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Monday, July 31, 2023

Power Rankings: MASH actors by number of appearances

In lieu of ranking the characters or something like that, since we discussed MASH for the second time this week, I thought it might be interesting to take a big-picture look at the series and list the most commonly seen performers throughout the course of the series. This will give us a little perspective on how long certain characters appeared and might be fun to look at. If not, I blame Captain Tuttle.

(Sources: IMDB and TV'S MASH: The Ultimate Guide Book. The episode numbers are rough and take IMDB as a starting point, which counts them a bit differently, so I tweaked them a bit. The book has a "Missing in Action" section that details the times when the major characters (not just the Major characters) did not appear.)

1) Alan Alda (251): Hawkeye was the only one who showed up in every single episode.

2) Loretta Swit (236): IMDB says she was in all of them, but the book tells us of 15 episodes in which she did not actually appear.

3) Jamie Farr (216): The IMDB count may be off, but it seems right he's at #3 since he was in all seasons.

4) William Christopher (213): See Farr.

5) Gary Burghoff (181): Appeared in most episodes of the first 8 seasons.

6) Harry Morgan (180): According to the book, Potter was in all episodes of Seasons 4-11 except solo episode "Hawkeye. Swit was credited, too, but did not appear, so here's an example of her actual appearances being much lower than Alda's.

7) Mike Farrell: (179): Same state line as Morgan, but note that Morgan appeared in Season 3 as a different character, giving him an edge.

8) David Ogden Stiers (131): Appeared in all but one episode in Seasons 6 through 11.

9) Larry Linville: (121): Frank Burns is low on the list for such a memorable character because, while he was in all but 4 episodes while he was on the show, he left after Season 5.

10) Wayne Rogers (72): Appeared in all episodes in the first 3 seasons.

11) MacLean Stevenson (70): In all but two episodes of the show's first 3 seasons. I think IMDB gives Rogers and Stevenson credit for flashbacks, too, in later years.


Notable supporting players including Kellye Nakahara at 160 per IMDB as Nurse Kellye Yamato, though many were uncredited appearances; Jeff Maxwell as Igor (84), Roy Goldman as Roy (71).

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Top Ten #259: Special "Got this up kind of late" Edition

1) MASH: We revisited the series on the podcast this week, and I continued to refuse to write it with the asterisks in the title. Hawkeye would have appreciated my sticking to principles, right?



2) David Ogden Stiers: Mike and I agree that Winchester is an excellent addition to the series. That kind of snob character might be timeless. The man cared about things other than himself, as this spot indicates:



3) Mike Farrell: I don't know that we said a whole lot about him this week, so here you go!



4) Colonel Potter: I thought his dialogue was a tad ripe in "Bless You, Hawkeye," but I do enjoy Harry Morgan in the show--maybe even more than in Exo-Man, if you can believe that.

5) Chuck Norris: The icon settled his lawsuit alleging malfeasance over Walker, Texas Ranger profits. In lieu of a comment, I will just refer you here and ask you to look for one involving the legal realm.

6) Stifling heat: It's what much of the USA is discussing, and I only wish it were the cool 1984 Hawaiian Heat:



7) Charley Pride: 50 years ago tonight, ABC's Monday Night Baseball welcomed country music superstar to the booth for a little guest commentary. Pride did play pro baseball, but I wonder if this was in part a form of revenge for this:



8) Geraldo Rivera: Good Night America: Also on this night in 1973, ABC followed the game with an installment of its Wide World of Entertainment series at 11:30, and Rivera's show was up this Monday night with a clip saluting The Beatles, an interview with Senator Ted Kennedy, and more.




The New York Times discussed the Rivera show in that day's paper. Howard Thompson writes, "It might be a good idea to have this young man around these late evenings." He adds, "A more engaging host could not be found at this hour, which traditionally triggers in some of our baldest egos, blandness, and smut."

9) MLB Trade Deadline: Baseball teams have to make trades (basically) by August 1. Why? Because on August 1, everyone will be too busy checking to see if there any TV shows are added to Tubi.

10) R.I.P. Inga Swenson. I will once again quote Benson DuBois: "Mumble, mumble, mumble, KRAUS!"



Friday, July 28, 2023

YouTube Spotlight: Remember when those MASH stars were in all those IBM ads?

I mean, it was out of control for a while there. We put this particular spot in the MASH II playlist this week:




That one actually pairs Colonel Potter and Trapper John in a truly historic moment! But there are many others, and here is a compilation:



Adding to the fun, Alan Alda was appearing in numerous Atari ads in the same general time period. Oh, to see a Gary Burghoff ad for Sega Master System.



Here is a 1987 NY Times article explaining the concept and dealmaking behind the ad campaign. Note that Alda wasn't part of the initial deal but was indeed added later as the piece indicated was possible.






Thursday, July 27, 2023

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 11-8: MASH II!

*This week, we return to the classic sitcom MASH to talk about "the Potter years," or however you want to describe the era. Our initial MASH episode is right here.

*Here is the video playlist for this episode, filled with promos, commercials, interviews, and more!


*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

*This episode, "Bless You Hawkeye," premiered on March 16, 1981, the 17th episode of the series' ninth season.

*Here is a shout-out to two books I consulted for this week's podcast: 
TV's MASH: The Ultimate Guide Book by Ed Solomonson and Mark O'Neill
MASH: The Exclusive Inside Story of TV's Most Popular Show by David Reiss

*Crabapple Cove, Maine; is a fictional locale, but Hawkeye's hometown is believed to be based at least in part on Bremen, Maine.


*We talked about White Shadow in our first season. It's currently not streaming anywhere.

*Madame X (1981) is an adaptation of a 1908 play by Alexandre Bisson. Doesn't hurt to bring a little culture in here!

*Joseph Crater was a New York State Supreme Court justice whose 1930 disappearance captivated the nation. The case remains unsolved.

*Don't get your hopes up for a full episode devoted to House Calls...but don't rule it out!


Ep. 11-8: MASH Redux

Back in season 5 when we originally covered the classic sitcom MASH, we vowed to return to the later B.J., Potter, Winchester years, and so we have! This time out, Hawkeye's conning himself when he gets a sneezing fit but won't address the root cause. Luckily, for him and us, Potter calls in Dr. Sidney. 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #mash #alanalda

 



Check out this episode!

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Top Ten #258: Special "Ain't paying for Tubi unless it brings back "Maverick" and "Family" Edition

1) TV Guide: Once again, our bonus episode this week proves that nothing gets you into it like TV Guide!



2) Bob Crane, Ed Asner, Don Knotts, Tim Conway: And the entire cast of Gus, which gets some love from Mike on the podcast as we play our listings game with September 11, 1982.

3) I Love a Mystery: 50 years ago tonight, Ida Lupino, David Hartman, and Don Knotts (He was all over the Seventies) appeared in this NBC TV movie. Who doesn't love a mystery when David Hartman is on the case? The comedy/mystery is available in full here, but a clip is below:


4) Bert Convy: We salute Bert on what would have been his 90th birthday!


5) Texaco: I still feel bad about talking about Texaco on the podcast and not putting Bob Hope in the playlist! I hope this makes up for it:


 

6) Barbie: Too bad there was never an Oppenheim and the Rockers cartoon. I see Oppenheimer as more of a Stephen Cannell show with car chases and of course at least one big explosion!



7) Weekend Special: Winged Colt: 40 years ago today, ABC reran part one of a 1977 3-parter focusing on--wait for it--a horse born with wings.



8) Peter Allen: The flamboyant performer tore it up with the Rockettes on one of the specials featured in our episode this week. It was a big year for Allen, who won an Oscar for Arthur.



9) ALF: Shout! announced it will release the complete series on DVD in october, and unlike previous Lionsgate releases, it will not consist of chopped-for-syndication episodes and will be mostly intact. Does this mean all the edited versions on streaming outlets (like Shout TV) will be replaced?

10) R.I.P. Tony Bennett: We just celebrated the Fourth with Tony! And Bob Urich and Oprah and Barbara Mandrell and...

What a career Bennett had!



Saturday, July 22, 2023

TV Guide Game 9/12/82: Pics from the mag!

Here are some of the display ads and close-ups for programs we mention in this week's bonus episode!









Friday, July 21, 2023

YouTube Spotlight: Milton Berle vs. Joe Flaherty

We mentioned this in our Show Notes post yesterday, but Milton Berle is not in the Texaco special mentioned in our bonus episode this week, but how can you not think of Milton when you think of Texaco Star Theater? So we included this clip in the video playlist:



This is one of those times when Wikipedia summarizes it quite well, but basically Berle shows the SCTV guys no respect, and Genius Winner Joe Flaherty tries to defer to him but can't help snapping back a bit. Miltie didn't really like sharing the spotlight, did he?

What I wonder is, who made Milton Berle the time police? He and Martha Raye are presenters, not the hosts of the ceremony. I guess he just took it upon himself to try to dismiss the next generation of comedy.

Catherine O'Hara remembers this moment in a 2020 Entertainment Weekly piece reflecting on an Emmy win for Schitt's Creek. The story notes that SCTV responded, in a manner, to the incident with a parody sketch the next season that featured Flaherty pummeling a Berle stand-n and telling him he would never ruin another acceptance speech!


Thursday, July 20, 2023

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Bonus: TV Guide Game 9/11/82

*This week's bonus episode is an installment of our popular TV Guide game, in which one of us tries to guess what the other would have watched on a particular night in TV history. This time we look at a Los Angeles metro edition from Saturday, September 11, 1982. If you don't want to be spoiled, please listen to the episode before checking out these Show Notes and the video playlist! Would your picks match Mike's?

*Click below for that playlist, featuring ads, promos, and the entire Texaco Star Theater special we mention!


And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

*Gus (1976), directed by Vincent McEveety, was Bob Crane's final feature. It was a hit for Disney's Buena Vista distribution arm

*Roger C. Carmel was best known for playing Harry Mudd on Star Trek and also starred in The Mothers-In-Law after beginning as a successful stage performer.

*Peter Allen and the Rockettes played multiple shows at Radio City Music Hall in 1981 and 1982.

*Texaco Star Theater: Opening Night does not feature Milton Berle, but it does have Ken Berry! It's a salute to musical theater and does not have a direct connection to the old TV series.

*If you want to see Berle at his most obnoxious, check out our playlist to see him presenting an Emmy to the writers of SCTV a mere 8 days after this date we examine on the podcast. He interacts with a Genius Award winner!

*The Miss America 1982 show selected the 1983 Miss America, was won by Debra Maffet, who later became a TV presenter on PM Magazine and other shows, even acting in Matlock

Maffet moved to California after a series of unsuccessful pageant appearances in home state Texas. After her MA win, the Dallas Morning News reported she had extensive cosmetic surgery before the competition. Maffet's mother claimed there was only one procedure in 1980 to repair a deviated septum. I think in the early Eighties that procedure was more common than booster shots.

*CHOMPS is an acronym for "Canine Home Protection System." The 1979 film was produced by Hanna-Barbera and disappointed at the box office.

TV Guide Game 1982 Edition

This week, we return to a game we've been playing since the beginning of the podcast: The TV Guide Game! Rick digs into his vast collection of old TV Guides and tries to guess what Mike would watch on a particular night in 1982. Pull out your copy of TV Gude from the between the couch cushions and play along! 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #tvguide #tvguidegame #games

 



Check out this episode!

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Would Tubi be worth paying for?

Last week, Fox-owned Tubi refuted a fake story that it was preparing to charge a subscription fee for its heretofore ad-supported but free streaming video on demand service. I believe them; there are no plans to make Tubi yet another paid streamer. But what if there were? Would it be worth a fee?

Well, don't tell them, but...yeah! Right now Tubi is one of the few streamers that still adds new catalog content on a monthly basis. Furthermore, it licenses material from a variety of sources like Universal, Sony, and Warners (though oddly not so much the Fox library that Disney now owns, but maybe that will change soon). I enjoy the overall interface, and the selection of old TV shows is great. There is also a cool library of movies, many of which you will never see on Netflix nor HBO Max.

I'd pay a few bucks a month (Again, don't tell them that!) for a service that kept those good aspects and made some changes.

*Get rid of the ads: Commercial creep has infected the streamers, and we are now at a point where it's becoming commonplace to charge money for ad-ful streaming. It would be a big blow if Tubi charged money and kept the commercials.

*Be more transparent: Two library shows I had on my list for a while left on July 1, and I didn't find out they were leaving until I got an email a couple days beforehand. Give at least 30 days' notice for everything leaving the service.

*More, more, more: Continue to license material from all corners of TV and movie history, and don't be satisfied with a couple big deals. Diversify!

*Don't push the library shows aside when you're pushing the originals: I think we all fear what would happen in this scenario: Tubi would produce more and more originals to "get buzz," and the amount of library material would slowly decrease because "it doesn't draw as many new eyeballs as the originals do."

Fortunately, this is all a moot point right now, but I would pay a few bucks for Tubi if they did do all this. You know what, though? It can do all of that right now (Well, getting rid of the ads may be unrealistic). Just please don't tell them I would pay a few bucks a month.


Monday, July 17, 2023

Power Rankings: Comic characters who should have had a TV show/TV movie in 1977

The 1977 Exo-Man TV movie may or may not have been an attempt to do Iron Man without Iron Man. It was a time of superheroes on TV. In 1977-1979, viewers got Doctor Strange, Captain America, and of course Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk in addition to The Amazing Spider-Man and the NBC DC/Warner Brothers shows. Saturday mornings in 1977 still hosted The Shazam/Isis Hour.

What besides Iron Man was missing from live action? Here is a list of comic book and comic strip characters I wish were on the air in 1977.

1) Luke Cage: The obvious number one is Luke Cage, AKA Power Man. Combine the "hip" Afrocentric aesthetic of the Marvel comic (Well, it was trying) with 1970s sensibilities, and you might get a cool street-based comic show.

2) Iron Fist: And we should go ahead and include Cage's comic book partner, Danny Rand. Given the martial arts craze of the Seventies, it seems combining some TV-friendly action with some decade-friendly mysticism would make a good fit.

3) Green Lantern/Green Arrow: The totally unsubtle but well-meaning "social relevance" era of the book had been in the early part of the decade, but at this time the two were traveling in outer space. That's not as budget friendly as two heroes roaming the country "to find America," and media is often several years behind a trend, so why not make a series of that run?

4) Mary Worth: The criminally underused, perpetually nosy senior could have had her own soapy melodrama. Maybe she's too tame for primetime TV, but a daily soap opera, maybe?

5) Rip Kirby: I don't really have a good idea for this. I just like saying 'Rip Kirby," a character maybe forgotten now but quite popular in 1977.

6) Sad Sack: Beetle Bailey got some TV cartoons earlier, but Sad Sack hasn't received his due in other media. There have been many military comedies, and some of them actually worked. Maybe the Sackster could have been a hit.

7) The Daily Planet: The live-action Spidey show gave us The Daily Bugle, and Lou Grant premiered in Fall 1977, but I would enjoy a 1970s-"Metropolis"-set newspaper comedy/drama featuring the cast of Superman comics. To save money, they could have had minimal cameos by Supes and even by Clark Kent while focusing on others like Perry and Lois and Jimmy.

Of course, this thing would probably have been seen as a cheat back then, whereas today I think we can count on more than one hand the number of, say, Batman shows without Batman that appeared in recent years. Plus there is the big problem of Superman: The Movie, which would premiere in 1978. Hey, I just think it could have been a cool TV show, is all.

8) The Haunted Tank: Forget the Confederate/Union thing, which would have been much more palatble in 1977, but let's think of this as a way to combine two types of comics DC published that didn't get much multimedia love: Supernatural and War. This is a long shot, but a series about the ghost of Jeb Stuart guiding soldiers in WWII would stand out.

9) The Spirit: There are two reasons Will Eisner's all-time classic feature isn't higher on my list: 1) The 1987 attempt to bring it to TV and 2) My fear it would be screwed up. I wonder, though, if the Seventies would have been a better time. The Spirit was in reprints then, so it was still around, and maybe the b&w magazine era and 1970s crime TV would have found some compatibility.

10) Richie Rich: Several years later, a cartoon version would appear on Saturday mornings, but I am thinking of a live-action series. ABC tried a couple of Little Lulu specials around this time. Maybe the Richie Rich character could be an appealing presence in a similar format back before the days when an embarrassment of riches might actually be considered embarrassing.

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Top Ten #257: Special "Boy, it gets humid in July" edition

1) Exo-Man: He could have been the biggest superhero sensation of 1977, except that...he wasn't. Still, you should check out this week's podcast, in which we consider the NBC TV movie/unsold pilot and ponder what might have been while discussing what actually was.


2) David Ackroyd: We didn't spend a lot of time talking about him as a performer this week relative to his screen time, so here is another shout.


3) The Emmy nominations: Special congrats to BOTNS favorites who were nominated, like Marty Short and Henry Winkler.


4) MLB All-Star Game: I missed it, but it got good reviews! Let's go back to the 1983 All-Star Game for a big moment:

5) A. Martinez: Exo-Man's Rick Jones, if you will. As far as we're concerned, he's not just a Martinez, he's the martinez.

6) Marjoe's Country: Nashville: 50 years ago tonight, ABC devoted a late-night slot to this special co-starring Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow with the Genius Award winner. The real takeaway here is, hey, things might have been one way in 1973, but in 2023, this is all Marjoe's country.


7) World Snake Day: If you play with the snake, sooner or later, you're gonna get bit.


8) Hollywood Squares: Pluto TV  just launched a 24/7 streaming channel devoted to--Wait, just the early 2000s episodes? No Jon Bauman, no sale!

9) This Is Your Life: Episodes from throughout all eras of the show's run are available now on FilmRise's streaming apps. Is it heartwarming? Cringy? Both? You decide!

10) R.I.P. Andrea Evans, Jimmy Weldon:











Saturday, July 15, 2023

Reminder: Vote on our Dallas episode!

We rarely reveal our podcast topics ahead of time, but this season we have announced the S11 finale will be Dallas! As a reminder, visit our post earlier this week to see the options and help cap off our most interactive season by choosing which episode we will spotlight!

Voting closes tomorrow night!

While we are here, we'll have a new Top Ten tomorrow, and the power rankings will return early next week. Have a great weekend!

Friday, July 14, 2023

YouTube Spotlight: Powers and Wagner, separate again

Our playlist was a little shorter than usual this week. Having a TV movie like Exo-Man as the subject of the pod limits the material that is out there. Actually, just having Exo-Man, period, as the subject of the pod limits the material that is out there.

This one caught my eye, though:



The Feather and Father Gang aired on ABC the same night as Exo-Man, though not against it because it followed Starsky and Hutch. Seems like it should be the other way around.

Feather stars Stefanie Powers, a star we saw earlier this season, with Harold Gould. The ambience of these credits recalls megahit The Sting. This show was not a megahit, lasting a mere 13 episodes. Future co-star Robert Wagner's Switch, which drew similar inspiration from the 1973 Redford/Newman film, was already established on CBS when Feather debuted, and it lasted after it left!



Thursday, July 13, 2023

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 11-7: Exo-Man (1977)

*We hope you enjoy this look at an obscure TV movie! Unsold pilot Exo-Man premiered June 18, 1977 on NBC.

*Before we get too far into it, we promised you a screengrab, and here it is:



*Here is the video playlist for Exo-Man. Note that we include a recent upload of the movie and not the multi-multipart version we saw.

 

And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

*Kevin McCarthy is listed on the Exo-Man IMDB page, and Exo-Man is listed on his IMDB page, but we don't think it's him. Are we totally clueless here?

*Martin Caidin wrote the novel Cyborg, which was turned into The Six Million Dollar Man, and 3 follow-ups in the series.

*Here is Brick Mantooth's tweet re: The Exo-Man custom toy (the toy is no longer available, but the pic is below):





*Little Women was an NBC miniseries in October 1978. David Ackroyd appeared in the series that came out of that mini and aired only for a brief time in early 1979.

*Anne Scheeden did have a recurring role on Emergency but was actually in more episodes of Marcus Welby M.D.

*Here is a history of the Photoplay Gold Medal Awards that is more accurate than Wikipedia!

*1978, just after this movie, saw the last recorded auction of a Gutenburg Bible. It sold for $2.4 million.

*This article in Paste talks about anchovies on pizza and cites another article as pointing to 1989's Loverboy as helping make anchovy pizza a joke. 1989 is at the tail end of our era. Surely the joke was around well before then, right?

*Mike mentions the amazing find of a demo for a theme song, and here for the first time anywhere are the actual lyrics!

Dr. Nick Conrad likes to jog
With his girlfriend Emily
He keeps a meticulous log
And teaches physics at the University
He always does what's right
Even if it means crossing a line
He never backed down from a fight
Till he got piped in the spine
Now it's time for some UV light

Exo Exo Exo-Man
He uses science we don't understand
Exo Exo Exo-Man
He has a really cool van
Exo Exo Exo-Man
When he hops, he will land
Exo Exo Exo-Man
Gonna give the man a hand

Malfuntion, Malfuntion, Malfuntion

Larry, give him a haaaaaand

Exo Exo Exo-Man
He uses science we don't understand
Exo Exo Exo-Man
He has a really cool van
Exo Exo Exo-Man
When he hops, he will land
Exo Exo Exo-Man
Gonna give the man a hand





Episode 11-7: Exo-Man

A confident, passionate physics professor witnesses a bank robbery, and it turns his life upside down. Jose Ferrer's minions paralyze him, but they can't keep him down, and they certainly don't expect his greatest creation ever...Exo-Man! Unfortunately, this 1977 TV movie/series pilot from many of the people behind "The Six Million Dollar Man" doesn't even live up to its potential as a cheap Iron Man knockoff. Still, we have fun talking about it and maybe even learn a thing or two about physics. Also, stay tuned for a rare musical surprise. #podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #tvmovie #exoman #superhero #failedpilot

 



Check out this episode!

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Power Rankings: Dennis the Menace reminds me of things I miss

Something a little different for this week's rankings: Here is a list of things I miss, all suggested or brought up by our look at the live-action and animated Dennis the Menace:

1) Fast food promotions with characters like Dennis: Other than Happy Meal toys, what do we have to bring us to a fast food joint besides, well, the food? Even the toys aren't promoted much anymore. Dennis was a mischievous, sometimes devious kid, but he was a great spokesman for Dairy Queen. I wish there were more cartoons shilling for junk food today. At least Andy Capp's Pub Fries are still around. Aren't they?

2)  Little kids wearing the same thing every single day: Kids of a certain age might want to wear the same outfit all the time, but their parents don't let them. Then they age out, and even if they like wearing the same shirt over and over, they don't really have uniforms until they get a little bit older and try to make some kind of statement.

What I am trying to say is I think it's cool that Dennis wears the same clothes day after day and no one cares. In fact, most of his friends do, too, but it's all good.

3) Kids having clubs unsanctioned by any adults: OK, the boss getting "scalped" isn't in line with modern sensibilities, but at least Dennis and his friends take some initiative and create a social group. I am not counting online clubs; I mean stuff with clubhouses and crude rules scrawled on paper ripped out of composition books.

4) Small businesses having wacky promotions to the "nth" customer: I think "The 50,000th Customer" depicts about a dozen potential lawsuits if it occurred in 2023.

5) Small businesses, period.

6) Floorwalkers in department stores: Nowadays it's often hard to find anyone in there, let alone someone who casts an imperious eye at you.

7) Nick at Nite: It's been said to death, but it really was cool.

8) Saturday morning cartoons on network television: Ditto.

9) Adding machines: I don't care how powerful and convenient our cellphones are. I want to add stuff up on a machine with loud clangs so I can print out faded numbers on thin, narrow paper.

Well, I don't want to do that, but I want other people to do that.

10) Nosey neighbors: Oh, we still have nosey neighbors, but not really involved busybodies who care about your personal life and are willing to have open hostility with everyone else just because. It's all political today, and that has ruined everything. That kind of "debate" isn't nearly as fun as just disliking your neighbors for who they are.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Vote for our Dallas episode!

Our most interactive season yet is building up to an epic season finale as we do something unprecedented: We pick the show, you pick the episode! We are tackling the iconic original Dallas to conclude our Season 11 later this year, and you can determine where we point the spotlight! 

Should we focus on:

A) The series premiere
B) A House Divided/Who Done It (Who Shot JR cliffhanger and resolution)
C) Bobby steps out of the shower! (or maybe the episode after the shock ending)
D) Some other episode as long as it has JR in it

This series has a few very, very famous episodes, and we don't usually pick those to cover on the podcast, but should we do so for a serialized smash hit like Dallas? Let us know!

You can email our mailbag@battleofhenetworkshows.com address, leave a comment here, or head over to our Facebook Group page and click an option there!

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Top Ten #256: Special "Is it too late to talk about Independence Day?" Edition!

1) Dennis the Menace: Maybe the 1959 show version isn't as menacing as the others, but it's an enjoyable watch, and we enjoyed talking about all versions of the character on the podcast this week.



2) Charles Lane: It felt good to get the venerable actor, ubiquitous in the classic TV era, on the podcast, and it felt even better that he was able to outgrouch Mr. Wilson!



3) National Ice Cream Month: And I tell you, all that talk about Dennis' endorsement career has made me want some ice cream. Let's give equal time to some other chains, though:




4) Benson: Antenna celebrates this Sunday with a Benson-a-thon! As Benson himself would say, "[Mumble mumble mumble] KRAUS!"



5) Hot dogs: What goes better with ice cream than hot dogs? Antacid? No, come on, we can all agree the hot dog is one of the quintessential American summer foods. Now, whether it is a sandwich or not...



6) Elton John: The 76-year-old icon gave his farewell concert this weekend. You think of Elton as a 1970s star, or at least I do, but he had a surprisingly robust presence on MTV in the Eighties. Then there is this:




7) John Tesh: Has there been too much Tesh on this page lately? Nay, there has not been enough! Happy birthday to the multitalented TV and music star.



8) Alan Alda: Alda is putting up for auction the dog tags and boots he wore on MASH. Does the price go up or down if he washes them first?

9) Reggie Jackson: I watched the 2023 Prime Video doc Reggie this week and enjoyed it but was disappointed by the lack of mention of his Hall of Fame performance on The Jeffersons.




10) R.I.P. Nicolas Coster: 



Saturday, July 8, 2023

YouTube Spotlight: Dennis the Menace

I don't want to box in an actor inside his most famous role, but, come on, Mr. Mitchell! Hawking Kool cigarettes is just wrong!

I mean, everyone knows Henry is a pipe smoker, right?



Thursday, July 6, 2023

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 11-6: Dennis the Menace

*We hope you enjoy this double shot of Dennis as we discuss an episode of the Eighties cartoon and an episode of the black-and-white live-action sitcom!

*Here is the video playlist for this week's podcast. Click below for commercials, promos, and--while they last; no guarantees--the full episodes we watched for the show.




And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all our podcasts and episode-specific video playlists for each one!

*The British Dennis the Menace is called...Dennis the Menace, much to my chagrin when researching this episode. The strip is Dennis the Menace and Gnasher. This Dennis debuted in 1950 in Beano and got his own cartoon in 1996.

*Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace debuted as a daily comic strip on March 12, 1951.

*The late, lamented modern hardback compilations I mention on the pod are from Papercutz but are no longer available from them. Fantagraphics collected the daily panels in order through 1962 but stalled out after 6 volumes.


*Dennis served as Dairy Queen's spokesman from 1971 until 2002.

*DIC's Dennis the Menace ran 1986 to 1988, with 78 half-hour episodes and 234 segments. Season 2 was Saturday mornings on CBS after the first 65 episodes appeared in first-run syndication.

*This episode we discuss has 3 segments: "The Boss Gets Scalped," "Mr. Dennistein," and "Lean, Green Jumping Machine." IMDB credits it as premiering November 3, 1986.

*Phil Hartman was on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1994.


*The Screen Gems live-action series aired on CBS 1959 to 1963 for 4 seasons and 146 episodes.

*"The Fifty-Thousandth Customer" debuted November 12, 1961 on CBS.

*Age check of the main actors in Dennis at the time of this episode:
Jay North = 10.
herbet Anderson = 44.
Gloria Henry = 28
Joseph Kearns = 54
Syliva Field = 60
Charles Lane = 56

*Lucy Elkins, played by Irene Tedrow, appears in 26 episodes. She had a long and distinguished TV career, playing Drummond's mom on an episode of Diff'rent Strokes in addition to many, many other roles!

*Someone please make a nice hardback edition of this oft-reprinted comic book:









Episode 11-6: Dennis the Menace

What do two Mr. Wilsons, a living mannequin, and Mark Twain have in common? Would you believe Dennis the Menace? We peel back the layers of the various Dennisverses to try to find what makes the tyrannical tyke's dark heart tick. Well, we look at a wild episode of the 1980s animated version and throw in the late '50s, early '60s live action version for good measure, and, yes, that includes a living mannequin, Mark Twain, and a couple Mr. Wilsons. Plus, Mike ranks the menace level of the various Dennises. 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #dennisthemenace #amiation #dic #mrwilson #philhartman #jaynorth

 



Check out this episode!

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Happy July 4!

We hope you all have a happy and safe Independence Day! We dare say we have the ideal podcast for the land of the free (All our episodes are free as free can be right here on the site or wherever you get your podcasts) and the home of the brave (I mean, we did an Automan episode, you know)!

We started our celebration early with this week's look at 1987's ABC Star-Spangled Celebration, but here is some more Americana for your viewing pleasure:





Monday, July 3, 2023

Miami Vice Toy Track playset by Galoob!

Miami Vice inspired a lot of things, but you wouldn't think a toy racing playset would be one of them, would you? Well, check out this vintage ad for a Galoob toy car track:



Everything about this, including the kids dressed as Crockett and Tubbs, makes me think it's a parody, but, no, this was a real product. I wonder, did Galoob buy time during the series? Or did it run these ads in between Hair Bear Bunch episodes on USA Cartoon Express?

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Top Ten #255: Special Independence Day Weekend Edtion!

1) Fourth of July: Well, some of us have to work tomorrow, but we have a day off on Tuesday! USA! And happy belated Canada Day!



2) ABC's Star-Spangled Celebration (1987): Our podcast this week features the biggest televised July 4 celebration...of that year...on TV...as long as you don't count pay cable, which had the HBO Welcome Home concert.

Well, we enjoyed it!

3) Uncle Sam Magoo: Quincy watches over me as I write this very list!




4) Alfonso Ribiero: The former Silver Spoons star will emcee A Capitol Fourth on PBS this year.



5) Wimbeldon 1983 Final: 40 years ago today, Martina Navratilova defeated Andrea Jaeger with ease for her fourth title.



6) Indiana Jones: The old guy returns for yet another adventure this weekend.



7) Captain America: Reb Brown is almost as much an American icon as Quincy Magoo!



8) ALF on ALF: Shout! Factory TV now offers 4 episodes with exclusive commentary from the Melmacian himself.


9) Sid Caesar: 40 years ago tonight, NBC reran an episode of Saturday Night Live in which the cast paid tremendous tribute to host Caesar, urging the crowd to give him a standing ovation, naming him an honorary cast member, and letting him ignore Joe Piscopo.



10) R.I.P. Alan Arkin: Not a big TV career, but a great screen career. Here's the intro to a rare show that starred Arkin, Richard Lewis, Thom Bray, and Holland Taylor. Set in a hospital, the ABC show debuted and ended in March 1987.





Saturday, July 1, 2023

Star-Spangled Power Rankings!

You may wonder after seeing the 1987 ABC Star-Spangled Celebration we discuss on this week's episode, "Dare they rank everyone on that colossal event? Dare they?"

Well, no, we daren't. What we do have is a smaller list highlighting the top performers in order of how patriotic they seemed to be. Yes, it's subjective. No, we don't mean to imply anyone not on the list was not patriotic. We have to make our arbitrary rankings somehow, though.

1) Yakov Smirnoff: Sometimes it takes someone not born here to show us what a true patriot looks like by pointing out our foibles. And also making fun of the Russkies!

2) Barbara Mandrell: I mean, it looked like she invited half of the country to a barbecue at her place.

3) Suzanne Somers: As Mike notes on the podcast, she seemingly volunteered to take up half the "burden" of filling airtime all by herself!

4) Alabama: Hey, they're named after a state! And not the state of confusion or anything like that, but a genuine member of the U.S. of A.!

5) The Wife of the Vice President of the United States: Barbara Bush was big on literacy, and she represented cause and country well as the spouse of the second-most powerful person in the country!

6) Robert Urich: In his charming performance as co-emcee, he personifies the ol' American spirit of trying to do it all, even if you aren't necessarily suited for it.

7) Chubby Checker: In one energetic segment, the dude tore through half of the Billboard charts of the early days of rock and roll.

8) Phil Driscoll: I thought he looked like an American Joe Cocker out there. Yeah, that's a good thing!

9) Everyone in the North Carolina Jell-O Dump: Is there anything more American than an event like a Jell-O dump?

10) Dennis Weaver: Well, maybe not so much, but he DID play cowboys in his career.