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Christmas in Peekskill: Ranking the Facts of Life Holiday Episodes
It took The Facts of Life five seasons to air a Christmas show, but it must have been well received because after that a holiday episode became an annual tradition until the series ended with season...
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Another Year, Another “100 Best Television Shows” List
It seems like everyone enjoys making lists as the end of a year approaches – top ten news stories, predictions for 2024, etc. Perhaps that’s why Variety chose this month to publish its list of the...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV: Wednesday Nights, 1973
When I first scanned the network schedules for Wednesday nights in 1973, what stood out were two unlikely attempts to adapt popular movies into television series. Neither was successful, but that’s...
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My 50 Favorite Classic TV Characters: Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers
In 1977, Lindsay Wagner received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Role, causing many eyebrows to be raised – especially among her fellow nominees. Family star Sada Thompson...
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Rainy Day TV
As I’ve written here before, winter has its pleasures up to around Christmas, but in January it languishes into a long and dreary slog toward spring. It’s when we all spend more time indoors, which...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV; Thursday Nights, 1973
Here we go again – another look at one evening’s prime-time schedule from my favorite decade of television. The objective, beyond sharing memories about some great shows, is to discover whether there...
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Can Professional Wrestling Be Comfort TV?
If TV Land were a real place, professional wrestling would be located in one of the sketchier parts of town. It’s a violent place full of tough men and women striving for gold and prepared to beat...
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How Classic Television Still Inspires People – Every Day
As I’ve acknowledged before, outside of news and sports I pay very little attention to the current TV landscape. But every so often a current series references the classic TV era in a way that merits...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV; Friday Nights, 1973
Anyone else have happy memories of Friday nights in the 1970s? Television certainly played a role in those fond recollections, as evidenced by a closer look at the 1973 prime time schedule. Some old...
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Top TV Moments: Barbara Rush
I regret kicking off this piece on a downbeat note, but I feel a need to acknowledge that it was inspired by a sobering thought that occurred while watching a 1974 episode of Police Story – it was...
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My 50 Favorite Classic TV Characters: Ricky Nelson as…Ricky Nelson
Was Ricky Nelson an actor, a television character, or a person? The answer is yes. And maybe no, too. As every reader of this blog should know, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a family...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV: Saturday Nights, 1973
My journey arrives at last to Saturday nights in 1973, and the unveiling of perhaps the decade’s most celebrated prime time schedule. When crotchety old geezers like me reflect on how television was...
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The Moving Days That Weren’t
One of the most common plotlines in classic TV shows introduces the possibility of moving from one residence to another. In almost every case the idea at first generates much support and excitement,...
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Lost 1970s Show Found! The Chicago Teddy Bears
If you’re even an occasional visitor to this blog you know I’ve been making my way though the network prime time schedules for every night in the 1970s. The next feature in this series, covering...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV; Sunday Nights, 1974
My journey through the 1970s arrives at last to 1974, and without looking ahead I’m trying to remember if that it is going to be a good year or not. The previous year featured a high number of...
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How Much TV is Too Much?
Two weeks ago I signed up for one month of the Peacock streaming service, as I do every May, so I could watch the Eurovision Song Contest, even though the glory days of this annual event have long...
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The Museum of Classic TV Paintings
What if there was a museum that displayed all of the paintings of classic TV characters that appeared in their respective shows? We wouldn’t need the Guggenheim for something like this – actually...
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My Journey Through 1970s TV; Monday Nights, 1974
On we go on our journey through the 1970s prime time schedules, thinking about all the hard-working folks in 1974 trudging home for what they hope will be a pleasant Monday evening of television....
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Was TV’s Gidget NSFW?
“Oh, so you like the creepy ones.” That was the response I received during a discussion about favorite episodes of the delightful short-lived sitcom Gidget, featuring Sally Field in her first...
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My 50 Favorite Classic TV Characters: Kate Jackson as Sabrina Duncan
Recently Kate Jackson made her first appearance at one of those collector’s shows where fans pay for a couple of minutes of conversation with a celebrity, and take home a photo or an autograph as a...
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