Newsday TV Book, July 14-20, 1974.

 Well, whoop-de-ding-dang-doo, we're midway through July already! I don't typically celebrate the swift passage of time, now that I'm well into the dead-any-day-now age bracket (for a pudgy white fella with truly lacking diet and exercise regimens, anyway). As any devoted reader of this blog (meaning no one) will know, however, I am a fan of the cooler months of the year, less so of the sweaty ones, so I say let's get them over with!

In the 70's, of course, it was different. I was in grade school then, which I liked even less than sweating, so summer was mostly a blast--save for perpetual earaches from too much underwater swimming in our above-ground pool, regular sunburns from too much running around like a nut in a bathing suit, and consistently-ignored reading lists that seemed to get longer as the start of a new school year loomed.

In July of 1974, I was about two months from starting kindergarten, so I was not yet privy to the relief summertime provided from the strictures of academia. Nor was I yet privy to the foibles of an inner-city Black family with a weird, lanky teen with a big mouth and a catchphrase. Not until Good Times hit syndication, anyway.

(Remember to click each pic to unblur!)

The cover story focuses on Esther Rolle, as she talks shit about her character Florida to Pam Lambert. (Well, I guess it's more on the writers, who she felt gave the female roles "no purpose.")

In the TV Line, Simon Oakland gets identified, someone in Wantagh is determined to give PBS a piece of their mind, and more info on John Considine than you ever wanted to know is offered (minus the correct spelling of his name).

Here's Sunday morning, which found Newsday TV Book movie reviewer John Cashman in an unusually charitable mood toward the Bowery Boys.

In a brief look at this issue written seven years ago, I described Newsday Illustrator Gary Viskupic's take on The Grapes of Wrath as "less-than-vintage." I dunno. I guess I like it better now.

Monday night brought some interesting-sounding shows on PBS, including "How Could I Not Be Among You?" It was a short film about a poet who was facing imminent death, but I've since read that the circumstances surrounding Ted Rosenthal's demise were somewhat misrepresented.

Also, the ad for McQuade's Pub in Rockville Centre features ye olde clip art, and the best kind: with an offer of free booze!

Tuesday's late sched has Richie Cunningham and Corinne Tate yukking it up, and concludes with Cashman's customary shot at Vera Hruba Ralston's unpretty puss.

Here's the late Wednesday listings, and the late Willie Mays.

I included this page for the weekday morning programming, the Watergate Hearings announcement, and the ad for a place in Hicksville to go get your gi.

As he so often managed, Viskupic takes a fairly simple idea and turns it into a fascinating, somehow almost unsettling image.

Now here's all of Friday (including a late concert simulcast on WPLJ, once 95.5 on your New York City FM dial) and Saturday (WOR's Fright Night pre-empted by Mets baseball? Boo! Although at least there was Meet Me in St. Louis for an early dose of Christmas...)

Okay, to atone for disparaging your precious New York Metropolitans, here's the Quick Guide to the sporting events of the week.

And finally, it's another boring, piss-yellow ad for County Federal Savings, but one I haven't scanned before, with a cash club sandwich to be eaten over a ten-year period.

What's on deck for next time? How the fuck should I know? I might be dead by then! (Checks pulse rate, thinks about making a fried salami and provolone club with plenty o' Miracle Whip...)