The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

In 1998, the variety show as we know it had been a dead format for close to 20 years.  However, what if you could revive one of the greatest variety shows ever with a host who had been deceased for nearly a quarter century?  That was attempted by UPN with a virtual Ed Sullivan, voiced by John Byner.  The result was this one-off pilot which was reminiscent of a more recent format, and with star power packing arenas to this day.

One of the amazing technological marvels of the mid-1980s was the story telling teddy bear Teddy Ruxpin.  A cartoon was later created around the world of Teddy Ruxpin but before that, a live-action pilot was created.  Coincidentally, this pilot aired in two parts in late 1985, just in time to purchase Teddy Ruxpin as a holiday gift.

View the pilot and follow along at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAyeKcKC4Xs

 

It's a western!  It's a comedy!  It has legends including Joel Higgins, Meeno Peluce, and Leonard Frey!  And occasionally Christopher Lloyd!  It can't fail!  There is one small problem--half the nation didn't see its first episode because of football.  Maybe it would have truly been the Best of the West if the western half of the country saw it.

In our newest "Best of" we go back to the Summer of 2020 when we looked at a trio of television shows that looked to capitalize on the popularity of "Animal House". All three shows would premiere around the same time in Early 1979 and would all be canceled by the end of the season.

Let's look back at when we talked about "Delta House", "Brothers and Sisters (1979)", and "Co-Ed Fever".

It’s a classic story: member of the 1% needs an image makeover and decides to adopt not one, but six…err, five… girls. The audiences loved them on Sunday, but NBC thought they’d love them even more on Friday. It’s a classic “Rags to Riches” story… that lasted only 20 musically tinged episodes.

In the newest "Best of" we go back to one of our early episodes from January of 2020.

What do you get when you have the king of the wacky Game Show produce a spoof of beauty contests? You get Rip Taylor, barrels of confetti, and a $1.98. Take a journey back as we look at "The $1.98 Beauty Show".

In honor of the 80th birthday of Canadian TV personality and host of former entry To Tell the Truth from 1980 (episode 139), we present another show hosted by Robin Ward, one which looked incredibly dated, plus had a miniscule budget.  Guess what the answer is and you might take home hundreds of dollars Canadian on Guess What!

In the latest "Before the Show" Greg and Chico in segment one give their thoughts about WrestleMania XL where Cody Rhodes was crowned the new WWE Champion ending Roman Reigns' three-year title reign.

They also talk about AEW airing the backstage footage of CM Punk and Jack Perry from All In London 2023. The less said about that the better.

Then Mike comes in for segment two where they discuss various topics including the recent renewal of "Press Your Luck", "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" on Discovery Life, and the finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

Today is the 112th Anniversary of the Titanic hitting the iceberg and as is tradition at "It Was a Thing on TV" we honor this event as only we can ...... by talking about a rapping dog.

This Italian animated movie tries to tell the story of the Titanic while also ripping off multiple Disney and Don Bluth animated movies.

Hilarity ensues? Possibly? Join Greg and Chico as it's PARTY TIME!

Baseball season started a few weeks ago.  In honor of the start of a new season of America's pastime, we look back at sports-related edutainment from four decades ago, starring a Hall of Fame backstop, who was joined by a Hall of Fame manager and an iconic character from the game.  We have a hunch you'll enjoy The Baseball Bunch.