March 8, 2021

What's on TV: Saturday, March 8, 1980




This is one of those days that reminds me how problematic television in 1980s is. Now, I don't want to step on anyone's toes (and if you saw the size of my shoes, you wouldn't want me to, either), but look at some of these morning cartoons: The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour? Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo? The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show? Has Plastic Man even made it to the movies yet?  Primetime isn't much better, considering the forgettable lineups for CBS and NBC; I suspect it's mostly due to the dominance of ABC's Saturday night lineup, particularly The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. CBS alone would have seven different Saturday night schedules during the season, while NBC had five. How many of you remember Hagen, a legal drama starring Chad Everett? Look fast; it was only on for seven weeks. The Chisholms started out as a miniseries in 1979, and worked its way into the Saturday night lineup; it will soon be replaced by The Tim Conway Show. And Tom Snyder's Prime Time Saturday apparently wasn't ready for prime time, was it? At least we're ready with the listings, this week from the New Hampshire Edition—which, you'll notice, consists mostly of stations in Boston and Portland. As I alluded to on Saturday, it's a complicated market.

 
-2- WGBH (BOSTON) (PBS)
 
MORNING
 
    8:00
SESAME STREET—Children
 
    9:00
MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD—Children
 
    9:30
ZOOM—Children
 
  10:00
SESAME STREET—Children
 
  11:00
3-2-1 CONTACT—Children
 
  11:30
HAROLD LLOYD’S WORLD OF COMEDY—Documentary
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
WASHINGTON WEEK IN REVIEW
 
  12:30
WORLD WAR II: G.I. DIARY
 
    1:00
OVER EASY—Hugh Downs
Guest: Molly Picon
 
    1:30
OVER EASY—Hugh Downs
Guest: Patti Page
 
    2:00
OVER EASY—Hugh Downs
Guest: Jose Greco
 
    2:30
OVER EASY—Hugh Downs
Guest: Edie Adams
 
    3:00
OVER EASY—Hugh Downs
Guest: Phyllis Diller
 
    3:30
KUP’S SHOW
 
    4:30
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
 
    
Guest: Ray Charles 
 
    5:30
AS WE SEE IT
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
LA PLAZA—Raquel Ortiz
 
    6:30
ELLIOT NORTON REVIEWS—Discussion
 
    7:00
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Included: “The Black Marble”
 
    7:30
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Special: “The Invisible World”
 
    8:45
FRED ASTAIRE: PUTTIN’ ON HIS TOP HAT
Special
 
    9:45
MOVIE—Musical
“In the Good Old Summertime” (1949)
 
 
 
-4- WBZ (BOSTON) (NBC)
 
MORNING
 
    6:00
INTERNATIONAL ZONE—Documentary
 
    6:30
CARRASCOLENDAS—Children
 
    7:00
MUNDO REAL
 
    7:30
FOR KIDS ONLY—Ron Robin
 
    8:00
GODZILLA, GLOBETROTTERS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
FRED AND BARNEY MEET THE SHMOO—Cartoon
 
  10:30
DAFFY DUCK—Cartoon
 
  11:00
GET OFF YOUR BLOCK—Children
 
  11:30
NEWS
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
HOT HERO SANDWICH—Children
 
    1:00
MARLO AND THE MAGIC MOVIE MACHINE—Children
 
    1:30
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    3:45
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    5:45
NCAA BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
NEWS
 
    6:30
NBC NEWS—Jane Pauley
 
    7:00
GUINNESS GAME
 
    7:30
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES—Game
 
    8:00
CHiPs—Crime Drama
 
    9:00
BJ AND THE BEAR
 
  10:00
PRIME TIME SATURDAY—Tom Snyder
 
  11:00
NEWS
 
  11:30
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Host: Rodney Dangerfield. Guest: J. Geils Band
 
    1:00
DON KIRSHNER’S ROCK CONCERT
KISS, Gloria Gaynor, New England, Roger & Roger
 
    2:30
MOVIE—Comedy
“The Monte Carlo Story” (Italian; 1957)
 
    4:30
MOVIE—Drama BW 
“Woman and the Hunter” (1957)
 
 
 
-5- WCVB (BOSTON) (ABC)
 
MORNING
 
    6:00
BETTER WAY—Consumer Report
 
    6:30
JABBERWOCKY—Children
 
    7:00
BARBAPAPA—Cartoon
 
    7:30
CAPTAIN BOB—Children
 
    8:00
WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
PLASTIC MAN—Cartoons
 
  10:30
SCOOBY AND SCRAPY-DOO—Cartoons
 
  11:30
KIDSWORLD—Children
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
CANDLEPIN BOWLING
 
    1:00
CANDLEPIN SUPERBOWL
 
    3:30
PRO BOWLING
Fair Lanes Open, Washington, D.C.
 
    5:00
WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
Boxing: Earnie Shaves vs. Bernrdo Mercado; speed skating; gymnastics; downhill skiing
 
EVENING
 
    6:30
NEWS
 
    7:00
LAWRENCE WELK
 
    8:00
ONE IN A MILLION—Comedy
 
    8:30
ROPERS
 
    9:00
LOVE BOAT
 
  10:00
FANTASY ISLAND
 
  11:00
NEWS
 
  11:30
MOVIE—Comedy BW 
“The Shop Around the Corner” (1940)
 
    1:30
FIVE ALL NIGHT/LIVE ALL NIGHT—Matt Siegel
Guest: Taj Mahal
 
    3:30
ABC NEWS
 
    3:45
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE BW 
 
    4:15
FIVE ALL NIGHT
 
    4:30
GOOD DAY!
Guests: The Ink Spots
 
 
 
-6- WCSH (PORTLAND) (NBC)
 
MORNING
 
    6:35
NEWS EXTRA
 
    6:45
NEWS
 
    7:00
AG-USA
 
    7:30
KIDSWORLD—Children
 
    8:00
GODZILLA, GLOBETROTTERS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
FRED AND BARNEY MEET THE SHMOO—Cartoon
 
  10:30
DAFFY DUCK—Cartoon
 
  11:00
CASPER AND THE ANGELS—Cartoon
 
  11:30
JETSONS—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
EMERGENCY ONE!—Drama
 
    1:00
YOUNG MATADOR—Motorcycle Racing
 
    1:30
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    3:45
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    5:45
NCAA BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
NEWS
 
    6:30
NBC NEWS—Jane Pauley
 
    7:00
MUPPET SHOW—Variety
Guests: Mark Hamill, R2-D2, C-3PO
 
    7:30
DANCE FEVER
Judges: Mimi Kennedy, Ron Palillo, Gavin MacLeod. Host: Deney Terrio
 
    8:00
CHiPs—Crime Drama
 
    9:00
BJ AND THE BEAR
 
  10:00
PRIME TIME SATURDAY—Tom Snyder
 
  11:00
NEWS
 
  11:30
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Host: Rodney Dangerfield. Guest: J. Geils Band
 
    1:00
MOVIE—Musical BW 
“Hallelujah, I’m a Bum” (1933)
 
 
 
-7- WNAC (BOSTON) (CBS)
 
MORNING
 
    6:25
GREATER BOSTONIANS—Music
 
    6:30
SUNRISE SEMESTER
Learning to Write/Writing to Learn
 
    7:00
REBOP—Children
 
    7:30
VEGETABLE SOUP—Children
 
    8:00
MIGHTY MOUSE/HECKLE AND JECKLE—Cartoons
 
    9:00
BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons
 
  10:30
POPEYE—Cartoons
 
  11:30
FAT ALBERT—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
SHAZAM!—Children
 
  12:30
SUPER 7—Cartoons
 
    1:30
30 MINUTES
 
    2:00
UP FRONT—Ted O’Brien
 
    2:30
JOKER! JOKER!! JOKER!!!—Game
 
    3:00
STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO—Crime Drama
 
    4:00
SPORTS SPECTACULAR
Boxing: Leon Spinks vs. Eddie Lopez; Men’s World Speed Skating Championships
 
    5:00
GOLF
Special: Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, third rond
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
NEWS
 
    6:30
BLACK NEWS
 
    7:00
DANCE FEVER
Judges: Eva Gabor, Gower Champion, David Hodo. Deney Terrio is the host.
 
    7:30
SHA NA NA—Variety
 
    8:00
CHISHOLMS—Western
 
    9:00
HAWAII FIVE-O—Crime Drama
 
  10:00
HAGEN—Drama
 
  11:00
NEWS
 
  11:30
SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY
Special
 
  12:00
MOVIE—Adventure
“Man in the Wilderness” (1971)
 
    2:00
MOVIE—Comedy BW 
“I Was a Male War Bride” (1949)
 
    3:30
NEWS
 
    4:00
GREATER BOSTONIANS—Music
 
 
 
-8- WMTW (POLAND SPRING) (ABC)
 
MORNING
 
    6:00
NEW YOU—Health
 
    7:00
TO BE ANNOUNCED
 
    7:30
KROFFT SUPERSTARS—Children
 
    8:00
WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
PLASTIC MAN—Cartoons
 
  10:30
SCOOBY AND SCRAPY-DOO—Cartoons
 
  11:30
CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
WEEKEND SPECIAL
 
  12:30
AMERICA’S ATHLETES—1980
 
    2:00
AUTO RACING
International Race of Champions
 
    2:45
AMERICAN SPORTSMAN
 
    3:30
PRO BOWLING
Fair Lanes Open, Washington, D.C.
 
    5:00
WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
Boxing: Earnie Shaves vs. Bernrdo Mercado; speed skating; gymnastics; downhill skiing
 
EVENING
 
    6:30
HIGH SCHOOL QUIZ
Windham Vs. South Windham
 
    7:00
LAWRENCE WELK
 
    8:00
ONE IN A MILLION—Comedy
 
    8:30
ROPERS
 
    9:00
LOVE BOAT
 
  10:00
FANTASY ISLAND
 
  11:00
ABC NEWS
 
  11:15
MOVIE—Drama BW 
“The Sweet Sound of Death” (Spanish; 1965)
 
 
 
-9- WMUR (MANCHESTER) (ABC)
 
MORNING
 
    8:00
WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
PLASTIC MAN—Cartoons
 
  10:30
SCOOBY AND SCRAPY-DOO—Cartoons
 
  11:30
CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
WEEKEND SPECIAL
 
  12:30
AMERICAN BANDSTAND
Guests: Bonnie Pointer, the Beat
 
    2:00
AUTO RACING
International Race of Champions
 
    2:45
AMERICAN SPORTSMAN
 
    3:30
PRO BOWLING
Fair Lanes Open, Washington, D.C.
 
    5:00
WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
Boxing: Earnie Shaves vs. Bernrdo Mercado; speed skating; gymnastics; downhill skiing
 
EVENING
 
    6:30
THRILLSEEKERS
 
    7:00
HEE HAW
Guests: Dennis Weaver, Dottsy, Randy Boone, Woody Woodbury
 
    8:00
ONE IN A MILLION—Comedy
 
    8:30
ROPERS
 
    9:00
LOVE BOAT
 
  10:00
FANTASY ISLAND
 
  11:00
ABC NEWS
 
  11:15
MOVIE—Drama
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945)
 
 
 
11 WENH (DURHAM) (PBS)
 
MORNING
 
    8:00
SESAME STREET—Children
 
    9:00
MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD—Children
 
    9:30
ONCE UPON A CLASSIC—Children
 
  10:00
WILD, WILD WORLD OF ANIMALS
 
  10:30
VOYAGE OF CHARLES DARWIN—Drama
 
  11:30
FOOTSTEPS
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
GROWING YEARS—Instruction
 
  12:30
JULIA CHILD AND MORE COMPANY
 
    1:00
AMERICANS—Documentary
 
    2:00
NOVA
 
    3:00
MOVIE—Adventure BW 
“Captain Kidd” (1945)
 
    4:40
MOVIE—Biography BW 
“Pride of the Yankees” (1942)
 
EVENING
 
    7:00
SPEAKING OF LOVE: LEO BUSCAGLIA—Lecture
 
    8:00
SONGS OF A LUSTY LAND
Special: Host Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Haggard, Kay Starr, Tom T. Hall, Linda Hopkins, the Sons of the Pioneers
 
  10:00
MOVIE—Musical
“Can-Can” (1960)
 
 
 
12 WMEB (ORONO) (PBS)
 
MORNING
 
    8:00
SESAME STREET—Children
 
    9:00
MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD—Children
 
    9:30
ONCE UPON A CLASSIC—Children
 
  10:00
AS WE SEE IT
 
  10:30
FREE TO CHOOSE—Economics
 
  11:30
NOVA
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:40
WOODS AND WATERS
 
    1:15
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL—Drama
 
    2:10
BOGART—Profile
 
    3:15
MOVIE—Drama BW 
“Dead End” (1937)
 
    5:00
LEGIS*STATE
 
    5:30
TO NORWAY: HOME OF GIANTS—Comedy
Host: Norman Fearless (John Cleese)
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
FOOTSTEPS
 
    6:30
ANOTHER VOICE—Interview
 
    7:00
ONCE UPON A CLASSIC
 
    7:30
AGRONSKY AND COMPANY--Discussion
 
    8:00
SONGS OF A LUSTY LAND
Special: Host Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Haggard, Kay Starr, Tom T. Hall, Linda Hopkins, the Sons of the Pioneers
 
  10:00
MOVIE—Musical
“Can-Can” (1960)
 
 
 
13 WGAN (PORTLAND) (CBS)
 
MORNING
 
    6:00
MAINE WEATHER
 
    6:30
SUNRISE SEMESTER
Learning to Write/Writing to Learn
 
    7:00
MARIO AND THE MAGIC MOVIE MACHINE—Children
 
    7:30
COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER—Comedy-Drama
 
    8:00
MIGHTY MOUSE/HECKLE AND JECKLE—Cartoons
 
    9:00
BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER—Cartoons
 
  10:30
POPEYE—Cartoons
 
  11:30
FAT ALBERT—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
SHAZAM!—Children
 
  12:30
SUPER 7—Cartoons
 
    1:30
30 MINUTES
 
    2:00
WRESTLING
 
    3:00
IRONSIDE—Crime Drama
 
    4:00
NORM CROSBY’S THE COMEDY SHOP
Guests: Jim Brown, Corbett Monica, Roberta Kent
 
    4:30
SPORTS SPECTACULAR
Boxing: Leon Spinks vs. Eddie Lopez; Men’s World Speed Skating Championships
[Joined in progress.]
 
    5:00
GOLF
Special: Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, third rond
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
NEWS
 
    6:30
CBS NEWS—Bob Schieffer
 
    7:00
HEE HAW
Guests: Dennis Weaver, Dottsy, Randy Boone, Woody Woodbury
 
    8:00
CHISHOLMS—Western
 
    9:00
HAWAII FIVE-O—Crime Drama
 
  10:00
HAGEN—Drama
 
  11:00
NEWS
 
  11:30
SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY
Special
 
  12:00
MOVIE—Comedy
“Move” (1970)
 
 
 
31 WNNE (HANOVER) (NBC)
 
MORNING
 
    7:30
BAY CITY ROLLERS—Cartoon
 
    8:00
GODZILLA, GLOBETROTTERS—Cartoon
 
    9:00
FRED AND BARNEY MEET THE SHMOO—Cartoon
 
  10:30
DAFFY DUCK—Cartoon
 
  11:00
CASPER AND THE ANGELS—Cartoon
 
  11:30
JETSONS—Cartoon
 
AFTERNOON
 
    1:00
NCAA BASKETBALL SPECIAL
Special
 
    1:30
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    3:45
NCAA BASKETBALL
Special: Second-round game
 
    5:45
NCAA BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
SHA NA NA—Variety
Guest: Freddy Fender
 
    6:30
NBC NEWS—Jane Pauley
 
    7:00
AMERICA’S ATHLETES—1980
 
    8:00
CHiPs—Crime Drama
 
    9:00
BJ AND THE BEAR
 
  10:00
PRIME TIME SATURDAY—Tom Snyder
 
  11:00
PORTER WAGONER—Music
 
  11:30
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Host: Rodney Dangerfield. Guest: J. Geils Band
 
 
 
38 WSBK (BOSTON) (Ind.)
 
MORNING
 
    6:00
HAZEL—Comedy
 
    6:30
HAZEL—Comedy
 
    7:00
TENNIS
Peter Fleming vs. Tim Gullickson
 
    8:00
FAITH FOR TODAY
 
    8:30
VIEWPOINT ON NUTRITION
 
    9:00
VILLA ALEGRE—Children
 
    9:30
CARRASCOLENDAS—Children
 
  10:00
HOT FUDGE—Children
 
  10:30
MOVIE—Comedy BW 
“Blondie’s Big Deal” (1949)
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
MOVIE—Comedy BW 
“High Society” (1955)
 
    2:30
MOVIE—Mystery BW 
“Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Claw” (1944)
 
    4:00
MOVIE—Drama
“The Adding Machine” (English; 1969)
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
WILD, WILD WEST—Adventure
 
    7:00
FAMILY FEUD—Game
 
    7:30
FAMILY FEUD—Game
 
    8:00
NHL HOCKEY
Boston Bruins at New York Islanders
 
  10:30
BRUINS WRAP-UP
 
  11:00
SECOND CITY TELEVISION—Comedy
 
  11:30
MOVIE—Mystery BW 
“Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum” (1940)
 
    1:00
ROCKWORLD—Music
Guests: Jethro Tull, U-Roy
 
    1:30
MOVIE—Mystery BW 
“The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1939)
 
    3:00
MOVIE—Adventure BW 
“The Jungle” (1952)
 
    4:15
MOVIE—Drama BW 
“Heat Wave” (English; 1954)
 
    5:30
MOVIE—Comedy BW 
“It Had to Be You” (1947)
 
 
 
44 WGBX (BOSTON) (PBS)
 
AFTERNOON
 
    5:00
QUE PASA, U.S.A.?
 
    5:30
INDIAN ART
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
SESAME STREET—Children
 
    7:00
ONCE UPON A CLASSIC
 
    7:30
DIAMOND RIVERS—Documentary
 
    8:00
SONGS OF A LUSTY LAND
Special: Host Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Haggard, Kay Starr, Tom T. Hall, Linda Hopkins, the Sons of the Pioneers
 
    9:50
THAT GREAT AMERICAN GOSPEL SOUND—Music
Tennessee Ernie Ford, Della Reese, the Jordanaires, the Happy Goodman Family, Micki Fuhrman, the Fisk Jubilee Singers
 
 
 
56 WLVI (BOSTON) (Ind.)
 
MORNING
 
    8:30
MUSIC AND THE SPOKEN WORD—Religion
 
    9:00
ORAL ROBERTS—Religion
 
    9:30
JIMMY SWAGGART—Religion
 
  10:30
DE TODO UN POCO—In Spanish
 
  11:00
WRESTLING
 
AFTERNOON
 
  12:00
THEN CAME BRONSON—Drama
 
    1:00
MOVIE—Thriller BW 
“Monster on the Campus” (1958)
 
    2:30
MOVIE—Thriller BW 
“The Thing That Couldn’t Die” (1958)
 
    4:00
MOVIE—Western
“The Savage” (1953)
 
EVENING
 
    6:00
HAPPY DAYS AGAIN—Comedy
 
    6:30
SANFORD AND SON—Comedy
 
    7:00
STAR TREK—Science Fiction
 
    8:00
MOVIE—Biography BW 
“The Joker is Wild” (1957)
 
  10:30
ROALD DAHL’S TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
 
  11:00
NORM CROSBY’S THE COMEDY SHOP
 
  11:30
MOVIE—Thriller
“The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)

TV  

3 comments:

  1. For those a little surprised, yes WCBV-5, the ABC Affiliate in Boston DIDN'T Clear "American Bandstand", and did so on and off for years - thankfully the ABC affiliates in New Hampshire right on the border (WMUR-9 Manchester) and the ABC Affiliate in nearby Providence, RI (WLNE/WPRI Depending on the year) Did!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your Facebook entry asked for feedback on these Saturday cartoons. This was a definite sign of decline. CBS had too many retreads, NBC was about as irrelevant as it was in every other time slot, and ABC won the day almost by default.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember this edition from when we stayed at our family cabin in NH 3 miles from the Maine border. We received the 3 network affiliates from Portland, though the picture from WGAN-TV was usually pretty bad. I was surprised that this edition carried a PBS station from Orono (just outside Bangor) instead of Augusta, from where we did receive a faint picture. Once when we were over the border in Maine, I bought the Maine edition, and it had listings for more stations we received than the NH edition. Once I can remember receiving a fuzzy picture on WLBZ-TV, ch. 2 out of Bangor, which was also not in the NH edition. WMTW-TV had a great signal in the area (due to having a transmitter on top of NH high point Mt. Washington), as I heard it could be seen in W. Vermont (and was listed in TV Guide there also). A friend of mine told me though that his family couldn't receive WMTW-TV in a rural area about 100 miles north of Portland, so he was unable to watch ABC through a lot of his childhood years.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for writing! Drive safely!