Gunsmoke

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.

The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television version ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and was the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes. In 2010, Law & Order tied this record of 20 seasons (but only 456 episodes). At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west.

Marshal Matt Dillon is in charge of Dodge City, a town in the wild west where people often have no respect for the law. He deals on a daily basis with the problems associated with frontier life: cattle rustling, gunfights, brawls, standover tactics, and land fraud. Such situations call for sound judgement and brave actions: of which Marshal Dillon has plenty.

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon
by Gregg Metcalf

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon was the cry

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon grab your gun

You're just the man we know to catch the bad guy

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon you got him on the run 

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon you sure stand tall

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon you are the man 

With sound judgment you hunt down one and all

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon you always have a plan

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon it ain't so pretty

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon watch out for drunks

they all seem to find their way to Dodge City

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon catch those skunks

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon you've got a friend

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon Festus has your back

no need to worry he is your partner to the bitter end

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon he'll pick up the slack

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon you know she loves you

Marshal Dillon, Marshall Dillon what have you to say

Miss Kitty's on your trail like some ole seasoned Sioux

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon when's the wedding day?

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon with your hair of red

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon such a handsome man

the first man they look for and the one they all dread

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon so rugged and tan

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon you say it's a chancy job

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon your watchful and a little lonely

you are a man who wears the star of a U S law dog

Marshal Dillon, Marshal Dillon you are a one and only

Frasier

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub Street Productions) in association with Grammnet (2004) and Paramount Network Television.

A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin, and Moose. It was one of the most successful spin-off series in television history, as well as one of the most critically acclaimed comedy series.

Psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane (Grammer) returns to his hometown of Seattle, Washington, following the end of his marriage and his life in Boston (as seen in Cheers). His plans for a new life as a bachelor are complicated when he is obliged to take in his father, Martin (Mahoney), a retired Seattle Police Department detective, who has mobility problems after being shot in the line of duty during a robbery. Frasier hires Daphne Moon (Leeves), as Martin's live-in physical therapist and care giver, and tolerates Martin's dog Eddie(Moose). Frasier's younger brother Niles (Pierce), a fellow psychiatrist, frequently visits. Niles becomes infatuated with, and eventually falls in love with, Daphne, which he does not confess to her openly until the final episode of the seventh season.

Frasier hosts The Dr. Frasier Crane Show on talk radio station KACL. His producer Roz Doyle (Gilpin) is very different from Frasier in taste and temperament, but over time they become close friends. Frasier and the others often visit the local coffee shop Café Nervosa.

The Crane sons, who possess fine tastes, intellectual interests, and high opinions of themselves, frequently clash with their blue-collar, down-to-earth father. The brothers' close relationship is often turbulent, and their sibling rivalry intermittently results in chaos. Other recurring themes include the breakdown of Niles' marriage to the never-seen Maris, Frasier's search for love, Martin's new life after retirement, and the various attempts by the two brothers to gain acceptance into Seattle's cultural elite.

Ode to David Angell
by Gregg Metcalf

There are times when things don't make sense

the tragedy of 9/11 is one that comes to mind

 the very remembrance of it still makes me tense

on this disaster far better than me have opined

American Airlines Flight 11 carried eighty-seven souls

and was flying from Boston to LA International Airport

with trained and competent staff flying at the controls

it seemed to be just another routine flight of transport

The fate of that early morning flight is well known

 all on board were killed in a cowardly terrorist act

as into the North Tower of the WTC it was flown

by dastardly dispicable enemies bound by a pact

Many who know the infamous story of this flight

may not be aware of two passengers in particular

David and Lynn Angell who were filled with delight

never knowing anything could be more queerer

Mr. Angell was a major factor of my favorite show

creator, producer, and writer on Frasier was he,

 which won thirty-seven Emmys, a record you know

including five wins for an outstanding comedy

Mr. Angell joined the Army after Providence College

he served at the Pentagon until nineteen seventy two.

An asset was he to the USA with all that knowledge

but he left the Army selling insurance with LA in view

He sold a script for "Archie Bunker's Place" giving him glee,

 his big break came as a staff writer for "Cheers" the show.

In ninety eighty five he joined Peter Casey and David Lee

winning two Emmys for "Cheers" and was now well known.

If you watched Frasier you know of Niles love for Daphne

for almost 10 seasons he pined away with secret desire. 

Then came that glorious day he could marry her openly

Niles finnaly captured that love for which he long aspired

Somebody at NBC thought it as time for a child

naturally a baby boy was born to the happy pair

no doubts as to what the name would be styled

Yes, David he was named with very little fan-fare

Though no major fuss was made about his name

those who followed the show knew very well

it was to remember his "God-father" with fame

just a well placed nod to Mr. David Angell!

Emergency

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

The crew of Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Station 51, particularly the paramedic team, and Rampart Hospital respond to emergencies in their operating area.

This series features the adventures of the paramedics of Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Station 51, John Gage and Roy Desoto. Together they respond to emergencies ranging from false alarms to major disasters. As at this time, the Paramedic program, which is designed to keep emergency patients alive long enough to get to medical facilities, is still a relatively recent service, the paramedics must be guided by licensed medical personnel through radio contact on site. This is where the staff of Rampart Hospital come in with doctors Brackett and Early as well as Head Nurse McCall providing the necessary instructions for the paramedics to do their jobs. In addition to that, we see the work of the medical staff on their own as deal with the medical problems they encounter.

 Ode to a Fireman
by Gregg Metcalf

Everyday that he is on call may be his last

he races into danger when he hears the blast

Never giving it a thought he is there to save

those trapped in deadly flames, he is so brave

On the line his life is placed for you and me

He's a fireman, and it's all he wants to be

he would say to  each and all it's no big deal

but I wonder how he does this job so surreal?

Paramedics and fireman are very special folk

it is my desire with this poem to invoke

your appreciation for the sacrifice they make

in the face of danger with each call they take

When you hear a siren with that shrill blast

and you see the trucks that are racing fast

pull over to the side, and take time to pray

for him and for all those he will save today

Let's hope you never need him at your place

and that to your side he should need to race

may he pass his days with ease and little care

safely among all those whose lives he shares

Dragnet

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Dragnet is a radio, television and motion picture series of crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.

Dragnet was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history. The series gave millions of audience members a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real-life police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers

The original Dragnet starring Jack Webb as Sgt. Friday ran on radio from June 3, 1949, to February 26, 1957, and on television from January 3, 1952, to August 23, 1959. Webb revived the series which ran from January 12, 1967, to April 16, 1970. NBC's radio and television networks carried all three series. There were three Dragnet feature films, a straight adaptation starring Webb in 1954; a TV movie produced in 1966; and a comedy spoof in 1987. In 1982 a third TV incarnation of the series was being prepared by Webb but his death scrapped the revival. After Jack Webb's death, two Dragnet revivals were attempted; one was for weekly syndication in 1989 and the other was for ABC in 2003.

All We Know Are the Facts Ma'am
by Gregg Metcalf

All we know are the facts ma'am

the reason why alludes us

we're still sorting through this bedlam

please don't make such a fuss

All we know are the facts ma'am

and the evidence tells the tale

you wouldn't know him from Adam

but fingerprints put him in jail

All we know are the facts ma'am

which is what Friday really said

the media created a new anthem

with the phrase "just the facts, ma'am"

All we know are the facts ma'am

I truly don't know why he stole

your TV and went on the lam

be at rest, all units are on patrol

All we know are the facts ma'am

never fear, we will catch this guy

LA's finest is on to his scam

we will catch him in his lie

Cheyenne

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Cheyenne is an American western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) from 1955 to 1963. The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season. 

The show starred Clint Walker, a native of Illinois, as Cheyenne Bodie, a physically large cowboy wandering the American West. 

After the Civil war adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the west looking for fights, women and bad guys to beat up. His job changed from episode to episode.

Theme Song to Cheyenne*

Cheyenne, Cheyenne where will you be camping tonight? 
Loney man, Cheyenne, will your heart stay free and light? 
Dream Cheyenne of a girl you may never love 
Move along, Cheyenne like the restless cloud up above. 

The wind that blows, that comes and goes, has been your only home. 
But will the while will one day see and you'll no longer roam.

Move along, Cheyenne the next pasture's always so green. 
Driftin' on, Cheyenne don't forget the things you have seen, 
And when you settle down where will it be Cheyenne. 
Cheyenne!

*Click on title to hear theme song

Burn Notice

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless. The series premiered on June 28, 2007, on USA Network. On November 7, 2012, the show was renewed for its seventh season, which is set to have 13 episodes, and is scheduled to premiere summer 2013.

Plot

The title of the series refers to the burn notices issued by intelligence agencies to discredit or announce the dismissal of agents or sources who are considered to have become unreliable. When spies are burned, their connection to an espionage organization is terminated, leaving them without access to cash or influence.

According to the narration during the opening credits, the burned spy has no prior work history, no money, no support network – in essence, no identity. The television series uses second-person narrative and frequent voice-overs providing exposition from the viewpoint of covert-operations agent Michael Westen, played byJeffrey Donovan. The voice-over commentary is in the form of tips for fledgling agents as if for a training or orientation film.

After fleeing a blown operation in Nigeria and being kidnapped and beaten, Westen finds himself in his hometown of Miami, Florida. He is tended to by his ex-girlfriend, Fiona Glenanne, but he has been abandoned by all his normal intelligence contacts and is under continuous surveillance with his personal assets frozen. Extraordinary efforts to reach his U.S. government handler eventually yield only a grudging admission that someone powerful wants him "on ice" in Miami. If he leaves there, he will be hunted down and taken into custody. If he stays, he can remain relatively free. Consumed by the desire to find out who burned him, and why, Westen is reluctantly drawn into working as an unlicensed private investigator and problem solver for ordinary citizens to fund his personal investigation into his situation as a blacklisted agent.

Westen invites his old friend Sam Axe to assist him, while Fiona invites herself to join them. With the occasional assistance and sometimes hindrance of his mother, Madeline, Westen battles an array of such criminal figures as mobsters, gangs, con artists,murderers, thieves, arms traffickers, kidnappers, money launderers, and drug traffickers. At the same time, Michael must follow the trail that leads him to the people responsible for his being burned, and later finding out why.

The series juggles these two narratives; the overall series dealing with why Michael was burned, and individual episodes focusing on the cases he works for clients.

Michael Weston Man
by Gregg Metcalf
(A Rip-Off of Secret Agent Man)

There's a man who once was a spy

everything he did  was just a lie

every move he made put him in danger

always on the run like the lone ranger

Michael Weston man, Michael Weston man

They've given you a burn notice and will catch you if they can

You'r now stuck in Miami unable to flee

broke and on the run with no history

be careful what you do

the Company will catch you

Odds are you won't find out who burned you

Michael Weston man, Michael Weston man

they've given you a burn notice and will catch you if they can

Hooked up with Fiona and your friend Sam

helping anybody the best way that you can

always wondering why you were burned

not knowing for sure what you have learned

Madeline lives on the edge and is concerned

Michael Weston man, Michael Weston man

they've given you a burn notice and will catch you if they can

Season Seven starts this coming June

be careful with danger, you are not immune

you know they'll hit you with everything from A-Z

but I'll be right there with you drinking my Ice-Tea

Michael Weston man, Michael Weston man

they've given you a burn notice and will catch you if they can

Michael Weston man

Adam - 12

A -  Twenty-Six TV Shows - Z

Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by R. A. Cinader and Jack Webb, who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a typical day in the life of a police officer as realistically as possible. The show ran from September 21, 1968 through May 20, 1975, and helped introduce police procedures and jargon to the general public in the United States of America. 

One-Adam 12
by Gregg Metcalf

One-Adam 12, One Adam-12

see the man, 415 in progress

It's Code 3 as into this call you delve

Backup will assist you with this mess

Seven Seasons I followed Reed and Malloy

since crime never slept on the LA streets

One Adam 12 was always ready to deploy

bad guys ran to ground when they hit their beat

Jack Webb gave us insight into the lives of cops

and they served with valor and pride topnotch

but like all good things they often come to a stop

  Malloy and Reed at last came to the end of watch