Top Ten #406

1) The 1976 NBC Fall Schedule: I don't mean to brag, but I didn't see a lot of other websites reporting on the 1976 NBC Fall schedule reveal Thursday night. Only on BOTNS, folks!

 

2) Emmy Awards: 50 years ago tonight, Mary Tyler Moore and John Denver (He was all over the place back then) hosted the 28th installment of the show. Big winners included Rich Man, Poor Man; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; and Police Story. 

3) On the Rocks: This single-season comedy aired its final episode on this night in 1976, and it got a retrospective episode. The U.S. adaptation of Britcom Porridge never caught on, but it's nice that ABC let it go out with a highlights episode.

4) The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams: NBC aired the 1974 film on this night in 1976 and got big ratings, which led to a series premiering in February 1977.

5) Dom Deluise and Friends Part IV: Switching to 1986, this special premiered 40 years ago tonight. I am not sure, but I suspect it failed to resolve all the loose ends from Part III.

6) Playboy Bunny of the Year Pageant: ABC ran Monday Night Specials in 1976, and the one on this date was Don Adams hosting this spirited competition. You see, John Denver had another gig.

7) Sugar Ray Leonard: Happy 70th birthday to the boxing icon who made an appearance in our HBO episode this season!

8) Fun for All Ages: The Frank Santopadre podcast devoted an episode (and there's a part 2 coming!) to animated adaptations of TV shows, and they even discuss The Mini-Munsters!

9) Saturday Night Live: Eclectic list of folks on this one: Host Jimmy Breslin, Sam Kinison (billed as a featured player), Marvin Hagler (billed as a special guest), musical guest Level 42, and singer E.G. Daily.

10) R.I.P.: John Barbour, Rex Reed, Donald Gibb:

GENIUS ALERT!

The OG of the show, and I mean Original Genius, Robert Pine, is a guest on The Love Boat Podcast this week! I have not been able to listen to it yet, but I felt I should make everyone aware.

Yes, I realize it's odd that I haven't made time to listen to Robert Pine talking about The Love Boat. I have no excuse.

Announcing the 1976 NBC Fall Schedule!

It's finally here! Now you can plan your entire Fall (and well into the Winter) knowing the full schedule. We mean the 1976 NBC Fall schedule, of course! The network once again goes into the season with a third-place schedule.

Without further ado, here we go:

SUNDAY:
7:00 The Wonderful World of Disney
8:00 NBC Mystery Movie
9:30 The Big Event

MONDAY:
8:00 Little House on the Prairie
9:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies

TUESDAY:
8:00 Baa Baa Black Sheep
9:00 Police Woman
10:00 Police Story

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 The Practice
8:30 NBC Movie of the Week
10:00 The Quest

THURSDAY:
8:00 The Gemini Man
9:00 Best Sellers (Adaptations like Captains and Kings, Once an Eagle, Seventh Avenue, The Rhinemann Exchange)
10:00 Van Dyke and Company

FRIDAY:
8:00 Sanford and Son
8:30 Chico and the Man
9:00 The Rockford Files
10:00 Serpico


SATURDAY:
8:00 Emergency
9:00 NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

Schedule release tomorrow night!

We've been anticipating it for months, and the big day is here! Tomorrow night is the release of the schedule, and we will have all of the details right here on the website--that's right, the 1976 NBC Fall schedule! At 8:00 PM Eastern, we will release the entire lineup.

You've been guessing for weeks. Are there any international shows on the schedule? Will NBC have Bob Hope open on the road? Get the answers right here tomorrow night!

Let's not kid ourselves. There are going to be leaks ahead of the official announcement. I'll be working my sources and following reports, and I will share tidbits throughout the day in our official Facebook group as I get confirmations. It's just a little way to thank our Facebook friends, but remember, the whole schedule will be right here at 8:00 Eastern tomorrow night!

RetroFan is getting a little more out there--and I like it

I am a little bit behind in my RetroFan reviews, but don't let that fool you: It's still my favorite mag, coming right into my home (Well, after a trip to the mailbox) every other month. The only reason I don't read it right away is that I like to reserve time so I can savor it. The only reason I don't then write about the issue right away is because I'm laz--Er, never mind that. Let's look at the recent issue 43.

The lead story on The Brady Bunch is not "out there," and it's a little thin, but I enjoyed it. It repackages material from older interviews with Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick. I'll take another Bunch story, though, if it helps the mag provide some of these other articles.

I was never a huge fan of Don Novello's Father Guido Sarducci character, but L. Wayne Hicks offers an interesting and enlightening overview. It feels just the right length and is a nice center sandwiched between two more mainstream subjects.

The next story is a look at Mary Tyler Moore on TV, and it breaks no new ground but distinguishes itself by going beyond The MTM Show to touch on later flops like Annie Maguire. Next up is an amusing piece on the jobs of TV dads that includes some speculation on those, like Ozzie Nelson, we're not sure about.

Then Lee Weinstein writes about Way Out, an anthology series hosted by Roald Dahl that falls way out of our BOTNS timeframe but still intrigues. I only wish this one were a bit longer!

Another lesser-known effort makes an appearance in this TV-heavy issue. RetroFan got G. Jack Urso, who has maintained an online resource for the series, to profile NBC's short-lived live-action Saturday morning show Hot Hero Sandwich. This is a real highlight of the issue, offering info you don't see anywhere else in print with the mag's usual eye-catching design and appealing illustrations.

Andy Mangels' column is usually one of my favorite segments of any given issue. Since #43 is another in his ongoing look at comic book ads promoting network Saturday morning lineups, the trend continues! You may recognize or even own many of these, but seeing them all together with context is a delight.

Continuing the TV-heavy theme, Will Murray talks about the Gene Barry 1960s series Burke's Law. I enjoy the history of the series and some of the old comments from Barry. Murray also covers the show's sudden transition to a secret agent series at the height of the spy craze.

The other two stories are not TV-centric but still deliver: Comedy group Firesign Theatre is discussed in a story that focuses on its prime as a recording act. I got a real kick out of an article on children's playing cards. It's not just "regular" cards, but Old Maid sets and other specialized games, plus character-themed cards like Marvel and Huckleberry Hound. It's a quirky subject that's well executed and brings a nice touch to a strong issue.

There's a lot of TV but a great mix of topics in RetroFan 43. The magazine is finding ways to branch out a bit while still revisiting the likes of Brady Bunch and Mary Tyler Moore.

Top Ten #405

1) Mutha's Day: Today is the day to celebrate the baddest muthas on TV!

What? Oh.

Never mind.

2) Ted Turner: I feel like we didn't talk about Turner enough in our TBS episode, but then again, how much is enough with a character like him?

3) Junior Miss 1976: 50 years ago tonight, Michael Landon hosted this ceremony. I wonder if he was thinking, "These young ladies are talented and all, but what this show really needs is an elephant."

4) Gemini Man: Sorry, Junior Misses (including a young Deborah Norville, who was one of the contestants), but you were totally upstaged that sane night when NBC unveiled the Gemini Man movie pilot. This Ben Murphy series is on our "kind of fascinates us but not enough for us to do a whole episode on it" list, I think.

After this aired, a series debuted in Fall 1976, but only 11 episodes were made, and only about half of them aired. It had a tough time slot: Thursday nights at 8:00, up against The Waltons on CBS and a combo of What's Happening!! and Barney Miller on ABC.

5) Miss Hollywood 1986: What is it about May 10? On this night 40 years ago, a pageant to crown Miss Hollywood aired. Alan Thicke and Emma Samms hosted, Jerry Seinfeld and Ben Vereen appeared, and one of the judges was Fred Berry!

The winner, Marsha Lee McClelland, won a cash prize and the promise of a future movie role. That role was apparently as "Miss Hollywood" in 1986's Party Camp. According to IMDB, she was also in Dr. T and the Women, an episode of Night Court, and an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger!

7) Pulitzer Prizes: Another week, another set of awards that snub BOTNS. We should just start our own awards.

I mean, we did, but we don't award ourselves!

8) Tony nominations: And don't even get me started on the Tony Awards! Congrats to Richard Thomas, though, for his nomination.

9) The Tonight Show: 50 years ago tonight, guest host Joan Rivers welcomed Richard Thomas (Hey, him again!), Jim Nabors, Paul Lynde, Desi Arnaz.

10) Gunsmoke: As Law & Order prepares for a 26th season, the mere 20 of Gunsmoke starts to look paltry! However, I will note that Gunsmoke ran for 20 consecutive seasons, and it still has a 90+ edge in total episodes: 

Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!

Reggie Jackson just missed "appearing" on our podcast in Season 6 when we talked about Greatest Sports Legends. Reggie hosted that interview/profile TV series for a while.

I'm still including him as an era TV star, and I have an announcement: I have purchased a new Reggie! bar and plan to try it soon. It was the Bun Bar before it was renamed in 1978 to take advantage of Jackson's awesomeness.

I can't help but think of the immortal quote by Catfish Hunter: "When you unwrap a Reggie! bar, it tells you how good it is."