Riding the Retro Metro: Wednesday Apr.12, 1978!

Redartz: Excellent; you're just in time for our latest retro road trip ! Grab a seat and hang on, we're headed back to the Spring of 1978; a heady time indeed.   The US Senate is debating returning the Panama Canal (to Panama, of course), Volkswagen has just started manufacturing cars in the US, and Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" has won big at the Academy Awards. Also, a certain trio of singing brothers are on top of the world. and they're on top of the  US Billboard Hot 100:  The Bee Gees, with  "Night Fever"

Rounding out the top five: 
2. The Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive"
3. Eric Clapton, "Lay Down Sally"
4. Barry Manilow, "Can't Smile Without You"
5. Yvonne Elliman, "If I Can't Have You"


The brothers Gibb are responsible for three of the top five songs this week (writing and producing Yvonne Elliman's song); they seem to be giving the 1964 Beatles some competition in the area of chart domination. However, some other residents of the top 40  hold more interest for me. Among them:   Jackson Browne, "Running on Empty"- a great song proving that the singer/songwriter is alive and well in the disco era. Andy Gibb, "Love is Thicker Than Water"- yes, another Gibb brother. But this song is really sharp, a bit more soulful than some other Gibb compositions, in my opinion. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, "You're the One That I Want"- a dynamic duet from the two stars of that other popular film out now: "Grease".  Sweet, "Love is Like Oxygen"- yet another cool offering from the British glam gang; and one of the more unusual metaphors you'll hear for love...

Tops in the UK:  Brian and Michael, "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" (love that title)

Yes, there are plenty of riches on the music charts today. But this high schooler wants to know about tonight's tv; what say you? And since we have the schedule right here, let's have a look...

US Television Schedule:
 ABC:  Eight is Enough, Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch

 

Being a red-blooded American teenager, I never miss "Charlie's Angels". Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson star, and of course everyone has their favorite Angel- mine is Kate. No contest. And lots of folks follow up with Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul as "Starsky and Hutch". Also featuring the two cops' favorite informant, the inimitable "Huggy Bear", and a bright red Ford Gran Torino.

Cast of "Good Times"

CBS:  Good Times, Syzsnyk, The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
Just what exactly is "Syzsnyk", anyway?

 













 


NBC:  The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, Black Sheep Squadron, Police Woman
My parents liked to catch "Grizzly Adams", and sometimes Black Sheep Squadron. When I occasionally declined to watch the Angels, I'd watch the Squadron. Robert Conrad stars as the leader of a group of WWII fighter pilots. I have a good friend who is absolutely nuts for this show...












BBC1:  The Wednesday Film: Track of Thunder, Miss Scotland 1978, The Budget, The Hong Kong Beat, Sportsnight

BBC2:  Mr. Smith Propagates Plants, Newsday, Brass Tacks, Call My Bluff, Midweek Cinema: Broadway Melody of 1940


Oh, by the way, it's Wednesday: new comic day! And since we have plenty of change (unfortunately thirty five cent comics prohibit the purchase of more than two books for a dollar, but so it  goes), lets check out the Spinner Racks:

Oh, I have to pick up a bunch of these. Starting with the two Treasury editions (that Batman collection is a gem, a couple of great Neal Adams tales just as a start). In Avengers we're continuing to see the members disappearing; that book is incredible lately. Then I'll take the first issue of DC Comics Presents: Superman teamups, starting with a race against the Flash-  a good start, and Garcia-Lopez art too. Red Sonja has a great cover, but so does that Showcase with Hawkman by Kubert. Showcase was a cool 'tryout' book in the Silver age, and I'm enjoying the 70's incarnation as well. Defenders has Spider-man; that has to be good reading. Finally, "Doorway to Nightmare" is a treat for the eyes, and those Kaluta covers grab me every time. It's nice to pick up something a little different now and then.

Well, my funds are now shot, and time is about up for today. Anyway, I need to get home and finish up some homework; don't want to mess up graduation next month with unfinished projects. So it's back on the retro and forward to our future present once again. Hope we roused a few memories, and a few smiles. Until next trip, adios!

Rank And File: The Detective Shows of the Bronze Age

Martinex1:  You would be hard pressed to convince me that the golden age of television detective shows was not in the 1970s  through the early 1980s.  In my mind, the best shows of this ilk ran right along the same timeline as the comic book bronze age.   Maybe there was something in the air.

Whether police detectives or private investigators, I couldn't get enough of the crime procedural when I had control of the TV set.  In a previous post, I shared my admiration for Columbo, so that is a no-brainer to be on my top five list, but how would I rank my favorite detective shows and which did I consider the worst?   And how would you order your list?

Today we play Rank And File with crime shows of all kinds... and don't feel you have to leave out comedies or cartoons!

So here are my top five:

1) Columbo -  see my post from December 5th, 2016 if you have any questions about my perception of the durability of the rumpled lieutenant.
2) The Rockford Files - James Garner played a very nuanced and complex somewhat down-on-his-luck investigator.  He wasn't always politically correct.  He often found himself on the wrong side of the law.   He had bills to pay.  He got annoyed by inconvenience.  And he had a heart of gold.   The opening theme clinches it for me; every time I hear that music I have to tune in.
3) Quincy, M.E. - He was a Medical Examiner and not a police officer, but he investigated like one digging into clues and searching for scientific evidence long before CSI.   Jack Klugman was pivotal in the role; I could not grasp that he and Oscar Madison were the same guy.    I actually learned some interesting facts from that show and remember talking about Legionnaire's Disease in the fourth grade because there was an episode about it. 
4) Police Squad - On the heels of the movie Airplane!, the creators rolled out this comedy full of slapstick, puns, and site gags.   It was very short-lived and existed before the Naked Gun movies.  I thought it was hilarious as a kid.  And Leslie Nielson was great.
5) Inch High Private Eye - This Hanna-Barbera offering came out just as I was starting to get into my detective fascination as a wee youngster.   So it is a nostalgic favorite that most don't even remember.

And here is my "dishonorable" mention:

Mrs. Columbo - what were they thinking?  This was a train wreck.  It was like something out of Bizarro's world.  In 1979, following the end of the detective's series, the network cast Kate Mulgrew as the never before seen wife.   And that was mistake number one as she was way too young and not at all the character hinted at in the original great series.  She was suddenly depicted as a columnist with an eye for crime.   Between doing laundry, taking care of the children,  and working at the paper, she solved mysteries.  Huh?  Detective Columbo's car and rumpled clothing could be seen in the opening credits, but other than that there was no real connection.  If fact, in the subsequent season there were inferences to divorce and the title character's name was changed to Mrs. Callahan.  It was horrible in so many ways.

Redartz:  In all the cop shows and movies, the hero's partner always backs him up. No difference here; I'm backing up my buddy Marti! Backing him up with my picks, that is...

1)  Barnaby Jones - My dad always watched the detectives, and he got me hooked on this one. How can you resist Buddy Ebsen's homey drawl? An excellent theme song too.
2)  Columbo - can't add anything to what Marti already said about the show. Brilliant.
3)  Scooby-Doo - Hey, the gang were detectives, weren't they? After all, "if it weren't for those blasted kids... "
4)  Charlie's Angels - Never missed the show, at least for the first two seasons. Perfect representative of  70's pop culture. And I had such a crush on Kate Jackson.
5)   Police Squad - I'd almost forgotten about the show. A crime, as it was hilarious! 

So now it is your turn.  How would you rank these types of shows?   See the below photos for some ideas - but there are plenty beyond even this lengthy list to choose from.   Share your thoughts and let's have some fun!