In Search Of....

In Search Of.... was a 1976-1982 documentary show hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Each week featured a different "mystery" such as the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, the construction of Florida's Coral Castle, etc. While many of the topics covered were scientific, a few were pretty out there, focusing on paranormal activity or conspiracies.

Recently, the episodes were fully restored and released on DVD.

Amazing Producers: Dolly Parton

When people think of Dolly Parton, they think of her singing, down home country charm and enormous.... heart. But few know that she also has a successful production company.

So, what types of shows has she produced? Country music programming? Variety shows? Believe it or not, Dolly Parton's Sandollar Productions was responsible for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Ms. Parton's other successful business enterprises include the Dollywood theme park and a chain of musical theaters. Her amazing versatility is best summed up with a quote from Dolly herself:

“I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”

-Dolly Parton

Amazing Producers: Lucille Ball

When people think of Lucille Ball, they typically think of insane chocolate wrapping, wacky grape stomping and harebrained schemes.

In reality, however, Ms. Ball was a shrewd businesswoman who took over as the head of Desilu Productions when her ex-husband's drinking made him a poor choice to run a production company. As the only woman in Hollywood running a large organization like Desilu, Lucy showed that she wasn't "Lucy". 

That's why it might come as a shock to know that Star Trek was one of the shows she greenlit and produced through Desilu.

Yes, if it weren't for Lucille Ball, the world might have never known about the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, and Star Trek would have never become a multi-billion dollar franchise.

Today in TV History: Star Trek Gets Canceled

On September 2, 1969 the original Star Trek was canceled by NBC. Originally produced by Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios, Star Trek built on its core group of fans and quickly recovered from its cancellation by becoming a phenomenon. It spawned a movie series, animated cartoon, many spinoff shows and an attraction in Las Vegas.