THE BOBBY DARIN SHOW (1973)

On this day in 1973: THE BOBBY DARIN SHOW debuted on NBC-TV.

This new variety series came in the wake of a seven-episode series that had aired the previous summer starring crooner Bobby Darin, known for hits like "Dream Lover", "Mack the Knife", and "Beyond the Sea". The show featured Darin playing various characters in skits with guest stars, including his popular Groucho Marx impersonation. He also performed duets with female guest stars, such as Nancy Sinatra, Connie Stevens, Cloris Leachman, Freda Payne, and Helen Reddy. Additionally, Darin created a character known as "The Godmother," a tough, comedic take on The Godfather.

The show also included recurring segments, such as city tributes where the cast sang and performed sketches about a specific city’s history. Geoff Edwards played multiple characters, including a comic drunk in the city tributes. A young fan-favorite, eight-year-old Charlene Wong, appeared in several episodes, singing or joking with Darin on stage. Each episode began with Darin singing an opening number, followed by a real fan letter that was delivered on a giant paperclip. Shows would conclude with a rendition of "Mack the Knife".

Sadly, Bobby Darin died later that year on December 20, 1973, at the age of 37, due to complications from a previous heart surgery. Reportedly he had failed to take antibiotics ahead of dental work and suffered a subsequent sepsis infection, damaging his artificial heart valves. 13 episodes were produced. Although released to DVD in 2014, the shows were heavily edited, with numerous songs removed due to music rights issues.

48 Hours (1988)

On this day in 1988: 48 𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙎 debuted on CBS-TV.
Created by former CBS News president Howard Stringer, this newsmagazine was inspired by CBS News documentary 48 Hours on Crack Street, airing September 1986, a since-highly criticized piece which presented Dan Rather delving into a claimed "crack crisis", contributing to a moral panic over crack cocaine.

Like that documentary, 48 Hours focused on events occurring within a 48-hour time span; but this format was eventually phased out by the early 1990s, while the title remained. Rather was the primary host of 48 Hours for its first 14 years on the air. The program moved to 'true crime' style topics in the 2000s and even started producing 'NCIS' versions of the show, reflecting the popularity of the various 𝙉𝘾𝙄𝙎 series among the aging viewers of the network.

Delta House (1979)

January 18, 1979: 𝘿𝙀𝙇𝙏𝘼 𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 debuted on ABC-TV.
While NBC was offering bizarre live-action superheroes, ABC aired 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 immediately following 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙮 at 8:30/7:30pm Central.

In the wake of the popularity of 1978 film 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚, every TV network rushed out their copycats: CBS had 𝘾𝙤-𝙀𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, NBC birthed 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨; while ABC brought back producers Marty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, as well as four members of the cast for this sitcom TV adaptation of the film that started it all. John Vernon was back as Dean Vernon Wormer; Stephen Furst as beanied sad sack Kent "Flounder" Dorfman; Bruce McGill was motorcyclist Daniel Simpson Day; and James Widdoes returned as head prankster Robert Hoover. Of course, missing was John Belushi, unavailable to return...so Josh Mostel stepped in as Bluto's younger brother "Blotto" Blutarsky. Michelle Pfeiffer also appeared in the show as "The Bombshell," and while it did not last, it gave her exposure and helped her career.

The theme song for 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 was written by Jim Steinman, with lyrics by Tony Hendra and Sean Kelly. The show's episodes featured various plots involving the Delta fraternity's pranks on the Omega House and their conflicts with Dean Wormer. The sitcom aimed to capture the spirit of the movie, but it just wasn't the same; especially having to run up against television standards and practices, as writers played the 'what will they let us leave in' game with ABC's Susan Futterman. The raunchy humor, sexual references, and foul language which made 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 what it was were thus watered down to be "family hour" friendly.
13 episodes were filmed with laughtrack added.

Legends of the Superheroes (1979)

 

January 18, 1979: 𝙇𝙀𝙂𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙐𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙊𝙀𝙎 aired on NBC-TV.

This two-part special produced by Hanna-Barbera aired on January 18 and 25, 1979, and featured characters from the DC universe in a bizarre comedy/variety show format.
Adam West and Burt Ward reprised their roles as Batman and Robin over a decade after their 60s TV series had ended, joined by comic heroes Captain Marvel (Garrett Craig), Green Lantern (Howard Murphy), Hawkman (Bill Nuckols), The Flash (Rod Haase), The Atom (Alfie Wise), Black Canary (Danuta Wesley), Huntress (Barbara Joyce), and Scarlet Cyclone (William Schallert), a character invented for these specials.

Shot on videotape with a laughtrack added, the first airing was called "The Challenge" and featured our heroes uniting to celebrate Scarlet Cyclone's birthday. The party is interrupted by the Legion of Doom (Riddler, Weather Wizard, Sinestro, Mordru, Doctor Sivana, Giganta, and Solomon Grundy), who announce they have hidden a deadly bomb in a secret location, and the heroes must follow clues to find it. Here Frank Gorshin reprises his Riddler role. The second airing was "The Roast"...an actual Dean Martin-style celebrity roast hosted by Ed McMahon, where the villains 'roast' the heroes. This includes the addition of Ghetto Man (why...) who does stand-up, and Aunt Minerva (Ruth Buzzi), Captain Marvel's enemy who is seeking a new husband.

While notable for being the first live-action appearances of all the heroes apart from Batman, Robin, and Captain Marvel, and a very early uncredited appearance by Night Court's Marsha Warfield, this was just goofy. The fact that it made it to air was a testament to the skill of Joe Barbera able to sell ideas to TV networks. Reportedly dozens of concepts were pitched to NBC, one morphing into the next, an exec said "That's great, Joe. We'll buy two hours." Barbera and agent Sy Fischer weren't sure exactly what concept had actually sold, and this is what they went forward with.

It is available on Warner Archive DVD. https://amzn.to/40kyeCG

Read more about Hanna Barbera: A Cast of Friends by Bill Hanna https://amzn.to/3DYxFqH

Baretta (1975)

January 17, 1975: 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙏𝘼 debuted on ABC-TV.

Its 50 years for 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖, the ABC detective series starring Robert Blake as unorthodox plainclothes police detective Tony Baretta. The show followed Baretta, who lived in an unnamed city, residing in an apartment of the run-down King Edward Hotel with his Triton cockatoo, Fred. A master of disguise, Baretta often uses them while performing his duties and when not working he usually wore a short-sleeve sweatshirt, casual slacks, a brown suede jacket and a newsboy cap. Baretta is known for his catchphrases, such as "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time," "You can take dat to da bank," and "And dat's the name of dat tune". 

Baretta drove a rusted-out Mist Blue 1966 Chevrolet Impala nicknamed "The Blue Ghost" and frequented Ross's Billiard Academy. The series also features Billy Truman, a retired cop who worked with Baretta's father, Rooster, a streetwise pimp, and Baretta’s supervisors, Inspector Shiller and Lieutenant Hal Brubaker. The show's theme song, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," was composed by Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames and sung by Sammy Davis Jr.
The series was created by Stephen J. Cannell and came about as a reboot of earlier series 𝙏𝙤𝙢𝙖, after actor Tony Musante left the show. Robert Blake was given creative control over much of the production. Though initially faring badly, Baretta was moved to Wednesday nights and ratings soared, with Blake winning an Emmy for Best Actor.

Despite the show's success, Blake expressed his dislike for being committed to the series and left when his contract was up. Baretta entered pop culture, being spoofed in Mad magazine and mentioned in the films Reservoir Dogs and That '70s Show. The series has enjoyed extensive reruns, showing up in recent years on TV Land and MeTV. 

82 episodes were produced over four seasons, the first of which was released to DVD. Word is the episode transfers for the remaining seasons were destroyed in Universal's 2008 fire, meaning great expense to pull original film elements out of the vault and restore/transfer them. At this point, any remaining release is unlikely barring a network licensing the show for reruns and footing the bill. 

Baretta - Season One DVD https://amzn.to/4gaHmzw

Ohara (1987)

January 17, 1987: 𝙊𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘼 debuted on ABC-TV.

This one-hour police procedural was a starring vehicle for the post-𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙙 Pat Morita in the title role. Lieutenant Ohara was a Japanese-American police officer in Los Angeles who used spirituality and meditation in his home shrine to solve crimes. He initially did not use a gun but would use martial arts if necessary. Morita was involved in co-creating the show along with Michael Braveman and John A. Kuri. The series was notable for being one of the first television shows to feature an Asian-American actor as series lead. The show had a relatively large initial cast, including Catherine Keener as Lt. Cricket Sideris, Richard Yniguez as Det. Jesse Guerrera, Jack Wallace as Sgt. Phil O’Brien, Kevin Conroy as Capt. Lloyd Hamilton, and Madge Sinclair as Gussie Lemmons.

The show was renewed for a second season, but along with that came the dreaded (say it with me now) NETWORK RETOOLING. The original introspective Japanese-inspired Bill Conti theme instrumental was gone in favor of a flashy Miami Vice-style opening with theme by Joel Goldsmith (son of Jerry). Ohara was now a federal officer paired with a conventional partner, Lt. George Shaver (Robert Clohessy). The cast was pared down quite a bit to four key roles. By episode 14, the opening theme changed again, now with rock lyrics (!!) and Ohara and Shaver were now private detectives. By now, Ohara used a gun, and virtually all the original concept was watered down to be unrecognizable.

The progression of the theme song is jarring, and well worth a watch.

The episode count seems up for debate...Wikipedia and IMDB cite 30 episodes, but TV blogger 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 disputes this, noting that the episode "Eddie" is in actuality the pilot, which would bring the first season ep count to 10. She also indicates the final episode "Hot Spell" was actually the episode of 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 from that week, somehow being added to these lists (which were all originally entered by TV enthusiasts anyway and become accepted 'Internet fact' after a while). I've found the same types of inaccuracies for several series I've done deep dives on and am not going to contest her research. This would bring season two to 18 eps for a total count of 28. The show has never been released on home video, but a few eps can be found online.

Chopper One/Firehouse (1974)

January 17, 1974: 𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙉𝙀 and 𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 debuted on ABC-TV.
ABC aired action-crime series 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙊𝙣𝙚 and drama/adventure series 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 in a one-hour programming block.

𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙊𝙣𝙚 depicted the activities of a fictional California police helicopter team, starring Jim McMullan and Dirk Benedict as police officers. The show followed the two officers as they used their Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter to aid officers on the ground with airborne surveillance or by assisting in chases. The series also featured Ted Hartley as their boss, Capt. McKeegan, and Lou Frizzell as Mitch, the mechanic. Chopper One aired on Thursdays at 8/7 Central and was produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions. Each half-hour episode cost approximately $140,000 to produce due to needing two chopper pilots, two helicopters, and having to pay the city of Los Angeles various fees. The directors of each episode also reportedly received stunt pay wages because they had to fly in the helicopter to direct the action.

𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 followed the exploits of the firefighters of Engine Company Number 23 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, with James Drury starring as Captain Spike Ryerson. The series was inspired by the book "Report from Engine Co. 28." Firehouse aired on Thursdays at 8:30/7:30 Central directly following Chopper One and was also produced by Spelling/Goldberg. The show also featured actors Richard Jaeckel, Michael Delano, Brad David, and Bill Overton. Each episode contained two stories involving a fire to fight and a rescue. Both series were mid-season replacements that lasted for 13 episodes. Chopper One got a DVD https://amzn.to/3Ws0nXk and all eps are you YouTube, while Firehouse completely disappeared.

Schoolhouse Rock (1973)

January 6, 1973: 𝙎𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙇𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙆! debuted on ABC-TV!
𝑨𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓
𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏
'𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌
𝑶𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆, 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒄𝒌!

This series of animated, musical educational short films aired as interstitials during ABC's Saturday morning programming. The series was the brainchild of advertising executive David McCall, who noticed that his son struggled with multiplication tables but could easily memorize rock song lyrics. This led McCall to hire musician Bob Dorough to write a song about multiplication, "Three Is a Magic Number," which became the first in the Schoolhouse Rock! series. The show's segments expanded to cover a variety of subjects, including grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics.

𝙎𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙇𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙆! was known for its catchy tunes and memorable characters, which helped make learning fun for children. Bob Dorough served as the musical director for the series between 1973 and 1985 and wrote many of its most popular songs. Some of the most well-known songs included "Conjunction Junction", "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here," and yes, "Three Is a Magic Number". Many Gen Xers still have these little ditties rattling around in our heads after five decades.
(𝟯 𝟲 𝟵...𝟭𝟮 𝟭𝟱 𝟭𝟴... 𝟮𝟭 𝟮𝟰 𝟮𝟳... 𝟯𝟬!)

What you might not recall is that the episodes were released in themed batches. The first was Multiplication Rock, followed by Grammer Rock in the fall of 1973, with America Rock coming along in fall 1975, Science Rock in fall 1978, and Computer Rock in January 1982.
𝙎𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙇𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙆! has had a lasting impact on American culture and has been added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. The original run was from 1973 to 1985, and it was later revived from 1993 to 1996, with additional episodes produced in 2009 for direct-to-video release. The series was adapted into a musical theater production, Schoolhouse Rock Live! in 1993, and was celebrated with a 50th-anniversary singalong special on ABC. It has been released several times on various forms of home video.

Schoolhouse Rock! 30th anniversary edition DVD https://amzn.to/4ar6VuM

Extended article on this topic up at Patreon.

Riptide (1984)

On This Day in 1984: 𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙏𝙄𝘿𝙀 debuted on NBC-TV.

This light drama/adventure series was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell and was co-produced with Columbia Television. The series followed the adventures of three friends and former Army buddies, Cody Allen (Perry King), Nick Ryder (Joe Penny), and computer hacker Murray "Boz" Bozinsky (Thom Bray), who run a private detective agency based out of Cody's boat, the Riptide. The team uses a variety of tools in their fight against crime, including Murray's computers and robot, Roboz, Nick's aging Sikorsky S-58T helicopter, The Screaming Mimi, and Cody's speedboat, the Ebb Tide. The show was a midseason replacement that debuted as a two-hour TV movie.

Riptide seemed like a blender of other popular shows of the time, mixing up elements from Magnum, P.I., The A-Team, and Simon & Simon along with pop culture stuff like home microcomputers and robots. The pilot episode introduces the main characters and their first case together, which involved a stolen yacht and international smuggling. 

Jack Ging played Lt. Quinlan, a local police officer who continually harasses the trio. The show's serviceable theme music was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter and included a Beach Boys-style middle eight. The show's penultimate episode, "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em", parodied Moonlighting, the show that was Riptide's main competition on Tuesday nights. 58 episodes were produced over 3 seasons. The show was rerun on USA Network during the late 1980s, and the show currently appears occasionally on getTV and Decades.

The Arsenio Hall Show (1989)

 On this day in 1989: 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘼𝙍𝙎𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙊 𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒 debuted on US television.

This was a syndicated late-night talk show hosted by comedian Arsenio Hall, who had previously hosted The Late Show on Fox in 1987. The show debuted with guests Brooke Shields, Leslie Nielsen, and Luther Vandross and was one of two late-night shows to premiere that month; the other being The Pat Sajak Show on CBS. The Arsenio Hall Show (often just shortened to "Arsenio") was an immediate hit with 135 local stations carrying it out of the gate, targeting a younger, urban audience. The show was marketed as a "Night Thing" and had a party or nightclub theme.

A number of recurring themes were featured, including the "Dog Pound," which was a section of the studio audience behind the band. The show's intro, in which Burton Richardson would hold the letter "O" in Arsenio's name for as long as ten seconds, was another staple of the show. Hall was also well known for his long fingers, which he would often use to point at the audience. The house band, called "Posse," was led by Michael Wolff. A frequent joke in Hall's opening monologue was that he lived in Cleveland and drove to Los Angeles to host the show.

 
The show also gained popularity for its diverse guests not common on other talk shows and became the show for entertainers to reach the "MTV Generation". In June 1992, then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton appeared on the show and played "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone, an appearance that is often considered an important moment in Clinton's campaign, helping build his popularity among minority and young voters.

High Mountain Rangers (1988)

On this day in 1988: 𝙃𝙄𝙂𝙃 𝙈𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙏𝘼𝙄𝙉 𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍𝙎 debuted on CBS-TV.
This adventure-drama series centered around a group of highly trained wilderness search and rescue/law enforcement officers in Tahoe, Nevada. The series starred Robert Conrad as Jesse "Top Gun" Hawkes and also featured his sons Christian and Shane Conrad as Matt "Flying Tiger" Hawkes and Cody Hawkes, respectively. Robert Conrad's daughter, Joan, served as the executive producer. Each ranger had a call sign which was used when the HMRs were in the field. Other members of the cast included Russell Todd as Jim "Flash" Cutler, P.A. Christian as Robin "Frostbite" Kelly, and Timothy Erwin as Izzy "the Pocatello Kid" Flowers.

The series debut had been preceded by a TV movie pilot airing April 19, 1987, which featured Jesse Hawkes, an ex-Marine who founded the High Mountain Rangers 35 years prior, coming out of retirement to track down criminal T.J. Cousins (Tom Towles), who had escaped from prison and fled into the mountains. The escape scene in the pilot was filmed at Folsom Prison, and because the permit was only for one day, two crew members, Tim Forrest and Larry Mahan, were recruited to take the place of two injured stuntmen.

The series was filmed on location at places like Bear Valley and Lake Tahoe. The Bear Valley Sheriff's office was used as the Ranger station in the pilot. 12 one-hour episodes were produced in addition to the pilot film. High Mountain Rangers also had a short-lived 6-episode spin-off series in 1989 titled 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙠𝙚𝙨.

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧, 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣! (1986)

On this day in 1986: 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧, 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣! aired on CBS--TV.

This Peanuts holiday special stands out for a unique blend of melancholy and charm. Unlike other specials where Charlie Brown experiences a positive resolution, this one ends with him not achieving his goals. The plot centers around Charlie Brown's struggle to complete a book report on Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, assigned by his cruel teacher, while also dealing with the pressure of attending a New Year's Eve party. He even tries to invite his crush, the Little Red-Haired Girl, to the party. Despite his efforts to understand the book through audiobooks and computer games, and his courage to invite his crush, he ultimately falls asleep at the party, misses midnight, and discovers that Linus danced with the Little Red-Haired Girl. Despite these setbacks, Charlie Brown does not give up trying to do better.

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! was the last film made by original Peanuts animator Bernard Gruver. The special features the voices of Chad Allen as Charlie Brown, Jeremy Miller as Linus van Pelt, and Kristie Baker as Peppermint Patty. This special deserves more recognition for its relatable message about the value of effort and perseverance, even in the face of failure.

It is available on DVD in the releases:
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown https://amzn.to/3W3DwRv
Snoopy's Holiday Collection https://amzn.to/3ZYb8l4

[Amazon links are affiliate, and your support of Forgotten TV is appreciated.]

 

Anthony Lawrence 1928-1924

 
Just recently learned that Anthony Lawrence, co-creator of 70s/80s TV series 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 and 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙭 with wife Nancy, passed away this last January with no media coverage. He was 96. He was a prolific TV writer of westerns, drama, and sci-fi, contributing well over 100 hours of episodic television to our broadcast history. This includes eps of The Outer Limits, Bonanza, The Rat Patrol, Hawaii Five-0, and many others.

A few years before his passing, he had a surprise visitor at the Motion Picture Home, as a fan named Chris wanted to meet him. During his hour-long visit, Chris revealed himself to be a huge follower of Lawrence's career, knowing he was one of the pioneers of 60s/70s sci-fi/fantasy TV. A British Gen Xer, Chris played with his father's old Super 8 camera from a young age and grew up watching many of Lawrence's shows such as The Sixth Sense and The Phoenix. Chris later studied film at UCL and made his first feature in 1998 on a budget of $6000. That visitor was Christopher Nolan, who has either directed or been involved with a dozen of the highest grossing films of the past two decades.

Lawrence's son "Fireball" Tim designs vehicles as a concept artist and has done so for some 400 film/TV productions as well as Disney parks. You may have seen him host shows like World's Most Expensive Rides.

Anthony Lawrence also found love (again) late in life after the passing of his wife Nancy. He and Madeline Smith were the first residents to meet and marry at the Motion Picture Retirement Home in 2016.

The Phoenix was considered in a 2018 episode of Forgotten TV.

Crazy Like a Fox (1984)

On this day in 1984: 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙔 𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝘼 𝙁𝙊𝙓 debuted on CBS-TV.

"𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐?"
"𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑."
"𝑫𝒂𝒅, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒚𝒆𝒓. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆!
"𝑨𝒘, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏?"

This crime drama/comedy was created by John Baskin, Roger Shulman, George Schenck, and Frank Cardea and was co-produced by Columbia Television. It starred Jack Warden as Harry Fox, a free-spirited private detective, and John Rubinstein as his high-strung attorney son, Harrison, who often gets unwillingly involved in his father’s cases. The show's opening would feature Harry and Harrison in a phone conversation, with Harry asking for his son’s help despite Harrison being a lawyer and not a detective. Penny Peyser played Harrison's wife, and Della Reese had a recurring role as a nurse who often assisted Harry.

Airing on Sundays opposite Sunday night movies, the show was initially a hit, but ratings suffered when it got moved around, being cancelled after a season and a half. A year after it went off the air, a reunion TV movie called Still Crazy Like a Fox brought back the characters. The show's theme music was composed by Mark Snow, most famously known for The X-Files. The series has recently been aired on nostalgia network Me-TV.

The Brady Bunch: "The Voice of Christmas" (1969)

On this day in 1969: "The Voice of Christmas" episode of 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙍𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝘽𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙃 aired on ABC-TV.

In this classic episode, the 12th of the series, Carol Brady gets laryngitis from overusing her voice rehearsing for an upcoming solo at a church Christmas service. Meanwhile there are the usual goings-on with preparations for the family's first Christmas together. However, youngest daughter Cindy is prompted to ask a department store Santa for her mommy's voice back instead of any toys for herself. Will the family receive their own Christmas miracle? I think you know the answer.

This was the only Christmas episode produced during the series' five season run and the only one written by John Fenton Murray. The ratings obtained by this episode likely contributed to a full season pickup of the series. The episode also received a callback in 1988's 𝘼 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨, which recreated the now adult kids unable to sleep due to their individual problems. At the conclusion, Carol leads a crowd singing "O Come All Ye Faithful" as an inspiration of faith for Mike Brady, stuck in a collapsed building. 

"The Voice of Christmas" can be watched free on Paramount+. https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/1816981382/

A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

On This Day in 1988: 𝘼 𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔 𝘽𝙍𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙈𝘼𝙎 debuted on CBS-TV!

This 1988 made-for-TV movie reunited almost the entire original cast of the 1969-1974 sitcom The Brady Bunch and was the second-highest rated telefilm that year. The movie follows Brady parents Mike and Carol with secret gift vacation plans for each other to Japan and Greece à la "Gift of the Magi." Instead, they decide to use the vacation fund to bring all of their children and their families home for Christmas.

The Brady children are each facing their own personal challenges: Greg's wife is spending Christmas with her own family, Peter is struggling with self-confidence at work as his fiancé is his boss, Bobby has dropped out of grad school to become a race car driver, Marcia's husband Wally was fired from his job, Jan is separated from husband Philip, and Cindy is lying about college issues and planning to go skiing. In the end, all of the children and their spouses are able to spend Christmas together and resolve their issues. The climax where Mike responds to a construction emergency invokes a classic early episode where Carol sang "O Come, All Ye Faithful", bringing forth a Christmas miracle.

This was the first time viewers revisited the Bradys since the 1981 debacle of The Brady Brides, but to the credit of the producers, story continuity from that short series was continued, bringing back Jerry Houser as Wally Logan, Marcia’s husband, and Ron Kuhlman as Philip Covington III, Jan’s husband. Unfortunately, Allan Melvin did not return as Sam the butcher, with that role filled by Lewis Arquette mostly covered by a Santa costume. (Mike read Sam's 'Dear Alice' letter, which was full of meat-themed double entendres, jarringly out of tone with the rest of the film.) All the Brady actors returned, with the exception of Susan Olsen who was on her honeymoon in Jamaica at the time. According to Olsen, producers only had to deliver five out of six kids returning for the movie to be greenlit-and in order to save on salary, considered Cindy’s character to be the most expendable and didn’t want to pay her on par with the other five. So she decided to head to Jamaica with her new husband. Jennifer Runyon replaced her. You might remember her from Charles In Charge or Ghostbusters.
𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒚…8 𝒐’𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌?

The telefilm was very well received (a 39 share!) triggering a dramatic series in the form of The Bradys in 1990, which continued the story of the now-adult children, in an attempt to emulate Thirtysomething. The show was quietly taken off the schedule and canceled after six episodes. However, Paramount Home Video released AVBC on VHS in 1992 - in limited quantities - as the special was largely critically panned. Over time, however, viewer nostalgia took hold as it was recognized as the final decent effort of the original Brady franchise, especially with the deaths of Robert Reed and Ann B. Davis. The demand for the video increased and it was a frequent rental at video stores.

Today, it is on DVD https://amzn.to/4gIiPCu and can be streamed free on Pluto TV.

The Simpsons Christmas Special (1989)

On this day in 1989: 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙎𝙊𝙉𝙎 𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙈𝘼𝙎 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇 debuted on FOX-TV!

Also known as "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," this holds the distinction of being both the first episode of The Simpsons series, and the only episode to air in the 1980s, as the series proper began airing January 14, 1990.

𝑭𝒓ö𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒆𝒊𝒉𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝑮𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 "𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔". 𝑰𝒏 𝑮𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚, 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂'𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝑹𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔!

Written by Mimi Pond and directed by David Silverman, the episode was originally intended to be the 8th series episode, but due to animation issues with "Some Enchanted Evening", it effectively became the series premiere. The episode introduces the Simpson family as they prepare for the Christmas season, with Bart getting a tattoo and Marge spending the family's Christmas money to have it removed. Homer, facing the cancellation of his Christmas bonus, takes a job as a mall Santa, leading to a series of events that ultimately bring the family closer and introduce them to their pet dog, Santa's Little Helper. This Christmas episode laid the foundation for the blend of humor and heart that would define the series.

The creation of The Simpsons began when Matt Groening was asked by James L. Brooks to pitch ideas for animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show. Groening initially planned to use his Life in Hell series, but instead created a dysfunctional family, which became the Simpsons, first appearing as short interstitials in 1987.

The production of this episode included a few notable details. The "Santas of Many Lands" scene was based on Groening's own second-grade experience with a report on Christmas in Russia. In the episode, Barney Gumble had yellow hair, which was later changed because it was decided that only the Simpson family should have that color hair. The episode lacked the now famous opening sequence, which was added in the second episode. Many characters made their first appearances in this episode, including Seymour Skinner, Milhouse Van Houten, and Ralph Wiggum. The episode was well-received, nominated for two Emmy Awards in 1990.

House Calls (1979)

On this day in 1979: HOUSE CALLS debuted on CBS-TV.

Produced by Universal Television and based on the 1978 film of the same name, this sitcom focused on hospital administrator Ann Atkinson (Lynn Redgrave) and the doctors she managed. The main character dynamic was her relationship with Dr. Charley Michaels (Wayne Rogers), with whom she had a romantic tension, while Dr. Solomon (Ray Buktenica) acted as Dr. Michaels's pal and a counterbalance to his headstrong nature, and Dr. Weatherby (David Wayne) was an older, mean-spirited doctor close to retirement. Other characters included Head Nurse Bradley (Aneta Corsaut), Mrs. Phipps (Deedy Peters), a somewhat over-the-hill but enthusiastic candy striper, and Conrad Peckler (Mark L. Taylor), who served as the antagonist trying to bring order to the hospital.

Notably, Lynn Redgrave was fired from the series after the birth of her child because she insisted on bringing her daughter to work to breastfeed on schedule. The studio interpreted this as her holding out for more money and being disruptive, leading to a lawsuit, which she ultimately lost. Halfway into the third season, Redgrave was replaced by Sharon Gless, who also had a love/hate relationship with Dr. Michaels, but the show's ratings suffered from the transition. Despite still finishing the season in the Top 25, the show was cancelled.

Still, House Calls received awards and nominations. Lynn Redgrave was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981, and she and Wayne Rogers were nominated for Golden Globes. House Calls enjoyed limited reruns in the 80s, but since then is one of the many shows that simply disappeared, never to surface on DVD or streaming.
57 episodes were produced over 3 seasons.

One Day at a Time (1975)

On this day in 1975: 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝘿𝘼𝙔 𝘼𝙏 𝘼 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 debuted on CBS-TV.

This well-remembered sitcom followed the lives of newly divorced mother Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) and her two teenage daughters, rebellious Julie (Mackenzie Phillips), and wisecracking Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli). The family's life was often interrupted by nosy building super Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.), who offered well-meaning but unsolicited advice. Set in Indianapolis, the unapologetically independent Ann and her daughters tackled serious issues revolving around life and relationships, particularly those related to second-wave feminism.

In addition to the main cast, Richard Masur played Ann's love interest David Kane in the first season but left early in the second season. Mary Louise Wilson was brought in as a replacement, playing Ann's neighbor and friend Ginny Wroblicki, but the character proved unpopular, and Wilson left after one season. Mackenzie Phillips faced personal issues and was let go after the fifth season but later returned in a recurring role. Other notable supporting characters included Michael Lembeck as Julie's husband Max, Glenn Scarpelli as Alex, the son of Ann's boyfriend Nick (played by Ron Rifkin), Boyd Gaines as Barbara's husband Mark, and Shelley Fabares as Ann's business partner and friend Francene. Nanette Fabray also joined the cast in later seasons as Ann's mother.

The show was created by husband-and-wife writing duo Whitney Blake and Allan Manings and was based on Whitney Blake's own experiences as a single mother. Produced by TV legend Norman Lear, One Day at a Time was a ratings success, consistently ranking among the top twenty programs. It received numerous awards and honors, including Golden Globe Awards for Valerie Bertinelli and Primetime Emmy Awards for Alan Rafkin and Pat Harrington.

The show was widely syndicated and released on DVD https://amzn.to/4iBEfmJ and a remake with a Latino cast aired on Netflix from 2017 to 2020, featuring the return of several original cast members.
209 episodes were produced over 9 seasons.

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)

The introduction of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew characters in 1927/1930 is considered, as well as the Nancy Drew 1938/39 Warner Brothers films; the Hardy Boys Mickey Mouse Club serials; 1957 Nancy Drew CBS pilot; 1967 Hardy Boys NBC pilot; 1969 Hardy Boys animated ABC series; and especially The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977-79 ABC series.

The behind-the-scenes segment covers the origin, production, scheduling, merchandising, recasting of the Nancy Drew role, infamous Playboy appearance, show cancellation, and issues with music clearances.

Timecodes (chapters supported on some podcast players):

2:30 The Stratemeyer Syndicate: Origins of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew
20:00 Nancy Drew, Detective Warner Bros. 1937-38 films
24:32 The Hardy Boys 1956-57 Mickey Mouse Club serials
34:16 The Hardy Boys books get a makeover
40:10 The Mystery of the Chinese Junk 1967 NBC pilot
41:54 The Hardy Boys 1969 animated ABC series
49:24 Arlene Sidaris and Joyce Brotman concieve a new TV version
54:15 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977 ABC series
1:33:10 Behind the Scenes
2:16:04 Post Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
2:37:45 Coming soon/credits

Buy The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on DVD

Check out the Andy Sidaris Collection

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Amazing Plan by Kevin MacLeod used under a Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

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