Last night was much less hectic, hotel-wise, than the previous night—and I only had to go upstairs once to get some of the wedding party people to hold it down. (By the way, the reaction I got from the other desk clerks when I told them about our new guests…absolutely priceless.) I could have listened to some Falcon broadcasts, but instead I decided to get caught up on some reading—I will definitely do the Falcon tomorrow, I promise.

Got the new issue of Entertainment Weekly in the mail Friday, and so I took some free time to poke through it…and yes, I did state that I wasn’t going to renew my subscription a few posts ago but they’ve made a Corleone-like offer I can’t refuse. (Besides, having fun at their expense generates fodder for this blog, does it not?) It’s their Fall Movie Issue, and a couple of previews caught my eye—first off, a movie adapted from the classic Ray Bradbury story, A Sound of Thunder (2004), which will star Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley and Catherine McCormack. It’s one of my favorite Bradbury tales, and although I’m sure they’ll find someway to louse it up I must confess I am intrigued at the prospect. Another film that I’ll definitely gamble on is Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), with Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. This film was described in the article as a cross between the old Commando Cody serials (Radar Men From the Moon) and the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons—which would practically guarantee my buying a ticket. (The piece further goes on to state that this little flick cost $70 million to make—heck, a sum like that could have kept Republic in serials for years and years!)

In the Why, Why Are You Remaking That? Department, 2004 will also see the release of The Flight of the Phoenix, a updated version of the classic 1966 movie starring James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch and Hardy Krüger. (*sigh*) I’ll borrow a question often asked by my good friend Pam: “Have you ever thought of remaking a bad movie for a change?”

EW has an interesting column in the DVD section every now and then that spotlights movies or TV shows not available on disc yet, entitled “We’re Dyin’ For…” This week, they spotlight the quirky, cult TV drama Picket Fences (1992-96), created by wunderkind David E. Kelley, and at the end of the article mention that Fox is considering a release sometime in 2005. (This is one that I’ll simply have to have, though I’m not certain I could part with the necessary scratch for the last season.)

I’ve been thinking about TV shows on DVD of late, and how more and more series are gradually making their DVD debuts. I’m particularly heartened to see releases like Paramount’s Have Gun, Will Travel and Rhino’s My Favorite Martian receive the disc treatment, particularly since these and many other shows aren’t seen too often on television. (You would think that a channel like TVLand would give these shows exposure, but you would be wrong…although in their defense, the cable network has spotlighted both these shows in the past but has since dumped them for endless reruns of The Love Boat or Charlie’s Angels.)

I got to thinking about which TV series I’d love to see on DVD, so I jotted down a list of ten faves (in no particular order) that I would definitely have to buy:

1. The Rockford Files – Best. Detective. Show. Ever. I recall reading an announcement not too long ago that Rockford was definitely being considered for DVD release, but I haven’t heard anything since. (Both my father and I used to watch this religiously on Friday nights.)

2. The Fugitive – A&E has released series like The Saint, The Prisoner and The Avengers—will this classic 60s cult fave would be next on the list?

3. The Invaders – Another great cult favorite (and a major influence on The X-Files) this show was released ages ago on VHS, but it cries out for some DVD attention.

4. Get Smart – Would you believe this classic comedy is not available on DVD? (“I asked you not to tell me that.”)

5. The Wild, Wild West – Columbia House offers this on DVD but I’m hoping that it will soon go the way of I Love Lucy, Have Gun, Will Travel and other offerings and be issued on a season-by-season basis. (I adored this show as a kid, by the way—and the love affair still lingers on.)

6. The Odd Couple – Sure, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy are due out this month—now let’s see the funniest of the Garry Marshall productions receive its due, okay?

7. St. Elsewhere – I don’t care what you ER fans say…this was the best medical series in the history of TV (except for that series finale…oy!).

8. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis – I’ve seen this show available on DVD at places like Nostalgia Family Video, but you have to pay $19.99 for each volume containing only two shows. I’ll wait until somebody takes the time to do it right.

9. The Phil Silvers Show – Surely one of TV’s all-time classic comedy series can find some room at the DVD dinner table, huh?

10. F Troop – My guilty pleasure of the group. (I can’t help it, I think the show is funny.)

There are a few others I’d like to see on this list—Gunsmoke and Our Miss Brooks are the first two that come to mind, and it would be nice if MCA would open their vaults and release some of the 1950s Dragnets (though I’ve heard the 1967-70 is scheduled for DVD release soon). One show that I’d really like to see (and I won’t hold my breath, because it’s really obscure) is the 1967 cult series Coronet Blue. I remember seeing this a couple of times on TVLand a long time ago, and I’d like to see a whole lot more.
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