FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 19

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Part 6. Tonight’s installment of The Roosevelts treads on some familiar ground – World War II, which Ken Burns and company already have chronicled so effectively and evocatively. But here, the date that will live in infamy is given an even more personal perspective, as we learn how President Franklin Roosevelt, as well as First lady Eleanor, dealt privately with the very public pressures of a global war. For my full review, see Bianculli’s Blog. And to hear my review on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which includes audio samples from several episodes, visit the Fresh Air website. Check local listings.

BLONDE VENUS

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

In 1932, just a few years after the advent of cinematic sound, Marlene Dietrich starred in this amazingly bizarre drama, playing a nightclub singer with a unique sense of entertainment. In one number, “Hot Voodoo,” she performs a striptease – but the tease is that she’s stripping out of a very believable ape costume, revealing the shapely songstress underneath. The first time I saw this number in Blonde Venus, at a cinema revival house when I was in college, Dietrich instantly became the gorilla my dreams.

I'M NO ANGEL

TCM, 9:45 p.m. ET

In 1933, Mae West starred in this screen vehicle, which she co-wrote, playing a dancing beauty and occasional lion tamer. Lions weren’t the only things she was good at taming, either, as she was one of the era’s leading, most vocally outspoken sex symbols – female or male.

THE KNICK

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

In tonight’s episode, a risky new operation is tried. I know, that description could work for almost any episode – but still… I’m there. Clive Owen stars.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Last week, Bill Maher pulled of his bold two-parter, doing a live version of this show from Washington, D.C., then being escorted across the city to do a full standup comedy act, also live. He not only juggled those feats nicely, but in the second venue, he proved he’s still one of the best at shutting down unwanted hecklers. Tonight’s guests, with the show back in its home base of Los Angeles, include Gen. Colin Powell and actor Wendell Pierce.

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 9:45 p.m. ET

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

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