” both starring his wife, Oscar-winner Anne Bancroft.

Some great Mel Brooks quotes:

Why should I indulge myself and do a David Lean-ish kind of film? I could do my little Jewish Brief Encounter and disguise it – shorten the noses. But it wouldn’t be as much fun as delivering my dish of insanity.”

My movies rise below vulgarity.

Oh, I’m not a true genius. I’m a near genius. I would say I’m a short genius. I’d rather be tall and normal than a short genius.

Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So, for every ten Jews beating their breasts, God designated one to be crazy and amuse the breast-beaters. By the time I was five I knew I was that one.

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Are You Smarter Than a TV Executive? Pick Next Season’s Programs

Posted on May 4, 2013 at 8:00 am

Amazon has children’s programs and comedy pilots available for free streaming — and viewer votes will help determine what gets picked up for a series. Choices include a sharp political satire from Doonesbury’s Garry Trudeau, with John Goodman as one of four Republican Senators sharing a home in “Alpha House.” Other choices include Browswers (a group of young people working at a Huffington Post-style online publication) and Zombieland, based on the popular movie.

The Big Brain Theory

Posted on May 3, 2013 at 8:00 am

Part “Big Bang Theory,” part “Project Runway” and “Top Chef,” and part “Mythbusters,” the new reality series beginning tonight on Discovery is a reality competition featuring really smart people solving really fun problems. The host is “Harold and Kumar’s” Kal Penn. He’s a bit of a brainiac himself — he took time off from movies and “House” to work in the White House.

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