Your Top 5 70's sitcoms

[umfan]

I'll second the AITF episode with Sammy. My favorites:

1. AITF
2. Archie Bunkers Place
3. The Jeffersons
4. Happy Days
5. Alice

 

[KeithE4]

As a suggestion to our *ahem* younger members who liked Happy Days - you might want to watch the movie that spawned the TV series, American Graffiti. Keep a sharp eye peeled for several soon-to-be huge stars.

The show that was essentially the pilot for Happy Days was an episode of Love American Style called "Love and the Television Set," which starred Ron Howard, Anson Williams, and Marion Ross in their future Happy Days roles. It aired on 2/25/1972, four months before American Graffiti began filming.

The success of American Graffiti in 1973 was probably the "push" to get Happy Days approved as a series, but other than Ron Howard, there's no direct connection between them AFAIK.

 

[landtuna]

The success of American Graffiti in 1973 was probably the "push" to get Happy Days approved as a series, but other than Ron Howard, there's no direct connection between them AFAIK.

I am not aware of the possible business associations between Love American Style and Happy Days and American Graffiti. I was only commenting on the viewer appeal and what I remember at the time. I did not watch LAS at all.

 

[KeithE4]

I am not aware of the possible business associations between Love American Style and Happy Days and American Graffiti. I was only commenting on the viewer appeal and what I remember at the time. I did not watch LAS at all.

Garry Marshall wrote the LAS episode, and later of course was the Executive Producer of Happy Days. Both shows aired on ABC. American Graffiti was unrelated in any way other than by good timing and Ron Howard's appearance in both.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I am not aware of the possible business associations between Love American Style and Happy Days and American Graffiti. I was only commenting on the viewer appeal and what I remember at the time. I did not watch LAS at all.

I'll verify Keith's recollection and further cite the Brooks & Marsh book which references the series' origin near the end of the entry for Happy Days. However, I must correct Keith in that the title of the Love, American Style episode was "Love and the Happy Days", although the plot was centered around the Cunninghams getting the first television set in the neighborhood. Anson Williams also played Potsie in that "pilot", although no one else besides him and Ron Howard made it to the eventual series.

I saw that episode again last year during the series binge marathon on Decades prior to the network's official launch. I had forgotten that the great character actor Harold Gould had played the father in the Happy Days pilot.

 

[KeithE4]

I'll verify Keith's recollection and further cite the Brooks & Marsh book which references the series' origin near the end of the entry for Happy Days. However, I must correct Keith in that the title of the Love, American Style episode was "Love and the Happy Days", although the plot was centered around the Cunninghams getting the first television set in the neighborhood. Anson Williams also played Potsie in that "pilot", although no one else besides him and Ron Howard made it to the eventual series.

I saw that episode again last year during the series binge marathon on Decades prior to the network's official launch. I had forgotten that the great character actor Harold Gould had played the father in the Happy Days pilot.

I just looked at the copy on YouTube, and it is "Love and the Happy Days." I can't find anything other than Wikipedia (yeah, I know...) that shows that it ever had another title. It also shows Marion Ross in the opening rundown of the cast, although other actors play Joanie and Chuck as well as Howard.

 

[landtuna]

However, I must correct Keith in that the title of the Love, American Style episode was "Love and the Happy Days", although the plot was centered around the Cunninghams getting the first television set in the neighborhood.

According to Wiki, that Love, American Style episode that was supposed to be the origin of Happy Days was retitled for syndication. Happy Days wasn't part of the original title.

 

[KeithE4]

According to Wiki, that Love, American Style episode that was supposed to be the origin of Happy Days was retitled for syndication. Happy Days wasn't part of the original title.

I have yet to find a legitimate source for that. A Google search for "Love and the Television Set" in quotes turns up nothing. Wikipedia should remove the reference without proof.

Edit: I just did. Let the Wikifireworks begin!

 

[K.M. Richards]

I think the two of you have justified the decision Clarke Ingram and I made when we were putting together the History of UHF Television site. No Wikipedia information is allowed to be considered as fact unless we can reasonably verify the information in an industry trade publication or local newspaper.

Wikipedia was a great idea, but the idea of letting anyone edit has led to a lot of misinformation being accepted as "fact". A few years ago, I checked the page for KKOG-TV/16, the short-lived all-live, all-local station which operated for all of nine months in 1968-69 in the small community of Ventura, California. (It happens to be where I started my broadcast career and I survived its entire span of operation; I am likely the most knowledgeable person on the planet about KKOG-TV.) Some buffoon had cluttered the page with his own alternate-reality by posting entire sections on what the station would have done if it had stayed on the air, including what he thought the newscast titles would have been ... all the way into the 1990s! Took me close to an hour to rewrite the actual facts once I got rid of the nonsense.

I write all that as a warning to everyone: Any post that starts with the phrase "according to Wikipedia" is automatically suspect as far as I am concerned.

 

[LKellerIII]

OK, I'll add my 2 cents - not in order of preference:

1. All in the Family

2. Barney Miller

3. MASH

4. Mary Tyler Moore

5. The Bob Newhart Show

6. Soap.

OK - that's 6, but I had to get Soap in there somehow.

To the poster who stated that the later Newhart show in the 80s was better - I don't think Newhart should count since it was all just a dream that Dr. Hartley had. ; )

It's interesting how my tastes have changed. I thought Three's Company was awful at the time, but found it pretty funny when I saw a couple of the reruns - in the 90s, IIRC - mostly due to John Ritter's considerable talent as a physical comic. I guess I was just being a snob in the 70s because the show didn't conform to my concept of what a "socially aware" show should be, like AITF. Then there was the whole "T&A" aspect of it, which seemed kind of juvenile at the time.

Alice on the other hand - still awful, IMO, especially considering how great the source material was - the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. And Linda Lavin's singing (theme song) must have caused dogs agonizing ear pain in living rooms all over America.

 

[RyanHoward]

Here's my list of the Top 10 70's sitcoms:

1. M*A*S*H
2. Barney Miller
3. All in the Family
4. Happy Days
5. Sanford and Son
6. The Jeffersons
7. Laverne and Shirley
8. Good Times
9. Chico and the Man
10. Mork and Mindy

 

[hamster]

1. The Odd Couple
2. That Girl ( not so much the early episodes but the last season when they added lyrics to the theme of that show was pretty good )
3. Alice ( not a fan of Linda Lavin's singing..kind of put her with the 80s hairband RATT...my own pet rats don't like RATT and they don't like Lavin's singing either.
4. The New Dick van Dyke Show
5. A tie between Out of the Blue & Hello, Larry I actually liked both of those then but haven't seen an episode of either in 30 years though.
6. Turnabout
7. Good Times
8. Maude
9. CPO Sharkey
10. for some reason I think I am the only one who had actually liked Delta House.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Giving this thread a mini-bump:

1) Barney Miller
2) M*A*S*H
3) All In The Family
4) The Bob Newhart Show
5) The Odd Couple

And, at the bottom:
797) Dysentery
798) Getting your hand caught in a garbage disposal
799) One Day At A Time

 

[seatownmedia]

Giving this thread a mini-bump:

1) Barney Miller
2) M*A*S*H
3) All In The Family
4) The Bob Newhart Show
5) The Odd Couple

And, at the bottom:
797) Dysentery
798) Getting your hand caught in a garbage disposal
799) One Day At A Time

What's up with the hate of "One Day"? While I admit it is not my favorite, it isn't my least favorite. The girls certainly were cast well, and Bonnie Franklin was generally good as the Mom, (here on Mother's Day), but yes, she occasionally got quite serious, perhaps not to her fault, but the producers and writers.

 

[LKellerIII]

What's up with the hate of "One Day"? While I admit it is not my favorite, it isn't my least favorite. The girls certainly were cast well, and Bonnie Franklin was generally good as the Mom, (here on Mother's Day), but yes, she occasionally got quite serious, perhaps not to her fault, but the producers and writers.

Agreed. I thought One Day At A Time was a very decent - if not top-notch - show. If we had been asked to put together a 'Top 20' list, it probably would have been there for me.

 

[LKellerIII]

I think the two of you have justified the decision Clarke Ingram and I made when we were putting together the History of UHF Television site. No Wikipedia information is allowed to be considered as fact unless we can reasonably verify the information in an industry trade publication or local newspaper.

Wikipedia was a great idea, but the idea of letting anyone edit has led to a lot of misinformation being accepted as "fact". A few years ago, I checked the page for KKOG-TV/16, the short-lived all-live, all-local station which operated for all of nine months in 1968-69 in the small community of Ventura, California. (It happens to be where I started my broadcast career and I survived its entire span of operation; I am likely the most knowledgeable person on the planet about KKOG-TV.) Some buffoon had cluttered the page with his own alternate-reality by posting entire sections on what the station would have done if it had stayed on the air, including what he thought the newscast titles would have been ... all the way into the 1990s! Took me close to an hour to rewrite the actual facts once I got rid of the nonsense.

I write all that as a warning to everyone: Any post that starts with the phrase "according to Wikipedia" is automatically suspect as far as I am concerned.

Ha! I bet it was one of those Radio Discussions posters who likes to put together exhaustive (and boring) lists of what the local radio dial would look like if he was in charge.

 

[seatownmedia]

I don't see All In The Family, MTM, or Bob Newhart on mainstream cable anymore. I do see AITF on Family Net, but that is not a mainstream cable channel. They also run Archie Bunker's Place, which was somewhat weak, but I'm glad they run it. Classic 70's sitcoms are becoming rarer on cable, due to the aging demographics. Too bad.

Maybe someone will add Mr. Ed temporarily due to the loss of Alan Young, who died today. 96. Wow.

 

[Mr Tony]

I don't see All In The Family, MTM, or Bob Newhart on mainstream cable anymore.

While they are not on "mainstream" cable anymore All in the Family is on AntennaTV
Bob Newhart Show and MTM are on MeTV

 

[seatownmedia]

While they are not on "mainstream" cable anymore All in the Family is on AntennaTV
Bob Newhart Show and MTM are on MeTV

Yeah, except Bob and MTM are on after 11:30pm on ME in the Pacific time zone...past my bedtime!

 

[LKellerIII]

Yeah, except Bob and MTM are on after 11:30pm on ME in the Pacific time zone...past my bedtime!

You should get a DVR...or a VHS recorder from the thrift shop for $20.