Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV
- Publication: Hartford Courant
- Date: 1983-10-13
- Author: Owen McNally
- Page: G49
- Language: English
CPTV's weeknight time spot from 11 to 11:30 has been invaded by a most eccentric piece of programming called "Dr. Who," a campy, sometimes amusing sci-fi saga about a cosmic crusader who roams the galaxies in his time machine battling villains and monsters and saving planets from destruction.
Since its debut in England in 1963, the BBC series has become the tube's longest running sci-fi series, a cultist phenomenon that has been successfully orbited into syndication in 39 countries.
Since it hit the shores and channels of the United States several years ago, devout Who-ite fan clubs have sprung up in various parts of the country. And Dr. Who, a most unlikely looking, frizzy-haired Harpo Marx-like hero, has even inspired a whole market of Dr. Who products including comic books, paperbacks, records, board games, T-shirts, coffee mugs and scarves. The show's theme song has been used on a disco record. And in Clearwater, Fla., "Dr. Who" for one week in April of 1982 miraculously skyrocketed to third place in the ratings behind the tube's supersonic soaps, "Dynasty" and "Dallas."
"Dr. Who" first lifted off in Connecticut last May on Channel 49, that part of CPTV's network which services southwestern Connecticut. It drew such an enthusiastic response that program director Sharon Blair decided to. give the series a run throughout CPTV's statewide system.
Dr. Who is certainly one of the strangest video heroes. All heroes are, of course, stout-hearted, cool and ageless. Dr. Who has them all beat, though. Not only does he have two stout hearts, but his temperature is always a super cool 60 degrees and he's a most youthful looking 750-years-old. He is a "Time Lord," part of an elite group of scholars from a planet far beyond Earth.
Earth, we are told in tonight's episode, was "junked" many centuries ago after a series of "solar flares." Uprooted human masses were scattered about the universe in sundry colonies. Like a celestial Lone Ranger, Dr. Who travels about from time warp to time warp, and galaxy to galaxy in his time machine, Tardis, which looks like a police call box.
Our hero is decked out in a seven color, 15-foot knitted scarf, an Edwardian coat and a 10-gallon fedora.
Dr. Who is played by Tom Baker, a protege of Laurence Oliver. Baker plays the character broadly, sparing no ham while simultaneously spreading the wry. At times Dr. Who is more brilliant than Sherlock Holmes. Yet at other times he seems more nerdish than Holmesian. Not only does the show poke good-natured fun at the sci-fi tradition, but it also strikes a refreshing note of self-mockery throughout.
In tonight's episode — a two-part cosmic cliffhanger — Dr. Who sets out to foil the evil Sontarans who are about to seize control of the universe. The Sontarans are swinish creatures, intergalactic Nazis who are big on experimental torture and genocide.
"Dr. Who" just might be the right prescription for someone looking for escapism from all those capsulized cares and woes on the nightly 11 o'clock news.
"Dr. Who" is broadcast Monday through Friday nights at 11 on CPTV.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: McNally, Owen (1983-10-13). Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV. Hartford Courant p. G49.
- MLA 7th ed.: McNally, Owen. "Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV." Hartford Courant [add city] 1983-10-13, G49. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: McNally, Owen. "Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV." Hartford Courant, edition, sec., 1983-10-13
- Turabian: McNally, Owen. "Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV." Hartford Courant, 1983-10-13, section, G49 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr._Who,_High-Camp_Sci-Fi,_Lands_at_CPTV | work=Hartford Courant | pages=G49 | date=1983-10-13 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Dr. Who, High-Camp Sci-Fi, Lands at CPTV | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr._Who,_High-Camp_Sci-Fi,_Lands_at_CPTV | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2024}}</ref>
