tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post2404434967166893112..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: THE SEVENTIESBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30150968273497037092015-06-14T09:29:58.695-07:002015-06-14T09:29:58.695-07:00Found an old episode on a sports channel I didn...Found an old episode on a sports channel I didn't know I had, but I enjoyed "Battle of the Network Stars"...at the time. Seeing Ed Asner in a tank top now is horrifying. Other shows not mentioned that I see again on MeTV, Six Million Dollar Man which taught every kid to go "nenene nenneee" when they jump.<br />Friday question, why don't they do Battle of Network Stars (of course, now it would be BoTNS) now? Cast members now getting $800K per episode?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880646894752760905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82947704842374960152015-06-12T08:13:24.920-07:002015-06-12T08:13:24.920-07:00"Baby, if you've ever wondered
Wondered w..."Baby, if you've ever wondered<br />Wondered whatever became of me<br />I'm living on the air in Cincinnati<br />Cincinnati, WKRP<br />Got tired of just packing and unpacking<br />Town to town, up and down the aisle<br />Baby, you and me were never meant to be<br />Just maybe think of me once in a while<br />I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati"tavmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51980589314290491832015-06-12T04:57:13.511-07:002015-06-12T04:57:13.511-07:00What no ---- WKRP???What no ---- WKRP???normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794603165354675721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18366233991269535152015-06-12T03:00:57.580-07:002015-06-12T03:00:57.580-07:00Hmmm, you gave me an idea for a sure-fire hit: &qu...Hmmm, you gave me an idea for a sure-fire hit: "AfterCHEERS"!David in Cincinnatinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82566755855159743592015-06-11T23:20:06.020-07:002015-06-11T23:20:06.020-07:00@Richard John Marcej: You're suggesting a 9pm ...@Richard John Marcej: You're suggesting a 9pm <i>watershed</i>, which is the system the UK has always used. But it's not the FCC that drives this, it's complaints directly from the viewers, which makes American television so bland.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49825617813232249792015-06-11T21:06:01.850-07:002015-06-11T21:06:01.850-07:00Hey Ken, not sure if you’d consider this a Friday ...Hey Ken, not sure if you’d consider this a Friday Question, but….<br /><br />After watching Part one of CNN’s Seventies show tonight and reading your blog, that got me thinking of the subject of “The Family Hour”. I was a teenager in most of the 70’s so I of course looked down upon any such regulating, of anything, especially TV and the idea of Family Friendly Fare for an hour every evening on prime time seemed prudish to me.<br /><br />in the years since though, when thinking of this subject I’ve come from it from a different perspective. In the past few decades the networks (ABC, CBS & NBC) have missed out on a lot of excellent shows (The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc…) because they didn’t have the freedom that the premium channels can give. <br /><br />-BUT- what if back in the 70’s the Networks had approached the FCC and their “Family Hour” demand from a different angle. What if they said, OK, we’ll give you that first hour. That all shows from 8-9 PM have to be accessible to people of ALL ages. (like G movies)<br /><br />In order for us to comply to that though, you have to give us the 9-10PM hour to show programming that is a bit more mature. In that hour, young children should ONLY watch those shows with a parent or guardian. (like PG/ PG-13 movies)<br /><br />Which then would give us the 10-11 hour. In this hour the networks could air more mature, edgy programming (like R movies). Maybe those shows that HBO, Showtime, etc…got would still avoid the networks, but it could have given us some excellent programming over the last 30, 40 years.<br /><br />I guess what I’m longwindedly saying is, if the networks had given up that hour each night to the FCC we could have gotten some great two hours of shows every night. (and hell, it might have made the networks more relevant today.) Richard John Marcejhttp://www.theblabbingbaboon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57998391975631760462015-06-11T20:44:14.710-07:002015-06-11T20:44:14.710-07:00ken, you did a dandy job!ken, you did a dandy job!normadesmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17325110017442011627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57407087949689635372015-06-11T20:31:31.265-07:002015-06-11T20:31:31.265-07:00I'll never forget and will check back often.I'll never forget and will check back often.Hamidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75500358457229891632015-06-11T19:07:31.319-07:002015-06-11T19:07:31.319-07:00Frist CNN program I have ever watched, fine job.
Y...Frist CNN program I have ever watched, fine job.<br />You ani't nearly as old as I thought you were. https://www.blogger.com/profile/03037704048671379868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36766259129900261902015-06-11T18:24:44.015-07:002015-06-11T18:24:44.015-07:00Trying to think of the great ones back in the day....Trying to think of the great ones back in the day...<br /><br />Columbo was a big deal in it's heyday. Barretta was very popular. Some of it seemed improvised, because some of it was. Kung Fu was ground-breaking. That was the number 1 show amongst all my friends. Especially the first couple of seasons. We also didn't miss Night Gallery. Carson ruled. Us kids liked Dick Cavette. To us, Monty Python took all the import out of Saturday Night Live. No comparison. And Jews invented the Black sitcom. Dyn-O-Mite!<br /><br />National Lampoon was the only satirical magazine worth reading, and Animal House was it's swan song. Still a great funny movie, expertly directed by John Landis.<br /><br />The early 70's was also the springtime of some of the most talented singer/songwriters in decades, especially the Laurel Canyon crowd, serving as the jet fuel for FM radio. So much talent, boomers became spoiled. We didn't know it couldn't go on.<br /><br />-Boomer BillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32385911816965337912015-06-11T16:24:41.585-07:002015-06-11T16:24:41.585-07:00Wasn't Katey Sagal a secretary on that first C...Wasn't Katey Sagal a secretary on that first Columbo? Oat Willienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45591293370542222222015-06-11T15:36:53.553-07:002015-06-11T15:36:53.553-07:00Amen to Andrew. My wife and I still love "Col...Amen to Andrew. My wife and I still love "Columbo." We have the complete series on DVD and just watched the first episode last weekend (because there was NOTHING on broadcast or cable TV on a Saturday as good as the first episode of "Columbo" -- hell, these days, there never is). <br /><br />Many people don't realize this, but "Columbo" actually came out of the '60s. The series got rolling in 1971, but his debut was in the TV movie "Prescription Murder" (the one we just watched), which aired in 1968. It's interesting to see how fully-formed the character already was, even then. Some of his quirks, like the dog and the car, were still to come, and his haircut was a bit too neat (ironic that the only person who had a neat haircut in the 1960s was Columbo), but otherwise, Falk and the writers had him down from day one. <br /><br />As for the other shows, I'm catching up with a lot of them on outlets like ME TV and Antenna TV. Surprisingly, I think "Maude" holds up better than "All In The Family." And "The Bob Newhart Show" is still timelessly great. We have tickets to see Bob live in July, and it's been circled on my calendar for six months. I am happy that even at this stage of his career, you have to buy tickets that far in advance for good seats to see an 85-year-old comic having a phone conversation with himself, particularly when there are so many other 85-year-olds doing that for free. <br /><br />Pat Reederhttp://www.hollywoodhifi.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90772669204868629912015-06-11T13:05:31.434-07:002015-06-11T13:05:31.434-07:00Columbo.Columbo.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28348568876271985152015-06-11T12:33:40.031-07:002015-06-11T12:33:40.031-07:00"groundbreaking shows like ALL IN THE FAMILY,..."groundbreaking shows like ALL IN THE FAMILY, MASH, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, and THE BOB NEWHART SHOW"<br /><br />Yea. And my favorite one of those groundbreaking shows never won one f*cking Emmy. Scott O.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51754260286888953512015-06-11T11:48:43.209-07:002015-06-11T11:48:43.209-07:00With no Dodgers game tonight and the Nats in Milwa...With no Dodgers game tonight and the Nats in Milwaukee (5 p.m. PT start), I should be able to watch the West Coast prime-time rebroadcast.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51631043345169004812015-06-11T10:45:34.499-07:002015-06-11T10:45:34.499-07:00Don't know about a missing plane or a freak sn...Don't know about a missing plane or a freak snowstorm but if anything is likely to pre-empt this show it would be the law catching up with the two New York escapees and an ensuing standoff.Stoneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87349148343363234982015-06-11T10:30:37.100-07:002015-06-11T10:30:37.100-07:00There will likely be a lot said about what a comed...There will likely be a lot said about what a comedy landmark "Saturday Night Live" was at the time. But I still contend that the more revolutionary show was "Monty Python's Flying Circus" which started making it's way onto American TV two years before SNL. Probably will not get mentioned because it was an import and only of cult status back then.<br /><br />Things I expect to see:<br /><br />Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs<br />Archie Bunker to Sammy Davis Jr. - "Do you take cream & sugar in your eye?"<br />Maude ponders an abortion<br />Radar tells everyone in the O.R about Henry<br />Richard Nixon - "I shall resign..."<br />Ted Baxter - "Chuckles died...a broken man."<br />Kojack - "Who Loves you baby?"<br />Jim MacKay at the Munich Olympics<br /><br />Things I expect to be overlooked:<br /><br />The Gong Show<br />SCTV<br />Beacon Hill (One of the first "Mature Subject Matter" shows)<br />Chico And The Man (and how they tried to keep going after Freddie)<br />Night Gallery<br /><br />Question; if this show includes Bruce Jenner highlights from '76 would that be kinda gratuitous? <br /><br /><br /><br />If they include any Bruce Jenner hStoneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12681829280310575192015-06-11T10:16:21.476-07:002015-06-11T10:16:21.476-07:00Coincidentally, my Netflix peregrinations got me t...Coincidentally, my Netflix peregrinations got me to see that Cheers episode just the other night. (I'm glad that Cheers and MASH are now on streaming there! Alternating those with some other great shows.) I thought he episode was great, too. <br /><br />Sometimes you just need to decide what sort of world you want to live in, and make it so. It was great seeing Sam work through that decision.<br />Tim B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53246189263692747492015-06-11T10:02:10.483-07:002015-06-11T10:02:10.483-07:00Veterans of the golden age of radio - Himan Brown,...Veterans of the golden age of radio - Himan Brown, Fletcher Markle, Elliott Lewis, among others - found themselves busy in the '70s. Of all decades.<br /><br />CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Sears Radio Theater, General Mills Radio Adventure Theater (Saturday/Sunday afternoon stories for the kids) met with surprising and probably unexpected success. It was certainly a revelation to this listener (no doubt many other "kids" of the era) that radio could be about funny, adventurous, scary stories, not just music, news/talk, and sports (which, come to think of it, might also sometimes be classified as funny, adventurous, and scary?). Sometimes campy and naturally self descriptive ("Sherlock, look out - he has a gun!"), still, fun stuff.<br /><br />Clearly, there could never have been another golden age of radio, but '70s listeners certainly enjoyed something of a silver age. Besides, CBSRMT spead out the classic and original scary stories throughout the year - not just around Halloween - and at the time, nobody did scary better, and no kid could ever forget!<br />John Hammesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-506342936150116442015-06-11T09:41:08.425-07:002015-06-11T09:41:08.425-07:00I loved the (very short-lived) "Joe and Sons....I loved the (very short-lived) "Joe and Sons." Didn't know you wrote it. Not "Cheers" or "Frasier," but not a bad little sitcom.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90124018685608248222015-06-11T09:38:24.281-07:002015-06-11T09:38:24.281-07:00The 1970's... Baby Boomers changed the paradig...The 1970's... Baby Boomers changed the paradigm: FM radio takes hold, rock 'n roll is big, big business with supergroups (Grand Funk/Zeppelin) and mega concerts/album sales... color-TV becomes household mainstream... Tandy brings the world of PC into the home... Module telephone jacks begin to show-up in homes (this was a bigger deal then you might first think)... Atari makes home-gaming a pop phenom... Teens now have access to stereos... TV - Norman Lear sitcoms, "Movies-Of-The-Week"/Aaron Spelling and third dog ABC-TV finally becomes #1. And, we had a President and Vice President who - were not elected. The two stand-out TV shows of the decade - "All In The Family" and "MASH." I don't think anything else came close.Gary Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04063974316335323136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89307707307566641322015-06-11T09:21:07.670-07:002015-06-11T09:21:07.670-07:00To Ken Levine
You are more than welcome. You and D...To Ken Levine<br />You are more than welcome. You and David Isaacs wrote most of my favorite episodes of CHEERS, and that one was truly great! Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38830057764843592402015-06-11T09:06:01.993-07:002015-06-11T09:06:01.993-07:00Thank you Diane D. David Isaacs and I wrote that ...Thank you Diane D. David Isaacs and I wrote that particular episode of CHEERS.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55541360206340588742015-06-11T08:52:33.860-07:002015-06-11T08:52:33.860-07:00Enjoyed The Sixties - despite Tom Hanks' thoug...Enjoyed The Sixties - despite Tom Hanks' thoughts on the significance of the Beatles first appearance on Sullivan. He recalled that upon seeing that episode he remarked aloud that Music History had been changed forever. Great quote. Especially considering that in February of 1964 Hanks was a third grader. I guess that is why he became exec producer of this series, so prescient was he at age 7.Stephen Messernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74647697997409379152015-06-11T08:46:53.369-07:002015-06-11T08:46:53.369-07:00To Igor
That was hilarious!!To Igor<br />That was hilarious!!Diane D.noreply@blogger.com