Spellbound

It seems while I've been away that the world lost one of its most creative geniuses. Yes, I am talking about the passing of Aaron Spelling. Columnist Tom Shales gives a fitting tribute to the man in the Washington Post, mentioning his numerous hit series, such as Dynasty, Charlie's Angels (which brought us "Jiggle TV"), Beverly Hills 90210, and Melrose Place. But let us also not forget Hart to Hart, T.J. Hooker (with a young Heather Locklear), Starsky and Hutch (one of the earliest television shows I can remember), and best of all, The Love Boat. I remember our family gathering around the tube on Saturday nights, watching the crew of the Pacific Princess set sail for another adventure (carefully broken down into comic, romantic, and dramatic subplots). Afterwards it was off to bed and listening enviously to the theme of Fantasy Island emanating from the living room. To this day I wonder how much more I could have learned, had I watched that show.