Those of you who watch the playlist on a device and not the web, and/or those who don't see/read the video descri0ptions by the uploaders, may be puzzled why I included a clip from Fistful of Dollars this week. I mean, yes, it was one of the viewing options on August 27, 1977, but why not a trailer or a promo instead of this:
I thought it was interesting that, as per the uploader, this was extra footage for the broadcast, an extended beginning directed by Monte Hellman designed to alleviate concerns over the film's violence. Harry Dean Stanton is talking to a stand-in for Clint Eastwood!
According to Wikipedia, this was done for a 1975 TV showing, but other sources indicate it only ran before a 1977 broadcast. Here's what I think about "contextualizing" the violence in the movie with this tacked-on scene:
In that 1977 TV Guide, critic Judith Crist mentions the ABC broadcast of the movie and says it's on its third run. She calls it "the 1964 Italian-German-Spanish rip-off of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. it introduced an obviously waiting world (the film earned millions) to the immutable squint of Clint Eastwood and the flavor of the sadomasochistic blood-red sauce that soaked this spahgetti-spatzle-paella Western. Enough said,"
Yes, Kingston Confidential has but a tangential connection to this week's podcast subject--an episode of the Raymond Burr drama series happened to air the same night The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town premiered--but we're spotlighting it anyway because it is an interesting failed effort.
There is very little footage of this short-lived 1977 NBC series on YouTube. The two-hour pilot, Kingston: The Power Play, appeared in 1976 and led to the 13-episode program. Set in San Francicso, the show features Burr as an investigative journalist turned broadcast/publishing magnate R.B. Kingston, a man not content to be a media mogul. No, he solves crimes "in his spare time!"
We didn't mention it on the podcast, but also in the cast is BOTNS fave Art Hindle as young reporter Tony Marino! Pamela Hensley (another reporter) and Nancy Olson (the COO of the company) are other regulars. Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows gives it a mere *.5 out of **** and says producer David Victor was more successful with medical shows Marcus Welby and Dr. Kildare.
There's a lot of cool stuff in this week's video playlist devoted to the world of Munsters, but one that delights me in particular is this clip of Al Lewis hosting a Saturday afternoon horror movie show on TBS.
He's in classic form here, totally inhabiting the character and even wielding a shovel to "dig up the films!"
Of course, many are nostalgic for the glory days of horror hosts, and Svengoolie is perhaps the most high-profile example of those who continue the tradition today. The Eighties had some attempts to create franchises, and TBS enlisted Grandpa Al Lewis in 1987 for a show that would start at noon--well, 12:05, natch--each Saturday and showcase an old movie plus hosting segments and skits.
I remember some crossovers with the WCW wrestlers of the day and also just seeing the program promoted during the graps action I watched.
This week, we included all the spots we discussed in our YouTube playlist, so instead of highlighting one of those, we'll use this space to show a couple more public service announcements!
First up, here's the one I bet many of you thought was a lock for our podcast when you saw it was an all-PSA episode. Just because we didn't include it doesn't mean it's not one we know and love:
Next up is another PSA from the legendary Dick Van Dyke. He knew about a lot more than just fire safety!
We could do a whole pod episode on The New Show someday, but for now, if you don't know about it, it was Lorne Michaels' primetime comedy/variety show that aired midseason 1983-1984 (so January 1984), right before he returned to Saturday Night Live.
The show was a massive flop despite quality guests and a recurring cast that included fellow SCTV alum Dave Thomas, Buck Henry, and Valri Bromfield. But did it ever really have a chance? NBC stuck it on Friday nights, which CBS ruled with Dallas, and this was after a Fall lineup that included notorious bombs Manimal and Mr. Smith. So it was a tough road from the beginning.
Here's a good look back at the series. Don't expect to find it on Peacock someday, though, because according to his staffers interviewed for that piece, "It's not something Lorne wants remembered."
Welcome back to YT Spotlight, where we take a clip from our latest video playlist and showcase it in its own post. We put a lot of stuff into this week's Rockford Files tribute, and one of the intriguing promos is this hype for NBC's 1974 season:
What an odd jingle! At one point it's like, "Yeah, you never heard of this stuff, but you didn't know Sanford and Son until you actually watched it!"
As the commenters point out, this turned out to be another sorry season for the Peacock Network despite new hits like Rockford and Little House and Police Woman. However, it was still an improvement over the 73-74 campaign, and NBC even beat out ABC for second place while CBS won the season.
In our YouTube playlist this week, we dig a little deeper into the world of The Little Rascals Christmas Special, including some clips of the series' alumni in their later years. An example is this clip of George Spanky McFarland on Cheers. It's "Woody Gets an Election" from the show's 11th and final season, and it premiered April 22, 1993.
Classic Cliff! McFarland died several months after this episode aired.
We didn't put this in the playlist, but here is the full appearance of McFarland and some other grown-up Rascals on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder on November 12, 1974:
One of the clips in our Night of 100 Stars playlist features the then-mayor of New York City in his monologue as host of Saturday Night Live.
His Honor was by no means camera shy. Not only was he on SNL four times while in office, he was on plenty of talk shows, variety shows...Koch even made appearances on My Two Dads and Gimme a Break!
His catchphrase, "How'm I doin'?" and his ubiquity in the media, plus New York's prominence in the media landscape, made him a very well known public figure in the 1980s.
One of the more obscure clips in this week's Darkroom video playlist is this Ernie Anderson promo for two premiering shows on ABC:1979's Beach Patrol and Samurai!
Beach Patrol? Samurai?
First of all, why are these even IN a playlist devoted to Darkroom?
Well, it's because Michael V. Gazzo, one of the stars of the "Catnip" segment in the Darkroom episode we discuss, has a role in Beach Patrol. According to IMDB, he is "Banker."
Both these movies are failed pilots that ABC burned off on April 30, 1979. Patrol is a Spelling/Goldberg production co-starring Paul Burke, Jonathan Frakes, and Robin Strand, but the focus is apparently the "comely female cop who transfers from the narcotics division...and is assigned to a special police team patrolling California's beaches in dune buggies..." (IMDB)
Christine De Lisle is the "comely female cop." Lee Goldberg's book of unsold pilots says she is targeted for assassination after spotting a fugitive mafioso. Sadly, it appears Gazzo may not be the mafioso. Is that Banker? I do not know.
As for Samurai, check this out: It's not obvious from the promo, but the lead character is a half-American, half-Asian DA/samurai played by...James Shigeta? No, though he is in the cast. It's Joe Penny!
Goldberg calls this a "ludicrous and unintentionally funny pilot." Other interesting names involved: Dana Elcar, Norman Alden, Phillip Baker Hall. Credited co-exec producers are Danny Thomas and Fernando Lamas!
One of the clips in this week's 60 Minutes video playlist is an example of the segment that preceded Andy Rooney's commentaries on the show: "Point/Counterpoint."
When the newsmagazine debuted in 1968, it featured "Digressions," which showed a then-behind-the-camera Rooney and producer Palmer Williams ("Ipso and Facto") making wry exchanges about one of the topics on the episode. "Point/Counterpoint" replaced it in 1972 with debates between two Washington newspapermen: conservative James Kilpatrick and liberal Nicholas von Hoffman. Later, Shana Alexander sparred with Kilpatrick, and the ensuing dynamic is the source of the Dan Akroyd/Jane Curtin segments on Saturday Night Live:
The Andy Rooney commentaries in essence replaced the segment, though there was apparently some overlap. Kilpatrick himself said that 60 Minutes jefe Don Hewitt axed the bit after Alexander asked for a pay raise.
I come across these Nebraska press junket videos quite often, which proves either that someone there was diligent about preserving them and making them available or that Nebraska was the Television Capital ofn the Midwest in the 1980s. I think you know which one I prefer.
Tucker's Witch co-stars Tim Matheson and Catherine Hicks are a charming pair here promoting the series. As I noted in this week's show notes post, Matheson does an admirable job of transitioning from the awkwardness of the show they're hyping being untitled to the premise of said show. Check out Hicks' casual posture!
I also enjoy how the host asks about Shakespeare almost as if she doesn't think the bard is relevant, yet later she surprises them a bit by sharing her own theater bona fides.
One of the more intriguing videos in our video playlist for this week's Duck Tales episode is this 1989 Sunoco spot:
You know what I miss about the old days? Being able to get cool toys at gas stations. Actually, I don't remember many of the fill-up joints near me carrying sweet merch like this. I recall being able to get 18-wheelers with oil brand names on them and stuff like that, but Duck Tales toys? No way.
One of the highlights of this week's massive video playlist commemorating the 1980-81 TV season is this NBC promo, not because it attempts to position Marie Osmond as sultry, but because of the event following Marie's show:
We here are big fans of the sports entertainment TV events that popped up in the BOTNS era in the wake of Superstars and Battle of the Network Stars, and this is a new one. It doesn't seem to be readily available, but some digging reveals it premiered Tuesday, December 9, 1980 in a two-hour slot, followed by Steve Allen Comedy Hour. It must be rare; I can't even find a reference to it in Vincent Terrace's massive guide to network specials.
Let's take a look at the guest list in lieu of more footage:
On the Country side (I assume): Glen Campbell, Charley Pride (yes!), Catherine Bach (yasssssss!)
On the City side: Lou Gossett Jr., Grant Goodeve (yassssss!), Danielle Brisebois (What?)
And of course we see Larry Wilcox with slop over his head, and if that isn't enough, as Casey Kasem tells and shows us in the promo:
HOST: JACK KLUGMAN!
All right, this is now on the official MUST-SEE list! Now, young Rick might have watched A Charlie Brown Christmas at 8:00 on CBS, but Now Rick wants to save that for the holiday and watch this great event now--as in, right now.
“Country” stars like Melissa Gilbert, Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker, Charley Pride and Catherine Bach vie with such “city” slickers as Lou Gossett, Linda Evans and Charlene Tilton in trashsport events from cow milking to jump rope.
This week's Fame Game #5 bonus episode spotlights a long-time star of live action and animation. One of the clips in this week's YouTube playlist is this curio: Rudy Vallee performing Winchester Cathedral on Shebang.
Yes, the show is a good 4-5 years out of our time frame, but, come on! Casey Kasem is a 1970s and 1980s icon, and Rudy Vallee--Well, Rudy Vallee was on an episode of CHiPs.
The movie is written by Mark Medoff (adapted form his own play), who later won an Academy Award for Children of a Lesser God. I don't recognize a lot on director Milton Katselas' resume except Report to the Commissioner with Yaphet Kotto.
I tell you who I DO recognize: Hal Linden. Lee Grant. And Marjoe Gortner.
I suspect this spot is being a little selective with the names, though; higher billed are Marjoe's then wife Candy Clark, Stephanie Faracy, and Anne Ramsay (!). It looks like Audra Lindley and Pat Hingle are in the cast, too. And Peter Firth seems to be the guy who actually interacts with Marjoe in the actual movie!
Marjoe is even more wild-eyed here than he is in the dancing scene in Wildcats! Here is what IMDB has as a summary:
Marjoe Gortner plays a drug dealer whose car breaks down in a small U.S. town. In turn, the town's people become victim to his unique brand of physical and mental torture.
The movie is written by Mark Medoff (adapted form his own play), who later won an Academy Award for Children of a Lesser God. I don't recognize a lot on director Milton Katselas' resume except Report to the Commissioner with Yaphet Kotto.
I tell you who I DO recognize: Hal Linden. Lee Grant. And Marjoe Gortner.
I suspect this spot is being a little selective with the names, though; higher billed are Marjoe's then wife Candy Clark, Stephanie Faracy, and Anne Ramsay (!). It looks like Audra Lindley and Pat Hingle are in the cast, too. And Peter Firth seems to be the guy who actually interacts with Marjoe in the actual movie!
In another clip on YouTube, Marjoe's menacing Teddy tells Ryder to tie everyone up or he'll "cut off your pecker, if you have one." Looks like a must-see!
Among the most intriguing clips in this week's YouTube playlist devoted to Miami Vice are a pair of 1980s PSAs. Surprisingly, Edward James Olmos' intensity in his MADD spot is matched by...Phillies legend Michael Jack Schmidt!
The obvious route for the MADD ad would be, hey, let's let Eddie glower at the camera, but he takes a different path. He doesn't even look at the camera till halfway through, instead focusing on pictures of victims, then rubbing his eyes to show despair. He is intense but subdued, more desperate than angry, and it's an effective approach.
As for Schmidt, could this be a "Do as I say, not as I do," deal? Well, as far as I know, Schmidt only ever admitted to using amphetamines, but there was hearsay introduced in court proceedings that accused him of using some harder stuff. I mean, he WAS rich, famous, and in baseball in the late 1970s and early 1980s. You do the math.
The PSA is a great one no matter what. Schmidt's midwestern accent (Ohio counts, right?) makes him sound more sincere. The main word I would use to describe his manner, though, is incredulous. This is almost as much impact as Jason Seaver asking, "Cocaine?"
Boy, does this 1982 commercial bring back memories. We just added it to last week's In Memoriam playlist to replace a Jim Bouton video that was taken down by THE MAN. Enjoy a look back at Big League Chew.
Bouton put up much of the money for the product after two fellow Portland Mavericks associated created the concept. Big League Chew is still around today.
I was not a huge gum kid, seeing it mostly as an obstacle in the wax pack separating me from my baseball cards, but you got to love Big League Chew. In fact, you have to admire that a product so clealry patterned after something dangerous and illegal (for kids) is so successful. this tobacco imitator broke through in a way candy cigarettes never did, and this kind of marketing had a lot to do with it.
