Displaying items by tag: 60th Anniversary
Yabba Dabba Doo!: Remembering “The Flintstones” on its 60th Anniversary
“The Flintstones was the first animated sitcom in television history. They paved that gravel road and it’s been smooth traveling ever since.” — Steve Cox, author of Mining Bedrock: The Voices Behind Television’s First Animated Sitcom, The Flintstones
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera’s animated series set in the Stone Age (but inspired by The Honeymooners and mid-20th Century suburban America) that introduced the world to Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Barney and Betty Rubble, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, Dino, Mr. Slate, The Great Gazoo, and a host of other memorable supporting characters.
The popular series (recently released on Blu-ray and reviewed here) originally ran in prime time on ABC from 1960 to 1966 and spawned numerous spin-offs, TV specials, movies and tie-in merchandise. It premiered 60 years ago this autumn, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a trio of pop culture and animation historians who reflects on the series’ appeal six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]
- TV retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Herbie J Pilato
- Then Again with Herbie J Pilato
- roundtable discussion
- The Flintstones
- 60th Anniversary
- animation
- HannaBarbera
- Fred
- Wilma
- Betty
- Barney
- Bedrock
- ABC TV
- 1960s
- Jerry Beck
- The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Classic Cartoon
- Steve Cox
- Mining Bedrock: The Voices Behind Television’s First Animated Sitcom, The Flintstones
When the Master of Suspense Became the Master of Horror: Remembering “Psycho” on its 60th Anniversary
“Psycho should be remembered as the gold standard of psychological horror thrillers because it respects the audience by paying as much attention to delivering memorable, relatable characters, smart dialogue, a gripping plot, and emotional punch as well as jump scares.” — Stephen Rebello, author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s popular psychological horror film starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, owner-manager of the Bates Motel.
Psycho, which also starred Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, was released sixty years ago this month. For the occasion The Bits features a package of statistics and box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, along with passages from vintage film reviews, a reference/historical listing of the movie’s major-market first-run presentations, and, finally, an interview segment with a film historian who reflects on the film six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]
Witness If You Will... A Retrospective: Remembering “The Twilight Zone” on its 60th Anniversary
“The Twilight Zone was an enormously creative television series anchored by one of the true giants of the medium, Mr. Rod Serling, a master storyteller who was given unprecedented control over his work. In terms of quality, no show touches it in consistent quality.” — Steven Jay Rubin, author of The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s classic anthology series which originally ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964.
The Twilight Zone premiered sixty years ago this month and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a quartet of Rod Serling authorities and classic television historians who reflect on the timeless series (and its offspring) six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Twilight Zone
- 60th Anniversary
- Rod Serling
- Steven Jay Rubin
- The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia
- Nicholas Parisi
- Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination
- Herbie J Pilato
- Then Again with Herbie J Pilato
- Marc Scott Zicree
- The Twilight Zone Companion
- roundtable discussion
Kurosawa Goes Wide: Remembering “The Hidden Fortress” on its 60th Anniversary
“The Hidden Fortress is an irresistible blend of grand comic adventure with Kurosawa’s emblematic humanism and innovative craftsmanship.” — Stuart Galbraith, author of The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of The Hidden Fortress, Akira Kurosawa’s influential jidai-geki and starring long-time Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo).
The popular Kurosawa film turns sixty this year, and for the occasion, The Bits features a Q&A with film historian and Japanese cinema authority Stuart Galbraith. [Read on here...]
Returning to Mayfield: Remembering “Leave it to Beaver” on its 60th Anniversary
“Leave it to Beaver offers the complete package of what a television show should be for yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” — Classic TV historian Herbie J Pilato
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the premiere of Leave it to Beaver, the memorable situation comedy which originally ran from 1957 to 1963 and starred Jerry Mathers as the titular character and Tony Dow as brother Wally. [Read more here...]
Around the World in 60 Years: Remembering “Around the World in 80 Days” on its 60th Anniversary
“Around the World in Eighty Days, and more specifically, Mike Todd, defined the way to sell a hard ticket roadshow film. It was important to present the show just like the legitimate stage on Broadway.” — American Widescreen Museum curator Martin Hart
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of Around the World in Eighty Days, Mike Todd’s cinematic production of the classic Jules Verne novel which starred David Niven, Cantinflas and Shirley MacLaine, plus an all-star selection of cameos. [Read on here...]
The Master, VistaVision and the French Riviera: Remembering Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” on its 60th Anniversary
“VistaVision makes you feel like you’re actually on the beautiful Riviera!“
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of To Catch a Thief, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic romantic thriller set on the French Riviera and starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
The Bits celebrates the occasion with this article that highlights the film’s VistaVision presentations and features an interview segment with a group of historians who discuss the attributes of the film and examine its place in the Hitchcock oeuvre. [Read on here…]
Looking Back at CinemaScope
“The Modern Miracle You See Without Glasses!”
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of The Robe, the first motion picture produced in CinemaScope.
In addition to a detailed history of the film’s original theatrical release, the article features a roundtable interview with three authorities on widescreen history.
THE ORIGINAL ENGAGEMENTS OF “THE ROBE”
Presented here is a chronological listing of the original first-run theatrical engagements of The Robe for the major and selected secondary markets in the United States and Canada. The number of weeks the film played has been provided for some of the entries. [Read on here...]