Classic Sitcoms by Vince Waldron, and the Best Sitcoms as of 1985

The year was 1985 and Vince Waldron, a plucky pop culture maven from Chicago, polled the nation’s TV critics to find out what they considered the best (and worst) sitcoms of all-time.  He took the Top 10 and made detailed episode guides, publishing them in the book “Classic Sitcoms,” which I probably read cover-to-cover numerous times while growing up.  In the back, one of the appendices showed which programs each critic selected.  I’ve gone through and crunched the numbers to show what TV critics were thinking in 1985.  Remember, this was just after “The Cosby Show” premiered, and just before “The Golden Girls.”  There was no “Friends” or “Seinfeld” or “30 Rock” or “The Office” to speak of, and British imports weren’t as readily available as they are now (so there aren’t any votes of “Fawlty Towers,” for example).

TOP 10:
Mary Tyler Moore Show (33)
All In the Family (26)
MASH (21)
I Love Lucy (21)
Dick Van Dyke Show (19)
The Honeymooners (17)
Barney Miller (13)
Cheers (11)
Bob Newhart Show (8)
Taxi (7)
These ten are in the book, with complete episode guides (except "Cheers," which stops at season 4… the other seven seasons are on Waldron’s website).  One critic, Bill Lane from World News Syndicate, is totally confounding to me.  He put "Barney Miller" on his "worst" list.  And he put "Archie Bunker's Place" (the inferior continuation of "All In the Family") on his "best" list?!  See below for his other odd choices, such as placing "The Jeffersons" as one of the best, when five other critics placed it worst.  He also selected the 1969-71 "Bill Cosby Show" over the then-hot (and current) "Cosby Show."

NEXT 5... these got multiple votes but aren't in the book.
Andy Griffith Show (6)
Phil Silvers Show (6)
Get Smart (4)
United States (3)
Soap (3)

With three votes, Larry Gelbart's short-lived and VERY, VERY over-rated "United States" takes up a valuable slot. The show was considered groundbreaking in 1980, so critics who wanted to keep their cred must have decided it belonged. At least Richard Hack of "The Hollywood Reporter" placed it on his "worst" list.  The snippets I’ve seen are totally pretentious.  Nothing else to really note except that "Andy Griffith" petered out a bit after Don Knotts left; otherwise, it may have placed higher.  The following shows each received two votes... too bad they all got shut out of the Top 15 thanks to "United States”:
Buffalo Bill; Burns and Allen; Green Acres; The Odd Couple; Sanford & Son
"Green Acres" also placed on one "worst" list, while "Buffalo Bill" was on two "worst" lists... including Tom Shales, probably the most respected TV critic ever.  Strange.  Unrelated (fortunately), "The New Odd Couple" was placed on two "worst" lists.

Each of these shows received one “best” vote:
Amos ‘n Andy; Archie Bunker’s Place; The Associates; Bewitched; Bosom Buddies; Car 54, Where Are You?; The Cosby Show; Courtship of Eddie’s Father; Dobie Gillis; F Troop; Fernwood 2-Night; Kate and Allie; Leave It to Beaver; The Lucy Show; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Mr. Peepers; Paul Sand In Friends and Lovers; Police Squad; WKRP in Cincinnati

And now for the worst shows…
-My Mother the Car (16)
-Three's Company (13)... plus two for the continuation/spin-off, "Three's A Crowd"
-Hello Larry (10)
-Mr. T and Tina (8)
-Gilligan's Island (6)
-The Ropers (7)… man, critics hate the Jack Tripper universe, even though they gave John Ritter an Emmy in 1984
-The Jeffersons (5)... one top of that bizarre "best" placing from the aforementioned Bill Lane
-Me and the Chimp (5)

The following shows received four votes each:
Ball Four; Co-Ed Fever; The Flying Nun; The Hathaways; Joanie Loves Chachi; Laverne & Shirley; McLean Stevenson Show; Punky Brewster; We Got It Made… the only notable thing about these is that "Laverne & Shirley" also got one "best" placing from Lee Marksbury (Fresno Bee).

Two votes:
Baby, I’m Back; The Brady Bunch; AKA Pablo; Alice (one vote for the entire run, one from Bill Lane for the years without Flo, and one for "Flo" itself); Blansky’s Beauties; Bosom Buddies*; Car 54, Where Are You?*; Carter Country; Condo (another McLean Stevenson vehicle!); CPO Sharkey; Facts of Life; Family Affair; Gimme a Break; Hogan's Heroes; In the Beginning; Lotsa Luck; Mama Malone; The Mothers-In-Law; Partridge Family; Petticoat Junction; Rango; Roller Girls; The Ted Knight Show; Tammy Grimes Show; Welcome Back Kotter
*-also received some placings on "best" lists

One vote:
90 Bristol Court; ABC Evening News with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner (so clever); AfterMASH; Apple Pie; Benson; Beverly Hillbillies; Brian Keith Show; Bridget Loves Bernie; Brothers and Sisters; Busting Loose; Camp Runamuck; Debbie Reynolds Show; Detective School; Don’t Call Me Charlie; Doris Day Show; The Dumplings; Family Ties; Far Out Space Nuts; Filthy Rich; Fish (spin-off of "Barney Miller"); Girl with Something Extra; Happy Days; Holmes and Yoyo; I Dream of Jeannie; I Married Joan; I’m Dickens He’s Fenster; It’s About Time; It’s Not Easy; Jennifer Slept Here; Just Our Luck; Maude; Mr. Ed; Mr. Smith; The Monkees; The Montefuscos; The Munsters; My Little Margie; Open All Night; Ozzie & Harriet; Ozzie’s Girls; The Pruitts of Southampton; The Roller Girls; San Pedro Bums; Six O’Clock Follies; Sugar Time; Waverly Wonders; Webster; What’s Happening; When Things Were Rotten


GLENN ALBUN, Interview Magazine (New York)
Green Acres, Burns and Allen, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Get Smart, Bewitched
Happy Days, Three’s Company, Welcome Back Kotter, Family Ties, Facts of Life

JON ANDERSON, Chicago Tribune
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Mr. Peepers
My Mother the Car, Rango, The Munsters, We Got It Made, AKA Pablo

KEN BECK, The Tennessean
Andy Griffith, Car 54 Where Are You, Sanford & Son, Get Smart, Mary Tyler Moore
Family Affair, Partridge Family, Sugar Time, Doris Day Show, Maude

JEFF BORDEN, Columbus Dispatch
Barney Miller, MASH, Cheers, I Love Lucy, The Associates
Three’s Company, The Jeffersons, My Mother the Car, Carter Country, Ball Four

RUTH BUTLER, Grand Rapids Press
MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Phil Silvers Show, Dick Van Dyke, Barney Miller
Laverne & Shirley, Three’s Company, AKA Pablo, The Jeffersons, The Hathaways

STUART D. BYKOFSKY, Philadelphia Daily News
Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, I Love Lucy, Get Smart, Barney Miller
Laverne & Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi, The Ropers, The Ted Knight Show, Three’s Company

JOHN CARMAN, Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners, Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, United States
The Roller Girls, The Ropers, Punky Brewster, Gilligan’s Island, Co-Ed Fever

KENNETH R. CLARK, Chicago Tribune
Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, AITF, Honeymooners, I Love Lucy
Open All Night, Gimme a Break, Ozzie & Harriet, Flying Nun, Gilligan’s Island

JERRY COFFEY, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dick Van Dyke, AITF, I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, MASH
Tammy Grimes Show, Debbie Reynolds Show, Mr. T and Tina, Me and the Chimp, Lotsa Luck

JEAN COLLOHAN, American Film Magazine (Washington, DC)
AITF, I Love Lucy, Dobie Gillis, Odd Couple, Mary Tyler Moore
Punky Brewster, Ted Knight Show, Bosom Buddies, Me and the Chimp, Hello Larry

DAVID CUTHBERT, New Orleans Times-Picayune-States-Item
I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Dick Van Dyke, AITF
When Things Were Rotten, Brady Bunch, Family Affair, I Married Joan, Hogan’s Heroes

GARY DEEB, News America Syndicate (Chicago)
Honeymooners, Barney Miller, AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy
Three’s Company, Joanie Loves Chachi, Flo, Mr. T and Tina, What’s Happening

MICHAEL DOUGAN, San Francisco Examiner
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Sand In Friends and Lovers, Dick Van Dyke
We Got It Made, Three’s Company, My Mother the Car, Petticoat Junction, Flying Nun

DAVID DRAKE, Columbus Citizen-Journal
Dick Van Dyke, Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Bob Newhart
Roller Girls, CPO Sharkey, Mr. T and Tina, Hello Larry, Co-Ed Fever

RICK DU BROW, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
Honeymooners, Barney Miller, AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, Phil Silvers
Hello Larry, Me and the Chimp, Camp Runamuck, The Mothers-In-Law, Blansky’s Beauties

MIKE DUFFY, Detroit Free Press
Honeymooners, Phil Silvers, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, Bosom Buddies
Hello Larry, My Mother the Car, The Jeffersons, Three’s Company, I’m Dickens He’s Fenster

PETER FARRELL, The Oregonian
MASH, Cheers, AITF, Barney Miller, United States, Soap
Mr. Smith, Three’s Company, Condo, The New Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley

JUDY FLANDER, United Features Syndicate
Mary Tyler Moore, Buffalo Bill, Cosby Show, I Love Lucy, United States, AITF
The Ropers, Three’s Company, The Jeffersons, Carter Country, Hogan’s Heroes

BARRY GARRON, Kansa City Star
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Odd Couple, Dick Van Dyke
Brian Keith Show, McLean Stevenson Show, Joanie Loves Chachi, Ozzie’s Girls, My Mother the Car

TONY GENTILE, Newsday (NYC)
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Taxi
Mr. T and Tina, My Mother the Car, The Dumplings, The Montefuscos, Mama Malone

MARC GUNTHER, Hartford Courant
Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, MASH, I Love Lucy, AITF
We Got It Made, Flying Nun

RICHARD HACK, Hollywood Reporter
Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, I Love Lucy, Courtship of Eddie’s Father, MASH
My Mother the Car, Punky Brewster, Me and the Chimp, Welcome Back Kotter, United States
KEN HOFFMAN, Phoenix Gazette
Cheers, Taxi, Honeymooners, Police Squad, AITF
Roller Girls, The Pruitts of Southampton, McLean Stevenson Show, Facts of Life, Joanie Loves Chachi

BARBARA HOLSOPPLE, Pittsburgh Press
MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Barney Miller, The Lucy Show
Me and the Chimp, Blansky’s Beauties, Mr. T and Tina, The Mothers-In-Law, My Mother the Car

NOEL W. HOLSTON, Orlando Sentinel
Barney Miller, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, MASH, Andy Griffith
Mr. T and Tina, The Ropers, Co-Ed Fever, Baby I’m Back, Lotsa Luck

TOM JICHA, Miami News
AITF, Cheers, Honeymooners, MASH, Soap
The Hathaways, McLean Stevenson Show, The Ropers, Three’s a Crowd, Rango

BILL LANE, World News Syndicate (Los Angeles)
Archie Bunker’s Place, I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, Amos ‘n Andy, Sanford & Son, Bill Cosby Show
Baby I’m Back, Barney Miller, Alice (without Flo), Bridget Loves Bernie, The Monkees

SYLVIA F. LAWLOR, Allentown Call-Chronicle
Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Dick Van Dyke, MASH, Barney Miller, Cheers
San Pedro Bums, Holmes and Yoyo, Busting Loose, In the Beginning, 90 Bristol Court

JIM LYNCH, JDL Syndicate (Boca Raton, FL)
Barney Miller, AITF, Cheers, Dick Van Dyke, Taxi
Laverne & Shirley, Three’s Company, Mr. Ed, Gilligan’s Island, Bosom Buddies

JACK MAJOR, Providence Journal-Bulletin
Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, I Love Lucy, Barney Miller, Fernwood 2-Night
Don’t Call Me Charlie, Mama Malone, In the Beginning, Apple Pie, Ball Four

LEE MARKSBURY, Fresno Bee
I Love Lucy, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Laverne & Shirley, Andy Griffith
Filthy Rich, I Dream of Jeannie, Three’s Company, My Mother the Car, CPO Sharkey

JOHN D. MILLER, South Bend Tribune
MASH, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, AITF, Soap
The Ropers, Beverly Hillbillies, My Mother the Car, We Got It Made, Hello Larry

WALLY PATRICK, Asbury Park Press
AITF, Buffalo Bill, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, Leave It to Beaver
Mr. T and Tina, ABC Evening News with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner

JON-MICHAEL REED, United Features Syndicate
Mary Tyler Moore, Kate and Allie, Dick Van Dyke, Burns and Allen, Bob Newhart
AfterMASH, Jennifer Slept Here, Hello Larry, Car 54 Where Are You, The Hathaways

HAROLD SCHINDLER, Salt Lake City Tribune
Barney Miller, Phil Silvers, MASH, F Troop, Dick Van Dyke
Buffalo Bill, Detective School, Fish, My Mother the Car, New Odd Couple

TOM SHALES, Washington Post
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, AITF, Phil Silvers, Mary Tyler Moore
Buffalo Bill, Just Our Luck, My Little Margie, Gimme a Break, Hello Larry

RICK SHEFCHIK, Saint Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch
Dick Van Dyke, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy, Green Acres
It’s About Time, Hello Larry, Tammy Grimes Show, Co-Ed Fever, Benson

DWIGHT SILVERMAN, San Antonio Light
Honeymooners, AITF, Get Smart, Mary Tyler Moore, MASH
My Mother the Car, Brady Bunch, Flying Nun, Gilligan’s Island, Partridge Family

STEVE SONSKY, Miami Herald
AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Bob Newhart
McLean Stevenson Show, Condo, My Mother the Car, Hogan’s Heroes, Hello Larry

VINCE STATEN, Louisville Times
Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Phil Silvers, MASH
Alice, Mama Malone, The Ropers, Waverly Wonders, My Mother the Car

GUS STEVENS, San Diego Tribune
Barney Miller, Taxi, WKRP, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore
Hello Larry, My Mother the Car, Mr. T and Tina, Car 54 Where Are You, Girl with Something Extra

KARL VICK, St. Petersburg Times
Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Cheers
Ball Four, Six O’Clock Follies, Carter Country, Brothers and Sisters, Far Out Space Nuts

KEITH WATSON, Houston Post
I Love Lucy, AITF, Cheers, Dick Van Dyke, Taxi
Brady Bunch, Webster, Punky Brewster, Petticoat Junction, It’s Not Easy

RON WEISKIND, Pittsburgh Post-Gaztte
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners, Cheers
Gilligan’s Island, Three’s a Crowd, Three’s Company, Ball Four, Green Acres

BOB WISEHART, Sacramento Bee
Dick and Dyke, I Love Lucy, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners
Gilligan’s Island, My Mother the Car, Three’s Company, The Hathaways, The Jeffersons

The "quintessential" episodes of SNL

These are not what I'd say are the best episodes, just ones that are indicative of what the show was like at the time, down to cast participation, level of writing, even the visuals (graphics, sets, etc.).  Some people may find this a dumb exercise, but... it's MY blog.

Era 1: Chevy (season 1-season 2, e6): Candice Bergen/Esther Phillips... the feel of a cabaret/sketch show, Gerald Ford jokes, an eclectic musical guest

Era 2: classic years (season 2, e7-season 4): Steve Martin/Blues Brothers... some classic sketches in the first half, followed by some more muted pieces in the second half

Era 3: Bill Murray show (season 5): Strother Martin/The Specials... some loooooong sketches (many conceptual), Reagan jokes, hostage jokes, a host whose fame is matched (or bettered) by the cast, and a musical guest point the way toward the 80s

Era 4: SNL 80 (season 6): Robert Hays / Joe 'King' Carrasco & The Crown, 14 Karat Soul... cheap jokes, the cast is trying too hard, Eddie and Joe have the few bright spots (in the news), a semi-forgotten host, and a general sense of doom

Era 5: Mr. Mike (season 6, ep13-season 7, ep8): Bernadette Peters/Billy Joel, Go Gos... some daring, almost experimental pieces, Eddie continues cementing his fame by talking directly to the camera, with Tim Kazurinsky being the secret utility player

Era 6: Ebersol years (season 7, ep9-season 9): Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman / Eddy Grant... Eddie and Joe front and center with some more subtle pieces buried later in the show

Era 7: Steinbrenner (season 10): Ed Asner/The Kinks... lots for Billy Crystal to do, Harry Shearer still in the cold.

Era 8: Lorne returns (season 11): Dudley Moore/Al Green... a classy, established host and musical guest, with hints of the greatness to come from the writers, but overall an odd, flat show

Era 9: classic years 2 (season 12-18): Robin Williams/Paul Simon... a game host, an excellent, eclectic musical guest (since Simon was performing Graceland material), and a well-rounded cast

Era 10: Bad Boys (season 19-20): Patrick Stewart/Salt-n-Pepa... the ingredients for a great show that ultimately gives over too much time to the bad boys

Era 11: Ohlmeyer years (seasons 21-25): Pamela Anderson/Rollins Band... host-of-the-moment, excellent WU, Norm and Will Ferrell carrying the cast through some odd material

Era 12: Tina Fey years (seasons 26-29): Lucy Liu/Jay-Z... corporate comedy

Deconstructing The Beatles' White Album

Now that the huge White Album boxed set is out, everyone is trying to find ways to whittle the original 30-song double-LP to a single disk (as some people said it should have been, then and now).  If they had done so, then I think they should have also put some of the more outlandish/experimental material on a Yellow Submarine soundtrack LP, but released it in June, 1968 (to coincide with the movie).  That would have shown the logical progression of their music before they pulled back for WA.  Then put out the single-disk White Album on 11/22.  This assumes that they wouldn't mind putting instrumental cuts on the soundtrack (as with MMT), and also assumes they weren't ready to put out "You Know My Name," nor to include singles on albums (Lady Madonna/The Inner Light and Hey Jude/Revolution).  "Across the Universe" is still earmarked for some unknown purpose, and "Revolution 9" gets rejected by George Martin and Paul.

YELLOW SUBMARINE SOUNDTRACK:
SIDE 1
Yellow Submarine
Only a Northern Song
All Together Now
Hey Bulldog
It's All Too Much
All You Need Is Love

SIDE 2
Pepperland (from original side 2)
Don't Pass Me By
What a Shame Mary Jane (excerpt)
Martha My Dear
Not Guilty
Julia
Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

WHITE ALBUM:
SIDE 1
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Wild Honey Pie
Helter Skelter
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is a Warm Gun

SIDE 2
Birthday
Yer Blues
Blackbird
Everybody's Got Something to Hide...
Savoy Truffle
I'm So Tired
Good Night



Orphaned songs... are any of these your favorites?
I Will
Revolution 1
Cry Baby Cry
Piggies
Rocky Raccoon
Mother Nature's Son
Sexy Sadie
Long, Long, Long
Honey Pie

WKYC commercials, October 1, 1983

Thirty-five years ago tomorrow (October 1, 1983), NBC aired a rerun of “Saturday Night Live” with host Stevie Wonder (original airdate: May 7, 1983).  Click here for the spots that would have aired exclusively on WKYC Cleveland, at that time an NBC-owned-and-operated station.

-end of the 11pm news with a story on the Tri-C Jazz Fest (with Leon Bibb and Kevin Cokely NBC5)
-WGAR-AM John Lanigan/Walt DisneyWorld contest (with shout out to Stop ‘n Shop)... actually makes EPCOT seem futuristic, right?
-“This Is Your Life” bumper (announcer: Jay Miltner)
-WMMS Music Marathon commercial – EPIC. With Kid Leo, Matt the Cat, Denny Sanders, Jeff Kinzbach, Ed Flash Ferenc, Dia Stein. Background music includes David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance" and Duran Duran.  BTW I cannot make out the album cover Jeff is holding.
-Latchkey Kids series from Tappy Phillips on “Action 3 News”... sad, but this family must have been loaded to have a Trinitron IN THE KITCHEN.
-promo for the WKYC show “5:30” with Asa Aarons and Ann Mulligan
-end of a promo for the Michael Caine/Richard Gere film “Beyond the Limit” with announce by Jay Miltner... “Check your newspaper for feature times” – so quaint.
-end of a Columbia Records commercial for two LPs: Billy Joel’s “An Innocent Man” and Journey’s “Frontiers.”  SO much to say about this… I like the “Uncle Bill’s” tag (with the CG that comes in too early).  I don’t understand why the Journey album is being promoted – it had been released eight months earlier, and its final single was already slipping back down the charts at this point.  Conversely, Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It” was ending its one and only week at #1 on the day this aired (October 1, 1983).  It’s also interesting they say “available on records and cassettes” since these were among the last hit albums that were ALSO available on 8-track and reel-to-reel tape.  (See my blog post about pre-recorded reel tapes).  Ironically, the VERY last reel tape ever made (the Fall, 1984 compilation “Gold & Platinum”) included both “Tell Her About It” as well as the big hit from "Frontiers" ("Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” -- which is gross).
-AM Cleveland Linda Hirsch bumper
-WMJI promo (I apparently LOVED this commercial when I was little… and now I have thousands of records to get rid of. Oops.)  One gotcha: when “Billie Jean” floats down, the record is clearly sporting a “Motown Yesteryear” label, which was their branding for reissues of songs that were several years old.  Except Michael and his brothers had famously left Motown for Columbia/Epic Records, seven years before.  Boy, I really hope there were some FCC fines for that one.
-Charlie’s Angels (syndicated rerun) promo. Interesting that I only see exactly one, very brief shot of Tanya Roberts.  Well edited to Curtis Lee’s “Pretty Little Angel Eyes”
-Next, a non-local snippet from the end of a Ground Round commercial. But look at the actress on the far right – is that Charlayne Woodard, aka Sister Peg on SVU (and also Janice on the Fresh Prince, or Vonda on Roseanne)?  Also, second from right, is an actress that looks like Ann Jillian, but it’s not Ann Jillian.  Who is it?  I also included this because it seemed like The Ground Round was EVERYWHERE in the 1980s.
-Gray Drug commercial, starring the love child of Howard Hesseman and John Moschitta, Jr. – both of whom presented segments during the “Motown 25” special... which Stevie Wonder was promoting during this episode of SNL!  OMG! COINCIDENCE?!?!?!?!?!  Cute gag with the telephone at the end of this spot (which would make no sense today)
-Al Roker for the Black Media Workers of Cleveland.  Classic.
-Man on the street promo for Jim Mueller and WKYC sports… I’m guessing he left soon after and was replaced by Jim Donovan?  The shot near the beginning where he says “The Browns have made a major decision…” seems staged.  Also, the lady at the end, and the guy before her (like Donald Sutherland eating a lemon) look very familiar. Anyone know who they are?
-AM Cleveland promo with Scott Newell and several people whose names I am likely misspelling… Linda Hirsch, Alan Hurt, Judy Earnest, Jeff Peacock, Stephanie Newman, Sandra Lee Serio
-Action 3 News promo: Leon Bibb, Kevin Cokely, Paul Edmunds, John Hink
-Jack Lemmon PSA for American Liver Foundation.  Not sure if this was national or not, but it’s localized at the end.  It also looks as if someone ran into his living room with a camera and begged him to read a cue card, just as he was sitting down to dinner
-SUPER CREEPY promo for the Cleveland White Elephant Sale at the Convention Center… this still scares me when I see it

There may be a few others I left out that were regional (such as ones for Speedy Muffler and Servistar Hardware), but I thought the spots listed above would be of particular interest.  These were recorded by my Father on our first VCR (a Panasonic PV-1320), which he bought at Steve’s Video in downtown Hudson on July 16, 1983.  The space is now Dave's Cosmic Subs.  They threw in a box of Mark II brand VHS tapes, which sounds like a scam but they actually turned out to be excellent.  They also loaned us a pair of rabbit ears until Adelphia Cable came to install our Scientific Atlanta cable box.  Hence the picture quality you see (good tape + cable signal + new VCR).

Hawaii Five-O turns 50

The original Hawaii Five-O premiered on September 20, 1968.  I have only occasionally seen episodes, but the theme is, of course, embedded in everyone's minds.
But what about the great musical score by Morton Stevens?  One piece of it, titled "Call to Danger," was skillfully edited to be the music for the "CBS Special" bumper used from the 1960s through about 1990.  The piece of music is at 1:18 within this suite...



And here's the CBS special bumper; judge for yourself...

As a bonus, here's a post on Sammy Davis, Jr. covering the theme song.

WKRP in Cincinnati turns 40

WKRP hit the airwaves on September 18, 1978 (this coming Tuesday)... I have written so many posts about this show, I decided to encapsulate them all here to celebrate the premiere of one of my favorite shows on this date in 1978.

-The History of WKRP
-A guide to the DVD music changes
-WKRP theme song explained
-Outtakes from WKRP... this post also has a link to Gary Sandy (Andy Travis) looking back at the show, but it seems to have been taken down
-A classic scene featuring Pink Floyd's "Dogs" (which is excised/altered in syndication and on DVDs)
-History of MTM (Mary Tyler Moore) Productions, which produced WKRP
-A pre-fame Howard Hesseman (Johnny Fever) on The Dick Cavett Show
-Frank Bonner (Herb) in a commercial for the 1971 Toyota Corolla
-Rod Daniel directed many episodes of WKRP... here's a look at one of the films he later helmed, "Like Father, Like Son"

Law & Order: BEFORE The Early Years

I’m not sure what I wrote this for, but it’s tidbits about the cast of “Law & Order,” and NOT the unsettling and stupid SVU.  L&O premiered on this date in 1990, so enjoy...

Michael Moriarty – who played the original DA, Ben Stone – left the show after clashing with producers and JANET RENO over possible censorship!  He became a political exile in Canada and releases jazz piano albums.

Richard Brooks (original Asst. DA) is from Cleveland!  He was let go from the show when the network said to either add women or be cancelled.  He was also the only male Asst. DA.  Previously, he played a mentally challenged man on “Hill Street Blues” who threatens the cook at a diner when she won’t give him bones for his dog.

Dann Florek – in the 1980s -- while sporting a delightful head of hair -- he played a crooked loan shark on “Hill Street Blues.”  He was let go for the same reason as Richard Brooks, but directed a few episodes of the series before landing on SVU.

Everyone knows Paul Sorvino from “Goodfellas”; he left L&O because he thought the NYC weather would wreck his singing voice.

Annie Parisse played Alexandra Borgia, one of the stunning assistants to Jack McCoy.  Her real-life sister-in-law is Sam Waterston’s daughter!  That means HER niece could look like HIS daughter!  Everyone will be suspicious!  Weirdly, she is the shortest-serving Asst. DA, and the only one to be killed on the show.

Steven Hill (Adam Schiff) was the original team leader on season one of “Mission: Impossible,” before being replaced by Peter Graves.

Jerry Orbach not only played a defense attorney on the show before joining full-time, but he also played a sleazy hitman alongside real-life weirdo Woody Allen in “Crimes & Misdemeanors.”

Vincent D’Onofrio previously played a big jerkface who gets pinned by a subway car on “Homicide.”

George Dzundza has seemingly disappeared since he left the show, for some reason.  But in 1982, he was on a short-lived but revered sitcom, "Open All Night," featuring a great cameo (halfway down this post) from David Letterman.

TAXI turns 40 years old

One of my favorite shows, “Taxi,” debuted 40 years ago today (September 12, 1978).  The show won numerous Emmys during its 5-season run, launched several stars (Judd Hirsch, Tony Danza, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, Danny DeVito) and had high ratings for seasons 1 and 2… then it got moved to a new time slot, ratings plunged, and it was canceled by ABC after season 4.  But that fall, the show was given a new lease on life at NBC, running on Thursday nights between “Cheers” and “Hill Street Blues” (billed as “The Best Night of TV on TV” in promos).  Sadly, by the spring of 1983, “Cheers” ranked 75th and “Taxi” was 73rd.  The former got renewed for a second season, but “Taxi” was dead.  Which is too bad… “Cheers” jumped in the ratings over the summer of ’83 and during season 2, ratings continued to climb.  In the fall of 1984, the Thursday night lineup added “The Cosby Show,” and ratings went through the roof.  If “Taxi” had hung on just two more years, it would have been a ratings powerhouse again... and it’s weird that this article from The Hollywood Reporter doesn’t mention that.
And here is the SNL monologue that is mentioned in the HR article, when the cast took what turned out to be premature curtain calls for the series.

Tracing old phone numbers from WMMS, 1976

Since it's Saturday night, what better activity than tracking down decades-old phone numbers? Full disclosure, we did other stuff first.

The flyer below popped up online and is likely from the mid-1970s... the Buzzard didn't have it's vulture-like look anymore, so I'm thinking maybe 1976?

I like old stories and I like math, so I decided to cross-reference all the numbers and find out which ones still worked.

Lots of prank-calling involved here.

I called one number and a lady answered, meaning it was now residential. I sternly said, "ma'am, for your own safety, it's imperative you get out of the house NOW." And she said "but I just got home!"

I called another number, and flat-out asked the current owner of the number, "did you know your number used to be the one for the Painesville Agora?" He sounded horrified. "What the heck? Oh my GOD! I am NOT hearing this." So I shouted into the phone really loud, "your phone number -- it was for a concert club. Is this loud enough?!" He asked me to stop yelling and said he was upset because he once had tickets for ABBA at the Painesville Agora, but couldn't go. "Why?" I asked. He said because he had gotten punched by a meter maid the day before the concert, and "nothing matches a black eye!"
I asked him, "so back then, since the band was new, did you say 'AB-uh' or 'AW-ba'"? He replied, "I just said TURN THAT SH-T UP!"

Yet many of the numbers are still valid and do not come with crazy make-em-up stories:

Community Information Services is now the Great Lakes Science Center

The Free Clinic number still works!

The RTA number may still go to someplace at RTA, but doesn't appear to be the main number

The Legal Aid number is now a dental clinic?

The WMMS "Business Line" is now the main iHeart phone number

The WMMS Cleveland Listener Line, CWRU Film Society, Karamu House Theatre, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) are all unchanged (though with slightly different names in the last two cases).

The Lakewood Little Theater has the same number, but is now the Beck Center for the Arts.

The Holden Arboretum is the same number but with a 440.

Everything else appears to be personal phone numbers... ironically, the one for Ticketron pops up as someone with the last name Jester!

Classic Rock ANTI-playlist

Here’s a list of songs that are frequently played on “Classic” Rock stations… why can’t they play other tunes by these same artists?
The Joker
Hotel California; Life In the Fast Lane
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions; Bohemian Rhapsody
Long Train’ Running; Black Water; China Grove; Listen to the Music
Dream On; Walk This Way
Brown Eyed Girl
Cocaine
Rock and Roll All Nite
Stuck In the Middle With You
Centerfold
Start Me Up
Rocky Mountain Way
Turn the Page; Old Time Rock and Roll
The Joker (just making sure you saw this)

Plus a lot of Styx, Kansas, Foreigner, Asia, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Journey (except “Who’s Crying Now”), Whitesnake, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd (except “Swamp Music”), George Thorogood (except “One Bourbon…”), .38 Special, Bad Company, Eddie Money, Grand Funk… we need variety! And don’t get me wrong – the artists themselves are usually nice people. When I was about 9 years old, I dropped a single scoop ice cream cone in front of George Thorogood. He went back into the store to buy me TWO scoops of the same flavor, but they were out. So he gave me his BIC lighter -- but it’s the THOUGHT that counts.

George Harrison's 1974 Tour Revisited

The Beatles gave up touring forever on this date in 1966.  The first bandmember to launch a large-scale tour (notwithstanding Paul's jaunts through small European venues in 1972-73) was George, whose 1974 tour has wrongly been called a disaster.  It was his first U.S. tour, and his only one aside from a 12-date run through Japan (backed by Eric Clapton's band) in 1991.
Rolling Stone magazine, which seems to revel in contradicting itself every 10 minutes, published a scathing account of the tour back then.  It claimed, among other things, that audiences were bored by Ravi Shankar's lengthy sets.  The review in-turn annoyed George, which may have inspired him to make long speeches about his spirituality, which really DID bore the audience.  Audio evidence, though, somewhat contradicts this, but it does confirm that George's voice was suffering from the strain.  Not horrible, just different.  Most of the stress was likely due to damning press coverage: years later, George wrote that he came home and couldn't even walk inside after the tour; he first needed to sit in his garden and just decompress for a while.
George was at least invited to the White House during the tour, and he got some smoking live tapes out of the deal, which have only been officially released on a pair of rare EPs that were included with his book "I Me Mine."  (One example is this take on "For You Blue").
Below is a concert from mid-way through the tour, in Chicago on November 30.  And here's a concert poster for the only canceled date, at the then-new Richfield Coliseum near Cleveland.  George would have been one of, if not THE, first rock shows there, which was then the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  It had just opened October 26, 1974, with a concert by Frank Sinatra.

Chicago 11/30/74:

Here's the full tour itinerary:
2-Nov-74: Vancouver, Pacific Coliseum
4-Nov-74: Seattle, Seattle Center Coliseum
6-Nov-74: San Francisco, Cow Palace
7-Nov-74: San Francisco, Cow Palace
8-Nov-74: Oakland, California, Oakland Coliseum [2 shows]
10-Nov-74: Long Beach, California, Long Beach Arena
11-Nov-74: Los Angeles, The Forum
12-Nov-74: Los Angeles, The Forum [2 shows]
14-Nov-74: Tucson, Arizona, Tucson Community Center
16-Nov-74: Salt Lake City, Salt Palace
18-Nov-74: Denver, Denver Coliseum [2 shows]
20-Nov-74: St Louis, The Arena
21-Nov-74: Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa Assembly Center
22-Nov-74: Fort Worth, Texas, Tarrant County Convention Center [2 shows]
24-Nov-74: Houston, Hofheinz Pavilion
26-Nov-74: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, LSU Assembly Center
27-Nov-74: Memphis, Tennessee, Mid-South Coliseum
28-Nov-74: Atlanta, The Omni [2 shows]
30-Nov-74: Chicago, Chicago Stadium [2 shows]
2-Dec-74: Richfield, Ohio Coliseum [canceled due to weather]
4-Dec-74: Detroit, Olympia Stadium [2 shows]
6-Dec-74: Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens [2 shows]
8-Dec-74: Montreal, Quebec, Montreal Forum [2 shows]
10-Dec-74: Boston, Boston Garden [2 shows]
11-Dec-74: Providence, Rhode Island, Providence Civic Center
13-Dec-74: Landover, Maryland, Capital Centre [2 shows]
15-Dec-74: Uniondale, Long Island, Nassau Coliseum [2 shows]
16-Dec-74: Philadelphia, The Spectrum
17-Dec-74: Philadelphia, The Spectrum [2 shows]
19-Dec-74: New York City, Madison Square Garden
20-Dec-74: New York City, Madison Square Garden [2 shows]


George's band for the tour is listed as:
George Harrison – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Tom Scott – saxophones, flute
Billy Preston – vocals, organ, clavinet, synthesizer, backing vocals
Robben Ford – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Jim Horn – saxophones, flute
Chuck Findley – trumpet, flute
Emil Richards – marimba, percussion
Willie Weeks – bass
Andy Newmark – drums
Jim Keltner – drums (from 27 November)
Kumar Shankar – percussion, backing vocals

Don Rickles On The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Here's a 10-minute sketch on the story of Pocahontas featuring the Smothers Brothers, Don Rickles -- breaking things up -- Pat Paulsen, and Patty Duke.  Classic -- aired January 14, 1968.  Reminds me of this sketch from when Rickles hosted SNL, 16 years and two weeks later (January 28, 1984).



This episode of the Smothers Brothers show also featured The Association.

Ridiculous game show moments

Here's 15 minutes of ridiculous game show moments... usually people with awful answers:

Sesame Street and The Beastie Boys

Another Sesame Street mash-up... this time for the Beastie Boys "Sabotage":

RIP Dover Lake water park (Ohio)

School is back in session for much of Northeast Ohio, which reminds me... we got HOSED (hahahaha) in the first decade of this century when TWO great amusement parks -- Dover Lake and Geauga Lake -- were stripped from "The Land."

Dover Lake was the smaller, and was a nice water park and picnic area that drew lots of people to what, in winter, was a skiing area.  I believe I only ever got to go there for company picnics, and this promotional video seems tailored to selling companies on choosing to have their events at Dover Lake.

I'm going to guess it's from around 1999?  A few tell-tale signs...

1:14-wired phone
1:10-no cell phones or digital cameras
2:51-90s editing... backward effects!
3:32-mullet family

Don Rickles And Justin Bieber

Rickles is asked about Bieber by Larry King.  Classic.

The Critic: L.A. Jay with Billy Crystal

I wrote before about the mid-90s animated series, "The Critic," hoping to catch some "Simpsons"-like magic and make a star of Jon Lovitz with over-cutesy film references.

One of the few episodes that got it right -- and there was still some editing they could have done -- was "LA Jay," in which Jay Sherman, film critic, tries to write a film while battling a Billy Crystal-voiced movie exec.  A great review from AV Club is here.

NBC Late Night promo, 1983

NBC was having a hard time from 1977 (when "Sanford & Son" ended) and 1984 (when "The Cosby Show" debuted).  In between, there was utter chaos throughout the network, including in its usually strong late night slate: "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" nearly ended when Carson tired of NBC President Fred Silverman.  Later, he cut his show from 90 minutes to 60, and eventually "Tomorrow with Tom Snyder" was killed in favor of "Late Night with David Letterman."  "The Midnight Special" ended.  "Saturday Night Live" went from juggernaut to reviled after Silverman clashed with producer Lorne Michaels (and Michaels left).  "Second City TV" was brought in -- eyed as a potential, eventual replacement for SNL -- but was canceled after two years.
By 1983, though, things had settled down and were actually thriving.  Johnny Carson was happy with the then-current NBC brain trust (legendary programmers Brandon Tartikoff and Grant Tinker).  "SCTV" was replaced by "Friday Night Videos," produced by Tartikoff's pal, Dick Ebersol.  Ebersol was also producing SNL, which was riding high thanks to Eddie Murphy.  And "Late Night with David Letterman" was the hippest show on TV.
Below is a two-minute promo for the late night shows, likely made for sales/programming use within the network.  But occasionally, it was probably shown during long breaks, rain delays, etc.  This version is localized for WILX-TV (Lansing, Michigan).  Back then, networks routinely made these for their prime time slate, but this is the first one I've ever seen for late night.

The awful Rolling Stone Magazine 10th Anniversary special

Wow, what a piece of embarrassing $^%# this was.  The most interesting parts are the commercials!
Without attacking or supporting Rolling Stone magazine -- or its founder, Jann Wenner -- I will say simply that this special is horrendous and I wish videotape hadn't been so plentiful in 1977.

The centerpiece, which you will never be able to "un-see," features Ted Neely screeching his way through an endless Beatles medley, complete with overenthusiastic dancers, someone stumbling around in a Nixon mask, terrible visual effects... it is one of the worst things I've ever seen.

The opening sketch (Steve Martin begging to be in RS) is cute, and watch for writer Ben Fong-Torres wearing a San Francisco PBS (KQED) Monty Python shirt.

But later, Martin has to try and anchor a bombastic sketch with Keith Moon.  Moon pops up later telling an incoherent story about touring, alongside such "rock stars" as Yvonne Elliman, Richie Havens and Phoebe Snow.  All incredible performers, but not really "rock." (On a side note, Elliman and Havens provide the one bright spot in the Beatles medley).

I haven't been able to stomach the whole special, but what's with the awful "garage band" at the beginning and end?!  WHO CARES!

And why is Bette Midler -- another incredible performer, but not really "rock" -- in the special?  RS notably (unfairly?) slammed her second album, sending her into a depression.  Sad.

Finally, Gladys Knight and the Pips perform an excellent medley, then give way to Art Garfunkel... but it's so awkward when Knight introduces him.  See for yourself!

Aired on CBS-TV on November 25, 1977. This recording is from the Sacramento affiliate, KXTV.

MTV Turns 37

MTV is a gross 37-year-old today, so here's a look back at some of my Music Television-centered posts...

-Beavis & Butthead: Funk Dat (classic)
-The first day of MTV (August 1, 1981) and their awful VJs
-Classic videos discussed ... with Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Beastie Boys and others
-Great moments with The State
-The Ultimate 90s playlist (yawn)
-Oh, those record offers

Music died in 1997, and TV died in 1998

Interesting article which I will take as proof that music died in 1997.

And I've espoused this theory before, see if you buy it: 1998 is the year TELEVISION died. My reasoning is near the end of this post, but I wanted to link this video from the 1998 Emmy broadcast showing what was then 50 years of television (the Emmys turned 50 that year); it is NEARLY complete (reasons for which are also at the end of this post).

I could have missed them (and I hope to be corrected), but I see no mentions of The Dumont network, very little (if any) PBS (except Sesame Street), and no clips of Maverick, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Sid Caesar, The Smothers Brothers, Jack Paar, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, WKRP in Cincinnati, Mr. Rogers, Dick Cavett, Conan O'Brien or Tom Snyder.

Nor did I see the following shows that won multiple Emmys, including Best Comedy Series:
The Monkees (1967)
Get Smart (1968, 1969)
Barney Miller (1982)

The Larry Sanders Show was also left out, and it would ironically win both the best comedy writing AND directing Emmys at the very ceremony where this montage was shown?!

The fact that this was the PRIMETIME Emmy Awards makes me think they would have left out news, children's and late night shows. But they didn't, and I'm glad. However, they DID leave out most other dayparts by not including game shows or soap operas. No Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Price is Right, Famiy Feud, Hollywood Squares, Password, Days Of Our Lives, General Hospital or All My Children.

On top of that, these mostly forgotten shows DID get a mention: China Beach, Chicago Hope, Touched by An Angel, Murder One, 3rd Rock From the Sun, The Practice.

So why did TV die in 1998?

It was the year Seinfeld, Mr. Show and The Larry Sanders Show all ended. Phil Hartman was murdered. Norm Macdonald -- the greatest anchor (to that time) for SNL's Weekend Update -- was fired. Howard Stern and Magic Johnson got their own talk shows. Pax TV launches. Dawson's Creek, TRL, Becker and The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer premiere. And right before 1998 started, Chris Farley died.

So what should be added if they wanted to extend this video up to 2018?

The Sopranos
American Idol
Lost
24
Sex & the City
30 Rock
The Office
Survivor
SpongeBob
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Breaking Bad
The Wire
Ellen's daytime show
Modern Family
Curb Your Enthusiasm

And then some current events footage. Not much else of interest, is there?

Oscar medley: NOT EVEN NOMINATED with Sammy Davis, Hr. and Steve Lawrence

Here's Sammy Davis, Jr. and Steve Lawrence performing an intricate 10-minute medley of songs that were never nominated for an Academy Award.  This is PITCH PERFECT, and considering that they didn't have months of rehearsal, it's even more amazing.  This is my new favorite thing next to this scat battle between Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald.
Interesting that they even included the then-new "Stayin' Alive."
From the 1979 Oscar ceremony:

Hill Street Blues: An Oral History

Didn't get to post this oral history of "Hill Street Blues" a while back... interesting look at how the show was made.  Most historical articles talk about the show from the outside looking in (i.e. critical acclaim and impact).  I wish they had spoken with Allan Kozoll, who seems to have given the show its offbeat richness in the early years (then disappeared, save for writing 1991's "The Hard Way," which is essentially a big-screen adaptation of a story arc from HSB season two).

Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away

Here's an interesting LP, "Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away," featuring mostly tunes they wrote for other Merseybeat artists  (Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas) in 1963-64.  The band then settled in to write their own material, although they did starting writing for other artists again in 1968 with the launch of Apple Records.  This LP was apparently released in 1971 as "The Stars Sing Lennon & McCartney," then reissued in 1979, adding the Lennon-penned 1973 track "I'm the Greatest" by Ringo?  That's how I've pieced it together.  Leave a comment and let me know more if you can!



The cover art was borrowed by the 1980s bootleg "A Toot and a Snore in '74," a rough tape of the only known post-breakup recording session featuring John AND Paul.

By the way, the image at the top of this post is a still from news coverage in the wake of John Lennon's murder.  Thought it was appropriate to use here.

Nick Anthe bean salad

I never got to visit this Akron institution, but looking at the recipe linked here, it seems my Mother must have... because she's been making this for my entire life.  It's delicious!  This was apparently served to all diners as an appetizer (instead of bread).

WKRP's Frank Bonner for the 1971 Toyota Corolla

I've been talking about 1971-74 Toyota Corollas and the show WKRP in Cincinnati in many of my posts here and on Facebook.  And now I've found my thesis!  A commercial that marries the two: Frank Bonner (Herb from WKRP) in a commercial for the 1971 Corolla (early in his career).  Enjoy:




TE27 TE21 Mango Peanut TE28 KE20

Saturday Night Live musical guest montage (1975-1989)

SNL's 40th anniversary did not have a specific montage of musical guests, but the 25th and 15th anniversaries did.  SNL25 had one for each decade, while SNL15 had one montage for everything.  Below is a list (also on the YouTube page) of who appeared.  Interesting that George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Van Morrison, John Mellencamp, Elton John, Queen, Duran Duran, The Kinks, Santana, Lou Reed, Dolly Parton and Hall & Oates did not make the cut!  I give a pass to leaving out Chicago and The Allman Brothers, because those performances were weak.

0:00 Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
0:14 Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane
0:24 Bobby Mcferrin - Drive
0:30 Tracy Chapman - Mountains O'Things
0:47 Edie Brickell - What I Am
0:53 Randy Newman - It's Money That Matters
1:02 Keith Richards - Struggle
1:08 10,000 Maniacs - Like The Weather
1:14 Randy Travis - Forever And Ever, Amen
1:23 Cher - I Found Someone
1:30 Simply Red - The Right Thing
1:34 Sting - We'll Be Together
1:39 Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman
1:49 Los Lobos - Is This All There Is?
1:55 Suzanne Vega - Luka
2:01 Anita Baker - I Love You Just Because
2:12 Eddie Van Halen With GE Smith And the SNL Band - Stompin' 8H
2:14 The Pretenders - Dont Get Me Wrong
2:23 Buster Poindexter - Fool For You
2:29 Paul Simon - Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
2:35 Laurie Anderson - The Day The Devil
2:41 Al Green - Going Away
2:47 Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking
2:52 The Cars - Drive
2:59 Spinal Tap - Big Bottom
3:07 Huey Lewis - I Want A New Drug
3:09 Men At Work - Who Can It Be Now
3:13 Stevie Wonder - Go Home
3:20 Joe Cocker - Up Where We Belong
3:23 Squeeze - Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
3:28 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
3:32 Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line
3:36 Miles Davis - Jean Pierre
3:42 Rod Stewart And Tina Turner - Hot Legs
3:49 Prince - Partyup
3:52 James Brown - Rapp Payback
4:01 Aretha Franklin - United Together
4:16 Grateful Dead - Casey Jones
4:25 David Bowie - TVC15
4:31 Tom Petty - Don't Do Me Like That
4:38 Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody
4:48 Blondie - Dreaming
4:56 Bette Midler - Married Men
5:03 Linda Ronstadt And Phoebe Snow - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)
5:12 Ricki Lee Jones - Chuck E's In Love
5:21 The Chieftans - Maggie In The Woods
5:30 Eubie Blake w/ Gregory Hines - I'm Just Simply Full Of Jazz
5:36 Talking Heads - Take Me To The River
5:46 Peter Tosh With w/ Mick Jagger - (You Gotta Walk And) Don't Look Back
5:55 Devo - I Can't Get No Satisfaction
6:02 Mick Jagger - Beast Of Burden
6:16 Billy Joel - Only The Good Die Young
6:28 Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
6:45 Willie Nelson - Whiskey River
6:52 Ray Charles - I Believe To My Soul
7:06 Tom Waits - Eggs And Sausage (In A Cadillac)
7:13 Randy Newman - Sail Away
7:32 Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
7:42 The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
7:58 James Taylor - Shower The People
8:07 Leon Redbone - Ain't Misbehaving (I'm Saving My Love For You)
8:15 Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair

The Credibility Gap and You Can't Judge a Book...

An Osmond Family parody by The Credibility Gap, which included Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and David L. Lander.  Shades of "Spinal Tap"?  I always wondered by Lander hasn't figured in any of their productions, but in his 2000 book, I learned he has MS.  Sad.  The book has some good history on the history of the Credibility Gap, and the song is actually pretty good.

More Sesame Street Classics: Oscar's debut, Mobity Mosley, Regulate

Back in this post, I talked about Roosevelt Franklin:

...Roosevelt Franklin, likely the first black Muppet, [was] voiced by Matt Robinson (who would later write for The Cosby Show)... he was an excellent role model in his day. He even got his own album on which he sang this alphabet song (as well as a very similar ditty about counting).  He was occasionally joined by Mobity Mosley (singing about the months of the year), who sounds like he wants to sing "Surfin' Bird."

Well here's the months song by Mobity!




BERT IS EVIL
And now, following on the Bert Is Evil website, here's Bert & Ernie "performing" Warren G and Nate Dogg's rap classic, "Regulate":


OSCAR'S DEBUT
Finally, I always enjoyed this clip from the very first Sesame Street episode, featuring a then-orange Oscar REALLY being a sarcastic and hilarious grouch... and I believe that's Matt Robinson (referenced above) in the clip:

My Theory on the Vinyl Revival

I posted this back in November, 2017, but not here...
My theory on why people like vinyl is that there's something tactile/organic/semi-human about seeing the record actually spinning (or a reel turning). Even if you want to say CDs/cassettes/FM/mp3/servers/Spotify sound better, they've never had the cache that vinyl (and to a lesser extent, reel tape) have had, because it's just sound coming from a box. In the "dark days" (1990-2015), vinyl was STILL the go-to for film and television set designers looking for something that looked visually appealing.
And since we can't see the musicians, we NEED to at least see some kind of movement or "life" to go along with the music so that our brains can "accept" it. Does this make sense? Someone write their doctoral thesis on this, please.  Or leave a comment below.

Green Day at Blossom Music Center, 1994

The outdoor arena in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is summer home to The Cleveland Orchestra, but has also hosted many other types of music over the years... including an infamous Green Day show on September 10, 1994.

I actually played Blossom BEFORE ever seeing a show there: our high school marching band performed with the Cincinnati Pops, and it wasn't till the following year that I went to my very first show. It was $5 tickets for Green Day. Just before show time, someone sitting a few feet from me on the lawn was yelling for a friend of his, who was seated close to the front of the lawn. This guy was having no luck getting his friend's attention, so he threw a clump of grass. Well, the grass missed its target and hit someone else, who proceeded to turn around and throw a clump right back. That clump hit a friend of mine, who threw more grass. And that's how quickly and accidentally the lawn got destroyed.

Some memories of that show are at this Green Day fan page.

The Real Mini-History of WKRP

NOTE: Here's a list of several excellent episodes of this series that are NOT the Turkey episode.
“WKRP in Cincinnati” is the most under-rated show in the history of the universe of the world. Every Thanksgiving, I see the same “party line” parroted by pop culture eggheads about this program… 1) the “Turkeys Away” episode is the funniest installment ever, and 2) the show was otherwise a huge flop and has never been on DVD because of music rights issues. Read on, and prepare to have your minds blown. We are through the looking-glass here, people.
“WKRP” was created by former Atlanta ad man, Hugh Wilson. He cut his TV teeth on various shows for MTM Productions, the company co-owned by (and named for) Mary Tyler Moore. To that point, it had most notably produced her classic, self-titled sitcom, as well as “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “Lou Grant” and “The White Shadow.” Wilson’s idea for a zany show about zany DJs in a non-zany city was greenlit and joined the CBS schedule Monday nights at 8 on September 18, 1978. The show’s theme song laid out the original premise: lifelong radio programmer Andy Travis (played by wholesome Ohioan Gary Sandy) lands in Cincinnati at a sleepy, low-rated elevator music station and immediately changes the format to rock and roll. He’s the lone island of sanity, surrounded by a stoned DJ, a goofy newsman and various zanier zanies (zany was “in” in 1978). This first clutch of eight episodes included the original airing of “Turkeys Away,” which was trounced in the ratings by “Little House On the Prairie” (ironically, an episode that featured Mrs. Oleson’s cousin starting a town newspaper… when was the last time print beat out radio?!).
By early November, the show was “on hiatus.” But MTM had enough clout that the network allowed some fine-tuning, then a re-launch on January 15, 1979.  The new time slot was an hour later, airing right after “MASH,” then in its eighth season and already a huge hit and a TV classic. Changes included less focus on Andy and more of the ensemble cast.  To that end, a bullpen set was added for more staff interaction (essentially desks for everyone when they weren’t in the lobby or on the air). Ratings jumped, and the season finale, “Fish Story,” turned out to be the highest-rated episode of the series. (The broad slapstick in the episode embarrassed its writer, High Wilson, and he changed the credit to “Raoul Plager.”)
For season 2, the show’s production moved from KTLA to plusher digs at the CBS Radford studio.  Loni Anderson and Howard Hesseman became the show’s breakout stars, as evidenced by many of the show's promos.
Hesseman, aided by his improv background (he had been a member of The Committee comedy troupe), played ‘KRP morning man Johnny Fever.  The actor was sent out on promotional appearances, often on actual morning radio shows (which Hesseman remembers as occasionally torturous).  He even hosted “Saturday Night Live,” then at the peak of its ratings and popularity, and one sketch parodied clueless morning DJs, with Hesseman playing off of Harry Shearer.  (The clip isn’t online, but is on the SNL season 5 DVD set… it was also re-written to provide a memorable cameo for Shearer in “Wayne’s World 2.”)
With the show drawing stellar ratings and popular acclaim, CBS did the only logical thing… they moved the show from its comfy, post-“MASH” slot (9:30) back to its original slot, at 8 p.m.  Ratings dipped at first, before dipping some more – the competition was “Little House on the Prairie” along with the #3 show on TV, “That’s Incredible!”
“WKRP” ended season two as the 22nd-most-watched show on television, an average that would have no-doubt been higher if not for the mid-season time change.  The show that took the Monday night slot was hospital sitcom “House Calls,” intended as Wayne Rogers’ comeback vehicle after he left “MASH” in 1975.  Despite high ratings (higher than “WKRP”), "House Calls" was cancelled after three seasons due to squabbles between producers and co-star Lynn Redgrave over her on-set breastfeeding.  Rad.
Back to WKRP, season two picked up Emmy nods for Anderson, Hesseman, and Outstanding Comedy Series.  Season three began with a move to Saturday nights.  Seriously.  A decade earlier, this was the slot that propelled “All In the Family” to the top of the ratings.  Not this time.  “WKRP” and its companions (“Barbara Mandrell,” “Breaking Away” and even the Dukes of Hazzard-spinoff “Enos”) all died in the ratings.  This season featured some of the show’s most inventive episodes.
“Real Families” followed Herb around reality TV-style (parodying the show “Real People”).
“Clean Up Radio Everywhere” parodied Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority.  (Richard Paul, the actor playing Dr. Bob Halyers in the episode, would actually play Falwell himself 15 years later in “The People vs. Larry Flynt”).
“The Airplane Show” had many scenes filmed outdoors, in Cincinnati.
“Jennifer Moves” was produced as a two-act play.
“Nothing To Fear” took on gun control, “Out to Lunch” took on alcoholism and “Ask Jennifer” dealt with domestic violence.
And “Venus and the Man” featured this famous scene with Venus Fly Trap explaining the atom.
In 1981, this episode won WKRP’s only Emmy, for tape editor Andy Ackerman.  (He would later direct and produce “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Seinfeld,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”).  For season three, Anderson, Hesseman and the show itself were again nominated for Emmys.  Director Rod Daniel also got a nod.  He was one of the show’s most prolific directors.  Linda Day, Asaad Kelada, Will Mackenzie and Michael Zinberg also helmed many episodes, but “WKRP” never had a permanent director (as multi-camera shows often did).  Call me superstitious, but that seems to jynx the ratings of any great show (“The Odd Couple,” “NewsRadio” and the later seasons of “Taxi”).
The show's fourth season concluded the middling-ratings, time-slot-jumping, Emmy-nominated run, and had an increased presence behind-the-scenes for writing partners/producers Steven Kampmann and Peter Torokvei (later credited as PJ after gender reassignment, she sadly died of liver failure in 2013).  The show ended its run with an episode that came in #7 in the ratings, but by then the cancellation had been announced, most of the actors had moved on, and the show was finally dead... until a brief, strange 1991-93 revival.
On a side note, Kampmann would land on his feet a few months later and move in front of the camera, playing Kirk Devane in MTM's hit "Newhart," which was videotaped (at least in its first season) on the same soundstage as WKRP.
As a bonus, here's a 1981 mini-episode of WKRP, written and commissioned by the U.S. Government to sell bonds.  Weird.  "Cheers" did one of these a few years later.

The History of MTM Productions

Here's a post that never got published when it was supposed to (January, 2017). I present it here because it seemed a shame to waste all this work:

MTM Productions was named for Mary Tyler Moore, whose husband -- Grant Tinker -- started the company in 1969 to produce a show for his wife.  Rather than being some nepotastic disaster, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" became one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.  And it allowed the company to develop a whole slew of classic shows.  The couple split in the late 1970s, and both died recently.  So I've decided to publish some comments on many of the programs (that I know of) with which MTM was involved...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970-77): Widely considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all-time, and with good reason.  Summing up its accomplishments here would be meaningless.  I will add that -- outside of major Northeast metro areas -- the show apparently did not fare well in syndication for very long.  Their loss.

The Bob Newhart Show (CBS, 1972-78): Another classic.  Newhart was originally going to be a guest star on the MTM show.  That role eventually went to Bill Daly, who would play Bob's neighbor on "The Bob Newhart Show."  The "Bob Newhart" pilot was apparently written over a weekend by David Davis & Lorenzo Music, and included a plot line about Bob & Emily Hartley managing their condo association.  That proved troublesome (CBS thought people would mis-hear it as "condom") and was quickly dropped, as was the far-out decor of the couple's apartment.  All of this is on display in the pilot episode, titled "P-I-L-O-T," and which actually aired as the ninth episode.

Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974-1975), The Texas Wheelers (1974-1975), The Bob Crane Show (1975), Doc (1975-1976), The Lorenzo & Henrietta Music Show (1976), Three for the Road (1975), Phyllis (1975-1977), The Tony Randall Show (ABC, 1976-77; CBS, 1977-78), The Betty White Show (1977-1978), We've Got Each Other (1977-1978): a bunch of well-intentioned, high-quality but ultimately unsuccesful programs that are nowhere to be found today.  "Phyllis" at least enjoyed solid ratings in its first season, but nosedived in year two.  The fact that her castmembers kept dying probably didn't help.

Rhoda (CBS, 1974-1978): Mary's neighbor got her own spin-off that actually had higher ratings than the parent show for a time.  However, the writers never found a way to make a happy, married Rhoda funny, and that led to her divorce and a weird, depressed Rhoda.  Lorenzo Music played her unseen doorman, which led to the 1980 animated pilot, "Carlton Your Doorman."  CBS passed on the show, which went on to win an Emmy and also got Music a lot of voice roles (such as Garfield the cat).

Lou Grant (CBS, 1977-82): the third classic from MTM, this multiple-Emmy-winner was one of the first examples of a sitcom spinning off a drama.

The White Shadow (CBS, 1978-1981): another classic, but oddly short-lived.

WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS, 1978-1982): yet ANOTHER classic, made by folks who had worked on "Doc," "The Betty White Show," "The Tony Randall Show" and other short-lived MTM properties.  These younger writers were the B-team at MTM after the A-list left to make "Taxi."  Almost the entire series is uniformly excellent, except...
In one early episode, everyone ends up fighting.  Near the end, Jennifer (Loni Anderson) goes around the room playing "truth-teller," sagely pointing out everyone's strengths and weaknesses, to prove they are realy just a big family.  It's the one "crappy sitcom trope" moment in the entire (original) series, which became a powerhouse in syndication after it was cancelled in 1982.  In fact, the final episode apparently placed #7 for the week, and CBS tried wooing the cast back.  Unfortunately, Howard Hesseman was already contracted to join "One Day at a Time," Richard Sanders had signed for (I believe) the pilot "The Invisible Woman," and Tim Reid was headed to "Simon & Simon."  The entire cast was in-demand throughout the 1980s, except for Jan Smithers (who maintained a low profile after deciding to raise her family) and Gary Sandy (a fine actor who was in smaller parts and a lot of theater).  So it wasn't surprising that they tried to bring back WKRP in 1991 with a hip, younger cast interacting with the original cast... all of them made cameos or signed-on as regulars EXCEPT Smithers and Sandy!  Strange.  Unfortunately, 1991 was not the time for a 1978 throwback, and "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" was cancelled in 1993 after two seasons in first-run syndication.

Mary (CBS, 1978)/The Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979): In the fall of 1978, MTM conceived a lavish, big-budget variety show for Mary to star in.  It was essentially filling the void left by "The Carol Burnett Show," which ended in the spring of 1978.  Unfortunately, variety shows were on their way out.  Despite some top-notch talent (Dick Shawn, David Letterman, Swoosie Kurtz, Michael Keaton), the show was a flop.  It was revived the following year as "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour," an hour-long variety/sketch/sitcom hybrid that also flopped.  See for yourself: this possibly unaired episode features a reference to Mary's previous show, a nice sketch with Dick Shawn at 3:40, and an overlong, terrible "Saturday Night Fever" parody later in the show.  This unaired episode includes a catchy tribute to Canada, along with lots of Letterman.

The Last Resort (1979): A Gary David Goldberg dry (and not funny) run for Caddyshack, but with waiters instead of caddies?  In 2009, I asked Goldberg if he had any copies or memories of working on the show, and his answer (verbatim) was two words: "no idea."

Six O'Clock Follies (1980): a short-lived dramedy from (I think) Norman Steinberg (Blazing Saddles)?  This was trying to be MASH, except with Army news reporters instead of doctors.  Zzzzzz.  Includes a post-"Taxi" Randall Carver, plus a young Laurence Fishburne.  Awful theme song by the usually great Joe Cocker.

Paris (CBS, 1979-1980): aka a dry run for "Hill Street Blues."  This was first pairing for writers Stephen Bochco and Allan Kozoll, and starred James Earl Jones as a law professor.  Apparently not bad, but impossible to find.  I'm sure the mis-leading title didn't help.

By 1980, MTM shows had aired for a decade, almost exclusively on CBS.  MTM even co-owned the CBS Studio Center in Studio City.  In 1981, Grant Tinker assumed the additional role of president of NBC. Soon, NBC was picking up a number of shows from former MTM staffers ("Family Ties," "Cheers," "The Cosby Show").  Tinker was advised to step down as head of MTM to avoid a conflict of interest. His intention was to leave NBC after 5 years (in 1986) and return to MTM, taking over the reins from interim MTM president Arthur Price. However, Price fired many of the key players in the company's ranks, and by 1986 they had few shows left on the schedules.  Tinker did step down in 1986 (just as General Electric was taking over NBC's parent company, RCA), but did not return to MTM.  He tried creating a syndicated nightly news program in partnership with "USA Today," which was unsuccesful, and then largely retired.  Notice how crappy TV has been since then?

Hill Street Blues (NBC, 1981-1987): this show was actually picked up before Tinker joined NBC, and was as groundbreaking as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was a decade earlier.  Once again, re-hashing its accomplishments here would be a chore.  Go watch it!

Remington Steele (NBC, 1982-1987), St. Elsewhere (NBC, 1982-1988), Newhart (CBS, 1982-1990): More classics.

Bay City Blues (NBC, 1983): from the creators of "Hill Street Blues," but about a minor league baseball team.  Weird enough, till you learn that Dennis Franz and Sharon Stone were in the cast.

The Duck Factory (NBC, 1984): early Jim Carrey. One of the last single-cam-with-laugh-track sitcoms I can recall.

Mary (CBS, 1985-1986): a well-intentioned flop.

Fresno (1986): an interesting miniseries parody of "Dallas," with Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman and Charles Grodin.

Beverly Hills Buntz (NBC, 1987-1988): Dennis Franz's character was spun-off from "Hill Street" in this sitcom that feels like a really good episode of "Simon & Simon."  With Peter Jurasik.

The Popcorn Kid (1987), Eisenhower and Lutz (1987-1988), Annie McGuire (1988), City (1990), Capital News (1990), You Take the Kids (1990-1991): no idea.

Tattingers (1988-1989): man, do I hate what little I've seen of this show.  Stephen Collins plays a restaurateur who is sharing management of Tattinger's with his ex-wife.  Get ready to laugh!  I hope there were no groceries on-set, because this guy couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.  So horrendous.  The writers were lame yuppies who were smugly (and wrongly) secure in their hilarity.  Gross.  Oh, Stephen Collins also apparently has some issues.

FM (1989-1990): the very little I remember of this show is that it took place at a station with the wacky call letters, WIOU.  Phil Morris -- son of "Mission: Impossible"'s Greg Morris -- played against type as a shark GM (I think) of the station, and said in an interview at the time that he enjoyed the challenge.  (Phil Morris would later find fame as lawyer Jackie Chiles on "Seinfeld").  This seems to be one of the endless dramedies spewing forth for yuppies in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990-1991): another dramedy.  Enough, already!

Boogies Diner (1994-1995), The Pretender (1996-2000; season one only), Family Challenge (1995-1997), Sparks (1996-1998), Bailey Kipper's P.O.V. (1996-1997), Goode Behavior (1996-1997), Good News (1997-1998): these don't even sound real.  They sound like fake titles you would used within another show.

MTM also distributed a number of shows at one time or another, including...
Xuxa, America's Funniest Home Videos (now owned by Disney-ABC Domestic Television), Graham Kerr, Evening Shade (with CBS Productions), Rescue 911 (with CBS Productions), Peter Gunn, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (with CBS Productions), Shopping Spree, Wait 'til You Have Kids, It Takes Two (1997) and Christy.  Also on the list is The Steve Allen Show.  I have no idea which iteration of his show this is.  However, the only one I know of that was called "The Steve Alen Show" verbatim, aired 1962-64 in syndication and was produced by Westinghouse.  Why would MTM distribute reruns of that?  And when?  I've never seen even a clip of this program, which was apparently a big an influence on future comedians such as David Letterman.

And let's not forget the MTM logo.