TVC 692.4: A return visit by Dean Butler, the actor known around the world to three generations to television viewers as Almanzo Wilder, Laura Ingalls’ husband on Little House on the Prairie. Among other topics this segment, Dean and Ed discuss the forthcoming Netflix reimaging of Little House; Dean’s early experiences working as an extra (then, later, as an actor) on The Streets of San Francisco, including sharing screen time with Michael Douglas in the famous Streets episode “The Thrill Killers,” featuring Patty Duke and Susan Dey; and the difference between having a craft for acting and having a facility for it. Dean’s memoir, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond, is available wherever books are sold through Kensington Books, an imprint of Citadel Press. Dean Butler and other cast members from Little House on the Prairie are scheduled to appear at the Little House cast reunion at Columbia State Historic Park in Tuolumne County, California on June 6-7-8, 2025. Go to LittleHouseGoldCountry.com for tickets and more information.

TVC 692.5: Dean Butler talks to Ed about how the documentary films of Ken Burns served as a major inspiration when Dean transitioned from acting to production; how Dean’s connection with producer/director Keith Allo led to Dean producing the award-winning NBC Golf Channel talk show Feherty, hosted by former golf professional David Feherty; and the back story behind Feherty’s interview with comedian Larry David. Dean’s memoir, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond, is available wherever books are sold through Kensington Books, an imprint of Citadel Press. Dean Butler is scheduled to appear at the Little House cast reunion at Columbia State Historic Park in Tuolumne County, California on June 6-7-8, 2025. Go to LittleHouseGoldCountry.com for tickets and more information.

TVC 691.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, a sweeping look at the history of television, from its early inception in 1944 through the present day, that not only takes you behind the scenes of every prime time season and prime time schedule over the past nine decades, but tells you what was actually on TV each year; what was happening behind the scenes in television at the times those shows were made; and how the shows we saw from year to year often reflected various events that were happening in the world at large. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press. Topics this segment include how the final episode of The Fugitive (originally broadcast on ABC on Aug. 29, 1967) ushered in the era of series finales that attempt to wrap up all the loose ends of a show’s characters and storylines; how even an unsatisfactory finale shows how much we care about the characters of our favorite shows (and why that’s an integral part of the story of American television); and whether physical media such as Blu-rays and DVDs still have a place in television today. 

TVC 691.2: Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, talk to Ed about the 1965-1966 television season, a landmark year that not only saw the premiere of many series that are still considered classics (including Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Green Acres, and The FBI), but the start of the now-common network practice of midseason replacements—a phenomenon that came about by accident. Other topics this segment include why network TV schedules used to always begin in September; and the evolution of single sponsor shows during the first decade of network to the now-standard practice of participating sponsors. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press.

TVC 691.3: Ed welcomes Tim Gray, award-winning documentary filmmaker, founder of The World War II Foundation, and the producer and director of Miles, Morale and Memories: Bob Hope and World War II, a new documentary about Bob Hope and his dedication to entertaining the troops of World War II. Narrated by Gary Sinise, the documentary features insight and commentary from Linda Hope, Bob Hope’s daughter; Joe Colonna, grandson of Jerry Colonna, Hope’s aide de camp during the World War II years; many World War II historians and World War II veterans; plus some of the many letters written to Hope by our service men and women and/or their families. Miles, Morale and Memories: Bob Hope and World War II is scheduled to air on more than three hundred PBS stations over the next few weeks. Check your local listings for time and channel. You can also enjoy it on demand at PBS.org or by downloading the PBS app. For more on the World War II Foundation, go to wwiifoundation.org. For more on the Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation and the Bob Hope Legacy, go to BobHope.org.

TVC 691.4: Tim Gray, producer and director of Miles, Morale and Memories: Bob Hope and World War II, talks to Ed about the many ways in which Gary Sinise can be considered the “Bob Hope of our generation”; how Hope often ran through his monologue with his wife, Dolores, before he performed it in front of our troops; and why, in many respects, Hope was the first comedian ever to perform stand-up in front of a live audience. Miles, Morale and Memories: Bob Hope and World War II is available for viewing on demand at PBS.org or by downloading the PBS app. For more on the World War II Foundation, go to wwiifoundation.org. For more on the Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation and the Bob Hope Legacy, go to BobHope.org.

TVC 690.1: Ed welcomes back film and television actor James DuMont (The Righteous Gemstones, American Sports Story, The Butler). One of the busiest performers in and out of Hollywood, James can currently be seen opposite Don Johnson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Jack Huston in Unit 234, the new thriller directed by Andy Tennant that is currently available for viewing on demand after a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and other select U.S. cities. Topics this segment include a discussion on the difference between “fortune” and “luck,” and why every actor must continue to work on getting better at their craft if they wish to enjoy a long and successful career.

TVC 690.2: James DuMont talks to Ed about working opposite Don Johnson in the new action thriller Unit 234; his approach to playing the detective who prosecuted fallen NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story; and the joy of working alongside his son, actor Kelton DuMont, on The Righteous Gemstones. Unit 234 is now available for viewing on demand on Amazon Prime and other steaming platforms.

TVC 690.3: Ed welcomes back Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, a sweeping look at the history of television from 1944 through the present day, from its early inception as a passive activity to its current form as a multi-tiered experience. Recently updated and re-released as a fourth edition, Watching TV not only takes you behind the scenes of every prime time season and prime time schedule over the past nine decades, but includes an ongoing timeline of the major personalities, trends, and breakout shows that comprise the individual stories of each television season. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press. Topics this segment include how, despite the many ways in which television has changed since 1944, two things have remained constant: (1) networks want to control the content we watch, while viewers want as many choices as possible, and (2) viewers want to pay as little as possible for the content they watch.

TVC 690.4: Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, co-authors of Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, talk to Ed about how the phenomenon of “time shifting” for TV viewers began long before the era of streaming; why Jack Gould, television critic for the New York Times during the 1950s and ’60s, can be considered one of the first “influencers” of television (and why Gould was particularly enamored of the many live dramatic anthology series that dominated the first decade of network TV); and why Michael Nesmith (The Monkees, Elephant Parts) was proud to be one of the influencers of television during the mid-to-late 1960s—an era that Nesmith once described to Wally as the “teen age” years of the medium. Watching TV: Revised Fourth Edition is available wherever books are sold through Syracuse University Press.