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."

Brooks on Books: "The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating 50 Years of Television Specials" by Charles Solomon

I picked up the Kindle version of this book after we did our Peanuts episode this season. Yes, I would like to have the physical book. Yes, I would have liked to have read this before we did our Peanuts episode. It's not exactly what I expected, but it's a great resource.

On the pod, Mike and I talked about the relative lack of info about specific Peanuts specials aside from a few big holiday ones. While Solomon does not provide a guide to all of the programs, he does offer interesting tidbits about many of them. I hoped for info on each of them and was disappointed that nothing was said about It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown. Yet let's talk about what the book is and not what it is not.

First of all, there is a lot of great art--animation cels, production sheets, and more. You see a lot of work from Dean Spille, and you might think, hey, his characters look kind of funny. Well, he was a vital figure in Peanuts animation, providing production design for much of the original run of specials. Even in the Kindle version, it's cool to see a lot of the vintage artwork, but I imagine it's great in the print edition.

What really gets me is the text. Solomon does have info about a sampling of particular specials, but I think it's more an afterthought; that is, he threw those in when they didn't really fit in with the main text. What he does is produce an excellent look at how the specials were made. He draws on interviews with the creators (Not just Charles M. Schulz, but producer Lee Mendelson and director Bill Melendez) and also cartoonists and others to get an array of insights.

I like that this book delves into some details of how they created the TV programs. There is discussion of the animation itself and how things had to be altered from the strip to the screen so they would look right. There is material on how the stories were adapted and developed. Voice direction is covered, too. There seems to be at least a bit about almost every big aspect of production.

Mendelson talks about how one of the reasons working on the specials was a joy was that CBS left them alone. Another interesting tidbit: It's a Nightmare, Charlie Brown, one of the specials Mike and I thought didn't work, was one of the favorites of those who worked on it, partly because of the freedom that came from not adapting a storyline from the strip.

He also addresses the unpleasantness of Charlie Brown being blamed for missing kicks in It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown despite Lucy pulling the ball away. Mike and I didn't like that, either, and Mendelson says many others didn't, to the point that in a rerun they edited out dialogue about Charlie "goofing up."

If like us you crave more info on the specials (and the early movies), check out this informative book. Solomon includes a lot of intriguing details along with the art in this one.

Top Ten #404: Special "Ran for the Roses Yesterday" Edition

1) Paul Williams: The Batty-winning hyphenate is honored at this weekend's TCM festival. I'm sure he appreciates getting something to put beside that Batty on the shelf.

Wait. I am being told he has NOT won a Batty! He was nominated 3 times for his role in Season 5's The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries: Outstanding Hair, Outstanding Guest Star, and Outstanding Song ("the Hell of It"). Wow, I can't believe he went 0 for 3. Shows you how competitive the Battys are.

2) Free Comic Book Day: A shop near you might have some leftover titles from yesterday's big event. Stop on by, grab some comics, and buy a few things if you have the resources! The one title I wanted most of all, I found: The Greatest American Hero!

3) Battlestar Galactica: I saw several stories making a big deal out of the fact that all of Battlestar Galactica was coming to Paramount Plus and Pluto for streaming. Yeah--the modern Galactica. Where's the original?

4) David Cassidy: Man Undercover: Folks, I have started watching the ill-fated series starring, you guessed it, David Cassidy, and it's not that bad. It's certainly 1970s cop show watchable from what I have seen so far.

But what were they thinking with the visuals in the opening?

5) The Incredible Hulk: Tubi added the Bixby/Ferrigno series to its streaming library on Friday!

6) Ann B. Davis turns 100: If anyone from 1970s TV would have been immortal, I would have guessed it would be Christopher George. But if anyone ELSE would have been immortal, I would have guessed, well, obviously TV's Alice Nelson. Alas, she passed away in 2014, but she would have turned 100 today.

7) National Lemonade Day: How about kicking back with a cold one right now?

8) Banjo Hackett: What a name. Do I need to say anything else?

OK, I will. 50 years ago tonight, the movie Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free premiered on NBC as a pilot for a possible series with Dandy Don Meredith in the title role. I like how he's not roaming, he's roamin'.

This Western did not go to series, but it also featured Slim Pickens, Chuck Connors, Anne Francis, and Jeff Corey.

9) Saturday Night's Main Event: 40 years ago tonight, the show, taped in Providence, Rhode Island, featured one of the most impactful angles I saw in the era: Jake 'the Snake" Roberts DDTing Ricky Steamboat on the concrete arena floor!

10) R.I.P. Mariclaire Costello:

Top Ten #403

1) The NFL Draft: It's quite a spectacle, but there wasn't much drama since the first pick was a foregone conclusion. It's kind of like if we had a Genius draft and everyone was speculating on who would go second after Robert Pine.

2) The Jackson 5ive: As a huge movie hits theaters this weekend, I feel like celebrating the original band before who knows what happened.

3) Wide World of Sports: 40 years ago tonight, the 25th anniversary special of the sports anthology program aired in prime time on ABC. Check out our podcast talking Wide World (we talk about that special) right here.

4) AFI Salute to Billy Wilder: NBC aired this special 40 years ago tonight at 9:30. I bet the great director was thrilled to be headlining an evening after Gimme a Break, The Facts of Life, and The Golden Girls.

5) National Poetry Month: It's always a good time to celebrate the Poet Laureate Emeritus, the immortal Nipsy Russell.

6) David Cassidy: This week I wrote about the pop icon's autobiography, a gripping but saddening read.

7) Carol Burnett: Happy 93rd!

8) National Pretzel Day: I kind of miss these giant Snyder's pretzels that were dry and like biting into a rock. I don't know; I just liked 'em!

9) Square Pegs: One of the most Eighties-ish of Eighties sitcoms, this series is now on Tubi, and hopefully this means more Sony stuff will show up there.

10) HBO: Another book I wrote about this week: It's Not TV, It's HBO, a fine effort that in some ways surpasses the more widely known Tinderbox.