*Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City was released by Orion in 1981 and was well reviewed but not a commercial success. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay.
*Send us your dream casts for Twelve Angry Men, but remember it has to include Jack Klugman!
*You Again? lasted two seasons on NBC but was not a hit.
*Check out our YouTube playlist to see intros of all the series discussed in this episode!
We start to ramp up for season 7 with another round of the TV Guide Game, this time from the summer of '86! When school lets out and the sun stays out longer, what better way to spend your time than in front of the tube? This game includes such luminaries Jack Klugman, John Stamos, Valerie Harper, and two "Seinfeld" dads!
Ah, to be in 1979, when the Pittsburgh sports teams ruled the world, oil was in short supply (OK, that one wasn't so good), and TV was awesome on Saturday nights! Just check out this brilliant Ernie Anderson promo (courtesy of the great Bionic Disco YT channel) for ABC's lineup on Saturday, November 3, 1979:
Imagine the hijinks when the Ropers have to move in with the Brookes!
And how about Detective School? This series lasted 13 episodes, July-November 1979, and was not well received in the fall after its summer debut.
CBS ran Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Avalanche as a movie double feature, while NBC countered with a new CHiPs and part 1 of MacArthur with Gregory Peck. So maybe this Saturday night wasn't hot stuff all over the dial (although the CHiPs episode is Hot Wheels), but that ABC lineup has a little something for everyone.
1) Spider-Woman: This old Marvel cartoon has captured the imagination of our Facebook group! Come join us and marvel at this amazing series.
2) The Doobie Brothers: The Batty-winning band keeps making headlines while it waits for news on a Hall of Fame induction. This week it surprised a crowd by bringing out former member and anti-bootlegger Michael McDonald, then announced a forthcoming tour.
3) WKRP: Celebrate Thanksgiving a little early with Patrick Sim--Gary Sandy in the beloved Turkeys Away episode on Me-TV tonight.
4) Banacek: I noticed Cozi was showing the show yesterday, and I thought, "Hey, why didn't anyone tell me Cozi was showing Banacek?" Then I investigated and discovered the next airing was in January. So I guess Cozi isn't really showing Banacek. If it starts showing Banyon, you all have permission to contact me immediately.
5) Salem's Lot: 50 years ago this weekend, CBS aired a miniseries adapting Stephen King's novel. It was directed by Tobe Hooper and starred James Mason, David Soul, and Bonnie Bedelia. Here's a promo for a condensed re-air in 1981:
6) Dwight Schultz: Happy birthday to the former A-Team star who may have done his finest work here:
7) Matt Houston: Because seeing this promo on YouTube reminded me that there just isn't enough Matt Houston in the BOTNSiverse yet. It's "murder by the SEA!"
8) Johnny Cash and Mac Davis: If it's not too early to celebrate Christmas, you can check out their respective 1980s Christmas specials on Get-TV tonight. It's never too early or late to celebrate Mac Davis.
9) Chilly Willy/Breezly and Sneezly: Why is it no one has tried to cash in on the Frozen phenomenon by putting some of my favorite polar cartoons back in reruns or on streaming?
10) Arthur Marks: R.I.P. to the longtime director of numerous TV episodes in addition to classic blaxpoloitation flicks.
1) Spider-Woman: Yeah, The Mandalorian is cool, but my favorite thing on Disney Plus may be this late 1970s cartoon. It makes no sense at all, and I love it.
2) The Twilight Zone: Out of our era unless you count the 1985 revival, but so what? I saw a Fathom Events screening of 6 classic episodes plus a documentary, and it reaffirmed what a great show it was.
3) McCloud: Been watching some of this via Cozi, and I love the fact that pretty much all the cliches you want to be true of the show are true.
4) Danny DeVito: Happy birthday to the star of Taxi and so much else. Has anyone ever called him "The tallest man never to reach 5 feet"? Should we make that a thing?
5) Jo Anne Worley: Was anyone over the age of 13 ever so enthusiastic about Kleenex?
7) Diff'rent Strokes: Speaking of Me-TV, it starts it seasonal TV celebration with Thanksgiving episodes today, including a pair of Conrad Bain and co. Isn't it funny how it's increasingly acceptable to start thinking of Christmas after Halloween, yet no one starts calling for Thanksgiving preparations right after Labot Day?
8) Days of Our Lives: I don't want to say this show is done for, but when everyone in the cast is told their contracts won't be renewed, that's not a good sign. Congrats on a heck of a run.
9) Lorne Michaels: Happy birthday to the fourth-most imitated man in the history of show business, trailing only Marlon Brando, Jimmy Cagney, and of course Barry Bostwick.
10) My Two Dads: While the world (and by world, I mean...well, let's just leave it) waits for this week's debut of the Mad About You revival, true Reisheads anticipate a reunion of this 1987 sitcom.
Here's the dilemma when you miss Ed Asner's birthday: Do you note the occasion and risk him yelling at you because you're a day late? Or do you ignore the occasion and risk him yelling at you because you ignored his birthday?
It would be an honor to be yelled at by Mr. Ed Asner, who turned 90 yesterday. We talked about Ed here as we praised Lou Grant, and of course we also got a healthy dose of Asner when we explored The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He'll be a 3-timer on the podcast if this ever comes to streaming or DVD:
