Show Notes: Episode 4-12: Barney Miller, "Werewolf"

*Barney Miller aired on ABC for 8 seasons, 1975-1982, mostly Thursday nights at 9:00 P.M.

*Werewolf is the sixth episode of the third season, premiering October 28, 1976, at 8:30 against Gemini Man (NBC) and The Waltons (CBS).

*Despite my gaffe at the beginning, this is indeed season 4, not season 5!

*The series started as an unsold pilot called The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller, which is on Shout! Factory's complete series DVD set.

*Here is a good example of Ken Levine's posts on series creator Danny Arnold that we mentioned on the show.

*For reference: Here is our episode looking at Tom Snyder (and economist Jerome Smith), and here is our early episode in which we discussed The Most Beautiful Girls in Texas (at 38:23 after our look at The White Shadow).

*James Rhodes made his first appearance in the Iron Man comics in 1979.

*Abe Vigoda passed away in 2016. Seriously.

*In real life, an outbreak of swine flu in 1976 led to a widespread immunization program that caused controversy when some blamed the vaccine for deaths and other (less drastic side effects) and argued against being immunized. The more things change...

*The famous episode we reference is season 3's Hash, which aired about two months after Werewolf.

*Fish, the ill-fated spinoff centered on Abe Vigoda's character, lasted two seasons (1977-1978) and 35 episodes. ABC pushed for the series, though Arnold didn't think it was a good idea. The season 3 Barney Miller episode Fish is sort of a backdoor pilot for the spinoff, establishing the character's home life as would be the focus of the new series. For a while, he appeared on both shows as per Arnold's wishes. The ratings for the show were never strong, but Todd Bridges writes in his memoir that ABC planned to have a third season, then axed it when Vigoda asked for a pay increase! The first season is included on the Shout! complete Barney Miller set.

*We have no evidence of Abe Vigoda playing a vampire, but he was on Dark Shadows!

*Hal Linden's FYI segments aired weekdays on ABC.

The Barney Miller playlist is now live!

Our official YouTube playlist for this week's Barney Miller episode is available for your viewing pleasure! Among the highlights: Jack Soo for sugarless gum! Bob Villa gets design inspiration from Max Gail! Abe Vigoda sings on The Mike Douglas Show! As Abe himself wonders, who could ask for anything more?

Plus you'll see vintage promos, Hal Linden in FYI, and glimpses of Dietrick and Lugar, who aren't in the episode we cover on the show. Check out the embedded playlist below or head to our official YouTube page to see this and dozens of other episode-specific video playlists!

4-12: Barney Miller "Werewolf"

The listeners voted again, and we listened again and discuss workplace sitcom Barney Miller. With half the NYPD out with swine flu, the overworked detectives of the 12th precinct have to contend with no coffee, shots, old people, and a werewolf! Plus, we work Marvel Comics superheroes and movie monsters into the conversation.


Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

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:

 

 

Our Popeye YouTube playlist is now live!

This week, the YouTube playlist takes us into the world of the funnies, with appearances by many of your favorite comic strip legends! Also watch out for appearances by: Loni Anderson! Robin Williams! Freddie Mercury! Plus lots of vintage ads and PSAs, and James Doohan participates in a comic-strip-illiterate round of Super Password.

Show Notes: Episode 4-11: Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter

*Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter aired as part of the ABC Saturday Superstar Movie series on October 7, 1972 at 9:30 A.M., likely up against The Houndcats and The Roman Holidays (NBC) and The New Scooby-Doo Movies  (CBS).

*Popeye was created by cartoonist E.C. Segar for his comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929 and soon took over the strip.

*He appeared in various cartoon series of the years, the best of which were the theatrical short subjects produced by Fleischer studios. The Famous Studios package (1940s and 1950s theatricals) and the King Features toons (1960-1962, made for TV) were the foundations of many of the syndicated 'toon packages that would run on local stations during the BOTNS era.

*This movie was produced by Al Broadax, who was behind many of the earlier Popeye shorts as well as The Beatles cartoons and 1960s King Features efforts like Beetle Bailey.

*Here is the lineup of comic strip stars with their year of first appearance in the funny papers:
--The Phantom (1936)
--Mandrake (with Lothar) (1934)
--Flash Gordon (1934)
--Steve Canyon (1947)
--Tim Tyler (1928)
--Prince Valiant (1937)
--Tiger (1965)
--Blondie and Dagwood (1930)
--Hi and Lois (1954)
--Little Iodine (1943 as star of her own strip)
--The Katzenjammer Kids (1897)
--Quincy (1970)
--Beetle Bailey and Sarge (1950)
--Maggie and Jiggs from Bringing Up Father (1913)
--The Little King (1930)
--Snuffy Smith (1934) and Barney Google (with Spark Plug) (1919)
--Henry (1932)

*Ed Sullivan's CBS show was canceled in 1971.

*Wimpy is indeed a restaurant chain specializing in burgers, but it is not an officially licensed one nor affiliated with the Popeye rights holders.

*There was a Star Trek comic strip from 1979 to 1983, and one of the writers was Buck Rogers alum Marty Pasko.

*Mandrake the Magician's archrival is The Cobra--no relation to Cobra Commander, who we discussed in a previous episode. The Phantom has often fought with the Singh (later renamed Sengh) Brotherhood and also the Sky Band.