Newsday TV Book, January 12-18, 1975.

I've had these pages scanned for ages and just now realized I never posted them! What was everyone doing while I starved them of this entertainment? Judging from my news feed, they were watching Bridgerton, which I suspect will be the show I hear the name of most in 2021 without actually ever seeing so much as one second of. Let's get back to a truly better time (that is, better than now and whenever the fuck Bridgerton is set): 1975!

The brothers known as Smothers arrive at their bar mitzvah gig in time to be interviewed by the late, great Bill Kaufman. (Click pics to enlarge, Squinty.)

In the TV Line, we learn that Topo Gigio is translated as "Mouse Gigio," and that the Name That Tune theme is called "The Name That Tune Theme." Also, K.G. of West Hempstead can't be bothered to get up off his or her ass and go to a library to find out if Laura Ingalls Wilder is still kicking.

Superbowl Sunday wasn't always such a big deal. Here, it gets the Viskupic treatment with a generic footballer in a cape. The Cashman reviews, as usual, are succinctly edifying.

I don't see a signature, but I think that's a Ned Levine illustration for The Sterile Cuckoo, and more Cashman reviews for late Monday.

Another Viskupic, this one for the hillbilly Romeo and Juliet. This page of Wednesday listings begins with John Davidson making merry with Mike Douglas, ends with his dental ditty.

I often finish these postings with the entire Saturday schedule (in fact, here is the one for this week, which I apparently wrote up a year ago), but this time I'm changing it up with all of Friday instead. I know, it's a shock, but for god's sake, pull yourself together in time for Joya's Fun School! (No, not Joya's Run School, you dopey typesetter!)

Carl Kolchak in the crossword!

Finally, here's an ad that I mostly just liked for the color, but also to demonstrate that Harrow's was more than vinyl pools and faux-fir Christmas trees, it was billiard tables of oak and avocado.

I'll try to cover the next chronological issue at some point, but in any case I'll be back soon with some nonsense or other... Stay tuned!

Newsday TV Book, January 5-11, 1975.

I haven't done much with my Newsday TV books from 1975 (I only have the first two months), so to remedy that, here's a look at the issue for the first full week of the year. The cover features an appropriately chilly Newman drawing of Richard Chamberlain as The Count of Monte Cristo, a Bell System Family Theater special on NBC.

In the TV Line, D.DiP. (from my hometown of Plainview) feels for Chaka Khan. Plus, some info on your various Baddeleys, and various failed movies, TV shows and relationships.

I present Sunday afternoon for the Gary Viskupic illustration accompanying the Ali/Foreman close-up, but there are several edifying John Cashman reviews--negative and positive--to be found in there too.

Here's a look at the weekday afternoon schedule that began the year, Monday listings with a close-up on the new ABC morning show AM America, co-hosted by my favorite local newscaster of my childhood, WABC's Bill Beutel.

Tuesday's late-night page has another Viskupic sketch, this one demonstrating how Early Man evolved into Stephen Bishop.

Tennessee Ernie Ford pre-empts Petrocelli for his CBS special, Tennessee Ernie's Nashville-Moscow Express, starring precisely zero other celebrities.
(Could've at least thrown Barry Newman a little pea-pickin' bone.)

Now here's all of Saturday, just because, as Spanky once sang, "It's Saturday, oh it's Saturday, with a hey-nonny-nonny and a hot-cha-cha!"
Oh, and there's yet another Viskupic pic, of John Wayne having a laugh with his cowboy elves.

Last but not least, some New Year ads, some with old clip art, and one with hubba-hubba!

Next week: The Brothers Smothers get an article about working for their third network, and the ninth Super Bowl (Vikings vs. Steelers, if you care about that sort of thing) gets minimal coverage with a half-hour each pre-game show and post-game show, and no mention whatsoever of half-time...