"What you are about to witness is real. The participants are not actors. They are the actual people who have already either filed suit or been served a summons to appear in a California Municipal Court.

Both parties in the suit have agreed to dismiss their court cases and have their disputes settled here, in our forum: The People's Court." – original opening monologue for The People’s Court


Like Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in 1998’s Rain Man obsessively intoned, it’s time for Wapner!

From 1981 to 1993, Judge Joseph Albert Wapner presided over The People’s Court, sorting through the sometimes-absurd small-claims cases that dared enter his courtroom in Los Angeles.

It was the first reality court show that didn’t use actors, and as a TV-addicted music-loving kid, I couldn’t help but bop along to the peppy yet ominous theme song with my funky shoulder dance.

All together now: Duh-dun-dun-dun! Duh-dun-dun-da-da! (Apparently, rapper Nelly was a People’s Court addict too – he sampled the theme in his 2003 song “Iz U”).

Plus, the sound of a frenzied typewriter as case descriptions ran across the screen had me positively giddy. True confession: it still does.

And now, I’m about to do my funky shoulder dance once again – Wapner is returning to The People’s Court for his 90th birthday, says TVSquad.com.

On Friday, Nov. 13, current bench-warmer Judge Marilyn Milian will honour Wapner on the syndicated show as the birthday boy gets a chance to bang the gavel once again. As a bonus, Wapner will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the day before.

Who is Wapner to judge? Well, he oozed authority. He had no need for gimmicks or catchphrases. He didn’t dramatize his proclamations or build cases about a dog pooping on a neighbour’s lawn into the sequel for Apocalypse Now. In short, he was the man.

Of course, since Wapner debuted, countless stone-faced judges have swooped onto reality court shows, their billowy black robes a-flutter with gravitas, justice and camera-friendly angles.

Judge Greg Mathis, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Judge Hatchett, Judge Lynn Toler, Judge David Young, Judge Maria Lopez, among other judgmental justice-loving judges.

And they’ve parlayed it into mega-franchises, too. In fact, last year Judge Judy Sheindlin made Forbes' list of highest-paid talking heads for raking in a staggering $45 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008.

But still, I’ll always have a soft spot for The People’s Court’s original white-haired deliberator (and Rusty the bailiff – can’t forget him!).

Check TVGuide.ca’s local listings for The People’s Court airdates and times.

Were you a People’s Court addict like me? melissa@tvguide.ca

 

RETRO BITS AND PIECES
• Silver-screen savers. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for classic movies – anything starring Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe can land me on the couch for a solid two hours. Kudos, then, to Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for hosting the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles from April 22 to 25. Pairing up with Vanity Fair magazine, the network will screen more than 50 iconic picks. Here’s hoping Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one.
• Ventriloquism revival. Once often spied on variety and late-night shows,  ventriloquists are making a comeback. Jeff Dunham’s show exploded on Comedy Central last month and Terry Fator won Season 2 of America's Got Talent. On Nov. 18, Fator will be featured on Vision’s in-depth talk show Unscripted, which I wrote about a few months back. The episode airs at 10 p.m. ET.

RETRO READERS WRITE BACK
Hi Melissa, is there a new revamping of CBS’s classic Match Game in the works? I've been watching selected back-episodes of their one-time, one-night-a-week spinoff Match Game PM on the Game Show Network, then in syndication! I also hear that Just Like Mom's getting revamped, but is CTV’s Definition? – Joel

Melissa: Hey Joel! I love your enthusiasm for classic game shows – personally, I have fond memories of Bumper Stumpers, Name that Tune, Press Your Luck and Classic Concentration. Last June, TBS announced that it was remaking Match Game with stars including Sarah Silverman, Norm MacDonald, Super Dave Osbourne and Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall). But since then, not much has been heard about it. Also no word on a Definition or Split Second remake, alas.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
Since today’s Remembrance Day, I’m posting a clip where Alan Alda discusses why the military black comedy M*A*S*H became so well-loved over the years.


 



 

 

Whether a show invaded TV in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s, Melissa will likely think it’s hep, groovy, dyn-o-mite or totally awesome. Her ever-expanding classic TV on DVD collection includes Three’s Company, Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She has a soft spot for anything retro – heck, she even married an ex Elvis tribute artist.
Though her fave current series are quirky ones, like Flight of the Conchords, Mad Men, 30 Rock, Reaper, How I Met Your Mother and The Late Late Show, Melissa is on a quest to rediscover forgotten shows and classics of TV screens past. Her RetroChick mission is simple: to dish retro news, tease your brain with trivia, indulge in nostalgia and catch up with past icons. The question is, can you dig it?