Newsday TV Book, December 30, 1973-January 5, 1974.

I wanted to have this one up before New Year's Eve, but it's taken a bit of effort to get it done because a handful of my wireless keyboard keys have crapped out on me. Until I figure out how to fix it, I'm typing as usual and then filling in the gaps with the on-screen keyboard. I suppose I could try some farchadat voice-to-text program, but that sounds like a bunch o' dang voo-doo to me!

Not surprisingly, football is the subject of the cover (drawn by Art Sudduth, with cover story by Stan Isaacs) for the final week of 1973.

Click the pics, they'll get better!

“Uncle Smilie” (it’s Uncle Smiley, actually) gets a shout-out in the TV Line, as do Wally and Beaver's fat friends.

Here's that cover story, if you're into that sort of thing.

Enjoy all day Sunday, Monday (New Year's Eve), and Tuesday (New Year's Day).

On Patchwork Family, puppeteer Cary Antebi is credited as performing “Rags.” He also played “Sherlock,” the pink squirrel, on Magic Garden. (If you knew this, you need to either never read this blog again or only read this blog.

Sam Axinn Lumber Company has printed other very nice ads in the pages of Newsday over the years, and here they thank their customers for a good '73 (alongside the Wednesday morning schedule).

Now here's that day's late sched, just for the pic of Rod Serling. As a fellow balding guy I totally get it, Rod, but I assure you that strapping a cockapoo to your head is no solution.

Thursday afternoon's listings have a Viskupic illustration, and the late-night ones have the once-not-under-appreciated Alan King.

Honestly, I haven't looked that closely at Friday's late-night offerings, I just love the amount of detail that went into the descriptions! (Plus, of course, some great John Cashman takes, including his customary potshot at poor Vera Hruba Ralston's puss.)

Saturday of course meant lots of horror, sci-fi, and western flicks... and the return of daylight saving time, FOUR months early?!?

Next Sunday's shows are previewed, and Eddie D's Hair Piece Center showcases a weave somewhere between Serling and a Stray Cat.

Newsday religion writer Briggs takes a look at "Religious America," a PBS series making its debut, and we take a look at Sarah, a Pentecostal ex-drug dealer (looking more grumpy than bubbly in this shot).

Finally, some ads, including an oddly cheesecake-less one for Holiday Spa (still in Plainview at this point, but not for much longer).

Happy New Year! We're still alive! What are the odds?

Newsday TV Book, December 23-29, 1973.

I've previously written a post using this TV Book, along with the Christmas 1983 issue, in a sort of compare-and-contrast a decade apart. Now, however, I thought I'd give it a post of its own.

We'll start, as ever, with the cover, the second Christmas issue in the TV Book's history.
Seen here about a season-and-a-half into Maude, Bill Macy (born Wolf Martin Garber) looks every bit the meshuggeneh goy in his festive sweater and scarf, Santa hat, and gypsum snowman.

For whatever reason, after just one year of printing holiday wishes from celebrities both national and local, the Long Island newspaper chose to skip it this year, instead having Macy create a wish list for both the characters of his show and the actors. My favorite thing about it is that, in conjuring an imaginary gift for Bea Arthur, he invents the DVR and Turner Classic Movies!

Here's a double dose of TV Line for you--must be Christmas!

The Sunday schedules include an angelic Viskupic close-up on that year's Boston Pops program, plus a whole mess o' seasonal shows for "Christmas Eve Eve."

Monday (Christmas Eve) was the big day in my home, presents exchanged that night, with some years turning into an all-night rager! (Well, that's how it felt as a kiddie when I'd look at the electric clock over the refrigerator to see that it was three o' damn clock in the morning, pretty exciting stuff...) Christmas Day follows, natch.

At the center of the issue was a two-page spread of ads for LI establishments offering a hot New Year's Eve, including my hometown's Camelot Pub (in the Plainview Pickwick Motor Inn), plus a few in nearby Hicksville and Westbury.

**Don't forget--you can click on any of these pics to enlarge and clarify.**

Here's Friday evening, with a Viskupic caricature of Nelson Rockefeller (or his big ol' noggin, anyway).

Here's all day Saturday, with a couple of belated Christmas treats sprinkled in.
(The tennis close-up illustration, by the way, is by Michael Killelea, Art Director for Newsday around this time. He keeps a Facebook page and a website devoted to his lovely plein air watercolors.)

You must be on the "nice" list, because Santa left the whole dang Quick Guide!

AND a bonus article about Joe Franklin? Man, I don't even want to know what you did to rub St. Nick the right way... especially if it involved actual rubbing!

That's all, folks--I hope you're enjoying the season, and if the Ghosts of Christmas Past help you do it, then dig around in this blog--it's downright haunted by them!
Merry Christmas!