[DOOR FLIES OPEN]

I was bored thinking of something to type up for tonight’s Open Thread, so I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole on Friday.

When the sidebar gave me something I didn’t know I needed to watch at that moment,

https://youtu.be/HNNU8yv5sDw

Which then led to at least something Saturday night related,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLLbv9sXEGI

Because while looking up when the show actually appeared on TV, I’d forgotten what a 70’s gold mine the 1978-79 TV schedule was. Look upon Aaron Spelling’s works, ye mighty, and despair:

That is the 70s in a nutshell. You know the good stuff; let’s look at the filler:

• Carter Country – ran from September 1977 to June 1979
  • It starred veteran TV actors Victor French & Kenneth Holliday.
  • The plot was about life in the fictional small town of Clinton Corners in Georgia, clearly another Benson-esque take on the Carter years.
• The Bad News Bears – ran for three episodes
  • It starred Jack Warden as Buttermaker, and among the kids cast as players on the Bears was Corey Feldman.
• Delta House – ran from January 18 to April 21, 1979
  • An attempt to make a TV version of “Animal House.
    • One of three “frat shows” that all debuted & died in 1979.
  • It starred John Vernon (Dean Wormer), Stephen Furst (Flounder), Bruce McGill (D-Day), and James Widdoes (Hoover) from the movie.
    • Playing “The Bombshell” was Michelle Pfeiffer in her first major on-screen role.
• Apple Pie – ran for two episodes
  • It starred Rue McClanahan & Dabney Coleman, was created by Norman Lear, and directed by Peter Bonerz – the dentist from “The Bob Newhart Show”.
    • It had all the right parts, but died right out of the gate.
• Billy – ran from from February 26 to April 28, 1979
  • It was based on a British stage play & TV show called “Billy Liar”, a Walter Mitty-type of character, whose daydreams fueled the episodes.
  • Notable for two reasons:
    • It replaced “Co-Ed Fever, the third of the “frat shows” to air in 1979. It only ran one episode, but did star a pre-Fall Guy Heather Thomas.
    • It starred Steve Guttenberg in his first TV starring role.

• The American Girls – ran from September 23 to November 11.
  • It was a show about two female investigative reporters travelling the US looking for stories.
  • It starred Priscilla Barnes, who was Terri from the last years of “Three’s Company”.
• Sword of Justice – ran for 10 episodes, spread out over the 1978-79 season.
  • It was a Glen A. Larson joint, and got aired because because he had already created Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Quincy, M.E., and was about to create The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider.
  • It starred Dack Rambo as a rich playboy by day and a troubleshooting mercenary at night.
    • He died of AIDS in 1994, after contracting the disease in 1991. He was one of the first Hollywood stars to publicly reveal his bisexuality.

Given the dogshit that airs on Saturday nights now, and the current dystopia we are living in, going back to 1979 has a measure of appeal.

Tonight’s … entertainment?:

• IndyCar Racing:
  • Genesys 300 – 8:00PM | NBC / Sportsnet
    • From 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
• PBA Bowling:
  • Strike Derby – 7:00 PM | FOX
    • From Las Vegas
• UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer: From Las Vegas
  • Prelims – 6:00PM | ESPN / TSN
• Costa Rican Primera Division Soccer:    Hippo Gambling Alert!
  • Saprissa vs. Municipal Grecia – 9:55 PM | ESPN2
  • Opening Line: Saprissa -227
• Korea Baseball Organization:
  • LG Twins at Kiwoom Heroes – 12:55 AM | ESPN / TSN3 (5:25AM replay)

All told, not a bad evening. Still, an evening of CHiPs, Love Boat & Fantasy Island sounds pretty goddamned amazing right about now.