Tag Archives: TV history

MERV TO SAJAK TO LETTERMAN

9 Jan

22 years ago, on Monday, January 9, 1989 Pat Sajak’s self-titled late night talk show premiered on CBS. It was yet another try by the network to put a dent into Johnny Carson’s ratings.

Billboard in Los Angeles promoting "The Pat Sajak Show" circa 1989.

“The Pat Sajak Show” was a traditional late night talk show with bandleader Tom Scott and announcer/sidekick Dan Miller, who Sajak had worked with on news broadcasts in Memphis in the 1970s.

Besides competition from “The King of Late Night,” Johnny Carson, Sajak also had to contend with Arsenio Hall, whose own late night talk show had debuted just six days earlier. With Carson holding on to his older, loyal audience and Hall pulling in a younger, hipper audience, there just weren’t enough viewers tuning in to Sajak.

“The Pat Sajak Show” ran for only 15 months and went off the air in April 1990.

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IT’S A LATE NIGHT DAY

9 Jan

16 years ago tonight, on Monday, January 9, 1995 “The Late Late Show” with host Tom Snyder premiered after David Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS’s late night lineup.  It would make Snyder the first and only person ever to follow both Johnny Carson and David Letterman on the late night schedule.               

1970s bumper sticker for "Tomorrow" (Between Tonight and Today).

Tom Snyder previously hosted “Tomorrow” (aka “The Tomorrow Show”) on NBC from October 1973 until January 1982. It aired right after Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” Both “Tomorrow” and Snyder’s version of “The Late Late Show” were unlike today’s post-11:30 talk shows. They had no audience and no band.  They were talk shows, with the emphasis on TALK, although “Tomorrow” expanded its format in its later years. But let’s not talk about that disaster.

“Tomorrow” went off the air in 1982 partly to make room for “Late Night with David Letterman.” Perhaps that’s why Letterman selected Snyder to host the new program slated to run after his “Late Show” in 1995. “The Late Late Show” was, and still is, produced by Letterman’s company Worldwide Pants.

Snyder would host “The Late Late Show” until March 1999, when he was replaced by Craig Kilborn. Kilborn left the show in August 2004 and current host Craig Ferguson took over in January 2005.

CBS must have picked January 8th to premiere “The Late Late Show” because the network had had such good luck with the date 6 years earlier. That was when “The Pat Sajak Show” hit TV screens across America.

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< AWESOME DAY AT 30 ROCK

8 Jan

34 years ago today, on Saturday, January 8, 1977 I had an awesome day at 30 Rock. Not the show… the building. As I did on most Saturdays during high school I went to the RCA Building (now the G.E. Building) in Manhattan, home of NBC. On this Saturday there was no live edition of “Saturday Night Live,” so I was there for a taping of the new game show “Shoot for the Stars,” with host Geoff Edwards.

Unused ticket for “Shoot for the Stars” from January 8, 1977.

 The show had just premiered on NBC five days earlier and I already had tickets. “Shoot for the Stars” would not last long however; it ran for only nine months.

Before the taping I took the NBC Studio Tour – a tour I had taken many times before, and could probably have led that day. While hanging out in the NBC lobby, between the tour and the taping, I managed to meet two of the decade’s biggest TV stars and get their autographs.

My tickets to “Shoot for the Stars” arrived inside this card, which I then used to collect my celebrity autographs.

First I spotted Dan Aykroyd looking in the windows of the stores in the RCA Building lobby. He was sloppily dressed and wore a cap pulled down over his eyes, but I could always spot a celebrity from a mile away.

Dan Aykroyd autograph signed at 30 Rock on January 8, 1977.

When I asked for his autograph I only had a pencil handy, so Aykroyd’s signature has faded a bit over the years. What I love is that he wrote “SAT NITE” beneath his name… perhaps so that years later I would be reminded who this “Dan Aykroyd” person was. But even if his career had ended that day, I could never have forgotten this incredibly talented man.

Mike Farrell autograph signed at 30 Rock on January 8, 1977.

A short time later I saw Mike Farrell from “M*A*S*H” exit the studio elevators. “M*A*S*H” was the # 4 primetime series that season, so Farrell was very well-known. He was also nice enough to sign an autograph, adding his own message of “Peace!”

After meeting those two stars I wanted to stand in the lobby of 30 Rock for the rest of the day, just to see who else might pass through. I didn’t though. I went home with the rich memory of my awesome day at 30 Rock.

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< JACKPOT!

7 Jan

37 years ago today, on Monday, January 7, 1974, the game show “Jackpot!” with host Geoff Edwards, premiered on NBC’s daytime lineup  at 12noon (11am Central Time). 

Unused ticket for “Jackpot!” from September 28, 1974.

Contestants stood on risers and would read riddles to another contestant who was the ‘king of the hill.” The “king” (or “queen”) would select a contestant and that person would reveal the value of their riddle before reading it. If the riddle was answered correctly, the dollar amount would be added to the show’s jackpot (get it?). One contestant was holding the JACKPOT riddle and that’s how you won the prize money. If you got that one right, the two contestants would split the jackpot.

Geoff Edwards autograph signed on September 28, 1974.

When the show failed to win a big audience, they replaced the riddles with regular questions. But that wasn’t enough, and “Jackpot!” was cancelled in September 1975, after less than two years.

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MAYBE "MONEY MAIZE" WOULD’VE WORKED BETTER

23 Dec

36 years ago today, on Monday, December 23, 1974 the game show “The Money Maze” premiered on ABC’s daytime schedule. The show was hosted by Cincinnati TV host, Nick Clooney, who would go on to become even more well-known when his son, George Clooney, became a TV and movie star. 

Unused ticket for the September 21, 1974 taping of "The Money Maze."

The show, featuring a giant maze, was taped at the ABC studio on West 66th Street in Manhattan. The set was huge and had the audience sitting above the maze. I seem to remember this show as a bit confusing to watch.

While the maze made this show unique, it may also have made it too cumbersome.  “The Money Maze” ran for just six months.

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THE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

18 Dec

54 years ago tonight, on Tuesday, December 18, 1956 the program “To Tell The Truth” premiered on CBS at 9:00pm. Hosted by Bud Collyer, the Goodson-Todman panel show ran in prime time for 11 seasons, before adding another 8 years in syndication. A daytime version also ran on CBS from 1962 until 1968.

Unused ticket for "To Tell The Truth" from November 5, 1974.

For the first 8 seasons in syndication, the show’s host was Garry Moore, even if they didn’t know how to spell his first name on the tickets (above). When Moore got ill he was replaced by Joe Garagiola for one final season. In my opinion, these three versions of the show are the only ones that really matter.

Another unused ticket for "To Tell The Truth" from November 5, 1974. (After all, they were free.)

“To Tell The Truth” brought three people before a celebrity panel, all claiming to be the same person – someone who had done something interesting or unique. Two of them were “imposters” but the third was the real person. The panel tried to determine which “contestant” was the actual subject by asking the guests questions. Once the celebrities had voted the host would say, “Will the real ______ please stand up.” Those words became a national catch phrase throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, and they’re still vividly remembered by most Americans over the age of 45.

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I, TINY TIM, TAKE THEE, MISS VICKI

17 Dec

41 years ago tonight on Wednesday, December 17, 1969 an unprecedented spectacle took place on television when novelty singer Tiny Tim married his teenage bride, Miss Vicki (Victoria Budinger), during a telecast of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

The show was taped at 6:30pm in New York City and broadcast in “The Tonight Show’s” regular 11:30pm timeslot. The non-denominational ceremony was performed by the Reverend William Glenesk of Spencer Memorial Church in Brooklyn Heights. Tiny Tim’s manager, Joseph Cappelluzzo, was the best man. The bride’s sister, Mrs. Gene Bramlett was Matron of Honor.

According to the December 29, 1969 issue of VARIETY, that episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” scored a 39.4 rating and an 84 share in New York City. Nationwide nearly 40-million people tuned in to see the “wedding of the century decade year.”

The marriage would produce a daughter, Tulip, now 39, but the couple split in 1972, and finally divorced in 1977. Tiny Tim died in November 1996. Miss Vicki now lives a simpler life in Tennessee, which you can follow on her blog; missvickinow.blogspot.com.

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< ONE DAY AT A TIME

16 Dec

35 years ago tonight, on Tuesday, December 16, 1975 “One Day at a Time,” the newest sit-com from Norman Lear, premiered on CBS. The show starred Bonnie Franklin as newly divorced Mom, Ann Romano, and Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli as her teenage daughters Julie and Barbara. Richard Masur played Ann’s boyfriend David and the building super, Schneider, was played by the show’s best-known cast member Pat Harrington Jr.

Original cast of "One Day at a Time" - 1975

 The next morning I sent a letter to the show hoping to get Norman Lear’s attention by writing the show’s first fan letter. I had previously read how Lear was touched by a letter from an early viewer of “All in the Family.” However, there was really nothing about “One Day at a Time” that even remotely reflected my life or experiences.

Form letter from Norman Lear, dated January 8, 1976.

 Norman Lear did send a letter though. It was a form letter thanking me for my interest in “One Day at a Time.” But at 15 years old, getting any letter from the most prolific comedy producer of the 1970s felt great.

“One Day at a Time” ran for nine seasons on CBS. It is one of the first, and perhaps only shows I can recall that was set in Indianapolis.  It was never a blockbuster hit, but Schneider became an iconic character of the 70s, and the show did introduce us to Valerie Bertinelli.

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RHODA HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

9 Dec

32 years ago tonight, on Saturday, December 9, 1978, the sit-com “Rhoda” aired the final episode of its primetime, network run.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” spun off 3 shows in the 1970s: “Lou Grant,” “Phyllis,” and of course, “Rhoda,” all on CBS.

Autographed photo of Valerie Harper sent to fans of “Rhoda” in 1975.

 As portrayed by Valerie Harper, the character of Rhoda Morgenstern became a fan favorite on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” so it was no surprise when producers gave the character her own series. The 1970s were, after all, a decade of spin-offs.

“Rhoda” is famous for its wedding episode, where the character took the New York City subway to her own wedding while wearing her gown. But I best remember two of the jokes from the opening sequence of “Rhoda.” (You remember when TV shows had theme songs, right?)

Cast photo sent to fans of “Rhoda” in 1975.

 Rhoda explains, “I was born in New York… in December… 1941.” Then concedes she always felt responsible for World War II. How great is that line as a way to reveal something about the character? Although most people tuning in would have known Rhoda from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” this was a terrific way to introduce new viewers to the kind of misplaced guilt felt by Miss Rhoda Morgenstern.

The other memorable laugh line was when Rhoda says she grew up in New York, but moved to Minneapolis where it’s cold and she figured she’d “keep better.”

The envelope that contained the photos shown above is postmarked November 26, 1975.

Don’t you love how they put Valerie Harper’s name above the studio address on the envelope? It’s as if they want to make it look like she sent it from home.

“Rhoda” ran on CBS for four seasons. It premiered in September 1974 on Monday nights at 9:30pm (ET) and remained on Mondays until January 1977. It moved to Sunday nights before ending its run with a 3 month stay on Saturdays.

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< SAMMY!

8 Dec

85 years ago today, on Tuesday, December 8, 1925 Sammy Davis Jr. was born in New York City. In time he would become one of the most complete performers who ever took the stage. Davis could sing, dance, act, make you laugh, and play musical instruments. He began his career as a young child in a song and dance team alongside his father (Sammy Davis Sr. of course) and Will Mastin. As The Will Mastin Trio they toured the country for decades before Davis Jr. became a break out star.

Autographed 8x10 photo of Sammy Davis Jr. sent to members of The Sammy Davis Jr. International Fan Club in the 1970s.

In addition to numerous guest appearances on TV, Sammy had two series of his own. “The Sammy Davis Jr. Show” ran from January 1966 through April of that same year. I believe I attended one of the last episodes of this series, which was taped at the NBC studio in Brooklyn. I never knew it was a series. I thought it was a TV special. What would I know? I was 5 years old. What I do know, and do remember, is that I sat in the audience of a show starring Sammy Davis Jr. and guest Art Carney, which was taped in that studio. According to IMDb, Carney was a guest on the April 15, 1966 episode of this series.

Photo of Sammy Davis Jr. also sent to members of his International Fan Club.

Sammy’s other well-known foray into series television was the syndicated “Sammy & Company.” This 90-minute talk/variety show featured guest appearances and performances from many of Sammy’s show biz friends. The series, with radio’s William B. Williams as the announcer, was produced for 2 years, 1975-1977.

Sammy Davis Jr. died from throat cancer on May 16, 1990. He was just 64. Muppet master Jim Henson died the same day making it a memorable but sad one for the world of entertainment.

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