tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post5083865607406440140..comments2024-03-26T18:25:22.422-07:00Comments on Comfort TV: What's In a Name? Or, Does Anyone Care About Episode Titles?David Hofstedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-50083684571862870242022-11-03T20:12:49.258-07:002022-11-03T20:12:49.258-07:00Good catch. And had i known about "The Eleven...Good catch. And had i known about "The Eleventh Hour" when I posted this piece, it would certainly have been included as well!David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-57722961006066805082022-11-03T18:39:23.009-07:002022-11-03T18:39:23.009-07:00"Naked City" was no slouch on titles eit..."Naked City" was no slouch on titles either, such as "A Horse Has a Big Head, Let HIM Worry!"<br /><br />But for the most obscure titles, that prize has to go to "Ben Casey" and its psychological spinoff "Breaking Point". Here's a small sample:<br />"Give My Hands an Epitaph"<br />"For the Ladybug, One Dozen Roses"<br />"In the Name of Love, A Small Corruption"<br />"Bark of a Three-Headed Hound"<br />"No More Cried the Rooster: There Will Be Truth"<br /><br />and now for "Breaking Point"...<br />"...and James Was a Very Small Snail"<br />"The Gnu, Now Almost Extinct"<br />"Better Than a Dead Lion"<br />"Glass Flowers Never Drop Petals"actionsubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04908121736753717795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-24437501306830100492020-12-21T16:51:54.749-08:002020-12-21T16:51:54.749-08:00I missed an obvious one my first time here - PERRY...I missed an obvious one my first time here - PERRY MASON.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483417885845331990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-57857088759361266932018-02-08T05:30:12.490-08:002018-02-08T05:30:12.490-08:00Well I naver care about any title of my favorite T...Well I naver care about any title of my favorite TV show. I just remember my TV show by their story. I am big fan of cartoon TV shows and watch many time scooby and shaggy in Scooby doo TV show.I really enjoyed this TV series in my childhood.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11064780887752189724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-92230411918849340142018-01-08T17:53:04.331-08:002018-01-08T17:53:04.331-08:00Since I started the comments here with a list, per...Since I started the comments here with a list, perhaps I can finish wit another one.<br /><br />Here are some episode titles from <i>Route 66</i>, <i>Naked City</i>'s sibling from Herbert Leonard, Stirling Silliphant, and Screen Gems.<br /><br />Again, all these titles appeared on screen, all were promoted in TV GUIDE, and all make a kind of sense if you actually see the shows:<br /><br />"The Man On The Monkey Board"<br />"Most Vanquished, Most Victorious"<br />"Birdcage On My Foot"<br />"First Class Mouliak"<br />"How Much A Pound Is Albatross?"<br />"There I Am, There I Always Am"<br />"Give An Old Cat A Tender Mouse"<br />"Shall Forfeit His Dog And Ten Shillings to The King"<br />"Build Your Houses With Their Backs To The Sea"<br />"Like This It Means Father, Like This Bitter, Like This Tiger"<br />"93 Per Cent In Smiling"<br /><br />Kind of poetic, no?<br />I guess this should round it out ...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-90817992067772910762018-01-08T15:28:52.541-08:002018-01-08T15:28:52.541-08:00I wish I could tell you, but I pulled the image fr...I wish I could tell you, but I pulled the image from a Google search, so whatever is on that page is all the info. I have. David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-85056757916934923332018-01-05T15:22:39.097-08:002018-01-05T15:22:39.097-08:00Interesting Guide section as I see some French Can...Interesting Guide section as I see some French Canadian content. What region is it from?JD Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882261865750361495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-75380502049818327922018-01-04T12:59:19.880-08:002018-01-04T12:59:19.880-08:00I think you're younger than I am as well, Davi...I think you're younger than I am as well, David - it's alarming how many classic shows I remember seeing in their first run, or how many at least aired after I was born...Mitchell Hadleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-85323407123170952432018-01-02T21:38:52.616-08:002018-01-02T21:38:52.616-08:00On a more extreme note, I think that's one of ...On a more extreme note, I think that's one of the things I dislike about the whole Netflix binge thing too. I will remember individual episodes of Arrow, The Flash, or Supergirl but can I tell you the name of an episode of Daredevil, even a good one? NOPE.Craig Byrnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02915982732984809425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-69769010530462202662018-01-02T20:43:42.572-08:002018-01-02T20:43:42.572-08:00I won't give away which shows used which of yo...I won't give away which shows used which of your above titles, but I can tell you that included in your episodes listed are at least 1 episode of each of the following shows:<br />I LOVE LUCY<br />DICK VAN DYKE SHOW<br />MARY TYLER MOORE<br />GET SMART pilot<br />TWILIGHT ZONE<br />ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS<br />THE FUGITIVE<br />MY MOTHER THE CAR<br />BRADY BUNCH<br />Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483417885845331990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-55896287517089611572017-12-30T15:17:23.444-08:002017-12-30T15:17:23.444-08:00Toss-up. Both had their prestige titles and their ...Toss-up. Both had their prestige titles and their mainstream entertainment for the masses. David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-40264788285833343952017-12-30T15:16:27.106-08:002017-12-30T15:16:27.106-08:00I'm not sure if you're right about our res...I'm not sure if you're right about our respective ages, but I'll hold on to the thought that I might still be younger than somebody. And I readily admit to my age outstripping my level of maturity by several decades. David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-69109824028865350572017-12-29T21:45:58.076-08:002017-12-29T21:45:58.076-08:00Um, was Quinn Martin's artistic reputation rea...Um, was Quinn Martin's artistic reputation really THAT much better than Aaron Spelling's?Christopher Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17477722106362926482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1130871072830136009.post-19187381194706919262017-12-29T20:28:27.543-08:002017-12-29T20:28:27.543-08:00From your posts over the years, I would infer that...From your posts over the years, I would infer that you are somewhat younger than I am.<br /><br />In the early '60s, many dramatic series seemed to have a competition between themselves to see which show could come up with the most abstruse episode title - which would run in TV GUIDE and be shown on screen.<br />Here's a sampling from just one series, <i>Naked City</i> (and all of them had some sort of reason mentioned within the episode for the title):<br /><br />"The Man Who Bit The Diamond In Half"<br />"C3H5(NO3)3"<br />"Take Off Your Hat When A Funeral Passes"<br />"Ooftus Goofus"<br />"Today The Man Who Kills The Ants Is Coming"<br />"And If Any Are Frozen, Warm Them"<br />"Kill Me While I'm Young So I Can Die Happy"<br />"A Horse Has A Big Head, Let <i>Him</i> Worry!"<br />"Robin Hood And Clarence Darrow, They Went Out With Bow And Arrow"<br />"Alive And Still A Second Lieutenant"<br />As I said, just a <i>Naked City</i> sampling; I could come up with similar lists for <i>Route 66, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Breaking Point, The Eleventh Hour,</i> and many others from this period.<br /><br />In a later period, when Steven Bochco became a successful producer, the studios/networks/TV GUIDE had stopped publicizing episode titles.<br />Bochco got back, in his way, by giving even serious episodes titles that were groaner puns:<br />On <i>LA Law</i>, an episode about two characters getting married was titled "Full Marital Jacket".<br />About evidence from a stool sample: "Urine Trouble Now".<br />About old guys who would lick cane toads to get a semilegal high: "On The Toad Again".<br />The one where Diana Muldaur's character fell to her death down an elevator shaft: "Good To The Last Drop".<br /> ... and many, many others, on any show that Bochco (or his protege David Kelley) produced over the years.<br />These weren't shown on camera, and only occasionally got mentioned in TV GUIDE, so there too ... <br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.com