Top Ten #393

1) Game Shows: Our encore presentation on the podcast this week is an earlier episode we did talking about game shows! It's a great time to be a fan of old game shows, with many free streaming options for classics and rarities.

2) Warner Brothers TV toons: Folks, the motherload is coming to Tubi in March: Tons of WB-owned animation, including stuff that has been on streaming recently (Super Friends) and stuff that has not (The New Adventures of Gilligan's Island). It looks like a lot of the old Filmation superhero material will be available on demand, and so will classics like Quick Draw McGraw. It's not everything by a long shot, but it's a lot more than we got on HBO Max.

Oh, and a series we just talked about, Super Globetrotters, is also coming to Tubi next month!

3) Laff-a-Lympics: As the Winter Olympics rolls on in Italy, Warner Archives prepares to unleash perhaps the finest animated athletic competition. This week it announced a March Blu-Ray release of the 1977 Laff-a-Lympics.

4) Harem: When we marked the 50th anniversary of the debut of this TV miniseries in our Facebook group earlier this week, one of our friends (I won't name him here) actually started watching it and found some interesting things. Maybe the movie...isn't total trash? Join our FB group to have more discussions about obscure 40-year-old TV events!

5) The Six Million Dollar Man: I find it interesting that 50 years ago tonight, ABC showed Winter Olympics coverage at 7:00, then went away from Austria to show a brand-new Six Million Dollar Man, and then went back to the sports. That's a nice endorsement of how popular the series was at the time.

6) The Wizard of Oz: MeTV acquired broadcast rights to the classic, meaning this October it returns to broadcast TV after an absence of several decades. Also, CBS aired this movie this very night 40 years ago!

7) Fortune Dane: Also on this night in 1986, ABC premiered this short-lived action series with Carl Weathers. The show turned up on Crackle, much to my astonishment, back when that streamer was really emptying out the vaults.

8) Meeno Peluce: The great Secret Galaxy channel posted a video about Voyagers! this week, and I have to say, when we did our own episode on that 1980s series, I'm afraid we mispronounced "Peluce." Please consider this a Meeno culpa.

9) Valentine's Day weekend: Love is in the air, so why isn't Love. American Style on our airwaves? 

At least give us some Karen Valentine!

10) NBA All-Star Game: Cheers to all who enjoy this weekend's festivities, but I'm stuck in 1984.

Encore: Game Shows

With the Big Game and the Big International Sporting Competition in the air, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the truest form of competition known to humankind--the game show! In this season two episode, we dive into the world of game shows with a look at the syndicated "Face the Music" and NBC's fast-paced "$ale of the Century." Plus, an all-new TV Guide Game! Will one of us go home with a radar range?!

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #gameshows

 

 

Check out this episode!

Top Ten #392: Special "Pizza or wings? The answer is yes" Edition!

1) The Muppet Show: A huge event in the Muppet world took place this week: We reran our first-season podcast episode on the show! 

Oh, and also, a new special/pilot premiered! I haven't seen it yet, but I hear it's good.

2) The Big Game: Hey, who's ready for football today! You know, it's hard to have a Super Bowl sneak up on you, but I haven't really been thinking about this year's game very much this week. It's never a bad time to revisit the Steel Curtain, though:

4) Up with People: I was able to psych myself up for the football by watching this recent upload of the 1982 Super Bowl halftime show, one that featured the one act everyone could get behind and support: 

5) Winter Olympics: Another big sporting event is underway in Italy, but 50 years ago, Innsbruck, Austria; hosted the Games after Denver, Colorado; pulled out of contention.

6) Mallory Circumstantial Evidence: 50 years ago tonight, NBC ran this pilot movie starring Raymond Burr as...an attorney. What a stretch! Also starring: Robert Loggia, Peter Mark Richman, William Lucking, A Martinez, and Mark Hamill!

7) Steven Spielberg: His Grammy win last weekend for producing Music by John Williams puts him just one step away from BEGOT status. If only we had an Outstanding Director category...

8) Blade Runner: The Ridley Scott movie aired on CBS on this night in 1986--another sign that CBS wasn't always the staid, most uptight of the 3 broadcast networks. I mean, don't get me wrong, though; CBS still edited out about half the movie. The version also added this intro:

9) NBC Special Treat:  I think this anthology series which ran in the sweet spot of the BOTNS era is forgotten compared to ABC's Afterschool Special and even CBS' Schoolbreak Special.

50 years ago today, NBC showed "Papa and Me," the story of a grandfather and grandson. I can't find any trace of it now, but it seems to be beloved by those who remember it.

10) R.I.P. Sonny Jurgensen: The Hall of Fame quarterback had a long media career, including as a color commentator on CBS' NFL coverage. It's a tough week for Washington-area sports with this loss and the Post killing off its sports section, 

RetroFan #42

It's been a while since I wrote about my favorite magazine, but fortunately, TwoMorrows' great bimonthly is still around, and the latest (Well, until the new issue hits my mailbox next week, I think) is another fine issue. Cover star Adam West gets a nice feature, though I must say there is little mention of his Seventies work like the live-action NBC specials.

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is the subject of another feature. It's not one of my favorite shows, but I do enjoy the piece. Andy Mangels always delivers.

Rick Goldschmidt's annual Rankin-Bass pieces are a holiday staple of the mag, and this time he talks about The Year Without a Santa Claus. I believe this is one of his better RetroFan articles.

Will Murray contributes two stories, one on The Executioner novels and another on the long history of The Phantom and creator Lee Falk. Both are quality articles on subjects I hadn't read about in depth before.

Now let me talk about what should have been my favorite story in issue 42: "Fantastic Fall Previews," a look at TV Guide Fall preview issues of the late Seventies and Early Eighties. I love the idea, and there are some interesting illustrations. Of course I always enjoy reading about network TV of the era.

However, it seems like a missed opportunity. Robert Jeschonek goes through the issues and summarizes the new shows for a run of seasons. It's a nice story, but most of the illustrations are publicity photos and the like. There should be more scans from the magazines themselves. The story touches on but doesn't go in depth on how the Guide predicted the fates of the shows. 

I want to see more reviews, more of the actual Guide comments, more of the ads the networks used to promote those shows. I mean, I have all the issues, so I can look at the originals, but the article is more a summary of the new shows each TV season than a look at how TV Guide covered them, which to me would be more unique and valuable.

Scott Saavedra offers a look at old TV commercials with "before they were stars" appearances. It's mostly screencaps and brief commentary, but it's a fun topic and a nice change of pace.

It's not TV related, but Scott Shaw!'s profile of Roy Chapman Andrews is a highlight. The author/adventurer/museum director is thought to be an inspiration for Indiana Jones, and he certainly lived an interesting life--maybe not Indy-level interesting, but it's a good feature on someone whose fame has evaporated over the years.

Encore: The Muppet Show with Steve Martin

Far be it from us to hop on a hype train, but with a new Muppet Show special arriving soon, we figured it might be a good time to revisit our season one episode about the TV classic. Featuring guest and human Muppet Steve Martin (at the height of Steve Martin mania), the episode breaks the Muppet Show's usual format but still provides plenty of variety-style comedy and music and Muppet-style absurdity.

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #themuppetshow #muppetshow #muppets #stevemartin

 

Check out this episode!

Power Rankings: Comic strip characters on "Too Close for Comfort"

I watched the episode Mike mentioned in which Garfield creator Jim Davis guests. Henry goes to a convention and is excited to sign up the strip for the Marin Bugler. He brings back some promotional materials and plans a huge publicity campaign, with one of his key strategies putting Monroe into a Garfield suit. Sounds great, until his partner/boss tells him she hates comic strips and doesn't want any of them in the Bugler. Uh-oh!

I was amused by the idea that one comic strip, no matter how popular, could make a difference in the fortunes of an independent newspaper. I mean, Henry touts the fact that it's in umpteeen newspapers, which is proof of its popularity, but doesn't that mean it's easily found elsewhere?

Here is my ranking of comic strip characters I would like to have seen interact with Henry on Too Close. Remember, this list is based on how these characters would fare against each other on a neutral field in Dogpatch, Kentucky.

1) Fred Bassett: As funny as the idea of Monroe in a giant Marmaduke costume sounds, I'd rather see the unassuming Fred show up in some capacity.

2) Mark Slackmeyer: It wouldn't be funny now, but in the mid 1980s, Doonesbury's firebrand would make a compelling clash of personalities and ideologies with Henry.

3) Mary Worth: She could clean up the Henry/Monroe relationship in no time. Of course, it would be about 3 months due to comic strip time.

4) The Lockhorns: I envision a wacky dinner in which Henry and Muriel wind up at the Lockhorns' house thinking they are wealthy potential advertisers who are thinking of buying space in the paper. Kicker is, they aren't!

5) Dick Tracy: Henry could be overly eager to help the famous police detective on a case. Can't be the Warren Beatty Dick Tracy, though...unless it's the 2023 Dick Tracy who showed up on TCM.

ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Hi Flagston, Broom Hilda, Bill the Cat, Brenda Starr

R.I.P. Uncle Floyd

I should have included Floyd Vivino, AKA Uncle Floyd, in yesterday's top ten to commemorate his passing on January 22. No slight was intended, though I don't have much experience with the performer and his work.

While not a New Yorker, I did grow up on New York to an extent, but The Uncle Floyd Show was not on the channels I received. I believe it was mostly on UHF stations in New Jersey, and my NJ station was WOR (out of Secacucus). I do remember vacationing in New Jersey in the Eighties and tuning into a station and seeing Uncle Floyd.

"What the heck is this?" I wondered. It was cool that even then there were still quirky local entertainment programs. That's one of the things broadcast TV lacks today. R.I.P.! The official YouTube channel has posted material from the program and maintained its legacy.

Top Ten #391: Special "sick of the cold" edition!

1) Too Close for Comfort: This week's podcast looks at the 6-season Ted Knight sitcom. It's not talked about that much but is now easily found. It ran 3 seasons on network TV, then 3 in first-run syndication. Its final season was renamed The Ted Knight Show. To me, that's an interesting production history.

Plus Henry yells at Monroe a lot.

2) Ted Knight: Even when an episode isn't particularly inspired, I find there's almost always some bit of amusing business from its star, be it a sputter or a grimace or whatever.

3) Nancy Dussault: She doesn't always get a lot to do on the show, but I think she does what she is there for and does it very well. She could be used better on the program.

4) Rich Man, Poor Man: The blockbuster miniseries premiered 50 years ago tonight on ABC. Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss star along with the likes of Ed Asner and Robert Reed (Did those two star in every ABC miniseries of the era?).

5) Sonny and Cher: Also 50 years ago tonight, this popular duo reunited after their divorce and started a new variety show together. Among the guests: Carol Burnett, Raymond Burr, Tony Orlando, and Don Meredith.

6) S.W.A.T.: FETV adds this Seventies action show to its weekend lineup today. I love that the passage of time automatically makes shows blander. I don't think S.W.A.T. was considered "Family Entertainment" when it aired on ABC in 1975. It was considered violent television!

7) Grammy Awards: Tonight is the annual ceremony honoring the best in music...except for TV theme songs! Why is there not a category for those? Because they aren't released as records? Well, why aren't they released as records?

8) Bart Braverman: Happy 80th to the former star of Vega$!

9) Life's Most Embarrassing Moments: The second-to-last in the series of occasional blooper-centric specials ABC ran from 1983-1986, this installment ran 40 years ago tonight. Wikipedia notes it was dead last in the ratings that week. Hey, this was 1986. America wasn't in the mood to be embarrassed anymore!

10) R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara, Demond Wilson:

YouTube Spotlight: Ted Knight for Southgate Mall

Ted Knight appeared in multiple commercials for Southgate USA, a shopping center in Maple Heights, Ohio. We feature this one in our video playlist this week:

There are more, though! Ted must have really enjoyed shopping there when he went through Ohio. These ads showed up well into the mid Eighties on TV stations in the Cleveland area.

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-12: Too Close for Comfort

*Thank you for listening to this week's episode, in which we discuss the 6-season sitcom Too Close for Comfort, which ran on ABC for 3 seasons, then moved to first-run syndication for 3 more.

*Keep It in the Family is available on an unofficial basis on YouTube. It aired for 5 "series" from 1980 to 1983 on ITV.

*What a Country! ran for a mere 26 episodes.

*Too Close has 129 total episodes, including the sixth season which aired as The Ted Knight Show.

*The complete series is available on DVD and as of now on Tubi and Pluto. It also airs weekdays on Antenna TV.

*Hamilton Camp plays Mr. Wainwright. Deena Freeman is April.

*Ted Knight died at age 62.

*The episode with Jim Davis (creator of Garfield) is in the show's sixth season: "Garfield the Cat Joins the Marin Bugler." I suppose you could have guessed that after looking at a list of episode titles.

*Go to the end of the third season for the two backdoor pilots Mike mentions: "Don't Rock the Boat" and "Family Business." The former features Dick Van Patten--that's right, our beloved DVP--as an old Navy buddy of Henry who marries a woman half his age. Lanie Kazan headlines the latter episode as the head of a family-run construction outfit.

*Ted Knight and Gavin MacLeod were very good friends in real life.

*Nancy Dussault was nominated for two Tonys in the 1960s. She co-hosted Good Morning America from the show's inception in 1975 until early 1977. She also appears in ABC's Night of 100 Stars special, which we talk about here.

*Barry Blitzer worked on The Phil Silvers Show, Get Smart, and The Love Boat among other classic series.

*The agent who speaks at the end of this episode is played by Rene Le Vant. One of his most interesting credits is doing "additional voices" in multiple episodes of The Flintstone Kids.

*To hear more of why we like Leonard Lightfoot so much, check out our Silver Spoons episode.

*Season 4's "Shipmates" is the episode with Henry's old Navy colleague--not DVP, but another one.

*"Quick on the Draw," also in Season 4, sees Henry break his arm and hire another cartoonist. Sara dates the baseball player in "High and Inside," which is in--you guessed it--Season 4.

*Please enjoy this episode's video playlist, 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!

Episode 13-12: Too Close For Comfort

In Too Close For Comfort, the great Ted Knight played cartoonist Henry Rush. He and his wife Muriel (and eventually baby Andrew) lived upstairs, and their two adult daughters Jackie and Sara lived in an apartment downstairs. After a few seasons, Sara's friend and Henry's nemesis Monroe moved into the attic. They all lived on ABC for three seasons, then moved into first-run syndication. All along, fans watched for a deep but humorous study of family dynamics in eighties America.

Nahhh! They watched to see Ted Knight lose his cool at Monroe's bumbling and some attractive women...but mostly the former. In season 4 episode "Goodbye, Mr. Chip," Monroe borrows a computer. Henry wants nothing to do with it...until he finds out he could win some money on horse racing. Guess what happens next!

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #eighties #sitcoms #toocloseforcomfort #tedknight

 

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

YouTube Spotlight: Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World

Mike mentioned this short film on our Globetrotters episode last week: Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World.

This educational film from 1979 showcases the charm of the Globetrotter legend while teaching youth about geography basics. I couldn't find much information about it, but I wanted to spotlight it here as a recommended addition to our roster of educational films this season (See also Mulligan Stew).

Top Ten #390

1) The Harlem Globetrotters: This week's podcast looks at the world's greatest showmen...that belong to a group that has been around a hundred years, are focused on basketball entertainment, and have starred in various media through the decades (Not to demean them, just want to cover ourselves).

2) ABC'S Wide World of Sports: Speaking of the Globetrotters, guess who was on ABC 50 years ago today this afternoon?

That's right, Hubert H. Humphrey, who guested on Issues and Answers! But the Globetrotters also appeared, starring in Wide World of Sports at...Attica!

Check out the description: "A 90-minute special featuring the famous basketball team performing for the inmates at the maximum security penitentiary in Upstate New York, the scene in 1971 of the bloodiest prison uprising in American history. Howard Cosell is the host."

Hey, sounds like a blast! Cue "Sweet Georgia Brown!"

3) Curly Neal: Meadowlark got so much of the love in the Seventies that I want to mention Curly, who was Mike's favorite Trotter!

4) Hello, Larry: I am still intrigued by the fact that Meadowlark Lemon was a regular on this short-lived sitcom. I feel like this should be talked about more. I don't have much more to say about it, but someone should!

5) Celebration: The American Spirit: ABC helped kick off bicentennial festivities with this 90-minute David L. Wolper special 50 years ago tonight. Among those celebrating were Gabe Kaplan, Frank Sinatra, and Don Adams!

6) Bob Hope's All-Star Super Bowl Party: Ain't no one throws a party like Bob Hope in 1986! This special aired on NBC 40 years ago tonight, and you know the joint was jumping with the likes of Morgan Fairchild, Emmanuel Lewis, and Dick Butkus.

OK, I just looked at the listing. this one has Donna Mills, Don Rickles, and Jim McMahon. The 1985 special DOES have Fairchild!

7) Everything 80s: Jamie Logie's podcast just released an episode discussing the most-watched TV broadcasts of the Eighties--events, sports, movies, and more! It's a great listen even if it somehow overlooks the premiere of The Rousters.

8) The Canadian Conspiracy Part 1: According to a newspaper listing from 40 years ago today, this aired as part of the Cinemax Comedy Experiment series, yet Wikipedia says the Canadian production premiered up there in June 1986. Did it debut in the States before showing up on CBC?

The mockumentary "exposed" the infiltration of prominent Canadians into the United States.

9) Blake's 7: A reboot is in the works, according to this article. Unlike some other recent announcements, I am not cringing at this one. I think that an updated perspective and new technology could make this a worthwhile reimagining of the original. However, I recognize that if you grew up on the show, you probably just fear that they will screw it up.

10) R.I.P. Bruce Bilson: Longtime TV director shot many episodes of series TV.

The Harlem Globetrotters Meet the White Shadow Q&A

Mike here. Inspired by our Harlem Globetrotters episode, I picked up the first two seasons of The White Shadow on DVD (alas, the third never made it) and watched the Globetrotters episode, titled appropriately enough "Globetrotters." It aired November 5, 1979, as the seventh episode of the second season. John Masius wrote it, and Bruce Paltrow directed.

I had Rick send me his burning questions about the episode and will try to answer them below. As you'll see, it, in fact, doesn't involve Coolidge considering dropping out to join the Trotters. (I think I confused that with episode 4, where Coolidge considers signing with an agent and ruining his chance at playing in college).

So how does Carver High get involved with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters?

The Globetrotters are in L.A. to play a series of dates at the "The Dome," which I assume isn't a real venue. They're also helping out at a United Way car wash event that Coach Reeves is managing (I think). Players from the Lakers and Rams are at other locations. Reeves wants the team to volunteer on Saturday, but they're high on themselves after winning 10 straight and give him the brush-off. However, on Friday, he sends them to the car wash where the Trotters are volunteering. All nine of the team members (minus a few scrubs) pile into Salami's junky convertible and head over, where they don't recognize the Globetrotters and give them a hard time about doing "manual labor."

After the team runs rough-shod on the school and the neighborhood and runs up the score on another team, Reeves calls Nate Branch to bring in the Globetrotters to teach the guys a little humility and raise a few bucks for the school.

Please tell me Coach Reeves considers the Trotters "good friends from way back."

Sadly, they're only professional acquaintances, but Reeves admits he always wanted to be a Globetrotter. Curly says if they need a slow white forward, they'll give him a call.

Does Coach Reeves suit up and do some stunts?

No, but Geese hops up in the stands, while wearing Goldstein's glasses, and kisses his cheek or something. It's a little unclear.

Does anyone get doused with a bucket of water?

Yes! Goldstein as the finale of a series of humiliations throughout the episode that starts with the guys throwing him in the back of Salami's open convertible as it goes through the car wash, then continues with Thorpe smashing his face into a slice of banana cream pie and Coolidge shoving him in the seats of the car.

Who fares better: The show's cast interacting with the Trotters on the court or the Trotters interacting with the show's cast on screen?

The Trotters interacting with the show's cast on the screen. They might not be natural actors, but they're having fun busting Reeves' chops and looking down on the players.

Is it wrong that I want the Globetrotters to demolish the kids?

No! They act like jerks most of the episode and get what they deserve--demolition!

Their sins during the episode include taking advantage of their "fame" and all that brings their way (girls), talking smack to adults, shirking the volunteer opportunity, considering a dine-and-dash (Coolidge and Thorpe with Goldstein as their conscience), shoplifting and causing general chaos in a sporting good store (Salami and his cousin Nick), flirting with Miss Buchanan (Thorpe), and beating up a guy in the bathroom (Salami, but that guy had it coming after hogging a stall to smoke and stepping on Thorpe's contact lens).

Which is more realistic, this episode or the average episode of Super Globetrotters?

Well, Sweet Lou Dunbar doesn't pull anything out of his afro, so I'll have to go with Super Globetrotters.

Does anyone learn a lesson, and if so, what is it?

Yes! The team. They learn humility and the difference between winning and being winners and sportsmanship, and Reeves throws a bunch of platitudes at them. 

Also, they miss out on comps to the Globetrotters game because they ditched volunteering.

Bonus feature: fun items from the commentary by Kevin Hooks (Thorpe), Byron Stewart (Coolidge), Erik Kilpatrick (Jackson), Ira Angustain (Gomez).

• Much of the cast had basketball experience, including Hooks and Stewart, who both played in high school. Others, who go unnamed, didn't.
• Much like the Globetrotters, the Carver High guys played against the same players every week, who'd wear different uniforms to represent different teams.
• The production used a special ramp for scenes where Ken Howard had to dunk.
• Hooks thinks "Globetrotters" was their first episode to crack the top 10 and says their level of fame changed after that.
• A lot of love for Bruce Paltrow and the opportunities he gave people.
• Hooks and Stewart say Meadowlark was there, but he wasn't.
• Angustain left the show with Paltrow's blessing to play Freddie Prinze in Can You Hear Me Laugh? The Story of Freddie Prinze.
• Russell Philip Robinson, the infamous team manager, tried to get into every shot regardless of how it affected continuity. Stewart tried to get out of master shots because he knew getting in one would mean staying on set all day.

A Globetrotter memento

My wonderful wife Laurie got this for me as a surprise to celebrate this week's Harlem Globetrotters episodes:

As you can see, the set is dated 1992. I don't remember this at all, but I love having this card, one of 90 in the collection. Love that play on the front. It's just like they drew it up, I'm sure!

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-11: The Harlem Globetrotters

*We hope you enjoy our discussion of the Harlem Globetrotters as not just TV stars, but as phenomena of popular culture.

*The official Globetrotters website is right here.

*The book I refer to is Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters by Ben green. I am intrigued by but have not read 2024's Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports by Mark and Matthew Jacob.

*The Harlem Magicians started in 1953 and featured Globetrotter Marques Haynes, who had left that team after issues with Saperstein.

*Meadowlark Lemon starred on several Globetrotter-like barnstorming squads, like the Shooting Stars.

*1970's The Harlem Globetrotters aired on CBS for 22 episodes and had multiple rerun stints.1979's Super Globetrotters was an NBC cartoon. The Popcorn Machine aired in 1974 on CBS.

*Rodney Allen Rippy starred in a series of Jack in the Box TV ads in 1973 and became a short-lived but substantial phenomenon.

*The Impossibles is a series of cartoons produced by Hanna Barbera for CBS in 1966. They were paired with Frankenstein Jr. on Saturday mornings.

*The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island premiered May 15, 1981 on NBC, followed by TV's Censored Bloopers.

*The Trotters' appearance on The Love Boat is from the show's seventh season, an episode titled "Aunt Emma, I Love You/Hoopla/The First Romance." It premiered January 21, 1984 on ABC.

*Gold Key produced some Globetrotter comic books in the Seventies, and Milton Bradley released a board game in 1971.

*Please enjoy our epic video playlist for this episode with promos, intros, commercials, and more! The list contains Six Decades of Magic, a documentary hosted by Louis Gossett Jr.  about the team's history. There is footage of the team and full episodes. It's a larger list than usual, but we wanted to share with you (most of) what we looked at for 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!

Episode 13-11: The Harlem Globetrotters

Just in time for their centennial, this week, we talk about the Harlem Globetrottres. Like Doug Henning from earlier this season, the Globetrotters seemed to be all over TV in the seventies and early eighties. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to guest appearances, two cartoons and a Saturday-morning variety show, the Globetrotters brought their special brand of basketball and entertainment to audiences across the country--all while literally trotting the globe as ambassadors for the game. We take in an overview of this period and dip back into their history to celebrate the team and some of its personalities.

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #harlemglobetrotters #baskettball

 

 

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

Top Ten #389

1) Basketball: This week's encore presentation is a trip all the way back to our second episode, an examination of The White Shadow. It's not just about basketball; it's about...life. I wish this show had an official streaming outlet.

Somehow I think we may not be done with basketball this season.

2) Gimme a Break!: The 1980s sitcom, one of NBC's semi-bright spots of the early Eighties, is now on streaming, with most (maybe all?) episodes available on Roku Channel. Which theme song do you prefer? 

Hey, wait. Why must we pick one?

3) Here We Go Again: I watched the pilot of this 1973 sitcom this week, and I am sad to report it was a tough watch. Larry Hagman and Diane Baker are newlyweds who find themselves living near and interrupted by their exes, Nita Talbot and Dick Gautier. Perhaps the show found its footing after the debut, but, oof, it makes BOTNS favorite Talbot annoying--a character I dreaded seeing.

4) The Redd Foxx Show: The 1986 sitcom premiered 40 years ago tonight, and though it lasted a mere 13 episodes, it's now available on Plex. Teddy Wilson, who we love so much on That's My Mama, joins the cast of The Redd Foxx Show during its run.

By the way, Roku Channel has some episodes of Foxx's 1977 variety show of the same name. I'm not sure why it has the ones it does and not the others (some of which are on the Clown Jewels YouTube channel).

5) That's My Mama: Catchy Comedy runs a marathon of the series from 10:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST today. If you want to check out the episode we discussed earlier this season, "The Witness," tune in at 7:00 (or see it on Tubi like we did).

6) The Rockford Files: NBC ordered a pilot for a new version of the classic James Garner series, which we discuss here. You can hear our pals Steve, Dave, and Jon discuss this on their podcast this week.

7) Monte Carlo Circus Festival: Remember when the circus used to be a big part of broadcast television? Maybe it wasn't always there, but you would get a circus-themed show every now and then, you would get variety specials like this one, and for sure you would see ads touting an event coming to your area.

50 years ago tonight, a special on CBS featured Peter Graves and an assortment of acts from the festival in Monte Carlo.

8) National Granola Bar Day: Have one on us!

9) Star Search: Netflix unveils a new version of the competition series on Tuesday. Does it have Ed McMahon? No. Make of that what you will.

10) Columbo: Last but not least this week, this comic by Joe Chouinard was the best thing I read all week. It's a crossover with Frasier!

Classic TV predictions for 2026

Here are some predictions I make regarding retro television in the year ahead. I have no insider information supporting any of these; they are guesses made for fun and should not be used as the basis for wagering!

*The long-ago-announced SCTV reunion special will not appear on Netflix. The show's 50th anniversary is this year, but I think we can give up on this one.

*Two other series celebrating that milestone anniversary will make their streaming returns/debuts this year. It's time for Quincy, M.E. to show up, and Alice is long overdue to come back after a brief stint on Prime Video years ago. I'll go with Peacock for Q and Plex for Alice Hiatt.

*Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises will return to streaming: Hulu gave up on classic TV. Disney gave up on Hulu. Somehow in recent years, we went from having the big MTM shows available to having just about none of them after The Bob Newhart Show left Prime Video at the end of the year,

I know it's fashionable to dismiss anything owned by Disney as lost forever, but there is so much iconic material here that I feel it's worth the company's time to make some kind of deal. Look for Tubi to make some kind of licensing deal to bring MTM shows, including Lou Grant and White Shadow, to its service with a rollout over the next year or so. And, heck, why not throw in non-MTM (but formerly Fox-owned) MASH, too?

*Three's Company will return in better form: The series is available on Peacock and Pluto but in severely edited form. For some reason, nearly intact versions showed up on Roku Channel a while back but quickly disappeared. Look for these to return somewhere in 2026. It would be too easy for them to just replace the Peacock edits, so I don't expect that to happen! Maybe the show will return to Roku.

*Search returns to streaming: After a run on the late and lamented Warner Archive Instant years ago, Search has been neglected. With Warner licensing deep cuts like The New Dick Van Dyke Show, I think we might see this cool genre show (and Season 1 favorite!) come to somewhere like Plex, and then appear on various other platforms for on-demand streaming.

*Ellery Queen (1976) comes to Blu-Ray: With Universal willing to release older shows on BD and also to license them, I think this one might have a shot. It has not been on much in reruns nor on streaming lately, but the name has cachet with mystery fans, and it's a relatively brief run of episodes that makes it a manageable property for someone like Kino to put out on disc.

Encore: The White Shadow

In our second episode ever, we talked about CBS MTM high scool basketball drama The White Shadow, and we share it again for no particular reason. In "The Death of me Yet?" (Season 2, episode 22) the Carver High basketball team tries to win the city championships while grieving the loss of one of their own and worrying whether Coach Reeves will leave Carver for a job at a fancy college. Also, What We'd Like to See!

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #thewhiteshadow #basketball

 

Check out this episode!

Power Rankings: Characters who I want to see on "The Amazing Spider-Man" CBS series

Mike and I enjoy the short-lived CBS live-action Amazing Spider-Man series, and I think I can speak for him in confirming we both wish there were more episodes. The show is fun and does a good job of capturing some of the essence of the classic comic books--not all, but some.

For example. there are many interesting characters who liven up the source material but are missing from the series. Here is a list of 10 I would like to see in those CBS episodes. Keep in mind that this ranking is based on how these comic book characters would fare against each other on a neutral field in Rutland, Vermont.

1) The Incredible Hulk: This is the great crossover that never was in the BOTNS era: CBS stars Hulk and Spider-Man appearing together, preferably on a Friday night. If it's true the network feared becoming a "superhero channel," then this was never going to happen, but it's easy to imagine a reality in which they gave Spidey a legitimate second season and both heroes had successful series.

The real crossover I'd like to see might be Bill Bixby and Nicholas Hammond. I think Hammond's relatively subdued Peter Parker would make an interesting match for Bixby's David Banner.

2) Joe "Robbie" Robertson: Hilly Hicks plays the character in the pilot movie, but it's not enough. I can see why he's not there: The show compresses the entire Daily Bugle newspaper to 3 people, and one of them (Chip Fields as Rita) serves as the "voice of reason" as it is and the intermediary with J. Jonah Jameson. Of course there is also the fact that Jameson is not at all the hothead he is in the comics. Still, Robbie is a great character, and it feels like a missed opportunity to leave him out.

2) (tie) Ben Urich: Again, the Bugle of the show is run by 2 or 3 people at any given time, but I would love to see a hard-boiled newsman working with Peter on some of these cases. The public was still in the post-Watergate glow of celebrating investigative journalism, and Urich could provide some explorations of that territory. Unfortunately, the show often makes Parker photographer and reporter, which leaves less room for a Urich type.

4) Gwen Stacy: The series brings on Ellen Bry as friend/rival Julie in Season 2 and then seems unable to decide where it wants that to go. Then it ends the series by introducing an apparent different love interest played by Rosalaind Chao.

Hammond is not doing anything like the nebbishy Parker of the early comics, so why not give him a girlfriend or at least a potential one? Mary Jane would be welcome, too, but Gwen would provide more of a physical contrast to Julie while serving as more of a match for the show's energy.

5) Felicia Hardy: Black Cat's flirtations with Spider-Man always amused me, and she would inject a lot of life into the live-action TV Spider-verse. It would be relatively easy to bring the character to the screen: Find a hot actress, make a hot catsuit, have the character be a jewel thief who has chemistry with Spidey.

6) Chameleon: As great it would be to see someone like Green Goblin, I want to be realistic about the kind of villains the series can do on its budget. I never considered Chameleon an A-lister, but the disguise gimmick is a natural and was sort of touched on in a few episodes. They could recreate some of that "two Parkers" magic from the "Night of the Clones" episode!

7) Kingpin: Vincent Donofrio's performance as the character in the modern-era Marvel shows leaves an indelible impression, but I think this villain would work in 1978. All you really need is a charismatic big fella organizing some crimes. With the right casting, Kingpin could be a great asset to the CBS show.

8) Morbius: OK, a living vampire character would take a little more money and effort, but the supernatural was big in the decade, and I can see (or not see) the show using a lot of darkness and camera angles to make a moody, economical presentation of this character. The "haunted house" episode the show has steps into this territory, but it should have kicked it up a notch and gone vampire.

9) Madame Web: Let's just say that the recent screen portrayal of this character does not leave an indelible impression. A "seasoned" character actress being weird and making dramatic proclamations about the future could make for an entertaining episode. The series barely uses Aunt May, so how about a nod to the Gray Panther crowd?

10) Hypno-Hustler: No commentary needed. Just look at him and tell me you wouldn't want to see an attempt to do this on 1978 broadcast television:

YouTube Spotlight: Spider-Man for Sanger-Harris

I love this video from our Spidey playlist that accompanies this week's podcast:

Sanger-Harris was a Texas-based department store chain that was eventually absorbed by Macy's. This ad looks like it could be unauthorized. There is no trademark notice, the name "Spider-Man" is not vocalized, and, well, if it were official, wouldn't you make a bigger deal of it?

Maybe not! There was apparently a Spidey/Hulk promotional comic book distributed in Dallas newspapers to promote Sanger-Harris, so there was some kind of official relationship there. I never saw this ad before we did this podcast episode, and I'd love to know more about it.

Top Ten #388: Special "Well, it's still 2026!" Edition!

1): Spider-Man: One of our favorite fictional characters gets his spotlight on the podcast this week as we examine the 1970s CBS live-action series that, for whatever reason, has remained on the virtual sidelines even as the character has had spectacular success in the movies.

2) Clones: The series was way ahead of its time with its depiction of the ethical dilemmas of cloning, not to mention practical realities like the possibility that the process is bound to create an "evil" version of the person. Wait, no, that probably happened in many other shows. Well, anyway, we got to see a frog cloned!

3) Michael Pataki: I want to give a shout-out to the former Captain Barbara on The Amazing Spider-Man. He may have been an inessential character--the producers certainly showed they thought so by jettisoning him before the second season--but I enjoy Pataki's performance and the dynamic he shares with Nicholas Hammond's Spider-Man and Peter Parker.

4) Spider-sense: The series is inconsistent with how it handles this power, and I feel that while it's cool that it does attempt it, it's a missed opportunity to create a distinctive presentation for a super power that you can depict on screen without blowing the budget.

5) Grant Tinker: The former producer and head honcho of NBC would have turned 100 today, and if he were, I'd ask him if he gave up too soon on Jennifer Slept Here.

6) American Guild of Variety Artists Entertainer of the Year Awards: 50 years ago, The Great One hosted this special on CBS, and it sounds amazing. In addition to Gleason hosting, Edye Gorme was honored as Singer of the Year. John Denver, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Liberace, and Tony the Wonder Horse also made appearances!

According to Cathy Rudolph's biography of Paul Lynde, as cited on Wikipedia, he was honored as the funniest man of the year and then gave his award to Gleason, calling him the funniest man ever!

7) National Milk Day: It does a body good, or so we were told.

8) The Protectors: Roku Channel just added the 1972 ITC British series with Robert Vaughn to its lineup.

9) The Love Boat: John Siuntres of Word Balloon just launched a Love Boat rewatch podcast, E-Motion Sickness, which makes it at least 3 regular pods devoted to the series now, two launching in recent months. This comes after we reran our own Love Boat episode this season. Coincidence?

Yeah, probably, but I am kind of amazed that there are now two episode-by-episode Love Boat podcasts! Well, what did we expect, an Omnibus rewatch?

10) R.I.P. T.K. Carter: There is a lot of interesting material about the 1984 sitcom Just Our Luck in The Sweeps: A Year in the Life of a Television Network by Cameron Stauth and Mark Christensen.

Spidey is in BOTNS Headquarters!

On this week's pod, we mention the recent Marvel Legends action figure based on the CBS Spider-Man TV show. It was hard to find, but Laurie found it while we were shopping, and of course I had to snag it. Welcome to the collection! There is Nicholas Hammond head, but this is pretty cool, and I like the backdrop and packaging.

When DID "The Amazing Spider-Man" air?

To expand on the discussion about how CBS handled the 1977-1978 Amazing Spider-Man series: After reading references to the show being bumped all over the place, I found some details. It looks like Season 1 was actually consistent!

After the September 14, 1977 pilot movie, the show itself ran Wednesdays at 8:00 P.M. EST beginning April 5, 1978. Then things got a little off kilter. 

Season 2 premiered September 5 at 8:00 P.M. EST, and the next episode debuted the following week at the same day and time. This was against the killer ABC combo of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, by the way.

Then for some reason The Paper Chase moved into that slot, and Spidey didn't return until Saturday, November 25, once again at 8:00. The following Tuesday, CBS put Rhoda and Good Times at that hour for a couple weeks, then ran specials until December 30, when Spidey finally came back.

The show took another hiatus until Wednesday, February 7, but the week after that, the network ran Valentine's Day specials. Spidery returned February 21, but then he vanished again as CBS slotted Married: The First Year at 8:00 EST on Wednesdays.

The final episode, the two-part "The Chinese Web," aired July 6, leading off Friday night. Everything else that evening, including lead-out Dallas, was a rerun.

My conclusion is that the series had a steady time slot for its first handful of episodes in Spring 1978, but when it returned in Fall, it never had a chance to establish its second season. CBS did appear to be holding back episodes for some reason rather than attempting to build it out as a successful ongoing series.

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-10: Amazing Spider-Man

*Thank you for listening to your favorite friendly neighborhood podcast! We hope you enjoy this week's look at a series that is officially unavailable for some reason but is very available unofficially!

*Amazing Spider-Man aired on CBS 1977-1979 in a variety of time slots for a total of 13 episodes.

*We talk about Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends here and Spider-Woman here.

*29 episodes (short segments) of Spidey Super Stories aired on PBS' Electric Company from 1974-1977. A children-focused Marvel comic series of the same name ran from 1974 to 1982 for 57 issues.

*The 1982 Incredible Hulk cartoon remains unavailable for official viewing.

*The Challenge of the Super Friends is the third season of Super Friends, premiering in 1978. In it, the Legion of Doom, a collection of villains, challenges the heroes.

*The second-season theme song is credited to Dana Kaproff.

*The episode with Joanna Cameron is the two-parter "The Deadly Dust."

*We talk about Darkroom in our eighth season.

*Vince Howard was active from 1963 to 1993. He was a regular on Emergency!

*I wondered about the sporadic scheduling of this series, and tomorrow I'll post some more info on how CBS handled it!

*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!

Episode 13-10: The Amazing Spider-Man

At a time when Superman made us believe a man could fly, the Hulk rampaged across American TVs, Wonder Woman dazzled audiences, and even Doctor Strange and Captain America starred in TV movies, one of comics' greatest heroes also swung his way onto the airwaves--Spider-Man! In a short-lived, often rescheduled TV series, Nicholas Hammond starred as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and while the translation lacks in many areas, it has a certain charm. The season one episode "Night of the Clones" comes closest to capturing elements from the comics from a grumpy J. Jonah Jameson to weird science and Spidey facing off with Spidey!

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #spiderman #amazingspiderman #marvel #clones

 

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

Top Ten #387: Special 2026 Edition!

1) Home Box Office: This week on the podcast, we talked about the early days of the preeminent premium cable service of the era! It was so popular, many people actually paid for it!

2) Holiday season: And now, with some reluctance, I say farewell to the so-called holiday season. We hope everyone has a fantastic 2026! And though many of you are boxing up the decorations (I still have my tree up), remember it's never a bad time to watch A Family Circus Christmas:

3) Not Necessarily the News: If you kids think the political satire you see today is a recent thing, well, just remember, it wasn't invented in this century. It was invented by Steve Allen.

4) Dick Cavett: One of the things I miss most about HBO is that Dick Cavett is no longer "the face of the network," but it's cool that he still had high-profile documentaries with them as recently as 2020 (Ali and Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes).

5) Superman: The Motion Picture: This HBO staple aired on broadcast TV 40 years ago tonight on, of course...CBS? Hey, CBS showed it, too? I always remember watching it on ABC. This kind of shatters me, to be honest. Next you're gonna tell me The Wizard of Oz was on ABC one year.

6) The Neighbors: Boy, oh, boy, you gotta see this short-lived Regis Philbin game show in which a pair of neighbors compete to guess which of their other neighbors said the catty remarks about each other. It seems in good fun, but...really? They should have filmed the next day's mah jongg game so we could see the aftermath.

7) Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur: NBC premiered this event 50 years ago tonight. You decide! Was it:

A prestige TV movie from David Wolper dramatizing the conflict between the former president (E.G. Marshall) and the General of the Army (Henry Fonda).

A live event featuring actors portraying those two historical figures in a 10-round boxing match promoted by Bob Arum with commentary by Marv Albert, a young Sugar Ray Leonard, and Joe Garagiola.

8) Sony TV shows: If you like 1970s and 1980s Sony library shows, Roku has delivered. A lot of programs kind of rotate in and out on here, so if there's something you want to see, get to it! We're talking T.J. Hooker, What's Happenin'!!, The Rookies, and many more. One that I think may not have been there already: Silver Spoons.

9) Free Country: Gilmore Box posted an episode of this unsuccessful Rob Reiner sitcom. It's an interesting rarity (This recording was from the old HA! network).

10) R.I.P.: Melanie Watson, John Mulrooney:

YouTube Spotlight: "The Terry Fox Story" was on a lot!

On this week's HBO podcast, I note that while The Terry Fox Story was the first original HBO movie to air on the channel, Right of Way was produced first. That movie stars Jimmy Stewart and Bette Davis, and I don't know if many people remember it today. The full film is available online, but here is part 1 if you want a taste:

I had no memory of this before working on the podcast, but I did remember The Terry Fox Story. I didn't remember the movie itself so much as it being on or at least promoted all the time. This promo from our YT playlist for the episode is from 1985, a full two years after the premiere, and HBO is still running (no pun intended) the thing:

Was it really on ALL the time? No. Was it on a lot? Well, let's take a look! The YT channel and website HBO Database posted a countdown of the 50 most-aired movies on HBO in the Eighties, Here is the full video:

I love that this uses data and gives the number of screenings and the screening dates!

Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the clip yet:

The Terry Fox Story is "only" third, with 54 screenings from 1983-1987, but it ties with #2, so I am counting it as second!

The other number two, The Cannonball Run, surprises me; and number one surprise me--number two because I associate it with network TV, and number one because it's a concert movie (Hint: It stars The Cos).

Right of Way was on 44 times! I guess I just never took notice of it.

There are some other ones that make total sense. The Man from Snowy River was another HBO original, so of course they are gonna play the heck out of it. I associate Superman: The Motion Picture with ABC, but as a Warner Brothers movie, it makes sense it got heavy airplay here.

The Four Seasons? Yep, that was on all the time. I'm actually stunned that The Incredible Shrinking Woman was on only 40-some times. 9 to 5 and Finnegan Begin Again--Yes, absolutely.

Then there are the ones that surprise a bit more, mostly forgotten theatricals from the early part of the decade: Dirty Tricks? Threshold? St. Helens?

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-9: HBO

*We hope you enjoy our look at the earlier days of Home Box Office! And by the way, I miss when it was referred to as Home Box Office! Happy 2026 as well!

*Books we reference in this episode: Tinderbox by James Andrew Miller and It's Not TV by Felix Gillette and John Kobin.

*HBO went live in 1972 (November 8; New York Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks, NHL game) and is still going...for now. Showtime launched July 1, 1976.

*The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/Hazelton TV market, where HBO launched, was ranked as the 59th biggest in the most recent Nielsen list.

*Foreman-Frazier I is indeed the "Down goes Frazier!" fight. Howard Cosell made that call when George knocked out Joe in the second round.

*Here is the Mental Floss article on HBO. Item 10 mentions Ghostbusters.

*Not Necessarily the News aired 1982-1990, debuting as a special before becoming a regular series.

*Vintage HBO program guides are available on ebay, but they seem quite expensive--at least, the asking prices are high!

*"Heart Attack" by Olivia Newton-John peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

*Rollover (1981) is an Alan Pakula thriller that opened at number one but was considered a commercial and critical flop.

*Four Friends (1981) is directed by Arthur Penn and earned good reviews but didn't do well at the box office.

*Some Call Them...Freaks (1981) is remembered by many who saw it, but there isn't a lot of information about it. It's director Greg Stanton's sole IMDB credit and writer Frederick Drimmer's sole IMDB credit.

I did find this listing on the great HBO database site: HBO ran a sequel in 1982, P.T. Barnum & His Human Oddities, narrated again by Richard Kiley. Did the same team produce it? I don't know. It doesn't appear on IMDB. Here is the description from the original HBO program guide:

Special. In this sequel to “Some Call Them Freaks,” Richard Kiley hosts an account of the career of showman PT Barnum—and the wide assortment of human oddities he collected. Meet Anna Swan, the 7’5½” tall woman; the minuscule: 25” Tom Thumb; Madame Clofullia, the bearded lady, and Albert Sprague, the thinnest man.

*Click here for the 20th anniversary special that premiered on CBS.

*Please enjoy our video playlist for this episode with promos, clips, and I think just about everything we cover 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!

Episode 13-9: HBO

This week, we take a special look at the early days of Home Box Office, better known as HBO. Long before The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, and all those other shows, Home Box Office started as a gamble during the fledgling days of the cable TV industry with a smattering of movies, hockey, basketball, comedy specials, concerts, and polka competitions. As it expanded, the movies got better, boxing and Wimbledon became their go-to sports, the comedians and concerts grew bigger, and polka danced away. We follow the timeline to around 1985 and give special attention to HBO originals like Not Necessarily the News, HBO Magazine, and Yesteryear, as well as the documentary Some Call Them...Freaks.

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #hbo #homeboxoffice

 

Check out this episode!