Post by tHeOwL on Aug 29, 2004 13:12:26 GMT -5
Reply to this message with any comments . . .
CHICO AND THE MAN
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: September 13, 1974
THEME: "Chico and the Man," Written and performed by José Feliciano
Set in the barrio of East Los Angeles, Chico and the Man was the story of two men from radically different cultural backgrounds who grew to respect each other. Chico (Freddie Prinze), the enterprising young Chicano, determined to go into partnership with cranky, sarcastic, cynical Ed Brown (Jack Albertson). Ed operated a small run-down garage and spent most of his time complaining and alienating people. A lonely widower, he at first fought Chico's determined efforts to help him make the business work, but underneath it all he was both flattered and touched to have someone show genuine interest in him. Chico cleaned the place up, moved into a beat-up old truck in the garage, and brought in business. As often as Ed complained about Chico, and as often as he made token efforts to get rid of him, he felt an attachment that he would never publicly admit.
GOOD TIMES
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: February 1, 1974
PRODUCER: Norman Lear
Good Times was a spinoff from Maude, which in turn was a spinoff from All in the Family. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was originally Maude Findlay's maid until, in the spring of 1974, she got a show of her own. Florida and James (John Amos) Evans were lower-middle-class blacks living with their three children in a high-rise ghetto on the South Side of Chicago. J.J. (Jimmie Walker) was the oldest (17 when the series started), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) was a year younger than him, and Michael (Ralph Carter) was 10. Trying to make ends meet on the erratic income provided by James, who was always in and out of jobs, made life difficult, but there was plenty of love in the family. J.J. was an accomplished painter who, though going to trade school, was always looking for some get-rich-quick scheme that would help get him and his family out of the ghetto. He formed a rock group, managed a young comic, and tried various other money making ideas after he got out of school. He did manage to earn money with his painting and was quite popular with the girls, something his mother viewed with mixed emotions. His catch-phrase "Dy-No-Mite" became very popular in the mid-1970s. Florida's neighbor and best friend was Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois).
BARETTA
Police Drama
FIRST TELECAST: January 17, 1975
THEME: "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," sung by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Baretta was half-a-spinoff from another detective show. Robert Blake had originally been scheduled to take over the lead role in Toma after Tony Musante left that series. But Toma had not been a big hit, and rather than risk being tied to an unsuccessful series the title was changed and alterations were made in the local and other details. In essence, Toma became Baretta, moved to California.
BARNEY MILLER
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: January 23, 1975
Barney Miller grew out of a rejected comedy pilot called "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller," which aired as part of an ABC summer anthology called Just for Laughs in 1974. In that pilot the action revolved equally around Barney's problems at the police precinct house and his home life, with his wife Elizabeth and kids prominently featured. But when Barney Miller made it to the regular ABC schedule the following January, the family played a much smaller role (eventually they were written out) and the locale became the Greenwich Village station house where Barney and his motley crew spent their day.
ALICE
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: August 31, 1976
THEME: "There's a New Girl in Town" by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and David Shire, sung over the opening credits by Linda Lavin.
When this comedy premiered in 1976, it was the story of a recently widowed aspiring singer with a very precocious 12-year-old son. Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) had moved from her home in New Jersey to look for work in Phoenix. While attempting to find a singing job, she kept her household together and supported son Tommy (Philip McKeon) by working as a waitress at Mel's Diner. The two other waitresses at Mel's provided quite a contrast. Flo (Polly Holliday), the old hand, was lusty, outspoken, and crude (her favorite expression was "Kiss my grits"), but had difficulty hiding a soft heart. Vera (Beth Howland), on the other hand, was young, impressionable, and rather quiet. Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback),the owner of the diner, was also its cook and the creator of Mel's Famous Chili, which was so popular in the area that it (along with fun-loving Flo) attracted a loyal and regular clientele. The series was based on the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the title role of which was played by Ellen Burstyn, who received an Academy Award for her performance.
BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP
War Drama
FIRST TELECAST: September 21, 1976
TECHNICAL ADVISOR: Gregory Boyington
Based loosely on the book Baa Baa Black Sheep, by the World War II Marine Corps flying ace Gregory Boyington, this series was the story of a squadron of misfit flyers in the South Pacific. Squadron 214 was composed of men who had been on the verge of court martial before Boyington provided them with reprieves. They had been charged with everything from fighting with officers, to stealing booze, to being general nuisances and nonconformists. Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (Robert Conrad) was so named because at age 35 he was the "old man" by the standards of his men. He maintained almost no discipline, ignored military regulations, and did not care what his men did when they weren't on missions. As long as they could fly and do the job when necessary, nothing else mattered. Given this personal code, Pappy was completely at home with his men, whether they were chasing women, getting into brawls, conning the military hierarchy or civilian populations, or -- in a more serious vein -- intercepting the Japanese.
THE BIG EVENT
Various
FIRST TELECAST: September 26, 1976
The Big Event was NBC's regular weekly showcase for special programming. Many of the specials lumped under this generic title were two hours in length, and some were even longer, "The First Fifty Years," a retrospective of NBC's half-century in broadcasting, occupied an entire evening of November 21, 1976. Major theatrical motion pictures were aired as Big Events; Earthquake, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Gone With The Wind made their network television debuts here. In addition several major original television films were produced for the show (Sybil, The Moneychangers, Holocaust, and Jesus of Nazareth -- the latter having previously aired in Europe) as well as more standard specials ("An Evening with Diana Ross," "The Father Knows Best Reunion," "The Story of Princess Grace").
THE BIONIC WOMAN
Adventure
FIRST TELECAST: January 14, 1976
The Bionic Woman was one of a wave of comic-book-style superheroes brought to TV in the wake of the enormous success of The Six Million Dollar Man. The Bionic Woman was in fact a spinoff from, and closely linked to, that program. Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) was originally introduced on The Six Million Dollar Man as Steve Austin's (Lee Majors) one-time fiancée. The couple had drifted apart when Steve became an astronaut, while Jaime went to college and then became a successful tennis pro. Then Jaime was nearly killed in a sky-diving accident, and the doctors who had reconstructed Steve bionically after his accident decided to try again with Jaime. Steve and Jaime renewed their romance, but too late it seemed, for when the four-part story ended in early 1975 Jaime was in a coma and apparently near death.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS
Detective Drama
FIRST TELECAST: September 22, 1976
Sex, pure and simple, seemed to be the principal ingredient in the considerable success of this detective show. Denunciations of "massage parlor television" and "voyeurism" only brought more viewers to the screen, to see what the controversy was about. Often they were rather disappointed, as a lot more seemed to be promised than delivered, but Charlie's Angels nevertheless ended its first season as one of the top hits on television.
DONNY AND MARIE
Musical Variety
FIRST TELECAST: January 16, 1976
Sid and Marty Krofft of animated cartoon fame originally produced this teenage variety hour. Eighteen-year-old Donny and his 16-year-old sister Marie were co-hosts of the show, which also featured other members of the popular musical family, ranging in age from Jimmy (12) to Alan (26). Despite his youth, Donny was a show-business veteran by the time the program premiered, having made his TV debut at the age of four singing "You Are My Sunshine" on The Andy Williams Show. In order to keep up the clan's youthful appearance, Merrill introduced another Osmond -- his six month old son Travis -- to the cast on an early telecast.
GOOD HEAVENS
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: March 8, 1976
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Carl Reiner
Gentle comedy starring Carl Reiner as a warm and witty business-suited angel who descended to earth to bestow one wish on a different mortal each week -- any wish except money. Thanks to Mr. Angel, and to themselves, a sporting-goods salesman go this long-dreamt-of tryout in the big leagues; a young woman who couldn't decide between two suitors got a new beau who combined the best qualities of each; and an unsuccessful author got an adventure to which everyone wanted the literary rights.
CHICO AND THE MAN
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: September 13, 1974
THEME: "Chico and the Man," Written and performed by José Feliciano
Set in the barrio of East Los Angeles, Chico and the Man was the story of two men from radically different cultural backgrounds who grew to respect each other. Chico (Freddie Prinze), the enterprising young Chicano, determined to go into partnership with cranky, sarcastic, cynical Ed Brown (Jack Albertson). Ed operated a small run-down garage and spent most of his time complaining and alienating people. A lonely widower, he at first fought Chico's determined efforts to help him make the business work, but underneath it all he was both flattered and touched to have someone show genuine interest in him. Chico cleaned the place up, moved into a beat-up old truck in the garage, and brought in business. As often as Ed complained about Chico, and as often as he made token efforts to get rid of him, he felt an attachment that he would never publicly admit.
GOOD TIMES
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: February 1, 1974
PRODUCER: Norman Lear
Good Times was a spinoff from Maude, which in turn was a spinoff from All in the Family. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was originally Maude Findlay's maid until, in the spring of 1974, she got a show of her own. Florida and James (John Amos) Evans were lower-middle-class blacks living with their three children in a high-rise ghetto on the South Side of Chicago. J.J. (Jimmie Walker) was the oldest (17 when the series started), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) was a year younger than him, and Michael (Ralph Carter) was 10. Trying to make ends meet on the erratic income provided by James, who was always in and out of jobs, made life difficult, but there was plenty of love in the family. J.J. was an accomplished painter who, though going to trade school, was always looking for some get-rich-quick scheme that would help get him and his family out of the ghetto. He formed a rock group, managed a young comic, and tried various other money making ideas after he got out of school. He did manage to earn money with his painting and was quite popular with the girls, something his mother viewed with mixed emotions. His catch-phrase "Dy-No-Mite" became very popular in the mid-1970s. Florida's neighbor and best friend was Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois).
BARETTA
Police Drama
FIRST TELECAST: January 17, 1975
THEME: "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," sung by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Baretta was half-a-spinoff from another detective show. Robert Blake had originally been scheduled to take over the lead role in Toma after Tony Musante left that series. But Toma had not been a big hit, and rather than risk being tied to an unsuccessful series the title was changed and alterations were made in the local and other details. In essence, Toma became Baretta, moved to California.
BARNEY MILLER
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: January 23, 1975
Barney Miller grew out of a rejected comedy pilot called "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller," which aired as part of an ABC summer anthology called Just for Laughs in 1974. In that pilot the action revolved equally around Barney's problems at the police precinct house and his home life, with his wife Elizabeth and kids prominently featured. But when Barney Miller made it to the regular ABC schedule the following January, the family played a much smaller role (eventually they were written out) and the locale became the Greenwich Village station house where Barney and his motley crew spent their day.
ALICE
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: August 31, 1976
THEME: "There's a New Girl in Town" by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and David Shire, sung over the opening credits by Linda Lavin.
When this comedy premiered in 1976, it was the story of a recently widowed aspiring singer with a very precocious 12-year-old son. Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) had moved from her home in New Jersey to look for work in Phoenix. While attempting to find a singing job, she kept her household together and supported son Tommy (Philip McKeon) by working as a waitress at Mel's Diner. The two other waitresses at Mel's provided quite a contrast. Flo (Polly Holliday), the old hand, was lusty, outspoken, and crude (her favorite expression was "Kiss my grits"), but had difficulty hiding a soft heart. Vera (Beth Howland), on the other hand, was young, impressionable, and rather quiet. Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback),the owner of the diner, was also its cook and the creator of Mel's Famous Chili, which was so popular in the area that it (along with fun-loving Flo) attracted a loyal and regular clientele. The series was based on the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the title role of which was played by Ellen Burstyn, who received an Academy Award for her performance.
BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP
War Drama
FIRST TELECAST: September 21, 1976
TECHNICAL ADVISOR: Gregory Boyington
Based loosely on the book Baa Baa Black Sheep, by the World War II Marine Corps flying ace Gregory Boyington, this series was the story of a squadron of misfit flyers in the South Pacific. Squadron 214 was composed of men who had been on the verge of court martial before Boyington provided them with reprieves. They had been charged with everything from fighting with officers, to stealing booze, to being general nuisances and nonconformists. Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (Robert Conrad) was so named because at age 35 he was the "old man" by the standards of his men. He maintained almost no discipline, ignored military regulations, and did not care what his men did when they weren't on missions. As long as they could fly and do the job when necessary, nothing else mattered. Given this personal code, Pappy was completely at home with his men, whether they were chasing women, getting into brawls, conning the military hierarchy or civilian populations, or -- in a more serious vein -- intercepting the Japanese.
THE BIG EVENT
Various
FIRST TELECAST: September 26, 1976
The Big Event was NBC's regular weekly showcase for special programming. Many of the specials lumped under this generic title were two hours in length, and some were even longer, "The First Fifty Years," a retrospective of NBC's half-century in broadcasting, occupied an entire evening of November 21, 1976. Major theatrical motion pictures were aired as Big Events; Earthquake, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Gone With The Wind made their network television debuts here. In addition several major original television films were produced for the show (Sybil, The Moneychangers, Holocaust, and Jesus of Nazareth -- the latter having previously aired in Europe) as well as more standard specials ("An Evening with Diana Ross," "The Father Knows Best Reunion," "The Story of Princess Grace").
THE BIONIC WOMAN
Adventure
FIRST TELECAST: January 14, 1976
The Bionic Woman was one of a wave of comic-book-style superheroes brought to TV in the wake of the enormous success of The Six Million Dollar Man. The Bionic Woman was in fact a spinoff from, and closely linked to, that program. Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) was originally introduced on The Six Million Dollar Man as Steve Austin's (Lee Majors) one-time fiancée. The couple had drifted apart when Steve became an astronaut, while Jaime went to college and then became a successful tennis pro. Then Jaime was nearly killed in a sky-diving accident, and the doctors who had reconstructed Steve bionically after his accident decided to try again with Jaime. Steve and Jaime renewed their romance, but too late it seemed, for when the four-part story ended in early 1975 Jaime was in a coma and apparently near death.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS
Detective Drama
FIRST TELECAST: September 22, 1976
Sex, pure and simple, seemed to be the principal ingredient in the considerable success of this detective show. Denunciations of "massage parlor television" and "voyeurism" only brought more viewers to the screen, to see what the controversy was about. Often they were rather disappointed, as a lot more seemed to be promised than delivered, but Charlie's Angels nevertheless ended its first season as one of the top hits on television.
DONNY AND MARIE
Musical Variety
FIRST TELECAST: January 16, 1976
Sid and Marty Krofft of animated cartoon fame originally produced this teenage variety hour. Eighteen-year-old Donny and his 16-year-old sister Marie were co-hosts of the show, which also featured other members of the popular musical family, ranging in age from Jimmy (12) to Alan (26). Despite his youth, Donny was a show-business veteran by the time the program premiered, having made his TV debut at the age of four singing "You Are My Sunshine" on The Andy Williams Show. In order to keep up the clan's youthful appearance, Merrill introduced another Osmond -- his six month old son Travis -- to the cast on an early telecast.
GOOD HEAVENS
Situation Comedy
FIRST TELECAST: March 8, 1976
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Carl Reiner
Gentle comedy starring Carl Reiner as a warm and witty business-suited angel who descended to earth to bestow one wish on a different mortal each week -- any wish except money. Thanks to Mr. Angel, and to themselves, a sporting-goods salesman go this long-dreamt-of tryout in the big leagues; a young woman who couldn't decide between two suitors got a new beau who combined the best qualities of each; and an unsuccessful author got an adventure to which everyone wanted the literary rights.
