Newsday TV Book, December 22-28, 1974 (with Celebrity Christmas Greetings).

Here it is, Christmas Eve! That's the night my family celebrated and opened presents back in the day, whoop-de-doo! Of course I didn't get to half of the projects I had planned for this season, as far as the nostalgic nonsense I savor, but what I did make was probably plenty--lots of nifty TV guide scans in various Facebook groups devoted to the New York metro TV stations of my youth (WNEW 5, WOR 9, WPIX 11), stuff at the DPiMR FB page, some videos at my "Hugo Faces" YouTube channel. Do check those out when you have some time to waste!

2024 UPDATE!

I have just now (12/14/24) scanned a bunch more pages to add to what was on here when I originally posted this five years ago. So please now to enjoy a much fuller look at Christmas week, 1974!

(Remember, click on each pic to enlarge it)

The cover is a photo of a high relief clay sculpture by Jean L(oomis). Newman. Could this person be the wife of Newsday Illustrator Bob Newman? And the credited photographer, Lee Levine, could that have been the wife of Bob's fellow artist Ned Levine? How the hell should I know? (Hey, Jean and Lee—could be their husbands, right?)

In the TV Line: Jimmy Osmond sings like a girl, Hermione Baddeley delights, and Lance Kerwin gets typoed.

Even though all the celebrity greetings I have in my NTVB collection are together in the post linked here, I'm keeping Newsday's annual check-in with the television notables (both network and local) for tidings of joy, clueless narcissism (I’m looking at you, Bruce Fairbairn) and shameless plugging.

I should give proper credit to the terrific Newsday artists whose work is seen here: Ned Levine, Gary Viskupic, Bernie Cootner, and Bob Newman.

Before I get to the big event, here's all day Sunday, just for the fun of it. (And for the pictures in the Laurette Pastry's ad, oh man I can smell those damn cookies...)

Here's Monday evening and late night, for the Scrooge Close-up and some great John Cashman reviews. I think I may have seen I Heard the Owl Call My Name, but I'm sure I read the book and liked it.

Oh boy, the big day! Meaning Christmas Eve--as I mentioned, that's when my German family celebrated it, with Christmas Day being a bit of an afterthought. (But here's that, too.)

I should also mention that the Yule Log is in there, with a close-up on the WPIX tradition. If such a thing really stuffs your stocking, then you will definitely want to take a look at
my post devoted to it!

Although it was sad that the main festivities were over, the rest of the week was fun, I guess--what with the lack of education for the rest of the year, and a bunch of new junk to play with.

I seem to remember thinking of the Yogi Bear movie (9am on WABC channel 7) as being related to Christmas, if just by proximity. Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, however... no.

I'm not a sports guy, but I might watch a show about the 1956 World Series, Yankees/Dodgers. More good Cashman reviews, too.

Here's Friday night, almost entirely for the neat Levine (Ned, that is) illustration for The 10th Victim.
(Perhaps just a smidge Viskupic-influenced...)

Here's all day Saturday, with a New Year's Eve ad for Woodro Restaurant in Hewlett (with a different motto--I greatly prefer their "Don't Potchka with the Kotchka"), a somewhat blah Viskupic entry, and a handful of some perfectly welcome Christmas leftovers.

Just because it is Christmas, I thought I'd treat you to the entire Quick Guide. (How the hell else would you know when Crow River Christmas was on channel 21? Ya wouldn't, that's how, so you're welcome! Ingrate...)

Here are some "Season's Greetings" ads from LI retailers.

Finally, the Crosswords puzzle page, which affords us the rare opportunity to see George Gobel share space with a lumber company's plea for peace.

So on behalf of George, Sam Axinn and myself, may I wish you and yours a heartfelt SHALOM!

Newsday TV Book, December 8-14, 1974

Well, I'm a little late on this one, but these old TV Books are worth a look any ol' time...
This week's cover, for the second week of December 1974, features a sultry Faye Dunaway (between Chinatown and Three Days of the Condor) in an Arthur Miller TV adaptation.

The TV Line at last introduces Newsday readers to the guy who writes those humorous, snarkilicious movie reviews (but of course you and I already know him to be John Cashman)...

Takashimaya then introduces readers to scary Japanese Santa Claus.

Christmas + Disneyland = happiness, just as Record World + cheapo LP's = shopping finished!

Some Christmas specials make for festive Sunday night viewing, plus Lou Grant tells us about Chanukah and Sonny replaces Cher with Rufus.

Another ad, from Farmingville's ever-loving Pudgies. This sounds great--I love all different foods!

Rent your holiday shindig from Huntington Village's Good Time Party Rentals. Free coat rack, sweet!

Elliot Gould goes Out to Lunch with some Muppets and the Electric Company, and again Ed Asner breaks down Hanukkah for us, just with a different spelling this time.

Illustrator Gary Viskupic gives the Earth some shapely gams for the Miss World 1974 close-up.

Here, Viskupic (a WWII buff, I've read) depicts Hitler's familiar salute as the barrel of a cannon for a multi-part bio of the that lunatic. Elsewhere, Christopher Connelly Paper Moon-lights on Ironside.

Here's Saturday's late listings, just for fun...

...and that day's movies, plus sports and specials for the week.

Next week (and hopefully sooner than this one arrived): Tony Orlando and Dawn!

Newsday TV Book, December 1-7, 1974

The first week of December, 1974, brought Long Island Newsday readers a 3D cover, with John-Boy Walton earning his Red Badge of Courage--by charging right atcha!

While there are interesting tidbits about Ol' Blue Eyes' heritage, Pa Ingalls fiddling around, and Darren McGavin's resume, I'm inclined toward titling this edition of TV Line "Someone in Wyandanch Gives a Shit about Laurel and Hardy."

The cover story is a real snore (unless you're jazzed to read about Richard Thomas' summer stock experiences) so here instead is the eggnog-flavored cheesecake of Holiday Spas.

In a previous installment, I gave shout-outs to the fellas trodding the sales floor at Eldee. Two years later, Irv and Ken are toast, replaced by Luke Chicco and Sal Paduano. They look like closers to me!

Another Hicks ad (see post from two weeks ago), plus, hey, here's an idea: let's look at some damn TV listings already!

The late listings for Tuesday include a Gary Viskupic illustration for the cover feature.

Let's skip the morose, gender-fluid clown Boris and learn a bisl about Hanukkah, then we'll watch that farchadat Santa Claus come to town.

Screw it, I'm going back to the ads, mostly because I want to sincerely wish all my readers a Waste King Christmas.

And finally, I'll forego the back cover pitch since it's the same as last week's (and will remain there for the rest of the year), and present in its place the ad that preceded it, for Bay Shore Farmers Market. This was the first appearance of Bay Shore Man, seen whipping his nemesis, The Inflation-pillar.

To my knowledge, this was also the last appearance of Bay Shore Man.
See you next time--it will get Christmasier, I swear!