Things you remember seeing on TV in the past BUT............

[mleach]

...only to find out you can't find any information about them now?

There are a number of things I can remember watching on television years back, however when I tried to get information about what I saw back then such as going on online and doing a search...ah...NOTHING !!! Almost like what I saw didn't exist but I swear I remember seeing it.

examples....

*Everyone remembers Benny Hill of course, but does anyone remember "After Benny...Thames Presents..What's Up Next". This was back in the late 70's. The show would open up with a very brief scene featuring Benny then the rest of the show, Benny Hill was nowhere to be found. The main reason I remember this show was the scene where a British couple was watching TV only to have the set blow up and out comes this totally nude woman on a bike. I actually saw this on Washington DC's WDCA channel 20 and yes.WDCA only showed a few seconds of that nude woman but still....LOL

Maybe I am not looking hard enough but even IMDB has nothing about "What's Up Next".

*The Hamburger Special.....sometime around 1973 ( give or take a year or two ), I remember seeing Charles Nelson Reilly in a special called ( I think ) "Hamburger". I remember the scene of a young woman in hot pants dancing around the set that spelled out in those giant letters
"...H A M B U R G E R ". IMDB has nothing about this but I do remember it.

*Baltimore's WMAR-TV News Scene 2 and the day the Colts left for Indianapolis.........The day in 1984 the Baltimore Colts left that city for Indianapolis..I remember watching the noon edition of WMAR's "News Scene 2". Most people can remember the snow storm that took place when the team left. As usual News Scene 2 started normal as usual but after the opening, the anchor ( I think it was Tobie Marsh ?? ) said something like "..Good afternoon...no ..you know it isn't..the weather is terrible and...and our Colts have left Baltimore...there is nothing good about today so lets skip the news ". Fade to black !!!! Then WMAR goes into a game show. I assume it was NBC's Hot Potato since that show had aired at Noon at the time though, of course not on WMAR except for that one day. Maybe I am the only one who remembers it or at least want to remember it since over the years I have yet to hear from anyone who remembers this broadcast, not even my friend who worked at WMAR...and he claims to be an "expert" when it comes to Charm City TV LOL. Bu I remember it LOL

Do you have any examples of things you swear seeing on TV in the past but can't find any information about them now?

 

[Corky Marlowe]

*The Hamburger Special.....sometime around 1973 ( give or take a year or two ), I remember seeing Charles Nelson Reilly in a special called ( I think ) "Hamburger". I remember the scene of a young woman in hot pants dancing around the set that spelled out in those giant letters
"...H A M B U R G E R ". IMDB has nothing about this but I do remember it.

Me too...It was in '73 or '74. I want to say Charlie Callas was in it, and I definitely remember Sid Caesar there too. The only skit I can actually recall was a "Six Million Dollar Man" parody. Seems like there were some animated bumpers, too, where the letters to "Hamburger" would be jumbled up to spell "BRUGSMAHER" or something.

 

[Robnoxious]

I have one...

A kids show that (I think) aired on KNBC-4 called "That's Cat". The only thing I remember was it was the first or second show to air when the station signed on on either Saturday or Sunday (after the Ag Report or Am Weather). So that put it somewhere in the 6:00-6:30am slot. It was an educational kids show where the host would show films of things interesting to kids like how bubble gum was made. The segments would end with the host saying "That's Cat!" (as a colloquialism meaning "cool" or "neat"). There was probably puppetry and skits as well.

I know 2 other people that recall this program but collectively this is the best summary 3 heads put together could come up with. Not sure if it was a Los Angeles only show or if it was syndicated to other markets. I have been unable to find much on the internet about this show but the 3 of us that do remember have fond memories of it.

 

[LKellerIII]

I have one...

A kids show that (I think) aired on KNBC-4 called "That's Cat". The only thing I remember was it was the first or second show to air when the station signed on on either Saturday or Sunday (after the Ag Report or Am Weather). So that put it somewhere in the 6:00-6:30am slot. It was an educational kids show where the host would show films of things interesting to kids like how bubble gum was made. The segments would end with the host saying "That's Cat!" (as a colloquialism meaning "cool" or "neat"). There was probably puppetry and skits as well.

I know 2 other people that recall this program but collectively this is the best summary 3 heads put together could come up with. Not sure if it was a Los Angeles only show or if it was syndicated to other markets. I have been unable to find much on the internet about this show but the 3 of us that do remember have fond memories of it.

There are a number of links about That's Cat on the internet. It looks like it aired only on KNBC. Apparently it starred Whitman Mayo (Sanford & Son) as "Grandpa" and Alice Playten. John B. Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful, theme from Welcome Back Kotter) wrote the theme music

That would seem to be a lot of information for a local show with a limited run.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_Cat
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178989/
http://tv.nytimes.com/show/160476/That-s-Cat/overview

 

[RicoGregg]

I have one...

A kids show that (I think) aired on KNBC-4 called "That's Cat". The only thing I remember was it was the first or second show to air when the station signed on on either Saturday or Sunday (after the Ag Report or Am Weather). So that put it somewhere in the 6:00-6:30am slot. It was an educational kids show where the host would show films of things interesting to kids like how bubble gum was made. The segments would end with the host saying "That's Cat!" (as a colloquialism meaning "cool" or "neat"). There was probably puppetry and skits as well.

I know 2 other people that recall this program but collectively this is the best summary 3 heads put together could come up with. Not sure if it was a Los Angeles only show or if it was syndicated to other markets. I have been unable to find much on the internet about this show but the 3 of us that do remember have fond memories of it.

(singing) That's Cat, That's Cat, it means that you like that....
(blame the lyrics on John Sebastian, who wrote and sang the theme)

I'm afraid I remember this show. It was sometimes run in the late afternoon as time filler following pro football. It had a cult following among adults, and I'm afraid that I got hooked. Fortunately, I was able to quit without withdrawal symptoms.

The host was Alice Playten, who has quite a lengthy acting resume for someone you've never heard of. Her imdb listing:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687029/bio

Two other regulars were on the show: Whitman Mayo(!) as Grandpa, who always addressed the audience near the end of the show, locked camera close-up, and tell them how wonderful and special they were (honestly), and another character named "Me" (don't ask), who never spoke, but was there with Alice everywhere. He was portrayed by an actor whose first name was Frank, but I don't remember his surname. imdb.com doesn't list him.

As they say these days, "That's Cat" was an L.A. thing. It wasn't shown anywhere else.

Maybe some of my comments here are on the caustic side, but truth be told, it was far from the worst kids' show I ever saw. If you left your kids alone in the room with this show on, you had nothing to worry about.

 

[RicoGregg]

I have been trying for years to find anything with the Leslie Salt Man on it. Even the Internet has been no help.

If you're too young to remember Leslie Salt, it was a competitor to Morton Salt. Their TV ads consisted of a little animated man, who looked like an adult Charlie Brown wearing a suit and glasses, pointer always in hand, and he would extol the virtues of using Leslie Salt. He would end every ad with "I thank you, Leslie thanks you!"

Leslie Salt was taken over by the Cargill Corp. and they discontinued Leslie Salt, though they still run the Leslie Salt ponds in SE San Francisco Bay. I emailed Cargill for info on the Leslie Salt Man, but got no response.

Any info on the Leslie Salt Man would be greatly appreciated. I thank you, Leslie thanks you.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I emailed Cargill for info on the Leslie Salt Man, but got no response.

Cargill is too busy nourishing the world (or is that Archer Daniels Midland? No, wait...According to Paul Harvey, they're "Ssssssupermarket To The World") to answer people's emails about Leslie Salt. Sounds like the Leslie Salt Man looked like a human version of the dog that's on the 1-800-PetMeds commercials now!

Also, it would have been interesting to see Whitman Mayo playing someone other than Grady...Good Goopity Goop! I do remember reading one of his obits which indicated that he was a pretty respected acting teacher for many years, though.

 

[Robnoxious]

There are a number of links about That's Cat on the internet. It looks like it aired only on KNBC. Apparently it starred Whitman Mayo (Sanford & Son) as "Grandpa" and Alice Playten. John B. Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful, theme from Welcome Back Kotter) wrote the theme music

That would seem to be a lot of information for a local show with a limited run.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_Cat
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178989/
http://tv.nytimes.com/show/160476/That-s-Cat/overview

Well I'll be darned. I guess I should have done another search in this recent lifetime because these entries have only recently appeared on the internet tubes. Last time I checked was when imdb was an insignificant spec on the radar and wiki had yet been invented. That's the show all right though. It totally didn't click that "Grandpa" was Grady and I guess I should have remembered the theme song seeing that I still know the theme to "Welcome Back Kotter" but 8 year old brains are selective as to what they store into long term.

 

[LKellerIII]

There are a number of links about That's Cat on the internet. It looks like it aired only on KNBC. Apparently it starred Whitman Mayo (Sanford & Son) as "Grandpa" and Alice Playten. John B. Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful, theme from Welcome Back Kotter) wrote the theme music

That would seem to be a lot of information for a local show with a limited run.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_Cat
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178989/
http://tv.nytimes.com/show/160476/That-s-Cat/overview

Well I'll be darned. I guess I should have done another search in this recent lifetime because these entries have only recently appeared on the internet tubes. Last time I checked was when imdb was an insignificant spec on the radar and wiki had yet been invented. That's the show all right though. It totally didn't click that "Grandpa" was Grady and I guess I should have remembered the theme song seeing that I still know the theme to "Welcome Back Kotter" but 8 year old brains are selective as to what they store into long term.

While...uh..."researching" - I hit the imdb link on Whitman Mayo. In the "Trivia" column, they note that Mr. Mayo died at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. I find that mildly creepy...

 

[landtuna]

How about Gaffers & Sattler (appliances) and Snowdrift (cooking lard)?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...the imdb link on Whitman Mayo. In the "Trivia" column, they note that Mr. Mayo died
at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. I find that mildly creepy...

In the even more obscure trivia section of things you remember seeing on TV...

During the run of Sanford And Son, "Grady" was doing a week-long stint on
Hollywood Squares. On a day I happened to be watching, a contestant chose
him, but referred to him as "Mayo Whitman."

Peter Marshall quickly and matter-of-factly jumped in to correct her, and the
show went on unscathed (no retake, obviously--this was daytime).

There is no truth to the rumor that in the next break, the first spot was for
Hellman's mayonnaise (known as, and cut-ins run for, Best Foods west of the
Rockies). I just threw that one in...you can also insert your Peter Graves on
the white courtesy phone in Airplane joke here. ;D

 

[bk77]

Totally forgotten now but I can recall back around 1980 when Lorne Michaels/Saturday Night Live found themselves in trouble with PBS over a skit. Back in the 1970's the networks were known for their promos like "NBCCCC US" or "You and me and ABC". As a joke SNL did a promo for PBS. "PBS PBS..We are not stuffy anymore" complete with people dressed up as PBS stars dancing around and such. The SNL/PBS promo even did a take off on the NBC proud as a peacock line with "PBS...Proud as a Big Bird".

I actually thought the skit was funny but alas, PBS did not as the next week Lorne Michaels went on SNL and promised never to show that skit ever again. I think Michaels was forced by PBS to make that statement but it has been so long ago. In all these years after reading so much about SNL, the stars and Michaels...I have yet to read about this "PBS incident".

 

[biggguy]

How about Gaffers & Sattler (appliances) and Snowdrift (cooking lard)?

In case anyone cares- Gaffers and Sattler was bought out by Maytag years ago (which, by buyout makes them now a Whirlpool brand), and from what I've seen, turned them into a very low-end brand (as in the $199 stoves then stores use to get you in- and never have)- and as that was a few years ago, I'm not sure if the brand is still in use.

Snowdrift lard- have heard of it, but don't have the foggiest of what- if anything- became of the brand.

 

[LKellerIII]

Totally forgotten now but I can recall back around 1980 when Lorne Michaels/Saturday Night Live found themselves in trouble with PBS over a skit. Back in the 1970's the networks were known for their promos like "NBCCCC US" or "You and me and ABC". As a joke SNL did a promo for PBS. "PBS PBS..We are not stuffy anymore" complete with people dressed up as PBS stars dancing around and such. The SNL/PBS promo even did a take off on the NBC proud as a peacock line with "PBS...Proud as a Big Bird".

I actually thought the skit was funny but alas, PBS did not as the next week Lorne Michaels went on SNL and promised never to show that skit ever again. I think Michaels was forced by PBS to make that statement but it has been so long ago. In all these years after reading so much about SNL, the stars and Michaels...I have yet to read about this "PBS incident".

Are you sure you didn't dream this? If Lorne Michaels did make such a statement, are you sure it wasn't part of the joke? Even in the 70s, it's hard to imagine PBS suits getting upset about some satire at their expense. Certainly by the 80s, both stars and media organizations began to realize that objecting to this kind of thing just made them look like pompous self-important jerks...and it brings more publicity and coverage to the original "offending act."

Example: remember when Fox News filed suit for copyright infringement against Al Franken for his book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them - A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" ? Who looked like the jerk? It was Fox News, not Franken, who probably sold a lot more books following all that publicity. To add injury to insult, the court dismissed the suit.

In the last few years, I've noticed that SNL skits will use actual names and logos (like CNN) during their skits -despite the fact that it could technically be considered copyright infringement. Years ago they would have changed the logo to "INN" or something similar, and called the satirical anchor "Larry Queen," or something. Not any more. Perhaps they get permission ahead of time.

 

[rwells2265]

Totally forgotten now but I can recall back around 1980 when Lorne Michaels/Saturday Night Live found themselves in trouble with PBS over a skit. Back in the 1970's the networks were known for their promos like "NBCCCC US" or "You and me and ABC". As a joke SNL did a promo for PBS. "PBS PBS..We are not stuffy anymore" complete with people dressed up as PBS stars dancing around and such. The SNL/PBS promo even did a take off on the NBC proud as a peacock line with "PBS...Proud as a Big Bird".

Are you sure you didn't dream this? If Lorne Michaels did make such a statement, are you sure it wasn't part of the joke?

If he dreamed it, then bk77 must've been sleeping in a motel that night, and I was in the room next door. Because that "we're not stuffy anymore!" line brought it all back. I remember seeing that. It had to have been the last "original" season (1979-80), right at the time NBC started using "Proud as a peacock."

Public broadcasting circa 1979, hate to say, WAS stuffy. And the whole pedantic "ETV" mentality, in many cases, extended to the management. While not knowing who exactly was in the carpeted office at PBS back then, I would not have put it past them to have gotten their leiderhosen in a bundle over an SNL parody.

But explain the (beautiful!) parody a couple of years later on SCTV: Battle of the PBS Stars. Fred Rogers in a boxing ring beating Julia Child with his King Friday puppet always cracks me up just thinking about it.

*********
Here's a big mystery, also from 1979 or so. I don't recall the network - NBC, maybe? - but it was a one-time sketch program, and what I remember the most about it was everything was 'sponsored' by something called "Proto-Chem." A kid playing Little League outfield, running backwards - "I got it! I got it!" - and then falls into a big vat of "chemical waste" with the Proto-Chem logo. Even a spoof commercial for snack food was tagged with "a division of Proto-Chem."

Now was _I_ dreaming that one??

--Russell

 

[wbhist]

Here's a big mystery, also from 1979 or so. I don't recall the network - NBC, maybe? - but it was a one-time sketch program, and what I remember the most about it was everything was 'sponsored' by something called "Proto-Chem." A kid playing Little League outfield, running backwards - "I got it! I got it!" - and then falls into a big vat of "chemical waste" with the Proto-Chem logo. Even a spoof commercial for snack food was tagged with "a division of Proto-Chem."

Now was _I_ dreaming that one??

--Russell

Let's see. In the summer of 1979, late at night, ABC ran a failed pilot called The T.V. Show (a U.S. equivalent of SCTV, with Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and a few others - this pilot led to the birth of the mock rock group Spinal Tap), and one of the sketches was a "documentary" series called "History on Trial" which claimed to run "without commercial interruption," and then proceeded every 2-3 minutes to run ads from Proto-Chem. The "ad" I remember was one where a cat running loose in a lab knocked down something and the contents spilled over to another container, and that was the birth of aluminum chlorohydrate (as they saw it).

Do my memories mesh with yours?

 

[bpatrick]

How about Gaffers & Sattler (appliances) and Snowdrift (cooking lard)?

In case anyone cares- Gaffers and Sattler was bought out by Maytag years ago (which, by buyout makes them now a Whirlpool brand), and from what I've seen, turned them into a very low-end brand (as in the $199 stoves then stores use to get you in- and never have)- and as that was a few years ago, I'm not sure if the brand is still in use.

Snowdrift lard- have heard of it, but don't have the foggiest of what- if anything- became of the brand.

I haven't seen an ad for Snowdrift since about the mid-'60s, but I
did see a Yahoo! site that asks the question, "Which is healthier:
shortening or butter?" Someone referred to Snowdrift in the present
tense, pointing out that it and Crisco are made of trans fats and that
butter is actually healthier. So it may be that Snowdrift is still around
in some parts of the country; I may have to check to see if it's still
available in my part of the South.

Speaking of products I haven't heard of lately, whatever happened
to Orange Crush and to Tastee-Freez?

 

[NoWayNoCC]

The PBS parody on 'SNL' would have been around 1982 or 1983, and it said "Proud as a Ph.D." with Big Bird surrounded by peacock feathers.

I remember this because I was about 9, and my parents watched 'SNL'. But there was a very strict taboo against any discussion of 'Sesame Street' in my household, because a running joke about the show got out of hand. I was snickering throughout the sketch because I knew there was going to be some mention of 'Sesame Street'.

I didn't know what a Ph.D. was, so after I saw that sketch, I figured it must have been Big Bird's species or something.

 

[LynnW]

The Orange Crush brand and trademark are currently owned by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group of Plano, TX. Crush products are distributed by a couple or large Pepsi bottlers in the US and Cadbury Beverages in Canada.

Tastee-Freeze currently has fewer than 100 stores in the US and Panama. It is now owned by the same company that founded the Weinerschnitzel hot dog stores.

 

[NoWayNoCC]

Now that someone has mentioned Pepsi, here's another one:

"The bottle that doesn't act like a bottle!"

That was from the commercial around 1979 when Pepsi first introduced 2-liter bottles. Everyone insists I'm making that up, but I know I saw it.

Everyone thought I was making up the Flavor Fiend from the Bubble Yum ads too, until 30 years later when they appeared on YouTube. So maybe someday this Pepsi ad will show up too. Maybe.