m60green

OK Mother was one of the first daytime broadcast television programs. This "audience participation" show was broadcast on the defunct Dumont Television Network at one o'clock. Prizes varied in range from a new Polaroid camera to a box of stockings. The highlight of the show is, of course, a very young Dennis "Jersey City" James who is so hyper, almost like he's on something. He seems to be bouncing off the walls and talking so fast that he's nearly foaming at the mouth. If he did this in every episode he would have stroked out and never would have moved on to be America's most recognizable game show hosts. His job was to spew out rhymes and approach an audience member to complete the rhyme or identify its author. Oh brother, what a show! The audience was nearly all female, nearly all wearing silly hats that were so stylish in the late '40's. A few men were in the audience and were given prizes, perhaps out of sympathy being the only guys there. Live commercials were presented in the show. Bayer aspirin was sold in glass bottles not like today with plastic and a cap requiring a stick of dynamite to take off. OK Mother is a gem from the early days of television. Enjoy.

I have to admit, the first time I saw LOCK UP I had to laugh but I truly enjoyed it. This syndicated show, first aired in 1959, is based on a real-life Philadelphia lawyer, Herbert L. Maris which was played by MacDonald Carey. Maris was devoting his career to defending the wrongly accused. What I found so humorous is his relation to his friend; police detective Weston, played brilliantly by John Doucette. Doucette puts the bad guys behind bars and Carey uses him to find the same guys innocent. I really doubt that Barry Scheck goes to the police or the prosecutors for assistance in freeing an innocent person. Doucette lets Carey walk in at anytime and goes through his files; all this makes the show fun to watch. It's like Perry Mason asking Lt. Tragg for help in finding his client innocent! How would it look if a LAW & ORDER defense attorney were to walk in on Briscoe and Green? Carey finds the bad guy on his own while Doucette is there by his side to make the arrest. And get this, Carey's character is a corporate not a criminal lawyer. He seems to have more than one secretary, all blonde and dumb, and he drives some cool wheels, usually a Dodge. Carey has the same long, sad face as John Kerry! All in all, LOCK UP is enjoyable. These days, with our rights being trampled on, society needs people like Scheck and Carey's character to protect the innocent from over-zealous prosecutors………..Richard

This was such a wonderful profile of a great American. This documentary combines my favorite passions: jazz & photography. The photographs of Milton Hilton not only does it document jazz history but the social conditions of the time. The "Whites Only" and "Colored Only" signs from the south show a dark side on American history. What was disturbing about the video was the fact that many people interviewed have recently passed away, almost like a voice from the past speaking about Mr. Hinton. People like Joe Williams, Gregory Hines, and Doc Cheatham. The only problem I have with "Milt Hinton" is that, according to the site, it is not available on DVD. Hopefully it will be available in the future because an outstanding work like this must be preserved.