Park: Okay so recently someone in my feed said: “I’m feeling a little out of it and I want to binge-watch something, recommendations?” And I hated all the recommendations, except for old Bugs Bunny cartoons. So… I mean, we, ourselves, have recently done old Bugs and Daffy cartoons, and they were still great. But they’re short, so watching the best of them only gets you so far…
Barb: Okay– recommendations for binge watching: Number one: Backstairs at the White House.
Park: Oh, Backstairs at the White House was a heck of a thing.
Barb: It’s a whole triumph of the human spirit thing, based on a true story, with prominent roles for women of color. Well-written, exceedingly well-acted, and it’s historical as heck.
Park: It was well acted– and well-cast! And yes, lots of juicy historical details.
Barb: I like old BBC series like D’Israeli.
Park: Oh yes! D’Israeli: Portrait of a Romantic, was very good! There are two D’Israeli miniseries I know of, and they are both equally good! Both are the story of a guy who marries a woman for money and political positioning but they really fall in love with each other anyway! One has Ian McShane, whom practically everyone likes! But the other one, “The Invincible Mr. Disraeli,” from 1963, with Greer Garson, Trevor Howard, and Denholm Elliott, is good too!
Barb: The Missiles of October is one that I loved….
Park: Oh, that’s very good– speaking of historical presidents and true stories. And Martin Sheen as Bobby Kennedy. Sadly, although we watched it on YouTube, it’s apparently not available for streaming anywhere right at this moment… But of course, that might change at any time… and many people can find a copy at their local library or something?
Barb: I remember practically biting my nails watching Missiles… The Cuban Missile Crisis was so scary… and your uncle Billy was involved in it. Talk about that a little….
Park: You bet! My father’s brother Bill worked for Kodak. Well, what does Kodak do but lenses and film? So, they were involved in taking high-altitude photos of Cuba. And Uncle Bill was in the Air Force, too, so– whenever you see a young guy running down the hall in the White House to bring photos to Jack and Bobby, that was actually my Uncle Bill.
Barb: And I thought Kennedy, the mini-series from the 1980s, was terrific. Martin Sheen as JFK was so idealistic, so charming, so smart…!
Barb: Children of the Stones is the scariest “kid” mini series ever. Highly recommended for those into old British Telefantasy.
Park: Yeah, Children of the Stones! Children of the Stones is not at all based on a true story but we did film the outdoors scenes in a real village that has real monoliths! (Namely the village of Avebury, in Wiltshire, U.K.)
Barb: If one is into horror, the Nigel Kneale anthology horror show, Beasts, is terrific.
Park: I still think about some of Nigel Kneale’s Beasts episodes. Especially the last one, “The Dummy.”
Barb: Death in Paradise is fun. Poirot is also fun.
Park: Oh yes! My mom liked both of those. Death in Paradise got popular because it meant that Brits could dream of a Caribbean vacation even when it was cold outside, and it works well that way too.
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Barb: Yeah, watch “Death in Paradise” in the winter like we did.
Park: And yes, Poirot actor Sir David Suchet… Those are fun, and there’s quite a few of them, since they cover every Poirot story ever.
Sadly, it’s hard to find Poirot for streaming… Might want to check your local library for DVDs.
But as long as we’re talking about that, I’ll also mention the adaptations of Maigret, if one can get them. Specifically, 1960 with Rupert Davies and the French version with Bruno Cremer.
Bruno’s is harder to stream with subtitles, though. We just check out the DVDs from the library when we want to re-watch.
Barb: I’d say, any version except the most current Maigret with Rowan Atkinson is worth watching.
Barb: Then there’s Dracula with Louis Jourdan, which is arguably the only truly accurate adaptation out there.
Barb: Me and My Shadows: My Life with Judy Garland is one of the best biographical limited series out there. I’ve seen that more than once.
Park: Oh, and The Temptations!
Barb: Oh, yes, The Temptations! I loved that mini-series. It was directed by the guy who did Rock and Roll High School!
Barb: There are a couple of good “Elvis” mini-series. The John Carpenter version is good, if you can find it. The version with Jonathan Rhys Meyers was also really good.
Park: For the 1979 John Carpenter version with Kurt Russell, I’m afraid it’s back to one’s local library again…
Okay, that ought’a keep everyone busy for a while!