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By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
If it's Thursday, with or without turkey, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: Back in 1963 or 1964 there was a 30-minute comedy about a teenage girl, called ''Karen.'' Our oldest daughter loved it so much, we named our second daughter Karen. Do you have any info about this show? I've talked about it to our Karen for years.
A: The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows notes that Karen was part of an interesting TV experiment. In the fall of 1964, NBC presented a 90-minute package called 90 Bristol Court, which consisted of three sitcoms about people living in an apartment complex with that address. The comedies were Harris Against the World (with Jack Klugman), Tom Dick and Mary (about a married couple sharing an apartment with a friend) and Karen, with Debbie Watson as the title character, a lively 16-year-old. The experiment did not work, and in January 1965, NBC dropped two of the shows but kept Karen on for the rest of the season.
That comedy did not return for a second year, but Watson then starred in another series, Tammy, inspired by a movie character. It, too, lasted one season. But you can see clips of Karen (including the opening theme) and Tammy on YouTube.
Q: I have been looking forever for an old movie called Slim with Henry Fonda. About a power lineman! Maybe the only movie made on that subject! Is it available on DVD?
A: I do not know of an authorized DVD of the 1937 film. I have seen DVDs for sale online, including at http://www.ioffer.com and http://www.videorarities.net. But I cannot vouch for the source, quality or vendor. By the way, there's at least one other movie about power linemen, 1941's Manpower, with a similar plot to Slim's.
Q: I need to get information on an old TV show that to the best of my knowledge was on in the early '80s. It was about a single pastor who was assigned to a church in a very small town. The church had been closed for some time and the people were not very friendly toward him at first. He goes about repairing the church and making friends with the locals. I think it was called Hope Landing.
A: There was a show called Hope Island that fits a lot of the description of the series you remember. Australian actor-musician Cameron Daddo played a minister in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. It aired on the old Pax network in 1999-2000.
Q: I loved the series New Amsterdam. Will it be returning?
A: No. The series, about an immortal man looking for true love, had an intriguing eight-episode season on Fox and that was it. But you can catch the old episodes online at http://www.hulu.com.
Q: Do you know if anyone is considering airing the reruns of Northern Exposure? I found it quite entertaining and wouldn't mind seeing it again. But I have never seen it show up on any channel.
A: The series did have some cable and syndicated replays after it ended its original network run in 1995. But I did not find it on the current schedule of a national broadcaster. The complete series has been released on DVD; if you do not want to buy it, you could see if your local library or video rental store has it in stock. But the DVDs can be disappointing in places, since they do not always include the music from the original telecasts.
Q: About 25 years ago, Luciano Pavarotti was in a light comedy film by the name of Giorgio or something close to that. Is this available on DVD, VHS or anything?
A: You are thinking of Yes, Giorgio, a 1982 movie starring Pavarotti and Kathryn Harrold. It was released on VHS and I have seen new and used copies for sale on Amazon.com. There are also DVDs floating around, but I cannot vouch for their source or quality, and some are quite expensive.
•
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com.
If it's Thursday, with or without turkey, this must be the mailbag . . .
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