Newsday TV Books, April 1973.

Have I mentioned how far behind I am in getting this done? Okay then, I'll skip that part and get right to it!

For the first week of April, 1973, Newsday offered this Gunsmoke cover, celebrating 19 years on CBS, and then an interview piece with Amanda Blake. (Note the askew cutting along the top. Oh, and click the pics to make them bigger. I'll tell you that in case you're a real dope.)

Blake had a long career in animal rights activism after this, but sadly she is believed to have contracted HIV from her fourth husband and later died of AIDS-related complications in 1989.

Terry Williams is more than just a guy on "Rollin'," you know! (And other TV trivialities.)

I've put both this Easter ad for Hicks Nurseries and the April's-Fools-joke movie listing from John Cashman onto the nets before. Since they were printed alongside each other, here they are in the original context. (Mr. Rogers was from Latrobe, near Pittsburgh, in case you were wondering...)

I like that you could watch the John Ford tribute on CBS, then switch over to channel 9 for Fort Apache. Way to thoughtfully program, WOR! Albert Brooks on Jack Paar Tonite and some good Cashman reviews round out this Monday night.

More specials on Wednesday, highlighted by some Gary Viskupic art. Normally I'd present Viskupic's work alone, but I didn't want to lose Cashman's exasperated take on Mr. Imperium at 11:30.

Friday afternoon brought season openers to Mets and Yankees fans, featured here with some Cootner doodles amid the prime-time offerings.

Again, this nutty Viskupic drawing for Colossus: The Forbin Project can be found elsewhere on this blog, so to change things up here's the whole late night Friday sched with it.

I don't remember if I've printed this Holiday Spa ad before--and if I did, who cares? I always try to feature any ad for a business in Plainview, such as this one...

...and this one for a lawn care service, which even goes so far as to split my hometown into North Plainview and South Plainview! I've never heard of this before--in which part did my house reside? Was I a Northerner or a Southerner? Dammit, an opportunity to meaninglessly despise and taunt a whole segment of mostly similar people based on random geography--wasted! Well, whichever I am, you other-half people SUCK!

The following week's issue presented a sa-weet Viskupic cover depicting Kung Fu.

Don't you love it when an actor is described as having a "mystique" even once it's revealed he only reads car and girlie magazines?

I personally think the thing that's needed most in this goofy old world is more old guys like J. McT. of Mineola, who tend to ramble on and pontificate before asking about MacLean Stevenson. And you already knew that the margarine commercial Mother Nature was played by Dena Dietrich, right? Of course.

As a fan of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast, I had to throw in this John Cashman review of Man of a Thousand Faces. (I'm sure Gilbert would have also watched the doc about Leni Riefenstahl and the Bowery Boys whooping it up in Bagdad, too.)

"VD" stands for "Viskupic Drawing" on this particular Monday night, and in the wee hours you would choose, strangely, between Rod Serling at LAX or a plane crash on Twilight Zone.

Viskupic also gives us a weaponized Lady Liberty for this America close-up.

Stuart Whitman runs for his life on Friday, and there's also a werewolf, Ghidrah and Lou Gehrig's Disease to worry about.

On to the Ides of April, and Room 222's Lloyd Haynes and Michael Constantine.

Haynes was a former Marine who also appeared on Batman and was almost a regular on Star Trek, but he was replaced by Nichelle Nichols.

Get the scuttlebutt on Carroll O'Connor, the noise on Lance Loud, and meet Marlo Thomas' littlest fan in this week's TV Line.

I don't know about you, but when I think springtime and musical-variety specials, I think Henry Fonda. Throw in a little Lee Trevino and Johnny Bench and now you've got a show!

Viskupic makes James Paul McCartney a beetle with wings for this special close-up, with other interesting shows peppering the late Monday schedule.

More Viskupic trippiness illustrating the Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe at the Kennedy Center, and more Cashman reviews to enjoy.

On A Touch of Grace, Herbert asked Grace to marry him, she accepted, and since this was the last-ever airing, we'll assume they lived happily ever after.

The next week's cover had Cliff Robertson as a pensive Man Without a Country.

 In the accompanying story, it's mentioned that his film "I Shot Down Red Baron, I Hope" was purchased in Romania. Apparently, they've held on to it.

At last, thanks to this week's TV Line, you can all stop asking me for the deets on Miss Jean of Hodgepodge Lodge!  (And it's Mrs. Elmer George Worthley to you!)

 Viskupic gives us a beaut to go with the televised Easter Sunday proceedings...

...plus more that night, including Raymond Burr's remarkable make-up transformation into Billy West playing Uncle Fester.

 Another Viskupic for Wednesday. I'm not sure who that's supposed to be--I looked up Wilfred Thesiger and that ain't him.

Here's a close-up for that night's The Going Up of Eddie's Father, or something.

 Here's Thursday night, with an interesting-sounding news special and, at one a.m. a Lee Majors movie I have on DVD but have not watched.

Cartoonist Sudduth attempts a Viskupic-style blend here but it's a pale imitation.

Frankly, the Visk art for this airing of Oliver Twist is nothing special either, so I've included the Saturday evening sched with it.

 Now here's the late night programming, if only to drop in the customary Eastern Daylight Savings Time reminder.

We'll close out April with a striking Newman scribble depicting the American Eagle facing off with the Russian Bear. No offense but my money's on Boris. (Yeah yeah, I know what a metaphor is! But come on, that bird doesn't stand a chance!)

It has something to do with a rematch of sorts between the Russian Olympic team and an American squad of college players led by Bill Walton. I'm not sure how that's a rematch, especially since I keep nodding off while reading the article. (Not much of an athletic supporter, this one.)

Long Islanders crush on David Cassidy, John Davidson and Nancy Fox, and M*A*S*H has got yer lacerated iliac right here, pal...

Some Sunday night listings for you, with a look at the WLIW (Garden City's channel 21--with studios in Plainview, woot-woot!) "Auction 21," and its spate of phone-manning celebs.

Late Tuesday brings another less-than-inspired Viskupic feature, but I include it for a nutty kind of completion (plus it coincides with a showing of Gargoyles so what the hell).

GV works OT this week, here offering a more vibrant pic for Wednesday's All-Star Swing Festival coming from New York's Philharmonic Hall.

Sudduth scratches out minimalist portraiture for Thursday's Silent Festival.

Finally, it seems fitting to end this month with a Saturday night chock full o' withering Cashman reviews.

Look out for May, hopefully coming 'fore July!

Gary Viskupic, Shaper of My Childhood.

One of the things I was glad to rediscover when I began collecting the Newsday TV listing books of my youth was the art of Gary Viskupic. Viskupic was a Newsday staff artist who won many awards for his editorial illustrations and also for his artwork adorning science fiction novels. His creepy, often trippy pen-and-ink style rarely failed to spook me as a kid, with even the more mundane pieces tending to have an unsettling quality. Looking at it now, his work often seems a little intense for a newspaper insert meant to be left lying around the family room. There were weeks I was loath to pick the damned thing up, turning the pages slowly for fear of some nightmarish Viskupic image suddenly appearing and not soon leaving my mind.

There's not much in the way of biography on Viskupic to be searched online. Best as I can tell, he's retired from newspaper work and has recently taught illustration at the New York Institute of Technology, though I didn't see his name on this year's staff list. I tried to find an email address for him so I could ask him if it was alright for me to republish his work. I didn't succeed, although I think I found his home address. Since the notion of actually putting pen to paper and writing him seemed odd--who does that anymore?--I am just going ahead and posting these here without his knowledge or consent. I have not attempted to contact Newsday about it either. How's that for a half-assed disclaimer?

Bear in mind that I am drawing upon a very limited sample of his Newsday-published work from which I have picked and chosen. Although most of the drawings would stand alone well enough, I have kept the program descriptions (including many movie reviews written by the trenchant John Cashman) intact for edification.

I present this one first simply because I remember it so well. It simultaneously fascinated me and repelled me to the notion of ever seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Here Viskupic lends a forboding air to a Mickey Rooney summer comedy series (check out who's playing his nephews) with this demonic, leering jester.

His dark, delicate cross-hatching recalls the works of another of my favorite modern artists, Edward Gorey, as in this Eskimo portrait for a Wonderful World of Disney two-parter.

It is not unusual to find eyes covered, darkened or replaced with symbols, as with this drawing for a 1972 episode of Black Journal.

Here again, the simple replacement of mouths for eyes brings an unexpected eeriness to a 1973 comedy-variety special.

It isn't that Viskupic can't draw eyes--here's three for you...
...and now one big eye, in a drawing that demonstrates his recurring theme of the melding of organic and mechanical.

He also often melds natural elements...

...or technological ones.
Here are some of his color covers: Walter Cronkite, 1972...
Bob Hope, 1973...
Jonathan Winters, 1973...

Michael Sarrazin as Frankenstein's Monster, 1973...

a World War II-themed cover from '73...
...and a 1974 fall preview cover commenting on the prevalence of violent woman cop shows.
Finally, just a few more of my favorites, with others to come at a later date, with a number of illustrations for 70's made-for-TV horror movies (you know how you love those!)...