Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 4

You know how big Donahue was in the Eighties?

He was so big that in a market like Albany, his show was on 3 different channels at the same time every weekday--and all of them different episodes!

(Unfortunately, unlike the show we discussed, Gary Deeb is in none of these episodes listed above.)

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 3

You know what happened on May 1, 1984. The NFL Draft. Yes, it was televised, but it was only on ESPN, and it was on TUESDAY, May 1, 1984, in the daytime. 

It was not the big TV event (and ratings-grabber) it is today!

By the way, I always loved it when something went on so long that TV Guide decided it had to put in another listing. "1984 NFL Draft Continues."  "We gotta put something there, or people will think ESPN went off the air."

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 2

Rolling on with this Albany edition of the Guide from 40 years ago this week!

Monday is dominated by reruns, but I enjoyed a few of the ads. I can't help but admire this low-key local ad for daily Love Boat reruns. No official art, no photos, just a list of the guests. Was this done with any involvement with the syndicator?

Then look at this striking ad for a show I don't remember seeing: First-run syndie Video Hits.

I think people forget that music videos were not just the domain of MTV. There were shows like this all over the place, plus Radio 1990 on USA, Friday Night Videos on NBC, and occasional filler blocks of music like HBO's Video Jukebox.

Let's close on a serious note with this ad and close-up based on a re-air of Adam, the movie based on John Walsh's efforts to find his kidnapped son.

CBN's actual Saturday schedule 40 years ago

We had a good time recently looking at the classic TV schedule Christian Broadcasting Network presented on a weekday in 1984, so today let's look at what it offered on a Saturday 40 years ago. No, today is not Saturday, but, er, just go with it. This is the lineup for May 5, 1984, and afterwards we'll throw in the Sunday schedule, too. There is a distinct Western theme to the CBN weekend!

10:00 saw The Cisco Kid, followed by a Edgar Buchanan movie, 1955's Silver Star. 

Noon brought an episode of The Westerners. What exactly was that? Hard to say. TV Guide and The New York Times have no specifics for this day. The Westerners was the umbrella title given to a batch of old Four-Star Westerns, including the great one-season wonder starring Brian Keith called...The Westerner. Also included are Johnny Ringo, Law of the Plainsman, and Black Saddle.

At 12:30, CBN aired The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock with Guy Madison in the title role and Andy Devine as sidekick Jingles P. Jones. 

This program has an interesting history. Produced by William F. Broidy for first-run syndication, it moved to CBS and then ABC over its 8-year run. I was surprised to learn it ran 8 seasons, but I note it did mostly 13-episode seasons, meaning it accumulated "only" 113 episodes. Screen Gems bought out the Broidy company and got rights to the series, which ran in color its last season.

Another film was next, 1942's American Empire at 1:00. This Paramount Western stars Richard Dix, Preston Foster, and Leo Carrillo.

At 2:30, Call of the West is on, and I don't remember watching it, but I am 99% sure this is one of the rerun packages carved out of the massive 450+ episode library of Death Valley Days. New host segments with John Payne were shot for old installments.

It was back to films at 3:00 with 1936's Avenging Waters with Ken Maynard.

Next up, Wyatt Earp with BOTNS fave Hugh O'Brian in the title role, followed by Wagon Train at 4:30. I wasn't watching a lot of Westerns in 1984, but I don't remember anyone else showing these programs in that era.

The Monroes came next at 6:00. I don't remember anyone else showing this one anywhere in my day. It's another one-season (1966-67) wonder, with Barbara Hershey as one of 5 orphans experiencing frontier life. The show got a DVD release from Shout!

Alias Smith and Jones followed at 7:00.

8:00 was Carole Lombard in Made for Each Other. It's not a Western, but it's an acclaimed picture co-starring James Stewart and Charles Coburn. It's also public domain, which may be one reason why CBN was showing it!

10:00, it was back to vintage TV with I Spy, a show it aired during the week as well. Of course I have to remember that in 1984, the series was not even 20 years old! 

CBN ended the night with religious programming.

On Sunday, May 6, CBN began with more spiritual programming before offering a block of Flipper and Gentle Ben at 1:00.

2:00 was Abeline Town with Randolph Scott, another public domain oater.

Wagon Train was next at 4:00, followed by a Roy Rogers flick at 5:00: 1940's The Ranger and the Lady. After that it was religious programming the rest of the day, kicking off with The Flying House, a Japanese Bible-themed animated show.

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 1

This week we're taking a look at an Albany edition of TV Guide covering the week of April 28, 1984.

The mag, as we know, runs Saturday through Friday, and I am starting this a day "late," so I have to backtrack a bit.

Saturday night featured new episodes from NBC (check out our NBC '84 episode here).

Sunday, April 29 has some cool stuff, too.  Also in the ads, I think I recognize this guy:

And we all recognize this guy, who will be on GMA this week:

HBO is excited about a new movie coming to the service:

But I am intrigued by this one:

More from this issue later this week!

Top Ten #299: Special "Next one is 300!" Edition

1) Cher: Announced this week as a new inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, surely riding the wave of her Season 11 appearance on the podcast. While she has said she never wanted to join the Hall, I am sure she would have loved a Batty.

2) National Superhero Day: It is, believe it or not!

(You can hear our discussion about that episode here.)

3) Delta Burke: Entertainment Weekly offers this juicy summary of what it calls a "rare interview" Burke did on the Glamorous Trash podcast. She talks about using meth to control her weight, discusses issues with the Thomasons, and accuses the Clintons of running an off-the-books operation to get Major Dad canceled (Just kidding about that one).

4) David Susskind Show: 50 years ago this weekend, the topic: "We Still Love Richard Nixon." People ever loved Nixon? 

5) Jay Leno: Happy 74th to the stand-up comedian also known for his Good Times appearance.

6) Andy Warhol's TV: 40 years ago tonight, Warhol welcomed guests Brooke Shields, Keith Haring, and others on this episode that aired on Madison Square Garden network.

7) Double albums: Taylor Swift made her new album in essence a surprise double last week with an unexpected extra release. I remember the days when a surprise launch was seeing a K-Tel commercial come on during a Three's Company rerun.

8) Mindy Cohn: The Facts of Life star, now promoting Palm Royale, checks out a 1983 TV Guide profile in this video:

9) The Princess and the Pea: 40 years ago tonight, Showtime aired this episode of Fairie Tale Theater with Liza Minnelli, Tom Conti, Beatrice Straight, and Tim Kazurinsky:

10) R.I.P. Terry Carter:

CBN's actual schedule 40 years ago

In Sunday's Top Ten, I mentioned a 1984 mention of CBN's ratings surge and added a comment about how it showed The 700 Club about 5 times a day. Well, the channel had a great lineup surrounding the religious programming. For context, let's look at the schedule on the Christian Broadcast Network 40 years ago tonight.

We'll start at 6:30 because 6:00 has a rerun of game show Treasure Hunt hosted by Geoff Edwards. 6:30 brings The Rifleman, a show we heartily endorsed last season.

Next up: Here Come the Brides, which to me doesn't hold up next to some of these other programs, but it was not one you saw everywhere, so it's cool CBN had it.

I Spy aired at 8:00. It's a cool show, and could you blame CBN for thinking the show fit in with its family values message in 1984?

700 Club follows and is on for a whopping 90 minutes.

Classic TV resumes at 10:30 with My Little Margie. For many years, this was the only place I ever saw the series.

11:00 is Another Life. Now, this is interesting: A nightly soap and CBN original that was syndicated as well as aired on the channel.

Now is when it really gets good: Late night on CBN.

11:30 is Best of Groucho, AKA You Bet Your Life. Excellent choice!

Burns and Allen follows at midnight. Tremendous program.

12:30 is Jack Benny, and I needn't tell you this is a classic.

I think that 11;30-1:00 block is up there with any block on Nick at Nite in its prime.

1:00 is I Married Joan, and CBN must have really loved it because it also aired earlier at 2:30 as a lead-on to The 700 Club.

1:30 is Love That Bob, a series that is mostly forgotten today but is often pretty funny, though I will grant that Bob Cummings and his character might not be for everyone.

2:00 is Bachelor Father, a program I enjoyed on those occasions when Young Master Brooks was up that late. It was not prominent for years, then RTV brought it back (the glory days when it showed old Universal library shows), followed by Antenna TV later.

It's followed by Life of Riley, another forgotten show that is quite enjoyable. I believe CBN showed the William Bendix episodes (a local NY station I got showed the Jackie Gleason episodes for a while in a super-early timeslot).

Then classic TV ends at 3 because it's time for The 700 Club again.

Is that a pretty good schedule or what? It would change over the years, and a few would drop out and others would come in, but CBN, not Nick at Nite, was my favorite cable source for vintage TV for several years.