Howard Cosell occupies a
unique place in the Comfort TV era.
As a sportscaster he was
both revered and reviled enough to transcend almost any event he covered. Cosell’s
enthusiastic fan base appreciated his no-nonsense candor and rebukes of corrupt
institutions. But there were also those who couldn’t stand his big ego and oft-mocked
hair, and would change the channel to avoid even a moment in his company.
Hmmm…sounds like a certain
Commander in Chief.
In the pre-cable era,
before ESPN turned many sportscasters into household names, Cosell’s was the
voice associated with any sporting match of significance that aired on ABC,
from The Olympics to the World Series to championship boxing, as well
as the famed “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie
Jean King.
He reached the pinnacle of
his profession but remained a deeply insecure man who may have wished to be
liked as much as he was respected. That might explain his forays into other
types of television, from sitcoms to variety shows to a series of celebrity
competitions that are as beloved by this blog as any 1970s TV classic.
Monday Night Football (1970-1983)
If you’re looking for the
moment when football began to surpass baseball as America’s national pastime,
this is it. These weekly primetime games were appointment TV in homes and bars
across the country, especially during the years when the broadcast booth was
manned by Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith. At halftime, Cosell’s
narration of Sunday game highlights set a standard that would be emulated by
everyone from George Michael to Chris Berman.
The Partridge Family (1971)
What would any 1970s sitcom
be without an ecology episode? “Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?” finds the
Partridges singing to save the whales at Marineland.
When a legal snafu
threatens the project, Howard Cosell steps in to help Shirley and her family
save the day. It seems like an odd assignment for a famed sportscaster; perhaps
ABC figured a little extra star power would help this atypical episode.
Nanny and the Professor (1971)
What’s odd about “Sunday’s
Hero” is that, for the first and only time in a situation comedy, Howard Cosell
plays a character other than himself. Here he’s Miles Taylor, a colleague of
Professor Everett who arranges a pick-up football game between the faculty and
some local college and high school students.
Fol-de-Rol (1972)
This pilot for a prime-time
series from Sid & Marty Krofft is a fascinating failure. Set at a Renaissance-style
“pleasure fair,” Fol-de-Rol featured
such stars as Rick Nelson, Cyd Charisse, Ann Sothern, Totie Fields and Mickey
Rooney interacting with various Krofft plush creations. Cosell appears in a
skit about Noah’s ark, in which he describes the journey of “a good little man
against a good big storm,” and interviews passengers like “Mr. Lion” and “Mr.
Pelican” while a chorus jams to George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.” You can
understand why the show aired once and disappeared, but like any Krofft project
it has wonderful music and captivating moments amidst the slapstick and
cornball jokes. If you watch it on YouTube, don’t blame me if the opening theme
gets stuck in your head for days.
The Odd Couple (1972)
This is the best of Howard
Cosell’s sitcom appearances, since the show’s premise lent itself naturally to
a guest spot from a renowned sportscaster. “Big Mouth” put Oscar Madison into
the Monday Night Football booth next
to Cosell, where their long-simmering feud continues during the game. Like many
print journalists, Oscar finds the transition to TV difficult, and freezes on
the air. “There’s nothing wrong with your television sets, ladies and
gentleman,” Cosell says during one of those moments, “It's just Oscar Madison
telling you all he knows about football.”
Frank Sinatra – The Main Event (1974)
After retiring from the
concert stage in 1970, Frank Sinatra made a triumphant return with this live
performance from New York’s Madison Square Garden. Howard Cosell’s (allegedly)
ad-libbed introduction of Sinatra – which runs nearly three minutes – is nearly
as famous as the show itself. Near its climax, Cosell’s voice battles Woody
Herman’s orchestra for aural supremacy and doesn’t give any ground.
Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell (1975)
With eclectic lineups of
actors, comedians, musicians, politicians and sports stars, some beamed in via
satellite from remote corners of the world long before that became commonplace,
this variety series was an ambitious experiment that would probably be
more interesting to watch now than it was back in 1975. How could any show be
boring with Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Hope, Tony Bennett,
Roberta Peters and Evel Knievel? Even the segments that bombed back then would
fun to watch, like a singing duet featuring Cosell and Barbara Walters. I want
this on DVD now.
Battle of the Network Stars (1976-1988)
Cosell hosted 18 of the 19
Battle shows, in which he was happily paired with such lovely cohosts as
Suzanne Somers, Erin Gray, Donna Mills and Morgan Fairchild. No wonder he kept
coming back. Sports purist that he was, this might have seemed like an
uncomfortable match at first, but he clearly enjoy his semi-annual visits to
Pepperdine University, being kissed by the pretty starlets and teasing Gabe
Kaplan on his inability to keep a kayak straight. He also genuinely admired the
effort and joy of competition put forth by the actors, having already become
jaded by the attitudes of many professional athletes.
The Carpenters First Television Special (1976)
Unfortunately, we don’t get
to hear Howard sing with Karen as he did with Barbara Walters. Instead, he’s
calling the action from Riverside Raceway, where Richard Carpenter matches his
skills against professional drivers Al Unser and Danny Ongias. Not exactly what
fans of the duo’s music hoped to see. Thankfully, the rest of the special is
wonderful.
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)
In “The Mystery of the
Solid Gold Kicker,” college football star Chip Garvey (Mark Harmon) is framed
for murder and then blackmailed by gamblers. Thankfully, Nancy Drew is on the
case. Howard Cosell’s appearances here are restricted to the broadcast booth,
where his fervent play-calling adds authenticity to the big-game atmosphere,
but it would have been more fun if he had interacted with Nancy and the other
characters. At least he finally met Harmon while celebrating the actor’s
remarkable obstacle course runs on The
Battle of the Network Stars.
