Broadcast Television

There is still something about watching broadcast television, for me. I guess I grew up watching it, so I guess it's one of my earliest influences. I have never been willing to spend the money required to have cable TV (it's, as of this writing, nearly as expensive as health insurance) - especially as whenever I look at cable TV listings, it's primarily hundreds of channels I couldn't be paid to watch.

Now that there is digital broadcasting (something I don't really understand, except to realize there are more channels, with annoying numbers like 10.2, 10.3, etc.) there are a few channels that play old movies and TV shows, presumably for nostalgic old codgers living on fixed incomes. But (aside from the insanely annoying commercials) this is the best stuff on TV, broadcast or cable. Some of it, anyway, such as classics like The Rockford Files. This is where I fest saw Banacek, a few years ago, and watched it by chance (I remember it as a kid, but I didn't get it, at that time).

Now I'm obsessed with Banacek, which I consider one of the classics of the TV era I grew up in (1960s and 1970s). I am waiting... waiting for one of these stations (broadcasting where I currently live) to replay Banacek once again, so I can complete my viewing of the series and also write about episodes in depth. Until then, check out on youtube where someone made a collection of all of Banecek's "ancient Polish proverbs."

T. Banacek - Restorations

This is a journal discussing the TV show, Banacek, which aired from 1972 to 1974. There were 16 episodes plus a pilot. It is available on DVD, but not easy to find.

The show is about Thomas Banacek, as played by George Peppard, a freelance insurance investigator who is often engaged to solve seemingly impossible mysteries.