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!

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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.