RetroFan #42

It's been a while since I wrote about my favorite magazine, but fortunately, TwoMorrows' great bimonthly is still around, and the latest (Well, until the new issue hits my mailbox next week, I think) is another fine issue. Cover star Adam West gets a nice feature, though I must say there is little mention of his Seventies work like the live-action NBC specials.

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is the subject of another feature. It's not one of my favorite shows, but I do enjoy the piece. Andy Mangels always delivers.

Rick Goldschmidt's annual Rankin-Bass pieces are a holiday staple of the mag, and this time he talks about The Year Without a Santa Claus. I believe this is one of his better RetroFan articles.

Will Murray contributes two stories, one on The Executioner novels and another on the long history of The Phantom and creator Lee Falk. Both are quality articles on subjects I hadn't read about in depth before.

Now let me talk about what should have been my favorite story in issue 42: "Fantastic Fall Previews," a look at TV Guide Fall preview issues of the late Seventies and Early Eighties. I love the idea, and there are some interesting illustrations. Of course I always enjoy reading about network TV of the era.

However, it seems like a missed opportunity. Robert Jeschonek goes through the issues and summarizes the new shows for a run of seasons. It's a nice story, but most of the illustrations are publicity photos and the like. There should be more scans from the magazines themselves. The story touches on but doesn't go in depth on how the Guide predicted the fates of the shows. 

I want to see more reviews, more of the actual Guide comments, more of the ads the networks used to promote those shows. I mean, I have all the issues, so I can look at the originals, but the article is more a summary of the new shows each TV season than a look at how TV Guide covered them, which to me would be more unique and valuable.

Scott Saavedra offers a look at old TV commercials with "before they were stars" appearances. It's mostly screencaps and brief commentary, but it's a fun topic and a nice change of pace.

It's not TV related, but Scott Shaw!'s profile of Roy Chapman Andrews is a highlight. The author/adventurer/museum director is thought to be an inspiration for Indiana Jones, and he certainly lived an interesting life--maybe not Indy-level interesting, but it's a good feature on someone whose fame has evaporated over the years.

Encore: The Muppet Show with Steve Martin

Far be it from us to hop on a hype train, but with a new Muppet Show special arriving soon, we figured it might be a good time to revisit our season one episode about the TV classic. Featuring guest and human Muppet Steve Martin (at the height of Steve Martin mania), the episode breaks the Muppet Show's usual format but still provides plenty of variety-style comedy and music and Muppet-style absurdity.

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Power Rankings: Comic strip characters on "Too Close for Comfort"

I watched the episode Mike mentioned in which Garfield creator Jim Davis guests. Henry goes to a convention and is excited to sign up the strip for the Marin Bugler. He brings back some promotional materials and plans a huge publicity campaign, with one of his key strategies putting Monroe into a Garfield suit. Sounds great, until his partner/boss tells him she hates comic strips and doesn't want any of them in the Bugler. Uh-oh!

I was amused by the idea that one comic strip, no matter how popular, could make a difference in the fortunes of an independent newspaper. I mean, Henry touts the fact that it's in umpteeen newspapers, which is proof of its popularity, but doesn't that mean it's easily found elsewhere?

Here is my ranking of comic strip characters I would like to have seen interact with Henry on Too Close. Remember, this list is based on how these characters would fare against each other on a neutral field in Dogpatch, Kentucky.

1) Fred Bassett: As funny as the idea of Monroe in a giant Marmaduke costume sounds, I'd rather see the unassuming Fred show up in some capacity.

2) Mark Slackmeyer: It wouldn't be funny now, but in the mid 1980s, Doonesbury's firebrand would make a compelling clash of personalities and ideologies with Henry.

3) Mary Worth: She could clean up the Henry/Monroe relationship in no time. Of course, it would be about 3 months due to comic strip time.

4) The Lockhorns: I envision a wacky dinner in which Henry and Muriel wind up at the Lockhorns' house thinking they are wealthy potential advertisers who are thinking of buying space in the paper. Kicker is, they aren't!

5) Dick Tracy: Henry could be overly eager to help the famous police detective on a case. Can't be the Warren Beatty Dick Tracy, though...unless it's the 2023 Dick Tracy who showed up on TCM.

ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Hi Flagston, Broom Hilda, Bill the Cat, Brenda Starr

R.I.P. Uncle Floyd

I should have included Floyd Vivino, AKA Uncle Floyd, in yesterday's top ten to commemorate his passing on January 22. No slight was intended, though I don't have much experience with the performer and his work.

While not a New Yorker, I did grow up on New York to an extent, but The Uncle Floyd Show was not on the channels I received. I believe it was mostly on UHF stations in New Jersey, and my NJ station was WOR (out of Secacucus). I do remember vacationing in New Jersey in the Eighties and tuning into a station and seeing Uncle Floyd.

"What the heck is this?" I wondered. It was cool that even then there were still quirky local entertainment programs. That's one of the things broadcast TV lacks today. R.I.P.! The official YouTube channel has posted material from the program and maintained its legacy.

Top Ten #391: Special "sick of the cold" edition!

1) Too Close for Comfort: This week's podcast looks at the 6-season Ted Knight sitcom. It's not talked about that much but is now easily found. It ran 3 seasons on network TV, then 3 in first-run syndication. Its final season was renamed The Ted Knight Show. To me, that's an interesting production history.

Plus Henry yells at Monroe a lot.

2) Ted Knight: Even when an episode isn't particularly inspired, I find there's almost always some bit of amusing business from its star, be it a sputter or a grimace or whatever.

3) Nancy Dussault: She doesn't always get a lot to do on the show, but I think she does what she is there for and does it very well. She could be used better on the program.

4) Rich Man, Poor Man: The blockbuster miniseries premiered 50 years ago tonight on ABC. Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss star along with the likes of Ed Asner and Robert Reed (Did those two star in every ABC miniseries of the era?).

5) Sonny and Cher: Also 50 years ago tonight, this popular duo reunited after their divorce and started a new variety show together. Among the guests: Carol Burnett, Raymond Burr, Tony Orlando, and Don Meredith.

6) S.W.A.T.: FETV adds this Seventies action show to its weekend lineup today. I love that the passage of time automatically makes shows blander. I don't think S.W.A.T. was considered "Family Entertainment" when it aired on ABC in 1975. It was considered violent television!

7) Grammy Awards: Tonight is the annual ceremony honoring the best in music...except for TV theme songs! Why is there not a category for those? Because they aren't released as records? Well, why aren't they released as records?

8) Bart Braverman: Happy 80th to the former star of Vega$!

9) Life's Most Embarrassing Moments: The second-to-last in the series of occasional blooper-centric specials ABC ran from 1983-1986, this installment ran 40 years ago tonight. Wikipedia notes it was dead last in the ratings that week. Hey, this was 1986. America wasn't in the mood to be embarrassed anymore!

10) R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara, Demond Wilson:

YouTube Spotlight: Ted Knight for Southgate Mall

Ted Knight appeared in multiple commercials for Southgate USA, a shopping center in Maple Heights, Ohio. We feature this one in our video playlist this week:

There are more, though! Ted must have really enjoyed shopping there when he went through Ohio. These ads showed up well into the mid Eighties on TV stations in the Cleveland area.

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-12: Too Close for Comfort

*Thank you for listening to this week's episode, in which we discuss the 6-season sitcom Too Close for Comfort, which ran on ABC for 3 seasons, then moved to first-run syndication for 3 more.

*Keep It in the Family is available on an unofficial basis on YouTube. It aired for 5 "series" from 1980 to 1983 on ITV.

*What a Country! ran for a mere 26 episodes.

*Too Close has 129 total episodes, including the sixth season which aired as The Ted Knight Show.

*The complete series is available on DVD and as of now on Tubi and Pluto. It also airs weekdays on Antenna TV.

*Hamilton Camp plays Mr. Wainwright. Deena Freeman is April.

*Ted Knight died at age 62.

*The episode with Jim Davis (creator of Garfield) is in the show's sixth season: "Garfield the Cat Joins the Marin Bugler." I suppose you could have guessed that after looking at a list of episode titles.

*Go to the end of the third season for the two backdoor pilots Mike mentions: "Don't Rock the Boat" and "Family Business." The former features Dick Van Patten--that's right, our beloved DVP--as an old Navy buddy of Henry who marries a woman half his age. Lanie Kazan headlines the latter episode as the head of a family-run construction outfit.

*Ted Knight and Gavin MacLeod were very good friends in real life.

*Nancy Dussault was nominated for two Tonys in the 1960s. She co-hosted Good Morning America from the show's inception in 1975 until early 1977. She also appears in ABC's Night of 100 Stars special, which we talk about here.

*Barry Blitzer worked on The Phil Silvers Show, Get Smart, and The Love Boat among other classic series.

*The agent who speaks at the end of this episode is played by Rene Le Vant. One of his most interesting credits is doing "additional voices" in multiple episodes of The Flintstone Kids.

*To hear more of why we like Leonard Lightfoot so much, check out our Silver Spoons episode.

*Season 4's "Shipmates" is the episode with Henry's old Navy colleague--not DVP, but another one.

*"Quick on the Draw," also in Season 4, sees Henry break his arm and hire another cartoonist. Sara dates the baseball player in "High and Inside," which is in--you guessed it--Season 4.

*Please enjoy this episode's video playlist, 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!