Top Ten #357

1) The Tony Awards: Last year, Tony Danza and Tony Franciosa were the big winners, but this year insiders expect Tony O'Dell to be honored for his work on Head of the Class.

2) Murder, She Wrote: The long-running series, which we cover here, is now on Tubi. Have I mentioned I've seen all 260+ episodes? I feel that's my biggest accomplishment in life over the last 5 years.

3) Simon and Simon: Finally hitting streaming this month is this former CBS top-10 hit, which I mentioned in our "forgotten hits" episode last season. Roku Channel added this last week.

4) Quincy and The Equalizer: Roku added a bunch of other Universal shows, too, like Emergency! and The Six Million Dollar Man. Considering Simon and Simon is now available and Kojak is on Roku, Prime, and Tubi, I am putting these two shows on notice! It's time to bring them back to streaming.

5) The French Open: 40 years ago today, Chris Evert beat Martina Navratilova in the final. The clay was flying, the croissants were flaking...Ah, it's just like you were there, isn't it?

6) Late Night with David Letterman: Also 40 years ago, SNL's timeslot was occupied by a rerun of Late Night's third-anniversary special.

6) Vaudeville: This was an odd syndicated series that aired sporadically and featured variety acts, mostly comedy, with a series of guest hosts. 50 years ago this weekend, Red Buttons emceed and welcomed the likes of Barbara McNair.

7) Fred Stoller: The comedian guested on the Inside Late Night podcast last week and told interesting stories about Norm MacDonald and others. Stoller is always an engaging presence, and this is a good listen.

8) National Best Friends Day: Just remember, you can speak your mind, but not on my time. Was that song supposed to be Kip and Henry addressing each other?

9) Pee Wee Herman: He goes here because Laurie and I just saw the first half of the new HBO docuseries Pee Wee Herman as Himself, and it's excellent.

10) R.I.P. Crackle: this must be the third or fourth time I have lamented the loss of Crackle, but it looks like the once-great VOD site is finally gone, with the website vanishing. Well, "great" is a bit strong; the selection was often great, but the app never worked well. Still, any outlet that bothers to give us reruns of Melba should be celebrated.

NBA Game of the Week > Roundball Rock?

This may be a controversial statement, but maybe NBC should not bring back John Tesh's "Roundball Rock" when it carries the NBA again starting next season. I am here to tell you that instead of looking back to the Nineties, the network ought to go to the Seventies:

I love "Roundball Rock," but here are some reasons for my suggestion:

1) It's already been played out with people speculating/celebrating/discussing it.

2) It's been used by Fox Sports for years and isn't as fresh as it otherwise would be.

3) NBC itself killed it with a cheesy promo announcing its return.

On the positive side of things, here is why I embrace the earlier song:

1) It has LYRICS! Every sports theme song should have lyrics.

2) And WHAT lyrics! "Sit back and do something nice for yourself." What could be more evocative of professional basketball?

3) The song combines several musical styles.

4) It still has some mystery. One of the joys of seeing that clip is reading all the comments wondering if it's Terry Kath on vocals.

5) Just imagine this song leading right to Keith Jackson and Bill Russell. That scenario makes me smile on even my darkest days.

If NBC won't do it, maybe new NBA TV partner Amazon Prime Video will. Someone should do it! If not, then please find a higher-quality clip of the original we can all enjoy.

Top Ten #356: Special "It's June" Edition!

1) Emotional Summer: It is underway, folks! Let's enjoy the season!

2) National Game Show Day: A bit of a contrived one, perhaps, but are YOU gonna sit back and refuse to celebrate?

3) CNN: The Cable News Network began 45 years ago today.

4) NBA and NHL Playoffs: The second season of each league is heading to the final rounds.

5) My Father's House: Wait, my father's house was...my house. I guess not everyone was so lucky. Anyway, a TV movie by this name debuted 50 years ago tonight on ABC. Cliff Robertson is a workaholic exec who reflects on his life while recovering from a heart attack.

Hey, let's get back to celebrating Summer, eh!

6) Harry Castleman and Wally Podrazik: The authors of a couple of my favorite TV books made several appearances in recent weeks on Ed Robertson's TV Confidential radio show. The good news: Their Watching TV has a new edition. The bad news: It costs more than the budget of some of the episodes we've covered on the podcast.

7) The Young Ones: The Britcom debuted on MTV 40 years ago last week, and it went on to play about 500 times a week on the channel.

8) Gidget's Summer Reunion: This syndicated TV movie aired 40 years ago this weekend. Cliff Robertson is a workaholic--Sorry, that was the other movie.

9) NBC: Also 40 years ago, it was announced that NBC had climbed to number one for the just-concluded season. We can of course give full credit to the show that carried the whole network:

10) R.I.P. Loretta Swit, Jeff Margolis, James McEachin:

Happy Memorial Day!

From all of us at BOTNS to all of you, have a safe and happy Memorial Day in the U.S. of A (To the rest of you, have a safe and happy Monday!). Thanks to all who served and sacrificed. 

Top Ten #355

1) Memorial Day weekend: Special thanks this weekend to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice--like when CBS put Tour of Duty on at 9:00 P.M. on Saturdays against The Golden Girls. 

2) Lynda Carter: The iconic actress won a Paley Center Honors winner for her portrayal of Wonder Woman, "which brought Wonder Woman to life with strength, courage, and compassion, resonating deeply with audiences and reshaping TV forever," and "for being sizzling hot in that episode where she wore the blue swimsuit." OK, I may have added the last bit.

3) Good Morning America: The Paley Center also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Good Morning America, which rolls on today but will always be associated with David Hartman and Joan Lunden in BOTNSville.

4) Connie Sellecca: Happy birthday (Since we mentioned Lynda and Connie, let's complete the trinity: Erin Gray)!

5) Little House on the Prairie: Today ran a segment from the vaults explaining the destruction of the original sets. You didn't See David Hartman and Joan Lunden doing this kind of journalism!

6) The Ups and Downs of Henry Kissinger: 50 years ago tonight, CBS ran this documentary about the statesman, and why does it sound like a whimsical Britcom?

7) Tap Dance Day: Did anyone else see this ad hundreds of times back in the day?

8) Pee Wee Herman: HBO Max premieres an acclaimed documentary about the star this weekend.

9) The Indianapolis 500: 50 years ago today, the 1975 running of the race ended 26 laps short due to heavy rain. The broadcast on ABC wasn't even live, but it aired in prime on tape delay. What a bummer!

10) R.I.P. George Wendt: The great was nominated for a Batty in Season 6 but lost to Kelsey Grammer (no shame there), but of course he's an essential part of Cheers, which dominated the awards that season.

RetroFan #37

TwoMorrows Publishing seems to have had some issues of late, what with losing Barnes and Noble as an outlet and the bankruptcy of Diamond distributors, but I am glad to be one of the supporters of my favorite magazine, RetroFan. I'm a little late with this peek at issue 37 (cover-dated March 2025), but here it is anyway (The company has experienced publication delays since the Diamond situation, but it seems to be about to release mags again soon).

The editorial switch at RetroFan (Michael Eury retired) has been a smooth transition, and the latest issue is another great effort. Here are a few highlights for BOTNS fans:

The cover story is about TV staple The Jetsons, which I remember as a weekday rerun but was of course originally a Sixties program. Will Murray's article does get into the Eighties revival and movie. For me, it just feels like the show was always on at one time or another, whether weekend mornings or weekday afternoons.

On the heels of Mark Arnold's previous look at real rock bands on Saturday mornings, Andy Mangels covers fictional rock bands. Mangels' work is always a highlight, and here he discusses not only famous bands like The Banana Splits, but lesser-known outfits like The Nutty Squirrels.

It's not directly TV, but Scott Shaw! writes about the life and times of prolific toy producer Marvin Glass. What Saturday morning back in the day was complete without a toy ad or two?

Speaking of commercials, Scott Saavedra delivers a funny story about various retro kitchen gadgets, and of course he talks about this one:

Dan Murphy contributes a somewhat offbeat piece, a history of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling focusing on the 1980s era. It's not my favorite piece of Eighties pro wrestling, but the subject matter fits well with the magazine.

You get all this and more (Speaking of commercials again...) in issue 37. It comes, as always, with my strong recommendation!

Top Ten #354

1) The Real Trivial Pursuit: I remain fascinated by this 1985 ABC special combining celebrities and the megapopular board game. I can't find any footage, but at least I can look up how many bones there are in the human body. I don't WANT to, though! I want Ted Knight to tell me!

2) Friendly Persuasion (1975): 50 years ago tonight, ABC aired this TV movie, an adaptation of the novel by Jessamyn West. Starring Richard Kiley and Shirley Knight, the project was conceived as a series. The 1950s film directed by William Wyler starred Gary Cooper.

3) Stepfanie Kramer: In my post yesterday, I forgot to mention a cool profile TV Guide ran on the Hunter star, who comes across very well. The story even justifies/explains the odd spelling (an Actors Guild thing), which always bugged me. Sorry, Stepfanie! Here's a look at the piece:

4) Darkroom: Kino Lorber's Frank Tarzi has confirmed the 1981 anthology, which we talked about here, is coming to Blu Ray eventually. We talk about the show here.

5) Cinemax Comedy Experiment: Mothers: 40 years ago tonight, the premium network aired this special hosted by David Steinberg (It premiered about a week earlier). Various celebs including Richard Simmons talked about and interviewed their moms.

6) NFL schedule release: Give it to the National Football League for making a big event out of unveiling the dates its games will be played. Mike and I have thought about doing a podcast schedule release, but, hey, it's not all about money for us, man. How cool would it be if the NFL didn't announce the games until the day before they happened?

7) Bill Carter: The veteran chronicler of late-night TV was on Mark Malkoff's Inside Late Night podcast recently, and they had a great discussion. I note that Carter gave a pretty strong endorsement of the new Lorne Michaels biography, too.

8) International Museum Day: One way to celebrate: Visit the TV Hall of Fame. Say hi to Paul Lynde for us!

9) Gunsmoke: The series keeps on making the Nielsen charts for acquired programs on streaming, proving people do like watching old shows.

10) Joe Don Baker: R.I.P., Eischeid!

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Features and Articles

We went through the heart of the issue--the listings--but what about the mind? Or is it the soul? The elbow? What portion of a TV Guide is the features/articles/reviews section?

I'll leave that up to you and report on what this issue offers. It's an odd mix of "serious" and frivolous, with the feature on the production of Lace II  a tongue-in-cheek look at the miniseries that is also the cover subject.

There is an article claiming popular TV shows are a good way to talk about values with teenagers. Some of the ideas therein are compelling, but it's funny to read this kind of discussion from a Ph.D. who uses examples from Charles in Charge and Gimme a Break.

The issue-closing review discusses Hour Magazine, calling it bland but OK for what it was.

A preview of the Kentucky Derby spans several pages.

Buried in the back with little fanfare is a piece by Jason Robards pointing out how television glamorizes drinking. Robards was a public alcoholic, and the perspective is interesting, but he seems to really have it in for Dynasty and TV in general in 1985.

The first feature is a provocative look at local TV news doing advocacy and involving itself in stories and doing things for the public good. I thought this was the best story in the mag, but it's telling that the cover touts Phoebe Cates and talking to your teens but has no mention of it. Too boring for the masses?

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 6: Friday night!

Friday, May 10, 1985 is a little slower than the last few days we've covered from this issue, but there is some cool stuff.

CBS starts the evening with a pair of Bugs Bunny repeats:

Things pick up at 9:00, though, with an even more exciting pair: DECEIT and DESIRE! Wasn't that a tag team in GLOW in the Eighties?

Check out this duo on NBC. Do you remember that Dean Martin was a regular on Half Nelson?

Here's a cool ad for Night Flight on USA. The cable network was a pretty aggressive advertiser in the magazine in the Eighties.

And finally, here's an ad that just says, OK, here's Clint. What more do you want? Does he look particularly beguiled in this shot?

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 5: Thursday night!

Thursday night, May 9, 1985, brings some big-ticket programming. Just look at this classic comedy lineup on NBC. Oh, but ignore that odd pic of Michael J. Fox.

CBS has repeats of Magnum and Simon and Simon before an all-new Knots Landing.

On ABC, as you see in the listings above, Dennis Franz guests on a rerun of Street Hawk (I sure wish there were a display ad for it), and then there is this awesome special:

At 10:00, is Henry out of control on Hill Street? Furillo's expression indicates HE IS!

After all this, ABC's puny, colorless ad for 20/20 looks like an afterthought despite the provocative subject matter:

I'd really like to see that Trivial Pursuit special. I loved Trivial Pursuit, I loved 80s TV stars, and I would have loved to seen a combination of those things, but I was probably watching NBC that night.

Top Ten #353: Special Mother's Day Edition

1) Mother's Day: To quote Ralph Kiner once again, to all you mothers out there, happy birthday!

2) The Death Probe: Brick Mantooth does it again with this outstanding look at one of the bestest TV-related toys of the Seventies! Reminder, you can click here for our podcast discussing the original Six Million Dollar Man episode with this fearsome menace.

3) The Twilight Zone: I don't know why today is Twilight Zone Day. It's not the anniversary of the show. It's not Rod Serling's birthday. It's not even the anniversary of the day they decided to reboot it in the 1980s. But let's just take the opportunity to enjoy the series (SYFY has a marathon today) and not worry if this seems odd or bizarre or...eerie.

4) TV Guide: We've been running some pics from a 40-years-old TV Guide this week here on the site, and what a treat it is to revisit the days when it was THE premiere periodical in the nation.

5) Lace and Lace II: The cover subject of that Guide is the sequel to the "must have been popular because otherwise, why would they do a sequel?" miniseries.

6) Letting Go: 40 years ago tonight, this TV movie paired John Ritter and Sharon Gless. I love how back in the day, you could out a star from this random TV show with a star from that random TV show, and, bam, you have your hook. "Together at last!" How many hapless viewers suffered through the early 1980s waiting for Ritter and Gless to join forces?

7) The Muppets Green Album: Disney is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Muppets with--well, not a lot of new stuff, but it reminds us of release of The Green Album, and it looks cool:

8) Dragon's Blood: 40 years ago this morning, CBS premiered this Storybook Special in which host Bob Keeshan introduced kids to the concept of the Red Wedding in a bloody fury heretofore unseen on Saturday morning television.

9) UFOs Past, Present, and Future: Oh, the psuedoscience was strong back in the 1970s!This 1974 documentary got a television broadcast this weekend in 1975.

10) R.I.P. Chet Lemon: The White Sox/Tigers outfielder was the guest star when we discussed The Baseball Bunch in Season 9.

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 4: Wednesday night!

Now we go to Wednesday, May 8, 1985!

What on Earth--or what in HEAVEN is going on here? Jonathan's look of concern is striking. I have to say, though, it's also strangely detached in a way, isn't it? Is he like, "Well, I didn't get to the church on time. Oh, well."

I didn't remember that Anthony Edwards played Olympic skier Bill Johnson in a TV movie.

ABC's powerful Wednesday combo is on display, and, hey, look, folks: They really did use "Very Special Episode" wording!

NBC has a comedy lineup of long-running Facts of Life and also-running Sara:

Maybe Sara had too many laughs and not enough surprises.

Finally, for fun, we have a look at Magnum, who gets a whirl in the CBS Late Movie spot:

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 3: Tuesday night!

Some of what aired Tuesday, May 7, 1985:

First time on network television!

Charlie Brown has excitement, but so does NBC, and it's NON-STOP!

Here is something cool they used to do: AFI tributes to classic movie stars. I guess there aren't many classic movie stars around these days.

Comedy tonight on ABC! I love Tony's face in the Who's da Boss ad. And is that Susan Lucci? Looks like an ad for License to Drive or one of those other teen 80s movies.

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 2: Monday night!

 Another great night of TV here on May 6, 1985, 40 years ago to the day.

CBS has a lot of excitement:

But what have we here on NBC? BLOOPERS! Look at Ed's face.

I see this ad today, and I think, how is this not on CBS?

And of course we have to show you the ad for THIS show:

Inside the Guide: May 4-10 1985 Part 1: Sunday night!

It's time to go inside the Guide once again as we travel back 40 years to the edition dated (and covering) May 4-May 10, 1985. On the cover is personal favorite Phoebe Cates, then appearing in Lace II and a first-ballot member if we ever made an Eighties Trinity of Movie Brunettes:

ABC has what promises to be a WACKY hour of television. Interesting to me: The blurb in the listings mentions Milton Berle and Mary Cadorette, yet neither are in this display ad:

Opposing Life's Most Embarrassing Moments on NBC is this interesting-looking episode of Knight Rider:

On premium cable, TV Guide celebrates the debut of 1984's Police Academy, which is on both HBO and Showtime. That sort of thing happened more often than you might think back in the days before almost all studios locked into certain outlets.

Here's an intriguing close-up/ad combo. This NBC movie was the prelude to the full-fledged revival of the series in Fall 1985:

Here's a look at Lace II:

We'll be back tomorrow with more!

Top Ten #352: Special "It's beginning to feel a lot like Summer" edition!

1) The ABC Superstar Saturday Movie: The From Pencils to Pixels podcast has a great episode taking an affectionate look at this animated 1970s franchise, including The Man Who Hated Laughter. Hey, guys, you're not alone in enjoying that one! I recommend the podcast in general, this episode in particular, and I always recommend watching Seventies animated specials with wild assortments of characters.

2) May the 4th: Celebrate the world of Star Wars all day today! I wish I could have a big bowl of this to mark the occasion:

3) Free Comic Book Day: Yesterday was the annual event in which people line up to get into stores they never visit during the year because FREE! I got a nice stack of freebies and old dollar comics, including this 1987 issue:

4) Kojak: Tubi added the iconic 1970s cop show to its library, meaning after years of MIA status on streaming, it's now on two outlets. It's good to have it on Tubi, both because it's free and because Prime Video has a tendency to license shows for short periods of time.

5) One Day at a Time: Tubi also added this sitcom, but only the first two seasons. Unfortunately, that's standard procedure for Sony (I assume it's not Tubi's choice to license only a few seasons at a time). Don't you realize that it lessens the chance of Mike and and I ever doing this on the podcast, Sony? What would Norman Lear think? Or, uh, what did he think, since this was happening while he was around?

6) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Mike pointed out this week that Chubby Checker now adds this honor to his Batty win. Other winners include Eighties megastar Cyndi Lauper.

7) Hawaii Five-0: I watched another 70s cop show episode based on our friend John's recommendation in our Facebook group, and "Two Doves and a Heron" is a doozy. There is some very interesting work by pre-fame John Ritter, a striking turn from Vic Morrow, and some flirtation with "social relevance" that is resolved in a very establishment-affirming manner. 

8) American Video Awards: 40 years ago this weekend, stations around the country aired the third edition of this syndicated awards program. Casey Kasem was one of the big drivers of this event's creation. In 1985, bug winners were Weird Al and Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis & the News. Michael Jackson won a few lesser awards but didn't bother showing up. Instead, sister Rebbie accepted on his behalf. What a substitiution!

9) At the Movies: Also 40 years ago this weekend, Siskel and Ebert devoted a show to "Flex, Pecs, and Sex," "a look at muscles in the movies." The show asked, "Are the results worth the sweat?"

10) R.I.P. Ruth Buzzi:

Top Ten #351

1) Ironside: John in our Facebook group has been watching this series lately, and at his recommendation I checked out Season 5's "The Professionals," which features interesting turns by James Drury and BOTNS favorite Michael Lerner (I promise it's actually him). There's also a look at OG Entertainment Tonight host Tom Hallick, but the real thrill for me is the unending grumpiness of Burr as Chief Ironside. The guy does smile at times, but it's usually tinged with sarcasm or something else.

2) What's Happening!!: Castmembers Ernest Lee Thomas and Haywood Nelson (Why do I always want to call him Spencer Haywood?) appeared on Today this week to share memories of the series. Yes, the Doobies were mentioned; no, Gary Sandy was not.

3) The NFL Draft: Each year the teams of the National Football League freshen and improve their roster by taking new players. I wish I could "draft" some new shows for the TV channels and streamers out there.

4) Fantasy Island: The great Retroist Podcast has a new episode about the series, and, you know, I keep forgetting Roku Channel has the whole series right now!

5) Wink Martindale Games: The late game show icon's YouTube channel posted a video stating it would continue and honor Wink's legacy by maintaining an active online presence, and that's great news for all of us!

6) MTV Presents The Tubes: 40 years ago tonight, the channel, which used to feature live concert programming on the weekends, showed a San Francisco performance of the band.

7) National Babe Ruth Day: It's a day established in 1947 to celebrate the life and exploits of the Yankees legend, such as the time he met Cleopatra.

8) Jack Klugman: Happy 103rd! We don't need a traditional "milestone" number to celebrate Klugger around here.

9) Jim Lampley: The longtime sports broadcaster has a new book out and gave an honest (Seems to have an awareness of his own ego and past troubles) and recently gave an entertaining interview on the Good Seats Still Available podcast.

10) R.I.P.: A big list this week, unfortunately.

Will Hutchins:

Lulu Roman:

Lar Park Lincoln:

Mike Patrick:

Rick guests on "200 Dollars a Day" to talk "Rockford!"

We mentioned this in the Top Ten this week, but I want to make a standalone post, too, hyping the podcast thanking the guys for having me: Friends of the Show Steve and Dave invited me to join them on 200 Dollard a Day this past weekend to talk about The Rockford Files.

http://www.200adayplus.com/2025/04/episode-80-dave-steve-jon-and-rick.html

I had a great time discussing the episode "Irving the Explainer," a fourth-season effort written by David Chase. This one has all kinds of stuff worth talking about, and as always, the guys do a fine job diving into everything. Check it out, and tell 'em BOTNS sent you!

(And you can still listen to Mike's appearance on the podcast right here:
http://www.200adayplus.com/2024/04/episode-48-steve-and-some-guy-named.html

Top Ten #350: Special "350 is a cool number!" Edition

1) The Rockford Files and 200 Dollars a Day Plus Expenses: Special thanks to Friends of the Show Steve and Dave for inviting me to join them on the (Hey, Dave says it himself) Rockford Files podcast this week. I had a great time discussing "Iriving the Explainer," a fascinating episode from the series' fourth season, and the guys couldn't have been more welcoming. Check it out right here!

http://www.200adayplus.com/2025/04/episode-80-dave-steve-jon-and-rick.html

2) Easter: Happy Easter, everyone! If you'd like to celebrate with BOTNS, we suggest revisiting this holiday episode looking at a Rankin Bass classic.

https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/2022/04/ep-10-1-easter-bunny-is-comin-to-town.html

3) Paley Center: The New York institution celebrates the collection of Stewart Berkowitz this month. I saw the late doctor on Collector's Call, and, folks, he was LEGIT. The Center is exhibiting artifacts like original Honeymooners costumes (Swoon!), Fonzie's jacket, and Captain Stubing's suit. Do they have anything from A Year at the Top?

4) The 1975 Tony Awards: CBS aired the 29th edition of the ceremony 50 years ago tonight. Big winners were Tony Randall, Tony Franciosa, and Tony Orlando, with a "rising star" award for Tony Danza.

5) How to Eat Fried Worms: This adaptation aired 40 years ago this morning on CBS Storybreak.

6) Volunteer Recognition Day: Thanks to all who contribute! Now can I get someone to volunteer to help me organize my DVD collection?

7) Nicholas Lyndhurst: Happy birthday to the star of Only Fools and Horses!

8) Ironside and Hawaii Five-0: Thanks to our friend John for sharing thoughts about these series in our Facebook group this week. I plan to check out the episodes he recommended this week!

9) Hunter: This Saturday night in 1985, Hunter and McCall sought a contract killer. I'm not sure this is an exceptional episode, but, hey, pretty much everything this and Under One Roof preceding it was a repeat on broadcast TV this evening.

10) R.I.P. Wink Martindale: This one hit me particularly hard because Laurie and I have enjoyed the Wink Martindale Games YouTube channel so much lately. Wink had a long life and tremendous career, and I admire how he stayed active in his later years and served as a de facto ambassador for game shows. I recommend you check out his YT channel if you haven't already. It's loaded with rare episodes, pilots, and even talk show clips and more:

Top Ten #349: Special "next week is a cool number" edition

1) All in the Family: We brought back Episode Club in our Facebook group this week and watched "Archie and Edith Are Alone" from Season 2. Thanks to all who watched, and special thanks to Trevor for sharing his thoughts (You still can!). I thought it was an excellent episode with a lot of insight into the characters and the usual great performances.

2) Dungeons and Dragons: The Eighties cartoon, which we just discussed in our latest season, is now on Roku Channel. Only thing is you have to roll a D20 to find out which episode you get.

3) Ron Perlman: Happy 75th birthday to the star of Beauty and the Beast! (He was Beast.)

4) Thomas Jefferson Day: So I know today is his birthday, but I can't place the name. Was he the cousin of George who made a pass at Weezie?

5) Mannix: The series finale aired 50 years ago tonight, and surely Joe got one last concussion for old time's sake.

6) Columbo: Prime Video now has the entire series, including the Nineties revival.

7) The Masters: 50 years ago, Jack Nicklaus won after one of the tourney's most thrilling Sundays. Lee Elder, who missed the cut, was the first Black golfer to compete (in 1975--yikes!). I still kinda wish Rodney Dangerfield had barreled out there with a boom box at some point.

8) Scrabble Day: May your day be free of stoppers.

9) A Chipmunk Reunion: 40 years ago tonight, NBC aired this special, in which the lads reunite with their long-lost mother...Vinny? Is this canon?

10) R.I.P. Don Mischer, Jay North: The latter was nominated for Outstanding Youth for Dennis the Menace in the Season 11 Battys.

Top Ten #348

1) Eighties nighttime soap operas: Knots Landing, which made its streamign debut on Plex a while back, is now on Prime Video along with Dallas, and Falcon Crest. Of course Amazon will have the biggest modern soap opera of all this fall when it starts carrying NBA games.

2) March Madness: Speaking of basketball, the NCAA tournaments are winding down, and I guess no one else is bothered that March Madness goes into April. Maybe there's an opportunity to start April Madness! Let's do it. It can be all about...uh, heavy rain causing problems for people trying to get signals with aerial antennas?

3) Billy Dee Williams: There are a lot of notable birthdays today, but let's spotlight Batty-nominated Billy Dee, who starred in our recent season's Dan August episode.

4) All in the Family: Join us in our Facebook group for Episode Club this Thursday as we share our thoughts on Season 2's "Archie and Edith Are Alone!"

5) National Student Athlete Day: Time for another shout-out to the guys at Carver High!

6) Daffy and Bugs: 40 years ago tonight, CBS led off the evening with a few repeat specials: Daffy Duck's Easter Show followed by Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over. Poor Daffy never gets the headliner slot.

7) Many Unhappy Returns: 50 years ago tonight on NBC, this special hosted by David Brinkley took a look at income tax. Last week, inflation; this week, taxes. I think the origin of the "national malaise" is right here, Sundays at 10:00 on NBC. I'm afraid to see what they show next week--a probing look at pestilence?

8) Sammy and Company: Also 50 years ago this weekend, Sammy welcomed guests Redd Foxx, Dinah Shore, Ray Charles--No, wait. Sammy didn't welcome them. It was guest host William B. Williams. I find it hilarious that a show as personality driven as Sammy's chatfest had guest hosts.

9) Lowenbrau: What a joy it was to be watching an old NFL game from 1979 on YouTube and coming across several ads of the unofficial alcoholic beverage of the podcast, including this one:

10) R.I.P. Sian Barbara Allen, Richard Chamberlain, Val Kilmer:

"Chico and the Man" welcomes two superstars

I was watching an episode of Chico and the Man when I was surprised by two very special guest stars we have discussed on the podcast. The episode, "Louie's CanCan," is near the end of the third season, and Freddie Prinze's absence is a bummer. However, anyone's spirits will be elevated when they see this guy:

Yes, it's George Gobel! The Batty-nominated guest star of Donny and Marie has several key scenes in the episode.

But wait, there's more!

Yes, it's Captain America himself (Click here for more), Reb Brown!

Apologies for the quality on these grabs; Tubi, like many other streamers, has made it more difficult to grab a nice, crisp screenshot. But when you have George Gobel and Reb Brown in the frame, the starpower shines through anyway!

Top Ten #347: Baseball is back, baby! Edition

1) Saturday Night Live: A momentous occasion happened 40 years ago this weekend, as original host Steve Landesberg (who did end up appearing on the episode) called out sick and was replaced by Mr. T and Hulk Hogan as they promoted the first Wresetlemania.

2) Barney Miller: Antenna TV celebrates 50 years of the show this weekend with a marathon.

3) Major League Baseball: The season began in full this week, and let's hope the only outbreak we hear about over the next few days is a wave of Baseball Fever.

4) Easter Sunday 1975: 50 years ago tonight, the networks gave the nation some themed entertainment for the holiday. CBS ran a two-hour Waltons Easter episode. ABC ran part 2 of The Ten Commandments. NBC began the evening at 6:30 with a screening of The Wizard of Oz...and ended it with a news special on the impact of inflation. Bummer!

5) Almost Easter Sunday 1985: 40 years ago tonight was a Saturday, actually, but ABC showed The Fourth Wise Man, a special from Paulist Productions with Martin Sheen; and CBS marked the holiday weekend with a reair of a Bugs Bunny special.

6) John Astin: Happy 95th birthday! We talked about John a bit when we covered McMillan and Wife.

7) Suzanne Somers: Just gonna leave this story here if you want to look at it.
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/suzanne-somers-ai-replica-speaks-to-late-stars-husband-alan-hamel/

8) Paul Reiser: Happy birthday to the My Two Dads star.

9) National Take a Walk in the Park Day: Or maybe even a good jog! Or a softball game!

10) R.I.P. Bill Mercer: