Was our trip back to 1973 not back far enough? Well why don't we take a look at one of the grooviest TV line ups ever, from ABC in 1971.
Several years ago Nick@Nite did a stunt which I wish they had dome more of. They recreated a popular line-up, and aired the shows as they would have back in the day. Even included some retromercials. My wife and I had a lot of fun revisiting this line up from before we were born. So what was on ABC Friday's in 1971? Glad you asked!
8:00
The Brady Bunch
Considering all the articles I've done about this show there really isn't much point in me saying much about it. I grew up watching the re-run's and still love to turn it on to this day.
8:30
The Partridge Family
So, don't think there's enough music in Brady Bunch? Well have I got the show for you! I think most people have heard of this show, about a family who also actively tour as a band (in a groovy bus!!). In between the typical Brady-esque family stuff we got some cool music numbers. Shirley Jones and David Cassidy starred, and the show was so saccharine sweet it was easy to believe it existed in the same universe as The Brady Bunch. So easy SNL did a sketch about that once. It's funny that while The Brady songs are better remembered, David Cassidy was the bigger star!
9:00
Room 222
This show is odd for me because I loved the theme song without ever really watching the show. What was it about? Well as you may able to guess, an inner city school. While the show did well, even winning Emmy's, I think it was a little to bland to be remembered today. There's a reason show's like Welcome Back, Kotter and Head of the Class featured characters with personality, especially the respective teachers.
9:30
The Odd Couple
For some reason this show feels out of place here. Maybe because it isn't aimed at kids. Maybe because it wasn't a product of its time. Either way, this show was still great. Based on the Neil Simon play and movie (FYI the movie is where the theme came from, how cool is that!) we have neat freak Felix Unger living with slob Oscar Madison. In truth it isn't the formula that makes it work, let's be honest it isn't that much of a formula, it's the actors who bring the roles to life. In the movie we had Jack Lemon and Walter Mathau. Here we have Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, who had some of the best chemistry ever on TV. The show has been re-done several times, the latest with Mathew Perry, but this is the one that I think got just right. And did I mention it also starred a very young Penny Marshall? The theme is almost iconic especially the narrator explaining the premise.
10:00
Love, American Style
So I can't lie, by the time we got to this show I was bored. It just didn't grab me. I think it was a product of its time, or maybe I was just tired. What was this show? It was a comedy anthology series. Not sketches, but actual vignettes that could have been tv shows. The show doesn't have much of a legacy, with one major exception. One of its notable installments was called Love and the Happy Days which became the pilot for a little series called "Happy Days" and is said to have inspired "American Graffiti". The theme song is catchy, so catchy it will NEVER leave your head! The show was OK but there's a reason anthology series are usually horror or fantasy based. This is the equivalent to reading romance comic books. Yawn. Though some young talent that would later become big stars would make their way through it.
Way cool man, far out and I totally dig it!!!
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