Skip to content

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: TV Trivia-First Edition

May 14, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows, key names in the “Golden Age” of entertainment history and legendary cinematic performances.

I hope everyone has been enjoying reading background insights and little known information about our classic programs and watching them on RCN TV. 

Now it’s time to test your knowledge by taking our first ever Classic Video Showplace quiz. 

See how you do answering the following questions and then check out the answers listed below. 

Have fun!

  1. Richard Denning became the most successful actor to play the role of Mr. North on television. He also played the role of the husband for what famous comedian on radio’s My Favorite Husband?
  1. Gail Davis was one of few non-comedic actresses starring in 1954 television by successfully portraying what popular Western hero?
  1. Who was THE biggest movie box office draw in the world in the early 1970s who first starred in the hit 1950s show, Man With A Camera?
  1. Name the actress who had regular appearances on classic shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Life With Elizabeth, The Match Game and Golden Girls.
  1. Which stranded passenger on Gilligan’s Island got his first big TV break co-starring on I Married Joan?
  1. Which supporting character from the radio edition of The Jack Benny Program made the most appearances on the television version of the show?
  1. Which famous cowboy beat his contracted film company in the “race” to produce his own show for television?
  1. What popular entertainer was the executive producer for Lucille Ball’s second television sitcom, The Lucy Show?
  1. Name the three television programs that left the air rated number one in the Nielson Ratings at the time of their series finale.
  1. Which show(s) were direct spin offs of The Beverly Hillbillies?

Answers:

  1. Lucille Ball
  1. Annie Oakley
  1. Charles Bronson
  1. Betty White
  1. Jim Backus
  1. Eddie “Rochester” Anderson
  1. Roy Rogers
  1. Desi Arnaz
  1. I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Andy Griffin Show
  1. Petticoat Junction, Green Acres

You can see many of the above mentioned television shows, along with other great TV and film classics everyday on RCN-TV.  To see the full listing of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

Don’t forget to keep checking back to the Showplace for more classic trivia and little-known bits of information about some of the greatest shows and movies of all time.

 

 

Winter Hoops All-Stars #3

May 10, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Recently, we highlighted the different all area teams for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Colonial League did away with their “all star teams” a few years ago — at least, those listings that were provided from the participating schools’ athletic directors and administrators.

However, that hasn’t stopped the “CLGBBA!”

The Colonial League Girls Basketball Coaches Association was formed in 2019-20 when the Colonial League decided not to recognize its student-athletes through the selection of All-League teams.  The GBB coaches have gotten together to continue the tradition of honoring the league’s best players by selecting, 1st and 2nd Team All-League Players as well as Honorable Mention Athletes. The Association consists of the head coaches from the Colonial League’s 13 member schools. 

So, here are their listings of top performers during this past season…

Colonial League Girls Basketball Coaches Association  ALL-LEAGUE Honorees 2020-21  

(All Selections Listed Alphabetically) 

FIRST TEAM 

NAME  SCHOOL  YEAR
ANTONIA BATES  NOTRE DAME GP  JR
ALEXANDER LISTER  NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH  SR
BRIANNA MOORE  PALMERTON  JR
BRIELLE REIDINGER  WILSON  JR
PAIGE SEVRAIN  NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH  SO
TRINITY WILLIAMS  PALISADES  SR

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 

TRINITY WILLIAMS, SR, PALISADES 

SECOND TEAM 

NAME  SCHOOL  YEAR
RAEGAN COOPER  NOTRE DAME GP  JR
MAKAYLA DAYS  WILSON  SO
MADISON KLUSKA  BANGOR  SR
BETHIE MORGAN  PALMERTON  SO
AUBREY POLLARD  NORTHERN LEHIGH  FR
QUINN WITTMAN  SALISBURY  SO

HONORABLE MENTION

NAME  SCHOOL  YEAR
CAROLINE BENNETT  SOUTHERN LEHIGH  SR
LAUREN CONRON  SOUTHERN LEHIGH  SR
SYDNEY DEFRANCO  NOTRE DAME GP  SR
BRYNN HOLLAND  BANGOR  SO
GRACE MEDEI  NOTRE DAME GP  SR
KAYA MOBLEY  SOUTHERN LEHIGH  SR
RAEGAN NEMETH  PALMERTON  JR
EMMA NIEBELL  NORTHERN LEHIGH  JR
LEXI RUSHATZ  CATASAUQUA  SR
MADISON SEIER  NORTHERN LEHIGH  SR

Again, a big THANK YOU to those involved and in charge of these organizations for passing those lists along to us, so that we can put them in the spotlight here at RCN’s “SportsTalk Shop!”

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: Charles Lane

May 4, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows, key names in the “Golden Age” of entertainment history and legendary cinematic performances.

His name may not resonate with most people but he’s certainly one of those actors when you see his face on screen, you’d say “oh yeah, that guy!”

Charles Lane made a career for over 50 years playing an old curmudgeon on some of the greatest television programs of all time.

In the 1930s and 40s he was featured in bit parts of some of the most memorable films ever produced.

He was evil Mr. Potter’s rent collector in It’s A Wonderful Life, a crooked lawyer in Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, as “Henderson” in You Can’t Take It With You, and as the nosy reporter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Heck, he was even a meanie in the feel-good holiday classic It Happened On 5th Avenue, playing a hard-nosed rent-collecting landlord.

But in the early 1950s, he began his transition of bringing his antagonist character acting to television.

Lane became friends with Lucille Ball and was used frequently by the Queen of Comedy anytime she needed a hard-nosed, stubborn antagonist to trigger some of her most elaborate schemes.

He had multiple guest starring appearances on I Love Lucy, throughout the show successful 6-year run – – always playing a different character yet providing a perfect foil for Lucy’s antics.  Probably his most memorable role was that of the no-nonsense passport clerk when Lucy was trying to go to Europe.  His stubbornness set up a classic Ball routine in which she’s forced to answer questions after mistakenly taking too many seasick pills.

He also appeared on the episode in which Lucy has a baby. That episode garnished a whopping 92% share rating and held the record for the most watched television episode for many years.

He continued a five decades-long span in which Lane was typecast as a mean-spirited villain, pitted against some of the most popular characters ever seen on the small screen.

He temporarily handled the role of the original banker on Ball’s second show, The Lucy Show, before Gale Gordon took over the Mr. Moody character once he was released from an earlier contract commitment.

Some of his other hard-nosed but memorable roles include the reoccurring Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction who would frequently come to keuterville with print plans to disrupt the town’s quiet lives.

His Bedloe character was just one of the various miserly roles he had on The Beverly Hillbillies.  He also characterized the stingy Mr. Fitzpatrick on the Burns and Allen Show.

He guest starred on other classic shows like The Andy Griffith Show , Gomer Pyle, Get Smart, The Munsters,  The Donna Reed Show, F Troop, Bewitched (playing six different characters over the show’s six year run), nearly always playing a “bad guy.”

Lane did take a turn as a nice guy for one chapter of The Twilight Zone in a segment featuring Orson Bean. Of course, it was in an episode employing a parallel universe.

He also had a recurring role as the town’s shopkeeper on Dennis The Menace and many other memorable TV performances.

Lane also continued appearing in movies in the ’60s, including playing the airport manager in the mega-star comedy film, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.   On the DVD commentary track, Historian Michael Schlesinger notes, “you do not have a comedy unless Charles Lane is in it.”

His on-screen persona was completely the opposite of how Lane was in real life. In his obituary in the Washington Post, his friends unanimously said that he was a warm, funny and kind person.

Upon reaching his 90th birthday, Lane decided to “slow down” and only performed in three films in the 1990s — his last on-screen performance was in 1995’s The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes starring Kirk Cameron. 

In 2002, his wife of 70 years, Ruth Covell, passed away.

His last role was in 2006, as the narrator in the short film The Night Before Christmas. He was 101 at the time.

Charles passed away a year later – he died of natural causes. 

In all, Lane worked for over 72 years as an actor. He performed in over 250 television shows and films.  From 1940 to 1942 alone, he acted in over 67 roles – sometimes acting in two different projects on the same day.

See if you can take the “Charles Lane Challenge” by watching classic sitcoms on RCN TV and see how long you go before spotting him on at least one program or film.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

 

 

Winter Hoops All-Stars #2

April 28, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

Last week here at “The Shop,” we started our annual listings of outstanding individual accomplishments by student athletes in the RCN-TV viewing area, but highlighting the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s standout girls basketball performers from this past winter season.

Today, it’s the EPC boys turn as we spotlight them with the league’s All-Star selections.

Among the highlights are two firsts–at least, as far back as I can remember.

First, we have “tri-most valuable player awards” given out.  We frequently have seen ties in the voting, precipitating leagues to give out “co-MVP” honors, but I don’t remember a three-way split between three different players in the same league–let alone three students within the same division AND county.

Also, I don’t ever recall any freshman from the EPC-18 ever garnishing first-team accolades.  Nate Ellis from Allen High School got “second team” honors two years ago but I haven’t found anyone to disagree that Parkland’s Nick Coval was the first ninth grader to capture that accomplishment in this league’s history.

Here is the complete rundown of the post-season accolades:

Lehigh County 

1st Team

Mel Copeland – William Allen

Nick Coval – Parkland (Tri-MVP)

Nate Ellis – William Allen (Tri-MVP)

Liam Joyce – Allentown Central Catholic

Tyson Thomas – Allentown Central Catholic (Tri-MVP)

2nd Team

Danny Bohman – Emmaus

Will Meeker – Parkland

Manny Ozuna – William Allen

Daniel Quinones – Dieruff

Trey Rolle – Parkland


Monroe County
 

1st Team

Jahkai Barnes – Stroudsburg

Christian Fermin – Pocono Mountain West (MVP)

Qadir Mitchell – Stroudsburg

Christian Sapp – East Stroudsburg South

Justin Smith – Pocono Mountain West

2nd Team

Matt Campbell – Pocono Mountain West

Colin Castillon – Pocono Mountain West

Joel Contreras – Pleasant Valley

Kyle John – East Stroudsburg North

Tamir Thompson – Pocono Mountain East


Northampton County 

1st Team

Nick Ellis – Freedom

Edixon Gomez – Bethlehem Catholic

Isaac Harris – Northampton

Chris Hewey – Easton (MVP)

Lucas Lesko – Northampton

2nd Team

Joseph Barnes – Liberty

Jalen Fletcher – Freedom

Ryan Glassmacher – Bethlehem Catholic

Ryan Kresge – Nazareth

CJ Santos – Nazareth

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop” for more pos-tseason awards and accolades for student athletes in the RCN viewing area!

 

 

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: “The Red Skelton Show”

April 22, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

RCN-TV is kicking off its “Spring Programming Schedule” this April with the return of popular television shows and other programs making their first ever appearance on our channel. 

Today we look at the RCN-TV spring premiere of The Red Skelton Show. 

One of the most successful–yet often underrated–shows in the first 20 years of television was The Red Skelton Show. 

NBC wanted to turn Skelton’s popular radio show into a TV vehicle, one of the first-ever television shows.  However, the movie industry stopped this from initially occurring.

Unlike radio, which worked in union with movie producers and was frequently used as an advertising tool to promote movies, the film industry was very reluctant to help television studios and executives in any way.  They feared competition from this new visual medium.  To this end, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who held Skelton under contract, did not allow him to start producing his own TV show until his contract with MGM had expired in 1951.

Once on the air, Red had a very successful first two years.  Skelton then moved his show to CBS and eventually forced the network to present his program in color–even to the extent that Red purchased multiple production vehicles, so that the show could be recorded in both black-and-white and color.  In addition to utilizing color to appropriately play jokes off his red hair, Skelton created a brilliantly vibrant stage and colorful background sets in which to perform his equally colorful array of unique characters.

Although Skelton was a visionary and saw the potential of broadcasting in color, America was not ready for color television programs in 1955.  Color TV sets (made primarily by now-rival NBC’s parent company, RCA) were seen as a luxury and less than 10% of families owned them at this time.  Thus, Skelton’s experiment with color was deemed a failure.  He negotiated for CBS to buy back the color broadcast equipment in exchange for a renegotiated contract for himself.

What was not a failure was Skelton’s format and his comedy routines.  While popular variety shows of the early 1950s either fizzled out (Milton Berle, Eddie Cantor) or evolved into what became more traditional situation comedies (Jack Benny, Burns & Allen), Skelton continued to finish in the Nielsen Ratings Top 20.  In fact, he most often finished within the top 11 of the most popular shows on television through the rest of the 1950s and 1960s using virtually the same format on every program.

In addition to Red’s own brand of humor and his continuing creativity in developing zany on-screen characters, he kept his program fresh by having a constant stream of major Hollywood talent from other television shows, popular entertainers and musicians, who would both perform songs as well as interplay with Red’s antics.  Eventually more and more movie stars (one of the most popular and frequent being Mickey Rooney) would stop by and visit, once motion picture stars began realizing that TV and movies could “co-exist.”

Skelton kept the colorful stages and eventually received some semblance of artistic redemption in 1966 as CBS caved to mounting national pressure to incorporate broadcasting in color.

Despite the fact that the show was still ranked 7th in the 1970 Nielsen Ratings, CBS cancelled Red’s program as part of its “Rural Purge.”

NBC picked up the show but dramatically changed the format.  They did away with the colorful sets and backed Skelton in dark, very drab backgrounds.  Furthermore, they eliminated the popular guest stars who would frequently appear with Red.  Instead, he had a recurring cast (filled with much younger and mostly unknown actors) to perform with the comedian and had them play different roles each week.

The changes did not work.  The chemistry between the actors was noticeably absent and the show never cracked Nielsen’s Top 30.  In Skelton’s previous 19 years on-air, his shows had finished no worse than 19th.

There’s many more stories about Skelton’s career and innovative work in the industry, along with a few little-known “skeltons” in his closet that showed a different side of this complex entertainer.  We’ll look at those in a future Showplace entry.

Check out The Red Skelton Show, now a part of RCN TV’s new spring programming lineup.  Tune in or set your DVRs for Sundays at 1:30 pm and Wednesday mornings at 11:30 am on RCN-TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

 

 

Winter Hoops All-Stars 2021

April 21, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Although the 2020-2021 basketball season had its share of hurdles, the student-athletes, parents, coaches, athletic directors and everyone involved in local high school sports deserve a round of applause for dealing with all the adversity faced during the past four months.

Through the pandemic, snow/weather-related events, limitations/restrictions imposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and other happenings that took place, it was an accomplishment to have as much of a season as we did.  Some areas in the RCN viewing area outside of the Lehigh Valley would have been thrilled to get in as many games as most of the teams within the Valley were able to play this past year.

When the student-athletes did get on the court (albeit with a drastically reduced amount of practice time–something I’ve heard more than one coach lament this winter), we saw some exceptional play and great individual and team performances.

The Colonial and Schuylkill Leagues both conducted their conference playoffs as close to “normal” as they usually do.  The revamped — and some would argue, improved — district tourney format was also a success with some great games that you saw on RCN-TV.

As part of our return to normalcy, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference recently released their annual “All-Star” listings for the girls and boys teams.  We spotlight the girls teams this week and hope to have the boys listings coming up next week here at “The Shop.” 

Lehigh County 

1st Team

Lindsay Berger – Parkland (EPC League MVP)

Jaydalise Cartagena – Dieruff

Shanaiya Ellis – William Allen

Julia Roth – Allentown Central Catholic

Emily Vaughan – Allentown Central Catholic

 2nd Team

Molly Driscoll – Allentown Central Catholic

Ella Laky – Whitehall

Joey Madison Shaul – Whitehall

Sonya Shivok – Parkland

Talia Zurinskas – Parkland 


Monroe County
 

1st Team

Kendel Card – Stroudsburg

Vatijah Davis – PM West

Isabella Horvath – PM East

Azahni Simmons – PM West

Emily Strunk – Stroudsburg (MVP) 

2nd Team

Chanel Davis – ES North

Kania Day – ES South

Layla Hernandez – ES South

Samantha Merklin – Pleasant Valley

Ella Muir – Pleasant Valley 


Northampton County
 

1st Team

Talya Brugler – Nazareth (MVP)

Morgan Sterner – Northampton

Sara Tamoun – Easton

Kailey Turpening – Freedom

Kourtney Wilson – Bethlehem Catholic

 2nd Team

Jessica Farrell – Liberty

Grace Lesko – Northampton

Kelly Leszcynski – Nazareth

Brenna Ortwein – Freedom

Emily Violante – Easton

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

We will continue our exclusive interviews with spring sports coaches and players to talk about their return to the playing fields on this Thursday’s “RCN Sports Talk” program, featuring teams from Easton and Bethlehem Catholic high schools this week. Tune in this Thursday at 7pm to RCN-TV, set your DVRs or look us up through RCN On Demand (free for RCN subscribers)!

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: “Public Defender”

April 15, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

RCN-TV is kicking off its “Spring Programming Schedule” this month with the return of popular television shows and other programs making their first-ever appearances on our channel.

Today we look at Public Defender.

 One of the popular trends in 1940s radio shows was dramas featuring public servants’ adventures, fighting crime and righting wrongs.  Insurance investigators like Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, real-life police stories like Dragnet, procedural detectives like Pat Novak and Richard Diamond and other similarly successful shows spilled into the early 1950s before radio programs started giving way to television.

While many of those programs never got past producing a failed pilot episode, one show that did make a successful leap to the small screen was Public Defender.

Defender is based on the idea of a client who can’t afford a lawyer to represent them in a criminal trial.  Bart Matthews is the counselor assigned to help people in need and encounters lawsuits significantly beyond your typical cases.

Matthews was portrayed by Reed Hadley, who had a very successful film career in the late 1930s and 40s (including playing the titular character in the movie, Zorro’s Fighting Legion).  Hadley had a number of roles playing characters involved on either side of the law in criminal dramas and had just finished starring in the very popular TV show, Racket Squad, from 1950-1953.  His voice may also be familiar to more recent audiences as he narrated a number of documentaries produced in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Phillip Morris Corporation, who sponsored many of the decade’s top programs in the 1950s, including I Love Lucy, took an immediate interest in Public Defender and became their top sponsor, with Revlon adding their name as the alternate sponsor.  The show was scheduled in the very competitive Thursdays at 10pm timeslot and ran up against other stalwarts from both the radio and early television eras — The Lux Video Theatre and the Kraft Television Theatre.

Although the show ran for just under two full seasons (producing 70 episodes), there were a number of notable guest stars on the program, including future stars on both the big and small screens…

See if you can spot some of these future stars as Bart Matthews attempts to exonerate wrongly accused individuals.  Public Defender makes its RCN-TV debut on our new spring programming lineup; tune in (or set your DVRs) for Wednesday evenings at 8:30pm and Fridays afternoons at 2:30pm.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

Winter Highlights 2021 (Part II)

April 14, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Last week we looked back at some of the highlights from this past winter sports season.

This week, we continue our glance back at the last several weeks of wrestling and basketball sports action that we brought you on RCN-TV.

RCN Sports: District XI Individual Wrestling Championship (3/21)    



RCN Sports: Nazareth vs. Archbishop Carroll (3/21)
 

RCN Sports: Parkland vs. Nazareth (3/21)

 RCN Sports: Parkland vs. Northampton (3/21)

 RCN Sports: Pocono Mountain West vs. Allen (3/21)

RCN Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs Jim Thorpe (3/21)

RCN Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Middletown (3/21)

 RCN Sports: East Stroudsburg South vs. Bangor (3/21)

 RCN Sports: Notre Dame Green Pond vs. Executive Education (3/21)

Remember, RCN viewers can see all of our sports programming for free at any time through RCN On-Demand for shows and sports events for up to two months from the day their first air on RCN-TV.

Also, we’ll continue our look ahead to the spring sports season on this Thursday’s “RCN SportsTalk” show with more interviews from players and coaches currently participating in the season that just got underway.  This week’s guests include members of the Freedom girls softball team.

CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: The Successes of “Bonanza”

April 9, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

 RCN-TV is kicking off its spring programming schedule this month with the return of popular television shows plus additional programs making their first-ever appearances on our channel.

Today we look at the return of Bonanza to RCN-TV and its successes in the entertainment industry! 

The reappearance of Bonanza on the RCN-TV programming lineup signifies the return of one of the most successful television programs of all-time.

The show is NBC’s longest running primetime television show and is the second-longest western program (behind CBS’s Gunsmoke) in the medium’s history.

Bonanza was the first series to appear in the Top Five list for nine consecutive seasons (a record that would stand for many years) and thus established itself as the most consistent strong-performing hit television series of the 1960s.

One unique thing about the 1963-64 season of Bonanza…it triggered something that hadn’t been accomplished in over three decades.  Bonanza was the show that “brought down” The Jack Benny Program.

The comedian had won his timeslot on radio and television every year since 1932 until NBC scheduled the relatively new western program opposite the popular entertainer, although with some “programming trickery” involved.

You see, the network started the 60-minute western a half hour before Benny’s program.  The gimmick worked so well that, according to his memoir, Sunday Nights at Seven, Benny found himself tuning into and watching Bonanza! To his horror, three-quarters through each episode, he would suddenly realize he forgot to switch over to his OWN show!

Another unique characteristic that showed the popularity of this western…it’s one of the few shows EVER on television that had its own reruns added to its network’s primetime lineup.

NBC retitled the show’s reruns as The Ponderosa during the 1971-72 season and aired “old” yet often requested episodes.  NBC utilized a similar “trick” as above when they started the show at 7:30pm and it “spilled over” into the prime-time lineup and held its own competition with “first-run” episodic shows on ABC and CBS.

Another rarity that highlights its popularity…the show was one of the first programs in the first 50 years of television that was sold into syndication in 1970 to off-network affiliates BEFORE it ended its’ initial network run.  Both the “new” and syndicated shows continued to earn solid ratings before the show finally fell out of the Nielsen Ratings’ Top 10 in 1972. One of TV’s biggest and most popular stars, actor Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), unexpectedly died that year, playing a major role in this event.

In 2002, Bonanza was ranked No. 43 on TV Guide‘s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and in 2013 TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.

We’ll have more on this legendary television program including more unique stories and histories of its famous stars on upcoming editions of the Classic Video Showplace.

In the meantime, be sure to catch the return of Bonanza to RCN TV on our new spring programming lineup.  Tune in or set your DVRs for Sunday mornings at 9 am on RCN-TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

 

Winter Highlights 2021

April 7, 2021 By Chris Michael Leave a Comment

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

As we reflect upon the recently completed winter sports season, there were certainly some ups and downs for teams, administrators, fans, members of the media and everyone associated with high school sports.

Fortunately, we got through the season with no “catastrophes” (aka, zero COVID-19 deaths among student athletes in Pennsylvania according to the PIAA’s recently released information about the winter sports campaign).  We completed the state championships the previous weekend with only two teams having to withdraw from the state tournaments due to the pandemic…and that is for ALL winter sports.

And…we had our share of very competitive games on RCN-TV this past winter.

Here is a look back at some of the sports action we brought to our audience this season…

 VIDEO CLIPS: 

1) RCN Sports: Allen vs. Parkland (2/21)

2) RCN Sports: Allen vs. Parkland 2 (3/21)

3) RCN Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Pope John Paul II (3/21)

4) RCN Sports: Palmerton vs. Northwestern Lehigh (3/21)

5) RCN Sports: Liberty vs. Emmaus (3/21)

6)  RCN Sports: Bangor vs. Bethlehem Catholic (3/21)

7)  RCN Sports: Bangor vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (3/21)   

 

8) RCN Sports: Allen vs. Archbishop Wood (3/21)


9) RCN Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Bethlehem Catholic (3/21)


 More video highlights from this past winter coming your way next week here at “The Shop.”

 

 

 

  • Watch Astound TV Network:
    Lehigh Valley – Channel 4, or 1004 in HD
    Delaware Valley – Channel 8, or 608 in HD
    Luzerne County - Channel 4
    Washington, DC - Channel 8, or 678 in HD
    ATVN Valley Connection - Channel 96

    Purchase a DVD copy of an ATVN program.

    Advertise on ATVN.

  • UPCOMING EVENTS

    The 39th Annual Dream Come True Telethon & Online Auction
    Give children and their families the gift of precious memories that shine brightly during difficult times. Donate or bid now through December 2nd to spread the holiday magic! Watch the LIVE Telethon on Monday, December 2 at 6pm, on ATVN!

    ➡ SPORTS ON ATVN

    🏈 LV High School Football

    🐆  Lafayette College Football & Basketball
    Watch this season’s home games exclusively on ATVN! Go Leopards!

    🎥 LIVE STREAMING ON YOUTUBE
    You can now watch ATVN live programing, including sports coverage, on the ATVN YouTube Channel! Subscribe and turn on channel notifications.

    Stay up to date with all of the happenings in our community, watch Community Spotlight and Nuestro Valle each week!

    Watch the latest episode of Sports Talk and Cultural Bridges!

     

  • Visit Astound.com

    Visit Astound.com to shop, select services or reach our 24/7 customer service.