My Journey Through 1970s TV; Wednesday Nights, 1974

 

This should be an interesting night to explore. Last season all three networks served up new shows that didn’t last on Wednesday, and between those and others that were moved or canceled after a successful run, Wednesday night in 1974 offered no fewer than seven new shows for viewers to discover.

 

Wednesday, 1974

 

ABC

That’s My Mama

Wednesday Movie of the Week

Get Christie Love

 

We begin with something of a milestone in TV history – the first prime time schedule featuring only shows with African-American leads. I assume that was not coincidental, though if ABC wanted a bloc to promote to a specific audience they probably shouldn’t have dropped a movie in between That’s My Mama and Get Christie Love.

 

 

It was an admirable albeit unsuccessful experiment. Some will blame evil old America of course, but with Good Times a hit that excuse don’t hunt. Both shows didn’t last simply because they were not very good.

 

There’s still a bit of a cult buzz around Get Christie Love, though – I have two friends that continue to wait for a DVD release. I wanted to like it more, but I did admire the fact that the show didn’t turn star Teresa Graves into a prime-time friendly Pam Grier, and try to emulate the gritty style of the Blaxploitation films that were still doing big business in urban theaters. 

 

 

As played by Graves, Christie was a smart, kind, capable detective, still a little inexperienced, but eager to learn. Her “You’re under arrest, Sugar” will never rival “Dy-no-mite!” in the pantheon of ‘70s catch phrases, but she had the same tough-but-feminine quality that Jaclyn Smith (who guest-starred in an episode) brought to Charlie’s Angels. It’s sad she never got another shot at TV stardom, and that she died much too young.

 

CBS

Sons and Daughters

Cannon

The Manhunter

 

Sons and Daughters was the other new series debuting this year with a 1950s setting. Everyone remembers Happy Days – almost nobody (include me, I confess) remembers this one. Gary Frank and Glynnis O’Connor played high school students in love, while dealing with emotional turbulence in their respective families. 

 

 

There’s a serious, soap opera tone to the few minutes of footage available online, including a (bland) opening credits sequence, and a promo spot in which Gary Frank explains why this is a show that people should watch. I was not convinced – but thankfully Frank wouldn’t have to wait that long for a better showcase in Family, one of the very best television shows of the decade.

 

The Manhunter will, unfortunately, also join Sons and Daughters on my “missed shows” list. Ken Howard, between writing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and designing pick-and-roll plays on The White Shadow, plays a detective in the 1930s on a mission to bring gangsters to justice. I never really saw Howard as the action hero type, and apparently no one else did either. 

 

 

NBC

Little House on the Prairie

Lucas Tanner

Petrocelli

 

The new series debuting this night that found the biggest audience is Little House on the Prairie – and few shows outside the science fiction genre ever amassed as loyal and fervent a following. A few months ago, a 50^th anniversary cast reunion and festival was held in Simi Valley, California.

 

The first-rate source material (now banned in some libraries – don’t get me started) was adapted into a first-rate series that lasted nine seasons. 

 

 

While Bonanza may rank higher with old-school classic TV fans, it is Little House that will stand as Michael Landon’s crowning television achievement, not just as an actor but also as writer, producer and director. This was his show as much as any series can be attributed to the creative vision of one man. Beyond its status as a godsend for those who believed TV was going to hell in a handbasket, this was a series that even appealed to viewers who would rather jam an ice pick in their forehead than sit through anything described as “heartwarming.” IF you can get through season four’s “I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Away” without shedding a tear, you’re tougher than I am.

 

That strong lead-in audience should have served Lucas Tanner well, and I’m surprised more of them didn’t stick around. I liked this show, though as I’ve said before I have a soft spot for any series about teachers. 

 

Tanner, as played by David Hartman, is cut from the same mold as John Novak (Mr. Novak) and Pete Dixon (Room 222), a caring, compassionate high school teacher who steps up for his students when no one else will. Episodes began popping up on YouTube about a year ago and I’ve watched and enjoyed them all.

 

I covered Petrocelli in a “Purchase or Pass” blog after it was released on DVD in 2017. I voted “Pass” on this courtroom drama but some of my readers appealed the decision. 

 

I did like the early episodes, before the show became more action-oriented, and as with Lucas Tanner and Get Christie Love the parade of ‘70s guest stars adds a wonderful nostalgic kick for those of us who remember these shows from their original runs. “Edge of Evil” features William Shatner and Harrison Ford – where else can you see Captain Kirk and Han Solo in the same show? I’ll still take it over anything on Netflix tonight.

 

 

Shows Missed:

The Don Knotts Show (1970)

San Francisco International Airport (1970)

Nancy (1970)

The Headmaster (1970)

The Man and the City (1971)

Search (1972)

Assignment: Vienna (1972)

The Delphi Bureau (1972)

Jigsaw (1972)

The Little People (1972)

The Sixth Sense (1972)

Tenafly (1973)

Faraday & Company (1973)

Love Story (1973)

Sons and Daughters (1974)

Manhunter (1974)