Bonus video! ABC's Ratings Bloodbath, the Magoo Test, and Singing Cops

Get Christy Love was AWESOME... it aired in reruns at some point because I saw it in the early 80s as a kid.

Knights Who Say Sledge

I wasn't really into Calamity Jane, but I got the same vibes, made me think of going to school the day after my first time with a guy and the feeling of keeping this monumental secret from the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8P_p7dB2dw

Dani Gould

My husband and I LOVED COP ROCK! Music and lyrics by Randy Newman. It was so great. It was pretty much spawned in the wake of the success of Twin Peaks and the networks seemed latch onto the idea that they could do weird and get away with it. Mostly, they were wrong, but I won't hear anything against Cop Rock.

Jimmy James

When I was growing up, I lived and went to school a few blocks from the Preview House on Sunset Blvd. We had a playground manger who used to hand out passes whenever they were testing young audiences. You had to be in the about it, the message was whispered, "Miss Kelly has tickets today," and then you'd be ready to spring at the door when the bell rang so you could run straight to Miss Kelly before she passed them all out. I remember the dials and the ushers and later found out there were cameras hidden all over to watch how we were watching.

Jimmy James

… OK, no more late-night stream-of-consciousness nightmare posts from me.

Ten Thousand Worlds

Kolchak the Night Stalker was … something else. I remember having nightmares after an episode where he trapped a vampire using a giant burning cross. Not one of TV’s finest moments.

Ten Thousand Worlds

Just saw this. Thanks for diving deep again. FYI, the text link to the Vimeo video worked out great.

Ten Thousand Worlds

Oh, I do hope how you’ll mention Lynde’s appearing in “Hugo the Hippo,” carrying one of the recurring gags of my life!

James Polk

Paul Lynde, from everything I have read, was a bitter, angry man who alienated every friend he ever had. But as a comic character in any show, he was matchless. Some of my brothers and I still occasionally mention his line "In your PAJAMAS???" from the Gidget episode I remember best where he played one of her friend's dad. He would never (the character) go into the San Fernando because a bad experience there and he said "I only give a valley one chance." ; another line I still occasionally quote. I would make every effort to watch any show he appeared in, and he pretty much delivered. He was the "center square" on Hollywood Squares for a time and he nearly always had some answers that were really, really funny. You can watch a lot of the H. Squares episodes on YouTube. He refused all openly gay roles, but turned every straight character he played into as close to a gay stereotype as could be done. He was one of the funniest men I have ever seen.

Dan Maloney

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special is so bad but you just can't turn away. Bruce Vilanch was the head writer and even he marvels at how odd it is. Gilbert Gottfried, on his podcast, has many times referenced Paul Lynde. Gilbert did an iteration of Hollywood Squared long after Paul but there were still people working on the show from when Paul was on. There is one particular story of how drunk Paul was by the time of the lunch break and he launched into an anti-Semitic tirade about Jews being the reason he doesn't have a career.

Steve McLean

Great video (as always!). I was surprised at how many of the 70s show titles I remembered, at least vaguely. I really wish someone would post episodes of Hot L Baltimore, as I remember really liking it and would love to be able to see it again.

Lin Kibblemom

Thank you for another awesome bonus video! I'm excited to hear you talk more about that Paul Lynde Halloween special- the only reason I am aware of it is because I'm a huge KISS fan and I want to say they performed Detroit Rock City on that special. ^_^

And thanks for reminding me that Cop Rock exists. I do need to watch that sometime lol

Michael

Don’t know too much about Paul Lynde. Ben Dela Creme did a hysterical impersonation of him in the Snatch Game episode of Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 3 that is worth watching.

Michael

I would love to hear you talking about really bad 70s/80s TV shows! Shows from any era, really. 😉 As always, thank you for the work you do! 😀

Bryan Cybershaman(X) Logie

I knew Betty has a long important history with TV but I didn't know about that book! I'll check it out.

Matt Baume

I remember Kolchak being in syndication when I was young -- around the late 80s. It was a little too grown-up for me then, but now I really want to give it a look!

Matt Baume

Also, have you happened to have read When Women Invented Television? I listed to the audiobook and it was fascinating. Not really particularly queer, though Betty White is one of main women explored in it. I had no idea she was there when tv began, making it a success!

Matthew

I would love to hear more about Rock Hudson. :)

Matthew

Great video, Matt! In the mid-70s I was just at the age when adult tv shows were starting to make sense to me, and my parents got me a small portable TV for my room so I could decide for myself what I wanted to watch. Because of that there are so many things I want to comment on in this video, but I had to pick just one. "Kolchak" was doomed as a series it's true, mainly because of the stupid time slot it was scheduled in, but it was popular enough that most of the episodes were spaced out and aired as movies-of-the-week. I actually loved that show. If you're into kitschy, 70s style urban fantasy, it's worth a watch. Darren McGavin is a hilarious counterpoint to the "scary" subjects of each episode. And for me as a 9 year old they were pretty scary.

Irisarc