For Moira Shearer's Centenary, "The Tale of Olympia" from The Tales of Hoffman (1951)

Moira Shearer was born 100 years ago on this date in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. She remains famous both as a ballerina and an film star. As a ballerina, she was a rival to the great Margot Fonteyn. She danced Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty in 1946, and danced in both  Symphonic Variations and  Coppelia that same year. In 1948, she danced in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella. As an actress in film, she only made a few movies, but they were significant. She worked with Michael Powell in The Red Shoes (1948), The Tales of Hoffman (1951), and Peeping Tom (1960). She played multiple roles in the comedy The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955).

Of course, most of Moira Shearer's roles on film would involve dance in some way, even Peeping Tom (1960). While Moira Shearer's best known dance performance on film remains her first in The Red Shoes (1948), she was also remarkable as Olympia in the sequence "The Tale of Olympia" in The Tales of Hoffman (1951). Fortunately, Turner Classic Movies uploaded the entire "Tale of Olympia" to YouTube a year ago. Here, then, in tribute to Moria Shearer on what would have been her 100th birthday is "The Tale of Olympia."

The 90th Anniversary of the Radio Show Gang Busters

It was 90 years ago today, on January 15, 1936, that the radio show Gang Busters debuted on CBS. Gang Busters was an anthology series that dramatized real-life police histories based on files from  police departments across the country. It was known for its opening, which featured the sound of a machine gun, a police siren, the sound of convicts marching, and a police radio. It gave rise to the phrase, "come on like Gang Busters," which is still in use to this day. Gang Busters proved to be phenomenally popular and would expand into media beyond radio. It would have a lasting impact as one of the earliest examples of the true crime genre. 

The origins of Gang Busters go back to an earlier radio show titled G-Men. Both shows were created by Phillips H. Lord, who had earlier created Sunday Evening at Seth Parker's, what might be described today as a faith-based program. It was after that show ended that Phillips H. Lord created G-Men, which largely owed its existence to the 1935 movie of the same name starring James Cagney. G Men (1935) was released in the spring of 1935 and proved to be a smash hit. The success of G Men, as well as the popularity of the true crime genre in general at the time, convinced Phillips H. Lord that a radio show based on real-life F.B.I. cases could be successful.

G-Men proved to be a somewhat difficult experience for Phillips H. Lord. J. Edgar Hoover did not particularly approve of a radio show based on F.B.I. cases. Fortunately the United States Attorney General of the time, Homer Cummings did like the idea of the program and as a result Phillips H. Lord obtained access to the F.B.I's files. Unfortunate for Mr. Lord, G-Men would still have to produced with the cooperation of J. Edgar Hoover, who insisted that only closed cased be used for the show and that every single script be approved by him or another high ranking F.B.I official. J. Edgar Hoover also insisted that the F.B.I. agents on the show conform to his vision of G-men, who were invariably strong, educated, intelligent, and free of any eccentricities who pretty much simply cogs in the machine that was the F.B.I. This was completely at odds with what Phillips H. Lord wanted, which was a radio show filled with excitement. Although the show was popular, it was because of the clashes between Phillips H. Lord and J. Edgar Hoover that G-Men ran only one season on NBC Blue, from July 20, 1935 to October 12, 1935.

G.Men would return after a fashion as Gang Busters. Gang Busters was in some respects the same show as G-Men, except that it focused on local law enforcement across the country for the most part instead of the F.B.I.  In other words, Phillips H. Lord would not have to deal with J. Edgar Hoover. To lend more credibility to Gang Busters, Phillips H. Lord had  former head of the New Jersey State Police Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. introduce the show. Later  New York City police commissioner Lewis Joseph Valentine would handle the introductions. 

Not only would Gang Busters feature well-known law enforcement officials introducing the show, but it also featured well-known radio stars, some of who would go onto success in other media. Among them were Joan Banks and her husband Frank Lovejoy, Art Carney, Larry Haines, and Richard Widmark. 

As mentioned earlier, the success of Gang Busters led to the phrase "come on like Gang Busters" entering the English language. It also led to Gang Busters being adapted to other media, In 1942, Universal produced 13 chapter movie serial, Gangbusters, starring  Kent Taylor, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan, and Robert Armstrong. Among the most successful adaptations of Gang Busters to another medium was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1947 to 1959 for 67 issues. 

Like many radio shows, Gang Busters would make the transition to television, although it did so because of another radio show, Dragnet. When Dragnet first came to television, however, its creator and producer Jack Webb had difficulty producing a half hour episode each week.  NBC needed a show to air during the weeks that they did not have episodes of Dragnet. As a result Gang Busters came to television as a temporary show that would alternate weeks with Dragnet until Jack Webb could begin producing weekly episodes. The television version of Gang Busters debuted on March 20, 1950, on NBC, and proved to be a hit. It ranked no. 14 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1951-1952 season. For the 1952-1953 season, it actually ranked no. 8. Unfortunately for the producers of Gang Busters, by 1952 Jack Webb was able to provide NBC with a new episode of Dragnet every week. NBC then cancelled Gang Busters despite the fact that it was the no. 8 show for the season.

For syndication, the television version of Gang Busters was re-titled Captured and nine new episodes were added to the seventeen episodes broadcast on NBC. Episodes of the show were also edited, along with new footage, into two feature films: Gang Busters (1955) and Guns Don't Argue (1957). 

Gang Busters ultimately had a long run on radio, although it did change networks from time to time. It aired on CBS until 1940, at which point it moved to the NBC Blue Network, its first episode airing there on October 11, 1940. It moved back to CBS on January 8, 1948. It was in 1955 that it moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System with its final season starting there on October 5, 1955. In the end, it ran until November 27, 1957 At twenty one years, it was one of the longest running, broadcast network radio shows. 

Gang Busters would have a lasting impact beyond a still common phrase in English. It was one of the earliest true crime shows in any medium, and would pave the way for other, similar radio shows. Border Patrol, Call the Police, Dragnet The Black Museum, and yet others owe something to Gang Busters. Perhaps Calling All Cars, which debuted in 1933 and dramatized Los Angeles Police Department cases, had as much impact on Gang Busters. Gang Busters' impact would even be felt on television, and can be seen in shows from Dragnet to America's Most Wanted. It is still seen today in the form of true crime podcasts and shows like Dateline NBC. Chances seem good that Gang Busters will still have an impact 90 years from now.

The 60th Anniversary of the TV Series Batman

The classic TV series Battman, starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, debuted 60 years ago today, on January 12, 1966. I have already written considerably about Batman on this blog, so I will not write another detailed post today. Regardless, I did want to recognize today, as Batman is one of the most significant TV shows in my life, if not the most significant. Quite simply, I first saw Batman when I was very young, before I could even read. It is because of that show that I sought out Batman comic books when I could read. It was comics books that led to me to want to become a writer. In other words, without the TV show Batman, this blog might not even exist.

Anyhow, if you want to read the history of Batman, I wrote a two part article on it years ago, "Batmania: How Batman Conquered America in 1966" . There is also a good deal of information on the show in my post "Batman Turns 75 Part Three: Television, Radio, and Other Media. For now I will leave you with the opening credits for Batman, featuring one of the most popular theme songs of all time. 

The 60th Anniversary of Daktari

If you're a younger Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, or a Millennial, it is quite possible that you might remember a show called Daktari.Daktari is a family drama about a veterinarian in Africa that aired on CBS from 1966 to 1969. It proved to be popular as a syndicated rerun on local stations in the Seventies, and aired on cable channels from the Eighties into the Naughts. Today it can be found on more than one streaming channel. Daktari debuted sixty yeas ago today, on January 11, 1966, on CBS.

Daktari centred on Dr. Marsh Tracy (Marshall Thompson), a veterinarian who runs a the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour, in East Africa.. He was assisted by his daughter Paula (Cheryl Miller), native African Mike Makula (Hari Rhodes), and animal hospital member Jack Dane (Yale Summers). Marsh and Cheryl had two unusual pets in the form of a cross-eyed lion  named Clarence and a chimpanzee named Judy. As to the title, it is the Swahili word for "doctor."

The origins of Daktari go back to the 1965 movie Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, produced by Ivan Tors. Ivan Tors's inspiration for Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) came from the real-life work of Dr. Antonie Marinus Harthoorn and his wife Sue Hart, who operated an animal sanctuary in Kenya. Ivan Tors went to Kenya on vacation, where he visited Antonie Marinus Harthoorn and Sue Hart's animal sanctuary. Ivan Tors's visit led to the movie Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, which in turn led to Daktari. Marshall Thompson and Cheryl Miller reprised their roles as Dr. Marsh Tracy and his daughter Paula for the TV series.

Of course, given the movie's title, it should come as no surprise that Clarence the cross-eyed lion was more or less the star of both the film and the TV show. Clarence was born and raised in the animal reserve Africa USA in California. Ivan Tors took an interest in Clarence and was convinced of his star potential. Despite this, Clarence's visual impairment would cause problems from time to time. Fortunately, Clarence's vision would improve over time. It was in part because of Clarence's visual impairment, in part because he was frightened of vehicles, and in part because he was so tame that stunt doubles were used for him. . In those scenes with vehicles present, then, a lion named Leo was used. At the time Leo was the lion appearing in the MGM logos of the time. Yet another, much less gentle lion also named Leo was used for those scenes in which Clarence was called upon to growl or snarl. 

Daktari debuted on Tuesday, January 11, 1966, and proved to be a hit. In its first season, it ranked no. 14 for the year in the Nielsen ratings. It performed even better in its second season, ranking no. 7 for the season in the Nielsens. The show's popularity would lead to merchandise associated with the series. Dell published a Daktari comic book that ran for four issues from 1967to 1969. A paperback novel was published by Ace Books in the U.S. There was also a Big Little Book. Four Darktari paperbacks were published in the UK by Souvenir Press Ltd. Corgi Toys put out a set that included the Land Rover from the show as well as figures of Clarence, Dr. Tracy, Paula, and Judy.

For its third season, Daktari dropped in the ratings from no. 7 to 33. In its first season, Daktari faced such competition as My Mother the Car and Please Don't Eat the Daisies on NBC and Combat! on ABC. The firs two shows bombed in the ratings for the season, while Combat! did not appeal to children the way Daktari did. For its second season, Daktari continued to face Combat! on ABC, but its competition on NBC continued to be another low-rated show, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. For its third season, Daktari faced stronger competition on NBC in the form of I Dream of Jeannie. While I Dream of Jeannie received mediocre ratings during its original network run, it was popular with children, the primary audience for Daktari.

For its fourth season, Daktari saw some changes. Yales Summers left the show. He was replaced by Ross Hagen as Bart Jason, a popular guide for safaris who had been a hunter and ranger. Also joining the cast was a young Erin Moran, who played Jenny Jones, an orphan who joined the Tracy household. Unfortunately, Daktari would only last one more season.

Perhaps because its ratings had declined, CBS moved Daktari from Tuesday night at 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central to Wednesday night at 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central. In its new times slot, its ratings toppled catastrophically. Unfortunately, its new Wednesday night time slot put it against the still popular Western The Virginian on NBC. The Virginian ranked no. 17 for the year.Ultimately, CBS cancelled Daktari only 15 episodes into its fourth season. It was replaced by The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which did much better in the time slot.

While Daktari had ended its original network run, it was hardly forgotten. The show entered syndication and proved to be poplar on local TV stations in the United States from the Seventies well into the Eighties. CBN (the forerunner of the Family Channel that later became Freeform) aired the show in Eighties. In the Nineties, it could be seen on TNT and still later on Animal Planet. Currently, Daktari can be streamed on Tubi and The Roku Channel.

Daktari remains fondly remembered by many people of a certain age, whether they discovered it in its original network run, as a syndicated rerun on their local TV station, or as a rerun on a cable channel. It is the sort of animal show made for children that they simply don't make any longer. Despite this, it seems possible that it might continue to be seen sixty years from now.