Up Your Nose, With a Rubber Hose!
Today brings sad news in TV Land. Robert Hegyes, who played Juan Epstein in the series, Welcome Back, Kotter!, passed away. I loved that show. For one thing, it was about school, and not the angsty kind. For another, it wasn’t afraid to stereotype or shy away from actual real world problems kids may have. And it was funny! I laughed so hard every time Epstein’s Mother sent a note…
I miss good TV. Even Disney and Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have their drawbacks. Kids shows are not as wholesome as they used to be. And even commercials are sending the wrong messages. I recall one for a cereal, where an older lady is watering her lawn, and a kid is kinking up the gardenhose, only to let it go when she is looking at the head. That is not something I want any kid learning. And reality shows only show the stupidity of people.
So, what shows do you miss? What shows helped to form your view of the world? And more importantly, did anyone else watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom all the time??
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I gotta go with Real People. I had no idea that there were people that made their own dentures out of stones from their driveway, or people that still thought the earth was flat. It was a collection of us wacky Americans and the crazy things we’ll do when left to our own devices. Most of it was craziness, but every now and then they came up with a really inspiring story.
And yes, Marlin Perkins was a staple every Sunday night….
We used to watch Wild Kingdom…
I miss Night Stalker, the original A-Team, and Masterpiece Theater.
Mr Kotter:
Epstein will be unable to make it in for class.
Signed,
Epstein’s Mother
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
before my time…
/me runs away
I loved Wild Kingdom. Watched Wide World of Disney every Sunday as well. WKRP in Cinncinati, CHiPs, Eight is Enough, Barney Miller…. good stuff!
Ya better run far away, AG!!!
I miss The Wide World of Sports. Before ESPN, that was the only place to see the “other” sports.
Plus, The Agony of Defeat was the most awesome crash evah!
Ok, so I just had to go and find the opening for The Wide World of Sports and stumbled upon opening of a Mutual of Omaha. These are the shows my parents didn’t worry about me watching.
http://youtu.be/sZg2tE3xJDY
Seriously that skier was a staple of the agony of defeat. http://www.youtube. /watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc&feature=related
Well had more written about the shows I miss but keyboard is acting freaking and lost it all.
Better link for Wide World of Sports
http://youtu.be/Fi69utdvDcA
Most of our stuff is still to be seen on syndication outlets. The Twilight Zone airs week nights at 10 and the Untouchables at 11:30 on ME. Add the Wild Wild West and the Addams Family please. The Avengers has disappeared though, and I could stand a fix.
Found this clip of Welcome Back Kotter.
http://youtu.be/quSvXylCv60
I really liked the new Twilight Zone series that was on for a couple of years in the 80′s. Harlan Ellison was writing lots of stuff and several of the episodes were really classic.
WKRP in Cincinnati was extremely formative for lots of jiggly Loni Anderson reasons. Plus the funniest line ever on TV. Gordon Jump “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”.
The Prisoner, The Avengers, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Gunsmoke, Cannon, Taxi, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Remington Steele.
Ah, the good old days.
Um…Pappy O’Daniels “Hillbilly Flour Radio Show”. Any Guy Lombardo program and sometimes late at night we could pick up “Amos & Andy” on the crystal wireless set.
But none of that could compare to watching Granpa’ blow on the moonshine jug while playing juba with his set of false teeth. A true master of the flamenco moonshine jug.
Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnett, The Huntley Brinkley Report, Star Trek, Then Came Bronson, Route 66, Rescue 8, Outer limits, The Twilight Zone…..it’s a long list and I did watch Marlin Perkins, until I realized he’d put on so many weights, he was trapped on the bottom of the ocean and could only flop around. After that, I couldn’t watch the show. I couldn’t pay attention to the subject because I was watching Marlin bumble around and wondering why they cut out the best scenes.
Oh please Aggie! Any half normal decent kid should already know that trick before being “taught” it on tv
I loved BA BA Black Sheep. And of course The Three Stooges, Road Runner.
Carol Burnett Show. Loved that one when they would all crack up and try to finish.
Loved both shows. Though it always seemed that Marlin Perkins stayed safe a sound while Jim went off to wrestle with a rhino, or something like that.
Wide World of Sports by far was weird, all the different sport and non sports
The Human Fly riding on top of a 727 was very cool.
“Purple Raider, Jess, Phrank, and DaninVan will report to the nurses’ station for their prune juice, at the next commercial. That is all.”