FAVORITE TV MOMENTS

MediumRob, of "The Medium Is Not Enough" infamy (link to the left, Lotus Eaters!), posted his weekly meme challenge:

"What's your favorite TV moment?"

(Okay, I think he spelled it with a "u"...)

So here's what I posted:

Okay, just to get some true TV moments out of the way:

The big good-bye scene in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show': When Lou's voice cracks with "I treasure you people", the lump in my throat is almost unbearable.

From 'The West Wing': "I serve at the pleasure of the President." Always makes me want to join their merry band and throw my lot in with them.

'The Prisoner' - from the finale, but not the Big Reveal of Number One. It's the road trip afterwards as they head back to London.

'Lost' - from the first season finale as they launch Michael's boat. It's that swell of Michael Giacchino's music that sells it for me.

Thanks, Rob, for mentioning Uncle Bryn's reading of the letter.

Boy, I'm going for some sappy ones here. But if they can affect an old cynic like me, they have to be good.

It wouldn't be proper not to have a 'Who' mention here - "Blink", the goodbye to Billy scene leading into Sally galvanizing for action (again, music helps.) But for instant shock value, when she stands up from getting the key and the angel behind her has changed position.

And then my first exposure to 'Monty Python' courtesy of a US summer replacement show called 'Comedy World' - presented as a fake news program. The two sketches shown were of the flasher with the "Boo" sign and of the milkman enticed to come upstairs. At the time I wanted to see more - if there was the promise of seeing Carol Cleveland in lingerie again. Of course later that took a back seat to the off the wall humor.

Okay, here's my TRUE favorite TV moment - and it didn't even happen on TV!

July, 1969 - I'm at Boy Scout camp in Connecticut when one of the counselors stands up at dinner and makes an announcement:

"I have some very sad news to report...." And immediately my mind leaps to the moon landing which was going on but being at camp, I couldn't see it! I'm thinking the crew is all dead on the Moon.

"Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion is dead."

Probably my first case of a TV double-fake. Later it did hit me for what it was, as I liked that show 'Daktari'......

Actually, I have another one of similar nature. I was up at the Lake cottage with my family, back in the 80s, when I was watching an episode of 'Cagney & Lacey' with my Dad and one of my brothers.

It's the episode in which Cagney sparred with a famous hotel burglar named Grand; he even wrote a book about his exploits. You can probably guess the title of the book.....

Suddenly, my Dad turns to me and AJ and says, "I just want you guys to know that I love you."

Dad wasn't one of those touchy-feely new age Dads who would say something like that. We were caught off-guard by it and were only able to just mumble an "I love you" in return. But that's something I treasure and if TV sparked it, I'm grateful.

I've gone over that episode in my head ever since and hope to see it again someday, but I can't figure out what may have inspired him to say it.

And as I was putting together this post, I suddenly remembered I had forgotten one, so I went back:

Ahhh! I forgot one, which I was going to add after the 'West Wing' moment -
In the 1st season finale of 'Slings & Arrows', when the young actor nails all of the checkpoints for playing 'Hamlet' in his debut. That actually had me thrusting my fist in the air and shouting "Yeah!"

BCnU!