In addition to his rightly acclaimed work in movies and on the stage, Michael Gambon starred in one of the most influential television shows ever made, Dennis Potter’s formally inventive The Singing Detective. RIP.
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It's not streaming anywhere. The DVD is out of print but relatively cheap to buy used. I once spent 100 bucks or so to buy the VHS box set at the Museum of TV & Radio. Worth every penny.
One of my college film professors showed us the first episode and then I had to wait like 20 years until the DVD set came out to watch the rest. It more than lived up to my two decades' worth of expectations.
I remember our local PBS station ran it way back when, but I just couldn't get into it - might give it another chance, as I've heard nothing but good about it over the years....
I taped the whole thing off of WNET back in the day and watched it twice. Thank you, PBS! (Actually, I'm not sure if PBS showed it or just WNET. But thanks, public TV.) Haven't seen it in ages, my VCR barely works, and I doubt I have that tape now. I'll have to track down the DVD.
On a side note, one of the most under-appreciated films of the 1980’s was DREAMCHILD, also written by the great Dennis Potter. (And featuring puppets by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, based on Tenniel’s illustrations.)
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This headline is from 1988 — the notion that *anything* on TV might be superior to (e.g.) that year's Best Picture slate was universally mind-blowing.
https://bsky.app/profile/cdmatthew.bsky.social/post/3kaicuhztnj2i
https://youtu.be/m8YNS1umUlc?si=aCoyhHOYvXmHHmlJ