We round out season 13 by taking a look at the Peanuts non-holiday TV specials. Most folks have fond memories of the holiday specials, but do they remember ones about camp, decathalons, school, motocross, and more? We give special attention to It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown, an hour-long special made up of shorter pieces adapted from the comics, including "The Kite-eating Tree" and the classic "Sack." Don't be a blockhead and pass up on this episode.
I had a little fun with Mike's harrowing story of a pelican attack on this week's podcast. At the end of the YT playlist this week is Paddy the Pelican in "Piggy Bank Robbery." You may wonder, what the heck is Paddy the Pelican?
The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican is an animated (and I use the term loosely) series that launched on ABC in 1950 and apparently got some airplay on Chicago stations in 1954 (Maybe other markets as well?). Paddy shows up on many "worst cartoon" lists, and you have to see it to really get it.
1) The Partridge Family: This week on the podcast, we get happy. Boy, do we ever get happy!
2) Dave Madden: My favorite performer on The Partridge Family is also my almost-favorite regular at Mel's Diner on Alice(Can't top Henry Beesmeyer): Madden, whose Reuben Kincaid is always interesting to watch.
3) Dick Clark: I think we undersold his cameo in "Star Quality," the episode we talked about. I mean, sure, it wasn't particularly lengthy or notable, and I can't remember much about it, but--OK, maybe we didn't undersell it. Still, in the dream sequence, Clark's presence provided instant pop idol credibility for Danny as a "single."
4) The kids that played Tracy and Chris: Hey, they tried. I really felt bad for them reading some of the quotes in The Partridge Family Album book by Joey Green.
5) Valerie: The troubled sitcom headlined by Valerie Harper debuted on NBC 40 years ago tonight( The trouble came later).
6) King Kong Bundy: Also 40 years ago tonight, Bundy attacked Hulk Hogan during the Hulkster's world title match against Magnificent Muraco on a taped Saturday Night's Main Event, setting up a main event showdown at Wrestlemania II with Danny Ponce as guest referee (I'm kidding about that last part).
7) The Killing Fields: I can't get away from this night in 1986. This prestigious 1984 film debuted on pay cable March 1, 1986--on both HBO and Showtime. I always thought it was odd when the competitors showed the same movie at the same time.
8) Cartoons: Oodles of Warner Brothers toons from all eras start popping up on Tubi today. A lot of stuff is on the way, but not all of it might be there today. So, folks, be patient; Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels will be there eventually.
9) 227: It's a big week for stars of the Eighties NBC sitcom, which we discuss here. Regina Hall won an AARP Movies for Grownups award, and Marla Gibbs' new memoir, It's Never Too Late, just hit bookstores.
*Thank you for listening to this week's episode, in which we discuss The Partridge Family!
*The Partridge Family aired 4 seasons on ABC from 1970-1974, running a total of 96 episodes. The Brady Bunch was on ABC 5 seasons, 1969-1974. Both series aired their final episodes in March 1974.
*Danny is drafted into the U.S. Army in the series' fourth episode, "See Here, Private Partridge."
*The Partridge Family Album (a book) by Joey Green was published in 1994. David Cassidy wrote two memoirs, but the one I refer to is 1994's C'mon Get Happy...Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. Shirley Jones' Shirley Jones: A Memoir appeared in 2013.
*The Cowsills started performing in 1965. Mike mentions the 2011 documentary Family Band.
*Norman Farrell is played by Jean-Michel Michenaud, who earned an Emmy nomination for producing All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special.
*"Star Quality" premiered Friday, December 18, 1970 at 8:30 PM.
*Howard Cosell and Bert Convy guest in the Marineland episode, Season 2's "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?"
*Partridge Family 2200 A.D. is a 1974 Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna Barbera. Somehow we don't mention it on the pod!
*Please enjoy this episode's video playlist, with promos, intros, commercials, and more! There's a lot of music in this one! 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! Get happy!
In the early 1970s, a fictional family became a fictional band, which became a real phenomenon. For a while the Partridge Family ruled the hearts and minds of teeny boppers across the country with a mix of music and laidback family comedy, and David Cassidy became a worldwide sensation. In the fictional world of the Partridges, young Danny reads an article that praises him above the others, and he decides he needs to become a "single act." Does his plan succeed? Does it make any sense? Is he ready for the big time all on his own? In the real world, does the show hold up? Are we starting to confuse ourselves? Find out on this week's Battle of the Network Shows.
