RetroFan #36 is another strong issue

I gave the mag some mild criticism last time out, but I did renew my print subscription, and, let me tell you, folks, that's putting my money where my mouth is because that is no small investment. Issue 36 with cover gal Stefanie Powers is a solid issue that gives me my money's worth.

The mag is always going to rely on a mixture of repurposed material, but this issue is better about not overdirecting readers to other sources.  The Powers feature draws from a 2011 interview Mark Voger did with the actress, which could be a disappointment considering she is around and doing press now. However, Voger blends that material with other info to create a fine piece. I enjoy his capsule descriptions of 10 prominent Girl from UNCLE episodes, a sidebar that adds entertainment and value to the profile of Powers.

Scott Saavedra's section on TV catchphrases is one of the lighter pieces in the mag, for sure (And the publication itself is not exactly Foreign Affairs), but his entertaining layout/design enhances it, and his text adds enough tidbits to make the story a plus.

RetroFan goes outside its usual lineup to provide an article on Battle of the Planets. Contributor Jason Hoifus lays out the convoluted history of the show in entertaining fashion and with a compelling angle: He focuses on the involvement of multiple creators involved with Hanna Barbera.

Rick Goldschmidt, leading Rankin Bass historian, offers a Christmas piece each year, and this time it examines Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. This one does reference a lot of the author's other works, but he provides a lot of information, does some myth busting, and gives a fine overview of the beloved special just in time for Christmas (Hey, just because you are reading this after the holiday doesn't mean I didn't read it before the holiday).

Now let's get to my favorite stories in issue 36. Will Murray talks about two "one-season TV wonders," Coronet Blue and T.H.E. Cat. Much like last issue's The Name of the Game profile, this story takes a lesser-known topic and tells me things I didn't know. Excellent work, and I want to see more of this kind of thing in the magazine, much as we love seeing stuff about the old favorites.

One standout of each issue is the illustrations, and this article is a great example. Numerous cool pics accompany Murray's text. We see comic book covers, 1960s merch, publicity photos, and an excerpt from a vintage TV Guide. You're always gonna get interesting visuals in a TwoMorrows publication.

While I am talking interesting visuals, Andy Mangels' fantastic and comprehensive (as can be) look at advertising of Saturday morning network programming continues in #36 with ads from 1975-1977. Some of these I have seen or have elsewhere, but seeing them all in one spot is a delight and a great way to consider the history of Saturday morning TV. I only wish they gave the feature more pages and made every ad a full-page reproduction!

Finally, I want to highlight two features relevant to recent episodes of the podcast. A "Retro Sports" piece covers the career of Chuck Connors, who was nominated for a Batty for Outstanding Male Actor due to his work in The Rifleman (And note that the episode we discussed did win a Batty in Season 11). Scott Shaw! takes on SCTV, which is a huge subject, but he does it justice and adds some personal memories of working with castmembers on various projects.

It's great reading again from RetroFan, with the usual visual appeal. This issue is highly recommended!

Top Ten #334

1) The Holidays: We hope you all had a stupendous holiday week. It ain't over yet because we have New Year's Day ahead! One thing about having the big holidays smack dab in the middle of the workweek is you get a whole weekend right in between them. You know, I honestly thought that was awesome when I started writing that sentence.

2) Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas: My viewing of the traditional specials was way down this year, and this was the first year in a long time I didn't see any of the Rankin Bass shows. However, I managed to get this one in, and I am glad I did because it's one of the most underappreciated of the Christmas specials--not by those who have seen it, though.

3) The Bob Newhart Show: Only because I got the complete series DVD set for Christmas. Whoo-hoo!

4) Blake's 7: And Wife of the Show Laurie got Season 1 on Blu-Ray after falling in love with the series as Mike and I prepared to talk about it this season.

5) Ted Danson: Happy birthday to the icon! What do you get for the man who has already had like half a dozen hit sitcoms?

6) AFC/NFC Championship Games: On this date in 1974, the Vikings played the Rams in the NFC, whole the Steelers played the Raiders in the AFC, setting up the glorious Super Bowl in which Pittsburgh began its run of dominance.

7) New Year's preparations: It's time to stock up on food, beverages, and old Dick Clark videos.

8) 1974: A Television Album: CBS aired this program 50 years night and looked back at the most important stories of the year, like the debut of Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.

9) ABC News Closeup: On this night in 1984, ABC took a look at an important subject, the Supreme Court, with an important documentary special--a program so important it could only air it at 10:00 on a Saturday night.

10) R.I.P. Greg Gumbel: What a class act! Gumbel was outstanding in the booth and in the studio, a pro who elevated ESPN, NBC, and CBS, among other outlets, with his presence.

Merry Christmas from BOTNS!

Another year over, and what have we done? Well, we are proud of our just-completed Season 12 and looking forward to another Battys ceremony! We thank you for listening and for enjoying old-school TV in all forms along with us!

Here for your convenience are some links to past holiday episodes if you want to enjoy a podcast today:

Our first Christmas episode combines The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold with A Family Circus Christmas! There is even a bonus at the end.

We enjoy the holiday toons! Here is The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. An awe-inspiring array of classic characters gather for Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper! Speaking of classic characters, how about the Eighties special The Little Rascals Christmas Special?

Finally, enjoy our look at Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July!

As is our tradition, from all of us at BOTNS to all of you, we wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and of course Happy EVEN, even!

12 Days of Watching (2024) #12: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)

I like to use this "12 Days of Watching" feature to spotlight videos I have not seen before, or at least not for a long time, but it's crunch time now, and my viewing of the old reliables has been way off pace this year. So I have but a few days to watch a lot of my favorites!

I watched Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol for the first time in a couple years, and I am glad I did. It's a true classic and a landmark in TV history as the first animated TV Christmas special--that is, the first created for TV. I can't post a link because the misers at the company that owns the special haven't seen to fit to make it available this year except for purchase or rental (I see it may be available on Sling), but here is a clip:

I watched my old DVD copy and had a blast. For me, Quincy Magoo is Ebeneezer Scrooge. Everyone talks about the 1951 Alistair Sim movie as the definitive adaptation of Dickens' classic story, but when I was a lad, Magoo was on each year. If Sim was, I wasn't aware of it, and, hey, where is that version shown nowadays?

Oh, wait, I took a minute to look it up, and Tubi and Plex and other streamers have it. Well, all right, then! That makes it all the more appalling that the Magoo version isn't there!

Anyways, I loved this as a kid, and I loved it now. It's a real shame Quincy Magoo didn't do more work in the legit theater. His Scrooge is a heartfelt performance, loaded with pathos and fire without being treacly. Magoo has issues getting to the theater, but once he is there, he is a master. How lucky we are to have such a faithful recording of the Broadway experience in the form of this special.

12 Days of Watching (2024) #11: Archie Bunker and a bunch of other characters celebrate the holiday

When we prepared to talk about All in the Family for our season opener this year, I sampled a bit of Archie Bunker's Place, a series I was aware of back in the day but never focused on much. It really feels like a different show, especially when you get to the fourth and final season, which is the source for this Christmas episode Sony posted on YouTube:

Archie Bunker is the heart of All in the Family, but in this setting, I find myself asking, who are these people? It's like, OK, I came to terms with Archie playing off a little girl named Stephanie. In this episode, she seems much older. And just when you are used to her, here comes Billie. Wait, who's Billie? And who's this nebbish who is dating her (No offense meant, and none taken, I would assume, given that Barry Gordon made a great living playing nebbishes).

And those are just the regulars! "Father Christmas" brings us another Bunker relative--Archie's brother, Fred. He's Billie's dad, and she doesn't want to see him, so much so she is willing to go on a ski trip with Barry Gordon (just kidding) to avoid spending the holiday with her father. 

The story goes for emotion, but it's a little clumsy in parts. There's a side plot in which Stephanie laments not hearing from HER dad, and Archie handles that in a sweet but predictable fashion. What really gets me is when they have a tense family dinner and start talking about Fred abandoning Billie years earlier. At one point, Billie makes a cutting remark about Fred's serial divorcing, and Archie puts down his fork and says, "Well, gee, this suddenly stopped being funny."

For some reason, that remark really hits me the wrong way. It's true enough in that Billie has finally killed Arch's attempts to maintain light conversation and inject some humor. But it feels too obvious and like something Archie shouldn't say--not because he's Archie, but because he's the main character. At least I think he is, but it's hard to tell in this episode. This is the kind of line the sidekick blurts out loud. Allen Melvin as Barney could sell that line and make it seem right, but he's in a minor subplot about playing Santa Claus.

So while I appreciate the effort and enjoy the novelty of a series I am not familiar with, Archie Bunker's Place just seems strange to me. "Father Christmas," despite great intentions, is no exception.

Top Ten #333: Special "I always thought .333 was a cool batting average" Edition!

1) Chico and the Man: I enjoyed a Christmas episode, sort of, from this show's troubled fourth season this week. Well, at least they tried to do a holiday episode. A surprising number of successful programs didn't.

2) Hal Linden: The multitalented star does a fantastic job as emcee on the 1984 Christmas in Washington special I watched this week.

3) CBS Saturday Night: Catchy Comedy announced this week it would replicate the fabled CBS Saturday night lineup on its own airwaves beginning in January. That's right, we're talking Early Edition, Martial Law, and Walker, Texas Ranger!

Wait, I looked at my notes again. It's actually the early Seventies lineup of All in the Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. I guess that's cool, too.

4) Holiday shopping: I don't want to see anyone get trampled, but I kind of miss the days of in-store frenzies over the hot toy. Missing out on an online "Lightning Deal" just isn't the same.

5) Double Trouble: The short-lived sitcom with the Sagal sisters (Well, 2 of them) aired a Christmas episode 40 years ago tonight, preceded by a Smurfs special and followed by a holiday offering of Gimme a Break.

6) Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: I like to keep it positive around here, but I listened to a podcast purport to cover the classic animated TV special, and...let's just say I didn't get much out of it. At least it prompted me to get out my DVD and watch it. Why the heck isn't this on Peacock?

7) Bryant Gumbel: The longtime broadcaster and sometime Dave Letterman nemesis was inducted into a sports broadcasting ahll of fame this week along with Hubie Brown, Andrea Kremer, Steve Gorusch, and others.

8) Bowl games: Supposedly there is some kind of playoff going on right now, but don't sleep on the Liberty Bowl coming this Friday!

9) The Sonny Comedy Revue: The final episode aired 50 years ago tonight. At least he knew he would never, ever, ever reunite for a show with Cher.

10) R.I.P. Rickey Henderson: He wasn't a TV star, exactly, but indulge me. He was one of the most exciting baseball players to watch, one of the all-time greats, and he happened to be my favorite player when I got into the sport.

12 Days of Watching (2024) #10: Ernie Anderson would have made a good Santa Claus

Today's clip isn't all Christmas, but it has enough! You get to hear Ernie Anderson say, "Christmas Comes to Pacland!" And the Joanie Loves Chachi holiday episode preview is so nice you gotta watch it twice!

I think I want to see that Too Close for Comfort episode mentioned during the Happy Days end credits and then shown in a promo. That episode of It Takes Two looks ridiculous. 

The Benson clip has promise of holiday hijinks. It all ends with Ernie Anderson teasing Dr. No in part with his silky smooth utterance of "Ursula Andress."

As varied as this assortment of TV entertainment is, it reminds of how I was talking the other day about CBS being number one for the holidays in the Eighties. It gave us Peanuts, Rudolph, Frosty, and more. ABC gave us Christmas Comes to Pacland.

12 Days of Watching (2024) #9: Christmas in Washington (1984, NBC)

Let's go back 40 years to a better time, when politics was divided, yeah, and people had issues with elected officials, but we could still get a special like Christmas in Washington where everyone could at least pretend to get along for an hour and have some holiday fellowship.

The special was an annual tradition for years, taped at the historic Kennedy Cent--Wait, no, the National Building Museum. How about that? It's loaded with casual religious references, traditional music, and respect for the institutions of Washington D.C. If you aren't down with any of that, don't bother with these. And I don't just mean political institutions as targets for respect, either, this 1984 edition has an odd segment with Roger Mudd saluting journalism, then doing a bit on how TV news would have covered the Nativity!

The whole thing is formal and a bit awkward, but isn't that part of the magic of Christmas? It's nice to have at least one component of the holiday revolve around donning uncomfortable clothes and listening to choirs sing archaic lyrics as you hang around people you don't normally see in person. It works because it's Christmas!

That's part of the fun of this special and others in the series. Hal Linden is an amiable emcee who radiates sincere warmth (Not bad for a guy born Harold Lipshitz) and sings several numbers, including a duet with a big-shot opera singer. There is some gentle comedy, a Naval Glee Club, and everything just looks classy. You even get The Osmonds, for heaven and nature's sake!

Nell Carter appears and is introduced as "irrepressible," which isn't as cool as "force of nature," but we will take it. There is a segment with First Lady Nancy Reagan introducing footage of gingerbread housemaking at the White House. It all ends with a warm set of remarks from the president himself, Brandon Tartikoff. No, it's Ronald Reagan.

I wouldn't want to watch a bunch of this each year, but one of them hits just right. This 1984 version is a great piece of entertainment in itself and also a fun trip back to a different era.

12 Days of Watching (2024) #8: It's not Christmas...It's HBO! Actually, it's both!

CBS was the network of the holiday season for me back in the Eighties by virtue of showing the best animated specials. HBO may have been a close second, though. It has the advantage of being on all day (or most of it) and being able to show programs over and over again. Case in point: Two of the specials showcased in this clip:

Jug Band Christmas is a true classic, and to me it was one of the rites of December. It seemed to be on all the time, often at convenient times to dip in and out of while doing other stuff. Rich Little's A Christmas Carol is another staple of 1980s HBO. That one seemed to fall out of the rotation at some point and not turn up anywhere else, unlike Emmet Otter, but it sure made an impression when it was there. Ha! See what I did there!

Elsewhere in this segment, you see a promo for A Christmas Story when it was still relatively fresh and not the traditional marathon focus it would become. And how about the look at the "classic" 1st and Ten, a comedy that felt like IT lasted forever somehow. 

Welterweight champ Donald Curry is featured in an upcoming title bout, and there's a glimpse of Buddy Hackett in an On Location special. Throw in some clips of mediocre movies and the ever-thrilling transmission test, and you have something that epitomizes not just Christmas in the Eighties, but HBO in the Eighties!

12 Days of Watching (2024) #7: Chico and the Man, or just the Man

We are looking today at a show we covered just this season: Chico and the Man! However, it's a fourth-season effort, and that means no Freddie Prinze. Raul fans are in luck, though!

In fact, the episode, "The Proposal," begins with Raul trimming the tree and getting the garage decked out. This goes a long way towards creating that Christmas cheer I love in TV episodes. Only we soon find out Raul is starting early; it's not even Thanksgiving. 

Ed is in a grouchy mood, though, so everyone rolls with it and decides to hold a holiday party to cheer him up. Ed takes a bottle of tequila and spikes Della's punch, and then Raul gets the same idea and spikes it himself (He uses Ed's bottle, not his own, and to his credit, he declines Della's invite to try the punch).

After the opening scene, this is not so much a Christmas episode as a "Drunk Bit" episode. Ed gets blotto, Della gets hammered, and he proposes to her for some reason, and she actually accepts. They then spend valuable network airtime going through the motions prepping for a wedding even though neither one of them wants to do it.

if you enjoy seeing pros do drunk bits, you will like this, though a little goes a long way. The real highlight is seeing Jack Albertson do a Hangover Bit. Even then, it's not so much the groaning and shuffling as the spectacular delayed spit take he does when he finds out about the proposal.

Della Reese's character wouldn't be around much longer; it's as if when Charo came in, they figured the garage wasn't big enough for both of them. They didn't really tease much of anything between Ed and Della "Rogers," but there are a few glimpses that they might have actually been crazy enough to go that direction at some point.

12 Days of Watching (2024) #6: CBC promos from 1981

Let's go up north today and enjoy some seasonal promos and ads from CBC, apparently CBC Newfoundland from December 17, 1981 (according to a commenter)!

Many times I enjoy watching old clips on YouTube because they bring back memories. This time, I hardly know any of this!

Olden Days Coat? Tukiki? Super Music? I know Dallas, but some of the other programs...

12 Days of Watching (2024) #5: Amen

Hat tip to my cousin Kevin for bringing this one up in pur Facebook group: Amen's Season 1 Christmas episode, "Your Christmas Show of Shows." It's a no-brainer for a show set at a church to have a holiday episode; in fact, Amen has one for each season, including a two-parter!

This is the first one, premiering Saturday, December 20, 1986. As a sitcom, it's not the funniest Christmas episode I have seen, but it succeeds in creating a great festive atmosphere. 

You see many of the hallmarks of a Christmas episode: Decorations (including a scene built around Reverend Gregory decorating a big tree), carols, a sudden snowstorm, exchange of presents, and a nativity play. However, you also get another hallmark of a Christmas episode: A distinct lack of plot.

Deacon Frye (Sherman Helmsley) is typically meddlesome as the producer of the church's big kids' Christmas play, getting particularly invested when he learns a councilman plans to attend and bring TV cameras with him for a live broadcast. The stuffy director (played well by the stuffy Franklyn Seales of Silver Spoons) quits when a change in schedule means they all have to put the show together overnight for the councilman to attend, and Frye becomes director. Less happens than you might think, and a side story concerning Thelma's vacation to Jamaica isn't all that effective. The less sentimental among you may wince when we get a big "Awww..." from the audience mere minutes into the episode.

Yet it's hard to complain about the typical Christmas episode padding when the kids go out and start their show despite an empty church (snowstorm, you see) and pull off the most dynamic version of "Away in a Manger" I have ever seen. It creates a feel-good ending full of holiday spirit and delivers the cheer you want in this kind of thing. It helps that they take an underused song and make it the showcase part of the performance.

The humor in this episode is predictable, and the series was still early in its run. Anytime you have Sherman Helmsley, though, you have something, and he brings a certain energy in every scene. I never much cared for Anna Marie Horsford's Thelma character, but Clifton Davis is well cast, and Jester Hairston as Rolly steals everything--no small feat in a show with Helmsley.

Amen is streaming for free on Tubi, and while I saw it often in its 1980s NBC run, I haven't watched much of it for a while. I might check out the show's other Christmas episodes this week.

Top Ten #332: Special "December is flying by" edition!

1) 'Tis the Season: Our 12 Days of Watching is in progress, but we pause it for a day to bring you the Top Ten. We pause the feature, that is, not the watching! Hopefully you have time to enjoy some Christmas or holiday viewing this weekend.

2) Betcha: Wink Martindale's fantastic YouTube channel recently posted this game show pilot with Genius Award winner Marjoe Gortner as emcee of an interesting (and odd) mix of games, stunts, and betting.

3) HBO's Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary: I am a few weeks late, but, wow, this is an entertaining movie. By the way, if you look closely, you will see multiple shots of a certain beloved Doobie Brothers frontman and/or WKRP star.

4) Don Johnson: Happy 75th birthday! I take my hat off to you, Don, but I am leaving the socks on because it's cold here.

5) Bob Hope: To me it just ain't Christmas without that iconic performer of the 20th century...Bing Crosby. But I love watching Bob, too, and I saw this yuletide special last week:

50 years ago tonight, a Bob Hope special with Dean Martin premiered, and, funny enough, Christmas with the Bing Crosbys aired on NBC as well.

6) Saturday Night's Main Event: The WWE returns to network TV, and I wish it well, but I need Animotion, Phil Collins, and preferably King Kong Bundy to really feel like I'm watching "my" Main Event.

7) Perry Como Christmas in New England: 40 years ago tonight, ABC broadcast a special built around the man who DEFINED masculinity before Don Johnson came in and took the baton.

8) Melanie Chartoff: Birthday wishes go out to the star of Fridays.

9) Saturday Night Live: This night in 1984, a classic episode of the show featured returning megastar Eddie Murphy in sketches like the memorable 'White Like Me."

10) R.I.P.: The Amazing Kreskin, Michael Cole:

12 Days of Watching (2024) #4: From all of them to all of you...

I have a deep love of station-produced videos showing their staff waving to the camera and wishing everyone holiday cheer. Here is one showing Chicago's WBBM:

I didn't grow up anywhere near Chicago, but this makes me feel nostalgic anyway!

12 Days of Watching (2024) #3: Card Sharks Celebrates the Season

This episode was probably taped in July, but the festive decor and even the token Christmas-related question ("We asked 100 department store Santas...") make it feel like the holiday season to me! According to a commenter on this upload, it debuted December 21, 1978 on CBS. It's Card Sharks with Jim Perry!

The quality isn't the best on this GSN reair, and I am sure many will be disappointed that it isn't a sharper image when they see Markie Post is one of the models flipping cards, but I am glad to see this. Perry once again proves why he is one of the best: Silky smooth, able to modulate his voice just right to get the questions across, throwing in commentary every now and then, but always focused on the drama of the game as it unfolds in front of him.

What an enthusiastic contestant they have here in Jorge! Laurie suggested he could get his own show. Card Sharks is a simple game but one with plenty of "play along" appeal, and the formula is in fine form here.

Speaking of commenters, note the person who expresses doubt over the legitimacy of the surveys that form the basis of the questions. Is it possible Card Sharks is a work? Say it ain't so!

12 Days of Watching (2024) #2: Bob Hope Christmas Special: "A Snow Job in Florida"

Well, I said I would do it. I said I would watch this, most likely on my own, when I mentioned the recent upload on our Facebook group. This is the December 1987 Bob Hope Christmas Special, A Snow Job in Florida, complete with original commercials:

So there are several ways to approach this. You may love Bob Hope and watch the show that way. You may also think that title is funny in and of itself. You may just love Christmas and tradition and enjoy seeing familiar faces. You may enjoy reliving the Eighties!

I am a mixture of all of that, but I have to admit that A) I watched this alone as Wife of the Show Laurie does not share my admiration for the Bob Hope persona and B) this special is not great without the nostalgia/showbiz love aspect. The 84-year-old Hope is showing his age in this hour, and the format is showing its age, too--maybe more so.

I won't apologize for liking the whole thing, though it's not nearly as good as, say, the special we covered on the podcast. The time capsule experience is too good to pass up. It begins with a long monologue that features topical references galore: E.F. Hutton, Imelda Marcos, Jesse Helms, Again, if you like the "Snow Job in Florida" title, you will appreciate much of this without irony, but Bob seems off for much of the segment, like he needed a bit to warm up.

The rest of the program is a typical mix of music and comedy sketches. I think the musical highlight is the duet Reba McEntire and Bob perform of "Silver Bells," which works despite (or maybe because?) they call attention to the artificial environment and simulated snow. There's a certain charm to this that just works.

Most of the comedy is uneven at best, with familiar faces like Brooke Shields, Morgan Fairchild, and always-game Tony Randall showing up. The All-American college football stars appear for the traditional sequence, and that's pretty much what you expect, too. The Rose Queen does a bit with Bob, and we see Bob at the event know as the Beach Ball in Florida.

It's all a bit scattershot, but there is enough holiday cheer in that traditional showbiz way to keep things moving, if just barely. There's something to be said for tradition, but at this point it's clear we're at the end of the line of Hope's remarkable career in entertainment.  The only problem is, there were 5 more years of official Hope specials, Christmas and otherwise, after this! 

Right now, let's not think about that, but let's kick back and enjoy some Hope and even some vintage commercials. Yes, Texaco is featured, though not with Bob as spokesman. Would you accept an appearance by short-lived Energizer pitchman Jacko?

12 Days of Watching (2024) #1: NYC Christmas commercials

One of my favorite YouTube accounts is run by Hugo Faces, who posts a lot of great clips from the New York City stations I watched as a kid. Here is a recent compilation of several holiday-themed commercials, and I think it's a solid warmup for 12 Days of Watching:

Included here: Several ads for Arthur's, a chain I don't recall even hearing about. There certainly weren't any locations in my area. While watching this clip, Laurie declared no one wanted a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, so that's one thing I can remove from my shopping cart!

Consumers Catalog is another unfamiliar concept, but I did have Service Merchandise. What is this guy doing in that ad for the latter? "Oh, how did you guess?" "Well, it wasn't easy considering you insisted on playing charades instead of just telling me what you wanted."

And of course any video of NYC 1980s ads is enriched by a Crazy Eddie spot!

RetroFan has an outstanding article on a lesser-seen TV show of the 1970s

Whaddya know? I got my new RetroFan mag last week and realized I never commented on the last one. In this look at the previous RetroFan magazine, number 35 if you're scoring at home, I am going to present some mild criticism--a rare occasion in these reviews! It remains my toppermost of the poppermost favorite mag, and I am about to renew my print mail subscription, in fact.

First I must spotlight one of the best pieces I have seen in RetroFan: Robert Greenberger's in-depth look at The Name of the Game, a Universal "wheel" show that aired on NBC 1968 to 1971.  You get info on the series' genesis, behind-the-scenes stories, and all kinds of info that will make you wish the scrapped DVD release had come to fruition. The program aired on Cozi years back but has not had much of a rerun footprint. Greenberger has had a long and varied career in entertainment and especially comic books, and I hope he is a regular author in these pages. 

While the subject matter in the rest of the issue is varied and compelling, I did get a nagging sense that more than usual was promotional in nature or directing us to other material. The magazine always gives helpful in-text references to other issues--editor's notes that say, for example, see issue #4 for a look at the topic just mentioned--but something about the stories this time out got me a bit. 

Mark Arnold's story on rock bands in TV cartoons is amusing but often feels like a promo for his book on the subject, and Herbie J. Pilato's "Christmas TV Memories" is a mere page taken from one of his own books. I like the work of both authors and think maybe this is an editorial thing.

Elsewhere, Will Murray writes about his time on the set of Evil Dead II years ago, and Mark Voger writes about John Astin, drawing on several interviews he did with the actor in the past. Now, I realize with this subject matter--old-school all the way--we aren't gonna get new interviews with many of these stars, but I do want to point out that much of the material in each issue is authors drawing on previously published work. It's usually quite successful. It does, however, make pieces like Greenberger's stand out even more.

I enjoyed the thorough look at Space Ghost and the story on coffee advertising, of all things, and I always appreciate a look at the TV show Isis. The latter is another repurposing of old interviews, and I just point that out hoping RetroFan maintains a balance and continues to present such material in fresh and interesting ways!

Top Ten #331: Special "Baby, it's cold inside, not just outside, lately" Edition!

1) Season 12: Our regular season is in the books, but be ready for Batty season! Thanks again for listening to another epic batch of new episodes!

2) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The beloved (especially by me) Christmas special made its debut on NBC (OK, it was on there a hundred years ago, but you know what I mean) the other night. I was all prepared to say it was a little too early, and then I realized, hey, it was December 6. I mean, we're already almost in crunch holiday time here!

3) Twas the Night Before Christmas: The not-as-beloved Christmas special (Face it, it doesn't have the star power that Rudy does with its assortment of great characters) premiered 50 years ago tonight on CBS.

4) Dick Van Dyke: In anticipation of his 99th birthday, Catchy Comedy is running a Dick Van Dyke Show marathon this weekend. It would be great if they threw in some of his fire safety PSAs!

5) The Waltons: The family drama is now streaming on Peacock, which still has Little House on the Prairie, so we can finally have that Waltons vs. Ingalls smackdown we've all wanted to have for 50 years.

6) Teri Hatcher: Happy 60th birthday to our favorite Love Boat mermaid!

7) National Brownie Day: Remember I mentioned the holiday season was upon us? It's never too early to start loading up on sweets and other junk food!

8) The 51st State: 50 years ago tonight, this New York public broadcasting show featured "A discussion about violence on television, with critics John J. O'Connor (New York Times), Kay Gardella (Daily News), and Marvin Kitman (Newsday)." If only Chicago could be represented with Gary Deeb.

9) Henry Hamilton, Graduate Ghost: 40 years ago this afternoon, part 1 of this ABC Weekend Special premiered. The titular ghost begins his haunting career, aided by a cast including Larry Gelman and John Lawlor. Lin Manuel Miranda, if you are looking for sequel material...

10) R.I.P. Thom Christopher: 

YouTube Spotlight: "Children's Favorites" LP

Forgive me for using the Sesame Street YouTube Spotlight post to share a video from the playlist that is not from Sesame Street. We did stuff the playlist with Sesame clips, and yesterday's Power Rankings featured 10 more. Instead, then, let's take another look at this "Children's Favorites" LP ad that Mike mentions on the pod:

83 tracks sounds like a great deal! You have to love the song selection, too.

I tell you, though, the animation is almost bizarre, and this ad really puzzled me when it aired (and it aired a LOT) back in the day. The most baffling moment is the clip at--Wait! There are TWO "Children's Favorites" LP ads! I included both of them, but THIS is the one I want to focus on today. In particular, go to the 26-second mark.

What IS this song? The only time I ever heard this tune is watching this ad.

"Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy?
Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy?"

Is this an actual children's favorite or some kind of psy-op?

I just looked around, and after 40 years of wondering, I know know this IS a kiddie standard. The likes of Barney the Dinosaur and Mickey Mouse covered it. I must have been deprived. After hearing the cloying (even in context) version on "Children's Favorites," I felt more depraved.

Power Rankings: Forgotten/Underseen Sesame Street Characters

As suggested on the podcast, this week's exclusive power rankings look at the long-forgotten, underutilized, or otherwise neglected characters on Sesame Street. Some may pop up from time to time, but they were all much bigger in the BOTNS era but have been, for the most part, sidelined for one reason or another.

Remember, this ranking is based on how each character would fare against another on a given day at a neutral playground at Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School.

1) Don Music: The epitome of the tortured genius, Music has undeniable talent but also undeniable issues. His inability to deal with creative struggles without bashing his head on his piano, says the great book Sesame Street Unpaved by David Borgenicht, is why the producers nixed him after reports that kids were imitating the behavior.

2) Roosevelt Franklin: As we noted on the podcast, he was thought to reinforce negative stereotypes. Unpaved also points out the classroom setting for many of his appearances was considered too rowdy and poor modeling for children. Of course, that contrast between that milieu and the normal series atmosphere is one of the main reasons his segments are so funny today.

3) Fat Blue/Mr. Johnson: He was a regular on the show for years, then went out of the rotation (though I think he still makes occasional appearances). He is an identifiable Everyman sharing many of the qualities we all do--hungry, a little cranky, and often annoyed by Grover.

4) Lefty: Is he the single seediest character to ever appear on the regular on the series?

5) The Amazing Mumford the Magician: Still a member in good standing, as far as I know, but more in the underseen category--apt status, perhaps, given his penchant for making things disappear.

6) Sherlock Hemlock: The master detective's skills have not diminished with time, though his screen time may have.

7) Harvey Kneeslapper: OK, he can be irritating in more than small doses, but for a minute or two at a time, his voice, his corny jokes, even his mustache all amuse me. Unpaved says he was retired for being a one-note character and for straining Frank Oz's voice with that (I will concede) shrill laugh.

8) Simon Soundman: I like the awe he inspires in Bert with his uncanny voicing abilities. He makes Michael Winslow look like an amateur.

9) Herry Monster: Again, he is still active, I think, but relegated to background status. He should be a major player again.

10) Herbert Birdsfoot: He brings a certain intellectual savoir faire to the program. I didn't remember him until we prepared for the podcast, and now I want to see more. He has a great look.

Top Ten #330: Special "Thanksgiving lingers!" Edition

1) Thanksgiving and Ed McMahon: It (was) Thanksgiving Dayyyyy! A time of love and of play! Hope all of you who celebrate had a great holiday. Yes, this is the third time I posted the video this week.

2) Other Thanksgiving specials: It's not ALL Charlie Brown, after all!

3) Sesame Street: Our regular-season finale this week goes to where the air is sweet! We have a great time revisiting the show, and we hope you enjoy this episode.

4) Oscar the Grouch: He was one of the only heavy hitters we didn't really get to focus on in the episode, so let's include him here.

5) Bert and Ernie: What a legendary duo! Two pals that care for each other despite the constant annoyance, mostly in one direction, and, no, I am not attempting an extended metaphor for the podcast relationship.

6) Gordon: The character so cool, it takes 3 actors to play him!

7) The John Denver Show: This special premiered 50 years ago tonight on ABC as John welcomed Dick Van Dyke, George Gobel, and Doris Day. Spoiler alert: He sings "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."

8) Giant clams: Word has it that one of the menaces in the number one movie, Moana 2, is a giant clam, which is all well and good, but it can't top when it was done in Batty-award-winning fashion decades ago on Doctor Who!

9) Spencer: The short-lived Chad Lowe sitcom debuted 40 years ago tonight on NBC. Before it ended, it added Harold Gould, who we talked about twice this season, as a grandfather.

10) R.I.P. Earl Holliman, Chuck Woolery: