Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Revisiting Enterprise, 10 Years Later

 
Lately I’ve been revisiting Star Trek: Enterprise on Blu-ray.  



I hadn’t planned to write about it here because the series aired from 2001 to 2005, which puts it well outside the Comfort TV era. But it’s also a continuation of the Star Trek saga that began in 1966 and remained a television staple for the next 4 decades. So I think it qualifies.

Plus, we haven’t had any new Trek stories for almost a decade, hence my nostalgia for the final (or first, depending on how you look at it) voyages of the Enterprise. And no, I haven’t forgotten about J.J. Abrams – I just think his vision for Star Trek is as authentic as a rerun of Far Out Space Nuts.

Some Trek fans expect this piece to be filed under the “Terrible Shows I Like” category. But I have always believed that Star Trek: Enterprise did not deserve its rocky reputation.

Sure, it made mistakes. So did every other Trek incarnation. Have you watched some of those third season episodes of the original series lately? Deep Space Nine had a rough start, and Voyager gave us an episode where two bridge officers were turned into salamanders. 

Enterprise was a good idea with bad timing. Setting the series at the beginning of earth’s interstellar exploration restored the wonder in much of what had become routine by the time of Next Generation. Jonathan Archer’s starship was slower, less well armed and less comfortable, and there was no prime directive or handy list of rules for what to do when meeting new civilizations. Archer's crew were the first humans in deep space and everything was new and exciting – I always loved how the Captain would drop out of warp for days to study a comet or a nebula that Picard would have flown by without a second thought.

But after 21 seasons of other Trek shows and new movies still in theaters, even the most ardent Trekkers had become complacent and began taking the franchise for granted. There were other factors in its demise, but the passage of time makes it easier to appreciate Enterprise for what it was rather than where it fell short. Television is simply a better place when Star Trek is a part of it. 
 
 Why should you give Captain Archer’s crew another look? If you’re not one of those continuity wonks whining about how canon was changing with every episode, here are just some of the reasons why Enterprise is better than you may remember.

The Title Sequence
Hey, where are you going? I know the song choice was…curious, but the montage tracing the history of exploration from ancient mariners to warp-capable ships was very well crafted, a mix of history and fantasy that established the context for the stories to follow. 



“Carbon Creek”
One of the series’ most entertaining (and amusing) episodes begins with T’Pol telling Archer and Commander Tucker about the first Vulcans to land on earth – not the famous first contact that was in the history books, but one that took place in the 1950s. This season 2 show is worth seeing just to hear someone finally acknowledge the haircut similarity between Vulcans and The Three Stooges’ Moe Howard. 



Doctor Phlox
Phlox, wonderfully played by John Billingsley, ranks near the top of the pantheon among memorable Star Trek physicians, alongside the cantankerous Bones McCoy and the even more cantankerous holographic Doctor on Voyager. Quirky and soft-spoken, he always seemed to be studying his human crewmates with a mix of incredulity and admiration, expressed most clearly in the classic season 1 episode “Dear Doctor.” Speaking of which….

“Dear Doctor”
Many of the best Star Trek episodes are built around a moral conundrum. The buck always stops with a Captain forced to make a life or death decision with profound ethical repercussions. Think “City of the Edge of Forever,” or “Measure of a Man,” or “Tuvix.”  To this list we can add “Dear Doctor,” in which the Enterprise visits a planet with two dominant human species, one of which is perishing from a virus that will lead to its extinction. Phlox develops a cure, but advises Captain Archer not to share it. His reason and Archer’s ultimate decision continue to split fandom nearly a decade after the episode first aired. 



More Vulcan Backstory
The Vulcans and their logic-driven culture were one of Gene Roddenberry’s most fascinating creations. Enterprise was the first Trek series to significantly expand our knowledge of their history and culture, adding shades to them – some unexpectedly sinister – not seen since Leonard Nimoy introduced Spock. “The Andorian Incident” is a good place to start, followed by the aforementioned “Carbon Creek,” “Stigma” and a trilogy of extraordinary season 4 episodes set on the Vulcan homeworld. 

The Mirror Episodes
“In a Mirror, Darkly, Pts. 1 & 2” revisit the parallel universe first seen in the original series episode “Mirror, Mirror.” For the non-nerds among you, this is a place where the characters we’ve come to know exist as evil versions of themselves. The cast clearly relished a chance to chew on the scenery with various degrees of sadistic behavior – Linda Park in particular is a revelation as a ruthlessly ambitious (and sexy) Hoshi Sato. 



The Should-Have-Been Series Finale
Enterprise’s fourth season was as consistently strong as any season of any other Star Trek series. It was also a refreshing change from the relentlessly grim, 9/11-themed Xindi story arc that comprised the entirety of season 3. The penultimate season 4 story, told over two episodes (“Demons” and “Terra Prime”) was a memorable sci-fi allegory on isolationism and xenophobia, both briskly debated in the wake of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

These episodes should have been the series finale – at least then, if Enterprise had to end too soon, it would have wrapped on a high note. But regrettably there was one more show, that was so reviled by cast and fans alike that it has been removed from canon by universal consensus.

Yes, it’s a dreadful episode – but listening to some critics you’d think they were all that bad. If you miss Star Trek now as much as I do, give Enterprise another chance. All it takes is a little faith of the heart.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Biggest Bozo in Chicago

 
I’ve written before about the communal nature of Comfort TV, and how it is something we share no matter where we lived. But some classic TV series and characters were strictly regional sensations – Wallace and Ladmo, Garfield Goose, The Magic Garden. They sustain a deep nostalgic appeal for those who grew up with them, but are virtually unknown to the rest of the country.

Which brings me to Bozo’s Circus. The series was a television phenomenon in Chicago, where I grew up. But at one time there were Bozo shows on more than 180 local TV stations, all sharing the same basic format but with dozens of different actors playing the world’s most famous clown. 
  
It was, at the time, an unprecedented franchising model that proved remarkably successful. And it was conceived by Larry Harmon, the first man to don the character’s red wig and size 83AAA shoes. 

Bozo and Larry Harmon
 

I interviewed Mr. Harmon in 1996. Even over the telephone it was clear that his nearly 40-year connection to Bozo had lost none of its enthusiasm. He told me how he first became aware of the character from a series of children’s records released by Capitol in the 1940s. They were so successful that Capitol needed someone to play Bozo at personal appearances. Harmon auditioned and won the part, then bought the rights to the character in 1954.

“I didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but I borrowed a million dollars and did it,” he recalled.

After producing more than 150 Bozo cartoons, he launched the first live-action Bozo show in 1956. The Chicago version debuted on WGN in 1959, and was renamed Bozo’s Circus in 1961. The remarkable Bob Bell played Bozo from the first live-action episode until he retired from the role in 1984. 



If you didn’t live in Chicago in the 1960s and ‘70s, it’s hard to explain the unlikely but astounding popularity of this low-budget one-hour show, which became as much a part of the city’s cultural fabric as the Sears Tower and baseball at Wrigley Field.

Tickets for the studio audience, which held only 200 people, were harder to get than Bulls playoff seats in the Michael Jordan era. Newly married couples applied for tickets before their honeymoon, so their not-yet-born children might have a chance to see the show when they were 7 or 8 years old. By 1980, the waiting list had reached 11 years, and was frozen for the next decade. When the moratorium was lifted in 1990, WGN opened a 900-number Bozo ticket hotline for five hours. More than 25 million calls poured in.

So what was all the fuss about? Looking back it’s rather difficult to explain. Bozo’s Circus offered songs, comedy skits, games and a guest circus act, usually acrobats or prancing dogs. Each episode ended with the audience joining the cast in the Grand March, a parade that doubled as a fast way to clear the studio. It looks pretty cheesy now, but I still remember how I rarely missed an episode. 



I had a ringside seat for Bozo-mania, as my parents owned the company that manufactured a home version of the Grand Prize Game, one of the show’s most popular features. That connection got me some pretty big perks under the big top, including a chance to meet the show’s beloved ringmaster, Ned Locke, and Roy Brown, who played Bozo’s sidekick, Cookie the cook. 



It did not, however, secure my financial future. In fact, my folks nearly went
bankrupt and had to fold the business. For whatever reason, the appeal of Bozo didn’t always translate well outside of the show itself.

Bozo’s Circus ended its Chicago run in 2001, after more than 40 years on the air. Today’s kids probably wouldn’t have a clue about a character who was once a hotter ticket than Springsteen.

Looking back now I’m still trying to find a way to explain how the series achieved such profound audience loyalty and affection. Perhaps, in this case, it’s best not to look too close, lest we start to see through the magic. For me the best explanation was given by a 6 year-old boy, who attended a personal appearance on the occasion of Bozo’s 50th anniversary in show business.

 “I love you, Bozo!” he shouted at his favorite clown.

“Why do you love Bozo?” asked his mother.

“Bozo is Bozo,” he said. 


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Oscar Winning Stars of the Small Screen

 
You hear a lot about the groundbreaking work now being done on television, yet film is still considered a much higher art form and probably always will be. If you devote your life to watching movies, you are a cinephile. If you spend the same amount of time watching TV, you are a couch potato.

So as we approach this year’s Academy Awards, arguably the highest honor in the motion picture industry, I thought it might be interesting to look at how many Oscar winners also left their mark on the Comfort TV era.

If you remember these actors from their TV shows more than their movies, you’re my kinda people.

Art Carney
He won his Oscar for Harry and Tonto, but Art Carney will always be best remembered as Ed Norton on The Honeymooners.

Sally Field
Before she was Norma Rae, she was Gidget and The Flying Nun. And it was another TV role, as a girl with multiple personalities in Sybil, that helped to launch her movie career at a time when that transition was less common. 



Michael Douglas
The son of Spartacus is a two-time Oscar winner (for acting in Wall Street and co-producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). His first role of note was in The Streets of San Francisco, in which he costarred with Karl Malden, another Academy Award recipient.

Shirley Booth
Where most of the actors on this list started in TV and “graduated” to movies, Shirley Booth won an Oscar in 1952 (for Come Back, Little Sheba) nearly ten years before playing the title role in the popular sitcom Hazel.

Tom Hanks
I don’t care how many great movies he makes, I still think he peaked with Bosom Buddies, plus an honorable mention for his stellar work as Alex’s alcoholic Uncle Ned on Family Ties



Patty Duke
One of the most gifted actresses of the 1960s, whether playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker or identical cousins on her classic situation comedy.

Robin Williams
If Mork can win an Oscar, there’s still hope for Potsie.

Jodie Foster
She is the gold standard for aging gracefully in a business that is rarely kind to child stars. Two Oscar wins, but also a slew of classic TV credits including My Three Sons, The Partridge Family, Nanny and the Professor, Gunsmoke and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.



Ernest Borgnine
His amazing career spanned more than 60 years, but the first credit that appears on an IMDB search of his name is McHale’s Navy, an underrated military sitcom with more than 130 episodes. But his heartbreaking Oscar-winning performance in Marty is a must-see as well.

Cher
Cher usually ends up playing Cher regardless of the movie role, so I’d rather just watch her without the character trappings, singing next to Sonny. 

Morgan Freeman
He’s now one of our elder statesmen of respected actors, but 40 years ago he was one of two Oscar winners in the cast of PBS’s The Electric Company. The other, Rita Moreno, recently presented Freeman with a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actor’s Guild.



Goldie Hawn
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In would never have been the same without Goldie Hawn’s infectious giggle, or her complete inability to correctly read a cue card (of course, the writers often switched out the lines so she’d look even more adorably frazzled). Hawn earned Best Supporting Actress honors in 1969 for Cactus Flower.

Jack Albertson
You’d have to be a cinephile to know the film featuring Jack Albertson’s Oscar-winning performance, but after seeing his name you may already be singing the theme to Chico and the Man. For the record, the movie was 1968’s The Subject Was Roses.

Cloris Leachman
As Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the spinoff series Phyllis, Cloris Leachman remains beloved by a generation of classic TV fans, many of whom may never have seen her Oscar-winning work in The Last Picture Show.

Martin Landau
In 1994, Martin Landau capped a remarkable career with an Academy Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s delightful Ed Wood. Twenty-five years earlier he received the last of 3 Emmy nominations for his stellar work at Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible.

Shirley Jones
Mrs. Partridge won an Oscar in 1961 for playing a hooker in Elmer Gantry. The Academy always loves it when actors play against type.

George Clooney
He has 2 Academy Awards and is arguably Hollywood’s top leading man, but some of us remember when Clooney sported a mullet on The Facts of Life. And when he sported a mullet on Roseanne. And how both were still less embarrassing than Batman and Robin



Donna Reed
After It’s a Wonderful Life and her Oscar-winning performance in From Here to Eternity, Donna Reed starred in one of TV’s smartest and kindest family situation comedies. The Donna Reed Show ran for 8 years and was a Nick at Nite staple for more than a decade (back when the Nick lineup featured only good shows).

Denzel Washington
If you had asked me which cast member amongst the large ensemble on St. Elsewhere had the star quality to get to the next level, I’d have bet on Cynthia Sikes. Oh, well. 



Marissa Tomei
Before she was Joe Pesci’s girlfriend in My Cousin Vinny, she was Denise Huxtable’s college roommate in A Different World

Kevin Spacey
After 2 Academy Awards (The Usual Suspects, American Beauty), Spacey’s TV work may no longer make the highlight reel for his stellar career, but many of us haven’t forgotten the chilling first impression he made as the despicable Mel Profitt on Wiseguy.

Helen Hunt
She won the Oscar for As Good as it Gets, and several Emmys for Mad About You. But Helen Hunt’s classic TV roots date back to guest roles on Ark II, The Bionic Woman, Family and Knots Landing, as well as three short-lived series: The Swiss Family Robinson, The Fitzpatricks and It Takes Two.