..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

Although Robert Altman is being justly celebrated for the great movies he left behind in his large artistic wake, it‘s worth remembering that the maestro had established himself as a major force in television long before the breakthrough success of M*A*S*H.

Throughout his more than 50-year career in Hollywood, Altman contributed mightily to the growth of the upstart medium, whether it came in the form of producing action, crime, Western and anthology programs, or such innovative cable mini-series as Tanner ’88.

Unlike many of his peers who made the transition from the small to big screen, Altman never turned his back on his roots. His name appeared on television productions in every succeeding decade, from the mid-’50s to 2004. His range within the medium -- although with a cantankerous artistic temperament -- probably helped the Kansas City native avoid being pigeon-holed as a movie director of films in one genre or another.

Even though he had his pick of A-list actors willing to work for scale just to be in one of his picture, Altman wasn’t afraid to cast actors against type, especially those associated with disciplines other than movie acting. Lily Tomlin, Henry Gibson and Carol Burnett come to mind as actors who were primarily associated with television comedy, but he also took chances on Lyle Lovett, Ronee Blakley, Cher, Robin Williams, the dancers of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Fred Williamson, Nina Van Pallandt, Jim Bouton, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Garrison Keillor.

It‘s taken a while, but the vast majority of Altman’s movies now are available on DVD. For various reasons, probably having to do with licensing fees or distribution rights, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, HealtH, Thieves Like Us, Brewster McCloud, That Cold Day in the Park, Countdown and his post-industrial-film debut, The Delinquents (1957) await a DVD release. Of these, the most glaring omissions are Thieves Like Us and Brewster McCloud (an original director’s-cut version of Countdown, off which he was fired, would be interesting to see, as well).

The TV-to-DVD business has only come into its own within the last two years, so finding examples of his series work can require a great deal of hunting and pecking through Internet reference sites. Because television is an executive producer’s medium, though, his fingerprints might no longer resemble anything more than ink smudges.

If IMDB, Amazon and various TV-centric websites are to be believed, Altman directed two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents -- "Together" and "The Young One" -- but both would be found only in an upcoming Season 3 package, not the compilations already released. Two seasons worth of Blake Edwards’ hip private-eye series, Peter Gunn, also are on DVD, but the search for Altman’s installments requires more time than even I care to expend. His "Bolt From the Blue" segment, for Maverick, could be found on a Season 4 collection, if such a thing existed.

Bonanza, for which Altman directed eight episodes, is as yet only haphazardly represented on DVD. It’s difficult to figure out which, if any, made the cut. He is, however, well represented in Combat! collections, even providing commentary on select episodes.

His name appears as a credit, at least, on such intermittently noteworthy series as Bronco, Troubleshooters, Whirlybirds (credited on 12 episodes), Hawaiian Eye (1 episode), The Millionaire (5 episodes), Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1 episode), U.S. Marshall (2 episodes), Sugarfoot (2 episodes), The Gale Storm Show (1 episode), Lawman (1 episode), Surfside 6 (1 episode), The Roaring '20s (9 episodes), Bus Stop (8 episodes), Route 66 (1 episode), Kraft Mystery Theater (1 episode), The Gallant Men (1 episode), Kraft Suspense Theater (3 episodes) and The Long, Hot Summer (1 episode).

In 1977, Altman contributed to the Saturday Night Live episode that was hosted by an early muse, Sissy Spacek. The second-season SNL box probably won’t be released until next year, however.

During his slack period in the ’80s, Altman adapted Marsha Norman’s The Laundromat for HBO; Harold Pinter’s Basements, for ABC; and Frank South’s Rattlesnake in a Cooler and Precious Blood for the stage and TV. Unlike those titles, his interpretation of Herman Wouk‘s The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, and the much-lauded collaboration with Garry Trudeau, Tanner ’88, both have been released on DVD.

The opera he directed and co-wrote for Chicago’s Lyric Opera, "McTeague," was recorded for airing on PBS, in 1992, as was the stage revue, "Black and Blue." Again, both are absent on DVD.

His ambitious ABC mini-series, Gun, is available in a three-disc collection. The through-line that connected each of the six installments was a single handgun, which changed hands -- and lives -- even when it went unfired. Among the actors enlisted by Altman were James Gandolfini, Rosanna Arquette, Randy Quaid, Jennifer Tilly, Kirsten Dunst, Martin Sheen, and Edward James Olmos.

In 2004, outspoken liberals Altman and Trudeau re-teamed for the faux documentary, Tanner on Tanner, in which several key characters from the original updated their characters and mingled with candidates and power players in the 2004 presidential race. That year, too, a Criterion Collection upgrade of Tanner ’88 was released.

I hope some ambitious producer finds the energy and time necessary to put together a collection of Altman’s TV work, especially that from the ’50s and ’60s. As a director-for-hire, his personal stamp may not have been as distinctive as, say, that of a Norman Lear, Quinn Martin, Aaron Spelling or Stephen J. Cannell, but who knows what surprises might lie within the covers?

Certainly, none will make us put aside memories of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Short Cuts or Nashville.

Still, there’s no denying Altman was one of the founding fathers of network television, and he must have picked up some valuable knowledge along the way to M*A*S*H. For that, at least, he deserves a tip of the hat.

November 29, 2006

- Gary Dretzka

.