Real TV shows mentioned within a fictional context

[BD Sullivan]

On All in the Family, Edith tries to jog Archie's mind about their honeymoon, since their 25th anniversary is coming up. She asks, "Does Room 225 mean anything to you?" He answers, "That's a TV show isn't it?" a nod to ABC's Room 222.

 

[FredLeonard]

Speaking of All in the Family.

Louise Jefferson comes to the front door. Archie and Edith answer it. Wizie wants to borrow a cup of sugar or some such. Edith goes to the kitchen. Archie and Louise stand there in a long, awkward silence (audience laughter builds). Finally, Archie says, "So, how did you like the Julia Show last night?" Wizie replies (dead-pan), "Fine. How did you like Doris Day?"

 

[bpatrick]

Another from the movies: in the first "Back To The Future,"
when Marty McFly is having dinner with the family whose
daughter will become his mother, it's a Saturday night and
they're watching "The Honeymooners" while they eat (I
think it's the "Man From Space" episode). Later, his future
father mentions that he likes "Science Fiction Theater."

 

[F.M.Hertz]

Two more:

The episode "Tigers Fan" from the last season of "Magnum, P.I." had this exchange, which I lifted from the MagnumMania.com site:

In Lt. Tanaka's dream flashback at the beginning of the episode, Rob Slater comments about "...last night's episode of Rockford". He says that "...Jim was being driven nuts by this pain-in-the-butt named Lance White". Lance White was a recurring character on Rockford Files (two episodes) played by Tom Selleck! Joe Santos, who plays Lt. Nolan Page in this episode, was a Rockford cast member (Sgt. Dennis Becker).

Also, late in the run of "Happy Days" there was a scene where Howard and Marion are going to the movies in 1962 and noticed a movie poster in the lobby of the theater. Marion told Howard that she wanted to see that movie because the little boy in it looked like Richie when he was small. It was an advertisement for "The Music Man."

 

[BD Sullivan]

Two more:

The episode "Tigers Fan" from the last season of "Magnum, P.I." had this exchange, which I lifted from the MagnumMania.com site:

In Lt. Tanaka's dream flashback at the beginning of the episode, Rob Slater comments about "...last night's episode of Rockford". He says that "...Jim was being driven nuts by this pain-in-the-butt named Lance White". Lance White was a recurring character on Rockford Files (two episodes) played by Tom Selleck! Joe Santos, who plays Lt. Nolan Page in this episode, was a Rockford cast member (Sgt. Dennis Becker).

Also, late in the run of "Happy Days" there was a scene where Howard and Marion are going to the movies in 1962 and noticed a movie poster in the lobby of the theater. Marion told Howard that she wanted to see that movie because the little boy in it looked like Richie when he was small. It was an advertisement for "The Music Man."

In a similar vein, NCIS had an episode where Gibbs (Mark Harmon) was asked what Ducky (played by David McCallum) looked like when he was younger. Gibbs replied, "He looked like Illya Kuryakin."

 

[firepoint525]

On Saturday Night Live, Ringo Starr, guest-hosting that night, 1984-85 season or thereabouts, played a character who seemed to love watching The Jeffersons. We could hear "movin' on up" as he watched TV. This was probably about the last season that The Jeffersons was on.

Of course, many TV shows have been skewered on SNL. I remember a 90210 skit on a Jason Priestley-hosted episode, but nothing 90210 when Luke Perry hosted. Priestley, of course, played Brandon in the skit on the episode that he hosted.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Of course, many TV shows have been skewered on SNL.

And how can we not forget "Celebrity Jeopardy!" (Although Will Farrell's Alex Trebek voice sounded NOTHING like the original, and his Alex hair seemed like it was still something out of 1984).

 

[cd637299]

^ Well to be fair, Chevy Chase sounded nothing like Gerald Ford....

cd

 

[bpatrick]

Two more:

The episode "Tigers Fan" from the last season of "Magnum, P.I." had this exchange, which I lifted from the MagnumMania.com site:

In Lt. Tanaka's dream flashback at the beginning of the episode, Rob Slater comments about "...last night's episode of Rockford". He says that "...Jim was being driven nuts by this pain-in-the-butt named Lance White". Lance White was a recurring character on Rockford Files (two episodes) played by Tom Selleck! Joe Santos, who plays Lt. Nolan Page in this episode, was a Rockford cast member (Sgt. Dennis Becker).

Also, late in the run of "Happy Days" there was a scene where Howard and Marion are going to the movies in 1962 and noticed a movie poster in the lobby of the theater. Marion told Howard that she wanted to see that movie because the little boy in it looked like Richie when he was small. It was an advertisement for "The Music Man."

And the kid in question is indeed Ron (then Ronny) Howard, who played the role originated by Eddie Hodges on Broadway in 1957. Indeed, Hodges might have been worth a mention himself on "Happy Days" if anyone had thought about it. In 1957 he teamed with a Marine pilot named John Glenn on "Name That Tune" and the two divided the show's top prize of $25,000. He appeared with Frank Sinatra in "A Hole In The Head" in 1959 and played the title role in the 1960 version of "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn." He and another budding child star, Patty Duke, split $64,000 in the category of popular music on "The $64,000 Challenge," and he had two records that charted: "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door," which went to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1961, and "(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made To Love," which peaked at #14 a year later and was written by Phil Everly (of Everly Brothers fame).