Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week(ISH) (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 6: Wednesday night is HOT on ABC!

Look who's bringing the HEAT on ABC on this Wednesday night in 1984! I love the idea of Paul Winfield as a superstar ballplayer for some reason:

Then a notable Dynasty featuring the first appearance of Diahann Carroll!

And finally, whoa, what is happening on Hotel? And most important, is Connie Sellecca gonna be OK?

Poll: Choose our Season 12 TV movie!

Season 12 of the podcast is in the works! Some of your suggestions are already in our lineup, but we have one more slot to finalize. Help us determine our TV movie this season by selecting the Gary Coleman "Kid" classic that YOU want us to discuss!

Vote here in the comments or by sending an email to mailbag@battleofthenetworkshows.com. You can also vote in the poll in our official Facebook group (membership is free and easy!) by Saturday, May 11!

The choices are:

1. The Kid from Left Field (1979)
2. The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982)
3. The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983)

Inside the Guide: TV Guide 40 years ago this week (April 28-May 4, 1984) Part 5: Tootsie on HBO

I believe the tradition of "world television premieres" of theatrical films on HBO started in the Nineties, but it feels like it has been even longer than that. It amuses me, then, to see the hype for the week's big movie debut in May 1984. It begins with this ad on Sunday:

May was only a couple days away! The actual premiere for the acclaimed flick Tootsie is not on the following Saturday, but on Thursday, May 3, and HBO has a big ad for that day, too.

In her column previewing the week's movies, Judith Crist says "hoorahs are in order" for Tootsie, calling it a delight. "It's not only a delicious comedic perception of bisexual humanism," (Note: I am not sure I know what that means) "but also a knockout farce that made Dustin Hoffman, in the title role, a prime candidate for Best Actor Oscar and Best Actress."

Top Ten #300!

1) The Rockford Files: Mike was on the great 200 Dollars a Day Plus Expenses podcast with Friend of the Show Steve and Dave. I listen to a lot of podcasts at double speed to save time, but for this one, I listened at one-quarter speed to prolong the experience.

2) 300: Hey, what a nice round number! I set my goals big, so my next milestone is gonna be 305. I think I can make it! Maybe we can match Knots Landing's number of episodes (344).

Here's a nice 300 moment to enjoy:

3) Phil Donahue: The iconic talk host was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, but more importantly, the man was on in Albany 3 times with 3 different episodes at the same time!

4) The New Fred and Barney Show: I recently discovered the From Pencils to Pixels podcast, and I was delighted last week to discover the hosts just released a tribute--including an audio commentary--to this NBC "modern" Flintstones series.

5) National Cartoonists Day: May you not be interrupted by your daughters' annoying friend Monroe today so that you can get a few strips done.

6) Free Comic Book Day/Star Wars Day: Hope you got something cool yesterday and maybe spent some money supporting a local business.

7) Frankenstein: The True Story: This 1973 British TV movie with Jane Seymour (not as the Monster), James Mason, David McCallum, and Leonard Whiting is the subject of a book by Sam Irvin, who just won a Rondo Award for Best Writer!

8) Goldfinger: 50 years ago tonight, ABC reran this classic James Bond flick. I believe it would be on ABC and TBS approximately 00700 times over the next 20 years.

9) The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp: The series was added to FreeVee this week, and it was also announced as joining FETV's lineup. Why mention a 1955 TV series here? Well, because we love Fifties TV, too, but also because it stars BOTNS legend Hugh O'Brian!

10) Cinco de Mayo: OK, some say it's a not a real holiday. I don't care if it gives Sony an excuse to post another episode of Viva Valdez.

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.