Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
Q: Why do so many great shows switch from the stories that made them great to focusing on the characters' personal lives? For example, “The Unit” went from their missions to all about their wives and kids, and now “Criminal Minds” has moved from investigating crimes to personal and family issues. Have the writers run out of ideas? Is it only me who loses interest in the show once this transition begins?
A: I think a show is more satisfying dramatically if its characters grow and change over time, as people do in real life. Certainly that has been the case in most of the best shows TV has to offer. Even in adventure and crime series, you can't simply do a case of the week time after time without beginning to feel stale, both to the writers and the viewers. The challenge is always one of balancing the different elements.
Q: Many years ago, I saw a show called “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” I think it was a “Twilight Zone.” It was about a Civil War soldier about to be hanged. Every time they have a “TZ” marathon, I look for it with no luck so far.
A: The film was a rarity, a foreign film acquired by “Twilight Zone” for telecast. It has been released on DVD as part of the show's collection of fifth-season episodes, as well as in the complete-series package. And someone posted the episode — with its original, special introduction by Rod Serling — on YouTube.
Q: Any idea when the 2005 made-for-TV movie “Snow Wonder” will be available on DVD?
A: All I know is that it is not currently available.
Q: I love watching “Three Rivers” on Sunday night, but lately it hasn't been on. Please don't tell me they've canceled it.
A: Sorry, but CBS pulled the show in early December and has not scheduled any more telecasts at this time.
Q: Do you know if there are any DVDs available of any of “The Smothers Brothers Show” from the '60s? If so, where can I get them?
A: I guess you are referring to “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” the classic variety show starring the Smothers from 1967 to 1969. (They also had a sitcom in 1965-66.) Sets of highlights from the second and third seasons have been released on DVD; if your local video retailer cannot get them, you might try an online seller such as Amazon.com. You may also want to look for “Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,'” a book by former Akron Beacon Journal and New York Daily News TV critic David Bianculli.
Q: Whatever happened to Mo Collins, my favorite funny actress?
A: Collins became a TV star through a long run on Fox's “MADtv”; although she ended her work as a regular in 2004, apparently to focus on other projects, she reappeared several times before the show ended in 2009. Besides touring with her stand-up show, Collins recently was a guest star on “Parks and Recreation,” “Modern Family” and “Men of a Certain Age.”
Q: Who is the voice behind the Dodge Ram truck commercial that is playing now? It sounds so familiar it is driving me crazy, but I can't come up with the answer.
A: I listened to the “My name is Ram and my tank is full” commercial and was pretty convinced the compelling voice belonged to actor Will Patton (“Remember the Titans,” “The Agency”). But a Dodge representative told me it is Stan Richards, an ad agency executive who founded the company, making the ads.
Q: Almost two years ago my sister and I saw a movie preview that showed a group of senior citizens in a nursing home who were putting a band together. The lead singer, a woman, tottered up to the microphone and let out a James Brown-style “Wooo!” We both said we wanted to see the movie but we forgot to watch for it. I am wondering if you can figure out what the movie was. The video stores I checked with don't have a clue.
A: You are looking for the documentary “YoungHeart,” about a touring chorus of older people from a Massachusetts housing project who perform rock songs. The film is available on DVD, and there are a couple of CDs of their music. You can find more about the group at http://www.youngatheartchorus.com.
Contact the writer:
rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
