For many young, closeted LGBT viewers, watching "My Brother's Keeper," a groundbreaking 1973 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, was an epiphany. At a time when we had little if any presence on the tube, MTM dared to set up gal pal Rhoda (Valerie Harper) on a date with Phyllis' (Cloris Leachman) visiting brother. They become fast friends, though it was obviously platonic.
"What's wrong with my brother?" inquires an insulted Phyllis. "He's handsome, charming, witty �""
"He's gay," interjects Rhoda. As Phyllis nearly collapses from shock, Rhoda repeats loudly, "He's gay, Phyllis. He's gay!" It was one of many envelope-pushing moments on a classic show that broke the traditional sitcom mold and spoke to its viewers on a deep and personal level.
For gay Bay Area resident Len Handeland, a diehard fan of classic television, shows like Mary Tyler Moore and That Girl were pivotal viewing. "The characters of Ann Marie [That Girl ] and Mary Richards [MTM ] went against the grain of society," Handeland said in a phone interview. "We're going to do what's best for ourselves, they proclaimed. We're going to ignore the pressure to conform."
MTM and That Girl are two of the more than 50 classic TV series on the schedule of ME TV (Memorable Entertainment Television), a national, digital broadcast network. Launched in Chicago in 2005, ME went national in 2010 and quickly expanded across the USA. The network is available in the Bay Area over the air on channel 20.2, and on Comcast channel 196. Every day and night, classic TV fans can tune into chestnuts such as The Twilight Zone, the original Star Trek (which launched the career of gay icon George Takei) The Honeymooners, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and many others.
On Saturday nights, ME airs the campy 1960s Batman series, in which the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder were portrayed by handsome Adam West and cute Burt Ward. The appeal of this show to gay men is obvious, according to Handeland. "Two men dressed in tight-fitting clothing, living in close proximity to each other, is erotic and sexually suggestive," he observed. "An older man and his 'ward.' We never really understood what a 'ward' was." Some classic TV fans argue that Batman may have been bisexual. "There was a lot of sexual tension between Batman and Julie Newmar's Catwoman, who was very much like a drag queen," said Handeland.
Dobie Gillis, which ME airs weekdays at 5:30 a.m., is worth setting your DVR for. It's another series that broke new ground when it first aired 50 years ago. Dwayne Hickman stars as the nerdy, lovesick Dobie, who chases after girls who don't want him. The show had fast-paced, wry dialogue. Future Gilligan's Island star Bob Denver was seen as Maynard G. Krebs, TV's first bona fide beatnik. Maynard's aversion to work, his disrespect for authority and his fondness for smoke-filled coffeehouses made him unlike any other character on early-60s TV.
A future lesbian icon was featured in the Dobie Gillis cast. Young Shelia James stole many scenes when she played the overbearing Zelda, determined to get her claws into Dobie. Years later, James resurfaced as Shelia Kuehl. An out lesbian, Kuehl was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, the first openly gay person to serve in the state legislature. After three terms in office, she was elected to the State Senate in 2000.
Other shows on the ME schedule that could appeal to a LGBT viewership include new acquisitions Green Acres and The Mothers in Law. In the former, the late Eva Gabor is wonderfully over-the-top as Lisa, a glamorous Eastern European woman living on a farm with her husband (Eddie Albert). Lisa's attempt to maintain her cosmopolitan identity amidst "country bumpkins" makes for grand humor. The Mothers in Law stars Eve Arden, an old-school Hollywood dame, and Kaye Ballard, a tough-as-nails Broadway trouper, whose children have married. These meddlesome Moms get themselves caught up in hilariously outrageous situations. Both women play their roles with larger-than-life gusto �" it's high camp at its best.
And set your DVR for Honey West, which ME TV airs on Sunday mornings at 3 a.m. Beautiful Anne Francis will have you cheering as the independent, sexy female private eye who needs no man to save her. Honey knows martial arts and has no compunction about using a gun. Honey West was filmed in gloriously noirish black-and-white.
For more information, go to www.metvnetwork.com.