Around the dial

At Comfort TV, David's journey through 1970s prime-time TV brings him (and us) to Friday nights, 1976. For a schoolkid, Friday nights were the best nights of the week, and in a night with movies on two of the three networks, NBC offers three shows you're sure to remember.

Jodie returns at Garroway at Large with a Today Show feature on the Whirlpool Space Kitchen that comes very late in Garroway's run on the show. It's an archival treasure not just for what it tells us about Dave after so many years on the show, but a delightfully optimistic take on what the future could do for us.

At Cult TV Blog, John looks at the 1973-74 Walter Mittyesque sitcom Billy Liar, based on the movie of the same name, and the episode "Billy and the Scales of Justice." Is ths show as much fun to watch as it must have been to make? Well, that's up for debate; see what John thinks.

Garry Berman hearkens back to a time when a talk show host had a run-in with his network and left the air, albeit temporarily. We all know who that was, right? Jack Paar. Take a look back at one of the most memorable, and infamous, moments in TV history.

At Mavis Movie Madness, Paul uses the 70th anniversary of James Dean's death to look back at the 1981 East of Eden miniseries, featuring an all-star cast led by the star-making performance of Jane Seymour. How did it measure up to its storied film predecessor? You might be surprised.

A pair from Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts: the 40th birthday of The Golden Girls, a show of which I have never seen a single episode, although I readily concede its small place in television history; and a tribute to the legendary Robert Redford, who appeared in many a drama in TV's early days.

To be honest, I wasn't sure TV Guide still did a Fall Preview issue; it's been so long since I watched network TV that I wasn't even sure there was still a Fall season. But Robert bailed us out at Television Obscurities with his thoughts on this year's edition.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger's tour of The A-Team comes to "Water, Water Everywhere," and some perspective comments on our four heroes are really misfits who've come together to form a Team. And how great that is when it happens.

Finally, in this week's round of self-promotion, you'll want to check out my terrific interview with Tommy Kovac on his "Splat from the Past" podcast, which touches on details that I haven't had a chance to discuss on other programs. And my latest "Two Minute Author" video is also up, in which I discuss the tantalizing British telemovie The Year of the Sex Olympics. Enjoy! TV

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