Nearly-Forgotten TV Shows, Themes, and Ads

[Ankerson]

I just can't believe that no one here gives any respect to the old 80s cop show MIAMI VICE. Truly I thought that show was way ahead of it's time. It was one of the first shows to implement really cool music as an important part of the show as well as men's and women's fashion being off the charts. Also not to mention that show being the launching pad of the careers of Don Johnson and Edward James Olmos.

And for a show to have the super ratings it had for being aired on Friday nights was nothing short of phenomenal. I always looked forward to watching Miami Vice on Friday nights.

Now I will admit that after the first 3 years I did kind of lost interest in that show. But those first 3 years the plots were awesome.

I guess I still long for the old days. Because most of the TV shows in this present time are pretty much garbage compared to what it used to be.

Joe,

Speaking for myself, I saw a little of Miami Vice, but almost its entire run aired when I was living out of the country. And even by the early '80s, I wasn't watching much TV...late teens/early 20s...you know how it is...

I also thought that Miami Vice is still widely remembered by a lot of people.

Jim

The best thing about Miami Vice was the Intro Song.

IMO the show wasn't all that great really with the plot all over the place and that just got worse as time went on.

I watched it for the 1st 2 or 3 seasons and then lost interest.

[Ankerson]

Joe,

Speaking for myself, I saw a little of Miami Vice, but almost its entire run aired when I was living out of the country. And even by the early '80s, I wasn't watching much TV...late teens/early 20s...you know how it is...

I also thought that Miami Vice is still widely remembered by a lot of people.

Jim

"Miami Vice" probably doesn't qualify as "nearly forgotten" but here's one that might: A few years before he was the executive producer on "Miami Vice", Michael Mann created and was the principal writer for a show called "Vega$".

It starred Robert Urich (fresh from "SWAT") as Dan Tanna, a PI in Las Vegas. He drove around in a classic Thunderbird convertible. And he had a car phone, which was pretty cutting edge for 1978.

The show only lasted for three seasons (1978-1981), and it seems like most people don't remember it now.

Thanks for sharing that. TBH, I had never watched or even heard of Vega$ back then. Wasn't that series remade about 10 years ago, or was the 2012 Vegas series unrelated to the 1978 Vega$ series?

Jim

I had actually never heard of the 2012 "Vegas". I had to look it up on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262383/

It's probably pretty good, since it has Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis in it. But from the IMDB description, it sounds very different from "Vega$". Looks like the 2012 "Vegas" is set in the 1960s when the mob was still running a lot of things.

To further confuse things, there was also another (also completely different) show from 2003-2008 called "Los Vegas": https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364828/

That one was about a casino, and starred James Caan as the owner, with Molly Sims and Josh Duhamel as supporting characters. Then Tom Selleck replaced Caan in the last season as the new owner of the casino.

Oh it was a great show.

Sadly was taken off.

[James Y]

Thanks for posting those, Joe! I remember seeing Killdozer. Yes, cheesy indeed. I never did see The Car. Was it anything like John Carpenter's Christine? That was a great movie.

My pleasure Jim. You have been bringing back some good memories for me. Christine is a much better movie quality wise but both the Car and Killdozer are old classics a lot of people our age saw as teens who were doing what we did and staying up late after the parents were asleep watching whatever was the late movie. Some were forgettable and some, though lousy movies just stick around.

Joe ( JD) brought up Miami vice. Shows like that I certainly knew about but never sat down to watch. I was busy working sometimes two or more jobs and didn't much watch TV. I gave up on TV much of my adult life until much later when I had "cable" and the ability to watch what I wanted. I still rarely watch anything with commercials. I detest them.

Joe

Joe,

The commercials I dislike the most are those pharmaceutical commercials, as well as (and maybe especially) the 'donate to save the animals' commercials. I'm not a cold-hearted man, but man, are those ads annoying or what? I HATE the shameless voice actress altering her speech pattern to elicit a feeling of guilt in the viewer. I guess it works on a lot of people, because they keep making and playing those ads.

Jim

[James Y]

Duel (1971, trailer)

This made-for-TV movie was the very first thing our family ever watched on a color TV, back in 1971. Our big old black and white TV had finally given up the ghost, and we'd just gotten home with our first color TV. And it was this movie's television debut. And what a movie!! To this day, I still consider it one of the best suspense movies of all time. Dennis Weaver was perfect in the role of the protagonist being relentlessly pursued by a monster truck and its mysterious, almost-unseen driver. I believe that Duel was the first full movie directed by Steven Spielberg. I heard it was later given a theatrical release in other countries.

I never forgot this movie, and maybe a decade ago bought it on DVD.

https://youtu.be/8m9aeCeHbiQ

Jim

Oh man, now your talkin Jim!
I loved watching that movie when I was a kid..
So cool you got to see it originally in '71
I wasn't born until Nov '71

I just Googled it, and Duel originally aired on November 13, 1971. Any coincidence for you there? Funny thing was, I had thought it was in September.

Jim

[James Y]

Here were a couple of good made-for-TV movies that introduced the Carl Kolchak character, that led to the short-lived series Kolchak: The Night Stalker:

The Night Stalker (1971, full movie)

https://youtu.be/R0isH8D5Lcs

The Night Strangler (1973, full movie)

https://youtu.be/uz8Te5LpWt0

IMO, of the two movies, The Night Strangler was far superior. In fact, IMO, it was the best storyline involving the Carl Kolchak character.

Here's the opening credits for the 1974 - 1975 TV series. This series was the inspiration for The X-Files.

https://youtu.be/NQ3X4ozBEuI

Jim

[James Y]

1961 Mattel Beany Copter Toy Commercial

This was from a couple years before I was born, but it's pretty funny. And yes, there was a time when kids used to play outside. The '60s and early '70s was a fun time to be a kid.

If the kids in this commercial are still alive, they'd be considered elderly.

When I was 3 or 4. I used to want one of those beanies with the propeller on top (different from these in the commercial, in that the propeller blades weren't mechanical, and didn't wind up and shoot up). I was convinced that if I could have one and get the little propeller to spin fast enough, I'd be able to fly around. My mom never would buy me one, which was just as well. She saved me from looking like a dork who couldn't fly...



https://youtu.be/HJ4Pj_oZj6c

Jim

[The Mastiff]

The commercials I dislike the most are those pharmaceutical commercials, as well as (and maybe especially) the 'donate to save the animals' commercials. I'm not a cold-hearted man, but man, are those ads annoying or what? I HATE the shameless voice actress altering her speech pattern to elicit a f.........

Yeah! :) I just get angry at the attempt to manipulate me to donate through guilt or sadness. I have had charities I donate to try to send me constant fund raising emails and messages doing the same thing. If a childrens hospital has the funds to waste doing constant emotive badgering than they don't need my money. I wrote one director asking why they thought it was a good idea . I never received a response just more spam garbage so I wrote them and told them they wouldn't get another cent from me as long as they kept doing it. They kept it up and I have never donated again. I made donations at least twice a year before that.

I know what is right . I don't need to be nagged or manipulated to donate to good causes but I refuse to be manipulated by some college kid with little job experience who models their program after the worst programs around.

By the way I watched " The Night stalker" last week. It brought back a lot of memories. It still plays on one of the channels I get on Spectrum here. Combat, Rat Patrol, 12 O'clock high , and some other shows I watched as a kid are still on too.

[MacLaren]

Duel (1971, trailer)

This made-for-TV movie was the very first thing our family ever watched on a color TV, back in 1971. Our big old black and white TV had finally given up the ghost, and we'd just gotten home with our first color TV. And it was this movie's television debut. And what a movie!! To this day, I still consider it one of the best suspense movies of all time. Dennis Weaver was perfect in the role of the protagonist being relentlessly pursued by a monster truck and its mysterious, almost-unseen driver. I believe that Duel was the first full movie directed by Steven Spielberg. I heard it was later given a theatrical release in other countries.

I never forgot this movie, and maybe a decade ago bought it on DVD.

https://youtu.be/8m9aeCeHbiQ

Jim

Oh man, now your talkin Jim!
I loved watching that movie when I was a kid..
So cool you got to see it originally in '71
I wasn't born until Nov '71

I just Googled it, and Duel originally aired on November 13, 1971. Any coincidence for you there? Funny thing was, I had thought it was in September.

Jim

Lol, pretty dang close Jim!

[Bloke]

Thanks, Bloke!

If I'm not mistaken, that's from Green Acres(?).

Jim

You’re most welcome, Jim! It is indeed Green Acres and the pig’s name is Arnold Ziffel.

Funny enough there’s a member here who’s username is Arnold Ziffel. Ah, hahaha!

[Bloke]

https://youtu.be/9_IA9T3uT8M

[Doc Dan]

Here Come the Brides

This video has both the instrumental and the vocal versions of the show's theme song.

I remember watching a few episodes of this when I was 5 or 6 years old. The show didn't last long. I haven't seen the show or heard this theme song since way back in kindergarten, in 1969...!

One memorable thing was that Bruce Lee guest-starred in an episode (in a non-fighting role). Another episode I recalled had a kid dealing with bullies.

https://youtu.be/R5L6PWNaZCE

Jim

That show had Joan Blondell, a real movie star, at the end of her career. It had David Soul and Bobby Sherman and Mark Lenard, too. What a cast.

[Doc Dan]

https://youtu.be/tUROZEmC1WQ
Wanted Dead or Alive


High Chaparral

[Doc Dan]

[skeeg11]

Every day after I got home from school I'd turn on the TV and watch The Mickey Mouse Club. Gotta say Annette Funicello was pretty hot.

[James Y]

The Green Hornet (1966, intro)

This was my first exposure to Bruce Lee, although I didn't really appreciate it until years later. Although Van Williams was the star and Bruce Lee played his driver/sidekick Kato, it was Kato who became the more popular character, and Bruce Lee who went on to superstardom.

https://youtu.be/wIwsqFjfKPs

The Green Hornet and Kato Surprise Batman and Robin (1966)

There was a Batman crossover episode with The Green Hornet:

https://youtu.be/EUuv_fEJMpI.

Jim

[James Y]

Speaking of the Batman TV series...

Batman (1966, intro & closing credits)

https://youtu.be/EZ9ymE2Rcxo

Jim

[James Y]

Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1970 - 1973, intro)

There were a few episodes that creeped me out as a kid, but having seen them recently, aren't creepy to me anymore. But they were for that time.

https://youtu.be/jBY2d2qa4Mk

Jim

[James Y]

Hogan's Heroes (1965 - 1971, intro & closing credits)

https://youtu.be/onZm-1GjYdw

Jim

[James Y]

The Flying Nun (1967 - 1970)

Like Hogan's Heroes, I remember these opening and closing credits like the back of my hand, even though I haven't seen them in 50+ years.

https://youtu.be/CojNHPD_cOU

Jim

[JRinFL]

We sure did watch a lot of television when we were kids! ‍