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Sara (1976)

February 13, 1976: 𝙎𝘼𝙍𝘼 debuted on CBS-TV.
This one-hour western drama was created by Michael Gleason as a series vehicle for Broadway star Brenda Vaccaro. Based on Marian Cockrell's novel, "The Revolt of Sarah Perkins," the series was set in the 1870s and depicted Sara Yarnell, a young, unmarried schoolteacher who moves from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Independence, Colorado, where she becomes the only schoolteacher in a one-room schoolhouse.

Sara was portrayed as strong-willed and determined; committed to education for all, and exposing ignorance and prejudice...extremely progressive values for the 1870s frontier. Leaving her dull existence in the East to teach in the West, she becomes quite the surprise to the school board who had expected a docile, submissive woman. At the time, a young, attractive, unmarried woman traveling alone to the Western frontier would be nearly unthinkable unless it was for prostitution, which is how UCLA professor Allan Yarnell convinced Vaccaro to take the role. She had the character name changed from Perkins to Yarnell in honor of the professor.

The series premiere saw Sara facing a crisis of conscience when a 10-year-old girl (a so-called "half breed") becomes the focus of the townspeople's rage after years of conflict with Indigenous peoples. Sara insists that the girl has a right to an education, which puts her at odds with the town.

From here, the show explored Sara’s struggles to teach the children and adults of a growing town in a ruthless territory. The cast of "Sara" also included Bert Kramer as Emmett Ferguson, Albert Stratton as Martin Pope, William Phipps as Claude Barstow, William Wintersole as George Bailey, Mariclare Costello as Julia Bailey, Louise Latham as Martha Higgins, Kraig Metzinger as Georgie Bailey, Debbie Lytton as Debbie Higgins, and Hallie Morgan as Emma Higgins. The series was produced by Richard Collins (Bonanza, Matlock) and Lee Holdridge composed the show's theme music, "Sara's Theme". Creator Michael Gleason went on to give us Sword of Justice and Remington Steele.

Brenda Vaccaro received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the series, but it performed poorly in the ratings against Donny & Marie. 12 episodes aired before the series was taken off the air. Although I find no reruns for Sara, two episodes ("Code of the West" and "When Gentlemen Agree") were re-edited into the TV movie 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙣, airing July 1976. Although no episodes of Sara seem to have ever surfaced, Territorial Men is available on Tubi at the time of posting. Watch Territorial Men (1976) - Free Movies | Tubi

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The Harvey Korman Show (1978)

January 31, 1978: 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙑𝙀𝙔 𝙆𝙊𝙍𝙈𝘼𝙉 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒 debuted on ABC-TV.

This was actually the second iteration of this sitcom vehicle for Harvey Korman post-Carol Burnett Show fame. A pilot with a slightly different storyline had aired the previous May; where Korman played Francis Kavanaugh, a self-centered actor running acting classes from home. The pilot also featured Susan Lawrence as daughter Maggie. ABC head Fred Silverman figured that iteration wouldn't work and ordered the concept to be retooled and Korman's character 'softened.'

The revised version presented Korman as Harvey A. Kavanaugh, still a self-centered, out-of-work actor operating an acting class out of his home, but less of a loser - and more likely to be the instigator of jokes rather than the butt of them. The show now starred Christine Lahti as level-headed daughter Maggie, Barry Van Dyke as Maggie's boyfriend, Stuart, and Milton Selzer as Harvey's agent, Jake. The series was created by Hal Dresner, who also served as executive producer.

ABC had lured Korman away from The Carol Burnett Show with a contract guaranteeing him a weekly series, much like what had happened with McLean Stevenson when he left MASH. Korman had grown tired of the variety show format and wanted to pursue lead-character roles. The show's theme song, "Living Life Today," was written by Ken Welch & Mitzi Welch and performed by Korman. Garry Shandling was one of the scriptwriters and story editor, very early in his career.

Five episodes were ordered as a test run for the show, which was not successful; possibly in part due to the erratic scheduling, with it disappearing until April after this January episode. Korman himself expressed disappointment with the series, stating that the writing "wasn't up to snuff" and that he was unhappy with the casting. Counting the pilot, 6 episodes were videotaped in front of a studio audience at NBC Studios in Burbank. A couple of full episodes can be found on YouTube.

January 30 TV Debuts

Debuting January 30 in 70s/80s TV:

•𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙢 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬. 𝘾𝘽𝙎, 1970 

•𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙉𝘽𝘾, 1975

•𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣. 𝘼𝘽𝘾, 1975 

•𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚. 𝙉𝘽𝘾, 1976 

•𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙨/𝙉𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙈𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝘼𝘽𝘾, 1977 

(Full documentary podcast now streaming)

•𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨. 𝘾𝘽𝙎, 1977 

•𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙣'𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞. 𝙉𝘽𝘾, 1977 

•𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙮, 𝙄'𝙢 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝘾𝘽𝙎, 1978

Cassie & Co. (1982)

On this day in 1982: 𝘾𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙀 & 𝘾𝙊. debuted on NBC-TV.

Starring Angie Dickinson as ex-cop turned private investigator Cassie Holland, this debuted as a midseason entry on NBC on Fridays opposite new CBS primetime soap Falcon Crest. Produced by Johnny's Carson Productions, it was initially conceived as a half-hour sitcom(!) where Dickenson's character gets a job in a department store. After filming a pilot, it was quickly realized that a bland 'woman in the workplace' format just didn't work for the actress, and the entire original concept was scrapped. As she told the press at the time, "𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘆. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁."

As you might imagine, changing from a three-camera sitcom to an hour-long filmed drama created a significant production delay, postponing the show from fall to mid-season. It was then thought to have Dickenson reprise her 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 character Pepper Anderson, but this idea was also scrapped. Instead, Dickinson's character Cassie Holland takes over a Los Angeles-based detective agency from Lyman Shackelford (John Ireland), who provides her with advice. The series also featured Meryl Fox as Cassie's secretary, Mike Holland as her District Attorney ex-husband and Benny Silva (A Martinez) as her part-time legman. The series featured a soft and sultry music theme with strong percussion segments, called "Cassie's Theme," which was composed and performed by jazz musician Grover Washington Jr.
Despite the efforts to create a show that would play to Dickinson's former role and strengths as an actress, Cassie & Co. struggled to find an audience. The series ranked 70th out of 72 shows by its fourth episode. The following week, NBC replaced both it and 𝙈𝙘𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣'𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙬 with 𝙉𝘽𝘾 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙨. Remaining episodes were burned off that summer. The series was rerun in 1986 on Lifetime, and the entire run is viewable on YouTube. 13 episodes in all were produced.

Researching NBC's 1981 fall season, you could come to the conclusion that the network was cursed that year. In the wake of Fred Silverman leaving, NBC's pride may have been showing, but no less than 9 shows experienced production problems resulting from various issues: Death? Injuries? Illness? Resignations and contract holdouts? All of the above, please, as James Garner fell off a horse, delaying 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 a month; Rock Hudson needed sudden open-heart surgery, delaying 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙡𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 three months; David Brinkley quit NBC after 38 years, jumping ship to ABC; both Erik Estrada and Gary Coleman contract negotiations resulted in their characters missing from eps of 𝘾𝙃𝙞𝙋𝙨 and 𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛'𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙨; production on 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙋𝙏𝘼 stopped for NETWORK RETOOLING; the overly ambitious drama 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 was still reeling from the 1980 writers' strike; and the supervising producer of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧 dies, delaying the show first to midseason, then an entire year after a serious on-set accident injures both lead actors with Peter Barton put in the hospital for a month with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 18% of his body.

Galactica 1980 (1980)

On this day in 1980: 𝙂𝘼𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙄𝘾𝘼 1980 dropped out of lightspeed onto ABC-TV.

𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 was over, canceled, gone. For nine months there had been no new episodes. So, you can imagine the freak-out that Sunday morning of January 27, 1980, when I opened the Houston Chronicle TV listings and saw 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 listed for that night! (Galactica Discovers Earth was another title seen in even more papers.)

If only it had lived up to expectations...over the weeks, even at 11 years old I knew something wasn't right. Over the decades, we've learned why it was so bad, and an entire book could be written about this failed production.

The show's premise involves the last battlestar, Galactica and its ragtag Colonial fleet discovering Earth in 1980, some 30 decades after the original series. However, they find that Earth is not advanced enough to defend itself against the Cylons or aid the Galactica. The Galacticans then make it their objective to influence Earth's development so they can fight off the inevitable arrival of the Cylons.

In the first three episodes, the Galacticans realize that the humans of Earth were not unified and were technologically inadequate in both helping the fleet fight the Cylons or defending themselves. Mysterious prodigy Dr. Zee (Robbie Rist) simulates on screen what would happen if the Cylons arrived. (In reality, scenes from the movie 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙠𝙚 with Cylon Raiders and laserblasts superimposed over the destruction of Los Angeles.) Zee instructs agents be sent to trusted scientists to influence scientific breakthroughs, though this will take time. Rogue Commander Xavier (Richard Lynch) works against the wishes of the fleet and travels to the 1930s to provide advanced technology to the Nazis. Captain Troy (Kent McCord, playing the now-adult Boxey) and Lieutenant Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) are sent to chase him through time, attempting to restore history. They befriend reporter Jamie Hamilton (Robyn Douglass) as their guide and potential liaison to the media.

ABC was unhappy with the time travel storyline, and this was dropped, and after a month hiatus, the "Super Scouts" storyline was introduced, where Troy and Dillon protect Colonial children on Earth masquerading as a scout troop....what? The story element of the Galactica children (and adults) having enhanced abilities on Earth due to differences in gravity and physiology was also added. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. Zay. Zee. I know you. Ask me, I told you. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. The series only went downhill from here, with the ironic exception of the final episode.

The show was plagued by production issues, a limited budget, tight deadlines, and network interference. Since ABC slotted it Sundays at 7/6pm Central, this meant they needed not only a very family-friendly show, but also FCC-mandated educational storybeats. (You know all about this if you've listened to the podcasts.) Thus, you would have the action halted for characters to explain how the rain cycle or internal combustion engine worked. This led to repeated conflicts between the writers/producers and the ABC network censor Susan Futterman, who repeatedly gave them flak, claiming innocent lines of dialogue were somehow sexual references, and disputing scientific facts included - even when they came right out of the latest encyclopedia. For example, she objected to references of meatballs (a dish being served at a party), resulting in producer Glen Larson adding even more instances of the word and withholding the episode until the last minute to prevent edits!

MEATBALLS!

The show was also hampered by a very tight production schedule, filming around the clock and through weekends to make deadlines, which added significant production costs. Some of the crew reportedly lived on/near the lot in campers during production, and the continued addition of producers led story editor Allan Cole to speculate Universal was having the show absorb costs for other productions. Since most of the original sets had been struck, on Galactica they spend a lot of time in either Adama's quarters or what looks like a near-empty soundstage with some monitors and office chairs. 

Did you think I was kidding?

Casting was also an issue. Kent McCord says he was hired the night before filming began, with the network not happy with their original choice. Lorne Greene and Herb Jefferson Jr. were the only returning cast members from the original series, as the others were not available or declined to participate. The role of Dr. Zee was changed from Robbie Rist to James Patrick Stewart for an unexplained reason, with Rist finding out he was recast when the show aired with a new actor in his place. Xavier also changes actors to Jeremy Brett later in the show. All the child actors also complicated the filming schedule due to the limited hours they were legally allowed to work.

The series was canceled due to continually declining ratings in the middle of production of the 11th episode, "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra", and filming on this was abandoned. However, the already-in-the-can final episode, "The Return of Starbuck," was aired, and was well-received by fans. In this episode, Dirk Benedict returned to the role of Starbuck, who had been stranded on a desert planet with a Cylon and a mysterious woman. A planned sequel episode titled "The Wheel of Fire" confirming the woman as a Seraph from the Ship of Lights, went unproduced.

Good thing these fly. Traffic on the 405 is brutal.

Although there was arguably a cool element here and there, such as the flying Turbines (modified 1979 Yamaha MX175 motorcycles), and wrist computrons (hey, I was 11 and easy to please) most of the sci-fi was gimmicky and poorly executed...invisibility, hand lasers that would now 'freeze' people (that Susan Futterman again) instead of stun them, etc. The episodes "The Night the Cylons Landed" offered potential, presenting a humanoid Cylon...a direction foreshadowing what would be depicted in the Ronald Moore reimagining.

The ten episodes were eventually included in the syndication package for the original Battlestar Galactica, under the same title. There was also a feature film, 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝, pieced together from various episodes, which was released on home video. In 2009, a Galactica 1980 comic series was released, reimagining the original series. Galactica 1980 was released on DVD on its own, as well as in a Blu-ray box set with the original series.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗙𝗢𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟵. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Amazon links are affiliate. 

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.