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1979 Mid-season debacle.

Where you alive back than? Did you watch any of these shows?

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by Anonymousreply 260August 10, 2021 10:35 PM

[quote] Where you alive back than?

Oh, dear.

by Anonymousreply 1July 23, 2021 10:35 AM

I saw this video just the other day where someone had compiled the title sequences together. It may be linked in that article in OP but for some reason it's not opening right on my phone.

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by Anonymousreply 2July 23, 2021 10:39 AM

Turnabout was ahead of its time.

It would titled "Stunning and Brave" today.

by Anonymousreply 3July 23, 2021 11:05 AM

I remember tuning in to “Making It” hoping it would be something cool, but zoning out halfway through and never watching it again. Granted, I was only 9 years old but I was an old soul and liked “Angie” so I figured I’d like this. Plus I liked the song.

by Anonymousreply 4July 23, 2021 11:09 AM

How many “push actors” of 1979 starred in these 36 shows?

by Anonymousreply 5July 23, 2021 11:21 AM

"Hello, Larry" was a classic compared to the shit I'm doing now.

by Anonymousreply 6July 23, 2021 12:13 PM

Some of these I remember, some I don't. I remember the Stockard Channing Show and wanting it to be good, since I like her so much, but it was so awful, I think I maybe watched one episode.

I vaguely remember the opening credits of Turnabout, but I don't think I ever watched it.

by Anonymousreply 7July 23, 2021 1:13 PM

It’s insane how many (bad) show were inspired by Animal House.

by Anonymousreply 8July 23, 2021 1:21 PM

[quote] It’s insane how many (bad) show were inspired by Animal House.

Saturday Night Fever inspired a horde of lame shit too.

by Anonymousreply 9July 23, 2021 9:56 PM

Eight is Enough inspired many shows as well.

by Anonymousreply 10July 23, 2021 10:27 PM

That video at R2 is mind numbing. So many washed up nobodies and folks who NEVER made it.

The theme songs were so bad as well. The only one I liked - then and now is Making It. I watched the show, but it was SO bad.

All that wasted talent......television was certainly a vast wasteland.....and for the most part it still is.

by Anonymousreply 11July 23, 2021 11:20 PM

R11 - that's what I was going to say - DOZENS of forgotten actors whose careers didn't go anywhere.

I remember 6 or 7 of those shows, but none of the rest even ring a bell, and I was an avid 13-year old TV watcher in 1979. So much schmaltz. I'm actually glad that entire era is dead and buried.

by Anonymousreply 12July 24, 2021 12:34 AM

Meant to mention - I was liking William Nuckols in "Supertrain" - nice body!

by Anonymousreply 13July 24, 2021 12:35 AM

I was 12 and watching TV was the only thing I did in my spare time, yet I don’t even remember hearing about most of these shows. Even among the few that I recognize, the only ones I remember actually watching are Hello Larry and Angie, both of which lasted more than one season. Neither was any better or worse than many sitcoms of that era that succeeded.

There were always plenty of failures among shows that premiered in the fall too. I think I’d remember more of the quickly cancelled among those from the same period because they always promoted those shows to death over the summer, when I watched even more TV.

by Anonymousreply 14July 24, 2021 12:46 AM

Of these I really loved Angie, & tuned in a couple times to Making It. I loved the theme song & thought David Naughton was a babe. I remember being away on a ski trip & having to watch an episode in the hotel room.

by Anonymousreply 15July 24, 2021 12:58 AM

Why was Hello Larry do infamous? I was barely alive at the time but even I know it was a big punchline at the time. It couldn’t have been worse than anything else.

by Anonymousreply 16July 24, 2021 2:22 AM

“The Chisholms” probably made me laugh the most 🤣.

by Anonymousreply 17July 24, 2021 7:44 AM

R16 iirc it’s because McLean Stevenson left a hit show (and was killed off so he could never return) to star in this piece of dreck.

I also remember the over-the-top promos for Supertrain, the show that was supposed to save NBC prime time.

by Anonymousreply 18July 24, 2021 11:59 AM

I watched that 36 minute youtube clip of opening credits (and a few promos) of these shows. I was 11 in Winter/spring 79 and TV was a huge part of my life. Some of these shows I remember, either watching, or hearing about, or seeing listed in TV guides, others I don't. I can't help but wonder if a few of them were just pilots as back then the networks would grant (usually in the summer) airtime for a failed pilot to fill in viewing time during the summer doldrums.

That being said, there were a couple of hits. Dukes of Hazard most notably. Real People was a hit for a year or two. I remember watching that one. Sarah Purcell still annoys me, I don't know why. BJ and the Bear had an impact. I suppose because the concept was so shitty, and Greg Evigan was hot.

I remember trying out Cliffhangers, but I didn't like it. But it weirdly anticipated Raiders of the Lost Ark and I guess there was cultural nostalgia amongst some for the Saturday matinee serials in the culture.

The Chisholms promo seem to portray the show as a sexed up Little House on the Prarie. Bizarre. That Andy Griffith show Salvage 1 looked like garbage.

The Animal house type shows were lame as TV just couldn't be as raunchy as the movie was back in 1979. Makin' It was a sad attempt at Saturday Night Fever.

Of course Ellen Travolta and Joyce Van Patten would be csst that year. They were in every failed show it seems.

Supertrain--I remember the hype. And seeing the opening credits no wonder it failed. Edward Andrews as the star? Nothing against him, but given the hype, shouldn't they have cast someone else, someone with heat, a push star, for the role?

I think Fred Silverman really lost his touch by then. Was he doing major drugs at this point in his life?

by Anonymousreply 19July 24, 2021 12:14 PM

[quote] I remember trying out Cliffhangers, but I didn't like it. But it weirdly anticipated Raiders of the Lost Ark and I guess there was cultural nostalgia amongst some for the Saturday matinee serials in the culture.

I really liked Cliffhangers and thought it was a way-cool concept at the time -- three separate thriller/adventure stories running at different points in their story so that one was ending, one was midway, and a new one was just starting. It reminded me a little of Kolchak which had been cancelled a few years earlier. I was 12, and thought Michael Nouri was sex on a stake as Dracula. (He alluded to being bisexual a few years later in an interview and I remember his career went straight into the shitter.) I also enjoyed the campiness of the Susan Anton one. I can't remember what the third installment was.

by Anonymousreply 20July 24, 2021 12:35 PM

Ellen Travolta was once a "push" actor?

by Anonymousreply 21July 24, 2021 1:07 PM

After Mash, McLean Stevenson starred in The McLean Stevenson Show (1976–77), In the Beginning (1978), Hello, Larry (1979–80) and Condo (1983). He became an industry joke after leaving Mash.

by Anonymousreply 22July 24, 2021 1:28 PM

R22 There was a sitcom called Condo? How bad was that?

by Anonymousreply 23July 24, 2021 2:42 PM

Robert Hays......le sigh

by Anonymousreply 24July 24, 2021 2:48 PM

I was 9 and watched the Stockard Channing show - I remember they were picking pizza toppings and a character described anchovies as “little salty shoelaces”, that has always stuck with me for some reason.

by Anonymousreply 25July 24, 2021 3:02 PM

It's amazing what people would watch when the three networks were the only option. Even shows that were big hits like Laverne and Shirley and Happy Days were utter garbage and unwatchable now.

Cable and streaming really changed the way we watched tv and what we expected from scripted tv shows.

by Anonymousreply 26July 24, 2021 3:47 PM

It's ridiculous that all three networks ripped off Animal House and tried to adapt it to a television series. The reason that Animal House was such a huge hit was because it was so raunchy and nasty (for those times), and a similar tv show wouldn't work because of the censorship that the networks had to deal with.

by Anonymousreply 27July 24, 2021 3:51 PM

Too much fucking whiteness.

by Anonymousreply 28July 24, 2021 4:43 PM

Even as a child, I saw promos for Hello, Larry and couldn’t believe something so stupid looking could make it on the air.

by Anonymousreply 29July 24, 2021 4:51 PM

[quote]The reason that Animal House was such a huge hit was because it was so raunchy and nasty (for those times), and a similar tv show wouldn't work because of the censorship that the networks had to deal with.

We're still dealing with the same problem, 40 years on. Network television is dying because cable and streaming aren't subject to the ridiculously outdated FCC restrictions.

by Anonymousreply 30July 24, 2021 5:14 PM

I loved Angie. That was not a bad show. Some good stuff got crowded out.

by Anonymousreply 31July 24, 2021 5:23 PM

Angie only died because ABC moved it to a death time slot during its second season. Love the tgeme song. Love Robert Hays. Sone Angie episodes are on YouTube.

by Anonymousreply 32July 24, 2021 5:31 PM

[R11] "Makin' It" was Ellen Travolta's big chance to 'spin for the credits' like every other ABC sitcom of the era. She didn't make Happy Days, she didn't make Angie, but by god she could spin for Makin' It. If you watch the credits she's the only hyped up about spinning for her name to appear on the screen.

by Anonymousreply 33July 24, 2021 5:34 PM

R31 me too! Doris Roberts said in an interview that it was cancelled because they didn't believe it could last five years, so they just cut it off at the knees after a year and a half.

by Anonymousreply 34July 24, 2021 5:36 PM

Making It had the longest opening credits ever.

by Anonymousreply 35July 24, 2021 5:36 PM

I watched The Bad News Bears as a little kid. You can watch it for free on Dailymotion. I also watched The Chisolms when it first aired. I now have the DVD of the entire series. It's not bad.

by Anonymousreply 36July 24, 2021 5:38 PM

Ugh. I was 7 during this garbage fest and I watched (and loved) lot of those shows, esp Makin’ It, Angie, The Ropers, and Real People. I was raised by my dad and grandma - who loved me but didn’t give shit about how much tv I watched. Ironically, Dad had a doctorate but obviously it wasn’t in any sort of field that frowned upon excessive tv for children.

by Anonymousreply 37July 24, 2021 5:51 PM

I think children raised from 1965 - 1990 were basically on TV life support. I spent more time watching TV in the 70s and 80s in my room, than I did with my own family or playing outside. I look back on that now and think, WTF?

by Anonymousreply 38July 24, 2021 5:55 PM

I was 10 in 1979, and had nothing else to do but watch tv at night. I remember watching a few of these. I also remember having a little crush on Shane Butterworth of the Bad News Bears. We are the same age—wonder WHET??

by Anonymousreply 39July 24, 2021 6:16 PM

The Pat Boone and family Easter special must have been special.

by Anonymousreply 40July 24, 2021 6:19 PM

Most of these sound terrible

by Anonymousreply 41July 24, 2021 6:25 PM

R39

Looks like Shane Butterworth pretty stopped acting around 23 years (1999).

Funny, I know someone named Shane Butterworth, but he's the teenager grandson of a friend of mine.

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by Anonymousreply 42July 24, 2021 6:27 PM

[quote]Angie only died because ABC moved it to a death time slot during its second season.

ABC moved most of their shows around at the start of the 1979-1980 season, and it wound up being a complete disaster. Most of them plunged in the ratings and never recovered.

ABC went from having all of the top five shows in the country to only having one (Three's Company) the following year.

Mork and Mindy went from #3 to #27

Happy Days went from #4 to #17

The Ropers went from #8 to #52.

The biggest freefall, Laverne and Shirley went from being the top rated show for two years in a row to a dismal #42

And Angie went from #5 to tying with Laverne and Shirley.

Someone should write an article on THAT: How to Kill a Network in a matter of months.

by Anonymousreply 43July 24, 2021 6:36 PM

I was a kid, so I watched the Bad News Bears; I think that was a bigger deal for longer than most of the other shows listed. I used to watch "Diff'rent Strokes", so I saw the crossover episode with "Hello Larry".

by Anonymousreply 44July 24, 2021 6:44 PM

For r23. It was dreadful. Rich white family loses their money and has to downsize to a condo. Poor Hispanic family gets successful and wealthy and upgrades to a condo--right next to the white family. Racism and hijinks ensue. Plus the white family's son and Hispanic family's daughter immediately fall in love, and are married and pregnant by episode 2. Wacky!

(Hilariously, Hollywood decided to do the same terrible premise again in 2013 with CBS's Welcome to the Family.)

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by Anonymousreply 45July 24, 2021 6:45 PM

Glad to see so many people remember Angie fondly. It definitely shouldn't be on list and deserved better.

by Anonymousreply 46July 24, 2021 6:48 PM

Well, let's just take another look at Makin' It, shall we? Spin or pivot, r33, Ellen's certainly was spirited!

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by Anonymousreply 47July 24, 2021 6:52 PM

I was naked

by Anonymousreply 48July 24, 2021 6:57 PM

Angie wasn't bad, but I think they made a mistake by having Angie get married after the first couple of episodes There was really nowhere for them to go in the second season, although they tried different quirky things like having Angie's friends become semi regulars. But it was a great group of actors.

It was basically Garry Marshall's version of Rhoda. According to Donna Pescow, he developed the show for her after watching Saturday Night Fever.

by Anonymousreply 49July 24, 2021 7:02 PM

[quote] It was basically Garry Marshall's version of Rhoda.

Valerie Harper > Donna Pescow, but Robert Hays > David Groh x 5

Sigh. I wish I was Bobby's Girl.

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by Anonymousreply 50July 24, 2021 7:10 PM

Is the opening scene of Co-Ed Fever (11:44 in R2's video) shot at Eastland?

by Anonymousreply 51July 24, 2021 7:20 PM

[quote]I think children raised from 1965 - 1990 were basically on TV life support. I spent more time watching TV in the 70s and 80s in my room, than I did with my own family or playing outside. I look back on that now and think, WTF?'

Back then tv was all we had. Kids today are on their tablets or playing video games, they're not watching tv.

by Anonymousreply 52July 24, 2021 7:21 PM

R45 OMG that show “Condo” seems like racist dreck mixed with the production value of the Golden Girls - how awful! Why would anyone star in that?

by Anonymousreply 53July 24, 2021 7:25 PM

Condo is on YouTube. Someone please post an episode link (sorry, I can't right now).

by Anonymousreply 54July 24, 2021 7:26 PM

r54, yes, it's already been posted.

by Anonymousreply 55July 24, 2021 7:32 PM

Of all those shows, only "Real People" and "The Dukes Hazzard " ran for several seasons. And I couldn't stand either of them.

by Anonymousreply 56July 24, 2021 7:33 PM

Every Gen-Xer loved BJ and the Bear. Most remember it fondly today. Never (officially) released on DVD. I also liked its spin-off, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.

by Anonymousreply 57July 24, 2021 7:37 PM

I'm Gen X and I never heard of BJ and the Bear. Granted, I was three years old in 1979. Most Gen Xers on DL skew older, right at the cutoff from Boomers.

by Anonymousreply 58July 24, 2021 7:43 PM

The Dukes of Hazzard was popular because straight guys were jerking off to Daisy Duke. No internet in those days so access to porn was limited, so Daisy had to suffice.

by Anonymousreply 59July 24, 2021 7:44 PM

BJ and the Bear had yummy Greg Evigan.

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by Anonymousreply 60July 24, 2021 7:54 PM

I wonder why ABC fucked over AL and NF from the Ropers by not letting them come back to Three’s Company? What a shitty thing to do.

by Anonymousreply 61July 24, 2021 8:00 PM

I prefer the second season opening credits for Angie. Here's to you, Debralee Scott!

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by Anonymousreply 62July 24, 2021 8:06 PM

Show opening credits were so leisurely back then.

by Anonymousreply 63July 24, 2021 9:21 PM

[quote] I wonder why ABC fucked over AL and NF from the Ropers by not letting them come back to Three’s Company? What a shitty thing to do.

I agree it was shitty. But, I also assume that one Mr. Furley was cheaper than two Ropers. Plus, after that fiasco the producers probably did not want to mix that "loser" element back into the stew, especially since Knotts was already intrenched. Personally, I thought Three's Company was just an OK, background kind of show but Norman Fell and especially Audra Lindley were soooo much more entertaining than Don Knotts. I used to watch for the Ropers and for surprisingly hot John Ritter to walk around half naked.

by Anonymousreply 64July 24, 2021 9:34 PM

entrenched, not intrenched, before some pretentious pearl clutcher oh dears me.

by Anonymousreply 65July 24, 2021 9:35 PM

I was little, but I remember BJ and the Bear, but I didn't watch it. I didn't remember Highcliffe Manor and a bunch of those. Manly because my bedtime was 9:00. I can't believe they promised the Ropers that they could come back to the mothership if their show failed and reneged on it.

by Anonymousreply 66July 24, 2021 9:39 PM

[quote] Show opening credits were so leisurely back then.

I actually miss show credits. I never understood why they got jettisoned by producers? It was a kind of branding, usually with memorable music, and sometimes a way to quickly inform a new viewer of the basic story/concept. Better yet, it shaved 45 seconds to 2 minutes off the runtime.

Now everything seems to have just a cold open followed by a generic flash title page. It's like walking up to some stranger and start half way into a conversation without even introducing yourself first.

by Anonymousreply 67July 24, 2021 9:40 PM

Wonder Woman was cancelled in 1979 even though it was still bringing in decent ratings and could've gone a couple more seasons.

by Anonymousreply 68July 24, 2021 9:42 PM

R67 When network shows' budgets started being cut, theme songs were eliminated to save money.

by Anonymousreply 69July 24, 2021 9:48 PM

R35 There was no show with a longer opening theme than "Maude," with the really long opening credits sequence:

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by Anonymousreply 70July 24, 2021 9:52 PM

[quote] I can't believe they promised the Ropers that they could come back to the mothership if their show failed and reneged on it.

Technically, although not morally or pragmatically, the producers did not renege.

The contract stipulated that if the series failed to run X number of episodes (I think it was 1.5 years), that Fell and Lindley would return. But, once the Ropers proved to be dead in the water the producers intentionally kept it alive until that contract clause was met. I don't know why the producers were so determined to keep them off. Maybe there was more trouble backstage than just with Somers.

by Anonymousreply 71July 24, 2021 9:54 PM

From our friend, the internet:

"The TV shows with the longest intros out of the list were Game of Thrones at 1 minute and 58 seconds, followed by The Sopranos at 98 seconds and Dexter at 97 seconds. According to the internet, however, the English-speaking TV show with the longest opening credits is in fact… Twin Peaks at 2 minutes and 36 seconds."

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by Anonymousreply 72July 24, 2021 9:58 PM

Did you ever watch the 1979 mid season show Condoms?

by Anonymousreply 73July 24, 2021 10:39 PM

I liked "The Ropes" - I thought it was a popular show back then. I know we watched "Helly, Larry", but I certainly don't remember that big obese guy. I wonder what happened to him? Was he the first obese actor on TV?

by Anonymousreply 74July 24, 2021 11:00 PM

I remember the jokes about Hello Larry but I think I only ever saw the crossover episode they did with Different Strokes. It just seemed like a generic sitcom to me so I never understood the vitriol but then again I loved Different Strokes as a kid so my taste wasn’t very discerning.

by Anonymousreply 75July 25, 2021 12:16 AM

Hello Larry was eventually given the time slot immediately after Diff'rent Strokes and I thought for years that Larry began as a backdoor pilot on the latter show. But I just checked Wikipedia and it says:

[quote]In its new earlier timeslot, Hello, Larry aired immediately after NBC's hit Diff'rent Strokes. In the hope of raising the popularity of Hello, Larry, crossovers were created between the two series. By episode 10, "The Trip: Part 2", Larry Alder and Phillip Drummond were revealed to be old Army buddies (with Drummond's company becoming the new owners of Larry's radio station).[3] Some contemporary articles have incorrectly stated that Hello, Larry was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes;[4] the relationship between the two was the result of retconning in both series.

by Anonymousreply 76July 25, 2021 12:37 AM

I was working and working on a masters so I missed all of these. McLean Stevenson was awful and it was clear that audiences didn't like him, but NBC had a long-term contract and felt compelled to find vehicles for him. Shelley Fabares seems to have escaped the curse of being in two of these.

by Anonymousreply 77July 25, 2021 12:46 AM

R67, they were also cut so more commercial time can be sold.

by Anonymousreply 78July 25, 2021 12:49 AM

Some of these young actors must've given up the business after a awhile, I've never heard of most of them.

I noticed Michelle Pfeiffer was in one of the Animal House ripoff shows. For every one struggling actor who goes on to stardom, there are 100 who disappear.

by Anonymousreply 79July 25, 2021 12:51 AM

The opening credits to Mary Tyler Moore's show struck me as sad--reprising the theme to MTM show and bringing on Dick Van Dyke as a special guest. Just looked it up on IMDB. I see Bonnie Franklin and Linda Lavin both did guest star appearances during the show's short run.

by Anonymousreply 80July 25, 2021 12:56 AM

Wasn't the joke about Hello Larry more about McLean Stevenson leaving the hit show Mash to it?

by Anonymousreply 81July 25, 2021 1:03 AM

The joke was that Gary Coleman’s show got better ratings. Larry got about half of that at best.

by Anonymousreply 82July 25, 2021 2:17 AM

1979 might've been bad tv, but it wasn't until 1985 that DL fave Small Wonder was inflicted upon us. I'd watch a thousand hours of any 1979 show over five minutes of robot Vicki.

by Anonymousreply 83July 25, 2021 2:23 AM

R78

[quote] they were also cut so more commercial time can be sold.

That does make sense. But I'd have thought they cut from the actual program since the opening credits were a constant that just needed to be re-aired each week. No new production values. Would have been cheaper to cut some filler from the show itself.

I have also heard that opening credits can be expensive (music rights I guess), so it might have been that when times got lean for the broadcast networks.

by Anonymousreply 84July 25, 2021 3:24 AM

It's both. They cut the credits AND they cut from the shows. Shows are shorter now than they used to be (a network sitcom in the 70s would have been 24-25 minutes; by the 90s they were down to 22 and a half; a lot of them today scrape in at 20 minutes; a network drama would have been 48 minutes long back then; now they're closer to 40). The networks are dying; they need every penny they can get.

by Anonymousreply 85July 25, 2021 3:34 AM

R83, my mom had a pear-shaped frau friend who thought Tiffany Brisette was a “wonderful actress” because she acted “like a real robot”. Horrid show.

by Anonymousreply 86July 25, 2021 4:39 AM

Small Wonder was probably the worst series ever shown on television. I was beyond embarrassingly bad. IIRC, none of those actors ever worked again.

by Anonymousreply 87July 25, 2021 5:13 AM

R71 I think once they cast Don Knotts and he was a hit the producers simply didn’t want to mess with anything. Replacements are always a gamble, so no doubt they had that clause in just in case Furley was a total flop - they could bring the Ropers back. Agreed, it was a shitty thing to do.

Personally, I prefer the Furley years by far, and I’d say it’s about pretty evenly split among fans. Which is about as good favorability as you’ll ever get from a replacement character.

by Anonymousreply 88July 25, 2021 9:35 AM

Stop bashing “Small Wonder.” I loved loved loved that show as a kid. V.I.C.I. was a hoot. And that nosy neighbor ginger girl was like an adolescent Mrs. Poole.

by Anonymousreply 89July 25, 2021 9:50 AM

I hated Real People but I loved That's Incredible, which began in 1980.

by Anonymousreply 90July 25, 2021 2:08 PM

E! True Hollywood Story: "Small Wonder"

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by Anonymousreply 91July 25, 2021 2:36 PM

[quote] Personally, I prefer the Furley years by far, and I’d say it’s about pretty evenly split among fans. Which is about as good favorability as you’ll ever get from a replacement character.

While I prefer the Ropers by far, R88, I do agree that the fans seem fairly evenly split and it's a good indicator of a successful replacement.

Why was Furley portrayed as a mincing, nelly queen with raging homophobia? I never got that.

by Anonymousreply 92July 25, 2021 3:11 PM

Hello Larry had what felt like the same opening song as Diff'rent Strokes.

by Anonymousreply 93July 25, 2021 3:29 PM

Wasn't the only lyric "Hello... Larry!" repeated about 50 times until ears bled?

by Anonymousreply 94July 25, 2021 3:37 PM

R89 the writers were dumb fucks. They had me going after that gay fat fuck when I really wanted that sweet chocolate boy Reggie.

by Anonymousreply 95July 25, 2021 7:59 PM

It's amazing what used to pass as entertainment. Looking at that article and watching the videos was startling.

by Anonymousreply 96July 25, 2021 8:08 PM

[quote] It's amazing what used to pass as entertainment.

R96 has never watched the hit shows The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Grey's Anatomy, Real Housewives of Hell, Chicago ad nauseum, The Bachelor, or Big Brother. For God's sake, don't turn on the TV.

by Anonymousreply 97July 25, 2021 11:33 PM

Because that was Don Knotts' schtick at the time, r92. Never understood his popularity with Andy Griffith or the public.

by Anonymousreply 98July 25, 2021 11:38 PM

I liked both the Ropers and Mr. Furley. I think they could have made it work bringing back the Ropers.

by Anonymousreply 99July 25, 2021 11:47 PM

R92 Roper was a lot more homophobic than Furley - and they made plenty of gay jokes about Furley to point at the absurdity of it all.

That’s actually one of the reasons I prefer those years - that and I preferred the later TC seasons that were more slapstick and more about Jack, Larry and their hijinks.

by Anonymousreply 100July 25, 2021 11:52 PM

No love for Three's a Crowd?

by Anonymousreply 101July 25, 2021 11:52 PM

The only good thing about Three’s A Crowd was Jessica Walter as the bland girlfriend’s mom. Does anyone remember that actress’s name?

by Anonymousreply 102July 25, 2021 11:58 PM

BJ and the Bear...........I like the ring of that.

by Anonymousreply 103July 26, 2021 12:01 AM

Joyce, LOL. We hear you, gurl.

by Anonymousreply 104July 26, 2021 12:01 AM

r97 none of those shows are like the absolute shit from the time period of OP's post.

by Anonymousreply 105July 26, 2021 12:29 AM

DecadesTV has been strip running selected Rhoda episodes all weekend. I'd forgotten how good the one liners and the cast are but I was right in my memory about how overall lacking the writing was at developing an engaging story about the characters. This isn't completely off topic as Rhoda went off the air in December '78.

I'd also forgotten that Rhoda had a framed window card for Angela Lansbury in Jerry Herman's Dear World on her wall. Loved it.

by Anonymousreply 106July 26, 2021 12:41 AM

BJs For Bears

by Anonymousreply 107July 26, 2021 12:42 AM

R102 Mary Cadorette. I always hated her. Just like I hated Rebecca Balding. She always seemed like smug bitch.

by Anonymousreply 108July 26, 2021 1:58 AM

I remember loving the theme song from Hello Larry, and I remember watching Angie. Mostly I remember Friends, and crying when my mom told me that it was cancelled and there wouldn't be any more episodes. I remember it reminded me of The Pinballs, which I had recently read, and had watched the afterschool special adaptation starring Kristy McNichol

I was 9.

It was an early lesson in the fact that the networks don't give a shit if you personally love a show. If not enough people watch it, it gets axed.

On the bright side, my bedtime got pushed back to 8:30 that summer.

by Anonymousreply 109July 26, 2021 2:10 AM

Ugh, that was from around the time NBC had all those ugly show ads in TV Guide with their big, awful Arial-typeface print and tacky cutout stills of their actors who hadn't been photographed together, all stuck together like some college freshman's art class collage project. And the era of "Supertrain"!! :o

by Anonymousreply 110July 26, 2021 2:22 AM

Wait, you were around to watch Angie and Hello, Larry but cried when your mom told you Friends was cancelled? We’re you in a coma for 30 years?

by Anonymousreply 111July 26, 2021 2:23 AM

[quote] none of those shows are like the absolute shit from the time period of OP's post.

R105 -

I'd say that's arguable. But the bigger point is the shows I listed either are or were long-running popular hits, and yet are every bit as wretched and God-awful as the crap that ran in 1979 for a few episodes before euthanized.

by Anonymousreply 112July 26, 2021 2:33 AM

R47- Denise Miller looks so old in this. The same year she was in a tv movie with Rex Smith and she was playing a 13 year old.

by Anonymousreply 113July 26, 2021 2:35 AM

Not mid season but LATE summer premiere and a DL FAV-

Facts Of Life which premiered on August 24th , 1979.

by Anonymousreply 114July 26, 2021 2:38 AM

R111, R109 is referring to a program called Friends from this 1979 midseason, not the more famous later show from the 90s.

by Anonymousreply 115July 26, 2021 2:40 AM

After reading I had to seriously think about who I liked better, The Ropers or Mr. Furley. I really can't decide. They both had their strengths. One of my biggest beefs with Three's Company is how Lana just went away without any explanation.

by Anonymousreply 116July 26, 2021 2:43 AM

r112 the modern shows weren't all that great, but they were an improvement over the 70s dreck. You can't compare The Big Band Theory to the Dukes Of Hazzard, or Grey's Anatomy to The Love Boat.

by Anonymousreply 117July 26, 2021 2:46 AM

They wrote out Lana because a horndog like Jack not wanting to fuck her and rejecting her when she all but spread her pussy in front of him was preposterous.

by Anonymousreply 118July 26, 2021 2:48 AM

R177- St Elsewhere was a far better show than Grey's Anatomy.

by Anonymousreply 119July 26, 2021 2:48 AM

I saw an interview with Lana Wood where she talks about how she got screwed at Three's Company. Apparently the producers hired her with no idea of what the character was going to be, so she played the same character each week as someone entirely new. She said the writing was on the wall after a couple of episodes when her airtime kept getting shorter and shorter. Sounds like it wasn't fun for her.

by Anonymousreply 120July 26, 2021 2:49 AM

My comment was meant for R117

by Anonymousreply 121July 26, 2021 2:49 AM

St Elsewhere was later on in the 80s, when cable was making inroads and served as a wake up call to the networks and they had to put better shows on the air. Moonlighting was around the same time. In the era we're talking about, the networks had no competition and could just throw any shit out there because there was nothing else to watch.

by Anonymousreply 122July 26, 2021 2:53 AM

I involuntarily watched a couple of Angie episodes. Crap. It was possible not to watch TV back then except for the news, Sunday shows and Sixty Minutes. instead, you went to the movies and theater or hung out in bars,

by Anonymousreply 123July 26, 2021 2:54 AM

R122

OK fine, both Marcus Welby and Medical Center were better than Gray's Anatomy. As for Big Bang Theory, I could rattle off 20 sitcoms from the 70s that were better than that steamed turd.

by Anonymousreply 124July 26, 2021 2:56 AM

Your opinion r124. I think if you didn't live through the 70s or were too young you can't watch any of those sitcoms. I'm a child of the 80s and god knows I'd rather have a root canal than sit through a marathon of the Cosby Show, Growing Pains, Family Ties or any number of those shit shows I used to watch as a kid.

by Anonymousreply 125July 26, 2021 3:04 AM

R122-, St Elsewhere premiered in the EARLY 80's- 1982. Not later on in the 1980's.

by Anonymousreply 126July 26, 2021 3:22 AM

R124- Even Friends is better than Greys Anatomy

by Anonymousreply 127July 26, 2021 3:23 AM

St. Elsewhere was one of those shows that was a huge hit at the time but totally forgotten today, like LA Law.

by Anonymousreply 128July 26, 2021 3:36 AM

Actually, St. Elsewhere wasn't a hit - its highest rated season was its last, when it ranked #47; it did, however, have a devoted audience in the much desired 18-49 demo. Its direct competition for 5 years was Hotel, a top 30 show that attracted an older audience.

by Anonymousreply 129July 26, 2021 4:11 AM

Even when I was a kid, I knew ANGIE was crap. I liked the sister, though.

by Anonymousreply 130July 26, 2021 4:21 AM

Didn’t Angie go from being a waitress in Season 1 to being a rich married wife whose husband bought her the diner in Season 2? No wonder it was canceled. Too much too soon!

by Anonymousreply 131July 26, 2021 4:32 AM

OMG! I totally forgot about The Pinballs, r109. I'll have to re-visit it.

by Anonymousreply 132July 26, 2021 4:33 AM

I think the worst thing to happen to network TV in the last few years was premium cable and streaming. Network shows just can't compete. When you have to water down your shows for a broad audience it loses something in the translation. Without getting into a debate about modern sensibilities, there was a certain rawness to television shows in the 70s into the early 80s which makes them somewhat compelling to watch - maybe as time capsules providing a glimpse into the unwashed past, unlike a lot of current network shows that leave you scratching your head at their earnestness. Personally, I think the most real network show in the last 10 years was Superstore on NBC. If it were on cable or streaming it would have gotten a ton of awards.

by Anonymousreply 133July 26, 2021 4:55 AM

Superstore is the only network sitcom I've been able to watch in many years, it was brilliant. I agree that if it had been on cable or streaming it would've gotten the respect it deserved. Network tv is so unfashionable now, nobody under a certain age really pays attention to it.

by Anonymousreply 134July 26, 2021 4:59 AM

Facts of Life was fantastic. I was born in 1985, caught this in reruns and freaking love it. COVID helped me get to know so many older shows. I agree with the person who said some of the 80s shows were very painful to watch like Growing Pains and Cosby Show (totally unwatchable after the first season). Hell, thanks to my grandma, I watched all of the Donna Reed show (loved it), Hazel, IL Lucy and shows from that era. I have watched Soap (loved it) and some of MTM (so good so far).

by Anonymousreply 135July 26, 2021 6:02 AM

R135 I’ve always loved it just because it’s my childhood, but as I started rewatching it on Logo, I noticed there was an interesting shift in tone - around the second season of Edna’s Edibles - where the show actually became pretty funny (I think it’s when Paul Haggis came on). I personally think the show holds up.

by Anonymousreply 136July 26, 2021 6:05 AM

R136 Well, I love it as a 36 year old. I particularly love the Edna’s Edibles years.

by Anonymousreply 137July 26, 2021 6:13 AM

Maybe the Larry in [italic]Hello, Larry[/italic] should have been Larry Mondello. They actually had a former [italic]Leave it to Beaver[/italic] writer working for it: George Tibbles.

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by Anonymousreply 138July 26, 2021 7:32 AM

Ok I’ve never watched Angie (I’m assuming it was never in reruns) but I’ve seen the intro a couple of times (on here) and what is with the theme? Parts of it sound like an old warped tape.

by Anonymousreply 139July 26, 2021 8:14 AM

The St. Elsewhere universe was responsible for a huge amount of later network TV.

Tommy Westphall.

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by Anonymousreply 140July 26, 2021 11:21 AM

George Tibbles wrote for a lot of sitcoms. He was responsible for some of the more hackish seasons of My Three Sons.

One of the problems with "Three's Company" was a tendency toward very broad writing and direction--lots of bug-eyed reaction shots and exaggerated emotion. Furley was all about that kind of stuff. The Ropers weren't exactly subtle, but they were written a little more dry and Norman Fell was the closet thing to an underacting actor on the show.

by Anonymousreply 141July 26, 2021 11:27 AM

Norman Fell breaking the fourth wall to give a sly smile to the audience was second only to John Ritter's superb performance as a physical comedian. Audra Lindley was fun for what the role was. The rest of the series was junk.

And yes, obviously, it's my opinion

by Anonymousreply 142July 26, 2021 11:34 AM

Don't ask why, but for the past few months I've been watching reruns from the final seasons of My Three Sons on MeTV. They are absolutely awful. But for the past few weeks I've noticed a little six or seven year old girl in a recurring role. According to the credits, her name is Jodie Foster.

by Anonymousreply 143July 26, 2021 11:35 AM

R143

Which one of the sons did Jodie Foster play?

by Anonymousreply 144July 26, 2021 11:37 AM

I get and like your post r144, but Foster plays a friend of adopted stepdaughter Dodie. Who is actually kind of cute and the last decent new character on the show. The replacement boys fail tremendously

by Anonymousreply 145July 26, 2021 11:48 AM

Dodie was annoying and pioneered "Cousin Oliver"-type shark jumping replacement children.

by Anonymousreply 146July 26, 2021 11:50 AM

Brothers Barry and Stanley Livingston were the replacements for the original sons. They were ghastly and lead to years of trying to fix the show. which never happened.

by Anonymousreply 147July 26, 2021 11:56 AM

My Three Non Binary Offspring.

by Anonymousreply 148July 26, 2021 12:05 PM

Yes, MTS had an amazingly long run for a show that lost all its charm after the first cast left. Not only the two sons but William Frawley for health reasons, though William Demarest wasn't bad.

by Anonymousreply 149July 26, 2021 12:06 PM

"My" implies ownership. You cannot own another person you racist, colonialist, xenophobic, homophobic POS!!! YOU ARE CANCELLED -- AND WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!!

by Anonymousreply 150July 26, 2021 12:08 PM

Dodie was both charming and annoying. I could never make up my mind. Like an ideal Dolly Levi.

by Anonymousreply 151July 26, 2021 12:16 PM

Uncle Charley was irritating, mostly because Demerest was that way and the role emphasized it by giving him occasional bouts of bathos. Frawley was more low key and subtle. Of the original cast, "Mike" was annoying by design, the know-it-all oldest son. That dynamic was lost when he left the show and they never really differentiated the sons, except by age, after that.

by Anonymousreply 152July 26, 2021 12:46 PM

R111 I wasn't referring to the successful sitcom starring Courtney Cox, which did not premiere in 1979.

I am referring to the hourlong comedy-drama called Friends that premiered in 1979, and ran for five episodes. It was about kids, and starred Jill Whelan who became Vicki on The Love Boat.

by Anonymousreply 153July 26, 2021 12:55 PM

OP

In Houston.

by Anonymousreply 154July 26, 2021 1:15 PM

Fell never wanted to do a spin off of TC. He was content staying with a big hit show. I’m unsure why ABC wanted to do a spin off, considering the two wouldn’t have Jack, Joyce and Suzanne to play off of and the shtick that Mrs. Roper wasn’t getting any couldn’t sustain any sitcom for long. I prefer the Ropers on TC, mainly because I associate Don with the weaker back half of the series (of course there was an overlap that he started during Somers full final season).

by Anonymousreply 155July 26, 2021 1:17 PM

[quote] "My" implies ownership. You cannot own another person you racist, colonialist, xenophobic, homophobic POS!!! YOU ARE CANCELLED -- AND WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!!The stable and rational woke community

There’s a weird, new phenomenon, where someone is so preemptively enraged by the ‘woke,’ that they make all the necessary talking points their ‘woke’ boogeyman make, even though there’s no actual ‘woke’ in the thread. Stealth ‘woke-ness,’ or just a dumbfuck? You decide!🤔

by Anonymousreply 156July 26, 2021 1:33 PM

Dodie is the most stupid name i've ever heard of.

by Anonymousreply 157July 26, 2021 1:33 PM

Diminutive of Dorothy. Still pretty stupid.

by Anonymousreply 158July 26, 2021 1:36 PM

Am I wrong? I thought only one of the sons left and only one new son was added on My Three Sons (along with the change from Bud to Uncle Charley).

by Anonymousreply 159July 26, 2021 1:43 PM

WOW!!!

It appears that Flashbak is a companion site to Datalounge.

How many of you Eldergays frequent that site?

Do any of you write for it?

It seems to discuss many of the same topics that are common on DL

by Anonymousreply 160July 26, 2021 1:45 PM

Correct, r159. The original youngest son Stanley Livingston stayed with the show but his real life younger brother Barry was adopted into the show when oldest show son Tim Considine left the series.

And William Frawley played Bub, not Bud.

by Anonymousreply 161July 26, 2021 1:54 PM

The actress who played Dodie was Leif Garretts sister, I wonder if they did coke together?

by Anonymousreply 162July 26, 2021 1:55 PM

Three Sons was one of those shows that I watched growing up early morning in syndication, but I never knew about the other son or Bub until Nik @ Nite in the 90s. I guess for some reason they didn't show the early B&W seasons in syndication. It's the same way that I didn't know about the first and better Gladys Kravitz or how many times they changed those daughters on Petticoat Junction. I guess those early shows weren't part of syndication packages.

by Anonymousreply 163July 26, 2021 2:11 PM

[quote]I’m unsure why ABC wanted to do a spin off,

Three's Company was a smash hit on ABC, which in turn, was taking over CBS spot as the most popular network on television. It was the number two rated show on TV when the Ropers left.

The original British series Man About The House, had spun the Roper characters off into their own show, George and Mildred. GAM became as big a hit in Britain as MATH. Man About the House also gave their Jack Tripper character his own show, Robin's Nest

by Anonymousreply 164July 26, 2021 6:43 PM

R164 I understand Three Co. was huge. The Ropers just weren’t interesting enough to carry a show on their own, other than just the background plot on TC.

by Anonymousreply 165July 26, 2021 7:54 PM

Remember Enos, The Dukes of Hazzard spin-off? It was on for one season around 1980-1981. I watched all that sh*t back then. Flo, Gloria, Phyllis, Sheriff Lobo, The Ropers, Joanie Loves Chachi, spin-off heaven!

by Anonymousreply 166July 26, 2021 8:09 PM

R166: I'm glad I was busy working and going to school. What little I remember of most of those shows was awful.

by Anonymousreply 167July 26, 2021 8:25 PM

[italic]Small Wonder[/italic] and other mid-late 1980s syndicated shows like it came about because of this state of affairs. So many short-lived shows meant fewer shows with much rerun value four or five years down the line. TV stations count on enough episodes so that they can run them five times a week and not have viewers get tired of them.

by Anonymousreply 168July 26, 2021 9:05 PM

100 episodes was/is considered the necessary minimum for successful syndication. The handful of exceptions includes Leverage with only 77 episodes. That's the real reason so many shows have public displays on reaching their 100th episode.

The Closer ran 13 or 14 episodes per season. During its final season before Kyra's contract ran out and she left, they upped it to 21 episodes to get the show to over 100 eps.

by Anonymousreply 169July 26, 2021 9:31 PM

R169, that's why I love (digital cable) channels like Antenna TV and ME. Those channels air (very) short-lived shows like Three's a Crowd, Lotsa Luck, The Paul Lynde Show, etc.

by Anonymousreply 170July 26, 2021 9:35 PM

I loved Madame

by Anonymousreply 171July 26, 2021 9:37 PM

Lots of shows got final seasons the ratings didn't really support to get them over 100 episodes to make them attractive for syndication. Especially if the network had co-produced and/or were a profit partipicant.

by Anonymousreply 172July 26, 2021 9:41 PM

Corey Feldman was the worst thing about [italic]Madame’s Place[/italic]. I can see why [italic]Still the Beaver[/italic] replaced him when they went to series, and even here they tried episodes without him.

by Anonymousreply 173July 26, 2021 9:53 PM

[quote] There’s a weird, new phenomenon, where someone is so preemptively enraged by the ‘woke,’ that they make all the necessary talking points their ‘woke’ boogeyman make, even though there’s no actual ‘woke’ in the thread. Stealth ‘woke-ness,’ or just a dumbfuck? You decide!🤔

There's nothing weird about it. I making fun of asinine, pompous, and frankly (historically) ignorant political movement. They're not the bogeyman. They're just a joke.

by Anonymousreply 174July 26, 2021 10:29 PM

R174, you're a boob. Scram!

by Anonymousreply 175July 26, 2021 10:30 PM

[quote] Remember Enos, The Dukes of Hazzard spin-off? It was on for one season around 1980-1981.

Oh I remember Enos, R166. Sonny Shroyer, while no Jon Erik Hexum, was still way too hot to essentially play Gomer Pyle. They should have moved his ass to San Francisco and make Monroe from "Too Close to Comfort" his partner.

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by Anonymousreply 176July 26, 2021 10:35 PM

Let's try that again...

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by Anonymousreply 177July 26, 2021 10:36 PM

[quote] you're a boob. Scram!

Boob? Scram? Yeah OK, grandpa. Hush now, and get ready for your Blue Bloods marathon.

by Anonymousreply 178July 26, 2021 10:38 PM

[quote]I understand Three Co. was huge. The Ropers just weren’t interesting enough to carry a show on their own, other than just the background plot on TC.

Didn't matter. All hit shows looked to have spinoffs back then. A good way for the creators to make money and the networks love it as well because it contained characters who were already established with audiences. Their thought was that they didn't have to put in much work as they would with a new show.

Wasn't there also going to be a Three's Company spinoff with Barrie Youngfellow and two guys?

by Anonymousreply 179July 26, 2021 10:40 PM

From the ages of 10 to 14 I loved TV, peaking in 1979 at 12. I used to positively STUDY the "Fall Preview" issue of "TV Guide." It was published near Labor Day and was arranged (I believe) by network --CBS, NBC ABC--with each show for each network ordered by day of the week and time slot. I would read those one paragraph descriptions of upcoming TV shows and stare at the accompanying cast photo/publicity photos! The actual shows almost always disappointed.

by Anonymousreply 180July 26, 2021 10:43 PM

[quote] Wasn't there also going to be a Three's Company spinoff with Barrie Youngfellow and two guys?

You're thinking of the porno that morphed into the sitcom "It's a Living". Barrie played a hooker named Eiffel Tower in the original pilot.

by Anonymousreply 181July 26, 2021 10:43 PM

R180

I did the same thing, and we're the same age. I would study the Fall Preview to scope out all the hotties who would be gracing my bedroom TV screen that Fall. Ooooh-la-la.

by Anonymousreply 182July 26, 2021 10:45 PM

Barrie Youngfellow wanted to do the Wonder Woman spin off “Orana”. She worked with a professional choreographer for months to learn how to do Lynda’s signature full 360 degree turn, but despite the training she could only manage half a twirl.

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by Anonymousreply 183July 26, 2021 11:01 PM

[quote]that's why I love (digital cable) channels like Antenna TV and ME. Those channels air (very) short-lived shows like Three's a Crowd, Lotsa Luck, The Paul Lynde Show, etc.

It boggles my mind why anyone in the year 2021 would be watching these old relics, which were utter shit to begin with.

by Anonymousreply 184July 26, 2021 11:17 PM

Nostalgia.

by Anonymousreply 185July 26, 2021 11:18 PM

I can understand nostalgia if it's good stuff, like The Godfather or the Alien films, but shit tv shows are a whole other thing. I just don't get it.

by Anonymousreply 186July 26, 2021 11:21 PM

Nostalgia isn't always about the quality of what's being remembered but where it takes you in your mind.

For example, when I was 18-19 years old, my friends and I would hit Denny's after a night of drinking. I love their idea of "Eggs Benedict" followed by their interpretation of Key Lime Pie. Looking back, that food was disgusting -- but I have fond memories because I was young and having fun with friends.

by Anonymousreply 187July 26, 2021 11:24 PM

BTW, I'm not R170. And personally I have no interest in those shows, or even shows from the 70s (my childhood), but I can see how others might.

by Anonymousreply 188July 26, 2021 11:25 PM

None of these shows had Shelley Havk. That’s right they were saving her for CA’s big fall 1979-1980 spectacular! Tiffany Welles!

by Anonymousreply 189July 26, 2021 11:29 PM

Wasn't Shelley Hack on "Flying High" with Connie Selleca? What year was that? Good Lord, if I stay in this thread much longer I might not remember what year it is NOW.

by Anonymousreply 190July 26, 2021 11:31 PM

Knots Landing started later that year (Christmastime 1979).

by Anonymousreply 191July 26, 2021 11:33 PM

No! Shelly Hack was late 70s early 80s Flying Nun was 60s

by Anonymousreply 192July 26, 2021 11:34 PM

What about some Theresa Saldana talk??

by Anonymousreply 193July 26, 2021 11:35 PM

Trapper John MD premiered on 9/23/1979. It was the first "adult show" I watched from the very beginning.

by Anonymousreply 194July 26, 2021 11:35 PM

"Flying High" not "Flying Nun"!

But nevermind, it was Pat Klous I was thinking of. But as it happens, Hack was on something called "Married: The First Year" (which I kind of remember as a female cousin loved that show). It starred DL fave Leigh McCloskey and a pre-Knots Constance McCashin.

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by Anonymousreply 195July 26, 2021 11:40 PM

Wasn't Shelley Hack "The Charlie Girl" and considered a big supermodel?

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by Anonymousreply 196July 26, 2021 11:43 PM

[quote]What about some Theresa Saldana talk??

Well, she's dead. So there's that.

by Anonymousreply 197July 26, 2021 11:55 PM

Amazing how DLers can remember all of these obscure actresses and actors who were only around for five minutes and were never seen or heard from again, decades later.

by Anonymousreply 198July 26, 2021 11:56 PM

Screw you!

by Anonymousreply 199July 26, 2021 11:58 PM

If there was a “Friends” in 1979, was there a “Will and Grace” in 1979 as well?

by Anonymousreply 200July 27, 2021 12:11 AM

R20 - I remember Michael Nouri as Dracula too. I was 8 when Cliffhangers was on, but knew right away I wanted to marry Michael Nouri when I grew up.

by Anonymousreply 201July 27, 2021 12:14 AM

The cobra in her bubble bath!

by Anonymousreply 202July 27, 2021 12:23 AM

Lest we forget the trend of high performing made-for-TV Movies that got milked for every cent until they became an under performing series.

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by Anonymousreply 203July 27, 2021 12:29 AM

I don't think anyone was ever really scared of having a snake show up in the bathtub. You usually look first before you get in. But having a viper pop its head up from the hole in the bowl after you are comfortably ensconced remains a lingering terror.

by Anonymousreply 204July 27, 2021 12:52 AM

R179 that’s why every network is mostly a bottomless pit money wise. For every one Threes Company, there are like 10 Ropers or Hello Larry. Norman Fell knew it wasn’t going to succeed. The concept really sucked of an older couple interacting with a middle age couple with the cute kid you want to throttle thrown in.

by Anonymousreply 205July 27, 2021 12:52 AM

Thanks, R204. Now I’m going to have to shit in the garbage can for the next two weeks.

by Anonymousreply 206July 27, 2021 12:55 AM

It's crazy to think about this now, but Three's Company was considered quite raunchy and risqué at the time. It's so tame now, but conservatives used to rail against it because it was a "filthy" show for the time period.

by Anonymousreply 207July 27, 2021 12:56 AM

R207 Yes, conservatives invented cancel culture.

by Anonymousreply 208July 27, 2021 1:02 AM

1979 was a great year for TV. Barnaby Jones (with Mark Shera), Trapper John MD, Quincy, Little House on the Prairie (Nellie!), Knots Landing, Hart to Hart, The Incredible Hulk, Hawaii Five-O, Family, The Rockford Files, Dallas, OMG! Now THOSE were shows!

by Anonymousreply 209July 27, 2021 1:05 AM

Have you tried watching Barnaby Jones in reruns? It's even worse than Matlock! Who would have thought that possible?

by Anonymousreply 210July 27, 2021 1:08 AM

Ah, but in addition to the beauty of Mark Shera, Barnaby Jones had a marvelously campy opening theme.

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by Anonymousreply 211July 27, 2021 1:20 AM

I've watched Barnaby Jones all the way through on ME-TV. It's excellent, lots of my favorite guest stars. Filmed all over the L.A. area; I like to look up the locations on Google maps. Barnaby's office building is in downtown Pasadena (at Marengo and Colorado Blvd.). Love Mark Shera!

by Anonymousreply 212July 27, 2021 1:26 AM

R211 Terri Nunn!

by Anonymousreply 213July 27, 2021 1:28 AM

R213 She was fun. Berlin of course, but yea, a lot of TV. Remember her in “Thank God It’s Friday?” It’s so dopey but I still watch it every few years.

by Anonymousreply 214July 27, 2021 1:35 AM

R214 Yes, I remember her in that movie. She was a perky little actress before she decided to become a new wave chanteuse.

by Anonymousreply 215July 27, 2021 1:36 AM

[quote] But having a viper pop its head up from the hole in the bowl after you are comfortably ensconced remains a lingering terror.

Focus on the terror the snake must be feeling having your fat poopy ass hang over him

by Anonymousreply 216July 27, 2021 2:22 AM

[quote] Thanks, [R204]. Now I’m going to have to shit in the garbage can for the next two weeks.

Yeah, like THAT'S the reason.

by Anonymousreply 217July 27, 2021 2:23 AM

R209

Eeeeeeeee! I remember Mark Shera. (sigh)

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by Anonymousreply 218July 27, 2021 2:26 AM

[quote] Have you tried watching Barnaby Jones in reruns? It's even worse than Matlock! Who would have thought that possible?

I think Mad magazine spoofed it as "Barnacle Groans". I miss Mad magazine.

by Anonymousreply 219July 27, 2021 2:28 AM

R207, I remember Three's Company being called a new low in popular culture, and gutter humor. It premiered shortly before my 7th birthday, and I was not allowed to watch it, and I remember my mother referring to it as smut. My father watched it though, and when it came on I was sent to my room. My father would watch it in the family room which was down the hall from my bedroom. I would stand in the doorway and I could hear it, and there was a mirror in the hall that perfectly reflected the TV, so I did watch it, just with the image reversed.

The dirtier jokes pretty much went over my head at 7 years old, anyway. Once it came on daytime syndication a few years later my sister and I would watch it during summer vacation when my parents were at work. I remember it being on right before The Price is Right.

by Anonymousreply 220July 27, 2021 2:48 AM

[quote]If there was a “Friends” in 1979, was there a “Will and Grace” in 1979 as well?

No, but there was an "ER" in 1984. And George Clooney was in it.

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by Anonymousreply 221July 27, 2021 3:04 AM

George Clooney appeared in an episode of just about every TV show between 1980 - 1985

by Anonymousreply 222July 27, 2021 3:07 AM

I am finally catching up on this thread, and I guess I never paid attention to Enos on Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid. My little gayling self was too busy wondering why Bo and Luke made me tingly. Sonny Shroyer (Enos) was cute!

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by Anonymousreply 223July 27, 2021 3:45 AM

R220 my father complained about the bad acting, how he could outact any of them, esp. Ritter. The show he forbade us from watching was Dukes of Hazzard, he thought it would leave us with a bad perception of Southerners.

by Anonymousreply 224July 27, 2021 5:38 AM

R223 I always thought he was hot & used to call him Penos.

by Anonymousreply 225July 27, 2021 5:39 AM

I was a young adult. I worked a full-time job and freelanced. I had a social life. With no VCRs, you were tied to the couch to watch this stuff. Unless I was sick or stuck at home, I didn't.

by Anonymousreply 226July 27, 2021 9:48 AM

[quote] The show he forbade us from watching was Dukes of Hazzard, he thought it would leave us with a bad perception of Southerners.

Has the South ever been well-depicted on TV? Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hee Haw, Dallas, Flamingo Road, American Gothic, True Blood, Grace Under Fire...

The only exceptions I can think of are the Andy Griffith shows and Designing Women.

by Anonymousreply 227July 27, 2021 12:20 PM

[quote] I always thought he was hot & used to call him Penos.

So did my brother and I.

by Anonymousreply 228July 27, 2021 12:21 PM

I was alive then as a young adult and didn't watch a single on of these shows. Not one episode. I remember some of these names but not all of them. There was so much more to do than watch TV then.

by Anonymousreply 229July 27, 2021 1:00 PM

R229 Ah, yes, the inevitable visit from the "TV is soooo beneath me" troll.

by Anonymousreply 230July 27, 2021 1:03 PM

r227, I always assumed Hooterville - the location for Petticoat Junction and Green Acres -- was somewhere in the Midwest, most likely Missouri or Illinois.

by Anonymousreply 231July 27, 2021 1:39 PM

Andy Griffith was in North Carolina. Mayberry = Mt. Airy.

by Anonymousreply 232July 27, 2021 1:44 PM

Conversely, I was a young adult in the late 90s and never really saw Friends or Seinfeld or any of the other shows my generation is so nostalgic for now because I was too busy with work and my social life. I think the people who rhapsodize over crappy tv shows of their youth were anti-social hermits. Those of us who had real lives and were out doing things never really bothered with watching much tv.

by Anonymousreply 233July 27, 2021 3:56 PM

R233 Oh I'm sure of it. Which is why you came to a thread specifically about TV.

Freaking idiot.

by Anonymousreply 234July 27, 2021 4:10 PM

Bitter bitch r234

by Anonymousreply 235July 27, 2021 4:11 PM

It seems like the people who remember these shows were kids at the time and not adults, so that's a lot different. They were stuck at home and of course there was nothing else to do back then but watch tv.

by Anonymousreply 236July 27, 2021 4:54 PM

“A QUINN MARTIN PRODUCTION”.

I still like to say this out loud to friends when they get too Gladys Kravitz.

by Anonymousreply 237July 27, 2021 5:07 PM

R236 Exactly right. Once I discovered the booze and the boys I left that TV room and never came back.

by Anonymousreply 238July 27, 2021 10:02 PM

Barbary Jones starred Lee Pussyweather

by Anonymousreply 239July 27, 2021 10:40 PM

[quote] There was so much more to do than watch TV then.

Yes, like smoke weed, snort coke, collect unemployment while inflation became a recession, enjoy Carter's malaise, worry about the hostages in Iran, watch Pintos explode, wait for Skylab to land on you, buy Quiana shirts with polyester leisure suits, and listen to disco music on 8 track.

by Anonymousreply 240July 27, 2021 10:46 PM

And now she'll forever be known for performing at Mar A Lago on New Year's Eve during a pandemic, R215.

by Anonymousreply 241July 28, 2021 1:08 AM

NBC was a dead network in the late 1970s through 1983. I think its only hit shows then were Diff'rent Strokes, Little House on the Prairie, and The A-Team (and I doubt any of those were in the Nielsen Top 20). The Facts of Life was never a highly rated show but did well enough in its time slot with young viewers.

by Anonymousreply 242July 28, 2021 1:17 AM

How was Shirley Jones in 1979’s “Shirley”? It looked like a Family/Eight is Enough/Our House clone, but Shirley’s gravitas should have elevated it. The link below is all I could find on YouTube.

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by Anonymousreply 243July 28, 2021 1:27 AM

R243 Was Peter the gay Keith?

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by Anonymousreply 244July 28, 2021 2:01 AM

R241 I did not know any of that. David Diamond tried to avoid being dragged. “Berlin's David Diamond also released a statement, noting that Nunn performed at the event solo and that it was not a band appearance. "I spent the evening at my home in #Truckee," he shared.”

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by Anonymousreply 245July 28, 2021 4:19 AM

Terri Nunn was on a season 3 episode of "Family" (a.k.a. The Kristy McNichol Show). Also guest starring that season were Linda Lavin, Brooke Adams, Jennifer Salt, and Willie Aames.

by Anonymousreply 246July 28, 2021 2:32 PM

The mention of The Facts of Life reminded me of Dorothy Loudon's short-lived attempt at a sitcom, Dorothy, which was about a teacher at an all-girls school. It actually debuted a few weeks before The Facts of Life in the summer of 1979, but didn't make it past 4 episodes.

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by Anonymousreply 247July 28, 2021 2:46 PM

And it cost her the [italic]Annie[/italic] movie.

by Anonymousreply 248July 28, 2021 2:50 PM

That Dorothy Loudon show featured Linda Manz, who had just recently starred in Malick's Days of Heaven, big things were expected from her...

by Anonymousreply 249July 28, 2021 3:46 PM

R249 Linda Manz is a very mysterious figure. I have yet to see "Out of the Blue," I cannot even find it on YouTube, which often has some crappy version of hard to find movies. It's on DVD but non-US format. Manz of course is dead...she oddly popped up in The Game for a hot minute, I assume Fincher liked her work.

by Anonymousreply 250July 28, 2021 4:25 PM

r246 Jennifer Salt yes! Bring me the smelling salts so I can pass out on my swoon sofa! Loved her in her dreamy "town slut" flashbacks in "Midnight Cowboy," no doubt Dad Waldo got her that gig. Then the nosy yenta newspaper reporter in "Sisters," then sassy daughter of hot-chest Daddy Cornel Wilde in my "favorite movie when I was 8 years old" "Gargoyles,: Eunice Tate on "Soap," then reinventing herself and aligning with Ryan Murphy to partner with / write "Nip/Tuck" and "American Horror Story."

by Anonymousreply 251July 28, 2021 4:33 PM

Is Jennifer related to Veruka? I see a resemblance.

by Anonymousreply 252July 29, 2021 4:39 AM

Thanks, r211! Nothing beats a “Quinn Martin Production” for sheer camp value!

by Anonymousreply 253July 29, 2021 9:23 PM

How about a "Mark VII Production"?

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by Anonymousreply 254July 29, 2021 10:56 PM

Well played, r254!

by Anonymousreply 255July 30, 2021 12:13 AM

Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.

by Anonymousreply 256July 30, 2021 12:14 AM

Shame on the author of this piece of clickbait for not pointing out that Joel Higgins was in [italic]Salvage One[/italic]. It would have also segued perfectly into how [italic]Silver Spoons[/italic] succeeded where [italic]Hello, Larry[/italic] failed: as a show about a divorced dad who got custody of the kid(s), and from the same production company no less.

by Anonymousreply 257July 30, 2021 5:36 AM

[quote] The mention of The Facts of Life reminded me of Dorothy Loudon's short-lived attempt at a sitcom, Dorothy, which was about a teacher at an all-girls school. It actually debuted a few weeks before The Facts of Life in the summer of 1979, but didn't make it past 4 episodes.

Except [italic]Facts[/italic] technically started first if you count the [italic]Diff'rent Strokes[/italic] backdoor pilot that aired May 4, 1979, a full three months and four days before this show.

The fact that CBS's show had the same producers as [italic]Alice[/italic] ended up reinforcing the McKeon family connection after the fact when Jo Polniaczek joined NBC's show.

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by Anonymousreply 258July 30, 2021 5:39 AM

I’ve never heard of any of these shows and can’t remember watching a single episode. I was in college in 1979 and didn’t own a television. The actors do seem game and some of the production values seem quite high. I think Little Women, The Chisholms and Flatbush looked interesting.

by Anonymousreply 259August 9, 2021 3:20 AM

R259 - Actually Little Women and Flatbush were the same show.

by Anonymousreply 260August 10, 2021 10:35 PM
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