Television

S3E1-Musical Cops: Cop Rock and The Singing Detective

References

Bochco, S. (Director). (2016, May 17). Cop Rock: The Complete Series [Complete series on DVD]. Shout Factory. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Braxton, G. (2019, March 14). Before “Glee,” there was “Cop Rock” and “That’s Life” - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jun-08-la-et-musicals-20100608-story.html

Carlson, B. (2023, October 4). Cop Rock, the show where police sang as they solved crimes (Cool Weird Awesome 852). Brady Carlson. https://www.bradycarlson.com/cop-rock-the-show-where-police-sang-as-they-solved-crimes-cool-weird-awesome-852/

Coldiron, K. (2021, May 10). Something to sing About: Why Cop Rock fails. Bright Lights Film Journal. https://brightlightsfilm.com/something-to-sing-about-why-cop-rock-fails/

Dennis Potter (obituary). (1994, June 8). The Telegraph. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20110220153453/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/5443144/Dennis-Potter.html

Dramatic function of songs in musicals - Larry Avis Brown. (2023, November 27). Larry Avis Brown. https://larryavisbrown.com/dramatic-function-of-songs-in-musicals/

Fitzmaurice, L. (2020, September 26). “Cop Rock” 30 years later: Remembering the terrible TV Police musical. Stereogum. https://www.stereogum.com/2099836/cop-rock-30-years-later/columns/sounding-board/

Genzlinger, N. (2016, May 13). ‘Cop Rock’: How a legendary failure predicted TV’s future. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/14/arts/television/how-cop-rock-called-the-tune-that-some-shows-still-dance-to.html

Harris, W. (2017, August 23). An oral history of Cop Rock, TV’s first and last musical police drama. The A.V. Club. https://www.avclub.com/an-oral-history-of-cop-rock-tv-s-first-and-last-musica-1798248164

Hayward, A. (2023, June 18). Ken Westbury obituary. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/may/21/ken-westbury-obituary

Mundy, J. H. (2006). Singing Detected: Blackpool and the strange case of the Missing television musical Dramas. Journal of British Cinema and Television, 3(1), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.3366/jbctv.2006.3.1.59

Pierce, S. D. (1990, September 23). ABC’s `Cop Rock’ Is Certainly Daring, But It’s Just Too Weird. Deseret News. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.deseret.com/1990/9/23/18883764/abc-s-cop-rock-is-certainly-daring-but-it-s-just-too-weird

St James, E. (2018, April 2). Steven Bochco has died at 74. These 5 shows explain how he changed TV. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/2/17188376/steven-bochco-dies-nypd-blue-hill-street-blues

VHiStory. (2016, August 10). Cop Rock – tape 1260. VHiStory. https://vhistory.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/cop-rock-tape-1260/

Weinstein, S. (2019, March 9). Will Singing Cops Be Heard? : Steven Bochco’s new series “Cop Rock” is network TV’s great experiment this fall. The question is: Will people buy it? - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-16-ca-1279-story.html

Zurawik, D. (1990, September 26). Music and mayhem mix on flawed but exciting Cop Rock. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-09-26-1990269056-story.html

S2E13- Death: The True Meaning of Christmas (80s Xmas Specials)

Melinda and Conrad put the Dreamland spin on Christmas and review three decidedly dark 80s Christmas specials featuring the dark spectre of death: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985, Rankin-Bass), The Snowman (1982, John Coates), and The Christmas Toy (1986, Jim Henson Productions).

Image Clue

References

Adams, E. (2017, August 23). The Christmas Toy presents the darkest holiday of Jim Henson’s career. The A.V. Club. https://www.avclub.com/the-christmas-toy-presents-the-darkest-holiday-of-jim-h-1798242551

Debczak, M. (2019, December 9). Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials | Mental floss. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/609505/forgotten-rankin-bass-christmas-specials

Gregg, T. (2021, January 6). A short history of the British TV Christmas advert. Anthony Gregg Partnership. https://www.anthonygregg.com/insights/a-short-history-of-the-british-tv-christmas-advert/

Harvey, I. (2018, December 17). How The Snowman was built. BFI. https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/raymond-briggs-the-snowman-christmas

Heritage, S. (2022, August 31). ‘We’ll still be watching in 50 years’: how Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman changed Christmas. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/10/well-still-be-watching-in-50-years-how-raymond-briggss-the-snowman-changed-christmas

John Lewis & Partners. (n.d.). Every John Lewis Christmas advert ever aired. John Lewis & Partners. https://www.johnlewis.com/content/gifts/every-john-lewis-christmas-advert-ever-aired

Lawes, R. (2022, December 16). The Snowman animators celebrate 40 years of Christmas classic. Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/17/the-snowman-animators-celebrate-40-years-of-christmas-classic-17951623/

Miller, C. (2021a, December 12). A Look Back on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. MovieWeb. Retrieved December 17, 2023, from https://movieweb.com/the-life-and-adventures-of-santa-claus-retrospective/

Miller, C. (2021b, December 21). A look back on the life and adventures of Santa Claus. MovieWeb. https://movieweb.com/the-life-and-adventures-of-santa-claus-retrospective/

Rogers, J. (2018, December 3). How The Snowman melted David Bowie’s heart. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/22/how-the-snowman-melted-david-bowies-heart-raymond-briggs

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S2E7: Stranger Danger and 80s Childhood Propaganda

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This month we're discussing the child safety panic of the 80s in the US and UK, the funny and the terrifying. Below are the audio version and the re-edited video of the live show, which originally aired 01 July, 2023.

References

Adams, C. (2023, June 24). Is the world more dangerous for kids than it was 30 years ago? Connect Savannah. https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/is-the-world-more-dangerous-for-kids-than-it-was-30-years-ago/Content?oid=2737349

An updated lead-crime roundup for 2018. (n.d.). Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/an-updated-lead-crime-roundup-for-2018/

BFI. (2009, October 8). Lonely Water (1973) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZWD2sDRESk

BFI. (2020). The lost art of the British public information film. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/lost-art-british-public-information-film#

Child Victims of Stereotypical Kidnappings Known to Law Enforcement in 2011 | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (n.d.). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/library/publications/child-victims-stereotypical-kidnappings-known-law-enforcement-2011

Christopher. (n.d.). United States Crime Rates 1960 t0 2019. https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Ephemeralfilm. (2011, March 23). PLAY SAFE (1978) UK Public Information Film - New Transfer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-JfnhABs9U

Govind, D., & Govind, D. (2021, June 28). ‘A Missing Kid Is Never Forgotten. No Matter How Long They’ve Been Gone’: How The FBI Handles Missing Children Cases - Biometrica Systems, Inc. Biometrica Systems, Inc. -. https://www.biometrica.com/a-missing-kid-is-never-forgotten-no-matter-how-long-theyve-been-gone-how-the-fbi-handles-missing-children-cases/

Hartzmark, B. G., & Tribune, S. T. (2021, August 9). ARE WE FILLING OUR CHILDREN WITH FEAR? Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-04-06-8601250245-story.html

Juzwiak, R. (2021, February 12). Half-True Crime: Why the Stranger-Danger Panic of the ’80s Took Hold and Refuses to Let Go. Jezebel. https://jezebel.com/half-true-crime-why-the-stranger-danger-panic-of-the-8-1845430801

Let Grow Takes a Look at Crime Statistics. (2023). Let Grow. https://letgrow.org/crime-statistics/

Marshall, G. (1988, October 20). CREATOR SAYS PUTTING MISSING CHILDREN ON CARTONS WORKED DESPITE CRITICISM. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/10/20/creator-says-putting-missing-children-on-cartons-worked-despite-criticism/99f5a30a-cbdf-4311-a496-fac05d517ab4/

Missing Children, Misleading Statistics | Office of Justice Programs. (n.d.). https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/missing-children-misleading-statistics

Palmer, B. (2012, April 20). Why Did Missing Children Appear on Milk Cartons? Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/04/etan-patz-case-why-did-dairies-put-missing-children-on-their-milk-cartons.html

Pearn, J. (1981). Reducing the child accident toll: education concerning accidents risks, and their circumvention. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1981.tb01916.x

Renfro, P. M. (2020). Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State. Oxford University Press, USA.

Renfro, P. M. (2021, August 9). How Two Vanished Paperboys Changed the Face of the “Missing Kid” Forever. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/johnny-gosch-eugene-martin-stranger-danger-panic-milk-cartons.html

Rogers, J. (2018, February 15). Consider yourselves warned: public information films. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/25/stop-look-listen-public-information-films

Speri, A. (2019, November 13). The NYPD Kept an Illegal Database of Juvenile Fingerprints for Years. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2019/11/13/nypd-juvenile-illegal-fingerprint-database/

Staff, R. (2019, January 11). Kidnapped children make headlines, but abduction is rare in U.S. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wisconsin-missinggirl-data/kidnapped-children-make-headlines-but-abduction-is-rare-in-u-s-idUSKCN1P52BJ

Thelwell, B. E. (2016a, September 29). How common are child abductions in the UK? BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37504781

Thelwell, B. E. (2016b, September 29). How common are child abductions in the UK? BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37504781

Times, N. Y. (1983, February 22). FINGERPRINTING OF CHILDREN SPREADING. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/22/us/fingerprinting-of-children-spreading.html

Veritasium. (2022, April 22). The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV3dnLzthDA

Watch Never Go with Strangers - BFI Player. (n.d.). BFI Player. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-never-go-with-strangers-1971-online

Welch, D. (2019). Protecting the People: The Central Office of Information and the Creation of the Nanny State 1946-2010.

Wendigoon. (2022, November 11). The Controversial Missing Children Milk Carton Program [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhsNinzPEb8

S2E4: Fairy Tale TV Shows of the 80s

Melinda and Conrad remember two fairy tale anthology shows from the 80s- Faerie Tale Theatre with Shelly Duvall and The StoryTeller by Jim Henson - and analyze the history of fairy tales in general. They also discuss their new obsession with the work of well-known Harvard folklore expert Maria Tatar.

Below, enjoy the edited and higher quality audio recording along with the slides we showed, or if you prefer- the live YouTube video.

References

S2E3: Gen X and the Nuclear Nightmare

Growing up in the 80s for many of us meant a constant awareness and fear of nuclear war, along with everything that would follow. We explore the media of the decade and how it reflected these fears, with a focus on The Day After (US, 1983) and Threads (UK, 1984) - TV movies with a big message.

Below, enjoy the edited and higher quality audio recording along with the slides we showed, or if you prefer- the live YouTube video.

References

S2E1: High (Grange Hill and Degrassi Jr. High)

Melinda and Conrad explore the trailblazing teen shows Degrassi Junior High and Grange Hill.

References

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55 - Garbage Pail Kids

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Melinda and Aaron go dumpster diving into the Garbage Pail Kids phenomenon, and even suffered through watching both the movie and the cartoon series! Watch our podcast recording (complete with visual aids) or listen at the link below.

Audio Block
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References

http://geepeekay.com/ - Garbage Pail Kids Reference site

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story. Directed by Jeff Zapata and Joe Simko, 2017.

Owen, Luke. “The True Story behind The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Flickering Myth, 21 July 2019, www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/08/the-true-story-behind-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

Boone, Brian. “The Untold Truth of the Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Looper, 06 July 2020, https://www.looper.com/223675/the-untold-truth-of-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

 Olson, Jon. “An Interview with Rod Amateau, director of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Normal People Like You, https://web.archive.org/web/20170402183759/http://www.normalpeoplelikeyou.com/article_assets/garbagepailkidsinterview.htm

 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Magazine, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/TheGarbagePailKidsMovieMagazine

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54 - Alien Autopsy

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Melinda and Aaron dive deep into the swirling vortex that is the history of Alien Autopsy, that crazy special from the mid-1990s. Listen at the link below or watch our live recording HERE.

52 - Twilight Zone 1985: Shatterday, A Little Peace and Quiet

You wanna see something really scary? Try being 9 years old and watching the premiere episode of the rebooted Twilight Zone in 1985 - the height of the cold war - with two entries from director Wes Craven. Both Melinda and Aaron saw that bomb hovering overhead as kids, and it haunted their dreams. Episodes: Shatterday starring Bruce Willis and A Little Peace and Quiet starring Melinda Dillon.

A Little Peace and Quiet: The most memorable scene from 80s TV for Melinda.

A Little Peace and Quiet: The most memorable scene from 80s TV for Melinda.

40 - In Search Of... Bigfoot

Leonard Nimoy, hosting In Search Of…

Leonard Nimoy, hosting In Search Of…

From 1977 to 1982 Leonard Nimoy guided us through a wide variety of strange phenomena on the syndicated, half-hour show “In Search Of.” On this episode of Dreamland, Melinda and Aaron learn a ton about Bigfoot from Spock himself, as well as special guest Tom Berges from I Grew Up Star Wars. In this episode we discuss four episodes spanning “Bigfoot,” "The Swamp Monster," "Monster Hunters," and "The Abominable Snowman." If you’re like us, your belief in Bigfoots will change several times during the discussion.

Image 1 - Still from the Patterson–Gimlin film, 2 - Grover Krantz with a Bigfoot foot impression mold, 3 - Peter Byrne, the man, the myth, the legend, and 4 - The Bay Area Group

39 - The Colbys

In the 80s, "primetime soaps” were definitely a thing, but you may not remember the 1985 Dynasty spinoff, “The Colbys.” An Aaron Spelling project, this show was Dynasty but more expensive, with slightly fewer catfights, but slightly more alien abductions. And let’s not forget that it starred none other than Charlton Heston. Melinda and Aaron marvel at this 80s masterpiece.

35 - Street Hawk, TV Series 1985

First there was Knight Rider, then there was Airwolf, but then came STREET HAWK! Airing for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985, the series showed us what it would be like to ride a motorcycle at 300 mph and stop on a dime. Melinda and Aaron give you the backstory of the show’s production, and walk you through the extra-long Pilot episode, so even if you’ve never see it, you can say you have experienced: Street Hawk!

34 - Halloween Specials

Kids born before the 90s remember the delight of that first holiday special coming on at night. You’d gather in front of the giant television with the rest of your family and actually enjoy a cartoon with your parents - one of the few times that happened for many of us! While there are a ton of well-known and much loved Christmas specials, it’s Halloween that really kicks off the season. However, most people could probably only name one, maybe two Halloween specials. In this episode, we watched TEN Halloween specials spanning from 1966 to 1993. We’ll let you know which ones are hidden gems and which ones are best forgotten.

  • 1966: It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

  • 1978: The Devil and Daniel Mouse

  • 1978: Halloween is Grinch Night

  • 1978: Witch's Night Out (on Amazon Prime)

  • 1981: The Crown of Bogg

  • 1984: Which Witch is Which? (Chucklewood Critters)

  • 1985: Garfield's Halloween Adventure

  • 1987: The Monster's Ring

  • 1988: The Canterville Ghost (animated)

  • 1992: The Halloween Tree

References:

Leach-Rankin Halloween Special ‘Witch’s Night Out’ Celebrates 40th Anniversary

All Aboard the Paraphernalia Wagon: Revisiting Dr. Seuss’s ‘Grinch Night’ Halloween Special

Do You Remember The 1981 HBO Halloween Special ‘The Crown of Bogg’?

Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree

Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge by Funny or Die

29 - Moonlighting... the Pilot, and more

Moonlighting, the 1985 ABC show that spawned the career of Bruce Willis and featured Cybill Shepherd, was unlike most other shows in the 80s. With its regular nods to classic cinema and constantly breaking the 4th wall, it made the romantic-comedy detective show format truly innovative. Melinda and Aaron discuss the pilot episode, as well as if there is truly such a thing as the "Moonlighting Effect."

Please enjoy some stills as reference for the discussion.

19 - Smurfs

Smurfs: communist woman haters or adorable 80s icons? Probably a little of both. From comics to cartoons, cereal to figurines, Italian villages and Smurf cosplayers, we give you a full overview of Smurfs.

Original Smurfs in Johan and Peewit in 1958

Original Smurfs in Johan and Peewit in 1958

Júzcar, Spain - Smurf Village

Júzcar, Spain - Smurf Village

Link to the Belgian UNICEF commercial in which the Smurf village is carpet bombed.

Link to the original Father Abraham Smurf song.

The Smurfs movie could only have been improved by the addition of Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The Smurfs movie could only have been improved by the addition of Neil deGrasse Tyson.

05- Star Trek - The Spooky Episodes

Trick or Treat for Salt!!

It's finally October, and Melinda and Aaron are ready for Halloween! We hear stories about their Trick or Treating escapades, and some favorite candy.

(08:45) Melinda and Aaron get into the Halloween spirit and talk about their favorite (spooky) Star Trek television episodes, including entries from everything through Enterprise. Grab some candy corn and Swedish Fish and reminisce along with them!

(1:04:20) How Did We Survive? Scott Bakula (not really) writes in about a shocking survival experience. Don't forget to send YOUR story of how you survived to thedreamlandpodcast@gmail.com!