*Lili Palmer and Rex Harrison were married from 1943-1957. She is indeed in two episodes of The Love Boat! She's in an extended episode/two-parter from 1984, starring with Loretta Swit, Marc Singer, and Catherine Oxenberg.
*Barry Morse is not in The Love Boat, though an unasked-for AI prompt told me he was.
*Might as well play this out: Brian Keith was not on The Love Boat, but John Mills was in an episode with daughters Hayley and Juliet.
*Band on the Run came out in late 1973.
*Shout-out again to The McCartney Legacy, the multi-volume biography written by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair.
*The Zoo Gang novel by Paul Gallico appeared in bookstores in 1971.
*Speaking of that playlist, please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! It also contains the full episode that we discuss on the podcast as well as a series of promos. Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!
In the short-lived British-produced Zoo Gang, an international cast plays a group of French Resistance fighters reuniting after 28 years in the Riviera. They use their espionage skills and friendship to take down bad guys and earn some money for a good cause. In the first episode, they have a target in their sights--the man who sold them out to the Germans. Oh, and Paul McCartney has something to do with all this, too.
This may become a semi-regular feature: A roundup of items related to classic TV outside our standard 1970s/1980s timeline!
ITEM: Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday this weekend, and PBS premiered a new American Masters devoted to him. Check your local listings or the PBS app.
We mentioned this in yesterday's Top Ten post, but Tubi now has The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
ITEM: Some relatively rarer Westerns are making their way to streaming platforms. Here are a pair that have been on diginets and are now on SVOD:
Stoney Burke: The 1962 series with Jack Lord as a rodeo star is now on Plex.
Whispering Smith: This 1961 series with Audie Murphy as the titular detective appears to be coming to Tubi. I say that because as of now there is only one single episode!
ITEM: ClassicFlix announced the latest in its Rare Television line of DVD releases, and, boy, is it a rare one: 1951's The Ad-Libbers!
Here is the complete story. I pre-ordered this one right away to show support for the line and to ClassicFlix for working on stuff like this--Oh, and also because it sounds fascinating!
1) That's My Mama: This week on the podcast, we talk about the 1970s ABC sitcom: How it holds up, how it changes in its second season, how awesome Teddy Wilson is. It's a series that doesn't get much attention, but we add to the conversation.
2) Dick Van Dyke: This weekend we celebrate the 100th birthday of the icon, star of stage, screen, and of course PSAs:
In addition to a new American Masters on PBS this weekend and a marathon of The Dick Van Dyke Show this weekend, Tubi has added The New Dick Van Dyke Show to its streaming library.
3) Happy Hannukah:
4) Clifton Davis: I want to give another shout-out to the star of That's My Mama. I think he does a fine job on the show.
5) Live-action Christmas specials: I often declare that CBS was the king of the holidays in the BOTNS era, but look at this lineup on NBC 50 years ago tonight: Bob Hope (with guests Redd Foxx, Angie Dickinson, The Osmonds), Dean Martin Califormia Christmas, and Mac Davis Christmas Special!
Note this clip is for 1977's Christmas in California, not to be confused with 1975's California Christmas.
6) Olan Soule: The great Word Balloon podcast just dropped an episode devoted to longtime radio/TV/voice actor Olan Soule, and I am here for it!
7) Animated Christmas specials: Before all that live-action cheer on NBC,The Little Drummer Boy aired at 7, followed by The Tiny Tree. The latter is a DePatie-Freleng production, and I don't remember it at all!
8) Police Story: This 1970s anthology series has popped up on a few streaming outlets in recent years but is now on Tubi.
9) Stroker Ace: CBS gave the Burt Reynolds vehicle a network TV showing 40 years ago tonight. The New York Times described it as a "witless retread" in its listings.
10) The New Fred and Barney Show: Warner Archive surprised everyone by announcing a DVD release of this series (Sorry, no Thing nor Shmoo in this set) is coming in January. Folks, this could turn the tide in the corporate battle for Warner Brothers.
One clip in our playlist this week for That's My Mama is from Sanford Arms, the short-lived attempt to keep the Sanford and Son franchise going. Isn't it funny to call it a franchise?
Teddy Wilson (Earl from That's My Mama) couldn't make this work, and it lasted a mere 4 episodes (some more were made but unaired). An official Sanford YT channel posted the above clip and many others, but I don't think it is making full episodes available.
*Thanks again to my cousin and Friend of the Show Kevin for suggesting this one!
*That's My Mama aired on ABC for two seasons and 37 episodes on Wednesday nights and is--as of this writing--available on Tubi (though not all episodes are there). It was on Crackle years ago and received DVD releases as well.
*You can see the Jet report on the Lynne Moody/Joan Pringle changeover right here.
*Jester Hairston was about 74 years old at this time.
*Lee Kolima plays Croaker.
*Teddy Wilson was not Earl in the show's first episode, though he did appear in it. Ed Bernard, who Mike notes became the principal on The White Shadow, played Earl at first.
*You can see a glimpse of Lisle Wilson in Sisters in this week's video playlist.
*Speaking of that playlist, please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!
On short-lived sitcom "That's My Mama," barber Clifton lives with his mama and gets into hijinks with his best friend Earl, and in the episode "The Witness," Earl moves in with Clifton and Mama after testifying against criminal Croaker Connelly. If he's not careful, Mama will kill him before Croaker does. Plus Ted Lange and Gordon Jump!
1) The Love Boat: Love...exciting and--Well, not new, but this week on the podcast, enjoy an encore presentation of what I like to call the quintessential series of the BOTNS era. We talk about an interesting episode, and, hey, if you haven't heard it, it's new to you!
2) Warner Brothers: I'm not going to repeat the old joke about Mike and I having a bid rejected. Obviously there's no way we could approach a purchase of any piece of the WB empire.
If the rights to Search were up for bid, though...
3) Snow: We got a winter blast this week at BOTNS Headquarters, which reminds us of the perils of the season.
4) The Carol Burnett Show: Sitcoms Online reports that FETV purchased rights to the uncut episodes (The Carol Burnett Show was syndicated in truncated form for years) and will begin showing them on New Year's Day. Harvey Korman just broke up.
5) Christmas Specials: 40 years ago tonight, CBS brought us this combo: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas followed by Frosty the Snowman.
6) Barbara Mandrell's Christmas Special: This syndicated program also aired 40 years ago tonight. We associated Mandrell and her sisters with NBC, but just a few months earlier, she starred in her first CBS variety special, and here she was doing a holiday event for first-run syndication.
So here's a mystery: The New York TV listings for the date contain this program. However, IMDB does not list a 1985 show, but it does list a "Christmas Family Reunion" special for 1986. Someone in the comments on the above video asks if the promo is really for 1986. I believe that person is basing the question on IMDB, but I think these may be two distinct specials. The 1986 special was on CBS. Yet I can't find any other reference to this special. Anyone have any more info?
7) 60 Minutes: The program's eighth season premiered 50 years ago tonight, and if you think it's weird that the series kicked off a season on December 7, well, so do I. CBS had been running Three for the Road in the 7:00 EST slot since September.
8) Chartbusters Year End Special: Remember this music video show on TBS? It was a countdown show that was a companion to Night Tracks. 40 years ago tonight, the series looked back at the hits of 1985. I don't see a clip for that one, but here is a glimpse of the series:
9) Sports: A couple notable televised sporting events on this date in 1985: Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, and later, Martina Navratilova topped Chris Evert in the Australian Open final. This was the last year the tennis tournament happened in December; Beginning in 1987, it was a January event.
10) Priscilla Barnes: According to most sources, it's the star's 70th birthday, and we send well wishes to the star of The American Girls!
While we recover from all the delicious Thanksgiving Mulligan Stew, enjoy this special encore presentation of our episode about The Love Boat. As usual, you get a heaping helping of of guest stars, including Maureen McCormick, the late Bobby Sherman, Vicki Lawrence, DVP, Vernee Watson, and the great Scatman Crothers! We'll be back next week with a brand-new episode. Hoo-whee!
We continue our look inside the Mulligan Stew comic book today!
Here is a recipe for that 4-4-3-2 superstar, pizza!
And here is another page of story. Note that the stories are not adaptations of the TV episodes, but many seem to be continuations or at least reference those episodes.
Here's a groovy game that is inside the comic.
Finally, here is another recipe, but not just any recipe. Read on to learn how to make Mulligan stew! "Everybody likes it!"
Today and tomorrow, we present some pics from the Mulligan Stew comic book we discuss on the latest podcast! Thanks again to Mike for getting this for me and setting us down this path!
Here's the cover and back cover of the comic, which is pretty thick. There's a lot of value in here, what with the stories, recipes, games, songs, and more!
There are more lyrics inside, like the following. Check out my personal favorite, "Good Nutrition":
And here's a look at an actual story page. The original owner of the comic book beat me to the puzzles in this issue!
I may be a few days late with this, but after all, we are talking about 50 years ago! I don't want to miss the chance to share a few items from a TV Guide in my collection: A Northern Indiana edition for November 22-28, 1975.
Let's focus on Thursday, the Thanksgiving holiday. On the Wednesday page is this ad for some morning programming for the kids:
Speaking of the kids, it's interesting that ABC was just like, hey, let's make this a Saturday morning all day:
1) Mulligan Stew: Our podcast topic this week is this charming, eccentric live-action kidvid series from the Seventies. Maybe you learned something! We sure did. Just check out item 4.
2) Thanksgiving: Hope all who celebrated the U.S. holiday were able to have an enjoyable and festive weekend.
3) Macys Day Parade: I spent some time on the holiday watching the 2025 version, yes, but I also saw some of this edition hosted by Lorne Greene and Betty White:
4) Pizza: All hail the king of all foods according to Mulligan Stew. At least that's how we interpreted it. Pizza contains all the food groups!
5) Football: If only someone could figure out a safe and easy way to deep-fry a football, this holiday weekend would be perfect.
6) Teddy Ruxpin: The lovable and cuddly old bear debuted on ABC's Weekend Special 40 years ago today. I don't remember how much that toy cost when it came out, but I know that in today's money, it would be...even worse.
7) David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival: It wasn't all Saturday Night's Main Event when SNL took a break back then. 40 years ago tonight, Dave took over the 11:30 timeslot and presented films with Michael Keaton, Harry Shearer, Bette Midler, and more!
8) McCoy: 50 years ago tonight, the second episode of Tony Curtis' short-lived NBC Mystery Movie series aired, and it starred BOTNS fave Nita Talbot.
9) Dick Clark: Today is the late icon's birthday. He would have been 18, of course.
10) Ed McMahon: He's still the king of the holiday!
Due to the nature of this week's subject, Mulligan Stew, we don't have the usual assortment of material in our official video playlist. We do have some interesting nutrition-related clips, though, and a look at another educational program that aired on PBS stations.
Thinkabout, according to Wikipedia, was a Canadian/U.S. production from the Agency for Instructional Television in 1979. It aired well into the Eighties, though.
I didn't remember this one at all until coming across this clip and watching some other videos on YouTube. Maybe you saw it in the classroom or on your local PBS station back in the day.
We don't want you to miss our brand-new episode today, but we also want to share our traditional Thanksgiving favorite with you. Have a great holiday, everyone!
*I can't find the other series mentioned in the above article: 1986's "Blue sky below my feet adventures in space technology" from 4-H and NASA.
*Leesburg is in Loudon County in Northern Virginia, about 40 miles from Washington D.C.
*Please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with nutritional PSAs, commercials, and more! We put all 6 Mulligan Stew episodes at the front of the list, so just skip through if you don't want to watch all of them. Click below to go right to the list, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!
Just in time for Thanksgiving, we whip an episode about Mulligan Stew, the little-remembered but perhaps oft-seen early seventies show about healthy eating habits. Most of the kids of Mulligan Stew fall prey to the easy appeal of the Flim-Flam Man's fad diets, and only Mulligan and Wilbur can save them. Along the way, they sing some songs and teach us such vaulable lessons as 4-4-3-2, VITAMIN D FOR HEALTHY BONES AND TEETH, and meat comes from hogs!
One of the clips in this week's playlist for Kate and Allie is this promo for an issue of TV Guide.
I wish there were more of these ads where the cover subjects touted their own appearances in the issues. Usually we'd get a rundown of the contents, maybe a jingle, but not the stars themselves telling us to check it out! I wonder how far in advance this was planned. It would be great to hear Susan and Jane say, "And check out Robert MacKenzie's review of The Rousters!"
I was thinking about this week's subject, Kate and Allie, and pondering what would the world be like if it were named Allie and Kate? In my opinion, not that much different! However, Son and Sanford would be an abject disaster, and such a program would have flamed out and made NBC's 1970s even tougher.
So, then, we rank 10 shows of the BOTNS era that would not lose if the titular names were reversed. the course of TV history would not have changed. If you're thinking the trick is to have the old "one syllable name, conjunction, then two-syllable name" pattern, well, I ask you? What about Hutch and Starsky? Would that sound right?
Well, anything Ernie Anderson said in 1977 sounded right, but you get my meaning.
This list reflects how these reworked show titles would fare on a neutral field in Schenectady, New York.
1) Simon and Simon: Call me crazy, but...I think it sounds better this way.
2) TV's Practical Jokes and Bloopers: I mean, I think I said it this way a half-dozen times on the podcast, so...
3) Marie and Donny: Ladies first, right? I believe it's somewhat gallant to put Marie first. Sonny and Cher and Captain and Tennille are fine, though, because it's like you're rewarded for putting up with the first name.
4) Shirley and Laverne: Would this reversal intensify their feud or lessen it? I'm not sure.
5) Mindy and Mork: No problem at all with "leading up to" Mork.
6) Lacey and Cagney: I think only their agents would care.
7) Tina and Mr. T: The show was doomed to begin with, or was it? There's something pleasing about doing it this way instead of as Mr. T and Tina. I'm not sure what it is, but it's there.
8) Makepeace and Dempsey: I'm no expert on this British show, but does this lose anything? Absolutely not.
9) Alice and Ted and Carol and Bob: I'm gonna wager that unless you were of moviegoing age when the feature film was released, you'd need a minute or two to get the order right anyway for the 1973 ABC adaptation.
10) Alias Jones and Smith: I mean, how can it matter? They're aliases!
Also receiving votes: Bones and Fitz, Hart to Hart, McCormick and Hardcastle, Company and Charlie.
1) Allie & Kate: Yes, the subject of this week's podcast is actually Kate and Allie, but what's wrong with mixing it up every now and then?
2) Susan St. James and Jane Curtin: And I am only putting her first because the Emmys put Curtin first by giving her two Emmys.
3) Deli: Coming out of "Kate's Friend," which we focus on in our Kate and Alliei discussion, who doesn't enjoy a good assortment of deli meats (unless there is some kind of health, philosophical, or religious reason)?
5) The Legend of Valentino: Maybe you're not interested in Rudolph Valentino, the subject of this TV movie that debuted 50 years ago tonight. Well, how can you not be interested in this cast? Franco Nero has the title role, and he's joined by Suzanne Pleshette, Yvette Mimieux, Milton Berle, Lesley Ann Warren, and Judd Hirsch!
6) National Cashew Day: Still my favorite of all nuts.
7) Columbus Circle: 40 years ago today, ABC premiered this Weekend Special comedy which features Nancy Walker in a supporting role as a New York City bag lady.
8) Johnny Mandel: It's the 100th birthday of the composer of the theme from MASH.
9) Open All Night: A couple recent videos by Paul Van Scott have me thinking about this short-lived but very funny (as I remember) ABC sitcom starring George Dzunda. Johnny Mandel had nothin' on this theme!
10) R.I.P.: Bob Caudle, longtime wrestling announcer; and Ralph Senetsky, who died several weeks ago at the age of 102 (!) and left behind a great website, a lot of sharp memories, and an amazing resume of TV direction.
*Kate and Allie aired 6 seasons, 1984-1989, Monday nights on CBS, for a total of 122 episodes. It was a top-20 show for its first 4 and a top-10 series in its short first season.
*If you want to check out our McMillan and Wife episode, go here. You will find our original-cast Saturday Night Live episode here.
*The Weekly Reader publication Laurie spotted is 1986's Cosby, Punky, Kate and Allie. Much to my amazement, it's a hardcover.
*"Rear Window" is in the series' second season.
*The episode with "lesbian panic/misunderstandings" we mention is Season 2's "Landlady."
*"Along Comes a Friend" by John Loeffler is the series' theme song.
*"Kate's Friend" premiered December 16, 1985 as the tenth episode of the series' third season.
*Season 3's "Too Late the Rebel" is the episode with Fran Brill and Ben Stiller.
*Walt Simonson's run on the Thor comic book lasted from 1983-1987, with him writing and drawing for most of it.
*The would-be pilot Mike mentions with Andrea Martin is "Stage Mother" in Season 4. Martin and the setting also appear in the next episode, "The Goodbye Girl." The Lindsay Wagner episode is "Late Bloomer," the finale of the third season.
*Kate becomes Joe Namath's assistant in Season 5's "The Namath of the Game."
*Season 5's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is when Allie is mistaken for a homeless person.
*"Reruns" in Season 4 has the tribute to I Love Lucy.
*"Gift of the Magi" is also in Season 4.
Please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! It also contains the full special that we discuss on the podcast. Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!
Things get iffy between everyone's favorite single-mom roommates Kate and Allie when Kate's demanding college friend moves in for an extended stay. Allie tries to handle it with aplomb because she's "just great!" Plus, a cool T-shirt and a lively guest star turn as a bartender, so get yourself some authentic New York bread and deli, pop on your headphones, and remember just when you think you're all by yourself you're not.
1) Program lineups: We had a great time counting down our choices for the best lineups in the BOTNS era! Back to our regular format next week, but we thank you for the kind words and reactions!
We focused on primetime broadcast, but there are all kinds of other lineups, too, of course:
2) Fred Silverman: We can't talk about programming and lineups in the BOTNS era without talking about The Man with the Golden Gut. He may not have always directed each program schedule, but I still think however much we mentioned him on the podcast this week, it wasn't enough!
3) Donny and Marie Osmond Show: 50 years ago tonight, a Donny and Marie special aired on ABC, and it was in essence a pilot for the famous variety show we discussed in our Season 12. In this one, the Osmonds welcomed Bob Hope, Paul Lynde, and Lee Majors.
You know who was instrumental in the siblings getting a weekly series? That's right: Fred Silverman.
4) Joe's World: This great YT account is uploading episodes, and I am enjoying this rare NBC sitcom built around Ramon Bieri. The theme song is a classic, and wait till you see who wrote it!
Why was Clint Eastwood never on The Love Boat? Scheduling conflicts, I guess.
6) The Golden Girls: ABC broadcast a new anniversary special this week, and while I haven't seen it, I am sure it was a celebration of the series, a salute to its legacy, and a chance for us all to laugh about how much younger the stars were than we perceived.
7) Sanford and Son/One Day at a Time: Antenna TV announced the series will join its lineup in January. Did Fred Silverman have anything to do with this?
8) National Fast Food Day: Wellllll, I don't usually indulge, but since it's a holiday, I could be persuaded.
9) Lisa Bonet: Happy birthday to someone who is older than all the Golden Girls were when that series started. OK, I told myself I wasn't gonna do that...
No Power Rankings this week since yesterday's episode is a ranking, but it's a good day to talk about a scheduling quirk I spotted the other day. One of my go-to stations when I was a youth, WNEW in New York, did something interesting for a while:
Yes, they showed Three's Company at 6:00 P.M. weeknights, and then they followed it with Man About the House. As the above promo notes, the station paired reruns of the smash American remake with its British predecessor.
I think this is an interesting decision. I do remember seeing Three's Company on Channel 5 as a kid--quite often--but I don't remember Man About the House being on, let alone back to back with the remake like that. Does anyone out there remember their local stations doing something similar with, say, Sanford and Son, All in the Family, or other United-States-produced sitcoms based on Britcoms?
*We hope you enjoy this subjective examination of the network lineups of the BOTNS era. We'd love to hear from you if we missed or misranked anything! We'd love even more if you told us we nailed it.
*Remember the factors I mention on the pod: pop culture relevance, critical appeal, collective memory, ratings and commercial success, flow, my own personal experience, longevity, and of course just what I felt like when compiling the list.
*Below, we list the rankings as we revealed them on the podcast. If you want to follow along and not have the list spoiled, please listen first, then come back here!
(Shows listed from 8:00 to 11:00, from start to finish)
10) CBS Monday Night 1979:
White Shadow, MASH, WKRP, Lou Grant.
Honorable mention: CBS Sunday Night (1979, 1980, 1981): 60 Minutes, Archie Bunker's Place, One Day at a Time, Alice, The Jeffersons, Trapper John M.D.
Honorable mention: ABC Tuesday Night (1977): Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, Soap, Family
7) CBS Thursday Night (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979): The Waltons, Hawaii Five-0, Barnaby Jones
6) ABC Saturday Night (1982, 1983):
T.J. Hooker, Love Boat, Fantasy Island
5) CBS Thursday Night (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985): Magnum P.I., Simon and Simon, Knots Landing
4) ABC Friday Night (1971, 1972): The Brady Bunch; The Partridge Family; Room 222; The Odd Couple; Love, American Style
3) CBS Friday Night (1979, 1980, 1981): The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas
Honorable mention: CBS Friday Night (1982, 1983, 1984):
The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, Falcon Crest
2) NBC Thursday Night (1984, 1985, 1986): The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, Hill Street Blues
Honorable mention: NBC Thursday Night (1988, 1989):
The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Dear John, L.A. Law
1) CBS Saturday Night (1973):
All in the Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show
Honorable mention: CBS Saturday Night (1972): All in the Family, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Mission Impossible
Bonus selections (Some lineups of interest that didn't make the list):
The worst lineup? NBC Friday Night (1983):
Mr. Smith, Jennifer Slept Here, Manimal, For Love and Honor
Click here for our episode talking about NBC's disastrous 1983-84 season!
More honorable mentions:
ABC Monday Night (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983): That's Incredible, Monday Night Football
CBS Sunday Night (1986-1994): 60 Minutes; Murder, She Wrote; CBS Sunday Night Movie
In case people wonder about the ABC TGIF phenomenon:
ABC Friday Night (1989):
Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, 20/20
ABC Friday Night (1988):
Perfect Strangers, Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Just the Ten of Us, 20/20
CBS Monday Night (1987): Frank's Place, Kate and Allie, Newhart, Designing Women, Cagney and Lacey
NBC Wednesday Night (1980):
Real People, Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life, Quincy
ABC Tuesday Night (1987):
Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Moonlighting, Thirtysomething
ABC Tuesday Night (1988): Who's the Boss, Roseanne, Moonlighting, Thirtysomething
NBC Friday Night (1974): Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, Rockford Files, Police Woman
ABC Wednesday Night 1976: Bionic Woman, Baretta, Charlie's Angels
CBS Monday Night 1974:
Gunsmoke, Maude, Rhoda, Medical Center
CBS Wednesday Night (1973):
Sonny and Cher, Cannon, Kojak
NBC Thursday Night (1972):
Flip Wilson Show, Ironside (sometimes Bob Hope), The Dean Martin Show
Please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos touting most of the top 10 lineups! We even kick it off with a tribute to...flow? Click below to go right to it, or you can always visit our official YouTube page for all of our past episodes and similar lists for each one of them!
We've talked about a lot of great shows over the course of the podcast, and sometimes, we've mentioned great lineups that dominated a particular night and era or even single season. This week, we go more in depth with a completely subjective list of the top 10 greatest TV lineups of the BOTNS era. Using strict criteria, Rick compled this list, and he justifies his choices. Mike pipes in with his two cents. Expect a few suprises and maybe even a controversy or two along the way.
1) The Heights: We had a departure from the usual format and talked TV star heights this week--not career heights, but "actual" heights. I say "actual" because when it comes to celebrity info, can we really trust any of it? I'm pretty sure the dog from Here's Boomer was fudging his vitals to get roles.
By the way, since I mentioned her on the show but she wasn't in the book, Farrah Fawcett's listed height was 5'6" (including her hair, I guess)?
2) TV Superstars '81: Our thanks again to this fine book from Weekly Reader publications for providing the impetus for this week's episode! In a world of cheap tie-in paperbacks geared to the scholastic market, this one stood tall.
Too much?
3) Saturday Night Live: 40 years ago tonight, Saturday Night Live started a new era with guest Madonna and a new cast. The era did not last.
4) Good Morning America: The ABC show celebrated its 50th anniversary this past week, including visits with the likes of OG hosts David Hartman and Nancy Dussault.
5) Doug Henning Project: After last week's World of Magic episode, we received a kind message from Neil at that great website, and we appreciate the shout-out and the link. Keep up the good work in maintaining that legacy!
6) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Congratulations to the inductees next week, including former WWF manager Cyndi Lauper!
7) Darkroom: I have not been able to listen yet, but Chris Cooling's Forgotten TV podcast is always a treat, and the latest installment explores short-lived anthology Darkroom. I'll just remind everyone that if you haven't yet done so, you can hear Mike and I focus on a specific episode right here.
8) Night of 100 Stars: I also didn't hear Ian Talks Comedy's latest episode, but he does a watchalong of this awesome special that we talk about on the pod here. Can't wait to hear Ian's thoughts!
9) Risky Business: 40 years ago tonight, CBS aired this popular Tom Cruise movie, which seems like a total mismatch for CBS--now, 1985, ever.
Here's a closer look at the original paperback that spawned our game on this week's podcast! It's TV Superstars '81 by Ronald W. Lackmann from Weekly Reader Books. I got this one for a few books at a great used books store.
New from the BOTNS Games Lab: The Celebrity Height Game! Mike has to guess if the celebrity heights listed in one Rick's vintage books match the "official" heights listed on IMDB! Can you get this kind of action anywhere else?
1) Doug Henning: This week on the podcast, we discussed the magician and his popular NBC specials. As we say, he was huge in the BOTNS era, and it was cool to remember him and check out some of those programs.
2) Daylight Savings Time: It's the good one, as we all gain an extra hour, almost as if by...magic. Hey, you don't suppose this is the handiwork of...
3) Joey Heatherton and Michael Landon: We salute the guest stars on Henning's second World of Magic special. Joey could have guested on Little House, maybe as a substitute teacher who catches the eye of all the men in Walnut Grove (except Charles, who of course treats her with dignity and acts normally) and the ire of their jealous wives.
4) Candy: Maybe you have a lot sitting around the house after Halloween. Maybe you don't. Either way, wouldn't some candy taste good right about now?
5) It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: If you didn't get candy, hopefully you at least didn't get a rock. During my annual viewing this weekend, I reflected that when I watched it on CBS growing up, I don't think I noticed that you could see the rock go into Charlie's bag with such clarity at each house they visited.
6) The Six Million Dollar Man: Check out the description, courtesy of Ultimate70s.com, of "One of Our Running Backs Is Missing" from 50 years ago tonight: Steve Austin is caught in the middle when a star football player is kidnapped as part of a betting swindle
Plus it has Larry Csonka, Dick Butkus, and Carl Weathers! I gotta see this one.
7) Puzzlers: Laurie and I watched this Sajak-hosted rarity courtesy of the awesome Game Show Vault. It's a very young Sajak with a rather airy contestant.
8) Stefanie Powers: Happy birthday to the Hart to Hart star!
9) Saturday Night's Main Event: 40 years ago tonight (aired but taped earlier), Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant faced King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd at Hersheypark Arena in Pennsylvania.
10) Sammy and Company: I get a kick out of Sammy's guest list in this episode that ran in syndication 50 years ago: Carroll O'Connor, Waylon Jennings, Vicki Lawrence, Willie Tyler & Lester. I'm sure they all got together for regular bridge games after this.
This week, we talk about Doug Henning's World of Magic specials on NBC. Our video playlist has all kinds of ads and promos, but today let's look at this clip:
I believe this is an extract taken from a special talking about unsold pilots. That is indeed what this Mandrake is. The 1979 production from Universal aired on NBC January 24, 1979.
Anthony Herrara plays the titular magician, who dates back to 1934's King Features comic strip. This somewhat snide clip doesn't highlight the rest of the cast: BOTNS favorite Gretchen Corbett, James Hong, Robert Reed, and Harry Blackstone!
The full movie is available on YouTube if you are interested.
YouTube Spotlight will not be seen today so that we can bring you this special post.
From all of us at BOTNS to all of you, Happy Halloween!
On this holiday we like to post Batty winner Solomon Grundy celebrating his favorite adult beverage, and we like to suggest some past episodes that might fit the mood this weekend. So we're going to do it again!
Our magic-themed episode this week with Doug Henning could fit the bill, but here are selections from our archives for your Halloween listening pleasure:
