This week join Andrew, Steve, and Jonathan as they hangout, chat, and close out this season’s worth of episodes of Inside the Box: The TV History Podcast. They’ll probably also talk a little bit about holiday TV programming and make a few New Year’s resolutions as well.

An old-school style Inside the Box episode. No guests, just Steve and Jonathan discussing the 1984 pilot episode of the cop show, Hunter (1984-1991) starring Fred Dryer, Stepfanie Kramer, and Brian Dennehy. A mixture of lighthearted poking fun at some of well-worn tropes combined with serious talk that attempts to contextualize the series within the larger issue of representations of police in U.S. culture.








The Dirty Harry inspired pose of Rick Hunter with his big gun.



Even though actress Stepfanie Kramer brought more to her character of Dee Dee McCall than sex appeal and a taste for violence, producers often leaned on these attributes to draw-in viewers to this male power fantasy.



Future 21 Jump Street star, Steven Williams, earns his paycheck having to play street pimp King Hayes.



An attempt in the pilot to soften / feminize the McCall character is seen in her adult woman’s bedroom.



Ridiculous sequence where we find Rick Hunter hiding in McCall’s closet awaiting the killer.



Dryer’s Hunter engages in a game of psychological warfare with Dennehy’s therapist turned killer Dr. Bolin.

Join as Steve continues his interview with TV producer, Joe Gannon, in part two of this two-part episode about his experiences working with actor Carroll O’Connor on In The Heat of the Night (1988-1995) and how the industry has changed from Gannon’s perspective.

Join Steve as he interviews TV producer, Joe Gannon, in part one of this two-part episode about his experiences working with actor Carroll O’Connor and the significant effect O’Connor had on Gannon’s career as a producer.

This week join us for a truly Steve-centric episode as Steve Voorhees welcomes longtime CBS Manager of Prime Time Feature Films, Steve Besserman to the program. If you love the nuts-and-bolts of late-20th Century network television practices as Steve Voorhees does, you’ll dig this episode. Learn about how the network chose, edited, scheduled, and promoted certain feature films to achieve the highest rating possible. Hear how certain directors would actually get involved with the edits needed for either timing or censorship reasons. Also, hear about the role “made-for-TV-movies” had on the presentation of feature films on TV.



On a more serious note, also hear about Besserman’s current documentary projects, including the film Only a Number about his own parents’ experiences as Holocaust survivors.



Steve Besserman with his father Joseph. (photo attribution: NJ.com)



Examples of CBS, NBC, and ABC’s Feature Film Presentation Intro Bumpers









A Collection of CBS Feature Film Promos from the 1970s and 1980s

This week join Jonathan in conversation with Dr. Kendall Phillips about his recent book, Kolchak, The Night Stalker, a part of Wayne State University Press’s Milestones series. Don’t worry, Steve Voorhees is here too to comment on our conversation that includes ideas including: “Where was horror at in the U.S. by the late 1960s / early 1970s?”, Kolchak’s trio of creatives behind the scenes, Kolchak as an influential gothic investigator, and would Kolchak show up these days on What We Do in the Shadows? Whether you’re a longtime Kolchak fan or brand-new to the character, we think there is something here for you during our conversation.



Kendall’s faculty page.

This week join Jonathan and Steve in conversation with fellow academic, David Brokaw to discuss his new book, Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream. We discuss the false dichotomy between “good writing” and “bad television” during the 1950s, the psychology of advertising within 1950s culture, the effect Rod Serling’s service during World War II had on his later writing, and where Twilight Zone-style social commentary can and can’t be found today.














Not everyone was as enamored with Rod Serling’s Noon on Doomsday teleplay from 1956 as we were. Courtesy of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation (https://rodserling.com/)



One of the most memorable of The Twilight Zone episodes, Time Enough at Last from Season 1, Episode 08, starred Burgess Meredith and aired November 20, 1959.



The Monsters are Due on Maple Street is one of the most famous of The Twilight Zone episodes and the inspiration for Brokaw’s book’s title. Starring Claude Akins, it was the twenty-second episode from season one and aired on March 4, 1960.



A Quality of Mercy was the fifteenth episode from season 03 of The Twilight Zone, starring Dean Stockwell. A U.S. soldier gets a different perspective on the war thanks to Rod Sterling. Aired December 29, 1961.



The Thirty-Fathom Grave was the second episode of the fourth season of The Twilight Zone chronicles a WWII survivor of a lost submarine. Aired January 10, 1963.

This week join Steve and Jonathan in conversation with television writer and producer, Stan Zimmerman. Listen as Stan talks about writing for the first season of The Golden Girls, writing that VERY famous episode of Roseanne that got the country talking, and what it was like to work for his friend, Amy Sherman-Palladino, writing on Gilmore Girls. Stan also discusses what it takes to make it in a tough industry and how back-in-the-day, writers’ rooms weren’t as inclusive as you might have expected them to be – particularly on shows with inclusive reputations.





















The Golden Girls, Blanche and the Younger Man (S1 E9, aired 11/16/1985)









Roseanne, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (S6 E18, aired 03/01/1994)









Gilmore Girls, Pulp Friction (S5 E17, aired 03/08/2005)

Welcome or welcome back to a brand-new season of Inside the Box! This week join Jonathan and Steve as we commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks by speaking with Dr. Paul Arras (SUNY: Cortland) about his new book, American Television’s Live Coverage of the 9/11 Attacks: Journalism on the Screen (Rowman & Littlefield). For those too young to have lived through that day, learn about what we actually thought and knew within those crucial first hours. If you did live through it – and feel safe enough to think through it – be reminded about a media ecosystem so very different than the one we’re living in today.



Dr. Paul Arras



Dan Rather Anchoring the News on 9/11









The Start of ABC News’s Coverage (later with Peter Jennings):









The Beginning of NBC News’s Coverage (later with Tom Brokaw):

Join Jonathan for a short episode that explains the end of this podcast season and what to look forward to in the future and when.

This week join Steve and Jonathan as they continue their discussion of the groundbreaking US sitcom, All In The Family. We discuss it’s transition from All In the Family to Archie Bunker’s Place, what other shows tried to fill the void, what shows today attempt to take on its themes, and whether the show could be re-done today to address our newest president…
















cast from season 1 of Archie Bunker’s Place



Sally Struthers spun-off her AITF character for a 1982 solo series titled “Gloria.”



cast of the Fox sitcom Roc (1991-1994)



Reality TV blurs the line between documentary and scripted scenarios. Nonetheless, Reality TV stars might seem “more real” than a fictional character like Archie.



Norman Lear rebooted One Day at a Time on Netflix. Could AITF be next?



President Trump’s tweets could be a stand-in for Archie’s old scripted one-liners.

This week join Steve and Jonathan as we usher in the holidays by discussing Christmas TV shows with author and expert, Joanna Wilson. Be sure to check out Joanna’s website: http://www.christmastvhistory.com/p/about-joanna-wilson.html for all the information you need about her multiple media appearances, articles, and books on the topic of Christmas on TV!

This week Jonathan, Steve, and Andrew attend the All-Star Party for Ronald “Dutch” Reagan. Do you like barely warmed over jokes? Do you love generic sound stages in Burbank? Want to see Sinatra struggle through a song that should be an easy home run? Want to see a group of aged genuine Hollywood stars pretend Reagan was a star? Well, rent your tux, call your driver, let us know whether you’d prefer the fish or the steak and join us for a lighthearted episode through one of the most surreal parties ever held on TV.




Dutch enraptured by Moses’ proclamation



greasy Steve Garvey



Nancy likes what she sees…



Moses in black tie



Rosie laughs at everything



Chairman of the board…struggling



Mr. Vereen with Emmanuel Lewis



Chuck’s rug is pissed

As a way to pay tribute to recently passed television producer Norman Lear (1922-2023), this week join Steve and Jonathan as they discuss the groundbreaking US sitcom, All In The Family. Why it worked, in what ways is it a product of the 1970s and in what ways is it timeless? We’ll even tip-toe toward whether the show could be re-done today to address our newest president…

This week join Steve in conversation with welcomed returned guest, Dr. Craig Coenen as they discuss the current state of Regional Sports Networks in the U.S.



If you’re new to the podcast, here are some basics about how to listen: Find last season’s free episodes wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, & Podbean) or through our homepage at https://www.tvhistorypod.com. You’ll also find additional videos and images on our homepage to supplement your listening experience (if you like).



Also, if you’d like access to our full archive of episodes, head over to https://www.patreon.com/tvhistorypod and consider donating. Donating a small amount grants you not only access to our FULL PATREON ARCHIVE of episodes, but you’ll also be able to listen to brand-new BONUS, Patreon-only episodes as well.




Regional Sports Territory Map (source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/)



The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 showing ESPN’s declining subscription numbers as Netflix rises in an article on Regional Sports Networks.




https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2023/1/16/23555328/marquee-sports-network-regional-sports-streaming-explained



https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/mlb-nba-rsn-sports-networks-1235538067/

This week join Steve, Jonathan, and Andrew as they discuss the pros and cons of increased regionalization of sports TV networks, and their histories. They also talk about the role collegiate sports play into this regional identity construction. Jonathan adds a thought he explored on the old 4th and Long podcast regarding the line between sports fandom and sports addiction and the 24/7 sports network programming hole.
























attribution: Awful Announcing



attribution: Sports Business Daily



attribution: www.whatyoupayforsports.com



attribution: Awful Announcing



attribution: www.al.com

In this episode Andrew, Steve, and Jonathan discuss David Sarnoff’s introduction of television for RCA at the 1939 World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows NY. Tune in to listen to this story about hope, the future, and looking for the “World of Tomorrow” during a time between economic depression and the cusp of world war. You might just learn something and have a few laughs along the way. Be sure to check out some of the historical photographs and documents embedded in this episode’s post.




Row of RCA TRK_12 Televisions inside RCA Pavilion



RCA TRK_12 Model



World’s Fair at Night in Color



Fair Button



Elektro the Smoking Robot Exhibit



1939 fair grounds layout



Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) interpretation of a World’s Fair




America’s First Television Tour (RCA Exhibit Guide Book 1939) link

Inspired by a real Jeopardy episode’s jokey category title, this week Jonathan and Steve discuss a hypothetical: what if The DuMont Network had survived past 1956? What would the channel have presented? Would we associate the NFL and DuMont like peanut and jelly? If it did survive for decades, what would its streaming service be showing us today?



If you’re new to the podcast, here are some basics about how to listen: Find last season’s free episodes wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, & Podbean) or through our homepage at https://www.tvhistorypod.com. You’ll also find additional videos and images on our homepage to supplement your listening experience (if you like).



Also, if you’d like access to our full archive of episodes, head over to https://www.patreon.com/tvhistorypod and consider donating. Donating a small amount grants you not only access to our FULL PATREON ARCHIVE of episodes, but you’ll also be able to listen to brand-new BONUS, Patreon-only episodes as well.



A Hat on a Hat: An old clip from TV History (Entertainment Tonight from 1986) discussing an even older moment in history, the DuMont Network:









A rare saved episode of Rocky King, Detective (1954, DuMont):



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQVOotRojo



Children’s show, Johnny Jupiter (1953, DuMont and later ABC, 1953-1954)

In this episode Steve, Andrew, and Jonathan discuss the often forgotten DuMont television network. Innovative, with stations in key east coast major markets, the DuMont network was ultimately done in by a combination of forces — the least of which being its uncooperative partner, Paramount Studios. Join us as we discuss DuMont and its legacy upon others’ later attempts at establishing a fourth network.




The show that helped launch Jackie Gleason



Comedian Ernie Kovacs in action



Bishop Sheen from popular DuMont program Life is Worth Living on the cover of TV Guide



Popular DuMont children’s program Captain Video



The electronicam shooting an episode of Captain Video




A great resource for the story of DuMont: http://www.dumontnetwork.com/index.html

This week join Jonathan as he discusses a famous example of politicians using television for marathon “sales” pitches (for themselves) – Thomas E. Dewey’s 1950 usage of the then-new medium of television.



Sources used for this episode:



Beyer, B.K. (1979). Thomas E. Dewey, 1937-1947: A Study in Political Leadership. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York.



Heldenfels, R.D. (1994). Television’s Greatest Year – 1954. Continuum, New York.



Smith, R.N. (1982). Thomas E. Dewey and His Times. Simon & Schuster, New York.