Mariangela Melato R.I.P.

Italian actress Mariangela Melato died on 11 January 2013 at the age of 71. The cause was cancer.

Mariangela Melato was born in Milan, Italy on 19 September 1941. She studied acting at the Milan Theatre Academy.  She made her film debut in 1970 in Thomas e gli indemoniati. Over the next few years she appeared in such films as Basta guardarla (1970), Per grazia ricevuta (1971), Mimì metallurgico ferito nell'onore (1972--The Seduction of Mimi in the United States), Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero 'stamattina alle 10 in via dei Fiori nella nota casa di tolleranza (1973--Love and Anarchy in the United States), and La poliziotta (1974). It was in 1974 that she appeared in what was up to that time her biggest international success, Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto or, as it was called in English, Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August. While the film would be the centre of some controversy, it also received a good deal of critical acclaim. Miss Melato was singled out for her performance as a spoiled aristocrat. The late Seventies would see her appear in a few Hollywood films, as well as those made in Europe, including such films as Di che segno sei? (1975), Faccia di spia (1975), Todo modo (1976), Il gatto (1976), Casotto (1977), Oggetti smarriti (1980), and Flash Gordon (1980). She also appeared in the American mini-series Moses the Lawgiver.

In the Eighties she appeared in such films as So Fine (1981), Bello mio, bellezza mia (1982), Il petomane (1983), Figlio mio, infinitamente caro (1985), Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico (1986), and Mortacci (1989). She also appeared in such TV series and mini-series as Al paradise, Lulu, and Piazza Navona.  From the Nineties into the Naughts she appeared in such films as La fine è nota (1993), Panni sporchi (1999), Un uomo perbene (1999), L'amore ritorna (2004), and Vieni via con me (2005). She also appeared on the TV programme L'avvocato delle donne.

Miss Melato was an extremely talented actress with an incredible range. Indeed, she played extremely different roles in some of her best known films. In Mimì metallurgico ferito nell'onore she played the wife who takes revenge on her cheating husband. In Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza she played the prostitute Salome, who is involved in an assassination plot. In Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto she played a haughty aristocrat who is outspoken in her disdain of the political left. The three roles could not be more different, and yet they were all convincingly played by Mariangela Melato. She was definitely one of the most talented actresses of Europe in the late Twentieth Century.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Disappearing Defence Attorney

 It is quite possible that Perry Mason is the most famous, fictional lawyer of all time. Created by Erle Stanley Gardner, the character first appeared in the 1933 novel The Case of the Velvet Claws. He proved popular enough to appear in over 80 novels. Hollywood was unsuccessful in bringing the crime solving lawyer to the big screen, with only six movies made from 1934 to 1937, but a radio show based on the novels, Perry Mason, ran from 1943 to 1955 on CBS Radio.

 Despite the success of the novels and the radio show, however, the most famous incarnation of Perry Mason may have been on the television show that ran on CBS from 1957 to 1966. On television Perry Mason proved to be a smash hit, ranking in the top thirty shows for six of its nine years. Reruns of the show proved very successful in syndication, and it is still rerun to this day. In 1985 the show was revived in a series of TV movies that continued until Raymond Burr died in 1993. To this day when many people think of the character of Perry Mason, they think of actor Raymond Burr.

Given how much Raymond Burr was identified with the role of Perry Mason and how much the character of Perry Mason is identified with Raymond Burr, it might surprise many to know that in the show's sixth season its producers did the unthinkable. They produced episodes of Perry Mason without Perry Mason. Quite simply, there are four episodes in the sixth season in which Raymond Burr appears as Perry Mason for only a few minutes. In Perry Mason's place the cases are tried by other lawyers, each played by a well known guest star: Bette Davis, Michael Rennie, Hugh O'Brian, and Walter Pidgeon.

The reason for Raymond Burr's absence was related to his health. In an Associated Press article from 2 November 1962, television-radio writer Cynthia Lowry reported that Raymond Burr was going to hospital in December for "minor corrective surgery." She also reported that big name guest stars (including Bette Davis) would take his place. An Associated Press article from 11 February 1963 by Bob Thomas sheds a bit more light on the situation. In the article it is reported that Raymond Burr was returning to Perry Mason after recuperating from surgery to remove intestinal polyps. While the article reported that the polyps were cancerous, the books Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr by Michael Seth Starr and Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography by Ona L. Hill state that the polyps were benign.

As might be expected, the four episodes without Raymond Burr varied somewhat in quality. By far the best is "The Case of Constant Doyle." While the episode's plot could have been stronger, it is enlivened by the presence of Bette Davis (the "Constant Doyle" of the title), probably the biggest star to ever appear on the show. Constant Doyle is the sort of character that Miss Davis always played well, a wisecracking, whip smart, and somewhat cantankerous woman who still cares about her fellow human beings. The following episodes were not quite as good, even though the guest stars gave good performances. In "The Case of the Libelous Locket" Michael Rennie played Edward Lindley, a law school professor who finds himself defending one of his students. While Mr. Rennie did a great job as Professor Lindley, the case was not particularly interesting.  In "The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-bout" Hugh O'Brian gave a solid performance as playboy, entertainment lawyer Bruce Jason. The problem is that the episode could well be one of the most far fetched ever produced for Perry Mason. "The Case of the Surplus Suitor," featuring Walter Pidgeon as attorney Sherman Hatfield is perhaps the best of the four episodes besides "The Case of Constant Doyle." Mr. Pidgeon was very convincing as a defence attorney, and the episode had the best mystery of any of the four without Perry Mason.

Raymond Burr's surgery having taken place on 10 December 1962, he returned to work on Perry Mason in February 1963. Perry Mason was back at work on the episode "The Case of the Golden Oranges," which aired 7 March 1963. The four episodes produced while Raymond Burr recovered from his surgery would not be the last to be produced without him. "The Case of the Bullied Bowler" had Mike Connors (later of Mannix fame) filling in for Raymond Burr as attorney Joe Kelly.  According to Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography by Ona L. Hill, the reason that Mr. Burr did not appear in the episode was that he was out with infected teeth. Raymond Burr would also be absent in the episode "The Case of the Thermal Thief," where his place was taken by Barry Sullivan as lawyer Kenneth W. Kramer.  According to Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography by Ona L. Hill, Raymond Burr was absent from this episode due to illness.

Raymond Burr would miss no more episodes of Perry Mason, and the show ended its run with its ninth season. The final new episode aired on 22 May 1966. Curiously, when the series entered syndication in autumn 1966, the four episodes made while Raymond Burr was recovering from surgery during the sixth season were not made available for syndication. They would not be seen again until TBS bought the rights to air them in the mid-Eighties. They have been seen as part of the syndication run of Perry Mason ever since.

While it might seem odd for the producers of Perry Mason to make episodes that did not feature Raymond Burr as the famous attorney, there would be an attempt to make a series featuring Perry Mason, but without Raymond Burr in the role. The New Perry Mason starred Monte Markham as the crime solving lawyer, and debuted only seven years after the original series had left the air. It lasted only fifteen episodes, deubting on 16 September 1973 and last airing on 20 January 1974. There appear to have been several reasons for the failure of The New Perry Mason. The show was scheduled against two ratings powerhouses, The Wonderful World of Disney on NBC and The F.B.I. on ABC. The New Perry Mason also got poor reviews. In the end, however, one has to wonder if The New Perry Mason bombed simply because Raymond Burr wasn't there to play Perry Mason.

The original Perry Mason, starring Raymond Burr, would continue to air in syndication decades after The New Perry Mason was forgotten. Indeed, it is still in syndication. In 1985 Raymond Burr returned to his most famous role in a TV movie entitled Perry Mason Returns (although personally I think The Case of Perry Mason's Return would have been a better title). He would appear in 26 more television movies until his death in 1993. All 27 Perry Mason movies continue to air on TV stations and cable channels to this day. The character of Perry Mason may have been created by Erle Stanley Gardner, but it was a role that Raymond Burr made all his own. It then seems surprising that there were episodes of Perry Mason made in which Raymond Burr's presence was minimal at best.

Director David R. Ellis Passes On

Stunt coordinator and film director David R. Ellis died on 7 January 2013 at the age of 60. The cause of death is not yet known, but foul play was not suspected.

David R. Ellis was born in Hollywood, California on 8 September 1952. He made his film debut as an actor in 1975 in The Strongest Man in the World. As an actor he would appear in such films as Boardwalk (1979) , Rocky III (1982), Anna (1987), and The Bounty Hunter (1990). As an actor he guest starred on such shows as Wonder Woman, Flying High, and Paradise. His first stunt work was in Baby Blue Marine in 1976. In the late Seventies he performed stunts for such movies as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), The Game of Death (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and Carny (1980).

In the Eighties Mr. Ellis performed stunts for such films as Taps (1981), Sharky's Machine (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Scarface (1983), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), A Fine Mess (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Fatal Attraction (1987), Road House (1989), Warlock (1989), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), and Misery (1990). It was in the Eighties that he started work as a second unit or assistant director. He served in such capacity on such films in the Eighties as Fatal Attraction (1987) and Warlock (1989), as well as on the TV show Baywatch.

In the Nineties Mr. Ellis did stunts for such films as The Addams Family (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Body of Evidence (1993), Warlock: The Armageddon (1993), The Jungle Book (1994), and Harriet the Spy (1996).  He served as a second unit or assistant director on such films as Thunderheart (1992), Patriot Games (1992), Body of Evidence (1993), Beethoven's 2nd (1993), My Father the Hero (1994), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), Waterworld (1995), The Negotiator (1998), Ride with the Devil (1999), and The Perfect Storm (2000). It was in the Nineties that he made his directorial debut, with the film Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco (1996)

From the Naughts into the Teens  Mr. Ellis directed such films as Cellular (2004), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Asylum (2008), The Final Destination (2009), and Shark Night 3D (2011). He served as an assistant director or second unit director on such films as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001),The Matrix Reloaded (2003), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and Cop Out (2010).

There can be little doubt that David R. Ellis was one of the best stunt coordinators in the business. After all, his resume was filled with action films such as Scarface and Lethal Weapon. He was also a very good second unit director, responsible for directing action scenes in such films as The Matrix Reloaded, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. As a director it can be said that he showed promise. While Snakes on a Plane has received its share of abuse over the years, I personally thought it was a very good film. Indeed, it was one of the best parodies of Seventies disaster films in years, not to mention a very good example of intentional camp. As a stunt coordinator and a second unit director Mr. Ellis definitely possessed talent, and I suspect he could have become a very good director with a few more films under his belt.

TV Director Don Medford R.I.P.

Television director Don Medford died on 12 December 2012 at the age of 95.

Don Medford was born on 26 November 1917 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. In 1946 he moved to New York to work in live television. In the Fifties he directed episodes of such shows as Tales of Tomorrow, Campbell Playhouse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Studio 57, Climax, Kraft Theatre, Suspicion, General Electric Theatre, M Squad, Zane Grey Theatre, The Detectives, and The Rifleman.

In the Sixties he directed episodes of such shows as The Untouchables, Bus Stop, The U.S. Steel Hour, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Powell Theatre, The Lieutenant, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The F.B.I., and The Invaders. The episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. he directed was the pilot, "The Vulcan Affair." Among the episodes of The Fugitive that he directed was the two part finale, "The Judgement," which was for a time held the record for the largest audience of a television programme. The record would stand until it was broken by the 21 November 1980 episode of Dallas (on which it was revealed who shot J. R. Ewing).

In the Seventies he directed episodes of such shows as Cannon, The F.B.I., Police Story, and Baretta. He directed the feature films The Hunting Party (1971) and The Organisation (1971). In the Eighties he directed episodes of such shows as Trauma Centre, The Fall Guy, Hell Town, Dynasty, The Colbys, and True Blue.

Don Medford was one of the most skilled directors in television. Indeed, both the pilot for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  and the two part finale of The Fugitive are two of the best directed episodes of any television programme. Indeed, he was particularly skilled at shooting day for night, a talent he used often in the early days of his career. In a medium where direction is often little more than "point and shoot," Mr. Medford was one of those directors whose talent truly stood out.

Loretta Young's 100th Birthday

Of the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, very few could boast as long a career as Loretta Young had. She first appeared on screen in 1917 at age three in an uncredited role in The Primrose Ring. Her last appearance was in the television movie Lady in the Corner in 1989. While she was not acting that entire time (she cam out of retirement for Lady in the Corner), Loretta Young spent many more years in front of cameras than some of her contemporaries, acting regularly from the Twenties into the Sixties. It was 100 years ago today, on 6 January 1913, that Loretta Young was born.

Loretta Young remains one of the best known stars of the Golden Age, largely because she not only had a highly successful career in film, but also a successful career in television. Indeed, it can be argued that Miss Young's career spanned three media, if one considers silent film a different medium from talkies. Loretta Young was born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah on 6 January 1913. Her family moved to California when she was only three years old, and it was not long before she and her sisters Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (who used the stage name Sally Blane) became child actresses. Of the three young sisters, Gretchen (who would first be billed as "Loretta" in 1928) would prove to be by far the most successful. As a young child Miss Young appeared in bit parts in such films as Sirens of the Sea (1917) and The Sheik (1921). She would take a break from acting for her education, but when she returned to acting it was not long before her star was on the rise. Appearing in small parts in Naughty But Nice (1927) and The Whip Woman (1927), she found herself playing opposite Lon Chaney in Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) at the tender age of 15.  She was named one of WAMPAS Baby Stars (WAMPAS being short for the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers) the following year.

It would be in talkies that Loretta Young would become one of the biggest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. Not only beautiful, but also elegant, Miss Young would develop a screen image of the wholesome, ladylike, yet glamorous woman who more often than not played devoted wives and even nuns. This was not always the case, however, as early in her career Miss Young played roles that were very different from those she was play later in her career. A perfect example of this is Born to Be Bad (1934), one of the very last Pre-Code films (indeed, it was released only six weeks before the MPAA began a much stricter enforcement of the Production Code). In the film Loretta Young plays an unwed mother whose job was essentially pleasing male buyers for a department store, often receiving money and clothes in return. In fact, it was a role originally written for Jean Harlow. It could well have been the most lurid role Miss Young ever played.

Here it was must pointed out that Born to Be Bad was not an isolated case, as in her early career Loretta Young played several roles that may well have shocked fans familiar with her later career. In Midnight Mary (1933) she played an orphan who took up a life of crime (indeed, the movie begins with her on trial for murder). In Man's Castle (1933) Loretta Young played a character closer to those later in her career (Trina is sweet, innocent, and naive), although the character is not only homeless, but eventually winds up pregnant out of wedlock. In Devil to Pay (1930) Miss Young, perhaps better known for more serious characters, played a madcap heiress.

While later in her career Loretta Young would find herself cast in primarily wholesome, elegant, ladylike roles, even then she played parts that departed from that image to a degree. In The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), Miss Young played the deaf love interest and later wife of Alexander Graham Bell, Mabel. In Ladies Courageous (1944) she played Roberta Harper, who is in charge of the WAFs (the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, who ferried planes across the United States). In The Stranger (1946) Loretta Young played a woman who did not realise that her husband was a Nazi war criminal.

While many might be tempted to underestimate Loretta Young's acting talent because later in her career she primarily played wholesome, ladylike characters, her early career and various parts later in her career proved she was capable of playing different sorts of characters and doing so very well. Even had she not played a wide variety of roles early in her career, it must be pointed out that Loretta Young played the elegant, wholesome roles for which she was best known very well, making each character different from the others. Indeed, this can be seen in her what today may be her two best known movies. In The Bishop's Wife Loretta Young played Julia, the intelligent, sophisticated, and fashionable wife of Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven). Although as as elegant and as ladylike as any of Miss Young's later characters, she endowed Julia with both a sense of fun and a sense of romance--indeed, Julia even exudes a certain amount of sex appeal, wholesome though it may be. In The Farmer's Daughter Loretta Young played a character who was in some ways quite different from Julia in The Bishop's Wife. She played Katie Holstrom, a Swedish American fresh from the farm who finds herself working as a maid for a United States Congressman. Although sweet and intelligent in the same way that Julia in The Bishop's Wife was, Katie was also not nearly as educated and a little bit naive. Although similar, then, Loretta Young's two best known roles were also quite different, and she gave great performances both times.

Loretta Young's film career reached its peak in the Forties, when she made such films as A Night to Remember (1942), The Farmer's Daughter (1947), and The Bishop's Wife (1947). In fact, the height of her career may well have been from 1947 to 1949, when what may well be her best known films were released (The Farmer's Daughter, The Bishop's Wife, and Come to the Stable). Unfortunately, the string of hit films Miss Young made in the late Forties would come to an end. Whereas the movies she had made for much of the Forties were particularly strong, the movies she made in the early Fifties would be somewhat weak. Films such as Half Angel (1951) and her last feature film, It Happens Every Thursday (1953), did not match the quality of her work in the Forties, something that was reflected in their box office takes as well.

With her film career in decline, Loretta Young made the move to television. Letter to Loretta debuted in 1953. The series was a dramatic anthology. In its original format Miss Young would read a letter from a fan in which the answer would be the teleplay. This format would be dropped early in the series' run and it would be renamed The Loretta Young Show. Although it did not possess the prestige of such anthology series as Studio One and Playhouse 90, it was very well respected. Over the years it was nominated for several Emmys and won Emmys for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series (Miss Young herself) and Best Cinematography for Television. Loretta Young not only hosted the show, but starred in many of the teleplays as well. The show would have a fairly good syndication run, although the introductions were omitted (Miss Young was concerned about the dated fashions and hairstyles she wore in them). More recently the show has appeared on such channels as ME-TV, with the introductions intact.

Following the end of The Loretta Young Show in 1961, Loretta Young returned to television in The New Loretta Young Show. The New Loretta Young Show was a comedy with dramatic touches centred around Christine Massey (played by Loretta Young), the widowed mother of seven children who was also a freelance writer. Despite following the hit Andy Griffith Show, The New Loretta Young Show did not prove successful and ran for only one season. After The New Loretta Young Show, Miss Young went into retirement. She came out of retirement for two television movies, Christmas Dove (later renamed Christmas Eve) in 1986 and Lady in the Corner in 1989. In 1994 she was one of the narrators of "Life Along the Mississippi," a segment of the American Traditions series. Loretta Young died 12 August 2000 from ovarian cancer.

One hundred years after her birth Loretta Young remains one of the best known stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I suspect this is not because she starred in a number of hit movies that remain popular today or even because she starred in a popular television show that ran for several years I don't even think it was because Loretta Young was an incredibly beautiful woman whose beauty apparently never faded. Instead I think it was because she was actually quite a good actress, although the fact is not often acknowledged these days. Early in her career she played a number of roles that would actually shock those familiar with her later career. Even during her later career she played roles that were often different from her typical, wholesome and ladylike roles, and there was even a bit of variety in the elegant wholesome roles for which she was known. Quite simply, Loretta Young was a good actress who could add depth to nearly any character she played and do so convincingly. I rather suspect, then, that it is because of her talent and not necessarily her great beauty or her many hit movies that she remains remembered today.

The Age of Television Period Pieces

 In the history of American television, with the exception of Westerns and war dramas, period dramas and comedies have been a rarity. Relatively few have been hits and very few are remembered. Indeed, unlike other genres, it is fairly easy to name the majority of the successful period pieces outside of Westerns and war dramas that have aired on American television from the late Forties to the Naughts: The Untouchables, The Waltons, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Crime Story, The Wonder Years, and That Seventies Show. It is then rather remarkable that the past several seasons have seen two shows set in the past that have become outright phenomena. In the United States Mad Men debuted in 2007 on AMC and became a breakout hit. Downton Abbey debuted on ITV in 2010 and became a hit there. It later debuted on PBS in the United States in early 2011 where it repeated its success. As might be expected with two hit television period pieces, others have followed suit.

Of course, period pieces have traditionally been more common on British television than American television, so it should come as no surprise that at least three of the recent hit period pieces in the United States come from British television.  Downton Abbey originated on ITV in the United Kingdom. The Hour, centring on a British public affairs show on the BBC in the Fifties, originated on BBC Two and aired in the States in BBC America. Call the Midwife, the show centring on midwives in the Fifties, originated on BBC One. That having been said, the past several year have seen several home grown period pieces become hits on American television.

The vast majority number of period pieces on American television the past many years have aired on cable. Boardwalk Empire debuted on HBO in September 2010, before Downton Abbey even hit American shores, and proved to be a hit. The series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1930's. The Starz series Magic City was perhaps not as successful as Boardwalk Empire, but did well enough to be given a second season. Debuting on Starz in 2012, it centres on a hotel in Miami in the Sixties. AMC boasts one other period piece besides Mad Men, the Western Hell on Wheels. Hell on Wheels debuted on the channel in 2011 and focuses on the building of the transcontinental railroad. Copper is BBC America's first original production and debuted on the channel in 2012. It centres on police officers in New York City in the 1860's. It proved to be their highest rated series ever besides Doctor Who.

Despite the popularity of period dramas on PBS and the various cable channels, the broadcast networks have not made much of an effort to capitalise on the new popularity of period pieces in the past few seasons. In the 2011-2012 season only two period pieces debuted on the broadcast networks. One of the two was the disastrous Playboy Club, set in the Chicago Playboy Club in the Sixties. The series crashed and burned in about a month, perhaps because of bad scripts and historical inaccuracies. It aired on NBC. The other was Pan Am, a show that focused on a crew working for that airline in the Sixties. ABC cancelled it after only one season. This season so far only one new period piece has debuted on the broadcast networks. Vegas is set in Las Vegas in the early Sixties and is essentially a highly fictionalised account of the real life Sheriff Ralph Lamb. Unlike both Playboy Club and Pan Am, it appears to be doing well in the ratings.

Vegas may not be the only period piece on the American broadcast networks for very long. NBC signed Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes to create a show set in New York City in the late 1800's, The Gilded Age. Another period piece set to air on NBC is Crossbones, a pirate drama created by Luther creator Neil Cross. Set to air in the 2012-2013 season on NBC is Dracula, a series based on Bram Stoker's novel and set in the late 1800's.  ABC also has period pieces in development, including Big Thunder (about a mining town during the Gold Rush), Finn & Sawyer (which features Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer as young men in New Orleans), and Highlanders (set in medieval Scotland with the Scots fighting off invading Vikings). Strangely enough, the one of the three older networks to actually have had success with a period piece (Vegas), CBS, does not seem to have any in the works at the moment.

While the American broadcast networks are giving period pieces another try, there are yet more British period pieces making the trip across the Pond. Ripper Street is set in Whitechapel, London following the Jack the Ripper murders. It debuted on the BBC in December 2012 and is set to debut on BBC America this month. Endeavour, a series set in the 1960's and featuring Inspector Morse when he was young, is set to air on ITV this year. The pilot aired on Masterpiece Mystery, so that the series itself will probably make its way across the Atlantic as well.

So far I have only talked about British and American productions, but the Canadians have also produced a hit period drama. Murdoch Mysteries debuted on CityTV in 2008 and proved to be quite successful. The series centres on detective William Murdoch in Toronto, Ontario in the 1890's. It has aired on PBS stations in the United States and it is available streaming on Amazon Prime in the U.S. as well. It has developed a bit of a cult following in the United States.

Of course, the question is, "Why have period dramas proven popular on American television in the past few years?" At least one reason could be the simple fact that American television has always rushed to emulate success. In the 1955-1956 season when the Westerns Cheyenne, Gunsmoke, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp proved to be hits, the broadcast networks rushed to make Western. Quite naturally, when Mad Men proved to be a hit, one would expect other cable channels and the broadcast networks to emulate its success. Indeed, it must be noted that a suspicious number of recent period dramas have been set in the Sixties (Playboy Club, Pan Am, Magic City, Vegas). Downton Abbey appears to be having the same effect. While the broadcast networks are not rushing to make Edwardian dramas, it is notable that some of the shows in development are set in none too distant Victorian Era (Dracula) and one of them comes from Downton Abbey's creator himself (The Gilded Age).

Cable channels and the broadcast networks' rush to emulate success is only part of the answer, however, as it does not entirely explain the success of Mad Men, Murdoch Mysteries, and Downton Abbey. While much of their success is probably due to the fact that they are well acted and well written shows, I suspect that much of the reason for their success may go a bit deeper. Quite simply, the Naughts saw both the British and American economies collapse. In such times of turmoil it is typical for people to turn to what are called "comfort shows," which much like "comfort food" offers solace to individuals under stress. The phenomenon was observed in the United States following the 9/11 attacks, after which older television shows on the broadcast networks rose in the ratings.

While comfort shows are generally old favourites to which people turn in times of trouble (Bonanza and The Avengers are comfort shows for me), they can also be shows set in periods that people think of as simpler or, at least less troubled, times. Older people with fond memories of the Sixties might well tune into Mad Men to recapture a bit of what they may feel were happier times. Younger people may tune into Downton Abbey as a means of escape; for about an hour they can escape the hardships of the Teens and enter an Edwardian world that seems in some ways less stressful. Period dramas can then act as a comfort shows for many, giving them a chance to escape the present into a past which they may or may not actually have lived through.

Regardless, it would seem as if the current cycle towards period pieces is not going to end any time soon. Indeed, it would appear that it may just be getting started. With several period dramas still doing well in the ratings and with several more on the way, the Teens could be remembered for its cycle of period dramas in the way that the Fifties are for its cycle of Westerns or the Sixties for its cycle of spy shows.

Patti Page R.I.P.

Patti Page, one of the most popular singers of the 1950's, passed yesterday at the age of 85.

Patti Page was born Clara Ann Fowler on 8 November 1927 in Claremore, Oklahoma, a small town outside Tulsa. She was working in the art department of  KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma when an executive heard her sing and asked her to take over a show sponsored by Page Milk Company. On the show she was called "Patti Page," after the show's sponsor. She kept the name even after she left the show to perform with the Jimmy Joy Band.

Miss Page was signed to Mercury Records in 1947. Her first single, "Confess," went to #12 on the Billboard singles chart. She followed it up with several other hits, including "Say Something Sweet," "So In Love," "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming," and "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine." The year 1950 would prove to be a banner year for her. It was that year Patti Page had her first number one single, "All My Love (Bolero)." That same year she would have her biggest hit, "Tennessee Waltz," which hit number one on the Billboard singles chart and stayed there for thirteen weeks. From the Fifties into the Sixties Patti Page would have a long string of hits, including "Mockin' Bird Hill," "Detour," "I Went to Your Wedding," "You Belong to Me," "Why Don't You Believe Me,"  "(How Much Is That) Doggie In the Window," "Allegheny Moon," and "Old Cape Cod." Miss Page appeared frequently on television in the Fifties. on shows from All Star Revue to The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1953 she was on Scott Musical Hall. In 1955 she was the host of a syndicated show called The Patti Page Show. In 1957 she hosted The Big Record. In 1959 she was the host of The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show.

Unfortunately with the coming of rock 'n' roll, Patti Page's career went into decline. While she still had hits in the late Fifties, they did not do quite as well on the charts. From 1960 to 1966, her only major hit was "Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte." It was not long before "Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte" was released that she signed with Columbia Records. While her songs with Columbia Records did not do particularly well on the Billboard Hot 100, they were often quite successful on the Adult Contemporary chart. Among her songs that did well on the Adult Contemporary chart were "Gentle On My Mind," "Little Green Apples," and "Stand by Your Man."

It was in 1970 that Patti Page returned to Mercury Records. She remained with them for about three years and shifted her career towards country music. She had hits on the country chart, including "I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You," "Give Him Love," and "Hello, We're Lonely." In 1973 she returned to Columbia Records, where she released a few more country singles. Starting in 1974 Miss Page went on a five year hiatus. In 1980 she signed with Plantation Records. In 1981 she hit the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100 when "No Aces" went to #39.

Miss Page would only release a few more singles, and one more album (Brand New Tennessee Waltz in 2000). She continued to perform well into the Naughts and was the host of an interview programme on the "Music of Your Life" radio network.

There can be no doubt that Patti Page's phenomenal success was largely due to her voice. She had a beautiful alto voice that was to listening what silk is to touch. What is more, she had a sincerity about her singing that allowed her to perform such songs as “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window” without sounding silly. It must also be pointed that Miss Page was highly adaptable when it came to music styles. Her biggest hit, "Tennessee Waltz," not only hit the pop chart, but the country and rhythm and blues charts as well. Over the years she performed everything from novelty songs (“How Much Is That Doggie in the Window") to pop standards ("So in Love") to jazz ("Nevertheless"). Few performers had voices as beautiful as that of Patti Page, and very few were ever as adaptable as her with regards to music styles.