Saturday, September 8, 2012

Sunday, September 8th, 1974

I went to Terry's house where we played Monopoly and then TRIED to play Poker with the Monopoly money. I won. I took Terry some old notebooks for which he gave me the felt cat poster. (It looks terrific on my wall!)

While I was there, he got a phone call from that woman who was supposed to be at the STAR TREK thing a month or so back. Seems there's gonna be another one--well, the first actually--at that Library next Saturday. I hope it's great. It will be nice to see some of those people again! They were my kind of people.

On the way home, I stopped at Rink's and got two STAR TREK Viewmaster packs. Also picked up a Louisville paper.

Tonight I watched a Sonny & Cher movie directed by Billy Friedkin and also saw Linda's favorite film, NATIONAL VELVET. Haven't seen it in years. Heard Linda talking on a BORN INNOCENT commercial. She even said her own name. First time I've heard that. Wow!

I was sorry to hear Evel didn't succeed with the big jump! He's okay though but all my scrapbook stuff seems meaningless now.

Ford pardoned Nixon.

Notes: You can tell where my priorities were. The biggest and most controversial story of the day and it's an afterthought above. Ford pardoned Nixon.

I didn't know it then but apparently this was the anniversary of the premiere of STAR TREK 8 years earlier. 46 years earlier than today in 2012. Hopefully I'll get a chance to write about it later today on my other blog. 

The Sonny & Cher movie is a bizarre but pointed sixties comedy that parodied exactly the kind of success the duo eventually found in TV. 

Sigh...I swooned to hear Linda say her own name. I WAS FIFTEEN!! GIMME A FREAKIN' BREAK, 'K? ;)


Friday, September 7, 2012

Saturday, September 7th, 1974


This  morning I got up early to catch the new cartoon shows. I thought HONG KONG PHOOEY was silly. The acting was good but the special effects on LAND OF THE LOST could have been a lot better. THE GLOBETROTTERS show had its moments but as a whole I thought it was boring. I was crazy about SHAZAM! The acting, effects and even story was terrific, exciting and even educational. The emphasis could have been better on the original Shazam legend. I mean, they left out the old Wizard completely! I wish I could have seen the Hudson Brothers show but it was up against the morning's best show, the returning animated STAR TREK. Words do not do this great show justice. (Sound just like a trekkie, don't I?)

Cincy had nothing again. I got another pic of Linda from TV TIME and later at the Song Shop picked up 2 Seals and Crofts doubles for only $1.87.

Tonight I saw part of the EVEL KNIEVEL movie for about the fifth time and then Evel himself on THE ANDY WILLIAMS SPECIAL. Also Donny and Marie among others. Tonight I also saw the BORN INNOCENT commercial again. I wish I could count it on my Top Ten list. Maybe I can. Can I? Maybe...we'll see.

NOTES: Yeesh! I hadn't even seen the Linda Blair TV movie yet and was ready to post it on my Top Ten for the year even though I didn't count TV movies! I had it bad.

Speaking of Linda, TV TIME was the name of the CINCINNATI POST Saturday TV mag.

I was 15 years old but never too old for good Saturday morning fare. Unfortunately, by this point in the seventies, what passed for good wasn't much. Looking at it from today's standpoint, I feel pretty much the same about HONG KONG PHOOEY although I love Scatman Crothers. LAND OF THE LOST was well-written low-rent fun with some good actors overplaying and no money for real spfx. A great opening sequence and theme song. Loved the Hudson Brothers in anything. The STAR TREK animated series was soon to be taken off locally and to this day i've never seen some of the new episodes of that second season (which was mostly reruns as it would turn out).

And apparently my opinion of SHAZAM has changed as I was just recently discussing how bad it was with a friend. The leads couldn't act, the scripts were preachy and duller than dirt, the backstory was left out and Captain Marvel was never used enough! At least the first Captain Marvel actor who debuted on this date LOOKED the role. But he was replaced in Season Two. 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Friday, September 6th, 1974

I must've fixed my locker yesterday. It worked fine today.

I read part of THE CRUCIBLE in my literature book. A great play about the Salem Witch Trials.

Caught the bus back quick and os beat Dad home for once.

There was a great local article and a pic of Linda in Mary Wood's column, today. I've met Mary a number of times and she's met Linda...or at least talked to her...Hmmm...I doubt I'd ever be bold enough to ask for an introduction but maybe.

Watched new TV previews tonight.

NOTES: Arthur Miller's play THE CRUCIBLE is as much about its own times and the witch hunts therein as it is about the historical Salem trials. Once I realized that I enjoyed it even more and it remains a favorite play of mine. 

Mary Wood was the legendary, beloved and eccentric TV columnist for THE CINCINNATI POST for ages . She lived just a block down from us so I would see her walking around the neighborhood down by the river and, in fact, trick-or-treated at her house as a kid. Not like I actually KNEW her but we would recognize each other on sight. I never did ask her about Linda. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Thursday, September 5th, 1974


Basically a good day at school but my locker wouldn't close twice so I was late for Science. I hope I fixed it.

Coming home, I went straight into Cincinnati. No new comics out but I did pick up a couple old issues I missed.

Watched EVEL KNIEVEL: ONE MAN, ONE CANYON.

I played Christmas records tonight to go with the cold weather and keep me in a good mood. Wow.

NOTES: My son's been having trouble with his locker in 2012. The parallels continue. 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Wednesday, September 4th, 1974

Things went breezy at schol. I now have got all my books except for Geometry which is sold out! Spanish wasn't that hard and I got out of English all together. I caught the earliest bus back and avoided the crowds. I got off at Woolworths and picked up the Fall Preview TV GUIDE as well as THE STAR for an Evel article (as well as a Bruce lee one!).

Trouble is we fixed my glasses so well last night that I forgot they were broken and so forgot to stop in town for my test!

Got all nostalgic again. Oh, how I wish the "good old days" were still here!

Watched the debut of THAT'S MY MAMA tonight. Pretty good.

NOTES: THAT'S MY MAMA was an African-American sitcom starring Clifton Davis and Theresa Merritt. I thought it was pretty funny, especially Teddy Wilson and a pre-LOVE BOAT Ted Lange in supporting roles. It lasted only 39 episodes over two seasons. Last year, I watched a marathon of them on TV and they held up better than other, more successful, "black" sitcoms of the day such as GOOD TIMES and SANFORD AND SON. 

Monday, September 3, 2012

Tuesday, September 3rd, 1974

I had a bad dream last night. Or at least it seemed bad at the time. Thinking about it now that I'm awake it just seems silly.

Spanish was better today. Gym wasn't TOO bad. I just missed getting my books! I was next in line when they closed! Tomorrow I'm going to be first in line! I managed to get through without them today. Had to wait a long tome on the bus home. The first one was so full it literally just passed me by!

Stopped at Woolworth's on the way home for a TV GUIDE but they weren't in yet. I did pick up a RONA with coverage of AIRPORT 1975 that had several black and white and color pix of Linda! Ought to be a great movie!

Walking home I found myself really missing all the old places and it hasn't even been that long. The temps were very cool today.

Watched FAMILY AFFAIR.

Work was so terrible tonight I'd rather not say anything other than that. I broke my glasses. Guess tomorrow I'll stop at Doctor Flaig's and have him do that new test. I should probably have him fix these up at least for a few days, too.

I watched Liz Montgomery on a BEWITCHED rerun and on MRS. SUNDANCE.

What a day--great and terrible.

NOTES: I didn't like my first eye doctor even though he was wildly famous in this area. Long dead in 2012, he still has buildings, roads and practices named after him! I didn't like him because I went for new glasses once and he told me I didn't need them. I told him I sure couldn't see anything without glasses! A friend from school recommended Dr. Flaig--also very well-known and long deceased. He has  a plaque still on a downtown building!

I was really setting myself up for disappointment with this AIRPORT movie. I had loved the spectacle of the first one in 1970 and this one had to be bigger and better since it had Linda! Little did I know.

MRS. SUNDANCE was, I believe, Liz's first post-BEWITCHED project in an effort to be taken seriously and break any possibilities of typecasting. Her co-star here was actor Robert Foxworth who became her real-life co-star until her untimely death, also.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Monday, September 2nd, 1974

Labor Day. I watched Jerry Lewis all day from about 7:30 AM. Last night and today, I finally got to see and hear Lena Zavaroni. Been hearing about her. Last night I didn't like her but now I've decided to get her album.

It rained all day again.

I'm very worried about tomorrow. My first Gym day, my last Spanish day and I still have to find the bookstore to get my books!

I see where Clint will be on TV next Monday night in JOE KIDD.

NOTES: Okay, I thought we mentioned having Gym class already. And what's this about my LAST Spanish class? I was THERE so if I'm this confused I can only imagine how YOU feel!

Raining all day here in 2012, also. 

Speaking of things never changing, here I was talking about Clint Eastwood on TV and guess what I've done--like much of America--for the past couple of days here in 2012?

It was, of course, the Jerry Lewis MD telethon I was watching. I saw firefighters out collecting for it today so I guess it will be on somewhere tomorrow, Jerry-less like last year and truncated down to just a few hours.

Lena Zavaroni was a guest that year, a precociously phenomenal 11 year old Scottish singer who had been getting quite a bit of press. She never really caught on in the uS but apparently did in the UK where she had hit records and eventually her own talk show. Sadly, she struggled with Anorexia  for most of her life and died at age 36. I never did end up getting her album.