Some more lost telly has risen to the top of my sagging loaf. See what you make of these readers:
Elephant boy - I have an old LP record of this in my TV-tie in pile but don't know the show at all. You?
Storm boy - my older Sister used to call her son this when he was a kid. I've always assumed it was on TV. Maybe not?
Kodiak - me and my bereaved Dad used to watch this in the late Seventies. he used to maon about Ugly women in it but I have no recollection of the show at all apart from mountains. You?
Baretta - one of many TV detective shows I think I saw but can't prove it. Did you?
Charlie's Angels - now I remember this and those high-kicking femme fatales. What were they? Private investigators?
Ironside - this wheelchair -bound detective/private dick was a staple for me in the Seventies. His voice was hypnotic. Did you watch it?
Nimble Bread Ad - Now I know I can't let Maggie go. I see a hot air balloon and a Anita Harris lookalike. remember it?
Canon - I see Ironside when I think of Canon. Did they have similar faces?
Mary Mungo and Midge - was this a cartoon? I hear a croaky voice. That's all. You?
Hey Petunia - this was a TV ad. It may have been about swimming when public safety was about swimming and not viruses. Recall it?
Swims like a Fish - another TV ad. Or maybe its the same as Hey Petunia. I think it was about swimming as well. I hear the word 'birds!".
Kojak - a weekly watch of the lolly-sucking lieutenant [?] was essential Telly for me in the 70's. I liked the antics of his real-life brother Stavros too and another cop in the team with a funny name beginning with C I think. I had the die-cast toy car. I still have the board game. Did you Kojak too?
Starsky and Hutch - a similar story to Kojak, one of the big hitters of American TV in the UK in the Seventies. I can never recall which is which. I think I had the die-cast car too. Was it the same make as Kojak's? A Buick? You?
Harry O - I enjoyed this gentle American investigator's cases. I think he wore cardigans like my Dad. You remember the O?
Dickie Henderson - a smoking singer I think and one who wore a porkpie hat a lot. Again he wore cardigans like my dad and my parents liked his TV shows. I did too I think. You?
McCloud/ McMillan and Wife - light cowboy-hatted detection was the key to these I recall but McCloud sticks in my mind more. he wore cowboy boots too. Yes?
Policewoman - I used to know the actress's name and enjoyed this show a lot. There is even an action toy doll. Did you watch it?
Cagney and Lacey - Another gem I remember, the tough-talking cops were on our family telly a lot. Yours?
Sapphire and Steel - I once bought a pile of mint sealed jigsaw puzzles of this TV show but I've never seen it. I think David McCallum was on the box covers. The puzzles sold well back in the Noughties. Do you know the show?
Madigan/ Banacek - no idea at all about these.
Andy Williams - the silken voiced American crooner was on every week on his own show back in the day. His smile was infectious and he was a family favourite. Can't recall anything but singing though. You?
Man from Atlantis - I think this was a sort of Aquaman type character?
Street Hawk - no idea about this at all either.
Manimal - again a complete mystery to me.
I liked Banacek, with George Peppard as a Polish/American super Insurance Investigator! He only investigated BIG frauds ( 1 Million Dollars or more?) and the crimes were always a big puzzle, like the missing Payroll truck with the tyre tracks leading over the edge of a cliff, but no debris below (SPOILER the crooks had buried it at the top of the cliff and were going to plunder it when the heat cooled down!)
ReplyDeleteI remember snappy dialogue too, at one point Banacek's loyalties are questioned and he replies "Yes, I do have some red ties, -but they clash with this suit! -And I have some Polish links -but I keep them in the fridge!"
I remember other shows from your list too, but I'll let the other Moonbasers have some fun too!
So it was George Peppard eh Looey. Doesn't ring a bell. I wonder if its on You Tube?
DeleteMost of the progs are well-known to me. I'll pick the one I found utter bilge-water, namely Manimal. Dear oh dear oh dear. Someone must have watched Space 1999 series 2, seen Maya's transformations and come up with this drivel. Guy who can transform into various animals goes round putting the world to rights. Abysmal fluff! Down in Timmy Toad's pit of doom it goes!
ReplyDeleteha ha. So Manimal wasn't your thing eh Timmy! What was the cartoon where characters turned into animals like big cats and 'as big as an elephant'? Arabian Knights?
DeleteJust looked up Manimal toys. Plaid Stallions came to the rescue with this http://megomuseum.com/community/showthread.php?77257-Seriously-there-were-Manimal-toys I see now that the Man in the Animal was the late Simon McCorkindale. I really enjoyed his roles in the Riddle of the Sands, Jaws 3D and especially Quatermass the Conclusion [Ringstone Round, that one]. I bought and sold a Manimal Annual once. They should have called it the Mannual!
DeleteLots to like there. Kojak, McCloud, Cagney and Lacey (a favourite). Iron side not one jot like him, although both rather rotund. I have a comedy single with the TV detectives being named. 'They are all just Cannon fodder' as Cannon says. The other side is a James Bond one, (woman) Where did you learn to kiss like that? (Bond) Sucking porridge through a straw! King of the Cops and Bond is a four letter word. Pure gold!
ReplyDeleteBoth available on YouTube to listen to.
Sapphire and Steel was OK.
Andy Williams had a variety type show. He was also a top singer
That single sounds great Khusru. Wonder if its on You Tube?
DeleteWell I'll deal with Canon.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely he did NOT look like Ironside.
Played by actor William Conrad, Canon was a large, as in rotund, private detective, with a big round imposing face, receding hairline, Magnum style moustache and a booming voice.
Think the older Orson Welles, rather than Raymond Burr.
Apologies for mixing Ironside and Canon! I watched too many detectives i think. There's nothing like that now is there? On UK TV. Nothing new I mean.
DeleteHere are some odd-balls from U.S. TV long ago. Captain Nice, Mr. Terrific, and It's About Time
ReplyDeleteHi Unknown [a name would be better], don't know any of those. Not sure of they got shown in the UK?
DeleteCannon, as I should have spelled it, had great theme music, by the way, written by a guy called John Parker.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of cover versions on vinyl, part of a record collection of 60s and 70s TV and Film Themes I built up in my teens, numbering around 200 tunes. The only real collection of anything I ever put together.
Ah, double N. Right. That theme collection sounds ace Mish. A great thing to collect and you can still get records like that in charity shops if youre lucky. I had a load of 007 LP's and TMFU LP's and knockoffs too but I think I've sold them all. Send in some pics of your collection maybe?
DeleteBaretta was Robert Blake’s starring role as a detective. The cockatoo was the most memorable character for me.Angie Dickinson was the lead in Police Woman. If we’re taking this trip down memory lane, do you remember The Mod Squad, Emergency!, or Adam 12? Corgi had the license for the diecast - Kojak drove a Buick while Starsky and Hutch featured a Ford Torino.
ReplyDeleteDon't recall Baretta at all. Pr the Cockatoo. Yes, of course Dave, Angie Dickinson. Thanks! I've seen mention of Mod Squad and Emergency in my Board game and Toys books but don't remember the shows. never heard of Adam 12. Those Corgi cop cars were just ace.
DeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong, but didn't 'Emergency!' star an actor called Randolph Mantooth ?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if his friends called him Randy? Randy Mantooth! Now that's a memorable name!
DeleteYou are correct (I had to check IMDB). That just reminds me of the Plaidstallions website ... he sells a Brick Mantooth action figure. I had never made that connection
ReplyDeleteHa ha. I've seen that figure too Dave, Brick Mantooth! I'd not connected the two either. Whenever I see the Will Farrell movie with Steve Carel's character called Brick I think of that action figure!
DeleteAh, vague memories of obscure TV programs - I could write a book! Here are a few off the top of my head, mostly cartoons but not all:
ReplyDeletePhantom Agents - live-action Japanese sci-fi, dubbed! I only saw ONE episode before it was off the air! Ninjas with flying discs of death!
The Adventures of Snip & Snap - paper cutout animation, from the UK I think.
Billy Bang Bang - old western movies, sped up.
Bucky & Pepito - great early Bob Kane cartoon, before he did Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse.
Herge's Adventures of Tin-Tin - cool French cliffhanger cartoon.
Tales of the Riverbank - "live action" with a cast of animals!
Spunky & Tadpole - great early TV cartoon, great cliffhanger endings.
Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero - amazing Japanese cartoon with a boss theme song.
Ultraman - FAB kaiju half-hour, on New York TV for maybe two months.
The only one I recognise on your list is Tales from the Riverbank Zigg! Hammy Hamster and his riparian chums. Just wondrous TV. Spunky and Tadpole sounds fun. The title is brill!
DeleteElephant Boy was a 1972 series along the lines of the old movies with Indian star Sabu. A series about a boy and his elephant.
ReplyDeleteCharlie's Angels - three female private eyes (all ex-policewomen) who work for Charlie, whom they have never seen. Even the viewer only sees the back of his head, and the lovely lady of the week. Charlie is ex-OSS, forerunner of the modern CIA. There were several line-up changes over the years. Corgi did large and small pink vans with the show logo on the sides, which certainly did not appear on the show.
Ironside, 1967-75, was about a former head of San Francisco detectives who is paralysed after an assassination attempt. He still manages to solve all the major cases the new boys can not solve. The Corgi Juniors line included a model of his van.
Kojak - Corgi did large and small versions of his car.
Starsky and Hutch - Hutch was the fair one, Starsky the dark one. Corgi again did their Gran Torino in both large and small sizes.
Harry O, 1973-76, - with David Janssen from The Fugitive.
McCloud, 1970-77, was a New Mexico lawman sent to the badlands of New York to battle crime. He took his horse with him. Dennis Weaver.
McMillan and Wife was set in modern day San Francisco. Rock Hudson was the police commissioner - he and his wife solved most of the cases.
Sapphire and Steel - David McCallum as Steel, and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire, solve problems dealing with time. When Sapphire uses her powers, her eyes turn sapphire blue. Trans-uranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life.
The Man From Atlantis was the last survivor of the underwater city of Atlantis. Rescued by a marine research centre, he helps them using his special abilities.
Street Hawk was sort of Knight Rider with a motorcycle.
Super resume of the shows Paul, thanks for all that ace info. Of course, Dennis Weaver. i'd forgotten his name. And yes, McMillan is Rock Hudson. Didn't he have another show called the Rock Hudson files or something? never ever seen Sapphire and Steel. Sounds a bit like The Champions but I like the sound of it, the time problems. I'll see if its on You Tube.
DeleteSapphire and Steel is a good, if somewhat obtuse series. The two lead characters are not human and Steel is not even nice! The show is often on 'Forces TV'
DeleteI shall have to check it out Kevin, although I don't get Forces TV. That's not Freeview is it?
DeleteOh, possibly not, I watch it on Sky.
DeleteForces TV is Freeview ch.96 but its not avaiable in all regions.Also on Freesat 165 and Sky 181.
DeleteThanks Timmy.
DeleteFantastic memories everyone! You have so much better and clearer memories than I do. I need to eat more oily fish or something and quick!
ReplyDeletePerhaps some of us (Timmy Toad for sure) spent alot of our time getting square eyes by watching the telebox whilst others were doing more interesting things.
DeleteTurn off your TV set and do something ...... ha ha!
DeletePetunia and ‘swims like a fish’ were two public information films about the dangers of swimming in the sea. Petunia and her hubby sat on the edge of a cliff eating ice cream and hubby spots some poor soul drowning. Petunia is more concerned about her ice cream. The other one is anout a young lad who has trouble keeping a girlfriend. He says “I wish I didnt keep loding me birds!” And the fairy godmother pops up and says “ Learn to swim young man, learn to swim”! Weird. Cartoons like the Charlie Says one with the kid and the mad orange tabby that reminded kids not to play with matches were hilarious. Then there was the Rolf Harris live action one “Kids and water, they love it!”
ReplyDeleteYes! Well done Wote! That's them! ha ha. nothing like that on telly now. And Charlie Says. The narrator had a croaky voice. maybe it was a kid. I remember the animation being shaky like Custard. Custard the kids show I mean. I loved Custard.
DeleteYou mean 'Roobarb' Woodsy, I think. The show was called 'Roobarb', but featured a cat called Custard.
ReplyDeleteI could have sword it was called Custard Mish! ha ha. Roobarb it is. Just before the boring News at 6 I think, at which point I left my parents to it!
DeleteI didn't like Roobarb to start with (after all ,it took over the pre-news slot from them wonderful Clangers) but it soon grew on me to the point where I was able to do Custard's voice....
DeleteHmmm, I don't remember Custard's voice. I'll have to look it up Timmy.
DeleteIt was mandatory for me to have steak pudding, chips, mushy peas and scraps whilst watching after-school afternoon TV for kids, sat in the bog armchair with the plate on my lap. I washed it all down with a big glass of Tizer, which was stood on a spring-tightened plastic mini-tray, which gripped each side of one of the chair arms like a facehugger. You can't get them now I bet but they were just practical!
ReplyDeletebog? Big! I wasn't on the loo!
DeleteSounds like Heaven.
DeleteIt was and sadly missed. here in my adopted Yorkshire the suet steak pudding is not on the menu at the county's chippies alas. I have to travel to the Lancashire border to find a steamed steak pud!
DeleteA lot of these shows never made it to NZ, but here are a couple that did:
ReplyDeleteMod Squad was an American crime fighting series, 1968-73. Three troubled youths help the police. They can go undercover and fit into worlds the police can not go. Pete was the rich white boy who goes off the rails; Link was angry young black man; Julie was the ex-junkie pretty girl. A good series. Julie was a bit useless, she just stood around while the boys got into fights and got beaten up. In one episode she did hit Richard Dreyfuss (I think) over the head with a vase. Usually, she got kidnapped each week, and the boys had to rescue her. There was a 1/25th scale plastic kit of their '51 Mercury Woodie station wagon by Aurora, which included figures of the stars.
Emergency was a 1972-77 series about two Los Angeles firemen who are unable to save the life of someone who was injured, because they lacked medical training. They sign up for what was then a new idea, paramedics who can provide rescue and emergency medical care at the scene of an accident, etc. They had a Rescue Truck, which was built by the TV company to the same design as the real vehicles used for such work at the time. Once the show ended, the vehicle was given to the real LA Fire Department and used as a training vehicle. Good series. Several die-cast of their truck, Rescue 51.
Fascinating Paul. Mod Squad sounds quite violent! Really interesting info. I've seen the model Mod Squad car in my classic plastic book. Don't know Emergency at all, although there are some action figure dolls I think from the show.
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