Author Topic: In case you were curious (Read 9601 times)

Jay Temple · « **on:** June 15, 2005, 04:13:18 PM »

If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious, The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.

MikeK · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2005, 04:27:55 PM »

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 04:13 PM\']If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious, The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.[/quote]
As was mentioned here, Bizarre was probably Showtime's first hit. Bizarre was on Showtime for a good majority of the 1980s, and a heavily-edited version of the show ended up in syndication in the late 80s. John Byner hosted the series.

clemon79 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2005, 05:05:00 PM »

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 01:27 PM\']and a heavily-edited version of the show ended up in syndication in the late 80s. John Byner hosted the series.
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Which was awful. When you grew up in the 80's and had raging hormones, a guaranteed pair of breasts every episode was one of the few reasons to watch the show.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2005, 08:23:10 PM »

Quote

If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious, The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.

In the latest copy of that book I have, from 1992, it states the only shows listed are "series" - shows that ran at least four consecutive weeks in the same time slot, or were intended to. Since Dawson's "Bizarre" was a just a pilot, that's why it wouldn't be listed in the book.

There are such one-shot shows as "Co-Ed Fever" or (game show reference here) "You're in the Picture" listed, but those were intended to be regular series.

mmb5 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2005, 10:19:55 PM »

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 03:13 PM\']If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious, The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.

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I actually found a review of it. I can't link to it, but I think I can get away with some excerpts of a 26 year-old AP story:

[font=\"Times\"]'Bizarre' not average television sitcom[/font]

by Peter J. Boyer
AP Television Writer

Just when it seemed that television was bound to become an indistinguishable, sugar coated parts, here comes something different. It's a half hour comedy show. . .not a sitcom. . .which is different enough.

And the comedy. . .well, the show is called "Bizarre." But it's not just hip college humor aimed at a specialized audience, a la "Saturday Night Live". The host is mainstream, regular-guy Richard Dawson, and the aim is to get clearly mainstream, regular-guy prime-time audiences to issue forth belly laughs.

. . .

The best thing about "Bizarre" is its style. It was created by two certifable lunatics, Allan Bye and Bob Einstein, alumni of "The Red Foxx Show" and the "Smothers Brothers", and their show takes pains to avoid formula comedy.

. . .

ABC decided to give "Bizarre" a try Tuesday because it had a half-hour slot to fill, behind their new sitcom spin-off "The Ropers". Even at that, the network doesn't seem that excited about the show, not even giving "Bizarre" the standard publicity sheet blizzard.

The network ordered only one show, but when "Bizarre" was tested in front of an audience, it fared well enough to earn a promise from ABC that good ratings Tuesday might result in a series.

(taken from The Frederick Post, Frederick Maryland, 20 March 1979).

It aired at 10:30 that night (the title may still have been up in the air, because the TV listings just say "Pilot"). Also, looking over the schedule for the curious: Card Sharks and TPIR didn't clear in Baltimore, Hollywood Squares didn't clear in Baltimore or Hagerstown, Match Game and Pyramid didn't clear in any of the markets (the above two + D.C. and Lancaster, PA).

--Mike

uncamark · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2005, 04:19:36 PM »

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 03:27 PM\'][quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 04:13 PM\']If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious, The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.[/quote]
As was mentioned here, Bizarre was probably Showtime's first hit. Bizarre was on Showtime for a good majority of the 1980s, and a heavily-edited version of the show ended up in syndication in the late 80s. John Byner hosted the series.

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Although "hit" might've been a generous thing to say, it did get continually renewed (with "Best of" repackages its last couple of years), spun off "Super Dave" for Showtime and a repsectable run and, as (I think) Dan Ingram said in the "coming up next" voiceover on the channel, it was "cable's longest-running comedy series." Then.

Don Howard · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2005, 04:44:41 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 09:19 PM\'](the title may still have been up in the air, because the TV listings just say "Pilot").

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That was SOP in those days. Quite often in the summer issues of TV Guide, you'd see PILOT as the show title and in the description section the title was usually provided. Example: Barnard Hughes stars as "Doc"........

Tim L · « **Reply #7 on:** June 16, 2005, 05:27:54 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 03:44 PM\'][quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 09:19 PM\'](the title may still have been up in the air, because the TV listings just say "Pilot").

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That was SOP in those days. Quite often in the summer issues of TV Guide, you'd see PILOT as the show title and in the description section the title was usually provided. Example: Barnard Hughes stars as "Doc"........

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I have a TV Guide (Cleveland Edition) from July 19-25, 1975 that describes 4 series "Pilots" aired on WBNS-TV 10 Columbus Sunday Evening July 20 .Each listing simply said "PILOT" but consisted of:

11:30PM "Rosenthal and Jones" Two elderly men One Black One Jew live in the same house but have obvious differences..With Ned Glass and George Kirby with Jerry Fogel

Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall

12:30 Grandpa Max Feisty serior citizen moves to a rest home because his son is making him feel useless and unwanted.With Larry Best, Michael Lerner

1AM Harry And Maggie-Small Town Widower and Overbearing Sister in Law
With Don Knotts and Eve Arden

I imagine these were aired at some time over the CBS network and channel 10 decided to burn them off here..None obviously made it to series.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #8 on:** June 16, 2005, 05:51:37 PM »

[quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 05:27 PM\']Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall[/quote]
Man, they were just thirty years too early. And they needed a punchier title. Something that implied...oh, I don't know, desperation.

clemon79 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 16, 2005, 05:58:30 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 02:51 PM\'][quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 05:27 PM\']Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall[/quote]
Man, they were just thirty years too early.
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And horrendously miscast. Penny Marshall on Wisteria Lane? Eew!

Tim L · « **Reply #10 on:** June 16, 2005, 06:00:41 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 04:51 PM\'][quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 05:27 PM\']Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall[/quote]
Man, they were just thirty years too early. And they needed a punchier title. Something that implied...oh, I don't know, desperation.

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Matt:
I was thinking the same thing as you when I typed the post..Though I never saw this sitcom pilot (who has..or would even remember if they did?)..I would imagine the content was a lot tamer than "Desperate Housewives"

mmb5 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 16, 2005, 08:23:47 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 04:51 PM\'][quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 05:27 PM\']Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall[/quote]
Man, they were just thirty years too early. And they needed a punchier title. Something that implied...oh, I don't know, desperation.

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According to Unsold Television Pilots, the husbands were never to be seen. The other wives were played by Phyllis Elizabeth Davis, Candice Azzara and Jacque Lynn Colton.

Those were four of the six failed comedy pilots for CBS that season. The other two were: a movie adaptation of Blazing Saddles with Lou Gossett and Steve Landesberg in the two main roles and Salt and Pepe, which was an adaptation of the British series Simon and Gluckstein. It would take another season before ABC found the winning formula, combining the Puerto Rican and the Jewish character into one.

--Mike

uncamark · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2005, 04:43:46 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 07:23 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 04:51 PM\'][quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Jun 16 2005, 05:27 PM\']Midnight "Wives" About the Lives of Five Married Women.. With Janice Sell and Penny Marshall[/quote]
Man, they were just thirty years too early. And they needed a punchier title. Something that implied...oh, I don't know, desperation.

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According to Unsold Television Pilots, the husbands were never to be seen. The other wives were played by Phyllis Elizabeth Davis, Candice Azzara and Jacque Lynn Colton.

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And isn't "Janice" Sell really Janie Sell? I only remember her name from a Broadway show called "Over Here!", a 40s nostalgia piece where she played your typical dewy-eyed ingenue, eventually filling in the harmonies with the two then-living Andrews Sisters.

ObGameShowStretching: Maxene, the last living Andrews Sister, was a frequent "Gong Show" judge.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2005, 04:46:55 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jun 17 2005, 03:43 PM\']ObGameShowStretching: Maxene, the last living Andrews Sister, was a frequent "Gong Show" judge.

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Sorry to burst your Ob (<<Dave Letterman>>and we all know how painful that can be<<end/DL), but it was Patty who was the frequent GONG judge.

Doug

uncamark · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2005, 06:28:31 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jun 17 2005, 03:46 PM\'][quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jun 17 2005, 03:43 PM\']ObGameShowStretching: Maxene, the last living Andrews Sister, was a frequent "Gong Show" judge.

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Sorry to burst your Ob (<<Dave Letterman>>and we all know how painful that can be<<end/DL), but it was Patty who was the frequent GONG judge.

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Well, one of those old broads.

And they're all dead now.

ObGameShow: "Remote Control" category: Dead or Alive?