Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 6)

It's still fairly slow in prime time this week, with reruns dominating, but I do like this local station ad in the Thursday, July 1, 1976 listings:

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 5)

There wasn't a lot going on Wednesday, June 30, 1976, on the tube, but NBC did have a patriotic special. It didn't bother taking out an ad for it, though.

I can also tell you that on Dinah Shore's show, Jim Nabors co-hosted, and guests included Lynda Carter, George Gobel, and Minnie Pearl!

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 4)

There is a clear highlight in prime time 50 years ago on broadcast television. As America geared up for its bicentennial, NBC premiered the film 1776, itself an adaptation of the musical:

On Channel 8, right before the movie, viewers were treated to an animated Benji special (Other stations aired this syndicated program throughout the week):

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 3)

Perhaps the highlight of prime time on Monday, June 28, 1976, is this CBS rebroadcast of the Chuck Jones Yankee Doodle Cricket:

Other than that, there are some neat local station ads:

One thing that stands out to me is the afternoon here. For one thing, William Shatner is on The FBI, which was a very popular rerun in syndication at the time. Also, look at the display ad for Marcus Welby that uses the syndie title Robert Young, Family Doctor:

I get that TV shows got alternate titles for syndication when they were still in first-run, but those alternate titles were usually lame. Happy Days Again is an example. This one is worse, avoiding the character name and just saying, "Here's the show where Robert Young is a doctor."

Top Ten #412

1) Mary Tyler Moore: Mary is the cover gal of the TV Guide from 50 years ago this week that we're spotlighting this week on the site! Later today we'll have a post with a few things from the Guide on this date in 1976.

2) Killdozer: The highly entertaining Retro Rules channel from Paul Van Scott highlighted Killdozer, which we of course talked about in our ninth season.

3) Gilligan's Island: TV Is Good, a new podcast featuring two TV critics discussing TV old and new, paired Widow's Bay and Gilligan's Island recently in a discussion of cursed islands, and while the choice was amusing, I got the sense that the host who conceived it just wanted to make fun of the latter series. Hey, Mike and I didn't claim that Gilligan's was high art, but still, this just left kind of an odd taste in my mouth, unlike Mary Ann's coconut creme pies. You can judge for yourself here.

4) Movin' On:  Speaking of podcasts, TV Confidential recently featured the creator of a Seventies series that doesn't have much buzz: Trucker show Movin' On. The author of a new book about the show was also on, but I don't think she got a word in edgewise as the producer was so anxious to talk.

5) Mel Brooks: The icon turns 100 today! We talk about his When Things Were Rotten right here.

6) Martini Shot: One more podcast link for you: Rob Long's Martini Shot podcast has a great tribute to Jimmy Burrows this week, and it's notable because it give a great specific example of what Burrows could actually do on the set to improve an episode.

7) NY movies on TV 1986: 40 years ago tonight, the 3 major NYC-area independent stations each broadcast a movie, and the Times had interesting comments for each one.

Channel 5: The Champ (1931): "Creaks, wheezes, and drips now; but an emotional classic back when."
Channel 9: Birth of the Beatles (1979): "Dramatization of their early years. If you like imitations." Aren't viewers fully aware that a biopic is going to be an imitation of the real thing?
Channel 11: Victory at Entebbe (1976): "Israeli commandos raid to free hostages in Uganda. Heavy, rambling drama but good Burt (Lancaster) and Kirk (Douglas). Better version is 'Raid on Entebbe.' Wait." Ok, but this is 1986, and it's not like we can rent it from Prime Video.

8) A Woman of Substance: Britbox is airing a new adaptation of the 1979 Barbara Taylor Bradford novel. I mention this because I think I saw commercials for the 1984 version multiple times a day for a while.

9) Merv Griffin: 50 years ago today, Merv had a fascinating array of guests: Maury Wills, Fernando Lamas, The Graduates, Tom Sullivan, Marty Allen.

10) R.I.P. Clive Davis (I hear so many stories about his influence on the music biz that it's kind of like he's the Steve Allen of pop music), Ellen Weston:

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 2)

We move on to Sunday, where we see the special Mary Tyler Moore is promoting in the cover story of this 1976 issue!

Otherwise, there isn't a lot going on, though one local channel is showing Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops in the afternoon! An independent station has a retrospective of Your Show of Shows, too!

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 50 years ago today! (6/26/76 Part 1)

For the next week, we'll share some photos from TV Guide of 50 years ago. Note beloved icon Mary Tyler Moore on the cover:

We begin, as the mag does, with Saturday--specifically, Saturday, June 26, 1976. This is a Bay Area edition.

First let's take a look at a few morning shows! There isn't enough Run Joe Run out in the world, but here is a listing for the show that we discussed in our second season:

Then at 10:00, a show I knew nothing about, Westwind. It's a live-action kids series filmed in Hawaii and produced by the same company as Run Joe Run and starring Van Williams.

How about this classic match-up on Celebrity Tennis? The unofficial Canadian Celebrity Tennis Championship is on the line!

I didn't recognize this one but was intrigued by the title:

Ron Schmeck was an RV dealer turned music star with his 1975 country album Easy Livin' The American Way.

Here's a look at an unsold pilot that premiered on this day. I mentioned it in our Facebook group today:

Finally, it amuses me that the mag puts the identical listing back to back for separate channels rather than combine the channels. Why did they do that sometimes but not others? Got me!

Top Ten #411

1) Summer begins: If I write "summer solstice," I feel like something cult adjacent is going to follow and not, hey, remember when "summer replacement shows were a thing, or, hey, remember when you could "discover" a show that aired during the day because you didn't have to go to school?

2) Father's Day: Among the many amazing things Dad has done for me: Introducing me (along with my mom) to The Honeymooners. Thanks, Dad!

3) Sanford and Son: Antenna celebrates today's holiday with a marathon of this series. What father hasn't yelled, "You big dummy!" at his son with love?

4) Siskel and Ebert: Check out the lineup of movies they reviewed this weekend in 1986: American Anthem, Legal Eagles, Karate Kid II, Running Scared. Oh, yeah, it's the mid-Eighties, baby!

5) Me and Mrs. C: 40 years ago tonight, this sitcom began a summer run on NBC. From IMDB: A young Black female ex-convict becomes a boarder with elderly white Mrs. Conklin in an effort to turn her life around

Hilarity ensues! Anyone have an over/under on jokes about hiding the silverware?

6) Action Park: The Retroist podcast just released an episode about this infamous destination and mainstay of 1980s NYC commercial breaks. Every visit was an adventure, all right!

7) The Tonight Show: 40 years ago tonight, guest host Freddie Prinze Jr. welcomed the Jacksons, Jim Bishop, and Brett Somers. Carson really did take a lot of vacation.

8) Bernie Kopell: Among today's TV birthdays, Dr. Adam Bricker of The Love Boat turns 93 today!

9) Check It Out!: We've launched a new regular feature here on the site taking a look at the Eighties Don Adams sitcom. Check it out each week (or so)!

10) R.I.P. Jimmy Burrows, Ronnie Schell, Anne Scheeden, Pete Doherty, John Sanders. Tom Dreesen:

Checkin' in with Check It Out (whoa-oh) #2: Critical reception

I think before I get too deep into the land of--Hold on a second.

Ok, I looked up where Check It Out! was supposed to take place because I didn't remember. it was produced in Canada and aired on CBC, but it also aired in syndication here and on USA Network. I always assumed the grocery store at the center of the action was in California, just like most everything else on TV.

Not so! According to Wikipedia, Cobb's Grocery is in Brampton, Ontario. I don't remember anything in the series pointing to a Canadian setting, but it's been a long time. I wonder if there was ever a scene in which a customer complained at the register about the price of crackers or something and the cashier says, "Oh, but remember, these are CANADIAN dollars."

So before I get to deep into Brampton, Ontario, let me get a sampling of how the show is received, its legacy, so on and so forth.

Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows, one of my favorite books, gives the program ** out of *** and, in a brief capsule review, calls it a "simple but sometimes satisfying sitcom." That's better than I expected, really!

IMDB gives it a 5.9 out of 10. That is not good at all.

The New York Times trashes the show twice. In April 1986, Richard F. Shepard says Check It Out! is "silly without being funny at all." He adds, "The comedy deals more with jokes and gag lines, none of them very good, than with situation." Shephard says, There are standards even for inanity, which can be highly entertaining in skilled hands. Here one is left only with inanity that is placebo for entertainment."

In the Fall, tied to the show's debut on USA Network and marketing push, the paper's head TV critic talked about Check It Out! and a few other syndicated sitcoms like What a Country!.   Adams, he explains, manages a supermarket "with a staff consisting exclusively of morons and bimbos, those old standbys of television comedy a couple of decades ago." What, morons and bimbos were passe in 1986?

He continues: "This is the kind of comedy in which somebody gets to leave the room by announcing, 'I have to go to the potty.'" O'Connor closes by saying, "This is the kind of effort that makes any further talk of 'the promise of cable' seem thoroughly pointless."

What am I getting into, folks?

O'Connor stuns me by saying the "first-rate cast" of What a Country! "can make the material seem surprisingly fresh."

Top Ten #410

1) School's out for Summer: Many students around the USA are finishing up school and getting ready for an exciting summer of...I don't know what kids do these days, watching reruns on TV?

2) Little House on the Prairie: A full trailer for the new Netflix series premiered this week. I'm not sure it "feels" like the original. Not enough pestilence.

3) Marla Gibbs: Happy 95th birthday! May it be sassy and classy.

4) Lily: Here's an interesting unsold pilot: An eccentric museum curator travels the globe searching for artifacts. Lee Goldberg's Unsold Pilots book calls her a female Indiana Jones. The lead actress? Shelly Duvall! CBS aired this 40 years ago tonight. It's on YouTube!

5) Disclosure Day: Whoa, the guy who directed Duel has a movie in theaters this weekend?

6) Jigsaw John: 50 years ago, this NBC drama starring Jack Warden as a real-life LAPD detective aired its 15th and final episode.

7) John Davidson Show: Also ending its Summer run this day in 1976 was this variety program, with guests Norm Crosby and Charo. Well, at least it went out with a cuchi.

8) Strawberry Shortcake Day: It's actually celebrating the dessert, but...

9) Karl Malden: In a new Criterion Closet YouTube video, John C. Reilly gives major props to The Streets of San Francisco star.

10) R.I.P. Gene Shalit:

Checkin' in with Check It Out (whoa-oh) #1: How we got here

A while back, my tag team partner and co-conspirator Mike gifted me a TV DVD box set. The show assembled, in its entirety, on that set: The immortal Canadian sitcom Check It Out!

"Immortal" is a vast exaggeration. I think the only time I mentioned the show here on the site is a Don Adams birthday post 5 years ago. We have never come close to giving it a full episode on the podcast. It has hit multiple streaming services in recent years, but it's not like there was some Suits effect that kindled a new appreciation of the show.

(If you want to watch along, the DVD set is still in print and available, and the show is on demand for free streaming at Tubi, Plex, and Pluto among other outlets.)

So why, then, did Mike buy this set for me?

Wouldja believe--No, wait, wrong Don Adams show.

The answer is simple: Mike is awesome, and he knew I would enjoy this.

Now it is time for me to start enjoying this set. I have watched a few episodes, but we are between seasons (Season 13 Battys will come!) and have time to do some other things. So I am going to begin a journey through Check It Out!, watching every episode and checking in (Ha! I'm already on a roll) here on a regular basis.

Note that I didn't write "weekly." I am not 100% sure I will make it through this journey. The series lasted 3 seasons and 66 episodes. Will I?

Top Ten #409

1) Masters of the Universe: A new movie hits theaters this weekend based on the decades-old cartoon series we talked about here, and in case you're wondering, we think they are saving Monteeg for a sequel.

2) NBC Nightly News: David Brinkley joined John Chancellor at the main desk 40 years ago tonight as NBC returned to its old dual-anchor format. This of course led to the catchphrase that swept the nation: "John, you ignorant slut."

3) The Tony Awards: Don't quote me, but I believe one of the scheduled highlights of tonight's ceremony is the presentation of a posthumous award for Tony Roberts' performance as Julie's love interest Jack in several episodes of The Love Boat.

4) The Great Heep: This special premiered 40 years ago tonight on ABC. In it, the great C3PO and R2-D2 team up to remind everyone that Droids is still a thing on Saturday mornings!

5) Byron Allen: With CBS intent on destroying 60 Minutes, I wonder if Allen is prepping Journalists Unleashed.

6) Lorne: The new documentary premieres on Peacock this weekend because if there's one thing we need, it's another/special about Saturday Night Live. I mean, don't get me wrong; I still want to see it!

7) Steve Allen's Laugh-Back: What a title! 50 years ago tonight, this syndicated program premiered. Allen welcomed colleagues from his old shows to reminisce and show old clips from his programs--interestingly, it seems that he showed clips from his shows on all networks. All barriers fall for Steve Allen!

8) Good Times: In The New York Times on this date, an interesting article discussed the departure of John Amos from the series and how it prompted complaints that not replacing him removed one of the few positive Black father figures in prime time. "Not to mention," the story continues, "he's liable to win a Genius Award in 45 years and make letting him go look like a disaster."

9) The French Open: 40 years ago on this date, Chris Evert beat Martina Navratilova in 3 sets to win the title.

10) NBA and NHL Playoffs:

Top Ten #408

1) Summer Movies: Yes, we are all about TV here, but I always think of big blockbusters and fun summer movies this time of year, and the commercials touting them were a huge part of the viewing experience. So let's look at what was opening on Memorial Day weekend in 1986. What classic big, fun seasonal but enduring film premiered 40 years ago?

Jake Speed?

Cobra and Top Gun were still around, but, wow, even Siskel and Ebert apparently took the weekend off!

2) Eddie Murphy: Speaking of movies, Murphy gets an AFI tribute in a special premiering on Netflix today. These tributes used to be a staple of network television.

One more movie note: Clint Eastwood turns 96 today. Eastwood got an AFI Lifetime Achievement tribute THIRTY YEARS AGO!

3) Viva Valdez: Part of the wave of "ethnic" sitcoms of the Seventies, this one premiered 50 years ago but didn't last long. Sony has posted some full episodes on its YouTube channels.

4) Monday Night Baseball: 50 years ago tonight, it was an MLB showcase in primetime on national TV, and it featured the Yankees and the Red Sox. The more things change...

5) Al Capone's vault: I just listened to a great episode of the Most Notorious podcast featuring an interview with William Elliott Hazelgrove, who wrote a book about the whole spectacle of Geraldo Rivera's live broadcast in 1986. The book is pricy, but it sounds great.

6) World No Tobacco Day: So don't listen to these guys:

7) The Love Boat: A rerun of the show aired this night in 1986. What's so special about that? Well, the series finale had aired the previous Saturday! So this was the first Saturday with no new Love Boat on the Horizon since the show premiered in 1977. The world kept spinning, but arguably it was much less joyous.

8) Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: TV Confidential recently interviewed David Spencer about his book The Novelizers, and I was delighted to hear the Magoo special touted as a master class in adaptation!

9) Robert Pine?: I posted this in our Facebook group, and I post it here: Is this our Genius Emeritus Robert Pine in the Bank of America spot at the 26-minute mark?

10) R.I.P. Howard Storm, Jay Daniel, Bob Horner: We wouldn't include every 1980s Atlanta Brave on this list, but how can you not associate Horner, who died this week at 68, with SuperStation TBS? And when he went to St. Louis and faced the Braves, TBS shouted him out in the promo:

Shirley Jones didn't get along with Dick Clark?

A recent video on the "Retro Rules" YouTube channel by Paul Van Scott teased co-stars Shirley Jones hated. Turned out it was guest stars. Van Scott got the info from Jones' autobiography.

Ray Bolger, who played Shirley's father on The Partridge Family was self-centered and demanding in Jones' view. The other name really surprised me: Dick Clark, who has a limited role in the very episode Mike and I discussed this season, "Star Quality!"

Why did she not care for him? There doesn't seem to be a lot of info from Jones on it. Now, far be it from me to jeopardize a possible Batty campaign for Clark, but I feel like I should put this info out there.

Yes, WPIX was the best!

I've talked often here and on the show about my love of the independent New York TV stations I received in Pennsylvania. The king of the trip was WPIX, Channel 11, and there is an excellent YouTube account called Pix Promos and More that reminds us why:

As the channel says in the description, 1987 may have been the channel at its peak, and you can tell by promos like this. In addition to some other high-profile acquisitions and movies, the channel got Cheers reruns, and it actually hired Ted Danson to appear in original PIX-branded marketing.

The description ends with:

If anybody asks what PIX was like at the peak of their power, show them this video, and they'll get it.

Top Ten #407

1) Late Night Television: I just like the fact that it exists and don't want it to just fade away, even if I haven't been watching it for years.

2) Robert Pine: The GENIUS was on the Love Boat podcast the former cast members do each week. They talk about much more than Love Boat, but sadly, Mike and I continue to be the only people who ask Mr. Pine about Lowenbrau.

3) Charo!: ABC premiered this variety special 50 years ago tonight! Mike and I discuss this very same program right here on the podcast.

4) The John Davidson Show: Also 50 years ago tonight, NBC premiered this variety show with guests George Burns, Jimmie Walker, and Tanya Tucker. Davidson had been guest-hosting on The Tonight Show for a while, so the network must have been high on him.

5) Memorial Day/Victoria Day: I remember one year I got flak for wishing Americans a happy Memorial Day--you know the day when people open pools, have barbecues, etc. So maybe this time I will note that tomorrow is May 25, which is sort of a Canadian holiday, though it's actually celebrated the Monday before, so it was last Monday. Let's just all have a good Monday.

6) Star Wars: As a new movie finally hits screens this weekend, we celebrate the TV legacy of the franchise, which includes classics like...this PSA!

7) Life's Most Embarrassing Moments: Steve Allen hosted this ABC special on this date in 1986. He of course invented the concept of embarrassment.

8) National Brother's Day: Celebrate the right way!

9) Ali vs. Dunn: Muhammad Ali is associated with ABC, but he defended his world title against Richard Dunn live from Munich on this night in 1976 on NBC. An ad touted those appearing at ringside: Joe Garagiola, Dick Enberg, Larry Merchant, and Candice Bergen!

10) R.I.P.: Michael Keating:

You don't see this kind of promotion these days!

I love this 1980 ad for an upcoming promotion at Fulton County Stadium:

For one thing, this just doesn't feel like the more glamorous SuperStation TBS of the later Eighties. It sure doesn't feel like the "America's Team" Atlanta Braves.

More to the point, though, "Beech Nut Pouch Redemption Night!" I love that it's not just a promotion sponsored by a chewing tobacco brand, but it involves used tobacco pouches. 1980, ladies and gents!

So how did that 1976 Fall NBC schedule work?

We had a little fun here and on our Facebook group on Thursday. It was a celebration of the schedule reveal--a 1976 NBC schedule reveal. How much was there to celebrate, though?

The network used an array of last-minute changes and big events (like The Big Event!) to load up its schedule, especially early in the new season. Some of its showcase events were the MLB World Series, the network premiere of Gone with the Wind (a huge draw), and NBC: The First 50 Years.

Also in the lineup was Saturday Night Live's infamous Mardi Gras special.

The strategy gave NBC some real momentum early in the season, and it challenged surging ABC for a while, but it was unable to match the success that #1 ABC, which had the event of the year with Roots, enjoyed with its regular series.

New show Quincy would stay in the lineup for years, and Baa Baa Black Sheep made it to a second season (renamed Black Sheep Squadron), but The Gemini Man, Van Dyke and Company, and The Quest were all one and done. If you don't count The Big Event and NBC Monday Night Movie, then the only NBC series in the season-end top 25 was Little House on the Prairie.

Top Ten #406

1) The 1976 NBC Fall Schedule: I don't mean to brag, but I didn't see a lot of other websites reporting on the 1976 NBC Fall schedule reveal Thursday night. Only on BOTNS, folks!

 

2) Emmy Awards: 50 years ago tonight, Mary Tyler Moore and John Denver (He was all over the place back then) hosted the 28th installment of the show. Big winners included Rich Man, Poor Man; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; and Police Story. 

3) On the Rocks: This single-season comedy aired its final episode on this night in 1976, and it got a retrospective episode. The U.S. adaptation of Britcom Porridge never caught on, but it's nice that ABC let it go out with a highlights episode.

4) The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams: NBC aired the 1974 film on this night in 1976 and got big ratings, which led to a series premiering in February 1977.

5) Dom Deluise and Friends Part IV: Switching to 1986, this special premiered 40 years ago tonight. I am not sure, but I suspect it failed to resolve all the loose ends from Part III.

6) Playboy Bunny of the Year Pageant: ABC ran Monday Night Specials in 1976, and the one on this date was Don Adams hosting this spirited competition. You see, John Denver had another gig.

7) Sugar Ray Leonard: Happy 70th birthday to the boxing icon who made an appearance in our HBO episode this season!

8) Fun for All Ages: The Frank Santopadre podcast devoted an episode (and there's a part 2 coming!) to animated adaptations of TV shows, and they even discuss The Mini-Munsters!

9) Saturday Night Live: Eclectic list of folks on this one: Host Jimmy Breslin, Sam Kinison (billed as a featured player), Marvin Hagler (billed as a special guest), musical guest Level 42, and singer E.G. Daily.

10) R.I.P.: John Barbour, Rex Reed, Donald Gibb:

GENIUS ALERT!

The OG of the show, and I mean Original Genius, Robert Pine, is a guest on The Love Boat Podcast this week! I have not been able to listen to it yet, but I felt I should make everyone aware.

Yes, I realize it's odd that I haven't made time to listen to Robert Pine talking about The Love Boat. I have no excuse.

Announcing the 1976 NBC Fall Schedule!

It's finally here! Now you can plan your entire Fall (and well into the Winter) knowing the full schedule. We mean the 1976 NBC Fall schedule, of course! The network once again goes into the season with a third-place schedule.

Without further ado, here we go:

SUNDAY:
7:00 The Wonderful World of Disney
8:00 NBC Mystery Movie
9:30 The Big Event

MONDAY:
8:00 Little House on the Prairie
9:00 NBC Monday Night at the Movies

TUESDAY:
8:00 Baa Baa Black Sheep
9:00 Police Woman
10:00 Police Story

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 The Practice
8:30 NBC Movie of the Week
10:00 The Quest

THURSDAY:
8:00 The Gemini Man
9:00 Best Sellers (Adaptations like Captains and Kings, Once an Eagle, Seventh Avenue, The Rhinemann Exchange)
10:00 Van Dyke and Company

FRIDAY:
8:00 Sanford and Son
8:30 Chico and the Man
9:00 The Rockford Files
10:00 Serpico


SATURDAY:
8:00 Emergency
9:00 NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

Schedule release tomorrow night!

We've been anticipating it for months, and the big day is here! Tomorrow night is the release of the schedule, and we will have all of the details right here on the website--that's right, the 1976 NBC Fall schedule! At 8:00 PM Eastern, we will release the entire lineup.

You've been guessing for weeks. Are there any international shows on the schedule? Will NBC have Bob Hope open on the road? Get the answers right here tomorrow night!

Let's not kid ourselves. There are going to be leaks ahead of the official announcement. I'll be working my sources and following reports, and I will share tidbits throughout the day in our official Facebook group as I get confirmations. It's just a little way to thank our Facebook friends, but remember, the whole schedule will be right here at 8:00 Eastern tomorrow night!

RetroFan is getting a little more out there--and I like it

I am a little bit behind in my RetroFan reviews, but don't let that fool you: It's still my favorite mag, coming right into my home (Well, after a trip to the mailbox) every other month. The only reason I don't read it right away is that I like to reserve time so I can savor it. The only reason I don't then write about the issue right away is because I'm laz--Er, never mind that. Let's look at the recent issue 43.

The lead story on The Brady Bunch is not "out there," and it's a little thin, but I enjoyed it. It repackages material from older interviews with Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick. I'll take another Bunch story, though, if it helps the mag provide some of these other articles.

I was never a huge fan of Don Novello's Father Guido Sarducci character, but L. Wayne Hicks offers an interesting and enlightening overview. It feels just the right length and is a nice center sandwiched between two more mainstream subjects.

The next story is a look at Mary Tyler Moore on TV, and it breaks no new ground but distinguishes itself by going beyond The MTM Show to touch on later flops like Annie Maguire. Next up is an amusing piece on the jobs of TV dads that includes some speculation on those, like Ozzie Nelson, we're not sure about.

Then Lee Weinstein writes about Way Out, an anthology series hosted by Roald Dahl that falls way out of our BOTNS timeframe but still intrigues. I only wish this one were a bit longer!

Another lesser-known effort makes an appearance in this TV-heavy issue. RetroFan got G. Jack Urso, who has maintained an online resource for the series, to profile NBC's short-lived live-action Saturday morning show Hot Hero Sandwich. This is a real highlight of the issue, offering info you don't see anywhere else in print with the mag's usual eye-catching design and appealing illustrations.

Andy Mangels' column is usually one of my favorite segments of any given issue. Since #43 is another in his ongoing look at comic book ads promoting network Saturday morning lineups, the trend continues! You may recognize or even own many of these, but seeing them all together with context is a delight.

Continuing the TV-heavy theme, Will Murray talks about the Gene Barry 1960s series Burke's Law. I enjoy the history of the series and some of the old comments from Barry. Murray also covers the show's sudden transition to a secret agent series at the height of the spy craze.

The other two stories are not TV-centric but still deliver: Comedy group Firesign Theatre is discussed in a story that focuses on its prime as a recording act. I got a real kick out of an article on children's playing cards. It's not just "regular" cards, but Old Maid sets and other specialized games, plus character-themed cards like Marvel and Huckleberry Hound. It's a quirky subject that's well executed and brings a nice touch to a strong issue.

There's a lot of TV but a great mix of topics in RetroFan 43. The magazine is finding ways to branch out a bit while still revisiting the likes of Brady Bunch and Mary Tyler Moore.

Top Ten #405

1) Mutha's Day: Today is the day to celebrate the baddest muthas on TV!

What? Oh.

Never mind.

2) Ted Turner: I feel like we didn't talk about Turner enough in our TBS episode, but then again, how much is enough with a character like him?

3) Junior Miss 1976: 50 years ago tonight, Michael Landon hosted this ceremony. I wonder if he was thinking, "These young ladies are talented and all, but what this show really needs is an elephant."

4) Gemini Man: Sorry, Junior Misses (including a young Deborah Norville, who was one of the contestants), but you were totally upstaged that sane night when NBC unveiled the Gemini Man movie pilot. This Ben Murphy series is on our "kind of fascinates us but not enough for us to do a whole episode on it" list, I think.

After this aired, a series debuted in Fall 1976, but only 11 episodes were made, and only about half of them aired. It had a tough time slot: Thursday nights at 8:00, up against The Waltons on CBS and a combo of What's Happening!! and Barney Miller on ABC.

5) Miss Hollywood 1986: What is it about May 10? On this night 40 years ago, a pageant to crown Miss Hollywood aired. Alan Thicke and Emma Samms hosted, Jerry Seinfeld and Ben Vereen appeared, and one of the judges was Fred Berry!

The winner, Marsha Lee McClelland, won a cash prize and the promise of a future movie role. That role was apparently as "Miss Hollywood" in 1986's Party Camp. According to IMDB, she was also in Dr. T and the Women, an episode of Night Court, and an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger!

7) Pulitzer Prizes: Another week, another set of awards that snub BOTNS. We should just start our own awards.

I mean, we did, but we don't award ourselves!

8) Tony nominations: And don't even get me started on the Tony Awards! Congrats to Richard Thomas, though, for his nomination.

9) The Tonight Show: 50 years ago tonight, guest host Joan Rivers welcomed Richard Thomas (Hey, him again!), Jim Nabors, Paul Lynde, Desi Arnaz.

10) Gunsmoke: As Law & Order prepares for a 26th season, the mere 20 of Gunsmoke starts to look paltry! However, I will note that Gunsmoke ran for 20 consecutive seasons, and it still has a 90+ edge in total episodes: 

Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!

Reggie Jackson just missed "appearing" on our podcast in Season 6 when we talked about Greatest Sports Legends. Reggie hosted that interview/profile TV series for a while.

I'm still including him as an era TV star, and I have an announcement: I have purchased a new Reggie! bar and plan to try it soon. It was the Bun Bar before it was renamed in 1978 to take advantage of Jackson's awesomeness.

I can't help but think of the immortal quote by Catfish Hunter: "When you unwrap a Reggie! bar, it tells you how good it is."

Brooks on Books: "The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating 50 Years of Television Specials" by Charles Solomon

I picked up the Kindle version of this book after we did our Peanuts episode this season. Yes, I would like to have the physical book. Yes, I would have liked to have read this before we did our Peanuts episode. It's not exactly what I expected, but it's a great resource.

On the pod, Mike and I talked about the relative lack of info about specific Peanuts specials aside from a few big holiday ones. While Solomon does not provide a guide to all of the programs, he does offer interesting tidbits about many of them. I hoped for info on each of them and was disappointed that nothing was said about It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown. Yet let's talk about what the book is and not what it is not.

First of all, there is a lot of great art--animation cels, production sheets, and more. You see a lot of work from Dean Spille, and you might think, hey, his characters look kind of funny. Well, he was a vital figure in Peanuts animation, providing production design for much of the original run of specials. Even in the Kindle version, it's cool to see a lot of the vintage artwork, but I imagine it's great in the print edition.

What really gets me is the text. Solomon does have info about a sampling of particular specials, but I think it's more an afterthought; that is, he threw those in when they didn't really fit in with the main text. What he does is produce an excellent look at how the specials were made. He draws on interviews with the creators (Not just Charles M. Schulz, but producer Lee Mendelson and director Bill Melendez) and also cartoonists and others to get an array of insights.

I like that this book delves into some details of how they created the TV programs. There is discussion of the animation itself and how things had to be altered from the strip to the screen so they would look right. There is material on how the stories were adapted and developed. Voice direction is covered, too. There seems to be at least a bit about almost every big aspect of production.

Mendelson talks about how one of the reasons working on the specials was a joy was that CBS left them alone. Another interesting tidbit: It's a Nightmare, Charlie Brown, one of the specials Mike and I thought didn't work, was one of the favorites of those who worked on it, partly because of the freedom that came from not adapting a storyline from the strip.

He also addresses the unpleasantness of Charlie Brown being blamed for missing kicks in It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown despite Lucy pulling the ball away. Mike and I didn't like that, either, and Mendelson says many others didn't, to the point that in a rerun they edited out dialogue about Charlie "goofing up."

If like us you crave more info on the specials (and the early movies), check out this informative book. Solomon includes a lot of intriguing details along with the art in this one.

Top Ten #404: Special "Ran for the Roses Yesterday" Edition

1) Paul Williams: The Batty-winning hyphenate is honored at this weekend's TCM festival. I'm sure he appreciates getting something to put beside that Batty on the shelf.

Wait. I am being told he has NOT won a Batty! He was nominated 3 times for his role in Season 5's The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries: Outstanding Hair, Outstanding Guest Star, and Outstanding Song ("the Hell of It"). Wow, I can't believe he went 0 for 3. Shows you how competitive the Battys are.

2) Free Comic Book Day: A shop near you might have some leftover titles from yesterday's big event. Stop on by, grab some comics, and buy a few things if you have the resources! The one title I wanted most of all, I found: The Greatest American Hero!

3) Battlestar Galactica: I saw several stories making a big deal out of the fact that all of Battlestar Galactica was coming to Paramount Plus and Pluto for streaming. Yeah--the modern Galactica. Where's the original?

4) David Cassidy: Man Undercover: Folks, I have started watching the ill-fated series starring, you guessed it, David Cassidy, and it's not that bad. It's certainly 1970s cop show watchable from what I have seen so far.

But what were they thinking with the visuals in the opening?

5) The Incredible Hulk: Tubi added the Bixby/Ferrigno series to its streaming library on Friday!

6) Ann B. Davis turns 100: If anyone from 1970s TV would have been immortal, I would have guessed it would be Christopher George. But if anyone ELSE would have been immortal, I would have guessed, well, obviously TV's Alice Nelson. Alas, she passed away in 2014, but she would have turned 100 today.

7) National Lemonade Day: How about kicking back with a cold one right now?

8) Banjo Hackett: What a name. Do I need to say anything else?

OK, I will. 50 years ago tonight, the movie Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free premiered on NBC as a pilot for a possible series with Dandy Don Meredith in the title role. I like how he's not roaming, he's roamin'.

This Western did not go to series, but it also featured Slim Pickens, Chuck Connors, Anne Francis, and Jeff Corey.

9) Saturday Night's Main Event: 40 years ago tonight, the show, taped in Providence, Rhode Island, featured one of the most impactful angles I saw in the era: Jake 'the Snake" Roberts DDTing Ricky Steamboat on the concrete arena floor!

10) R.I.P. Mariclaire Costello:

Top Ten #403

1) The NFL Draft: It's quite a spectacle, but there wasn't much drama since the first pick was a foregone conclusion. It's kind of like if we had a Genius draft and everyone was speculating on who would go second after Robert Pine.

2) The Jackson 5ive: As a huge movie hits theaters this weekend, I feel like celebrating the original band before who knows what happened.

3) Wide World of Sports: 40 years ago tonight, the 25th anniversary special of the sports anthology program aired in prime time on ABC. Check out our podcast talking Wide World (we talk about that special) right here.

4) AFI Salute to Billy Wilder: NBC aired this special 40 years ago tonight at 9:30. I bet the great director was thrilled to be headlining an evening after Gimme a Break, The Facts of Life, and The Golden Girls.

5) National Poetry Month: It's always a good time to celebrate the Poet Laureate Emeritus, the immortal Nipsy Russell.

6) David Cassidy: This week I wrote about the pop icon's autobiography, a gripping but saddening read.

7) Carol Burnett: Happy 93rd!

8) National Pretzel Day: I kind of miss these giant Snyder's pretzels that were dry and like biting into a rock. I don't know; I just liked 'em!

9) Square Pegs: One of the most Eighties-ish of Eighties sitcoms, this series is now on Tubi, and hopefully this means more Sony stuff will show up there.

10) HBO: Another book I wrote about this week: It's Not TV, It's HBO, a fine effort that in some ways surpasses the more widely known Tinderbox.

Brooks on Books: C'mon Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus" by David Cassidy

My main reaction is sadness. I got really wrapped up in this memoir but felt really...sad after I read it. David Cassidy did not enjoy fame. He was miserable. He had deep-seated trust and insecurity issues relating to shoddy treatment by father Jack Cassidy (a real piece of work just in this narrative alone) and never recovered, succumbing to his demons and dying at 67 without ever finding contentment.

Here are some things you don't get in this book: Any mention of daughter Katie (They apparently reconciled just before his death, but in this 1994 book, she is nowhere to be found even though she was about 10 at that point). You also won't get details on The Partridge Family as a TV show. David talks a little bit about the cast members (Very little about all other than Shirley, Danny, and Susan) and the general production, but his real focus is on his musical career. The show made it all happen, but you don't get notes on specific episodes or anything like that here or info about which directors he favored. Don't come looking for anecdotes about sharing scenes with Richard Pryor, for example.

He was ambivalent at best about the series, which we discussed this season, for many years, but I don't think he is deliberate in snubbing it here. He just saw it as a job. I do believe he was genuine in embracing the series years later and appreciating the love the fans had for it. I just don't think he had all that much to say about it.

Another odd omission is his 1978 NBC series David Cassidy: Man Undercover. OK, that one didn't set the world on fire, but it's strange that the text sets up an explanation and then walks away. Cassidy writes about unretiring from acting, appearing in an acclaimed Police Story episode, and Screen Gems pondering whether or not to take a chance on him with an actual series. And then--nothing! He goes back into talking about finances and his second marriage to actress Kay Lenz. it's like someone came in and just plucked multiple paragraphs right out of the text. I haven't seen anyone else comment on this.

Here is what you do get in the book: Details about his business arrangements and the money he made and was screwed out of. You read about the insane touring schedule. You get a bit about his attempts to guide the musical direction of his career.

He seems honest about early drug use (not so revealing about later substance issues, maybe) and his romantic life. I had no idea that Meredith Baxter was the one that got away.

Some of the stuff he dives into is tremendous. There is a lot about the fan magazines, specifically those spearheaded by publisher Chuck Laufer, who had an empire based on exploitation of teen stardom. Laufer was very calculating, and Cassidy relates a conversation they had about Cassidy's inevitable decline--while Cassidy was still at his peak.

Cassidy's negative attitude about his fame is understandable and does not come off as whiny to me. He was unable to live a normal life due to the fan obsessions, and he wasn't able to enjoy the experience--not just because of the logistics, but because so much of it was out of his artistic control. He grew up as a rock and blues hippie but was molded into a pop idol, and he never felt right in the role. He does seem to have enjoyed performing, though.

The book really rushes after Cassidy leaves the show and retires from acting. He was a huge success overseas and continued to make music, but much of the rest of his life gets short shrift. There's a passing mention of his 1990 comeback hit, "Lyin' to Myself." I would have loved to read more about that. The man got MTV airplay, for crying out loud. Yet the 15 years or so before this book's publication are a blur.

On the podcast, we expressed our confusion about what happened between him and Susan Dey. Years after this book was released, it was said that Dey was irritated by the account of their relationship. However, even in the book itself--maybe it was edited later--Cassidy says he will always treasure her but has no idea why she wants nothing to do with him now. This is after he talks about a massive crush she had on him and how he had been clueless. 

He had treated her as a sister, or maybe more like a pal, telling her all about his life and exploits, never catching on about her feelings until Shirley Jones (who he really seems to admire) clued him in on it. David and Susan had an awkward encounter in which she confessed her love, he didn't feel the same but was afraid to turn her away and hurt her, and nobody ended up happy.

No one gets happy in this book except maybe the Screen Gems executives who made tons of money in the Seventies. It's a sad read. Cassidy does not get into all the details of his decline, but he seems honest enough about his issues that you don't have reason to doubt his accounts. He doesn't seem to have a ton of anger at specific individuals, though he doesn't have great feelings for Don Johnson and Elliot Mintz (!), and he even still seems to care for his dad. Overall, though, it was a rocky life up till 1994.

If you can handle the sadness and even bitterness, then you will be enthralled by his story.

(Apparently, Could It Be Forever?, another Cassidy memoir, is a "sanitized" version of this book. Despite the later publication date, it doesn't seem to be worth getting, but I am not certain of the differences.)

Brooks on Books: It's Not TV...It's HBO by Felix Gillette and John Koblin

This is a great complement to the Tinderbox oral history by James Andrew Miller, a great read that I write about here. I recommend both to anyone interested in the history of HBO. There's a lot of fascinating stuff about the prehistoric HBO days in Miler's book, and its massiveness means more detail in many places.

That said, It's Not TV might be the more enjoyable book. It is a broader view of HBO as a channel and programming source, whereas Tinderbox focuses on HBO as a business. There are other big differences, and maybe the most prominent one is the treatment of Chris Albrecht. The former HBO exec left after strangling a woman in the office, and Miller's book treads quite lightly on that incident and the corporate response (or lack thereof) to it. It's Not TV refers to it frequently, almost relishing in making sure we don't forget it when Albrecht is mentioned, and it also gives significant space and "the last word" of sorts to the victim. I will say that the oral history quotes Albrecht extensively. Just saying.

This one shares one big thing in common with the Miller book: It just isn't as fun after AT&T takes over. The whole HBO story just gets sadder at that point.

One interesting difference in approach is the creation of Nineties original sitcom Dream On. Miller focuses on the creators coming up with the idea but leaves out one of the most fascinating aspects, that Universal forced John Landis to "earn his keep" on the lot by coming up with a way to use that old library footage. This is particularly funny because It's Not TV is more from the ground up in general, while Tinderbox is focused on the suits who ran HBO and everything is usually coming top down.

I think It's Not TV is the more compelling read and the more cohesive one. It makes its points with more precision and with less effort, I feel, but I did enjoy each book. I wish each were more about the earlier days and less about the modern ones, but that's the way it is.

Promo Theatre: Automan and Masquerade on ABC

In this recently uploaded promo, Ernie Anderson tells us about the killer combo of Automan and Masquerade.

We talk about Automan right here.

After Automan, ABC is already trying to sex it up in an effort to promote the failing show. The swimsuits aren't enough. It's already time for a women's prison episode!

Produced by Glen A. Larson, Masquerade premiered in December and was gone by May. A notable cast--Rod Taylor, Greg Evigan, and Kirstie Alley--couldn't elevate the light spy series.

Top Ten #402

1) Benson finale: 40 years ago tonight, Benson and Gatling competed against each other in a race to determine the next governor, and it had an infamous (as infamous as Benson could be!) inconclusive ending.

As much as I wish this was some kind of David Chase situation in which the producers hoped to confound the audience, reports are that ABC asked for a cliffhanger and then canceled the series at the last minute.

2) Sonia Manzano: The former Maria on Sesame Street (last season's Best Show winner at the Battys) was honored this week by the Miami Film Festival.

3) Superman Day: Yesterday we celebrated the Man of Steel. I celebrated by picking up some free stuff at my local comic shop.

You know, I have said Christopher Reeve was "my" Superman back in the day, but that's not the complete story. My "comic book" Superman was that of Curt Swan, and my cartoon Superman was Danny Dark.

4) National Record Store Day: Another event yesterday was this now semiannual celebration of record stores. I popped into one myself but didn't see anything as exciting as this spectacular piece Laurie got me a few years ago:

GENIUS!

5) People Like Us: 50 years ago tonight, NBC aired this unsold pilot with Eugene Roche and Katharine Helmond. It is about a blue-collar family trying to make it. It's produced by Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe of MASH, and it also stars Grant Goodeve!

6) Clyde Kusatsu: The star of Dr. Strange appeared on the MASH Matters podcast, and I want to highlight it because I don't think Clyde Kustatsu makes the media rounds a lot!

7) Larry Holmes vs. Michael Spinks II: 40 years ago tonight, HBO aired this heavyweight championship fight live from Las Vegas. In a rematch from their 1985 bout, Spinks won a split decision to retain the IBF belt, and Holmes was not pleased with the scoring.

8) Billy Idol: Congratulations to the 80s music icon for his announced induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I hope he greeted the news with a sneer.

9) Crazy About the Movies: Marilyn Monroe: Cinemax was never just Max After Dark. It also showed original documentaries like this one that premiered 40 years ago tonight.

10) R.I.P. Sid Krofft: