Mark Evanier has some interesting TV tidbits, including this story about TiVo’s future as a business, and this news about the Trio network (who knew anyone was rerunning Battle of the Network Stars?), and this post about an unusual moment of foreshadowing from the Flip Wilson Show. Check it out.
OK, now that I’ve brought up BOTNS, I can’t resist talking about it. I admit it, I loved that show as a kid. Robert Conrad! The obstacle course! Howard Cosell! The dunk tank! More T&A than the late-night Cinemax lineup! Sheer genius. I’d watch it again.
“OK, now that I’ve brought up BOTNS, I can’t resist talking about it. I admit it, I loved that show as a kid. Robert Conrad! The obstacle course! Howard Cosell! The dunk tank! More T&A than the late-night Cinemax lineup! Sheer genius. I’d watch it again.”
Of course, now, you have to include HBO, Showtime, FX, ESPN, and a number of other channels with original programming. Hell, The networks could have BOTNS trials for all of the cable networks they at least partially own.
On a side note, Robert Conrad vs Gabe Kaplan in the 100 meter grudge race was classic TV. I half expected Robert to pull a gun out and shoot Gabe after the race.
Finally, for all you BOTNS fans out there, what would you think of the revival of another classic event based on the same concept, The Superstars?
I have a confession to make. At the age of 6, I was a HUGE fan of the Flip Wilson show and apparently did a pretty darn good impersonation of Geraldine Jones…which led to my Halloween costume. I went one year as Gerladine…in blackface. My mom made “blackface” by covering my face in cold cream dusted with cocoa. Off I went. “Trick or treat, sucka” I would say when people opened the door. Most apparently watched Flip and thought it was a scream but not everyone got the joke.
I confused the hell out of a Vietnamese couple new to America who had been caught off guard by the holiday. They spent the night frantically wrapping saltines in aluminum foil and handing them out to devils, ghosts, monsters, ballerinas and at least one goofy six year old white boy pretending to be a hip black woman.
After reading Holidays on Ice I considered “selling” this memory to David Sedaris to see what treatment he could give it.
I mentioned this post to this the missus and we had a fine moment of nostalgia. She reminded me of the fine program “Circus of the Stars,” or something like that. That Robert Conrad!
I remember watching the show as well. I was a big “Baa Baa Black Sheep” (later “Black Sheep Squadron”) fan. Seeing Robert Conrad smoke on TV probably influenced me to the vices I maintain to this day.