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Monday, October 31, 2022
Happy Halloween from BOTNS!
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Top Ten #201: Special "We hit 200, and this is one more than that" Edition!
1) Halloween: Get ready for tomorrow's holiday! It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is still the best.
2) Crisis on Infinite Learverses: This video from the official Norm Lear YT channel has us thinking it's finally going to happen:
3) McDonald's Gift Certificates: A piece of candy was 30 seconds of joy, but getting these was an excuse for your folks to take you to McDonald's!
4) Henry Winkler: Happy birthday to the TV icon, who also has a one-off countdown of spooky Seventies songs on Sirius XM. It's as amiable as you would expect. "I always wanted to meet Freddie Mercury...:
5) The World Series: The Astros changed leagues years ago, but Philly/Houston still feels NLCS to me:
6) Fruit Brute: I had my first box of this last week, and it's been a long time since I had any of the monster cereals besides Count Chocula, but to me it tastes just like FrankenBerry. Not that it's a bad thing.
7) Chiller Theater: If you had something like this when you were a kid, chances are you still have an occasional bad dream because of it:
8) Hammer House of Horror/Planet of the Apes: Decades Network celebrates the holiday with marathons of these two shows!
Wait, is Planet of the Apes a horror show? Or was the horror when a programmer realized they didn't have enough episodes of Hammer House to fill the weekend?
9) Halloween with the New Addams Family: NBC premiered this special 45 years ago tonight!
10) R.I.P.: Jules Bass, Leslie Jordan
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
This Day in TV History: St. Elsewhere premieres on NBC
Monday, October 24, 2022
Murder Monday: BOTNS remembers Ron Masak
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Top Ten #200: Special #200 Edition!
1) 200: It's a nice round number! Here are a few shows that somehow never made it to 200 episodes:
Manimal
Me and the Chimp
Supertrain
Hee Haw Honeys
One of the Boys
2) National Talk Show Day: There have been thousands of TV talk shows with millions of episodes, but only one of them was gutsy enough to book economist Jerome Smith!
3) Epcot Center: The Opening Celebration: 40 years ago tonight, CBS' Walt Disney anthology series presented this TV special featuring the likes of host Danny Kaye and guests like Marie Osmond. I went to Epcot shortly after it opened and did not see Kaye nor Osmond. I liked the Figment dragon and the big golf ball dome thing, though!
4) Michael Learned: The Waltons star appeared recently on the TV Confidential podcast.
5) Weird Al Yankovic: Happy birthday to one of the true legends of early MTV!
10) R.I.P.: Ron Masak:
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Dream Theater: Felix is real?
Monday, October 17, 2022
Murder Monday: BOTNS Remembers Angela Lansbury
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Top Ten #199: Special one more till 200 edition!
1) Angela Lansbury: Rest in peace, Angela Lansbury! I will have more to say tomorrow, but what a career, and what a loss for the entertainment world. It's amazing that she was nominated 12 straight times for Murder, She Wrote Emmys yet never won. She was a BGOT due to her Season 7 batty for Outstanding Lead Actress.
2) Byron Allen: Recently the entertainer-turned-mogul made history with the most expensive home purchase by a Black person in the United States. In other news, Skip Stephenson got that creaky screen door on his back porch fixed!*
3) Department Store Day: It seems like there is one of these every month, but, hey, I don't mind posting an old Hills commercial.
4) Hotline: This Lynda Carter TV movie debuted on this night in 1982 on CBS, and it looks like a thriller!
(Picture found here).
5) Cool Million: 50 years ago tonight, this James Farentino vehicle premiered on ABC. It's not to be confused with Shirley Hemphill vehicle One in a Million. Hey, I wish Hot Wheels would make a die-cast Shirley Hemphill vehicle to go along with my Batmobile and Avengers car.
6) Shaping Up: In yesterday's post, we included a video of ABC promos that included this short-lived ABC sitcom. I can't be the only one who wants to see more of this:
7) Tim McCarver: Happy birthday to someone who somehow went from being one of the most beloved baseball broadcasters to one of the most resented when he went national. I loved him on Mets games in the Eighties.
8) Mr. T: 40 years ago tonight, T guested on a seminal Silver Spoons, and you can hear more about that right here!
9) Suzanne Somers: Happy birthday to the star of She's the Sheriff!
10) RIP Robbie Coltrane:
*Note: I realize Skip Stephenson has been gone for 30 years.
Saturday, October 15, 2022
This Day in TV History: For Lovers Only premieres on October 15, 1982
Friday, October 14, 2022
Promo Theatre: ABC promotes Automan...and more!
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
One final (for now) personal Batty: Outstanding Season 10 Book
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
The Case of the Alliterative Attorney: A Guide to the Perry Mason TV Series and TV Movies by Bill Sullivan with Ed Robertson
The Laugh Makers: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute to Bob Hope's Incredible Gag Writers by Bob Mills
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Season 10 Battys: Snubs and Surprises
Monday, October 10, 2022
Season 10 Battys: In Memoriam
Here is the list of names we read in the In Memoriam segment on the Season 10 Batty Awards show. No disrespect is intended to any of the TV personalities we lost but did not recognize in this segment. R.I.P. to all as we pay tribute one last time by listing them here:
Clu Gulager
Roger E. Mosely
Olivia Newton John
Nichelle Nichols
Burt Metcalfe
Tony Dow
Taurean Blacque
Pat John
Larry Storch
David Birney
Philip Baker Hall
Charles Siebert
Bo Hopkins
Robert Morse
Liz Sheridan
Gilbert Gottfried
Barrie Youngfellow
Nehemiah Persoff
Scoey Mitchell
Emilio Delgado
Conrad Janis
Johnny Brown
Howard Hesseman
Ralph Emery
Bob Saget
Dwayne Hickman
Marilyn Bregman
John Madden
Betty White
Bernard Shaw
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Top Ten #198: Special Post-Battys Edition!
1) It's Garry Shandling's Show: The big winner in both prestige (earning awards for Episode and Series) and volume (earning the most total Battys), this self-referential 1980s sitcom deserves a wider audience. Hopefully Garry, wherever he is, can accept losing the Outstanding Hair award to Michael Landon.
2) John Schuck: Special salute to the latest recipient of the Robert Pine Genius Award. If this doesn't get Munsters Today back on streaming, nothing will!
3) Nita Talbot: She has won 2 of the last 3 Outstanding Supporting Female Battys. Look out if we do Supertrain in Season 12!
4) Bea Arthur: There was Maude, there is Maude, and there always will be Maude in the Hall of the Immortals where the Outstanding Female winners reside. Maude--THEN. NOW. FOREVER.
5) Todd Bridges: Surely the most satisfying of all his comebacks is winning an Outstanding Youth Batty for something he did 40 years ago--uh, not this commercial, but this is still cool:
6) Jeff Goldblum: What more can you say about a man and his meat locker? Both won key Battys this week, and it's safe to say their performances carried It's Garry Shandling's Show to the big wins.
7) Moonlighting: Series creator Glenn Gordon Caron got everyone excited on Tuesday by teasing a big streaming announcement for Wednesday...only to deflate everyone by announcing that the process of trying to find a streamer was underway. Well, at least the botched reveal showed how many are enthusiastic about getting the series a platform.
8) Don Meredith: Current Monday Night Football analyst and ex-Cowboy Troy Aikman paid tribute to former MNF analyst and ex-Cowboy Meredith on Monday night:
9) TV Guide: A company called Fandom acquired TV Guide last week, and while the mag ain't what it used to be, we have great respect for its history around here.
10) R.I.P.: Loretta Lynn, Joan Hotchkiss, Judy Tenuta:
Saturday, October 8, 2022
Season 10 Battys: Complete list of nominees and winners
Thanks to everyone for listening to this season's Batty Awards. As a handy guide, here is a list of all the categories and the winners in bold. SPOILERS if you haven't heard the podcast yet!
OUTSTANDING YOUTH: King Bruce (Easter), Grant Schumacher (Shandling), Kitty Pryde (Spidey), Laura Ingalls (LHOP) Mary Ingalls (LHOP), Willie Oleson (LHOP), Todd Bridges (High School USA)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AS ONESELF: Bob Hope (Bob Hope Specials), Sammy Davis Jr. (Bob Hope Specials), Gene Siskel (Siskel and Ebert), Roger Ebert (Siskel and Ebert), Jeff Goldblum (It's Garry Shandling's Show), Bert Convy (It's Garry Shandling's Show)
OUTSTANDING HAIR: Bert Convy (It's Garry Shandling's Show), Michael Landon (LHOP), Nancy McKeon (High School USA), Garry Shandling (It's Garry Shandling's Show)
FACIAL HAIR: Leonard Maltin (Siskel and Ebert) Bill Macy (Maude), Sammy Davis Jr. (Bob Hope Specials) Victor French (LHOP), Gene Shalit (Siskel and Ebert)
OUTSTANDING EXPLANATION:
Lady
Elaine and Queen Sara explaining what love is to Lady Aberlin (Mister
Rogers)
Texaco explaining it doesn't really make much money off
gas and oil (Bob Hope Specials)
Stanley Roderick's explanation of
toupees on the witness stand (Perry Mason)
Siskel explaining what
Ebert thought about Batman (Siskel and Ebert)
Sunny explaining how
to eat an Easter egg (Easter Bunny)
BIGGEST DOPE: Wille Oleson (LHOP), Mr. Plaza (High School USA), Mel Tartar (Kolchak), Hamilton Burger (Perry Mason) Arthur Harmon (Maude)
OUTSTANDING HEEL: Anne-Marie Conklin (High School USA), Beau Middleton (High School USA), Captain Wells (Kolchak), Miss Beadle (LHOP), Mr. Fontaine (McMillan and Wife)
OUTSTANDING VILLAIN: Countess (Easter), Cyberiad (Spidey), Werewolf (Kolchak), Monica Fontaine (McMillan and Wife), Colemar (Perry Mason)
OUTSTANDING NON-HUMAN: Sunny (Easter), Gadzooks (Easter), The Robot (High School USA), X the Owl (Mister Rogers), Trolley (Mister Rogers), Jeff Goldblum's meat freezer (It's Garry Shandling's Show)
Listener
Award #1: Best Friends Award
This
Batty is for the outstanding besties who displayed their friendship
in an episode we discussed on the podcast this season!
Nominees: Kip and Henry (Bosom Buddies) Spider-Man, Firestar, Iceman (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends); Charles Ingalls and Isiah Edwards (Little House on the Prairie); Mac and Enright (McMillan and Wife); Garry Shanding and Jeff Goldblum (It's Garry Shandling's Show)
Listener Award #2: Missing in Action Award
This Batty is for the regular character in a series who
was not featured in an episode we covered and whose
presence was missed the most.
Nominees: Aunt May (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends); Jonathan Garvey (Little House on the Prairie); Mr. McFeely (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood); Mrs. Naugatuck (Maude); Emmanuel Lewis (Bob Hope Specials)
OUTSTANDING THEME SONG (LYRICS): Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town, It's Garry Shandling's Show, High School USA, Bosom Buddies, Maude
OUTSTANDING THEME SONG (INSTRUMENTAL): Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Perry Mason, Kolchak, McMillan and Wife, Little House on the Prairie, Thanks for the Memories (Bob Hope), Siskel and Ebert
OUTSTANDING SONG:
From
Easter Bunny:
Which
Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? - The Hendrews Sisters
All
You Have to Do is Think "Can Do" - Fred Astaire and the
Cast
From Bob Hope Special:
Poor
Boy Music by Mac Davis and the Struts
I've
Grown Accustomed to His Face by Dean Martin
Fernando by Charo
From
Maude:
Hard-Hearted
Hannah, the Vamp of Savannah by Bea Arthur as Maude
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE: Nancy Walker (McMillan and Wife), Wendy Jo Sperber (Bosom Buddies), Nita Talbot (Kolchak), Adrienne Barbeau (Maude), Barbara Hale (Perry Mason) Charlotte Stewart (LHOP)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE: Susan St. James (McMillan and Wife), Firestar (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends), Lady Aberlin (Mister Rogers), Bea Arthur (Maude), Nancy McKeon (High School USA), Karen Grassle (LHOP)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE: Fred Astaire (Easter Bunny), John Astin (McMillan and Wife), William Hopper (Perry Mason), Victor French (LHOP), Kevin Hagan (LHOP), Jeff Goldblum (It's Garry Shandling's Show)
OUTSTANDING MALE: Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers), Michael Landon (LHOP), Darren McGavin (Kolchak), Rock Hudson (McMillan and Wife), Garry Shandling (It's Garry Shandling's Show), Raymond Burr (Perry Mason)
BEST EPISODE: Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town; Mister Rogers, “What Is Love;” Spidey, “The X-Men Adventure;” Maude, “Maude's Musical;” Bob Hope's All-Star Comedy Spectacular from Lake Tahoe; LHOP, “Blizzard;” Bosom Buddies, 'Waterballoongate;” Kolchak, “Werewolf;” McMillan and Wife, “Cop of the Year;” High School USA; It's Garry Shandling's Show, “Go Go Goldblum;” Siskel and Ebert, “Batman/Ghostbusters 2/Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
BEST SHOW: Mister Rogers, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Maude, Siskel and Ebert, Perry Mason, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Kolchak, McMillan and Wife, Bosom Buddies, LHOP
ROBERT PINE GENIUS AWARD: John Schuck (McMillan and Wife)
Friday, October 7, 2022
Season 10 Battys by the Numbers
McMillan and Wife: 2 (plus the Genius Award)
Maude: 1
Kolchak: 1
Bosom Buddies: 1
Siskel and Ebert: 1
Minimum wage in 1983: $3.35/hour
Beau Middleton's allowance in 1983: $500/week
Number of those available for official streaming as of this writing: 6
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Season 10 BATTY Awards
Live on tape from the Spectrum in Philadelphia, we look back at season 10 and dole out another heap of BATTY Awards on the shows and stars that made the season special. As always, we honor everything from outstanding show to outstanding facial hair with a few surprises in between. Plus, we honor a singular figure with the Robert Pine Genius Award!
#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #awardshow
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Batty History: Looking at "the big winner" each season
5: Best of the West (Episode), Hill Street Blues (Series)
For Your Batty Consideration: Little House on the Prairie
We closed out the tenth season of BOTNS with one of the few bright spots of its era for NBC: Little House on the Prairie. It's a program we discussed doing for years, and we finally got to it with Season 3's "Blizzard," a wild episode that proves our feeling that it's one of the most disaster-filled series in television history. We're still kind of surprised we weren't attacked by locusts while recording.
Links:
Our podcast episode
Show notes and YT playlist
Anonymous Batty Insider says: "This episode had everything--most all of the cast, a disaster, death, great hair..There are plenty of chances for noms here and maybe even some wins. The podcast's affection for late 1970s NBC is obvious, but then again, that didn't necessarily make Real People a Batty king. Ultimately, it should be said that it's pretty tough to forecast these awards when we don't even know the categories until the actual show!"
Monday, October 3, 2022
For Your Batty Consideration: Bosom Buddies
In our penultimate episode of this tenth season, we discussed a sitcom that seems much more remembered than it might merit at first glance. Bosom Buddies may not hold up as much as we would like it to, but in our discussion of the second-season episode "Waterballoongate," we talk about how ditching the attention-grabbing gimmick that sold the show led to a better show.
Links:
Our podcast episode
Show notes and YT playlist
Anonymous Batty Insider says: "Hanks and Scolari received Batty attention in past seasons, but they are underdogs here. They could play spoiler in a few categories, but I think Bosom Buddies might have to settle for that TV Land award it won. Part of me wishes Richard Nixon had actually guested in 'Waterballoongate' so that he'd be eligible."
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Top Ten #197
1) Batty Fever: It's spreading, folks! The Battys are coming! Start reviewing Season 10 now and get ready to play along at home!
2) Hal Linden: The 91-year-old actor told MarketWatch he has no plans to retire! Consider THAT an FYI!
3) National Custodial Worker's Recognition Day: Yes, even the odd ones:
4) The Munsters: The original series, which we talked about last season, is still available. That's all we're sayin'.
5) Rex Reed: Happy birthday to the longtime critic, who we touched on briefly in our look at movie review shows earlier this season.
6) Betty White: A weekend auction event of her memorabilia and possessions raised over $4 million.
7) Italian-American Heritage Month: Remember when this show aired for a few weeks in 1979 after the stereotypes offended many people?
8) Three's a Crowd: It's not much, but, hey, this show is new on Tubi, I think. The service also added Too Close for Comfort a few weeks ago. Maybe it will surprise with something else later this month.
9) Not Just Another Affair: This TV movie premiered 40 years ago tonight. Gil Gerard and Victoria Principal!
10) R.I.P. Dale McRaven, co-creator of Mork and Mindy; and drummer John Hartman, who co-created the Doobie Brothers. Hartman died in December 2021, but the band posted a tribute to him last week.
Saturday, October 1, 2022
This Day in TV History: Remington Steele premieres on NBC
40 years ago tonight, NBC ended its Friday with the premiere of a new light detective comedy, Remington Steele.
This is a show that hasn't really come up on the podcast yet, and now that I think about it, it's mostly missing in action nowadays. Despite lasting 5 seasons (4 of them, really, plus a fifth of movies) and 90-some episodes, it hasn't resurfaced much lately. The series came out on DVD long ago but is now out of print. Me-TV has shown it sporadically.
To my knowledge, it has never been on an official streaming service, and it looks like it missed its window to be added with other 20th Century Fox shows on Hulu. if Hulu were still in the business of adding such shows instead of dropping them (like The Fall Guy), this would be a great candidate. Maybe Tubi could resurrect it someday.