Thursday, July 30, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks #316: TV Shows Based on Movies






This being Thursday, it's time for another edition of Thursday Movie Picks, the blogathon run by Wandering Through the Shelves. As it's the last Thursday of the month, we once again get a TV edition, and this month the theme is TV shows based on movies. Well, officially it's TV series based on movies, but I'm cheating with my third pick, as you'll see.



The Farmer's Daughter (1963-1966). Based on the 1947 movie, tragic Inger Stevens plays the daughter of a Swedish immigrant farmer who is placed as a housekeeper for a widowed US Representative (William Windom) with two sons. The two fall in love and eventually marry at the start of the final season.



The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1968-1970). Based on the 1947 movie, Hope Lange plays Mrs. Muir, a widow who takes a seaside cottage to live in with her two children. That house is haunted by the Ghost (Edward Mulhare). Charles Nelson Reilly, before becoming a mainstay on Match Game is in the supporting cast.



The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). Based on the 1977 movie, well, just sit back and watch.

6 comments:

thevoid99 said...

Um, why did you post that special? It's been 5 years since I saw it and... I still haven't recovered. It was one of the worst things I had ever seen.

Ted S. (Just a Cineast) said...

You didn't have to watch it again. ;-)

Besides, some people may not have known of its existence. (Granted, they may be better off in blissful ignorance, not having known.)

Brittani Burnham said...

I've always avoided that Star Wars special just based on the universal reaction to it. lol

joel65913 said...

OH I LOVED The Farmer's Daughter when I was a kid!!!! Mostly for Inger Stevens but both my sister and I wanted that mechanical chair that Cathleen Nesbitt rode up and down the stairs! To this day when I see William Windom in anything my first thought is "It's Mr. Morley!" The show was so much better than that crap movie with Loretta Young and that was thanks to Inger. Hers is a terribly sad story, though having read her biography her death seems somewhat fishy. A wonderful undervalued actress.

I was a faithful viewer of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir too. Loved Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare together. They made what was just another sitcom much better along with Reta Shaw as the housekeeper.

I have studiously avoided that Star Wars special all these years because of it being so notoriously awful.

Lots to pick from this week. I went with three favorites.

M*A*S*H* (1972-1983)-During the Korean conflict surgeon Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda) and head nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Holihan (Loretta Swit) diligently work to save lives and their sanity with grit and humor as colleagues both friend-surgeons “Trapper John” McIntire (Wayne Rogers) & BJ Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) and foe-Frank Burns (Larry Linville) & Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)- and many others pass through. Based on the 1970 Altman film this serio-comic series ran for 12 exemplary years.

The Odd Couple (1970-1975)-Separated from their wives neat freak Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and slovenly Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) share a New York apartment. Though the habits of each drive the other to distraction their deep abiding friendship makes them stick together. Randall & Klugman share the kind of chemistry you just can’t manufacture. Based on the Neil Simon film of the same name that starred Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Alice (1976-1985)-Recently widowed Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) heads off with her young son Tommy for a fresh start as an aspiring singer. She gets as far as Phoenix where she finds a job at Mel’s, a roadside diner. With a boisterous group of co-workers including blunt and sassy waitress Flo (Polly Holliday) she tries to pursue her dream while dealing with everyday misadventures. Based on Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”.

Birgit said...

I have not seen the first 2 tv series because they never played them on TV in reruns when I was a kid but I would have loved to see them. I would rather see Inger Stevens in the role than the narcissistic Loretta Young who. I wish someone would slap. I love the film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and I am certain I would have loved the tv show...who doesn’t love Charles Nelson Reilly. I did watch that Star Wars Christmas special when it came on tv and I remember my mouth agape. I thought it was something like. 1/2 hour show so I must have blotted it out. Guess what...I am re-watching it here and I am just where Luke Skywalker come in. To say it is bad is an understatement but I a, loving it because it is soooo bad. I laugh that BeaArthur is in it along with many others. Where is Soupy Sales, Vitro Scotti and Mamie Van Doren? I would love if someone would bring this show up to Harrison Ford.

Birgit said...

OK...It took me this long but I watched the whole thing and I just was laughing at the badness. I so want to ask Harrison Ford about this special. It figures that Bob Mackie created the costumes. This is truly horrible and I wanted that little guy to get get vaporized but, alas, he did not. Harvey Korman was in this a lot as well as Art Carney...oh my.