I’m not embarrassed to admit I loved watching variety shows as a kid. We would laugh our butts off over The Carol Burnett Show or The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Those shows were downright funny. But like any other successful genre, networks overdid it. They flooded the airwaves with variety shows—most of them forgettable, some of them unwatchable, and a few so awkward they became legends in their own strange way. That’s why I’m inviting you on a little journey through some of the most awkward variety shows of the ’70s. In the days before cable and streaming, we Continue Reading
Nostalgia TV
Nostalgia TV: What is it and who is it for? Nostalgia TV pays homage to the TV specials, series, and movies that made up our youth. Whether we’re exploring some Very Special Episodes or checking in on Creepy Children Shows, there’s something for everyone in the Nosgtalgia TV category.
Little House on the Prairie: Season 1, Episode 3 – 100 Mile Walk
Hey recappers! Today, we’re going to summarize the next episode of Little House on the Prairie, “100 Mile Walk.” We start, of course, with the familiar music. Girls running, Ma and Pa looking on in delight, and Carrie falling in the grass as Carrie does. We open with Pa standing in an immense wheat field, thanking the heavens for his bounty. Fun Fact: In real life, despite years of trying, Pa never had a successful crop. He was not the farmer we were led to believe with TV Charles Ingalls. Pa Ingalls Grows a Wheat Crop Pa has the girls Continue Reading
Little House on the Prairie: Season 1, Episode 2 Country Girls
I’m really excited today, recappers. We’re diving into Season 1, Episode 2 of Little House on the Prairie, “Country Girls.” Ladies and gentlemen, Nellie Oleson is in the house! I was only ten when this episode aired in 1974, and while I may have seen it once or twice as a kid since then, it’s been decades. If it’s not apparent, I haven’t watched Little House in decades. When choosing an older series to recap, I landed on this one because it would be like watching it anew since I didn’t catch it in reruns over the years. That said, Continue Reading
Creepy Children’s Shows of the ’70s: What Were They Thinking?
In the ’70s, what was often considered wholesome family programming could also traumatize a kid. Not that shows were violent or inappropriate, but the characters, despite their supposedly positive message, were flat-out scary. Whether it was claymation, makeup, bad lighting, or over-the-top costumes, the ’70s weren’t short on creepy children’s shows. As someone born in the mid-60s but growing up primarily in the 70s, I’m not sure we necessarily thought these shows were creepy at the time. Some of the characters, like WitchiePoo from H.R. Pufnstuf and the Sleestak and Cha-ka from Land of the Lost, certainly did give off Continue Reading
The Brady Bunch: Season 1, Episode 1: The Honeymoon
In the late 60s and early 70s, Friday night was the night! First, the Brady Bunch, then the Patriridge Family. Then bed. But older teenagers and grown-ups watched Room 222 and Love American Style afterwards, because apparently they were inappropriate for youngsters like me. Today, we’re going to focus on one of the best 70s sitcoms ever, The Brady Bunch! Here’s the story…of the Brady Bunch. I loved this show. Watching it weekly on a Friday night, surrounded by my parents and my many brothers and sisters, this was a special event. The Brady Bunch and Partridge Family, which we’ll Continue Reading
Introducing the Very Special Episode: A Staple of 70’s, 80s, and 90s TV
In the 70s, 80s, and 90’s if a sitcom advertised a “Very Special Episode,” kids knew they were in for a lecture. At first, they fell for the con. How could they miss an episode that is being advertised as “very special?” They did their homework, ate everything on their plates, and even helped to clean up after dinner. Nothing would get in the way of viewing something advertised as a Very Special Episode. This is especially true in the days before VCRs, DVDs, and DVRs became mainstream. If kids missed an episode, they missed it. They had to watch Continue Reading
Little House on the Prairie Pilot: Season 1 Episode 0
We begin our recaps with the Little House on the Prairie pilot, a made-for-TV movie that originally aired in March 1974. This was America’s introduction to the TV Ingalls family. We were soon to learn that the series that was to become Little House on the Prairie bore little resemblance to the historical fiction books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder,. They bore even less resemblance to the true-life adventures of the Ingalls and Wilder families. Little House on the Prairie Pilot: Opening Scene The Little House on the Prairie Pilot opens in the snow-covered Big Woods of Wisconsin, where the Continue Reading