I was just a little kid in the late '70s and early '80s, but everything I see on TV-related message boards in recent years says NBC was pretty much in the toilet at the time. They say NBC fell to a very distant third place among America's 3 commercial networks of the time, and they almost went out of business.
What was going on over at NBC? I know they made a couple of missteps, such as the controversy about its red and blue stylized 'N' logo, and showing the wrong part of a multipart movie for 20 minutes before anyone noticed. But I didn't know NBC was that bad except for that. Our local NBC affiliate seemed to be at least as popular as the other local stations. And I watched 'Diff'rent Strokes' and 'CHiPs' every week. Didn't they have major sports coverage too?
Was NBC really that bad?
Story on NBC's red and blue logo, reportedly cost $750,000 to develop: http://www.tvworthwatching.com/post/THISDAYINTVHISTORY20190101.aspx
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 01:58:19 PM
I was just a little kid in the late '70s and early '80s, but everything I see on TV-related message boards in recent years says NBC was pretty much in the toilet at the time. They say NBC fell to a very distant third place among America's 3 commercial networks of the time, and they almost went out of business.
What was going on over at NBC? I know they made a couple of missteps, such as the controversy about its red and blue stylized 'N' logo, and showing the wrong part of a multipart movie for 20 minutes before anyone noticed. But I didn't know NBC was that bad except for that. Our local NBC affiliate seemed to be at least as popular as the other local stations. And I watched 'Diff'rent Strokes' and 'CHiPs' every week. Didn't they have major sports coverage too?
Was NBC really that bad?
NBC had the AFC contract, the MLB contract and two major bowl games, the Rose and Orange. When it came time to decide where to spend money, with the choices being a hit show based on medicine and pro football, they chose the show. Up to that point it seemed like NBC was doing okay on my end.
Rick
Around that time, NBC had 2 affiliates in my market (Hartford/New Haven), both of which were on lower power UHF stations. Our CBS and ABC affiliates were (and are) both high powered VHF signals which reached the full market I lived right in the middle of the 2, so we always got both at my house. One was (and still is) WVIT Channel 30, whose signal barely made it out of Hartford County, and had repeaters in Torrington on Channel 79 (long gone) and in New Haven on Channel 59 (now a full power MyNetwork affiliate that is a sister station to our ABC affiliate). The other was WATR, Channel 20, in Waterbury, which served the southern and western end of the market. As such, both always drew lower ratings in comparison to CBS and ABC (the CBS affiliate has always dominated local news ratings) because they had to share the NBC crowd. WATR became an independent station (WTXX) in 1982 when its NBC contract expired, as WVIT had significantly increased its transmission power. Channel 20 is now a CW affiliate, and is a sister station to our FOX affiliate. WVIT is now NBC O&O.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 01:58:19 PM
Was NBC really that bad?
Let me count the ways...
Project UFO (1977-79)
Man From Atlantis (1977-78)
The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show (1977)
Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978)
Stop Susan Williams (1978)
Whodunnit? (1979)
Harris and Company (1979)
Supertrain (1979)
Hello Larry (1979-80)
The Big Show (1980)
Me and Maxx (1980)
Pink Lady and Jeff (1980)
McClain's Law (1981-82)
One of the Boys (1982)
Jokebook (1982)
Voyagers! (1982-83)
The Powers of Mathew Star (1982-83)
Manimal (1983)
Need I go on? :)
Hahaha! 'ME AND MAXX'! I used to watch 'Me And Maxx' all the time! But I don't remember a thing about it.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 09:06:25 PM
I used to watch 'Me And Maxx' all the time! But I don't remember a thing about it.
Which is probably why NBC was in the toilet.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on October 05, 2019, 08:59:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 01:58:19 PM
Was NBC really that bad?
Let me count the ways...
Project UFO (1977-79)
Man From Atlantis (1977-78)
The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show (1977)
Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978)
Stop Susan Williams (1978)
Whodunnit? (1979)
Harris and Company (1979)
Supertrain (1979)
Hello Larry (1979-80)
The Big Show (1980)
Me and Maxx (1980)
Pink Lady and Jeff (1980)
McClain's Law (1981-82)
One of the Boys (1982)
Jokebook (1982)
Voyagers! (1982-83)
The Powers of Mathew Star (1982-83)
Manimal (1983)
Need I go on? :)
Boone (1983-1984)
(This one was filmed about 4 miles from where I grew up)
NBC promo with some of their "gems" for 1978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9slsdjRZbs
Hey, I liked Voyagers! :D
(Of course, I tried watching an episode recently and couldn't make it through it)
One problem may have been that they kept preempting 'CHiPs', one of their most popular shows. We kept tuning in to 'CHiPs' each week to find it was taken off for something else.
...and then they put the CHiPs guys on roller skates...
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on October 05, 2019, 07:16:36 PM
Around that time, NBC had 2 affiliates in my market (Hartford/New Haven), both of which were on lower power UHF stations. Our CBS and ABC affiliates were (and are) both high powered VHF signals which reached the full market I lived right in the middle of the 2, so we always got both at my house. One was (and still is) WVIT Channel 30, whose signal barely made it out of Hartford County, and had repeaters in Torrington on Channel 79 (long gone) and in New Haven on Channel 59 (now a full power MyNetwork affiliate that is a sister station to our ABC affiliate). The other was WATR, Channel 20, in Waterbury, which served the southern and western end of the market. As such, both always drew lower ratings in comparison to CBS and ABC (the CBS affiliate has always dominated local news ratings) because they had to share the NBC crowd. WATR became an independent station (WTXX) in 1982 when its NBC contract expired, as WVIT had significantly increased its transmission power. Channel 20 is now a CW affiliate, and is a sister station to our FOX affiliate. WVIT is now NBC O&O.
I'm a native of New Britain, which is southern Hartford County. The Rattlesnake Mountain site in Farmington, CT was 4.5 air miles from my place. I actually used to receive channel 8 from New Haven better than channel 3 from Hartford. There was either signal overload or multipath/ghosting caused by New Britain's Walnut Hill. Anything from Rattlesnake was always solid, which is where channel 30 transmits from. Then and now.
The old channel 20 tower still stands. It's highly visible from I-84 East and parts of CT Route 8 in Waterbury. It was off to the south in Prospect. I don't know for 100% certain who uses the tower these days. There may have been times when NBC's football would have the Patriots game on channel 30 and the Jets on channel 20. Channel 3 (CBS) would often show the Giants. Of course the NFL wouldn't allow to two different games from the same network now.
Some parts of Hartford county get WWLP-TV (NBC) channel 22 of Springfield, MA. Rarely did they and channel 30 show a different game.
Getting back to NBC nationally...I was told that Johnny Carson was making nearly a quarter of the network's profits in that time.
Quote from: Rothman on October 06, 2019, 11:30:48 AM
...and then they put the CHiPs guys on roller skates...
Name SOMETHING that was popular in Southern California at the time that CHiPs
didn't do a storyline around...
I also heard some stories then NBC even wanted to pull the plug on Saturday mornings a decade earlier but Fred Silverman who worked at NBC back then, gived Saturday mornings one more chance with the Smurfs who dominated the Saturday morning ratings until PeeWee Herman came. Then NBC fortunes beginned to turn with Miami Vice, Cheers and the Cosby Show.
NBC also cancelled three of their game shows to create a 90-minute daytime talk show with then unknown David Letterman in 1980. This included Hollywood Squares and High Rollers. The show was cancelled in four months.
CBS (WCSC Channel 5) was the 800-pound gorilla in the market. Especially in the late 70s and early 80s, ABC and NBC were also-ran networks most of the time in the Charleston area. CBS had many powerful affiliates in the South. This included WBTV Charlotte, WAGA Atlanta, WJXT Jacksonville, WMAZ Macon, WCSC, WFMY Greensboro, WTOC Savannah, and several others.
NBC had a lot of weak affiliates. UHFs in Macon, Augusta, Columbus GA, Knoxville, Charlotte, Raleigh, eventually Jacksonville and Savannah. That had to play a part.
Supertrain looks like it was awful. I hate the idea that my folks might have brought me home from the hospital, been like "Look son, this is TV!" and Supertrain happened to be on. Dad hated NBC and loved CBS in those days so that's probably not what happened. They probably put on Dallas instead so that I could get yelled at in business school 20 years later for acting too much like J.R. Ewing.
Quote from: Sctvhound on October 06, 2019, 07:20:37 PM
NBC had a lot of weak affiliates. UHFs in Macon, Augusta, Columbus GA, Knoxville, Charlotte, Raleigh, eventually Jacksonville and Savannah. That had to play a part.
Not only did NBC stink on ice, but ABC was on a roll. ABC was doing so well that there were several NBC affiliates that switched to ABC between 1976 and 1981, including some big markets like Atlanta and Indianapolis.
It's funny that the Big 3 networks have sort of a parallel to Detroit's Big 3 automakers. Given that Chrysler Corporation (as it was known back then) was also in the same situation but due for a dramatic turnaround, NBC can easily be matched to that (with its minivans and K-cars being the equivalent to Must-See TV). I also see CBS as Ford Motor Company, and ABC as General Motors.
I also remember NBC being at the bottom of the heap that my family wouldn't dare watch WMAQ (the Chicago affiliate) until the better shows came along; they split their viewing time between CBS (WBBM) and ABC (WLS). The former was based on the strength of its daytime lineup (The Price is Right, Young & Restless, As the World Turns, Guiding Light) and its well-performing primetime shows (The Jeffersons, Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Dallas, etc.), and the latter had a pretty good lineup of its own (Taxi, Dynasty, Barney Miller and Three's Company, plus its own daytime gems Family Feud, One Life to Live, All My Children and General Hospital, among others).
Also, because CBS was the NFC network in those days, we'd always tune in to that whenever the Bears were playing.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on October 05, 2019, 08:59:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 01:58:19 PM
Was NBC really that bad?
Let me count the ways...
Another way of looking at it was that ABC & CBS had better shows in their line-up at the time. It wouldn't be until 1982 when NBC started gaining traction with shows like
Family Ties &
Cheers. Such was also the same year that the
Taxi series moved from ABC to NBC for its fifth (& final) season.
I think I remember seeing the series premiere of 'Family Ties'. I didn't think that series was going anywhere.
Something funny about 'Family Ties'. When I was on a college radio station in the '90s, there was an old '70s song they played that went, "I ain't ready for no family ties..." So I broke in and said, "Then are you ready for 'Growing Pains'?" Station management was not pleased.
Here goes. From the beginning of TV through about the early 70s, for complex political and insider business reasons, ABC was the weak sister among the three networks. Absent in many smaller markets, on UHFs or rimshots in other markets, or simply the third station to come to town with people set in their ways in viewing habits.
This weakness meant that producers only offered their third rate shows to ABC. The best shows were on CBS or NBC.
By that time, new station licenses and the advent of the first forms of cable (CATV) had brought ABC to equality.
So the name of Freddie Silberman comes up. A self-declaired super genius, he first world at CBS, and started the "rural purge" where he, as the saying goes, "cancelled everything with a tree in it" . Replacing country oriented shows like Beverly Hillbillies and Hee Haw, with newer shows set in cities, with heavy political themes. CBS was #1 before him, and #1 after, but he got the credit anyway.
Moved to ABC, the eternal #3, as noted above. Here he actually was successful. Sensing the public being tired of being preached at, he turned ABC into the home of thought free TV shows like Happy Days, Love Boat, and Charlie's Angels.
Move to NBC, where he announced he was a genius. Started all sorts of preachy, odd, violent, and just plain not very good shows. Letterman's day time failure, Supertrain, Pink Lady, Big Show, The Doctors (a reality show, not the soap) and other stuff. None of it stuck and he was out.
Another issue with NBC, was, at the time, it was a part of the huge RCA Corporation, while the others were "pure" broadcasting stocks. This meant the stock market could not reward or punish NBC, because it represented a tiny part of RCA, while CBS and ABC were independent companies, and the market could dictate its moves.
Quote from: GCrites80s on October 06, 2019, 10:11:30 PM
Supertrain looks like it was awful. I hate the idea that my folks might have brought me home from the hospital, been like "Look son, this is TV!" and Supertrain happened to be on. Dad hated NBC and loved CBS in those days so that's probably not what happened. They probably put on Dallas instead so that I could get yelled at in business school 20 years later for acting too much like J.R. Ewing.
IIRC, Supertrain was pitched to the network as "The Love Boat on rails".
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 11:44:01 AM
IIRC, Supertrain was pitched to the network as "The Love Boat on rails".
Yes. Among the worst shows ever made, Supertrain was an attempt to rip off the Love Boat show.
While not my cup of tea, the Love Boat was marketing brilliance. This was near the beginning of the "cruise to nowhere" industry. They got use of the boat in return for showing it on TV. And they got faded D-list celebs, and sometime better ones, to appear because in that 90% tax bracket era, the deal a cruise, which was considered working and not taxed. Often they took union minimum.
NBC tried to copy with this train theme. Of course, there was no train, so it had to actually pay the celebs to show up, pay for elaborate sets on their fictional train, and pay $10M ($40M today) for a train model in that pre-computer animation era.
It lasted 9 episodes.
This thread reminds me of an early SNL skit titled 'Jeopardy 2020'. When given the answer "Baa Baa Black Sheep", Chevy Chase replied "What's the longest running show in television history?"
I remember in the early '80s, CBS had a spin-off of 'The Jeffersons' that lasted something like 3 episodes.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2019, 01:15:09 PM
I remember in the early '80s, CBS had a spin-off of 'The Jeffersons' that lasted something like 3 episodes.
Spin-off of spin-off...
There was also a sitcom called 'Maggie' that my parents absolutely hated. It lasted something like 5 episodes. I think it was on ABC though.
The only thing I remember about it is a particularly gruesome scene where the kid on the show got his face bashed in with a bat.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 11:27:43 AM
So the name of Freddie Silberman comes up. A self-declaired super genius, he first world at CBS, and started the "rural purge" where he, as the saying goes, "cancelled everything with a tree in it" . Replacing country oriented shows like Beverly Hillbillies and Hee Haw, with newer shows set in cities, with heavy political themes. CBS was #1 before him, and #1 after, but he got the credit anyway.
Moved to ABC, the eternal #3, as noted above. Here he actually was successful. Sensing the public being tired of being preached at, he turned ABC into the home of thought free TV shows like Happy Days, Love Boat, and Charlie's Angels.
Don't forget some successeful Happy Days spin-offs like Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy. When they was at the top, they borrowed Orleans' song "Still the one" as their slogan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IQmlPvCJ58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Cc3exBUss
As for the "rural purge", funny then CBS bring shortly after The Waltons. As for Hee Haw, it was made in syndication until 1993!
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 11:27:43 AM
Here goes. From the beginning of TV through about the early 70s, for complex political and insider business reasons, ABC was the weak sister among the three networks. Absent in many smaller markets, on UHFs or rimshots in other markets, or simply the third station to come to town with people set in their ways in viewing habits.
Certainly the case in Lexington. We got the NBC (18) and CBS (27) affiliates over-the-air. Could not pick up the ABC affiliate (WBLG, as it was called then, Channel 62) and still couldn't get it when it switched to Channel 36 and became WTVQ. Only when we got cable could we get it. And for years, our cable system offered five channels -- the three network affiliates in Lexington, KET, and WTBS. The cable system we had out in the country didn't even start carrying the Fox affiliate (56) until years after it started. It was well into the popularity of The Simpsons before my dad could get Fox.
WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven has often been the #3 station in Hartford/New Haven, despite being a VHF station like WFSB-TV (CBS) channel 3 of Hartford. WFSB-TV was also the de-facto CBS station for Springfield, MA at the time. The same would eventually apply to WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford and its 5 million watt analog signal. (Springfield now has "CBS 3", a low-power digital station programmed by WFSB-TV and "FOX 6", which is really WGGB-TV channel 40-2.)
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 11:27:43 AM
Here goes. From the beginning of TV through about the early 70s, for complex political and insider business reasons, ABC was the weak sister among the three networks. Absent in many smaller markets, on UHFs or rimshots in other markets, or simply the third station to come to town with people set in their ways in viewing habits.
This weakness meant that producers only offered their third rate shows to ABC. The best shows were on CBS or NBC.
ABC and Dumont had similar problems, especially with money or the lack thereof. They also were "drop-in" networks in the days when most markets had only one or two stations, with one carrying NBC and the other CBS. Those two stations just took what they thought were the best shows from ABC and Dumont and fit them in during mid-afternoon or late-night times, on poor quality kinescopes.
What saved ABC was their 1953 merger with United Paramount Theaters, which had been split from Paramount Studios a year or so earlier. That merger was also the beginning of the end for Dumont due to Paramount Studios owning a stake in the Dumont Corporation. Dumont cancelled all of its entertainment programming in 1955, and finished up its sports commitments the next year.
Ironically, although it took another three decades to happen, today's Fox network is the direct descendant of Dumont. Company founder Alan Dumont was fired by new stockholders in 1958, the company was reorganized into Metromedia, adding a few more stations along the way, and then sold to Rupert Murdoch in 1985. Murdoch started Fox with those ex-Metromedia stations, gradually building the network.
QuoteBy that time, new station licenses and the advent of the first forms of cable (CATV) had brought ABC to equality.
It helped, but ABC did start adding decent programming beginning in the mid 1950s. Their westerns were as good as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, and they added a full daytime schedule in 1958. They also went for the youth market far more than CBS or NBC did, starting with putting the Philly-based American Bandstand on the full network beginning in 1957.
Channel 19 was the Metromedia station in Cincinnati, and it eventually became the Fox affiliate. But I don't think it was still owned by Metromedia when Fox started.
I remember watching afternoon cartoons on Channel 19 in the early '80s. The 3 VHF stations had their own news departments, but the only news I remember Channel 19 having back then was right before the cartoons. This was a fairly short news installment that consisted only of their voiceover man reading the AP newswire, and the video just consisted of simple slides they used in each newscast.
WTXX-TV (IND) channel 20 of Waterbury, CT did similar to that. Today they're WCCT-TV (CW), sister station of WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford. The difference is that channel 20 was WATR-TV (NBC) beforehand, covering western and southern portions of the market which WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain couldn't reach at the time.
WTIC-TV has been a FOX affiliate since that network started, carrying Joan Rivers' talk show and all. WTIC-TV signed on in September of 1984. Unlike channel 20, WVIT-TV has always been a primary NBC affiliate. The original CBS affiliate in this area was actually channel 18 of Hartford. Today they're Univision affiliate WUVN-TV. Market leader WFSB-TV channel 3 of Hartford didn't sign on until September of 1957, taking on CBS in 1960.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 01:02:50 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 11:44:01 AM
IIRC, Supertrain was pitched to the network as "The Love Boat on rails".
Yes. Among the worst shows ever made, Supertrain was an attempt to rip off the Love Boat show.
While not my cup of tea, the Love Boat was marketing brilliance. This was near the beginning of the "cruise to nowhere" industry. They got use of the boat in return for showing it on TV. And they got faded D-list celebs, and sometime better ones, to appear because in that 90% tax bracket era, the deal a cruise, which was considered working and not taxed. Often they took union minimum.
And let's be honest, Princess Cruises (and the industry as a whole) was quite happy to do it as well. It was free advertising for them that advertisers were willing pay for.
On the morning before the debut of
Supertrain, the
Today show did a behind-the-scenes feature about the show. Gene Shalit and Tom Brokaw appeared, well, less than enthusiastic about
Supertrain's chances, and mounting costs...
(the original poster goofed the edit and re-ran part of the report again)
Several months later, NBC was preparing to air the US coverage of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The network was about to have yet another setback, though (especially financially), as President Carter would decide that the US would withdraw from that year's Olympics (which were being held in Moscow) because of the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. With no US participation, NBC lost their chance to air US coverage of the Games. Their winning bid was $87 million, but they lost $34 million through no fault of their own. The ratings potential could have been big for NBC to air those Olympics, but they wouldn't get another chance to redeem themselves until they landed the right to air the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
In western MA in the 1980s, we got 3, 22, 40 and 57 and that was it with just the antenna that came with the TV. 61 came in little by little in the later '80s.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on October 07, 2019, 03:06:43 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 11:27:43 AM
Here goes. From the beginning of TV through about the early 70s, for complex political and insider business reasons, ABC was the weak sister among the three networks. Absent in many smaller markets, on UHFs or rimshots in other markets, or simply the third station to come to town with people set in their ways in viewing habits.
This weakness meant that producers only offered their third rate shows to ABC. The best shows were on CBS or NBC.
ABC and Dumont had similar problems, especially with money or the lack thereof. They also were "drop-in" networks in the days when most markets had only one or two stations, with one carrying NBC and the other CBS. Those two stations just took what they thought were the best shows from ABC and Dumont and fit them in during mid-afternoon or late-night times, on poor quality kinescopes.
What saved ABC was their 1953 merger with United Paramount Theaters, which had been split from Paramount Studios a year or so earlier. That merger was also the beginning of the end for Dumont due to Paramount Studios owning a stake in the Dumont Corporation. Dumont cancelled all of its entertainment programming in 1955, and finished up its sports commitments the next year.
Ironically, although it took another three decades to happen, today's Fox network is the direct descendant of Dumont. Company founder Alan Dumont was fired by new stockholders in 1958, the company was reorganized into Metromedia, adding a few more stations along the way, and then sold to Rupert Murdoch in 1985. Murdoch started Fox with those ex-Metromedia stations, gradually building the network.
QuoteBy that time, new station licenses and the advent of the first forms of cable (CATV) had brought ABC to equality.
It helped, but ABC did start adding decent programming beginning in the mid 1950s. Their westerns were as good as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, and they added a full daytime schedule in 1958. They also went for the youth market far more than CBS or NBC did, starting with putting the Philly-based American Bandstand on the full network beginning in 1957.
That was an interesting history story! Alas, I was born the year Dumont went off-air so I never did get to see any of their shows but I did find some clips from their network on Youtube.
Rick
In the late 70s, i could pick up in Detroit, 2(CBS), 4(NBC), 7(ABC), 9(CBC), 20(IND), 22(Global), 29(Global), 32(TVO), 42(CTV), 50(IND), 56(PBS), 62(IND), 78(SRC). Of note, 9, 22, 29, 32, 42, and 78 was in Canada (Windsor/Sarina).
Another thought, Didn't NBC turn around in the mid 1980 (1982-84) occur at the same time many long running shows on ABC and CBS was ending their runs?
Quote from: SP Cook on October 07, 2019, 01:02:50 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 11:44:01 AM
IIRC, Supertrain was pitched to the network as "The Love Boat on rails".
Yes. Among the worst shows ever made, Supertrain was an attempt to rip off the Love Boat show.
While not my cup of tea, the Love Boat was marketing brilliance. This was near the beginning of the "cruise to nowhere" industry. They got use of the boat in return for showing it on TV. And they got faded D-list celebs, and sometime better ones, to appear because in that 90% tax bracket era, the deal a cruise, which was considered working and not taxed. Often they took union minimum.
NBC tried to copy with this train theme. Of course, there was no train, so it had to actually pay the celebs to show up, pay for elaborate sets on their fictional train, and pay $10M ($40M today) for a train model in that pre-computer animation era.
It lasted 9 episodes.
From what I saw of Supertrain on YouTube it seemed like it was doing a poor job of imitating The Love Boat. I get the whole idea behind The Love Boat -- scenic locales where the boat docked, a nonstop parade of beautiful starlets and charismatic guest stars. Supertrain on the other hand looked like it spent a lot of time dealing with guys who were trying to smash their way into the train through the windows while it was moving.
I feel like the success of Knight Rider was a big turning point for NBC pulling out of the doldrums. Wasn't long before they even had K.I.T.T. jump
over the General Lee in sort of a Coke vs. Pepsi moment:
Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2019, 01:15:44 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2019, 01:15:09 PM
I remember in the early '80s, CBS had a spin-off of 'The Jeffersons' that lasted something like 3 episodes.
Spin-off of spin-off...
Florence the maid got her own sitcom before 227. She had Mash's Larry Linville as a supporting actor as Florence got hired as an Executive Housekeeper in a hotel that George had a cleaning contract with. Larry Linville played the Hotel Manager who was against Florence being hired for the position as it was the owner (played by John Anderson, not from Yes lol, but veteran actor known for many roles and MacGyver's grandfather) who hired her. The love to hate antics of Marla Gibbs and Larry Linville were not that good as Florence and George, so it never took off. However Marla Gibbs had a clause in her contract if her show did not make a hit or got cancelled she could reprise her old role on the Jeffersons.
Smart move as many leave a program to join another that flops, but cannot return as with actor Norman Fell of Three's Company who left to star in the Roper's, but that show failed after one season and the actor could not return to Threes Company as Don Knotts took his place already.
The late 70's I remember was when classic shows like Sanford and Son ended as well as Chico and the Man and even action shows like Chips. They did not right away come up with shows to replace them until the early 80's so they suffered for a bit.
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
This thread reminds me of an early SNL skit titled 'Jeopardy 2020'. When given the answer "Baa Baa Black Sheep", Chevy Chase replied "What's the longest running show in television history?"
I didn't know there was even a Jeopardy parody in the 70s.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 12:22:57 AM
Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2019, 01:15:44 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2019, 01:15:09 PM
I remember in the early '80s, CBS had a spin-off of 'The Jeffersons' that lasted something like 3 episodes.
Spin-off of spin-off...
Florence the maid got her own sitcom before 227. She had Mash's Larry Linville as a supporting actor as Florence got hired as an Executive Housekeeper in a hotel that George had a cleaning contract with. Larry Linville played the Hotel Manager who was against Florence being hired for the position as it was the owner (played by John Anderson, not from Yes lol, but veteran actor known for many roles and MacGyver's grandfather) who hired her. The love to hate antics of Marla Gibbs and Larry Linville were not that good as Florence and George, so it never took off. However Marla Gibbs had a clause in her contract if her show did not make a hit or got cancelled she could reprise her old role on the Jeffersons.
That name of that short-lived sitcom was called
Checking In.
IIRC, a similar situation (not sure of the exact contract clause) happened when Sonny Shroyer (Enos from
Dukes of Hazzard) briefly left the show to a spin-off show of his own, called
Enos. The spin-off show was cancelled and he, Shroyer, returned to the parent show as if his departure ever happened.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 12:22:57 AMSmart move as many leave a program to join another that flops, but cannot return as with actor Norman Fell of Three's Company who left to star in the Roper's, but that show failed after one season and the actor could not return to Threes Company as Don Knotts took his place already.
When Polly Holliday left
Alice to do her own sitcom
Flo; not only was the spin-off show cancelled (due to low ratings) but her replacement on the parent show, Diane Ladd who played Flo in the original movie
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (she played Belle on the TV show), was ultimately fired roughly a year after joining the cast. After such happened, Holliday was asked if she was interested in returning to
Alice following Ladd's firing but she turned it down. Saying that once she left the nest, that was it. The role of the third waitress on
Alice ultimately went to Celia Weston, who played Jolene.
Quote from: Verlanka on October 08, 2019, 05:19:41 AM
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
This thread reminds me of an early SNL skit titled 'Jeopardy 2020'. When given the answer "Baa Baa Black Sheep", Chevy Chase replied "What's the longest running show in television history?"
I didn't know there was even a Jeopardy parody in the 70s.
It was a single skit, not a recurring one. IIRC, the skit was in either the first or second season of SNL.
The Ropers did make a cameo in one Three's Company episode after The Ropers was cancelled.
Another spinoff where the actors returned afterward was the Happy Days spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi. Both Erin Moran and Scott Baio returned to the main show cast for the final season as if they never left. And then there was Carla's brief Cheers spinoff The Tortellis which developed more on Nick, his wife (who I can't believe is Casey Kasem's widow) and her kids. Rhea Perlman never actually left Cheers while it was being shot, so it was more of a parallel.
Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2019, 05:02:42 PM
In western MA in the 1980s, we got 3, 22, 40 and 57 and that was it with just the antenna that came with the TV. 61 came in little by little in the later '80s.
WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford signed on September 17, 1984. Today, FOX in Springfield/Holyoke is via WGGB-TV channel 40-2. They call it "FOX 6" for its cable position in Springfield.
Quote from: cwf1701 on October 07, 2019, 08:29:57 PM
In the late 70s, i could pick up in Detroit, 2(CBS), 4(NBC), 7(ABC), 9(CBC), 20(IND), 22(Global), 29(Global), 32(TVO), 42(CTV), 50(IND), 56(PBS), 62(IND), 78(SRC). Of note, 9, 22, 29, 32, 42, and 78 was in Canada (Windsor/Sarina).
Another thought, Didn't NBC turn around in the mid 1980 (1982-84) occur at the same time many long running shows on ABC and CBS was ending their runs?
I think that was the Cosby Show and a few others that helped it out then. Just what we needed at the time...someone clean and wholesome that would never cause any trouble for anyone.
:ded:
Somebody created a meme stating how Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) ended up being a better father than Cliff Huxtable and Eric Camden of 7th Heaven. Making the real life reference to Cosby and Stephen Collins, of course! :)
I remember how CBS was limping around after they lost the rights to the NFL and baseball in the 1990s. Then again, I was OK with them losing baseball, since I always thought NBC's coverage was better anyways. (CBS had baseball from 1990 to 1993.)
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on October 08, 2019, 01:56:42 PM
Somebody created a meme stating how Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) ended up being a better father than Cliff Huxtable and Eric Camden of 7th Heaven. Making the real life reference to Cosby and Stephen Collins, of course! :)
I remember how CBS was limping around after they lost the rights to the NFL and baseball in the 1990s. Then again, I was OK with them losing baseball, since I always thought NBC's coverage was better anyways. (CBS had baseball from 1990 to 1993.)
I remember about 15 years ago, CBS was obsessed with showing the boring and overrated college basketball "selection Sunday" show each year. They were losing money and viewers hand over foot over this, but they had a contract to show it for years into the future. I don't know if it's expired yet.
I couldn't stand it.
I seem to recall a season much more recently where NBC was actually fourth for a time, behind even FOX.
Quote from: roadman on October 08, 2019, 10:01:09 AM
Quote from: Verlanka on October 08, 2019, 05:19:41 AM
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
This thread reminds me of an early SNL skit titled 'Jeopardy 2020'. When given the answer "Baa Baa Black Sheep", Chevy Chase replied "What's the longest running show in television history?"
I didn't know there was even a Jeopardy parody in the 70s.
It was a single skit, not a recurring one. IIRC, the skit was in either the first or second season of SNL.
They did more skits later, based off celebrity Jeopardy!. The-rapists, Mr. Connery?
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 08, 2019, 01:49:12 PM
I think that was the Cosby Show and a few others that helped it out then. Just what we needed at the time...someone clean and wholesome that would never cause any trouble for anyone.
:ded:
And Miami Vice (MTV without the disk jockeys), St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, Cheers, The Golden Girls, and others.
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 08, 2019, 09:44:15 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 12:22:57 AM
Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2019, 01:15:44 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2019, 01:15:09 PM
I remember in the early '80s, CBS had a spin-off of 'The Jeffersons' that lasted something like 3 episodes.
Spin-off of spin-off...
Florence the maid got her own sitcom before 227. She had Mash's Larry Linville as a supporting actor as Florence got hired as an Executive Housekeeper in a hotel that George had a cleaning contract with. Larry Linville played the Hotel Manager who was against Florence being hired for the position as it was the owner (played by John Anderson, not from Yes lol, but veteran actor known for many roles and MacGyver's grandfather) who hired her. The love to hate antics of Marla Gibbs and Larry Linville were not that good as Florence and George, so it never took off. However Marla Gibbs had a clause in her contract if her show did not make a hit or got cancelled she could reprise her old role on the Jeffersons.
That name of that short-lived sitcom was called Checking In.
IIRC, a similar situation (not sure of the exact contract clause) happened when Sonny Shroyer (Enos from Dukes of Hazzard) briefly left the show to a spin-off show of his own, called Enos. The spin-off show was cancelled and he, Shroyer, returned to the parent show as if his departure ever happened.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 12:22:57 AMSmart move as many leave a program to join another that flops, but cannot return as with actor Norman Fell of Three's Company who left to star in the Roper's, but that show failed after one season and the actor could not return to Threes Company as Don Knotts took his place already.
When Polly Holliday left Alice to do her own sitcom Flo; not only was the spin-off show cancelled (due to low ratings) but her replacement on the parent show, Diane Ladd who played Flo in the original movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (she played Belle on the TV show), was ultimately fired roughly a year after joining the cast. After such happened, Holliday was asked if she was interested in returning to Alice following Ladd's firing but she turned it down. Saying that once she left the nest, that was it. The role of the third waitress on Alice ultimately went to Celia Weston, who played Jolene.
Actually Sonny Shroyer was replaced by Rick Hurst and when Shroyer returned they had him and Hurst together for part of a season before they thought two deputies was too much. That was the year most fans were pissed that the producers replaced the two lead actors with knock offs due to salary demands that the producers would not give into until the Nielsen's showed that people were not watching. So they gave in and rehired Wopat and Schneider both and fired the new leads.
Ropers both could not return due to budget as Don Knotts was on payroll then and no money to rehire and then what happened if they had two landlords? One would have nothing to do and be a fifth wheel. Just like Jennilee Harrison as they kept her as supporting actress after they gave the other lead to Pricilla Barnes because the production company found that Harrison had no sex appeal with us men. Though I thought Jenilee Harrison was more attractive than even Suzanne Somers and Miss Barnes. Harrison was given Chuck Cunningham Syndrome and dropped after a lack of place for her in the show as Third support role.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 05:30:51 PM
Ropers both could not return due to budget as Don Knotts was on payroll then and no money to rehire and then what happened if they had two landlords?
Maybe the Ropers could have used eminent domain.
Sure have 😂 as Furley sucked. As much as as I liked Don Knotts the Ropers were funnier. Plus Furley's gay remarks were not as funny as Roper's on Jack.
They should have had Ralph Furley accept the fact he had a coed apartment upstairs.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 05:30:51 PMActually Sonny Shroyer was replaced by Rick Hurst and when Shroyer returned they had him and Hurst together for part of a season before they thought two deputies was too much.
Yes & no. Rick Hurst's Cletus was also used for several episodes during the first two seasons prior to Enos' leaving during Season 3. For the reunion shows in 1997 & 2000; both deputies, Enos & Cletus, were used.
Yup as two episodes Sonny Shroyer was absent in the first two seasons. Just like Ben Jones was as well and even had his replacement's name moved into the opening credits as well despite missing two episodes. Ditto for James Best when he missed five episodes in Season 3. Dick Sergeant (Darrin number two) was credited as well as the bugle player on F Troop ( can't recall his name) during Best's short time off.
And then there were the two Lionels on All In the Family/The Jeffersons. The more well known one was Mike Evans, who played the character all the way from the All in the Family pilot and made the crossover to The Jeffersons for the first season. After the first season, he left the show to concentrate more on his own show, Good Times (itself a spinoff of a spinoff in the Archieverse). He was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for 2 seasons. When Good Times ended its run, the original Lionel returned for a couple more seasons before being written out of the cast. Meanwhile, George Jefferson was not seen or heard from until the 4th season of AITF, as Norman Lear was holding the part for Sherman Hemsley until his run in a Broadway play ended. As a fill in, Louise was often accompanied by George's brother Henry. George was finally introduced in a episode where Henry is thrown a going away party.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 05:59:13 PM
Dick Sergeant (Darrin number two) was credited as well as the bugle player on F Troop ( can't recall his name) during Best's short time off.
James Hampton played bugler Pvt. Hannibal Dobbs. Per IMDB, Hampton appeared on all 65 episodes of F Troop, one of 5 actors who did (the others being Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Ken Berry, and Melody Patterson).
You sure about Dick Sargent? He doesn't show up in IMDB as having acted on F Troop, either under the series' listing or his own. Sargent was in two episodes of The Dukes of Hazard in 1980, playing Sheriff Grady Byrd in both. Maybe that's where he replaced Best for a time.
Correction shown in blue &
bold emphasis added:
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on October 08, 2019, 09:56:37 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 08, 2019, 05:59:13 PM
Dick Sargent (Darrin number two) was credited as well as the bugle player on F Troop ( can't recall his name) during Best's short time off.
James Hampton played bugler Pvt. Hannibal Dobbs. Per IMDB, Hampton appeared on all 65 episodes of F Troop, one of 5 actors who did (the others being Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Ken Berry, and Melody Patterson).
You sure about Dick Sargent? He doesn't show up in IMDB as having acted on F Troop, either under the series' listing or his own. Sargent was in two episodes of The Dukes of Hazard in 1980, playing Sheriff Grady Byrd in both. Maybe that's where he replaced Best for a time.
You might want to reread Roadman65's post again. He never stated that Dick Sargent appeared on
F Troop. The
as well as in his earlier post was in reference to
Dukes of Hazzard.
Quote from: Brandon on October 08, 2019, 04:27:16 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 08, 2019, 10:01:09 AM
Quote from: Verlanka on October 08, 2019, 05:19:41 AM
Quote from: roadman on October 07, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
This thread reminds me of an early SNL skit titled 'Jeopardy 2020'. When given the answer "Baa Baa Black Sheep", Chevy Chase replied "What's the longest running show in television history?"
I didn't know there was even a Jeopardy parody in the 70s.
It was a single skit, not a recurring one. IIRC, the skit was in either the first or second season of SNL.
They did more skits later, based off celebrity Jeopardy!. The-rapists, Mr. Connery?
Thanks for the correction. Gave up on SNL a year or two after most of the original cast left.
I gave up on SNL after the original left and when they roasted the politicians instead of showing the public their stands on the war in Washington and bashing.
The good ole days were Jane Curtain, Chevy Chase, the late John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and even Garrett Morris.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 09, 2019, 10:05:22 AM
I gave up on SNL after the original left and when they roasted the politicians instead of showing the public their stands on the war in Washington and bashing.
The good ole days were Jane Curtain, Chevy Chase, the late John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and even Garrett Morris.
I wanna say it was the 90's where SNL almost collapsed, especially amid competition from other networks. SNL survived though, and now it tends to hold a steady audience. They just deal with the ever-lasting "the show was better in the past" complaints, but it still has a decent following today.
You gotta wonder how some skits make it thru writing and the Sat evening rehearsal though to actually make it on the air. If some of the bad skits made it through, you gotta wonder just how worse some of the other skits were that were cut after rehearsal! The best skits tend to be the soft opening and right after the opening. After Weekend Update, often times the only other skit worth watching is the very last skit of the night.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 09, 2019, 10:05:22 AM
I gave up on SNL after the original left and when they roasted the politicians instead of showing the public their stands on the war in Washington and bashing.
The good ole days were Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase, the late John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and even Garrett Morris.
FIFY.
I haven't watched 'SNL' in years. Probably the last time I watched it was when they had the guy doing Ronald Reagan who kept saying, "Damn!"
I believe that was Randy Quaid playing Reagan at the time.
My favorite cast for Saturday Night Live will always be 1986-90. Hartman, Hooks, Lovitz, Carvey, Miller, Nealon, etc. :)
OK...back into the proverbial toilet bowl and the Peacock now. :P
Akaroyd as Jimmy Carter was classic!
Quote from: roadman65 on October 09, 2019, 10:05:22 AM
I gave up on SNL after the original left and when they roasted the politicians instead of showing the public their stands on the war in Washington and bashing.
The good ole days were Jane Curtain, Chevy Chase, the late John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, and even Garrett Morris.
I lasted until the Eddie Murphy era was over. SNL was must-see TV in my latter high school years and well into college, especially when Steve Martin was a semi-permanent guest host.
I still refer to some of the classic skits -- The Coneheads, "Jane, you ignorant slut," Emily Litella's "nevermind," and "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"
I remember "I'm Gumby, dammit!", "Bizarro World", and the doctor who listed medical conditions with funny names. I was really too young for 'SNL' when those aired, but I happened to overhear the TV from the living room when my parents were watching (even though it was on pretty late).
I remember a movie on cable when I was about 10 that actually showed a pipe dropping what looked like big piles of POOP on various household objects. I happened to be in the room when it was on, and my parents shut the TV off.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 09, 2019, 12:02:53 PM
I remember "I'm Gumby, dammit!", "Bizarro World", and the doctor who listed medical conditions with funny names. I was really too young for 'SNL' when those aired, but I happened to overhear the TV from the living room when my parents were watching (even though it was on pretty late).
The "doctor" was Tim Kazurinsky. He would mention tennis players having "Bjorn Borgasms" or talk about the guy who wrote memorable headlines for the New York Post. That cast also included Gary Kroger, Mary Gross (sister of Michael Gross from "Family Ties") and husband/wife Brad Hall/Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 09, 2019, 12:09:31 PM
I remember a movie on cable when I was about 10 that actually showed a pipe dropping what looked like big piles of POOP on various household objects. I happened to be in the room when it was on, and my parents shut the TV off.
You are referring to "The Groove Tube" and it is a small in movie advertisement for Brown 25 from the Uranus Corporation. Google that and you will see the clip on You Tube.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 09, 2019, 01:06:34 PM
You are referring to "The Groove Tube" and it is a small in movie advertisement for Brown 25 from the Uranus Corporation. Google that and you will see the clip on You Tube.
That's hilarious!!!
I remember seeing this around the time Atari BASIC was becoming popular. We wrote a little program in Atari BASIC that simulated a TV changing channels, and one of the channels mentioned this clip with a big "Viewer Discretion Advised" warning before it! Our program didn't actually show the poo though, since it was just oversized text, not graphics.
A few years later, I wrote an Atari BASIC program that used Atari graphic symbols to draw a giant toilet and had the words "TOILETS ARE FUN." I know there was a Brown 25 reference somewhere in there.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 08, 2019, 03:04:50 PM
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on October 08, 2019, 01:56:42 PM
Somebody created a meme stating how Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) ended up being a better father than Cliff Huxtable and Eric Camden of 7th Heaven. Making the real life reference to Cosby and Stephen Collins, of course! :)
I remember how CBS was limping around after they lost the rights to the NFL and baseball in the 1990s. Then again, I was OK with them losing baseball, since I always thought NBC's coverage was better anyways. (CBS had baseball from 1990 to 1993.)
I remember about 15 years ago, CBS was obsessed with showing the boring and overrated college basketball "selection Sunday" show each year. They were losing money and viewers hand over foot over this, but they had a contract to show it for years into the future. I don't know if it's expired yet.
I couldn't stand it.
They still do. The contract is well into the future. They signed a deal through 2032. They moved it one year to TBS and it had less than half the rating it had on CBS. So it will be as CBS staple forever.
I distinctly remembered that NBC mostly was the network for crime dramas and not much sitcoms in the late 70's. Just Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, and then some that came and went abruptly. Shows like the Rockford Files and Police Story stood out more just as the anti gun and anti violent movement came into play fueled by the previous decades counter culture values. That might of had something to do with it.
It was not until the 1980's when shows like Different Strokes, Facts of Life, Cosby, Cheers, Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Hello Larry, and even Nurses came into play. Even Taxi, which came in the 80's as in the 70's the ABC network had it. These were the memorable moment shows that NBC proved popular with, but were not in the 70's.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on October 05, 2019, 08:59:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 05, 2019, 01:58:19 PM
Was NBC really that bad?
Let me count the ways...
Project UFO (1977-79)
Man From Atlantis (1977-78)
The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show (1977)
Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978)
Stop Susan Williams (1978)
Whodunnit? (1979)
Harris and Company (1979)
Supertrain (1979)
Hello Larry (1979-80)
The Big Show (1980)
Me and Maxx (1980)
Pink Lady and Jeff (1980)
McClain's Law (1981-82)
One of the Boys (1982)
Jokebook (1982)
Voyagers! (1982-83)
The Powers of Mathew Star (1982-83)
Manimal (1983)
Need I go on? :)
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Ahh, Supertrain. I once sent two joke letters to David Letterman on one or both of his shows. One I sent with a mock threat to post a bad Christmas song parody or something like that, and then another with that parody. The song was a take of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and included the line "Peace on Earth, Good will towards men / Supertrain is on again!"
Now where's the screaming in horror emoji?
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the
only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-
M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 14, 2019, 12:52:55 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Actually, "Hello, Larry" was the high point of McLean Stevenson's career after M*A*S*H. That's what makes his decision to leave the show so bad.
How many stations in the mid/late 70s changed from NBC to ABC or CBS? When CBS was in the same spot as NBC in the Mid 90s, CBS had a number of long-time affiliates defect to FOX or NBC or ABC, starting with the New World stations in the mid 90s (of which WJBK-2 was one of the stations to jump from CBS to FOX)
Quote from: cwf1701 on October 14, 2019, 05:58:39 PM
How many stations in the mid/late 70s changed from NBC to ABC or CBS?
Around 1980, the NBC affiliate in Dayton flipped to ABC - leaving NBC to a UHF station. The Dayton stations were very snowy here, when we could get them at all.
Quote from: cwf1701 on October 14, 2019, 05:58:39 PM
How many stations in the mid/late 70s changed from NBC to ABC or CBS? When CBS was in the same spot as NBC in the Mid 90s, CBS had a number of long-time affiliates defect to FOX or NBC or ABC, starting with the New World stations in the mid 90s (of which WJBK-2 was one of the stations to jump from CBS to FOX)
KCBY in Coos Bay-North Bend changed from NBC to CBS sometime in the Eighties as I remember. KMTR, an UHF station out of Eugene, became one of our NBC stations (with translators) along with KOBI (with translators) out of Medford. For those in a good location in Coos County, a channel 5-specific antenna would bring in the signal crystal clear from KOBI directly.
Rick
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 14, 2019, 01:32:56 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 14, 2019, 12:52:55 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Actually, "Hello, Larry" was the high point of McLean Stevenson's career after M*A*S*H. That's what makes his decision to leave the show so bad.
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AM
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything that was successful?
Depends on what you mean by success. Wayne Rogers had a financial career, and Gary Burghoff was an inventor.
Quote from: GaryV on October 15, 2019, 01:47:28 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AM
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything that was successful?
Depends on what you mean by success. Wayne Rogers had a financial career, and Gary Burghoff was an inventor.
I was referring to the entertainment field - have updated my post. But that's very interesting.
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AMDid any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
House Calls, which Wayne Rogers starred in as Dr. Charley Michaels, ran almost as long (2-1/2 seasons, 1979-1982) as his time on
M*A*S*H.
That show was successful (its original airtime was in-between
M*A*S*H &
Lou Grant, Mondays on CBS) but was cancelled during its third season shortly after Lynn Redgrave, who played hospital administrator Ann Anderson, was fired from the show. The show's transition from Lynn to her replacement, Sharon Gless, was awkward & clunky; not to mention that the character chemistry between Sharon's Jane Jeffries to Wayne Roger's Dr. Michaels just wasn't there as it was with Ann & Charley.
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 15, 2019, 04:03:08 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AMDid any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
House Calls, which Wayne Rogers starred in as Dr. Charley Michaels, ran almost as long (2-1/2 seasons, 1979-1982) as his time on M*A*S*H.
That show was successful (its original airtime was in-between M*A*S*H & Lou Grant, Mondays on CBS) but was cancelled during its third season shortly after Lynn Redgrave, who played hospital administrator Ann Anderson, was fired from the show. The show's transition from Lynn to her replacement, Sharon Gless, was awkward & clunky; not to mention that the character chemistry between Sharon's Jane Jeffries to Wayne Roger's Dr. Michaels just wasn't there as it was with Ann & Charley.
Thanks for the info. Funny, I have absolutely no recollection of that show, even though I watched both
M*A*S*H and
Lou Grant religiously every week.
I remember my parents watching 'House Calls' but I don't remember a thing about it.
Quote from: roadman on October 16, 2019, 10:37:36 AMFunny, I have absolutely no recollection of that show, even though I watched both M*A*S*H and Lou Grant religiously every week.
I remember one Monday night in October 1980 IIRC;
M*A*S*H was on, followed by
House Calls (which starred Wayne Rogers) followed by a
Lou Grant episode that guest-starred Larry Linville (Frank Burns on
M*A*S*H).
Quote from: bandit957 on October 16, 2019, 10:38:53 AM
I remember my parents watching 'House Calls' but I don't remember a thing about it.
Yeah, watching all that
'Sesame Street' will do that to you. :D
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AM
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 14, 2019, 01:32:56 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 14, 2019, 12:52:55 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Actually, "Hello, Larry" was the high point of McLean Stevenson's career after M*A*S*H. That's what makes his decision to leave the show so bad.
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
Certainly Alan Alda would top the list, with (among many other credits) his turn on The West Wing, an Oscar nomination for The Aviator, and two Tony nominations.
After that, probably Harry Morgan and David Ogden Stiers would be next, both of whom had dozens of television and film appearances post-M*A*S*H. Stiers is noted for his voice work in Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Lilo and Stitch.
It does make sense - M*A*S*H was such an great ensemble show, but the downside is that the actors (excepting Alda) didn't have the opportunity to have star-making moments. It would also make sense in that nearly all of the stars were 45+ at the time the show ended (or when they left the show) - old by Hollywood standards (even more so back then) and staring at the backside of their careers.
That said, if M*A*S*H is the high point of their career, then they've done just fine.
The actor that played BJ, Mike Farrell, was a star in the NBC prime time soap Providence, which I believe went either four or five years.
Bold & Underline emphasis added to below:
Quote from: DTComposer on October 16, 2019, 12:50:15 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AM
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 14, 2019, 01:32:56 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 14, 2019, 12:52:55 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Actually, "Hello, Larry" was the high point of McLean Stevenson's career after M*A*S*H. That's what makes his decision to leave the show so bad.
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
Roadman was strictly referring to those that left the series
while it was still running; not after the show ended for good.
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 16, 2019, 01:18:28 PM
Bold & Underline emphasis added to below:
Quote from: DTComposer on October 16, 2019, 12:50:15 PM
Quote from: roadman on October 15, 2019, 10:18:47 AM
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 14, 2019, 01:32:56 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on October 14, 2019, 12:52:55 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 14, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
One of the few good things about "Hello, Larry" was that Kim Richards was eye candy to guys my age. Now she's a drunken train wreck on a shitty reality show.
Probably the only good thing. Such still doesn't change the fact that it was one of McLean Stevenson's noteworthy post-M*A*S*H disasters show-wise.
Actually, "Hello, Larry" was the high point of McLean Stevenson's career after M*A*S*H. That's what makes his decision to leave the show so bad.
Did any actor who left M*A*S*H mid-stream go on to do anything in the entertainment field that was successful?
Roadman was strictly referring to those that left the series while it was still running; not after the show ended for good.
Oy, missed that. Strike my comments from the record.
Sharon Gless was mentioned above. Wasn't Cagney And Lacey in full swing on CBS by then?
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on October 18, 2019, 04:47:21 PM
Sharon Gless was mentioned above. Wasn't Cagney And Lacey in full swing on CBS by then?
Cagney and Lacey was more mid 80s. (actually mid-season 82 through late 88) Sharon Gless was the 3rd Cagney, and she started in the 82/83 season. Loretta Swit was the first Cagney in a TV movie, then Meg Foster for the first season, and then Sharon Gless was placed in the role.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on October 19, 2019, 03:18:52 PM
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on October 18, 2019, 04:47:21 PM
Sharon Gless was mentioned above. Wasn't Cagney And Lacey in full swing on CBS by then?
Cagney and Lacey was more mid 80s. (actually mid-season 82 through late 88) Sharon Gless was the 3rd Cagney, and she started in the 82/83 season. Loretta Swit was the first Cagney in a TV movie, then Meg Foster for the first season, and then Sharon Gless was placed in the role.
Right after the fore-mentioned
House Calls show (Gless was Redgrave's replacement) was cancelled.