This year, I'll be recalling some of my favourite programs from television, via A-Z, of course.
How many of these do you remember?
Were these before your time?
This blog post has been written in front of a live studio audience.
1959-1964 / Twilight Zone featuring: Rod Serling
Though I loved the Sci.Fi. themed Outer Limits more, I watched and loved many of these episodes. There were so many classic episodes. The thing on the wing, the adults playing kick the can and the swimming pool leading to a new life were particularly memorable to me.
1978-1983 / Taxi featuring: Judd Hirsch, Danny Devito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, and Christopher LLoyd
This was a great show because it had a great cast. Every character brought something different to the show. As funny as other people thought he was, I never liked the Latka character, I found him annoying. Meanwhile, my favourites were Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch and Christopher Lloyd.
1977 - 1984 / Three's Company featuring: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Susanne Summers
This was one of those shows I was never allowed to watch. Despite that, I pretty much watched it any way. As I have already mentioned many times before, it was funny and I loved the antics Jack was always getting himself into. The girls were cute to watch too.
This A-Z list has been brought to you today, by....
1965 - Triple Snack Cereal
1966 - Tang
1969 - Tootsie Pop
We had the same ones today (except your TV Guide one: who is that on the cover there?). I love Twilight Zone. I've been a fan for many years and still watch it. I can watch the episodes over and over again. They're brilliant!
ReplyDeleteFun commercials too. My Dad used to love Tang and we had it every day when I was growing up. Tang was real big in my household :)
Michele at Angels Bark
The cover is John Davidson, Cathy Lee Crosby and Fran Tarkenton.
Delete"That's Incredible".
Rod Serling was a fantastic host for the Twilight Zone. I don't like horror but he had a way of drawing me in with his introductions. I would see there and watch them, knowing that I wouldn't be able to sleep afterward.
ReplyDeleteAs for your commercials, I remember all of them, especially the tootsie pop commercial, because after watching it, I wanted to have a tootsie pop.
Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
I never thought of Twilight Zone as horror. Because I don't like horror either. I would say it was more creepy, which is something different.
DeleteI'm still surprised by the cereal commercial. I can't believe they had peanuts in cereal.
Three's Company was a show I watched a lot of re-runs of. Funny how a man sharing an apartment with two women would be considered something he had to pretend to be gay to keep living there.
ReplyDeleteNormally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but the landlord wanted no 'funny business' in his building. Was that even allowable by law that he could regulate that? Even as a youth I didn't think so.
DeleteThat Tootsie Roll one is classic.
ReplyDeleteDo they still make Tang?
I believe they do still make tang.
DeleteThe question really is, do astronauts still drink it?
I'm too young for The Twilight Zone and Taxi never appealed to me at the time. :)
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames from
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Twilight Zone was before my time, but I used to watch on reruns. Now it's easier to just stream it on TV.
DeleteHi, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteI never missed an episode of The Twilight Zone, one of the greatest series in TV history. I watched Three's Company during its entire run but liked the first few seasons best, the ones with Norman Fell as the landlord and Suzanne Somers as roommate Chrissy. I was in love with Janet (and she never even knew it).
Just like the astronauts, I drank Tang.
Just like Kojak, I sucked on Tootsie Pops. Who loves ya, baby?
Have a great weekend, good buddy Jeffrey!
You were in love with a lot of girls who didn't know it. But rest assured, you were not the only one who preferred Joyce DeWitt. And Normal Fell was great as the landlord. He never should have left, and from what I recall, he really didn't want to.
DeleteWhat show is on the TV Guide cover? I didn't recognize it. Those shows were all part of my viewing schedule at one time or another. Three's Company went downhill after the Ropers and Chrissy left. Taxi had the most fascinating group of characters. Loved it! That cereal must have been short-lived. Never heard of it, nor have I tried Tang but I liked Tootsie Pops. Thanks for the memories and have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe TV Guide cover is, 'That's Incredible'.
DeleteRopers didn't want to leave, but as I recall Susanne wanted more money. Well, it's easy to replace her. Well, maybe not so easy, but the show must go on, as they say.
Taxi was my first introduction to zany characters actors like Christopher Lloyd and Andy Kaufman.
I loved the Twilight Zone. Would you believe I've never watched The Outer Limits? I'm really enjoying Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Hulu, but only the first four seasons are out there. :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Outer Limits would be your thing. It's more sci.fi. based and from what I remember, was not interesting to you. But I have the entire series on DVD.
DeletePerhaps one day I shall acquire Twilight Zone.
True story, I was watching an episode of Twilight Zone when I got to the center of my first Tootsie Pop! It's hard to say which I enjoyed more;-) Always watched Taxi and Three's Company too - great post, Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a feat. I always bite it. So I'm burning to know, how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll centre of the tootsie pop? I hope you kept count.
DeleteFunny the things you enjoy as a kid vs an adult. As a kid, if you'd asked I'd have said I liked Three's Company best of these three. Taxi would be next. And we don't watch The Twilight Zone. Was it even on in the 70s? If it was, it was past my bedtime.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, I think I'd like The Twilight Zone best. I've seen a few episodes and liked them tremendously. Then Taxi. Then Three's Company. BUT, I think both of the sitcoms are very good in different ways, so I could be wrong about that.
Other Ts that have been cancelled: Tru Calling. That was a great show and was cancelled IMO right when it was getting really good. So, that was a very bad call on the part of the TV execs. Well, that's the only one I can think of right now. I'm sure that later today (or tomorrow) another one will come to me.
I don't recall Tru Calling. What was it about?
DeleteI hate when network execs cancel a show after only one season. I think when TV series are given the green light, they should be contracted to two seasons. I'm so tired of falling in love with a show only to have it cancelled because it was still building an audience. Unfortunately, some shows take a while to do that.
I remember Three's Company! Loved it, too ;) Twilight Zone I only saw on reruns, much later—and never enough, haha. Never watched Taxi. And the commercials are excellent!
ReplyDeleteGuilie @ Life In Dogs
I only vaguely remember watching Taxi. It was probably on too late for me, but I would watch it for sure if I saw it on TV now.
DeleteWhile Taxi and The Twilight Zone were both great shows, nothing beats Three's Company! I had such a crush on Jack Tripper :) Seriously, one of the best shows to ever be on tv, imho.
ReplyDelete~Katie
TheCyborgMom
I always liked Jack because he could cook. Something I always wanted to do. Now, I can make whatever I want for dinner. Jack taught me cooking was not for girls only. LOL
DeleteTwilight Zone, my all time fav. We're still catching it on Netflix! Three's company? I think it was funny for a while, a short while!
ReplyDeleteI think the 3's company gag was probably tiresome for you quickly. Not much variety on the show, but I still loved it.
DeleteI love watching vintage episodes of The Twilight Zone. I still remember this one episode about this woman who is shopping in a department store and then later she realizes that she isn't a real person, but a mannequin.
ReplyDeleteI remember that episode. She is drawn to the store and the floor where all the mannequins are. They tell her they take turns leaving he store. I think that was a very clever episode. But kind of heartbreaking in a way.
DeleteHi Jeffrey, I was always too scared to watch the Twilight Zone and I don't think I saw the others. There are so many TV shows!!
ReplyDeleteYes there are. And with cable TV shows and now streaming shows from Netflix and such, the possibilities are endless. One could never watch every single episode of every single TV show. It's an impossibility.
DeleteI've only seen a few of the Twilight Zone episodes and they varied a lot in quality, I think. But overall, it was a fun show.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen the other two, but I'm intrigued by Taxi. This sounds exactly like the kind of show that would never been produced nowadays...
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Jazz Age Jazz
I liked Taxi because the characters were so varied. Andy Kaufman was a bit much for me, but the rest were great.
DeleteSome really good shows. The Twilight Zone is one of my favorite classics.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that people who did not grow up with a show, can still appreciate it. I wonder how many of our shows, our children will watch fondly one day, even if they did not grow up with it.
Deletethought i commented on this already, so if this is a duplicate please excuse me. loved three's company and also chose it for my 1980s tv T show. Taxi was also great!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see a duplicate post from you, so you are good.
DeleteSo Triple Snack was Sugar Pops, Sugar Smacks, and peanuts? That'd make a good snack, but a lousy cereal, I would think.
ReplyDeleteI'm a cereal fanatic, but I'm 100% behind you on this one. Peanuts in a cereal? Especially a whole peanut? I guess there is a reason this is not on the market still.
DeleteLove the Twilight Zone...love it! Taxi was great and I used to watch Trapper John.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched all the series of Twilight Zone except for the fourth series. Can you believe they had all five on Amazon Prime but the fourth was the only series they wanted me to pay for?
DeleteI'll pass, my friend owns the series. I'll just borrow from him.