Retro TV
ridski said:
jimmurphy said:
So do you have to run coax from the attic to the TV?
Yes. I live in a ranch house, so it was simpler for me. But I also live in the valley, and you live on a higher elevation, you might be able to just attach it to the wall by the TV.
I ran coax from the roof to the basement outside the house and then in the basement ceiling to the locations I needed.
ETA our antenna is, apropos to this thread, on the chimney in the time-honored way. Looks like this, gets over 60 over the air channels, including Decades, Heroes, and a couple of others that feature older series.
BTW, many of the shows you can find on Retro TV channels are also available for free on Pluto.tv. Some shows even have channels so you can watch them 24/7. I did a ton of prep for our panto by watching the Love Boat channel.
ridski said:
Yes. I live in a ranch house, so it was simpler for me. But I also live in the valley, and you live on a higher elevation, you might be able to just attach it to the wall by the TV.
Thanks Ridski. Worth a shot.
max_weisenfeld said:
I ran coax from the roof to the basement outside the house and then in the basement ceiling to the locations I needed.
ETA our antenna is, apropos to this thread, on the chimney in the time-honored way. Looks like this, gets over 60 over the air channels, including Decades, Heroes, and a couple of others that feature older series.
We had one of those inside the attic when we moved in. I got rid of it long ago. Wish I hadn't now.
I've been watching MeTV (WJLPDT) through Optimum on Sunday evenings at 10:00-10:30 for old Ed Sullivan shows in the late 60s, where they featured in-studio back-to-back performances of the Stones, Beatles, and other rock groups, for most of the summer. Now, it seems that they are running out and have one or two rock groups plus other 60s entertainers, which isn't quite as interesting to me. The channel also carries Full House, Andy Griffith, MASH, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke, Honeymooners, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, Mission Impossible, The fugitive, and Dragnet, among others.
Here's a listing of all the free, over the air TV channels you can get with an antenna (YMMV): https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/free-tv-guide-listings-maplewood-nj-07040
MeTV is channel 33.2, Retro 32.5
If you have a Roku, here’s all the classic TV channels you can plug into:
Watching an old Flash Gordon episode on TCM.
Two things:
1. Buster Crabbe kinda looks like Andy Griffith. Especially in profile.
2. Had no idea that Star Wars copied it's opening scroll from Flash Gordon. (Or did someone do it before Flash?)
Thanks, db! Memory time: I saw that scroll as a billboard before the movie was released and was intrigued enough by it to go see the movie, though "not my type." I saw it several times on first release (never did that before), and it's still a big favorite. I've even enjoyed Space Balls (thanks, kids) and various memes and ads based on the scroll (though not the prequels/sequels, other than the original trilogy).
drummerboy said:
Watching an old Flash Gordon episode on TCM.
Two things:
1. Buster Crabbe kinda looks like Andy Griffith. Especially in profile.
2. Had no idea that Star Wars copied it's opening scroll from Flash Gordon. (Or did someone do it before Flash?)
Buster Crabbe once owned the sleepaway camp I went to. I think he was no longer owner when I started but he had some kind of endorsement arrangement. It was still called "Buster Crabbe's Camp ___." He visited occasionally (drove a Shelby Cobra, as I recall). On movie nights, they would show the Buck Rogers shorts before the movies. I loved that stuff.
bub said:
drummerboy said:
Watching an old Flash Gordon episode on TCM.
Two things:
1. Buster Crabbe kinda looks like Andy Griffith. Especially in profile.
2. Had no idea that Star Wars copied it's opening scroll from Flash Gordon. (Or did someone do it before Flash?)
Buster Crabbe once owned the sleepaway camp I went to. I think he was no longer owner when I started but he had some kind of endorsement arrangement. It was still called "Buster Crabbe's Camp ___." He visited occasionally (drove a Shelby Cobra, as I recall). On movie nights, they would show the Buck Rogers shorts before the movies. I loved that stuff.
Yeah, when I was a kid Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were just about my favorite shows. Along with Superman, of course.
drummerboy said:
bub said:
drummerboy said:
Watching an old Flash Gordon episode on TCM.
Two things:
1. Buster Crabbe kinda looks like Andy Griffith. Especially in profile.
2. Had no idea that Star Wars copied it's opening scroll from Flash Gordon. (Or did someone do it before Flash?)
Buster Crabbe once owned the sleepaway camp I went to. I think he was no longer owner when I started but he had some kind of endorsement arrangement. It was still called "Buster Crabbe's Camp ___." He visited occasionally (drove a Shelby Cobra, as I recall). On movie nights, they would show the Buck Rogers shorts before the movies. I loved that stuff.
Yeah, when I was a kid Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were just about my favorite shows. Along with Superman, of course.
Superman. Always my favorite.
I've been watching Dick Cavett most weeknights at 9 on DECADES. His style of wit and interviewing has aged well. Monday night he spent the hour with Tennessee Williams in the Quarter in New Orleans. He sometimes has 4 guests in the ad-shortened hour, but he's quite good.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
I've been watching Dick Cavett most weeknights at 9 on DECADES. His style of wit and interviewing has aged well. Monday night he spent the hour with Tennessee Williams in the Quarter in New Orleans. He sometimes has 4 guests in the ad-shortened hour, but he's quite good.
tonight, Danny Kaye. Tomorrow night Federico Fellini.
sbenois said:
Have you seen the George Harrison interview yet?
Have not. Will keep my eyes open for it.
Was that the one with Ravi Shankar? Saw that last week.
Love the guests he would have on. On one show: Janis Joplin, Raquel Welch, Douglass Fairbanks Jr. and someone who I forgot.
Another good group was Peter Straub, Stephen King, George Romero and Ira Levin. So much smoking going on in that episode...
sbenois said:
Have you seen the George Harrison interview yet?
I signed up for Decades through the frndly streaming service yesterday.
Lots of good stuff there!
Car 54 was just a bit before my time, so I don't have many memories of it, but I saw an episode last night and it was pretty funny, and such a great cast.
blackcat said:
Was that the one with Ravi Shankar? Saw that last week.
Love the guests he would have on. On one show: Janis Joplin, Raquel Welch, Douglass Fairbanks Jr. and someone who I forgot.
Another good group was Peter Straub, Stephen King, George Romero and Ira Levin. So much smoking going on in that episode...sbenois said:
Have you seen the George Harrison interview yet?
Peter Straub just died this week.
blackcat said:
I know. I was just starting a re-read of The Talisman this week.
Yeah, one of my favorite books.
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
sbenois said:
Have you seen the George Harrison interview yet?
Have not. Will keep my eyes open for it.
jamie said:
The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
sbenois said:
Have you seen the George Harrison interview yet?
Have not. Will keep my eyes open for it.
That was great! Lots of wasted, banal conversation but fun to see George (and Ravi) chatting. I noticed in this episode that Cavett tends to derail real conversation with quips that slow down the conversation. I hadn't noticed that before.
Also, the bandleader of Cavett's show, who is shown during the inane monologue, is drummer Bobby Rosengarden RIP. He and his wife were very good friends with my parents when I was a child. We spent many summer weekends at their pool ("Rosenwood") and meeting various musicians and celebs. I met Alan Sherman there. What a pig he was. Also met guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and others. I heard Sgt Pepper for the first time there when his son Neil played it for me the weekend after it was released in summer, 1967.
turns out frndlytv is a decent streaming service. I signed up just to get decades, but it's got some other stations that I don't get on youtubetv, like metv and the curiosity channel. not bad for 8.99. Still haven't explored it completely.
I think Curiosity is the only channel in that line-up I'd pay for, and I can get it direct for $20/year, as opposed to $107. Is frndlytv commercial free?
ridski said:
I think Curiosity is the only channel in that line-up I'd pay for, and I can get it direct for $20/year, as opposed to $107. Is frndlytv commercial free?
no, it's not.
I've wanted Decades and this was the cheapest option I could find. Metv was a bonus that I didn't expect.
what do you mean by "get it direct"?
side note: Decades did like a 24 hour Superman binge. It really hit me how awful that show was. Cringe TV.
But I'll still watch it.
Having denigrated my favorite childhood show, I have to say that I saw an episode that was pretty good. Almost surreal. A fake superman and a lemon meringue pie and a mule and a trip to Alaska.
https://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/aos-ep063
Decades is channel 5.5 on your digital antenna, I’m watching it now. Adventures of Superman is on. It’s free OTA. MeTV is on channel 33.1, but I don’t get channel 33 because I’m in the valley.
https://www.tvchannellists.com/w/List_of_over-the-air_television_stations_in_New_York_City
As for curiosity, you can sign up for curiosity on their website for $20 a year, then whatever device you use for streaming should have a curiosity app you just sign in and watch it. Thats what I mean by “get it direct.” I don’t have to pay for channels like H&I which are free, or **** cable stations like History or A&E or Hallmark Drama. I can just get the channel, and watch it.
Yes. I live in a ranch house, so it was simpler for me. But I also live in the valley, and you live on a higher elevation, you might be able to just attach it to the wall by the TV.