Forgive me for using the Sesame Street YouTube Spotlight post to share a video from the playlist that is not from Sesame Street. We did stuff the playlist with Sesame clips, and yesterday's Power Rankings featured 10 more. Instead, then, let's take another look at this "Children's Favorites" LP ad that Mike mentions on the pod:
83 tracks sounds like a great deal! You have to love the song selection, too.
I tell you, though, the animation is almost bizarre, and this ad really puzzled me when it aired (and it aired a LOT) back in the day. The most baffling moment is the clip at--Wait! There are TWO "Children's Favorites" LP ads! I included both of them, but THIS is the one I want to focus on today. In particular, go to the 26-second mark.
What IS this song? The only time I ever heard this tune is watching this ad.
"Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy? Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy?"
Is this an actual children's favorite or some kind of psy-op?
I just looked around, and after 40 years of wondering, I know know this IS a kiddie standard. The likes of Barney the Dinosaur and Mickey Mouse covered it. I must have been deprived. After hearing the cloying (even in context) version on "Children's Favorites," I felt more depraved.
*In this week's List-o-rama, we do a countdown format, so as usual, if you want to follow along and be surprised, please look at these show notes after you listen to the podcast!
*Perhaps neglected would be a better word than forgotten, but I tried to select programs that had at least 100 episodes and some degree of commercial success yet have not been widely available in recent years.
*One program on my list, Riptide, has been picked up by Roku Channel since we recorded the episode!
*Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and QBVII (1974) both aired on ABC.
*Hotel (1983-1988, ABC) is an Aaron Spelling series based on a 1965 Arthur Hailey novel.
*Kate and Allie (1984-1989) aired mostly Monday nights on CBS. The cast featured Jane Curtin (who won several Emmys), Susan Saint James, Allison Smith, Ari Meyers, and Frederick Koehler.
*The Hogan Family (1986-1991, NBC/CBS) was discussed a bit in our Rhoda episode earlier this season. Legal battles with star Valerie Harper meant the series went from Valerie to Valerie's Family: The Hogans to The Hogan Family.
*Jake and the Fatman (1987-1992, CBS) starred William Conrad and Joe Penny as a D.A. and investigator who operated in L.A. and Hawaii during the series' run.
*Matt Houston (1982-1985, ABC) is another Aaron Spelling program.
*That's Incredible (1980-1984, ABC) often preceded Monday Night Football.
*Enjoy our Real People (1979-1984, NBC) episode here.
*Simon and Simon (1981-1989, CBS) co-starred Mary Carver as the Simons' mother.
*Riptide (1984-1986) has received several DVD releases outside the US and was on Get TV in recent years.
*Knots Landing (1979-1993, CBS) is indeed on Plex as of this writing. Falcon Crest (1981-1990, CBS)has been available in various forms and right now is also on Plex.
*Empty Nest (1988-1995, NBC) was a popular Saturday night series for years.
*Mr. Belvedere (1985-1990, ABC) is one of the few big network shows set in Pittsburgh.
*Finally, enjoy our video playlist for this episode, loaded with promos and intros of the series we mention in this episode, plus...Pernell Whitaker (It makes sense, sort of, if you listen to the podcast).
*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!
This is an attempt to launch a series based on the popular Tom Swift series of books for young readers. ABC had some success pairingThe Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries in this time slot, so it tried to match Willie Aames and Lori Loughlin. All viewers got was this single outing, though, on July 3. 1983.
The interesting supporting cast includes William Windom, Janet Du'Bois, Carmen Zapata, Lucille Benson, and George DiCenzo. It was called the premiere of a new mystery series in the press, but nothing came of it. Presumably it didn't fare well against 60 Minutes and a Voyagers! rerun. The following Sunday, ABC ran a Ripley's Believe It or Not rerun in the spot.
On one hand, we all love the image of Fell as Stanley Roper grinning at the camera. Let's try, difficult as it is, to remove that picture from our mind. If you take out the mugging Stanley from Fell's repertoire (not that I want to), is there any better combination of pitchman and product than he and Pepto?
NBC has quite a rep for PSAs. The More You Know campaign was preceded by the One to Grow On series. But I BETCHA DON'T KNOW what came before that:
I run into these far less often than I do "One to Grow On," but there is the same kind of vibe here. That's character actor James Harder with Fields in this spot. Children's Television Workshop partnered with NBC for these segments, which ran Saturday mornings.
*Xu Haifeng of China won the first gold of the Games in the 50-meter pistol event.
*Cathy Rigby emerged on the national stage in the 1968 Olympics, then was hampered by injury in the 1972 edition.
*Konstantin Chernenko was running the Soviets at the time following the death of Yuri Andropov in February 1984.
*One aspect we did not get into: The Eastern Bloc countries held "The Friendship Games" over 2.5 months and 9 countries, starting in early July and ending in early September. The Opening Ceremonies in Moscow took place weeks after the first event.
*Gymakta is a notorious 1985 movie featuring 1976 Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas. Thomas was unable to compete in 1980 due to the boycott.
*"All Night Long (All Night)" is Lionel Richie's 1983 #1 hit from his Can't Slow Down album. We don't have to tell MIKE that, of course, but the rest of you might find the info helpful.
*Somewhat surprisingly, Dunk Tank was not a sport in the 1984 Summer Games.
*I just want to say that I forgot to mention the awesomeness of Summer Games and Summer Games II for Commodore 64.
*Final medal count: USA 174, West Germany 59, Romania 53.
Gold medals: USA 83, Romania 20, West Germany 17.
Note that Romania was the one Soviet Bloc country to show up at the '84 Games, and they got a warm reception from the crowds and other athletes for doing so.
*We're doing something a little different with the playlist this week. While we do have a few extended clips of sporting events we mention on the podcast, we have mostly news clips, promos, commercials, and more, but here we also include a couple of the other big lists we reference. That way you can search for the sporting events that interest you.
First up is our own assembled playlist:
Here is a list with a lot of individual events:
Here is a list with the complete Opening and Closing Ceremonies as broadcast and more:
I am breaking precedent and highlighting a video not in this week's video playlist for 227, but one that maybe should be in there: Jackee (along with Smokey Robinson and...Rick Dees!) as her character from 227 introducing NBC Saturday toons:
I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point, there was an idea to make a Jackee cartoon. There HAD to have been a push for a Disco Duck cartoon with Dees, or as Sandra calls him, "Mr. Deeeeeees."
Don't you love how Dees and Robinson are doing that thing where they appear on the verge of laughing each time they do one of those bumpers?
I mean, it was out of control for a while there. We put this particular spot in the MASH II playlist this week:
That one actually pairs Colonel Potter and Trapper John in a truly historic moment! But there are many others, and here is a compilation:
Adding to the fun, Alan Alda was appearing in numerous Atari ads in the same general time period. Oh, to see a Gary Burghoff ad for Sega Master System.
Here is a 1987 NY Times article explaining the concept and dealmaking behind the ad campaign. Note that Alda wasn't part of the initial deal but was indeed added later as the piece indicated was possible.
Night Court creator Reinhold Weege and his Starry Night Productions produced the unsold pilot Nikki and Alexander in 1989, and you can take a look at the full episode here.Tim Matheson is a New Yorker who takes in a homeless woman from Russia. It was referred to as a "spinoff" of Night Court in TV Guide, and the TCM website makes the same reference, but I can't figure out how it is.
Irena Ferris (now Medavoy) is not playing the same character she does on Night Court--a glamorous blonde Soviet official denying Yakov a visa in "Russkie Business," which we mention on the pod! Monte Markham and Nana Visitor also appear. And shout-out to Kyle Heffner, who co-stars and, hey, appears to be the uploader! The great Robert Costanzo appears as a cop.
I can't find much more info about this pilot, but I do know that the end credits look a little familiar:
I will repeat the disclaimer I gave in yesterday's post: If you haven't seen the 1984 pilot version of the 1983 TV movie of High School USA, at least watch the beginning ASAP. A huge part of the fun is seeing who is in the cast: "Oh, they got the other guy from ___!" "This time, they took ___ from ___!"
So here it is in all its glory:
Now let me add a few comments. This version is nowhere near as effective nor fun as the first one, with the leads a significant notch below Michael J. Fox and Anthony Edwards. There is a HUGE miscalculation made in having the J.J. character pining for a teacher instead of a fellow student. Check out the scene when JJ watches Melody Anderson's Ms. Franklin from the wings. It looks like Adrian Lyne directed it.
Oh, I still think you should watch it, but then again, I think you should watch all kinds of stuff. If you enjoy the 1983 TV movie, watch this.
Here's an odd thing: Books devoted to TV pilots written by both Lee Goldberg and Vincent Terrace refer to the 1983 version as a "pilot," too. How can that be considering Fox and McKeon were already on established sitcoms at that point? Based on Nancy's mullet, it's not like the movie was shot years earlier. So I don't understand. Maybe ours is not to understand the ways of High School USA; ours is but to enjoy the ways of High School USA.
In this week's episode on Bob Hope, I told a story about my dad from his Air Force days. While, stationed overseas during the Vietnam War, he and another pilot "buzzed" a Bob Hope USO show and got a wisecrack from Bob. I couldn't remember all the details, and, alas, I can't ask my dad.
He'd always wanted to find the footage and never did. After editing the episode, I decided to do some digging. I started with a list of Bob Hope TV specials on everyone's friend Wikipedia. I then zeroed in on the Southeast Asia Christmas specials and a couple years. Since they aired in January, I could assume the performances took place the year before.
Next, I went to everyone's other friend YouTube and started scanning through 1966 special (it seemed like the best bet). I had a couple possible locations in mind, and it didn't take long to not only find one in Thailand but to find--I think--the footage.
While my dad flew the featured jet during his time in the Air Force, I wasn't sure if he had flown it overseas or only back in the States. I associate a different jet with his Vietnam time because he focused most of his looking back on that one. My uncle said he flew both jets overseas. After seeing the footage, he also confirmed this jet as a reconnaissance model of an F-4 Phantom (an RF-4). My dad flew reconnaissance (and he and both his brothers prided themselves in their airplane identification skills, so I accept this confirmation).
The timeline matches, the location matches, and the plane probably matches. Not to get all Leonard Nimoy here, but could I have found the footage? Could my dad be flying the jet seen (or the second one heard but not seen)? It's very possible, and if so, one, I wish I could have made this discovery during my dad's lifetime, but also, it means he encountered at least two of the people in the special we covered. He also once held the door for Sammy.
The video below should start at the beginning of the segment. A prop plane first flies over and calls out to Bob over a loudspeaker. Not long after, the jets buzz him. If the bookmark doesn't work, go to around the 7:30 mark. You can also find this video in our marvelous YouTube play list curated by Rick.
We're doing something a little different this week: Instead of spotlighting a video in this week's Siskel and Ebert playlist, we are presenting two distinct but connected videos. Here are two movie review shows from the same weekend in May 1985, At the Movies with Gene and Roger...
and Sneak Previews from PBS with Jeffrey Lyons and Neal Gabler:
Note that the movie selection isn't identical, but you do get to see both shows look at Rambo and Brewster's Millions. I want to let you judge for yourself, but to me you can really see the difference in connection with the viewing audience and likability. And how about Gabler criticizing Brewster's Millions because Richard Pryor "isn't Black" in it?!
After listening to this week's podcast, continue exploring the ways of The Master with our video playlist! Just click below to see commercials (Lee Van Cleef did a lot more than I realized!), network promos, fights, and more! And you better believe there will be ninjas! All this and another glimpse or two of the OG (Original Genius) himself, Robert Pine!
And remember, you can visit our official YouTube channel anytime to hear all of our previous episodes and dedicated playlists for each one!
We alluded to it on the podcast, and chatter still has it that the set of Alice wasn't always the most harmonious one. That's why one of my favorite clips from this week's playlist is this one below, one that shows the cast members having a good time and enjoying each other's company--at least as far as I can tell!
By the way, the source of this video, the LindaLavinOfficial channel, is a treasure trove of clips from the BOTNS era, and I am sure glad it's around and uploading such a wide variety of rare material.
I'm not sure why the upload doesn't note the origin of the clip--maybe to avoid the copyright police--but this is from Dinah!, and Shore would appear on the series in its fourth season. According to tv.com, this episode premiered October 4, 1978.
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!
If you want to see all of the public service announcements we discuss in this week's episode, you're in luck because they are all right here in this week's video playlist!
You'll see Dick van Dyke, Sugar Ray and the Hitman, Timer, Ed Asner, a bunch of heartwarming kids, and more! Plus get a look at Gary Coleman playing with fire, and hear McGruff singing about the dangers of drugs!
And remember, you can visit our official YouTube channel anytime to hear past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!
When we first stumbled upon this video, it was bizarre, nonsensical, and inexplicable: Ethel Merman performing a disco version of Alexander's Ragtime Band to a live and TV audience of children:
However, now that we know Ethel starred in Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, as we discuss on the podcast this week, and that this performance took place not too long before that special was in production...
Nah, sorry, it's still bizarre, nonsensical, and inexplicable. And I love every second of it!
The song was a little--I don't like to use the word "dated" on a site devoted to classic television, so let's say it was a little traditional even in 1978. Even the hearty discofication of it can't change the fact that, "the bestest band what am, oh, my honey lamb," isn't gonna sound cutting edge. I doubt it did when it was written.
Ethel gives this her all, though, and if you look hard enough, you can see, or at least imagine, genuine enthusiasm from an appreciative disco-and-ragtime-crazy cross-section of America's youth. The playlist for the podcast features her singing this on The Tonight Show, but this performance is even more amazing. What better way is there to celebrate this Independence Day weekend than to celebrate Ethel Merman's attempt to cash in on disco...by watching this again and again and again...
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."
