On the Air (David Lynch)

Cafe Society
1

Who else likes David Lynch’s [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103505/"On the Air (TV series, 1992)?

I first saw it around 1996 or 1997 at a friend’s house in New Orleans. The local video store had the two tapes (seven episodes) for rent. I eventually picked up a pair of tapes that were copied from a Japanese Laserdisc, and I have enjoyed them several times over the years. (BTW: If anyone knows where I can get On the Air on Laserdisc, LMK.)

The series takes place at a television station in 1957; and is a “behind the scenes” look at “The Lester Guy Show”, a live variety program. Miguel Ferrer is brilliant as Bud Budwaller. And the running gags were fun. (“Blinky Watts sees 26.2 times more than a normal person. This is what Blinky is seeing right now.”, The Hurry-Up Twins, Lester Guy’s always-disasterous opening scene on the live broadcast, Buddy Douglas as “Buddy Morris”…)

It’s a pity it didn’t last longer. Even after many viewings, I still laugh my head off.

2

I think David Lynch did a massive whoosh on ABC. Because of the success of Twin Peaks and because the network screwed it up, they gave him another show.

I think he tried to make the most bizarre “sitcom” he could come up with to see if ABC would take it. They did for a few weeks.

I have 3 or 4 eps on tape and I know there’s a few more.

I liked it that “what the hell am I looking at” way.

3

Fixing the link .

Revok has all seven episodes on VHS, copied from the Japanese Laserdisc. The Japanese subtitles aren’t really distracting.

4

I love some of the eps from this show and others I can barely make it through. The pilot is tremendous. The ep with Mr Peanut is great and I still choke up when I hear the Mr Peanut song. Other eps just sort of left me cold. But I will always have a place in my heart for the Hurry Up Twins.

The problem IMHO is that Lynch does not know how to do comedy.