Wednesday, July 31, 2019

What was on TV July 31st through August 6th, 1982

It's been a while since I've done a TV Guide post and I apologize in advance because this one is a little hum drum.  I guess Summer programming had little to offer but repeats.  The networks were gearing up for the new season premieres and couldn't be bothered with old programming.  But there is an interesting article at the end on the coming of the "Information Age" that is pretty prophetic, though they "missed it by that much".


I never watched "Father Murphy" and frankly it confused me. He was on Little House on the Prairie then left to be on a similar show.  It also starred Moses Gunn who was also a cast member of LHotP and it involved orphans too! If he's a religious "Father" should he be hugging her that close? Stops to read Wikipedia. Oh, he was pretending to be a Father.  Well, cover blown, Mr. Murphy. Cover...blown.













In 1982, I was approaching end-of-life for my Saturday morning viewing, but there are still some familiar shows on the schedule.


I was never a fan of the non-Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan lineup including Mike Henry and Jock Mahoney. And that goes for you too, Ron Ely!


For a brief period, Ronald Reagan movies were popular due to his presidency.

I don't recall Duff's Smorgasbord. It must not have lasted long in St. Louis.  It's listed as "defunct" in Wikipedia, but there is at least one restaurant still open in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 

I was never allowed to watch Benny Hill when I was a kid, but my dad watched it religiously.



I'm trying hard to figure out which of these movies was deemed "HORROR!" by Channel 11. I'm guessing it's supposed to be "Stingray", but according to the description ("Two men purchase a vintage sports car unaware that the trunk is filled with a gangster's illicit belongings."), it doesn't sound that horrific. Not exactly Freddy Krueger.







I remember getting the samples of these Safari Cards in the mail (not the starter kit described here, just a few samples as bait).  Those are the only cards we ever had.  I learned about 3 animals.





Did Richard Pryor ever play anything but a "bumbling" character?




Cybil Shepherd appears to have made her bikini out of excess material left over from Jeff Bridge's sweater.











The combination and positioning of 1 and 14 across tell me network TV was in the pockets of TV Guide.





This is the article I mentioned at the beginning. It compares the coming "Information Age" to a revolution as big as the Gutenberg printing press; an age with "an electronic system by which the totality of wisdom -- or at least knowledge -- can be shared, compared, aggregated. The only thing they get wrong is, they thought TVs would bring it to you.






And that's it for this week's TV Guide.  I now return you to your normally scheduled life.

7 comments:

  1. confession time: i have never ever liked Benny Hill. just awful, awful stuff.

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    1. The only thing I ever saw was him slapping that bald old man on the head. Other than that, I was ushered out of the room.

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  2. "Yakety Sax" and busty babes--What's not to love about Mr. Hill?

    Lots of items of interest to me here, starting with the Steve Martin-produced Twilight Theatre special (p.16) that pre-empted SNL that I remember watching. A real obscurity.
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuCS4e9awMw

    There's also classic episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati ("The Consultant") (p.35), and SCTV ("The Godfather")(p.70)--both favorites of mine.

    Also liked the piece on Young Doctors in Love (TV Teletype), an "Airplane"-type movie that's little remembered today. I haven't seen it in 35 years, so I have no idea if it holds up. It was released on DVD/Blu-ray not too long ago, so I might check it out again.

    Thanks, Tom.

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    1. You're welcome, Top Cat. I've never heard of Twilight Theatre. Looks wild. And wow! It even has an episode of Pee Wee's Playhouse at 50:50! I will have to watch that.

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  4. Simpler times. Thanks for the memories.

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  5. I remember Duff's, they had one in Fairview Heights, IL circa 1983 to 1985ish, so yeah, Duff's lasted until around 1985 for St Louis. They used to have a giant circular buffet tray that came around with the food, and you'd pick it up to set on your tray (or just your plate). The biggest thing is that they had a long, long waiting line just to get in, so much so it was roped off- just a regular visit would have them that crowded!

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