Remembering Charlie Jones

Charlie Jones may not have been as well known as Jim McKay, Dick Enberg, Pat Summerall, Keith Jackson, Jack Buck and some of the other great TV sportscasters of the past four decades, but he was as solid an announcer as any of his comtempoaries, not to mention exceptionally versatile. After beginning his career calling AFL games on ABC, he moved to NBC in 1965, announcing no less than 28 different sports for the Peacock Network, including golf, tennis, Major League Baseball, NFL football and two Olympic Games.

Jones’ versatility went beyond sports announcing. His unmistakeable “kettledrum voice” was often heard in the background on many popular television shows, including Columbo, McCloud, McMillan & Wife, Banacek, Ironside, and more recently, The L Word. He also hosted Pro-Fan, which was one of the first celebrity game shows featuring sports personalities, and was the regular announcer of Almost Anything Goes, the wild and wacky sports show whose signature obstacle-course stunts were in many respects precursors to the wild and wacky immunity challenges we see each week on Survivor.

Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
Author, Thirty Years of The Rockford Files and other books on television
www.edrobertson.com
www.doctorrerun.com

New TV shows on DVD this week

These are the titles that Frankie and I discussed on the June 10 edition of Talking Television with Dave White:

John Adams: The Complete HBO Miniseries
The Odd Couple: Season Four 
Soap: The Complete Series
Hawaii: Five-O: Season Four

We also weighed in on the music controversy with respect to the release of The Fugitive: Season Two, Vol. 1.

Click here for more information; the DVD report begins about 10 minutes into the broadcast.

Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
Co-Host, Talking Television with Dave White
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
www.doctorrerun.com

Our tribute to the classic sci-fi series The Invaders is now available on the archives page at www.talkingtelevision.org.

For Father’s Day: A few “Top Five TV Dads” lists

A few years ago, when I was a regular monthly guest on The Tony Trupiano Show, a late night talk show heard nationally on the TalkAmerica Radio Network, we used to do regular “Top Five” and “Top Ten” lists related to classic television. It was along the lines of the various “Top Five music lists” that John Cusack’s character did in High Fidelity, only Tony and I riffed on topics like the Top Ten Most Unusual Occupations for a TV Character, the Top Five TV Shows Set in Radio or Television, and so. The possibilities were endless, and it was always a lot of fun.With today being Father’s Day, I thought it might be fun to share a few of these lists with you. Enjoy.  

Top Five TV Dads You’d Like to Have as Your Own
5. Howard Cunningham (Happy Days)

4. Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show)

3. Ozzie Nelson (Ozzie and Harriet)

2. Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch)

1. Ward Cleaver (Leave It to Beaver)

Top Five TV Father/Son Teams
5. Fred Astaire/Robert Wagner (It Takes a Thief)

4. James Gammon/Don Johnson (Nash Bridges)

3. Andy Griffith/Ronnie Howard (The Andy Griffith Show)

2. E.G. Marshall/Robert Reed (The Defenders)

1. Noah Beery/James Garner (The Rockford Files)

Top Five Single TV Dads

5. Tom Corbett (The Courtship of Eddie’s Father)

4. Ben Cartwright (Bonanza) 

3. Steve Douglas (My Three Sons)

2. Uncle Bill (Family Affair)

1. Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
Co-Host, Talking Television with Dave White
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
www.doctorrerun.com
www.talkingtelevision.org

Listen to our tribute to Roy Thinnes and The Invaders, now available on the archives page at www.talkingtelevision.org.