Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Jessica Fletcher has eyes for...Dick Butkus?

In a first-season Murder, She Wrote, "Sudden Death," Jessica Fletcher, who has inherited a share of a pro football team, "accidentally" wanders into the shower area, and it sure looks like she has wandering eyes. The late great Dick Butkus happens to be on the team, known in this episode as TANK MASON!

Tank looks great, but the "defensive captain" of a pro football team at the age of 43? Impressive!

Jessica is asking about a possible theft in the locker room, but she just happens to do it when the team is in the showers, leading to a run-in with Tank Mason, who says (and, yes, I am taking this out of context), "They don't call me Tank for nothing," even as he takes haste to cover himself with his towel.

His eyes are up THERE, Jess!

OK, so when Tank says he didn't expect to see her there at that time, during the showering, she feigns modesty and runs out. We know better, though, right?

The entire cast for this episode is top notch, featuring known 70s performers like David Doyle, Jan Smithers, Tim Thomerson, then Bruce Jenner; and character actor standouts like Allen Miller, James MCeachin, and Warren Berlinger. I'm on Season 9 of a series watch, and those days of exciting loaded casts like in the early seasons are long gone.

Dick Butkus never returned to Murder, She Wrote despite the simmering tension that is so prevalent in this episode.

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Captain Stubing asks Isaac about one of the great mysteries of life

 

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Mike and Carol Brady rehearse their community theatre performance of "Deliverance"

 

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Deacon Jones meets Peter Brady

In season 2 of The Brady Bunch, music consumes the family as Bobby hammered away at the drums while Peter tried out for the glee club. The problem in The Drummer Boy (original airdate ###) is that Pete's football teammates mock him for his pursuit of singing.

Peter is not alone, though.  His coach has brought in L.A. Rams great Deacon Jones to help teach the kids, and he takes exception to the wise-ass kid's comments.

you think this guy can't play football because he sings?"

the kids says singing is for sissies--canary stuff.

Deacon stares at him and says, "I sing. Am I a sissy?" and things get really quiet for a second.

This is one of the great moments in the show's run.  In tone, it's not all that different from Bobby DeNiro's, "I have nipples, Greg. Can you milk ME?" in meet the Parents. For a split-second, though, this brady Bunch moment is even more tense.


Oh, let me tell you, I really wanted ol' Deac to give that kid a patented head slap, but instead he talks about how guys can sing and be real sportsmen.  He and Coach mention guys like Rosey Grier, Joe Namath, and Joe Frazier as examples.

The real lesson here is not that Deacon Jones can sing and still be a tough guy. No, the real lesson is that Deacon Jones can wear these pants and still be a tough guy.

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History:Spider-Man Meets Some Guy

One of the highlights of the underappreciated 1981 Spider-Man animated series is this cameo.  Check out this scene from episode 4, Curiosity Killed the Spider-Man:

Spidey ponders, "Say, where have I seen that guy before? Well...no time to worry about it now."

And to think I was excited to see Black Cat in this episode!

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: You take the good, you take the Cap...

Reb Brown has had a long career filled with cult movies, but it's possible his TV career peaked with the two CBS Captain America movies we talked about in season 4..

As we discussed, there never was (but maybe could have been?) a weekly Cap series. Reb moved on to other projects.

It is weird to stumble upon the actor in the season two opener of...The Facts of Life?

It all starts when Jo (in her maiden Facts of Life adventure) and Blair procure fake IDs to go to this fine establishment:

Guess who is checking IDs? Someone who looks an awful lot like Reb Brown:

If I didn't know any better, I'd say TV's Captain America was relegated to a minor role in a...let's just say not necessarily top-tier sitcom.

Later, when one of the only figures more iconic and inspiring than the Sentinel of Liberty himself appears--of course we're talking about Edna Garrett--look at poor Reb just sitting in the background like some scrub. I mean, he's the one who let them into the Chugalug, but he's hanging out in the corner while the proprietor gets a dose of Ednification.

Not only is this whole appearance not treated as a big deal within the show (he doesn't get an audience WHOOOOOOO! when he appears, for one thing),  but he barely gets billing, relegated to the scrolling end credits with an anonymous description instead of an actual name.

We have found a way to overlook this insult: Clearly this is not Reb Brown, actor, taking a bit part. It's CAPTAIN AMERICA going undercover at the Chugalug to expose...Commie spy ring? Hydra operation? Meatpacking fraud?

Whatever it is, it's clearly more than just checking IDs at a backwoods dive bar.

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Cliff Clavin's anticipation

Remember the joy of receiving the new TV Guide in the mail? Well, think about what a big day it was for the fine members of the U.S. Postal service. In season 7's Please Mr. Postman, Cheers' Cliff Clavin tells a trainee she had better get a good night's sleep because...

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Gary Sandy introduces a special WKRP rerun

One of the most famous sitcoms episode is the 1978 WKRP in Cincinnati Thanksgiving installment titled Turkeys Away. What fascinates me is this clip of series star Gary Sandy introducing a repeat of it in December 1980:




I don't remember many reruns getting this kind of special treatment back then. Sandy talks about the big reaction the original broadcast got, so I guess CBS figured this rebroadcast would get good numbers.

Personally I'd like to see every rerun get a special intro like this.  "Hi. I'm Grant Goodeve. When we first broadcast this episode of Eight Is Enough, we didn't anticipate the dozens of cards and letters we received talking about the Who's on First routine performed by Dick and Nicholas."

I also think it's funny that Sandy jokes about showing a Thanksgiving episode several weeks after the holiday. Hey, if they can do that, we can run this post months before the holiday. It's really this intro, though, not the episode itself, that excites me.

(As it happens, November 27 was Thanksgiving in 1980, and CBS ran a new The Waltons, while the preceding and the following Saturday each saw a new WKRP, or so I think. I am unable to confirm the airdate reported by the YouTube poster as December 13, 1980, and in fact, I saw an indication that a different episode aired that evening. )

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Nigntmare Fuel from Fred and Barney

No comment necessary.

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Dick Van Dyke owns a carnival?

He sure does! According to The New Scooby-Doo Movies, the legendary TV performer has a sideline as a carnival operator. Velma spotted him, and then Dick himself confirmed it. In fact, the guy does everything at the Barrel of Fun, including serving as ticket taker and barker:

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: AYYYYY!

Many think Happy Days declined when Fonz jumped over a shark, but I think maybe we can trace it to the ill-fated "socially relevant" turn the series suddenly took:

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Fonz Masters Bobbing for Apples

Season 2's Haunted is a fine example of early Happy Days in addition to being a fun Halloween episode. You get to see Arnold's all decked out, Richie in the classic skeleton garb...

Mr. C handing out candy to wise-acre neighborhood kids who (surprise, surprise) just happen to be played by Garry Marshall's kids...



 

But best of all is Fonzie's appearance at Ralph's annual Halloween party as The Lone Ranger with Tonto. When Ralph says, "Hey, kemosabe,"  Fonz snaps, "Hey, you watch your guttermouth, Malph!"

The gang convinces Fonz to bob for apples. After Potsie explains the rules, Fonzie just sticks his hand and grabs one. Let's take another look:

Potsie whines that he didn't follow the rules, and Richie suggests Fonz didn't do it the right way. The response: "I didn't want to get my mask wet." "Then it's a good way," Richie adds quickly.

 

 

 

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Scatman and Lawanda team up

It doesn't get much more seventies than Lawanda Page joining Scatman Carothers at the podium at a roast of Angie Dickinson:

Ok, maybe it does if you throw in a Kojak reference.

Scatman is doing some not particularly Angie-focused material about garbage collection and how rough his old 'hood was when he makes a comment about it being in worse shape than LaWanda Page, which makes her say, "Hold on, turkey!"

To his credit, Scatman invites her to come on up and tell her side of the story:

She says, "The last time I saw a face like yours, honey, a jockey was feeding it sugar." He retorts, "They could push your face in batter and make gorilla cookies." YIKES!

They exchange a few more quips until Page gets the last words: 'So long, SUCKER!"

It's truly a great moment in 1970s TV history, but don't take our word for it. Check out Jummie Walker's reaction:

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Punky Gets Old, Henry Gets Older

In season 1, Punky dreams she is elderly and alone--well, not entirely alone. After all, she is still living with Henry. This is one of the most disturbing things I've seen on television.

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Joe Frazier on "Hee Haw"

I didn't think anything could top Johnny Bench covering Jim Croce in the cornfield, but if there's one thing I know after years of watching television it's the folly of underestimating Hee Haw. In 1979, Roy Clark, Buck Owens, and the whole gang welcomed former heavyweight boxing world champ Smokin' Joe Frazier to enjoy the scenery, tell jokes, and of course play some music.

I mean, how could you have Joe Frazier and not do a number or two with him, right?

They do a few songs, but the highlight is Six Days on the Road. One thing I notice about this episode is that Joe seems to be having the time of his life. It may look incongruous to have the champ appear on this syndicated cornpone variety show, but Frazier himself is totally game and right at home.

 

Frazier didn't want to be "just" a pugilist; he actually recorded and toured with a band called Joe Frazier and the Knockouts and even made an appearance on the Jerry Lewis Telethon:

I think I prefer the performance on Hee Haw, which is a legitimately good number...though, I must admit, not really for Frazier as much as for his partners:

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Popeye says no to dope!

One of the best, and by best I mean most bizarre, aspects of  CBS' late 1970s Popeye revival, The All-New Popeye Hour, is the PSA segments. One of the worst, and by worst I mean most bizarre, aspects of same is the annoying group of Popeye's nephews. These features come together in this great segment from 1978. Note that the shady dealer doesn't seem to know the advice about never using your own product: