Video Playlist: August 4, 1972

I thought it would be fun to put together a video playlist based on yesterday's post looking at the TV highlights of August 4, 1972. Click below to see the clips!

Included in this list are openings of short-lived series like The Partners and The Governor and J.J. You will see some of Dr. Simon Locke, AKA Police Surgeon--including, should you choose to watch it, a complete episode featuring BOTNS star Art Hindle! The David Frost clip is from a different program, but...close enough, eh?

Also included: clips from the very episodes that aired that night, such as Aretha on Room 222, Sonny and Cher on Love American Style, and, uh, Ann B. Davis on The Brady Bunch. You will also see glimpses of a few of the movies broadcast in the San Francisco area on that date.

Ending the playlist, just for fun and since yesterday was August 5, TV news interview footage of John and Yoko from August 5, 1972!

This Day in TV History: 50 years ago LAST night (August 4, 1972 Part 1)

Once again, we go back in time with the help of this vintage TV Guide from the BOTNS archives:

It's Friday, August 4, 1972 in the Bay Area (this is a San Francisco edition). Why are we looking at yesterday in history? Well, because yesterday was a podcast release day, and the Guide back then goes Saturday to Friday!

First, you're thinking, Friday night, 1972--Where's Sanford and Son? Well, we've got you covered:

What IS on tonight? Let's go to the listings:

This is a momentous night of television: Look over on the right and see the two-hour movie that launched BOTNS favorite SEARCH! 

Otherwise, it's an hour of episodic reruns with the exception of Don Adams' Partners on NBC. CBS has David Janssen in O'Hara, U.S. Treasury. The Bradys have the Sergeant Emma episode with Ann B. Davis in a rare dual role (yet not labeled as such in the listing).

On the next page:

Notice CBS' rebroadcast of Something Evil, a Steven Spielberg TV movie with Sandy Dennis. Also, ABC's The Odd Couple has the first appearance of Gloria. And, hey, Aretha Franklin on Room 222!

Next page:

At 10:00, Channel 7 once again pre-empts ABC programming (in this case, Love, American Style) with a look at the 1972 Olympians. At 10:30 CBS has a rerun of The Governor and JJ after the 90-minute movie. ABC has a golf tourney preview at 10:30. 

Look at the NBC stations (3, 4, and 8) after Search. Each one has something different. David Frost Revue is a syndicated sketch comedy series. Portrait of a Star--I can't find any more info on that one, but I assume it's another first-run syndie show. Dr. Simon Locke is a Canadian show that was syndicated in the States and ran 4 seasons and 104 episodes. Known as Police Surgeon in Canada, it has been rerun here on RTN.

Non-network fare includes a broadcast of Top Hat, the Adam West episode of Outer Limits, Them, and a showing of Our Daily Bread on PBS.

For old-school comedy, how about that lineup on Merv Griffin? And I don't know anything else about that Phil Silvers/Carry On movie at 11:00. Follow that Camel!

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 10-12: Bosom Buddies

*Below is the video playlist for this week's episode, featuring promos, commercials, talk show appearances, and more, including Holland Taylor for RC Cola! The opening to 1987 sitcom Women in Prison! Donna Dixon with Rodney Dangerfield! And Roscoe P. Coltrane's mama!

And did we mention BLOOPERS? From this very episode we discuss, no less? Well, we are now!

Remember you can always visit our official YouTube channel for past episodes and playlists for each one!

*Here are the Newhart and Family Ties BOTNS episodes we mention.

*The original theme song for Bosom Buddies was a cover by Gary Bennett  of Billy Joel's #3 hit "My Life"

*Bosom Buddies aired 37 episodes on ABC from November 1980 to June 1982 with a brief rerun stint on NBC in Summer 1984.

*"Waterballoongate" premiered Friday, December 11, 1981, after Benson. It was followed on ABC by Darkroom and Strike Force. NBC's lineup was NBC Magazine, McClain's Law, and a rerun of a Tribute to Milton Berle. CBS's dominant Friday: Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, Falcon Crest. The Berle tribute premiered in 1978, but the 1981 rebroadcast is available on YouTube.

*The Susan B. Anthony Hotel is not in fact a real residence in New York City.

*Tootsie premiered in December 1982 and became a box office smash and a critical success. Billy Wilder's classic Some Like It Hot, another big hit, was released in 1959.

*Holland Taylor was not even 40 when this episode aired! In addition to her stage work, she had a stint on daytime soap Edge of Night before landing the role of Ruth Dunbar.

*Donna Dixon and Dan Aykroyd announced their separation in April.

*The director of this episode, Joel Zwick, is 80 years old now and was directing KC Undercover in 2018. He has hundreds of sitcom episodes on his resume, including 100 Perfect Strangers, 65 Webster, and 33 Laverne and Shirley in addition to 18 Bosom Buddies.

*I can't find a henry Fonda Life Savers ad on YouTube, but you can see one here.

*The episode that ends on a somber note of reflection is Season 2's "The Way Kip and Henry Were," in which they tell their Secret Origin of  taking a job offer (with a twist) from Ruth after they graduated college.

*Gail Sheehy (1936-2020) wrote Passages, published in 1976 and a fixture on the NY Times bestseller list for 3 years according to Wikipedia. Looks like she did many variations on that theme afterwards, too.

*RHP Kip Wells played 1999-2012 in the majors and compiled a record of 69-103 with a 4.71 ERA. his real first name is Robert. Monty Kip Sopp, better known as Billy Gunn, is an AEW and WWE pro wrestler.

*Russian dancing legend Mikhail Baryshnikov defected to Canada in 1974 and was artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre when this episode aired.

Episode 10-12: Bosom Buddies

When Buffy (Tom Hanks) and Hildy (Peter Scolari) accidentally drop a water balloon on Richard Milhous Nixon's car, Kip (Tom Hanks) and Henry (Peter Scolari) get into hot water with the Secret Service, and Kip (Tom Hanks) has a mid-twenties crisis. Could "Waterballoongate" mean the end for the Bosom Buddies (Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari)? #podcast #tv #retrotv #eighties #sitcom #bosombuddies #tomhanks #peterscolari #donnadixon #telmahopkins #hollandtaylor #wendiejosperber

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

This Day in TV History: 50 years ago tonight...

What happened on this night of television 50 years ago? Well, I wasn't around and can't testify, but I can tell you what was scheduled to air (and probably did!) thanks to this edition of TV Guide from the BOTNS archives:

There isn't a lot going on in terms of event programming this Wednesday, August 2, 1972. The only display ad and the only close-up are devoted to the season debut of CFL on local channel 11 (this is a San Francisco edition). CFL is so big in the Bay Area that another station is showing it on tape delay:

What was on in prime time? Let's take a look!

In a nutshell, ABC has The Super, Corner bar, marty Feldman's Comedy Machine, Kopykats, and Olympians '72. Note that at 9:00 Channel 11 replaces network programming with the Cary grant/Audrey Hepburn movie Charade. Is that some kind of deal to avoid competing with the rerun of the CFL game it showed at 5:00?

NBC has Adam-12, Columbo, and Night Gallery. CBS offers David Steinberg, Medical Center, and Mannix.

Just before the network programs come in, at 7:00, channel 14 has something called Doin' It, and the Guide makes us flip back to Saturday for details! What in the world is going on over on 14? I'll look it up and let you know later in the week.

What interests you most on this night 50 years ago to the day?

New old shows (are there any?) for August in Streaming Video

It's another barren month for fans of 1970s and 1980s television as we look at what's new on the streamers. The good news is, not a lot has left. The bad news is, there ain't much new. Stalwarts like Tubi and Crackle have slowed down a lot this year, and do I even need to mention the lack of new offerings on the big ones? Well, I will!

Tubi is allegedly rotating out seasons of Maude and Diff'rent Strokes--I saw those series on a list of shows coming in August--but so far, I see that the episodes they had are gone, but they haven't been replaced by other ones..

These are the major services that appear to me to have zero 1970s/1980s TV additions this month:

Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Prime Video (including Freevee).

It's inexcusable that so many companies with large programming libraries are doing nothing with them, but that's the situation right now. Peacock has ALF, but I think it added that a while ago, and besides, it's the same chopped-up episodes everyone else has. Are the originals truly lost?

Smaller services coming up empty this month include: Shout! Factory, BritBox, Crackle, and I think Pluto and Roku Channel as well.

Is there any good news? Well, yes, though you have to dig to find it. Apple Plus is supplementing its new Peanuts programming by adding another batch of classic specials this month. Look for those on August 12. I am excited about those, but I am also disappointed that of the major streamers, the one that doesn't own a huge library like MGM, WB, or Paramount is the one providing something new in August.

To cheer us all up, here is something that will make us all feel better: