Classic Episodes From Classic TV: "M*A*S*H"

The creators of Airplane! often take credit for giving Leslie Nielsen his first comedic role. However, his first such role was in the M*A*S*H episode The Ringbanger. Nielsen played Colonel Buzz Brighton, a reckless commander who needlessly risks the lives of those under his command. In a hilarious outing directed by Hollywood legend Jackie Cooper, Buzz is tricked into believing he's insane by Hawkeye and Trapper.

 

Classic Episodes From Classic TV: "WKRP in Cincinnati"

They just wanted to hand out free turkeys as a publicity stunt, but things went terribly wrong. It turns out, turkeys can't fly when dropped from an airplane. This good intentioned promotion became a flipped out, insane turkey massacre.

 

Classic Episodes From Classic TV: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"

Imagine attending a funeral and you get a serious case of the giggles? The Mary Tyler Moore Show bravely took on this societal faux pas by killing off "Chuckles the Clown" and forcing the cast to sit stonefaced while a minister recounts the clown's life in the most ridiculous way possible. At first, Mary admonishes her co-workers to stop muttering their jokes, but once the ceremony starts, it is she who cannot keep a straight face.

 

Police Squad! Week

 

Police Squad! Week

 

Police Squad! Week

 

Police Squad! Week

 

Police Squad! Week

 

Garry Marshall: TV Heydays

Garry Marshall had amazed the television industry with his monster hit Happy Days. ABC was eager to give Garry free reign to develop more hits. Garry would create another huge hit, only this time it would be something he would share with his sister. Laverne & Shirley would feature Garry's sister Penny as Laverne, a streetwise young lady whose best friend Shirley was a bright eyed innocent. The show was a monster success. ABC was becoming a force to be reckoned with due to the Marshalls.

 

The show eclipsed even Happy Days, rocketing to number one and spawning an entire album of songs sung by the two girls. (Though oddly not the chart topping theme song sung by Cindy Grecco.) Garry would make his biggest discovery for the next monster hit in his empire.

With Star Wars becoming a big hit, Garry pondered making a space themed show. His son's love of the action figures cemented his thinking. He decided to try a fanciful episode of Happy Days where an alien visits Milwaukee and the Cunninghams. Garry would search for an actor who could play a manic alien and he found him in Robin Williams, an up and coming comedian. The network was unsure about this show, but after a now legendary evening of filming, their doubts disappeared.

 

Robin Williams dazzled those present with his manic performance. The live studio audience went crazy, giving him a standing ovation at the end. Everyone there was certain they had seen a star being born- Robin Williams. ABC quickly picked up the new program Mork & Mindy, in which the alien Mork would move in with a young, single woman. Would the show be as successful as everyone believed it would be? It would.

 

The show was a monster success- there were toys, coloring books, lunch boxes and more. People loved Mork and the show became an even bigger hit. Garry Marshall had truly conquered television in a way even he had never dreamed of.

 

Garry Marshall: The Happy Days

Garry Marshall would soon prove that one could strike gold more than once, but it didn't seem like it at first. In 1971, Garry was looking for a new project he could work on. He came up with an idea for a family show set in the 1950's. He guessed that the show would sell well in syndication because  since it was set in the past to begin with, it would never look dated. He produced a pilot called New Family in Town which starred Harold Gould as the father, Marion Ross as the mother and Ron Howard as their son. ABC rejected the pilot.

 

Nowadays, that's typically the end of the road. But at the time, the big three networks would repackage failed pilots in anthology series. In this case, Garry's show would air as part of Love American Style, which was essentially ABC's pilot graveyard with some other one-off scripts rotated in, often featuring hasbeens.

As the 1970's wore on, however, the pilot would prove to be ahead of its time. A 1950's craze hit the United States and young director George Lucas sought to take advantage by making a nostalgic film inspired by his teen years- American Graffiti. Ron Howard desperately wanted a role in the film and suggested that George Lucas view that pilot from 1971. He requested a copy from the network, which had forgotten aboutit When Ron was cast and the film was a huge success it became a priority project for ABC, who gave Garry the go ahead to do whatever he needed to get this project going. Ron Howard, Marion Ross and Anson Williams from the original pilot would sign on to the new show. Tom Bosley would become the new patriarch and a little known actor who Garry was certain could be a bigger star- Henry Winkler- would get the recurring role of "Fonzie" the street tough with a heart of gold.

 

The stars were aligned this time. Garry's rejected pilot had become the biggest hit of the 1970's. Happy Days indeed!

Bad Advice

 

The First Simpsons Guest Star- Penny Marshall is Ms. Botz

Long before it became fashionable to provide a guest voice on The Simpsons, getting the big names on the show required the assistance of producer and Hollywood legend James L. Brooks. His first 'get' was Penny Marshall, who would provide the voice of a dastardly babysitter in what was then considered to be the show's first episode- Some Enchanted Evening.

 

In the episode, it is revealed that Bart Simpson is so terrible to babysitters that Marge and Homer have a hard time hiring one. They unwittingly hire Ms. Botz, the notorious Babysitter Bandit, who plans to steal from them. After the three kids capture her, Homer sets her free, believing she has been the victim of one of Bart's pranks. He becomes a laughingstock when it is revealed that he has aided the escape of the wanted felon.

 

This first episode was a disaster. The network was not happy with the animation and pulled the show, forcing a costly re-do of the animation. They ended up pushing this episode to the season finale, which led to some chatter about whether the show would prove successful or not. When the show became a phenomenon, Fox's patience with it was richly rewarded.

Best of Temporary Layoffs- Bizarro Strangers

Who was the original Cousin Larry?

http://www.temporarylayoffs.com/2014/11/louie-anderson-perfect-stranger.html

The Beverly Hillbillies!

One of the most critically reviled television shows in history was also the biggest hit ever seen. The Beverly Hillbillies was television's biggest hit in the 1960's, often attracting huge audiences that today's audiences can only dream of. As a result, the show spawned many strange merchandise tie-ins from books:

Soundtracks:

Toys:

Grocery promotions:

Lunch boxes:

And even strange novelty songs:

The show lasted for nine seasons, getting canceled only because CBS wanted to eliminate its rural themed programming. While the show's ratings weren't as high as they had been they were still higher than other more urban shows that had gotten canceled. While the show's cancellation had shocked its fans, it set the stage for edgier sitcoms that changed television forever.

Ramona on TV!

Beverly Cleary is truly a legend. As she celebrates her 100th year this month, it is especially wonderful to celebrate her and all of her creations. In 1988, PBS and CBC partnered to bring Ramona to life. For the first time ever, viewers got to see the spunky Ramona on television.

Played by Sarah Polley, Ramona had adventures adapted from various books in the series. Ramona the show ran for ten episodes, introducing the character to a new audience who would hopefully choose to pick up one of her books and discover her amazing world. The show even spawned a spinoff book.

The show was successful, but due to the lower budgets of public broadcasting, it was never meant to run past the initial season. While the episodes were released on videocassette, they have not yet made it onto DVD.

Good Times!

Ja'net Dubois, who starred in Good Times, sang the theme song to The Jeffersons.

And Michael Evans, who starred on The Jeffersons, created the show Good Times.

Are You Being Served- AGAIN?!?

The BBC has announced that it is rebooting several of its classic comedies, including Are You Being Served? Most of the major cast has been set, but how do they match up with the originals?

Mr. Grainger

Captain Peacock

Mrs. Slocombe

Mr. Humphries

Miss Brahms

Mr. Harman

Mr. Lucas and Young Mr. Grace will be represented by two new characters- Mr. Coleman will be the junior and Young Mr. Grace will be represented by his grandson.

Young Mr. Grace and Grandson

The Old Junior and the New Junior Salesperson

The new show will supposedly take place in 1988. Young Mr. Grace's grandson takes over the store and wants to modernize things, bringing the store into the 1980's. Will he succeed? The BBC plans to film one episode with the new cast and pick up the show if it succeeds.

TGI-Strange: "Aliens in the Family"

In 1996, ABC decided to air a sitcom that sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch come to life- Aliens in the Family. The show depicted a single earth dad who meets a single alien mom and they fall in love, combining their families.

Even the logo looks like it was made by SNL.

Uh, not the mama?

The show was an instant disaster, lasting just two weeks. ABC pulled the show from its schedule, burning off the remaining episodes during the summer. While none of its stars were seen again, the show did have a guest star who would gain fame several years later.

The picture James Van Der Beek doesn't want you to see!

Parker & Crew

"Synchronize Swatches!"

Marion Ross Knows Best

Long before she starred as America's Mom, Marion Cunningham, on Happy Days, Marion Ross was paying her dues as a guest star on various television shows, including a stint as a diving instructor on Father Knows Best.