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Friday, January 12, 2018

Show Notes: Episode 3-13: Love Boat

*Love Boat's first-season episode "Winner Take Love/The Congressman Was Indiscreet/Isaac's History Lesson" premiered on ABC January 28, 1978, against Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze on NBC and the combo of The Jeffersons and Maude on CBS.

*The series racked up 250 episodes from 1977 to 1986. Only the first 3 of those 9 seasons are on DVD at this time. Yet somehow this is still considered a first-world country.

*Fantasy Island aired 1977 to 1984, following The Love Boat on Saturday night in each of those seasons.

*Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, and God were never guests on The Love Boat.

*The Andy Warhol episode is from the series' final season. A lot has been written about this appearance. Here's an example. I like a  quote the blog's author selects from a Warhol bio:

Not that Andy was always as enamored of celebrity and showbiz as he seemed. Bockris:
After The Love Boat episode was aired, he complained to a friend that people in Hollywood were “idiots.” They didn’t buy art, he said. They stank.
*Jeraldine Saunders' Love Boats, which inspired the series, is available from third-party sellers but not yet in an official e-reader format.

*Charo debuted as a stowaway in season 1, and Captain Stubing planned to dump her at the nearest port, but was charmed after seeing her perform on the ship and got her a gig as a Pacific Princess entertainer.

*Gopher's name is Burl Smith.

*Bobby Sherman's big Top 40 single was 1969's "Little Woman," but he had many other charting hits in that era. Maureen McCormick's character is named Suzy Corbett, and this is her second appearance on The Love Boat in this very season. She showed up just a few months earlier in the sixth episode of the season as Robert Hegyes' love interest.

*Deney Terio hosted Dance Fever, a show which we will attempt to discuss in a future season if I have anything to say about it.

*The theme song, written by Charles Fox and Paul Williams, is sung by Jack Jones in the first 8 seasons and Dionne Warwick in the ninth. I am stunned to learn there is a cover version playable in Just Dance 2014. I may have to find a copy of that game because I usually get up and get down when the TV show starts and the song starts blaring.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Episode 3-12: The Love Boat "Winner Take Love, The Congressman Was Indiscreet, Isaac's History Lesson"

All aboard The Love Boat for our season 3 finale. In this fascinating, timely, yet very much of its time episode: Marcia Brady competes in a beauty contest and contends with a jealous boyfriend (Bobby Sherman); our man DVP (Dick Van Patten) plays a disgraced politician courted by Mama (Vicki Lawrence) for the wrong reasons; and Isaac (Ted Lange) learns about his people from an unlikely source. Plus, Rick argues that The Love Boat is the quintessential TV show, and we try to figure out what Gopher does.


Check out this episode!

Friday, January 5, 2018

Show Notes: Episode 3-12 Saturday Night's Main Event

*Saturday Night's Main Event began May 1985 after the first WrestleMania. This episode aired on NBC at 11:30 P.M. Saturday, October 5, 1985, but was taped two days earlier at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. This episode is on the WWE network but has music edits.

*The so-called "Apter mags" were actually published by Stanley Weston and included Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, and Inside Wrestling. Bill Apter was a ringside photographer and on-camera face for the mags in various wrestling programs, often conducting interviews, presenting awards, etc.

*The WWF debuted on MTV on July 23, 1984, with The Brawl to End It All, with Wendi Richter (accompanied by Cyndi Lauper) pinning Fabulous Moolah to capture the WWF Women's Championship. In February of 1985, WWF returned to MTV with The War to Settle the Score, with Hulk Hogan defending his championship against Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Each of these events were from Madison Square Garden in New York, but only the main event was shown on MTV, supplemented by interviews.

*Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N' Wrestling aired Saturday mornings on CBS from 1985 to 1987, with reruns only from Fall 1986 until the end in summer 1987. DIC Entertainment produced only 26 episodes. The show was on the WWE Network until Hulk Hogan's scandals made the company yank it.

*The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, closed for business in 2015 but was home of the Nets and the Devils, plus monthly WWF events, for years.

*"Obsession" by Animotion reached #6 on the Billboard Pop chart, and "Take on Me" by A-Ha was #1 in 1985. Phil Collins' "Take Me Home," used as the closing theme for SNME in the early days, peaked at #7.

*I'm pretty sure the card I remember seeing at the D.C. Armory is this one from October 1989.

*Brandon Tartikoff was NBC's head of programming at the time.



Thursday, January 4, 2018

Episode 3-11: Wrestling "Saturday Night's Main Event 2"

Rick fulfills a podcast dream to talk about professional wrestling, and Mike plays along. This episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event" features staples like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Rowdy Roddy Piper, plus Jesse Ventura providing very colorful color commentary. Expect action, expect yelling, expect something resembling comedy. Oh, and did we mention the wedding?


Check out this episode!