South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
No return date announced for 5th season of ‘Animal Kingdom’
Q: Is there going to be a fifth season of “Animal Kingdom”?
A: Yes. Delayed because of the pandemic, production of the TNT drama now has “resumed in consultation with local authorities, the unions and medical experts. Our first priority is health and safety,” said a network representative. But there is no announced date yet for the return.
Q: My question is about the Hershey Kisses Christmas commercial where the Kisses jingle while the melody “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is heard. When did it make its debut?
A: Would you believe it is more than 30 years old? The longest-running ad for a Hershey brand, it premiered in 1989. After a production company had made some stop-motion ads with the Kisses for Hershey, a Hershey brand manager asked for a Christmas-themed item. As the Morning Call newspaper reported, he “did not have authorization to make it ... but he felt confident he’d be able to convince his boss to run it.” So began the long TV run.
Until this year, the ad remained the same “apart from an update to high-definition CGI animation in 2016 and, in 2018, a digital extension online where one could play the bells and create a new tune,” says another Morning Call report. A new version for 2020 reportedly includes a little girl taking the Kisses to add to peanut butter blossoms.
Q: What happened to “Sea Patrol” on Amazon? I was thoroughly engrossed in it when it disappeared. Is there anywhere I would be able to see the ending?
A: The Australian Navy action series, which originally aired from 2007 to 2011, is indeed not available on Amazon now. I do not know why but suspect a change in the telecast rights. As for finding it somewhere else, all five seasons of “Sea Patrol” are available on FilmRise, a free streaming service. There is also a Sea Patrol Channel on YouTube that has the episodes.
Q: My girlfriend and I are both avid fans of “Dragnet” in the ’60s when it had Joe Friday and Bill Gannon. I am a car buff and enjoy seeing the car they drive. I know it’s a Ford; I say it’s a Falcon, but my girlfriend says it’s a Galaxie. We have a dinner riding on this. Can you clarify?
A: You should go Dutch for dinner. According to numerous car-conscious sites, the vehicle on the 1967-70 series was a Ford Fairlane.
“Dragnet” was a hugely influential show about LA police detectives, centrally one named Joe Friday and played by Jack Webb. It began on radio, then moved to TV in
1951, where it continued until 1959. Several revivals followed, including in 1967-70 (the version with Friday and Gannon), 198990 and 2003, as well as a big-screen comedy inspired by the show in 1987.
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