Category: Television

Remembering the Bicentennial Minute During the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Those that remember the American Bicentennial in 1976 recall a national celebration that contrasts sharply with the America of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. But for those of us old enough to remember the United States celebration of the 200th anniversary in 1976, the current semiquincentennial celebration seems to pale in comparison to the 1976 Bicentennial.

In 1976, you could not escape hearing about the Bicentennial. In 2026, most of what we hear about the 250th celebration seems related to controversy and cancellations rather than celebrations. There are books about the American Bicentennial celebration on Amazon (and that is not counting things like Bicentennial cookbooks published in many communities in 1976). I don’t think there are many, if any, 250th celebration cookbooks, and it is hard to imagine a very long book for future generations to read about our current efforts to celebrate.

Why Did the Bicentennial Feel Different From America’s 250th Birthday?

What happened to our celebration? There are a number of reasons one may point to for the disappointment with the current anniversary, including the divisions on social media and other forms of entertainment that all make it more difficult for uniting Americans around anything. Maybe we lost something about our connections to our communities that fifty years ago did much of the 1976 planning. Also, it is easier to say “Bicentennial” than “Semiquincentennial,” so how do you celebrate something you can’t remember the name of?

Some argue that the government failed to plan properly. Or maybe the current White House resident hijacked the holiday to make it more about himself, making the Semiquincentennial partisan versus the more (but not completely) bipartisan Bicentennial.

So, instead of celebrating, for many, the this year’s anniversary is more for acknowledging the faults of the country and thinking of ways to heal. For many, they will have their barbeques and fireworks, but it will be just like any other Fourth of July.

Maybe 200 seems like a more important number than 250, or maybe people do not feel like celebrating. Yet,in 1976 we also also faced inflation, gas shortages, political scandals, and other issues but still found a way to reflect and party.

Maybe, a failure of commercialism is partly to blame. Whether good or bad, fewer media sources and less product access allowed companies in 1976 to create more focused marketing around the Bicentennial that continuously reminded us of the celebration. All of your favorite products, including soda and beer, included special versions labeled for the Bicentennial.

In our house, we bought Bicentennial medallions off television, giving them as gifts. I also remember drinking a lot of 7-Up to collect the Bicentennial cans, collecting a can representing each of the fifty states. When you stacked up the fifty cans they revealed an image of Uncle Sam.

Yes, today, you may buy 250 shirts and hats on Amazon or at your local store. I bought a shirt at Lowes. But anyone can make a shirt and sell it online these days. For better or worse, there is no official merchandise that any of us would recognize, in contrast to the well-recognized licensed Bicentennial symbol.

The Uniting Thread of the Bicentennial Minute

Finally, today’s more fractured entertainment universe means we do not have the daily reminders of the anniversary we had in 1976. In the mid-1970s, for more than a year, we watched the Bicentennial Minutes, remembered by most Baby Boomers and members of Generation Jones (like me). Every night on TV there was a favorite actor or personality who would tell us an important event that happened 200 years ago that night.

As July 4 and the Declaration signing approached, each episode reminded us of the approaching holiday. With no Netflix, no cell phones, no streaming options, and mostly just network TV, the Bicentennial Minutes were a communal event.

The Bicentennial Minutes ran for more than two years, beginning on July 4, 1974 and running through December 31, 1976. The last episode featured President Gerald R. Ford.

During that time, as a kid, I took out my blue tape recorder every night (audio only, we did not have VCRs in those days), waiting between CBS shows for a few minutes before 9pm. As the Bicentennial Minute started, I pushed the Record/Play button to record the audio off of the TV. We did not have the Internet so it was the only way to preserve the important history lessons we received every night on TV.

Here is actor Darren McGavin on April 2, 1976.

I don’t recall how many I recorded on my blue tape recorder. And I don’t know how often I ever listened to the audio cassette. I do not even remember what happened to those cassette tapes.

But creating the recordings seemed important to do at the time. It was an American thing to do.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Why Did Stephen Colbert Sing “Jump Up” With Elvis Costello on the Final “Late Show”?

The next-to-last song on Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show was an obscure pick that perfectly captured a joyous — and pointed — finale.

Stephen Colbert closed out his final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with a couple of musical performances that made a perfect send off. The final song, of course, was the Beatles classic “Hello Goodbye,” led by Paul McCartney. It was a wonderful uplifting ending, saying goodbye to us while reminding us it was not the end. The Beatles song finale was even more touching with the recognition that Paul McCartney was turning out the lights on the show in the Ed Sullivan Theater, a place where the Beatles captured America so many years ago. But what was that acoustic song before “Hello Goodbye”?

This final segment began with Colbert wandering around before sitting and starting to sing, “Everybody’s talking like they can’t sit down / And looking like they can’t stand up.” And then for the next line, the camera moved to the songwriter of that song,”Jump Up,” Elvis Costello. Then, the song continued with Jon Batiste in a touching inclusion of the former Late Show band leader, and then Louis Cato, the current Late Night band leader.

In my music collection, I have “Jump Up” as a bonus acoustic demo song on my special CD edition of Elvis Costello’s 1977 debut album My Aim is True. Of all the songs in the world, why did Colbert choose an obscure bonus track from the 1970s as the penultimate song for his show?

Colbert has been a fan of the song “Jump Up” for a long time, so, as you can see from the look on his face, it was a joy for him to sing a favorite song with the songwriter. And it must have been cool to then “close” the show with the song and “goodnight,” and then go into the encore where the four “Jump Up” singers joined Paul McCartney for “Hello Goodbye.”

Why “Jump Up”?

But why did Colbert choose the obscure Elvis Costello song, as he loves other songs too? The likely reason for Colbert’s fondness for “Jump Up,” and the reason it worked so well in closing the show, arguably cancelled by CBS at least partly for its criticisms of a thin-skinned Donald Trump, is its satirical take on untrustworhty politicians.

Candidate talkin` on the radio from the “Cheaters Jamboree”;
It must be their latest fool;
`Cause it`s a two-horse race and he changed his bets,
Like it was just another brand of cigarettes.

Way back in 2012, Colbert explained his love of “Jump Up” in this interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air: “I love the song because it’s sort of a satirical song. It’s got a parodic nature to it, or not a parodic nature, but it’s really, it’s got sort of a political, satirical song. And I’ve never discussed this song with Elvis, so I might get a message from Elvis Costello after this interview with you, saying, ‘You know nothing of my work. What are you talking about?’ But I’ve always thought of it as a – it’s sort of like a – it’s a person who is talking about insignificance in the name of power or of something that they want, and also talking about the hypocrisy of politicians.”

Colbert further explained how the song captures a young man on a street corner, looking to get noticed, who has no power. And maybe he felt a little like that with his show’s cancellation. But the song, in Costello’s skillful writing, has a power behind it with its uplifting melody, jokingly making fun of those in power. And isn’t that what The Late Show was always about since the first episode with David Letterman?

For those of us who grew up watching The Late Show since David Letterman started the show, through Colbert’s ongoing journey from The Colbert Report to The Late Show, it was a touching send off, looking back and looking forward.

And the look of joy on Colbert’s face as he sang “Jump Up” with Costello, Batiste, and Cato, I’m sure, far surpassed any joy left in the hearts of the politicians in Washington or the people running CBS.

Hello Goodbye indeed.

Jump up–hold on tight,
Can`t trust the promise or a guarantee;
`Cause the man `round the curve says that he`s never heard,
Of you or me.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Allan Melvin, Man of Many Characters

Allan Melvin was one of the great charactor actors of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in recurring appearances on popular TV shows such as “The Andy Griffith Show,” “The Brady Bunch,” and “All in the Family.”

Sam the Butcher

If you watched TV in the 1960s and 1970s, odds are that you recognize the face and voice of Allan Melvin but may not know the name of the actor. Melvin — who was born on February 18, 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri — made many appearances on popular shows and voiced cartoons for several decades.  Among many roles, Melvin had recurring appearances on some of the most popular TV shows of the era, including The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, All in the Family, and Gomer Pyle, USMC.  On top of that, he also had one of the most memorable recurring roles in a TV commercial.

Many viewers will see his face and immediately remember him as Sam Franklin, aka Alice’s boyfriend “Sam the Butcher” on The Brady Bunch. Yet, he only appeared on eight episodes of the show between 1969 and 1974.

As what many might call a “character actor,” Melvin was a great one and seemed to have been in constant demand. I became inspired to write this post after watching several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in eight episodes of that classic show, but in those shows from 1962 to 1967, Melvin appeared as a different character each time, ranging from a convict to a bully to a hotel detective to a recruiting sergeant. It seems the producers loved his work and kept bringing him back, ignoring how it might seem confusing to viewers that the same man was someone different even during the same season.

Melvin had recurring roles in other classic shows. In Gomer Pyle, USMC, an Andy Griffith Show spinoff, producers kept him as the same character. Perhaps because of his great work as a sergeant on an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, he played Sgt. Barney Hackett in sixteen episodes of Gomer Pyle, USMC in 1965-1969.

Additionally, he played a recurring role in All in the Family as Archie’s friend and neighbor Barney Hefner. Yet, he had also started out on that show with one appearance playing a sergeant.

After the sergeant appearance, Melvin appeared as Barney Hefner in twenty-four episodes of All in the Family from 1972 to 1979, continuing to play the character in the spin-off show Archie Bunker’s Place in numerous episodes from 1979-1983.

Melvin earned his big break in TV with the role of Corporal Steve Henshaw on the The Phil Silvers Show, often credited as “Allen” Melvin. He appeared as Henshaw regularly throughout its run from 1955-1959. Perhaps that early role helped set the stage for his many military parts in his career.

While he had recurring appearances in those shows, he also acted in many other memorable TV shows. For example, he appeared on Mod Squad (1969), Green Acres (1970), Mayberry R.F.D (1970), Love, American Style (1969-1971), The Brian Keith Show (1972), and Kung Fu (1975).

When he was not appearing in TV shows, he was doing significant voice work. He was the voice of Drooper in The Banana Splits Adventure Hour from 1968-1969. His voice appeared in Pufnstuff (1970), Wait Till Your Father Comes Home (1972-1973), Yogi’s Gang (1973), The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty (1975), and Flash Gordon (1979-1982). In the 1980s, his professional work slowed down, but he continued to do significant voice work, including The Jetsons (1985-1987).

Finally, you may also remember Melvin from his TV commercial work. In that arena, he may be best known as playing Al the Plumber for fifteen years promoting Liquid Plumr.

Melvin died of cancer on January 17, 2008. His television work left an amazing legacy. He is buried in Westwood Memorial Cemetery just a few yards from Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker on All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place.

Even if Melvin was always behind more famous actors and viewers did not know his name, they knew his face, his voice, and his talent. Although he never had a definitive leading role, his broad range of work in recurring roles on many landmark TV series brought him many fans and friends.


What is your favorite Allan Melvin role? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”

    Singer-Songwriter Marty Brown supported his son Christian Brown as he auditioned on “American Idol,” singing one of his father’s songs.

    Marty Brown and son Christian Brown on American Idol

    We have posted a lot about country singer-songwriter Marty Brown over the years. We have noted that he has passed down his talents which he inherited from his parents to his children. In addition to Brown’s daughter Emma Grace Brown who has a great singing voice, his son Marty Brown Jr. released an excellent album with his band Maceo that we reviewed. And now, Marty’s son Christian Brown recently auditioned on American Idol.

    Marty appeared on the episode with Christian, who sang one of our favorite Marty Brown songs, “Wildest Dreams.” As Christian explained, the song ,which appeared on the father’s debut album High and Dry in 1991, is about a parent’s love for their children. Still, it was a bold song choice, as judges usually prefer well-known popular songs. But Christian showed his authenticity in selecting a song written and recorded by his father decades ago.

    Though maybe the song choice was not too much of a risk as it is a great song (not to mention he likely sang other songs not shown on the TV broadcast). Either way, it was worth it many viewers to hear the song for the first time while seeing Marty so proud of his son. The father’s pride choked me up a bit.

    Did the judges vote to advance Christian to the next round? Check out the video below.

    Update: For those of you wondering why you haven’t seen Christian Brown on later episodes of American Idol, Marty explained on his Facebook page that Christian had to withdraw from the competition. Christian Brown’s baby son had to undergo surgery, so his father decided to withdraw from the competition and its demanding schedule so he could be with his son while he recovers. We wish Christian’s son a speedy recovery and look forward to music from Christian in the near future.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

    Aretha Franklin and Tom Jones Medley (Duet of the Day)

    On Tom Jones’s show in 1970, he joined Aretha Franklin on her song “See Saw.”

    In the 1970s we had some TV shows hosted by cool singers like Tom Jones. As we’ve mentioned before, having Jones host a TV show led to some great duets.

    In the clip below from 1970, Aretha Franklin starts at the piano singing Jone’s hit “It’s Not Unusual,” as Jones looks on with admiration, And then the two bust out into Franklin’s song “See Saw.” Check it out.

    Leaver your two cents in the comments.