1) Sesame Street: Gets the top spot because, out of all that--buzzword alert--content available on HBO Max, this is the closest thing to what we could consider a "vintage" television series.
2) KITT: Did you know it was Autonomous Vehicle Day? If you see one today, but it a beer.
3) Mr. Belvedere: The surviving cast reunited on Zoom for charity--yes, all of them, even Brice Beckham.
4) John Houseman: One of the original bad asses of the small screen called out T.J. Hooker in a promo we shared earlier this week. When he talks, people tremble.
5) Richard Herd: R.I.P. to the prolific non-Karl Malden who, long before he was Wilhelm on Seinfeld, starred in shows like T.J. Hooker. I hope this finally quashes that long beef with Houseman.
6) Night Court: The final episode aired this date in 1992. It's not, I would just like to point out, on HBO Max.
7) Sharon Gless: happy Birthday to Cagney! Or is ir Lacey. Damn it, I always do that. Happy birthday to the fine star of Switch!
8) Celebrity Comedy Football Classic: We mentioned this earlier this week. Hal Linden you have the juice to make this happen: We NEED a release of this program!
9) Steven Kampmann: Happy birthday to one of the forgotten alumni of Newhart, the first two seasons' Kirk, and also a writer on WKRP.
10) Matlock: Or perhaps I should say, "Maaaaaaatlooooock!" It gets a marathon on Decades this weekend.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Is this the secret origin of the Vlasic stork?
This excellent YouTube account posted another winner this week. It may be the first Vlasic pickles ad to feature its familiar-sounding stork pitchman. It appears to tell his secret origin!
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Promo Theatre: Look out, T.J. Hooker!
NBC is bringing it on Saturday night, and it ain't messing around! Buried in the middle of this collection of non-music segments from Friday Night Videos is this amazing promo for the next evening's lineup on the Peacock network. You should see a spot for Diff'rent Strokes when you hit play below:
We hear Danny Dark turn from light: Arnold WHOMPS a thief to dark: "Will triumph turn to tragedy?" One of my favorite network promo characteristics is the jarring tone shift that happens in a matter of seconds, especially in the family sitcoms! Another funny part of the spot is that the jaunty theme music is still playing while Kimberly realizes her dad was shot.
Then it's right back to lightness with whatever this Frog People business is. Even better, we get the original bad-ass himself, John Houseman, calling out T.J. Hooker from his perch on the red-hot Silver Spoons! I love Houseman's lumberjack look here. The man is clearly ready to roll up his sleeves and get down and dirty to prove that Hooker is indeed "dead meat."
I guess Cutter to Houston on CBS wasn't even worth of a mention!
We hear Danny Dark turn from light: Arnold WHOMPS a thief to dark: "Will triumph turn to tragedy?" One of my favorite network promo characteristics is the jarring tone shift that happens in a matter of seconds, especially in the family sitcoms! Another funny part of the spot is that the jaunty theme music is still playing while Kimberly realizes her dad was shot.
Then it's right back to lightness with whatever this Frog People business is. Even better, we get the original bad-ass himself, John Houseman, calling out T.J. Hooker from his perch on the red-hot Silver Spoons! I love Houseman's lumberjack look here. The man is clearly ready to roll up his sleeves and get down and dirty to prove that Hooker is indeed "dead meat."
I guess Cutter to Houston on CBS wasn't even worth of a mention!
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Shows that could be--nay, SHOULD be--on HBO MAX
I write this on the eve of AT&T's big debut of HBO MAX, a confusingly named streaming video services that promises a "curated" collection of "content" from our favorite "brands." Of course "curated" usually means, "you're not gonna get as much as you want."
In this case, I fear that the service will deliver big hits like South Park, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory but will not dive deep into the company's holdings the way the late, lamented Warner Archive Instant did. So for our fellow fans of 1970s and 1980s television, here is a list of programs that were on Warner Instant and therefore I assume could be on HBO Max. We're not talking only rarities, but a lot of this is infinitely more interesting to me than the shows that are already running multiple times a day in syndication.
1) Harry O: David Janssen's atmospheric, often-great private eye show was one of the highlights of Warner Archive Instant and is largely forgotten now.
2) The Man from Atlantis: This genre show has the advantage of being in just about every Warner Archive magazine advertisement I've ever seen!
3) Search: We already talked about it on the site many times, including of course, this episode, but it's worth mentioning again.
4) The Jimmy Stewart Show: Can't get much bigger in terms of star power than Jimmy, and since so many of his movies are controlled by other mega corporations, how about the gentle sitcom? And while you're at it, HBO Max, the Hawkins TV movies are welcome, too.
5) Flo: How many of us would relish the chance to fire up HBO max and blast that Hoyt Axton theme song?
6) The Practice: Not the legal drama, but the medical sitcom--the Junger/Witt Danny Thomas vehicle.
7) Logan's Run: Name value alone has to make it a contender.
8) Shaft: The TV movies from the 1970s would complement the theatrical movies, and they seem to make a new one every 10 years, so the "brand" is still relelvant. By the way, the fact that the original Shaft movies aren't on the lists of movies available at launch nor coming in June is a red flag for a company bragging about how much content it will have.
9) Wizards and Warriors: Well, it's not like it's going to hog bandwidth--the light fantasy/adventure series lasted 8 episodes.
10) Beyond Westworld: I don't think there's much connection to the current HBO series, but aren't you curious? This has even less episodes than Wizards and Warriors, but anything with Connie Sellecca is worth watching.
Of course it goes without saying that long-running series not streaming anywhere right now, like Medical Center, Eight Is Enough, The FBI, Night Court, and Alice should be there as well!
In this case, I fear that the service will deliver big hits like South Park, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory but will not dive deep into the company's holdings the way the late, lamented Warner Archive Instant did. So for our fellow fans of 1970s and 1980s television, here is a list of programs that were on Warner Instant and therefore I assume could be on HBO Max. We're not talking only rarities, but a lot of this is infinitely more interesting to me than the shows that are already running multiple times a day in syndication.
1) Harry O: David Janssen's atmospheric, often-great private eye show was one of the highlights of Warner Archive Instant and is largely forgotten now.
2) The Man from Atlantis: This genre show has the advantage of being in just about every Warner Archive magazine advertisement I've ever seen!
3) Search: We already talked about it on the site many times, including of course, this episode, but it's worth mentioning again.
4) The Jimmy Stewart Show: Can't get much bigger in terms of star power than Jimmy, and since so many of his movies are controlled by other mega corporations, how about the gentle sitcom? And while you're at it, HBO Max, the Hawkins TV movies are welcome, too.
5) Flo: How many of us would relish the chance to fire up HBO max and blast that Hoyt Axton theme song?
6) The Practice: Not the legal drama, but the medical sitcom--the Junger/Witt Danny Thomas vehicle.
7) Logan's Run: Name value alone has to make it a contender.
8) Shaft: The TV movies from the 1970s would complement the theatrical movies, and they seem to make a new one every 10 years, so the "brand" is still relelvant. By the way, the fact that the original Shaft movies aren't on the lists of movies available at launch nor coming in June is a red flag for a company bragging about how much content it will have.
9) Wizards and Warriors: Well, it's not like it's going to hog bandwidth--the light fantasy/adventure series lasted 8 episodes.
10) Beyond Westworld: I don't think there's much connection to the current HBO series, but aren't you curious? This has even less episodes than Wizards and Warriors, but anything with Connie Sellecca is worth watching.
Of course it goes without saying that long-running series not streaming anywhere right now, like Medical Center, Eight Is Enough, The FBI, Night Court, and Alice should be there as well!
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
"Sports" shows that can tide us over until live sports return.
The last several months, broadcast networks and sports channels filled airtime with "classic" games (often not nearly vintage enough for my tastes), and while some sports are already back--auto racing, MMA, German soccer--there is still a void. Here is a list of "pseudo sports" the TV networks could be rolling out in reruns. Make no mistake, as far as we here are concerned, "psuedo" means "awesome." Sports Illustrated once called them "trash sports," but at BOTNS, we love 'em.
1) Battle of the Network Stars: Of course! We may have drawn inspiration from this program when creating our podcast, you know. The nation was captivated by The Last Dance, so I think the logical next step is a documentary on the Gabe Kaplan/Robert Conrad controversy. In the meantime, they can show the original episodes.
2) Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes: Read more here about this series of specials, no doubt imitating our #1 choice. The events kicked off with Phyllis George against O.J. Simpson in ping pong (!) and Ed Anser vs. Lola Falana in a marathon (!) among many other great events. They say history is written by the victors, and maybe Battle "won," but 2020 viewers will gain from seeing this series.
3) US Against the World : Here's an interesting NBC special that takes the Battle gimmick and pits the USA against the UK and "the rest of the world" in a series of events. I'm looking at the list of stars, and it's loaded--Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, Roger Daltrey, Kate Jackson...Some stars I didn't expect, like Rod Taylor and Marty Feldman. And would it surprise you to hear that Ed McMahon was a host?
Check out this Rod Taylor site for great info on this 1977 event, including this cool pic:
4) Celebrity Bowling: Maybe we can't understand the rules, but we here at BOTNS love us some celebrity bowling. This show is perfect for these troubled times--low stakes, low impact, and low cost. Some might even use the term "low rent," and we say...is that a bad thing?
5) Rock N Roll Sports Classic: ABC followed its own success with this made-for-TV event starring the likes of The Jacksons, Rod Stewart (who was also in US Against the World), and of course the biggest star of all at the time, Leif Garrett. What could be more ROCK AND ROLL than competing in goofy events on network television?
You'd better believe two things: 1) Rod is kicking soccer balls during this event and 2) BOTNS icon Ed McMahon is a host. make that THREE things, actually, because another BOTNS icon, Alex Karras, is the OTHER host! Here is a closer look at the 1978 event.
6) The Superstars: OK, we had to get to "real" athletes at some point. didn't we? After a two-hour event in 1973, ABC turned the IMG production into a recurring series until the mid 1980s, when NBC picked it up. World-class athletes from team and individual sports competed in a variety of events to determine a champion, and for a while, Renaldo Nehemiah was dominant!
7) ABC Celebrity Comedy Football Classic: I know just enough about this to know I want to see it--I really, really want to see it--but not enough to rank it higher.
8) Celebrity Billiards: This California-based Minnesota Fats series just makes eligibility for our list by virtue of making it to 1971. VCI Entertainment released a few episodes on DVD years ago, but since then I don;t think anyone has done anything with this. Fats versus a celebrity in billiards + trick shots = the format. That's it. That's enough for me!
9) Sports Challenge: Granted, this is sports trivia, but you get to see accomplished athletes competing, with classic clips sprinkled throughout. All this and Dick Enberg in snazzy sportcoats! ESPN Classic showed these years ago, so they are in the vaults.
10) Celebrity Tennis: I have never seen any of this syndicated weekly mid-1970s program, but I am sure at least one Van Patten is involved. More importantly, the producers of Celebrity Bowling are involved, so we know the show is legit. Jed Allan even hosted this one, too. Apparently celebrities formed doubles teams and played each other for prizes for the audience, much like the bowling show.
1) Battle of the Network Stars: Of course! We may have drawn inspiration from this program when creating our podcast, you know. The nation was captivated by The Last Dance, so I think the logical next step is a documentary on the Gabe Kaplan/Robert Conrad controversy. In the meantime, they can show the original episodes.
2) Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes: Read more here about this series of specials, no doubt imitating our #1 choice. The events kicked off with Phyllis George against O.J. Simpson in ping pong (!) and Ed Anser vs. Lola Falana in a marathon (!) among many other great events. They say history is written by the victors, and maybe Battle "won," but 2020 viewers will gain from seeing this series.
3) US Against the World : Here's an interesting NBC special that takes the Battle gimmick and pits the USA against the UK and "the rest of the world" in a series of events. I'm looking at the list of stars, and it's loaded--Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, Roger Daltrey, Kate Jackson...Some stars I didn't expect, like Rod Taylor and Marty Feldman. And would it surprise you to hear that Ed McMahon was a host?
Check out this Rod Taylor site for great info on this 1977 event, including this cool pic:
4) Celebrity Bowling: Maybe we can't understand the rules, but we here at BOTNS love us some celebrity bowling. This show is perfect for these troubled times--low stakes, low impact, and low cost. Some might even use the term "low rent," and we say...is that a bad thing?
5) Rock N Roll Sports Classic: ABC followed its own success with this made-for-TV event starring the likes of The Jacksons, Rod Stewart (who was also in US Against the World), and of course the biggest star of all at the time, Leif Garrett. What could be more ROCK AND ROLL than competing in goofy events on network television?
You'd better believe two things: 1) Rod is kicking soccer balls during this event and 2) BOTNS icon Ed McMahon is a host. make that THREE things, actually, because another BOTNS icon, Alex Karras, is the OTHER host! Here is a closer look at the 1978 event.
6) The Superstars: OK, we had to get to "real" athletes at some point. didn't we? After a two-hour event in 1973, ABC turned the IMG production into a recurring series until the mid 1980s, when NBC picked it up. World-class athletes from team and individual sports competed in a variety of events to determine a champion, and for a while, Renaldo Nehemiah was dominant!
7) ABC Celebrity Comedy Football Classic: I know just enough about this to know I want to see it--I really, really want to see it--but not enough to rank it higher.
8) Celebrity Billiards: This California-based Minnesota Fats series just makes eligibility for our list by virtue of making it to 1971. VCI Entertainment released a few episodes on DVD years ago, but since then I don;t think anyone has done anything with this. Fats versus a celebrity in billiards + trick shots = the format. That's it. That's enough for me!
9) Sports Challenge: Granted, this is sports trivia, but you get to see accomplished athletes competing, with classic clips sprinkled throughout. All this and Dick Enberg in snazzy sportcoats! ESPN Classic showed these years ago, so they are in the vaults.
10) Celebrity Tennis: I have never seen any of this syndicated weekly mid-1970s program, but I am sure at least one Van Patten is involved. More importantly, the producers of Celebrity Bowling are involved, so we know the show is legit. Jed Allan even hosted this one, too. Apparently celebrities formed doubles teams and played each other for prizes for the audience, much like the bowling show.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Happy Memorial Day!
BOTNS salutes all of those who sacrificed their lives in defense of the USA, and we hope all of our listeners everywhere have a safe and healthy day!
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Top Ten #69
1) Justice League: Snyder cut? BAH! If HBO Max really wants to reward/gain subscribers, it will give us a remastered version of the 1997 pilot. But since that is outside our time frame, here's a look at the Super Friends, who are also more compelling:
2) Fred Willard: As beloved as he became in later years through appearances in the Christopher Guest movies and--well, wow, what wasn't he in--perhaps his best work was as the clueless sidekick Jerry Hubbard on Fernwood 2Night.
(BTW, shout-out as well to the late Phyllis George, who we talked about earlier this week.)
3) Brothers: On National Brother's Day, let's recall one of the forgotten long-running series of the 1980s, Brothers, which aired on Showtime--OK, now I can see why it was forgotten--in the second half of the decade. The main "hook" was that it featured an openly gay character, but the sitcom ran for 115 episodes!
4) Henry Winkler: Props to the star for sharing a glimpse of Fonzie's jacket on The Tonight Show Friday night, but, uh...didn't I already see that in person at the Smithsonian? Did Henry Winkler steal the Fonz's jacket from the Smithsonian?
5) The Powers of Matthew Star: Speaking of Happy Days, the series returns to Me-TV in June, but the big story is that this 1982 NBC series will be on the channel as well! granted, it's only Sundays at 6:00 in the morning, but it's one hour they won't be showing Andy Griffith!
6) The Dean Martin Show: On this day in 1974, NBC aired the last episode of Dino's variety show. You think they might have had a drink or two to celebrate?
7) Gary Burghoff: Happy birthday to the star of AfterMASH!
8) Head of the Class: Warner Archive is bringing out the first season on DVD next month. Still no word on What a Country!
9) T.J. Hooker: Decades has a marathon this weekend. But wait. Is a certain crusty acting veteran coming after Hooker? More on this in a Promo Theatre post later this week!
10) St. Elsewhere: Just because! We just talked about the series, but here's a syndication promo that was just uploaded. It doesn't really strike me as a 4:00 P.M. show, though:
2) Fred Willard: As beloved as he became in later years through appearances in the Christopher Guest movies and--well, wow, what wasn't he in--perhaps his best work was as the clueless sidekick Jerry Hubbard on Fernwood 2Night.
(BTW, shout-out as well to the late Phyllis George, who we talked about earlier this week.)
3) Brothers: On National Brother's Day, let's recall one of the forgotten long-running series of the 1980s, Brothers, which aired on Showtime--OK, now I can see why it was forgotten--in the second half of the decade. The main "hook" was that it featured an openly gay character, but the sitcom ran for 115 episodes!
4) Henry Winkler: Props to the star for sharing a glimpse of Fonzie's jacket on The Tonight Show Friday night, but, uh...didn't I already see that in person at the Smithsonian? Did Henry Winkler steal the Fonz's jacket from the Smithsonian?
5) The Powers of Matthew Star: Speaking of Happy Days, the series returns to Me-TV in June, but the big story is that this 1982 NBC series will be on the channel as well! granted, it's only Sundays at 6:00 in the morning, but it's one hour they won't be showing Andy Griffith!
6) The Dean Martin Show: On this day in 1974, NBC aired the last episode of Dino's variety show. You think they might have had a drink or two to celebrate?
7) Gary Burghoff: Happy birthday to the star of AfterMASH!
8) Head of the Class: Warner Archive is bringing out the first season on DVD next month. Still no word on What a Country!
9) T.J. Hooker: Decades has a marathon this weekend. But wait. Is a certain crusty acting veteran coming after Hooker? More on this in a Promo Theatre post later this week!
10) St. Elsewhere: Just because! We just talked about the series, but here's a syndication promo that was just uploaded. It doesn't really strike me as a 4:00 P.M. show, though:
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