Great moments in television history: Dallas, “A House Divided” and Who Shot J.R.?

Twenty-eight years ago tonight, Dallas aired its second-season finale, “A House Divided,” aka the episode that ends with J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) being shot in his office by an unknown assailant. It was a television moment that not only ushered in the practice of season-ending cliffhangers, but caused an international media frenzy that would continue for eight months.

To read more about the Who Shot J.R.? phenomenon, click below:
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/mar05/mar21/1_mon/news3monday.html

Or see for yourself by watching this clip from the Warner Bros. featurette “Who Shot J.R.?: The Dallas Phenomenon,” introduced by yours truly:

Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
www.edrobertson.com

New on DVD this week: “The Mike Douglas Show: Moments and Memories”

Long before Rosie O’Donnell, Dr. Phil, Montel Williams and Oprah, there was only one person who ruled the roost on daytime television… and that was Mike Douglas. For over twenty years, The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1982, nationally syndicated through Group W Entertainment) was the show to watch every afternoon for newsmakers, politicians and the biggest names in film, music and television. Available this week from Kultur Entertainment, The Mike Douglas Show: Moments and Memories is an up-and-close-and-personal look at the many stars who appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, to The Rolling Stones, Bette Davis, Billy Crystal, Gene Simmons, Tiger Woods, Paul Newman, Johnny Cash, Don Rickles, Dr. Martin Luther King and many, many more. The DVD is packed with extras, including a biography of Mike Douglas plus assorted Douglas memorabilia. It’s a great look at a kind of television you just don’t see anymore.

I had a chance to preview this DVD for Talking Television with Dave White. You can listen to my report by clicking here. 

Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
www.edrobertson.com
www.doctorrerun.com

Recommended reading: “Far From Home: Latino Baseball Players in America”

Spring training is in full swing this month, with the start of the new baseball season just two weeks away. After a tumultuous offseason that saw the indictment of Barry Bonds, the release of the Mitchell Report and the implosion of Roger Clemens on Capitol Hill, baseball fans could use a feel good story. They’ll find that and more in Far From Home: Latino Baseball Players in America, a new coffee table book that chronicles the ups and downs of the many Latinos who have come to the US to pursue the dream of baseball stardom.

The book comes out this Tuesday, Mar. 18, but I had a chance to review it last week for The Wave Magazine; click here for more details.

Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
http://edsweb.wordpress.com
www.edrobertson.com
www.doctorrerun.com