Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-14: The Partridge Family

*Thank you for listening to this week's episode, in which we discuss The Partridge Family!

*The Partridge Family aired 4 seasons on ABC from 1970-1974, running a total of 96 episodes. The Brady Bunch was on ABC 5 seasons, 1969-1974. Both series aired their final episodes in March 1974.

*Danny is drafted into the U.S. Army in the series' fourth episode, "See Here, Private Partridge."

*The Partridge Family Album (a book) by Joey Green was published in 1994. David Cassidy wrote two memoirs, but the one I refer to is 1994's C'mon Get Happy...Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. Shirley Jones' Shirley Jones: A Memoir appeared in 2013.

*The Cowsills started performing in 1965. Mike mentions the 2011 documentary Family Band.

*Norman Farrell is played by Jean-Michel Michenaud, who earned an Emmy nomination for producing All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special.

*"Star Quality" premiered Friday, December 18, 1970 at 8:30 PM.

*Here is our look at The Brady Bunch.

*William Schallert played Retired Man in Legends of the Superheroes.

*Howard Cosell and Bert Convy guest in the Marineland episode, Season 2's "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?"

*Partridge Family 2200 A.D. is a 1974 Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna Barbera. Somehow we don't mention it on the pod!

*Please enjoy this episode's video playlist, with promos, intros, commercials, and more! There's a lot of music in this one! 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! Get happy!

Episode 13-14: The Partridge Family

In the early 1970s, a fictional family became a fictional band, which became a real phenomenon. For a while the Partridge Family ruled the hearts and minds of teeny boppers across the country with a mix of music and laidback family comedy, and David Cassidy became a worldwide sensation. In the fictional world of the Partridges, young Danny reads an article that praises him above the others, and he decides he needs to become a "single act." Does his plan succeed? Does it make any sense? Is he ready for the big time all on his own? In the real world, does the show hold up? Are we starting to confuse ourselves? Find out on this week's Battle of the Network Shows.

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I didn't expect to see a Gary Deeb quote in a baseball book!

Last week, I finished reading David Krell's 1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era, and I enjoyed it, but it's a bit quirky. For a season in which all 4 division races were close and one (Red Sox/Yankees) ended in a memorable playoff, there is a lot of "America" in the text and not as much "Baseball" as I expected.

Krell does cover the events in MLB, even happenings like the Hall of Fame inductees as he takes a month-by-month approach. However, he also goes on tangents about Garry Marshall's ABC sitcoms, American Hot Wax, and the release of Herman Wouk's novel War and Remembrance.

At one point, Krell writes about the debut of CBS' WKRP in Cincinnati, and one of the critics he quotes is our old friend Gary Deeb from the Donahue episode of the podcast:

Under the loving care of producer (Hugh) Wilson, WKRP seems pointed toward the same literate, occasionally elegant comedy that characterizes MASH, Barney Miller, and the old MTM show. Rather than glorify stupidity and antisocial conduct, WKRP gently spoofs the human condition.

Yep, that sounds like Deeb, all right!

There is also an extensive passage on The White Shadow, which I enjoyed seeing because that series doesn't get a lot of attention. I don't know Deeb's thoughts on that one, though.

Top Ten #394: Special "Is it gonna snow again?" Edition!

1) Alfred Hitchcock Presents: We had a blast watching AHP episodes for this week's podcast. I wonder of the fame of Hitchcock himself and his legendary film output overshadows how good this series is.

2) Aaron Spelling: We gave James Edwards a shout on the pod for his career and his brief appearance in "Breakdown" on AHP, but it's also a kick to see a young Spelling in a small role. And his dad wasn't even the executive producer!

3) Suspicion: During the long run of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the filmmaker also was a producer on 1957's short-lived NBC anthology Suspicion (Of course, also the name of his 1941 classic movie). The show mixed live and filmed episodes.

4) Perry Como's Hawaiian Holiday: 50 years ago tonight, NBC gave us this special. You'll be shocked to learn that Don Ho was one of the guests.

5) Weird Al's Guide to the Grammys:  CBS ran this special 40 years ago today, and, man, I want to see it.

6) Ray Bradbury Theater: 40 years ago tonight, after its debut a year earlier, this anthology returned to HBO with a trio of stories starring Peter O'Toole, Drew Barrymore, and Jeff Goldblum. The reviewer in The New Yok Times referred to the 10-year-old Barrymore as "pouty and pudgy as ever." Ouch!

7) Fortune Dane: The series' second episode premiered this night in 1986 and was titled "Bay City." 

Wait. Bay City? Is Fortune Dane in the Rockford universe?

8) Paul Dooley: Happy 98th birthday to Dooley!

9) Yogi Bear: MeTV Toons celebrates the 65th anniversary of The Yogi Bear Show today with a Yogi-thon featuring cartoons from his various series. Did someone say that he was so popular no one bothered to watch him anymore?

10) R.I.P. Jesse Jackson: Not a TV star, per se, but here's an excuse to post this Saturday Night Live sketch. I'm trying a Dailymotion embed because NBC is annoying and so I couldn't find the sketch on YouTube, but it's "The Question Is Moot."

YouTube Spotlight: The Loretta Young Show

 Let's talk about The Loretta Young Show!

If you're here this week for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, I apologize. Here's one of my favorite clips from our video playlist this week:

Also in the playlist, though, is a look at The Loretta Young Show, one of the television programs that aired the same night as "Breakdown," the AHP episode we talk about this week on the pod.

Young and her anthology show are largely forgotten nowadays, but she was a big deal back in the day. I must admit my perception of the series' popularity may be colored by the fact that Mad used to poke fun at it. One of the notable aspects of the series was Young's glorious entrances. Each week, she made a bold entrance, twirling a fashionable gown or dress as she entered a doorway. Young's resplendent appearance summoned the glamour of her Hollywood heyday in the previous decades. 

The series began as Letter to Loretta, then dropped the framing gimmick of answering fan mail to become a straight-up anthology. Young didn't appear in all episodes but was a constant presence as the host. NBC ran the series for 8 seasons, up to 1961. I don't think this program has circulated for years, but many episodes are available online and from other sources.

Alfred Hitchcock: Man of Mystery! And games! And Funkos!

On the podcast this week, I mention a board game Laurie and I have. We have not had the chance to play it yet (It says 8 players on the box, and maybe we don't need quite so many, but the "audio cassettes" aspect is a bit inconvenient), but here is a look:

Additionally, Laurie got me a few Funkos based on Big Al's movies for Christmas: Rear Window (one of my favorites), North by Northwest (ditto), and The Birds (not one of my favorite flicks, but it's a fantastic Funko):

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 13-13: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

*Thank you for listening to this season's "retro retro" show! This week, we look at Alfred Hitchcock Presents, an anthology that aired mostly on CBS (also on NBC, though) for 7 seasons (1955-1962). Many consider the hourlong version, essentially the same show but twice as long, part of the same series, which would make the total 10 seasons (1955-1965) and 361 episodes.

*Season 4's 'Six People, No Music" is the John McGiver episode Mike mentions. The Claude Rains story I cite is Season 7's "The Door without a Key." 

*The missing episodes we discuss are available on DVD but not in the streaming packages.

*The NBC revival premiered May 5, 1985, and then the network did pair it with Amazing Stories on Sunday nights in the Fall. It only lasted one season, but USA Network picked it up in 1987. The stories were new, but the intros/outros were colorized versions of the ones Hitchcock did on the original.

*Dave Poland's Substack is here.

*Here is a look at the record album Mike mentions. The entire LP is available online:

*"Breakdown" premiered on CBS Sunday, November 13, 1955.

*We talk about Killdozer here.

*"The Glass Eye" kicks off Season 3. "You Got to Have Luck" with John Cassavetes is in the middle of the series' first season. Mike also refers to Season 4's "Design for Loving" with Norman Lloyd.

*Never Again" is in Season 1. "Bang! You're Dead" aired in Season 7. "The Crooked Road" is early in Season 4. "Shopping for Death" in Season 1 is another Ray Bradbury story.

*Before meeting a grim end late in life, Robert Stevens directed scores of AHP episodes but also the Twilight Zone pilot and an episode of Amazing Stories.

*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 13-13: Retro Retro: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

For this season's Retro Retro episode, we asked listeners to vote on one of three suspense anthologies, and they overwhelmingly selected Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The original half-hour version aired for seven seasons around the time Hitchock was also making classic films like North By Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho. Besides lending his name and likeness to the show, he starred in intro and outro segments and even directed some episodes, including the one we discuss here "Breakdown" in which a cold businessman played by the great Joseph Cotten takes a fateful drive.

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From the Game Show Vault: "Just Men" Episode 15

Speaking of game shows, as we do in this week's encore presentation on the podcast, let's talk about a recent upload by the great Game Show Vault channel: A full episode of Betty White's short-lived 1983 NBC daytime game show, Just Men!

(Not to be confused with the 1959 ITV series Four Just Men. Nobody was confused? Oh. Carry on, then!)

OK, if you haven't watched the clip yet, I urge you to check it out not because I am going to reveal the best thing about it.

I warned you. Get ready for some joy!

One of the members of the panel is the great ROBERT PINE! Yes, the inaugural Genius Award winner is one of the men who answer questions so that contestants can guess what they are like based on--Well, the game itself is a mess.

Betty White is an energetic, engaging host--no shock there--but the format doesn't do much for me. Two contestants ask a series of questions in order to determine which of the 7 men answered yes or no to a specific larger question. The idea is to generate some witty banter, but there isn't enough there to make up for what strikes me as lackluster gameplay. It feels like the game is just the slimmest excuse for the banter, but the banter is not always compelling, and the sheer number of celebrity men panelists mean there isn't enough time to have interesting discussion.

That said, there are some good moments in here, and it's fun seeing a young Jerry Seinfeld--and not getting all that much to do, either. Here he is a token comedian instead of the superstar he would later be. Pine is charming if a bit out of place. It's just that the game structure is a head scratcher, with contestants asking seemingly random questions to get the answers to questions that are all 50/50 anyway.

This game show ran a mere 13 weeks after premiering in January 1983, though White did win a Daytime Emmy for her performance as host. I can see why this didn't last, but it's fun to see an episode and enjoy the odd assortment of celebrities, like former NL Rookie of the Year Steve Sax.

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?!

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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.

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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: