Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-8: The Zoo Gang

*The Zoo Gang aired in 1974 for 6 episodes on ITV in the UK. 

*John Mills is not in The Love Boat episode that we talked about, but he was in Dr. Strange!

*Lili Palmer and Rex Harrison were married from 1943-1957. She is indeed in two episodes of The Love Boat! She's in an extended episode/two-parter from 1984, starring with Loretta Swit, Marc Singer, and Catherine Oxenberg.

*Barry Morse is not in The Love Boat, though an unasked-for AI prompt told me he was.

*Might as well play this out: Brian Keith was not on The Love Boar, but John Mills was in an episode with daughters Hayley and Juliet.

*Band on the Run came out in late 1973.

*Shout-out again to The McCartney Legacy, the multi-volume biography written by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair.

*The Zoo Gang novel by Paul Gallico appeared in bookstores in 1971.

*Speaking of that playlist, please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! It also contains the full episode that we discuss on the podcast as well as a series of promos. Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!

Episode 13-8: Zoo Gang

In the short-lived British-produced Zoo Gang, an international cast plays a group of French Resistance fighters reuniting after 28 years in the Riviera. They use their espionage skills and friendship to take down bad guys and earn some money for a good cause. In the first episode, they have a target in their sights--the man who sold them out to the Germans. Oh, and Paul McCartney has something to do with all this, too.

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Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

Outside the timeline: Retro retro news

This may become a semi-regular feature: A roundup of items related to classic TV outside our standard 1970s/1980s timeline!

ITEM: Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday this weekend, and PBS premiered a new American Masters devoted to him. Check your local listings or the PBS app.

We mentioned this in yesterday's Top Ten post, but Tubi now has The New Dick Van Dyke Show.

ITEM: Some relatively rarer Westerns are making their way to streaming platforms. Here are a pair that have been on diginets and are now on SVOD:

Stoney Burke: The 1962 series with Jack Lord as a rodeo star is now on Plex.

Whispering Smith: This 1961 series with Audie Murphy as the titular detective appears to be coming to Tubi. I say that because as of now there is only one single episode!

ITEM: ClassicFlix announced the latest in its Rare Television line of DVD releases, and, boy, is it a rare one: 1951's The Ad-Libbers!

Here is the complete story. I pre-ordered this one right away to show support for the line and to ClassicFlix for working on stuff like this--Oh, and also because it sounds fascinating!

Top Ten #384

1) That's My Mama: This week on the podcast, we talk about the 1970s ABC sitcom: How it holds up, how it changes in its second season, how awesome Teddy Wilson is. It's a series that doesn't get much attention, but we add to the conversation.

2) Dick Van Dyke: This weekend we celebrate the 100th birthday of the icon, star of stage, screen, and of course PSAs:

In addition to a new American Masters on PBS this weekend and a marathon of The Dick Van Dyke Show this weekend, Tubi has added The New Dick Van Dyke Show to its streaming library.

3) Happy Hannukah:

4) Clifton Davis: I want to give another shout-out to the star of That's My Mama. I think he does a fine job on the show.

5) Live-action Christmas specials: I often declare that CBS was the king of the holidays in the BOTNS era, but look at this lineup on NBC 50 years ago tonight: Bob Hope (with guests Redd Foxx, Angie Dickinson, The Osmonds), Dean Martin Califormia Christmas, and Mac Davis Christmas Special!

Note this clip is for 1977's Christmas in California, not to be confused with 1975's California Christmas.

6) Olan Soule: The great Word Balloon podcast just dropped an episode devoted to longtime radio/TV/voice actor Olan Soule, and I am here for it!

7) Animated Christmas specials: Before all that live-action cheer on NBC, The Little Drummer Boy aired at 7, followed by The Tiny Tree. The latter is a DePatie-Freleng production, and I don't remember it at all!

8) Police Story: This 1970s anthology series has popped up on a few streaming outlets in recent years but is now on Tubi.

9) Stroker Ace: CBS gave the Burt Reynolds vehicle a network TV showing 40 years ago tonight. The New York Times described it as a "witless retread" in its listings.

10) The New Fred and Barney Show: Warner Archive surprised everyone by announcing a DVD release of this series (Sorry, no Thing nor Shmoo in this set) is coming in January. Folks, this could turn the tide in the corporate battle for Warner Brothers.

YouTube Spotlight: Sanford Arms is open for business

One clip in our playlist this week for That's My Mama is from Sanford Arms, the short-lived attempt to keep the Sanford and Son franchise going. Isn't it funny to call it a franchise?

Teddy Wilson (Earl from That's My Mama) couldn't make this work, and it lasted a mere 4 episodes (some more were made but unaired). An official Sanford YT channel posted the above clip and many others, but I don't think it is making full episodes available. 

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-7: That's My Mama

*Thanks again to my cousin and Friend of the Show Kevin for suggesting this one!

*That's My Mama aired on ABC for two seasons and 37 episodes on Wednesday nights and is--as of this writing--available on Tubi (though not all episodes are there). It was on Crackle years ago and received DVD releases as well.

*You can see the Jet report on the Lynne Moody/Joan Pringle changeover right here.

*And for good measure, here is an earlier Jet piece on the series.

*"The Witness" debuted February 5, 1975.

*Jester Hairston was about 74 years old at this time.

*Lee Kolima plays Croaker. 

*Teddy Wilson was not Earl in the show's first episode, though he did appear in it. Ed Bernard, who Mike notes became the principal on The White Shadow, played Earl at first.

*You can see a glimpse of Lisle Wilson in Sisters in this week's video playlist.

*Speaking of that playlist, please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!