It Was a Thing on TV: An Anthology on Forgotten Television

Episode 518--Harper Valley PTA

In 1968, the song Harper Valley PTA was a number one hit for Jeannie C. Riley.  In 1978, the song was the inspiration for a movie with the same title, starring Barbara Eden.  Three years later, this show came into being with Eden at the helm, about the battles Eden's character had with the PTA of a fictional Ohio town called Harper Valley.  

Episode 517--Doctor Doctor

The year is 1989 and the Max Headroom fad, for the most part, has come and gone.  Next up for Matt Frewer is a comedy where laughter is sometimes the best medicine.  Doctor Doctor ran two abbreviated seasons, followed by a full final season.  The show tackled some very sensitive yet timely topics during its run including AIDS and homophobia, but went away quietly after a ratings nosedive.

Episode 516--The 1981 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Happy Thanksgiving!  (For those outside of the United States, happy Thursday.)  For this holiday, we jump back 43 years to 1981.  What was the hotness that year?  A version of Strawberry Shortcake which was reminiscent to the technology used in Malcolm, for one.  The video game surge started, though it wasn't represented in the parade.  As you prepare to do Black Friday shopping, remember to go to the AT&T phone store and get a Garfield phone.

Episode 515--The 1988 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

As we do around these parts for Thanksgiving, we look at at least one Thanksgiving Day parade.  This time, we go back to 1988, to see what were the big shows on Broadway, to see what TV stars would appear on floats, to see what the big gifts of 1988 were, to see what headwear Willard Scott was donning, and to see the grand ending of the parade--Santa Claus!

Episode 514--The Max Headroom Incident

In 1987, the signals of both WGN and WTTV in Chicago were overtaken by two brief unknown signals, both showing an unknown figure wearing a Max Headroom mask.  To this day, there are more answers than questions about these incidents:  Who did this?  How did they do it?  Why did they do it?  To this day, these brief interruptions remain one of the biggest mysteries to occur on U.S. broadcast television.

WMAQ Max Headroom Prank on Mark Giangreco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KePTSntPRtM

 

Episode 513--Max Headroom

One of the biggest pop culture sensations in the 1980s was an omnipresent personality for the computer generation named Max Headroom.  Not only was Max Headroom a talk show host, a soda pitchman, and visible on different mediums in the latter half of the 80s, but this phenomenon even got a scripted television show which ran over two seasons, a show about a post-apocalyptic dystopia reminiscent of 1984.

Episode 512--Dan August

As listeners may know, we love our Quinn Martin-produced shows.  In this episode, we go back to one of his earliest crime drama efforts, with a lead who would be the biggest movie star by the end of the 1970s.  Dan August had all the hallmarks of a great series, but there was one key item missing--viewership.  Come for Burt Reynolds and non-comedic Norman Fell, stay for an astounding number of quality guest stars.

Episode 511--A Man Called Sloane

James Bond was probably at its most popular in the late 1970s.  NBC, seeing an opportunity to right the ship after many unsuccessful shows to end the decade, jumped on the Bondian spy bandwagon with A Man Called Sloane which, like the Bond movies, had numerous attractive females, working both for the good guys and the bad ones.  What had promise quickly bottomed out in the ratings, making this a 3-month wonder.

It Was a Thing on TV Presents: Mike Rips 2024 Allen and Ginter

As faithful listeners may know, Greg and Mike enjoy their trading cards.  Greg has opened junk wax packs in the past.  Mike prefers more recent (and more expensive) cards.  This week, Mike's favorite series, Allen and Ginter, dropped its 2024 series of cards, which contain not just athletes, but celebrities and oddball subsets.  Enjoy as Mike rips open a 24-pack hobby box of the 2024 Allen and Ginter series.

Episode 510--Nearly Departed

Today is Halloween, and to commemorate the event, we went back to a very short-lived show. Even nowadays, there have been shows where ghosts inhabit a house but can only be seen by select individuals. NBC tried this in 1989 with Eric Idle. Within a month, Nearly Departed was wholly departed from the network.