Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990 TAG: 9006300501
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
These shows air in off hours on an assortment of channels, mostly cable, so you may not know they are there
For something completely different, skip the news and take a gander at "Abbott & Costello," one of the most ridiculous sitcoms ever produced. Chicago superstation WGN airs the reruns Monday through Saturday in a late afternoon-early evening time slot. Mindless, silly and lowbrow were just a few of the words used to describe the show. It was all those things and more, but it was also hilarious.
Other comedy reruns in the outrageous vein include "Saturday Night Live" and "Laugh-In," which are packaged and rerun together Sunday through Friday on Nickelodeon.
The "Saturday Night Live" reruns are the classic episodes that featured the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Some episodes of the current incarnation on NBC are good, but none is even remotely as funny as the old shows. There just isn't the same caliber of talent.
Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin with news updates and Gilda Radner with her remarkable arsenal of characters catapulted the ground-breaking series into cult status. Even the topical humor holds up well, which is surprising considering how current some of the skits were.
"Laugh-In," Dick Martin and Dan Rowan's wild and crazy series (1968-73), has also stood the test of time. Any show that boasts Richard Nixon quipping "Sock it to me" is bound to have other shining moments as well.
Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin launched their careers on "Laugh-In." Hawn mainly giggled, danced in a bikini and took pies and buckets of water in her face, but the spark was obvious, even then. Tomlin introduced snotty little Edith Ann and a few other characters on the show, then moved on to bigger things.
Cable's Black Entertainment Television has the late, great "Frank's Place." Tim Reid was executive producer and star of this atmospheric comedy about the gentle but offbeat souls in a small Creole restaurant in New Orleans.
For classic thrills and chills, check out "Hitchcock Presents," the 1955-65 anthology series that scared the socks off an entire generation of viewers. Chubby Alfred Hitchcock waddles out, cracks a few deadpan jokes and introduces a half-hour story that will keep you up most of the night. USA Network airs the show Monday through Friday in a late-night slot.
To calm down after "Hitchcock," you can chuckle at "Dragnet" on USA, with Sgt. Joe Friday rattling off a terse narration while plodding through his daily routine as a flatfoot cop.
Arguably the best cop drama of all, however, is "Hill Street Blues," NBC's ground-breaking series that brought cinematic style to television and hard- hitting realism to the crime genre. Superstation WGN airs reruns of the series Monday through Friday nights.
by CNB