 This is the SF Productions podcast network 60s and 70s television Welcome to vast wasteland Welcome home of 60s and 70s television. I'm Mark Smith along with Wilbert Neil and Marty Wiley Well before we get into tonight's exciting subject, which as you probably guessed was school shows Just want to tell you we're on Tuesdays at 6 Wednesdays at 10 and Thursdays, Wednesdays on ATTV table 21 Also, if you want to write to us put it to complain about that stuff just like that Wednesdays fooling around on the set Right into box 15 14 11 Columbus, Ohio 4 3 2 1 5 You know, I actually don't have the letter because it got lost in my bag or something but a person Wrote me this note and it wanted to know could we answer the Dear vast wasteland, I'm too cheap to mail this so I'll hand deliver it. He is cheap. Believe me What can you tell me about shows that have unchanging clothes, which kind of fits into tonight's too? You know, he means like Gilligan's Island or whatnot You know, why did some people just always wear the same clothes from our artist fans are for the shows were cheap That's why I basically say they said hey We don't need to have a budget for this and also it's a lot easier to To edit the shows together. I mean you could you could technically shoot Scenes from various episodes all together and it is edited however you wanted The only the only people that really changed clothes on there were the howls and ginger anyway And that didn't happen that often and because that's just because they they they traveled with 60 or 70 bags of luggage There was no room for anybody else to bring any clothes so you've got a Gilligan and he's out there beating his red shirt with a Rock, you know, that's a very nice Did they on the beach there and that poor hat of his my god, so I'm surprised it survived And why did they never change Dennis the menace's clothes is another thing he brings up well Dennis did go from bib over all to the little boy Well, that was creating so much trouble. It's probably such a huge financial strain on the Mitchell, you know You know, it's the only the only joy he really had was that slingshot he carried around in his pocket He had a drone, but mr. Wilson kept like giving him five bucks for it Because he's gonna buy another drum He had a candy for him and Joey or something and special to our four who watches so much Star Trek Before we get into the show now for the way Well first off, let me say that By the time you see this this may well be old news, especially if you're big in the track But if if you're not or for whatever reason, here's the big news There's gonna be a third Trek series say no Third Trek series and it's gonna start next January Like Trek dry, I mean we've got track you've got track light Here's the deal with a twist Next next January a new series called. Let me make sure I get this right Star Trek deep space nine It's going to be a series based on a space station not on a ship at all And it's going to be during the same timeline as next generation Which means we're going to see people from next generation wandering it on the show And you know wandering onto the station and probably having like crossover shows all six million dollar men biotic woman type things where we had a Storyline that goes back and forth between the show. So you'll be so be looking forward to that and basically it says here Where's say here Follows the adventures of a new team of Starfleet officers who take command of a remote alien space station Situated near a newly discovered wormhole a shortcut through space that has become one of the most strategic locations in the galaxy And we don't know whether Channel 28 is going to carry it, although I'm betting they will Since they got both track in next generation Also, well, I was gonna say for those of you with cable for those of you without cable You can't see this show so For those who have channel 43 They've already stated. I believe that they're gonna carry this new deep space nine already and they already carry next generation. So One way or another I'm sure we'll see this There's also another show called Babylon 5 for Warner Brothers That is virtually the same show pretty much But it's not but it's not track but it is based on a space station and that show is also going to come out virtually at the same time You Space is big again, you know, and they promise there's not going to be an explosion on one side of it And they won't go shooting out into space and find a woman who can change Change shape into animals and stuff. We're not going to see any space 1999 stuff at least we hope not And they won't destroy the whole population of earth In the first it won't be an urban island epic in other words. So basically we hope not and no guilt to our thank goodness. So He's learned it. He can he can do it. He's been practicing Gil can do it No guilt your art. No tweaking. No tweaking beaty beaty beat Anyways on our main topic for the evening school shows Certainly, this is something that is really cheap to do because you you bring a lot of young actors in usually in there For some reason we always see actors in their 20s playing teenagers That seems to be some of you see a lot and they're really not Usually not well-known people so you can pay them virtually nothing And it's not until after the series is on for a while as they get to be known if they do get to be known at all Exactly, so then you had to pay them more but by then. Oh, they cancel the show Or they graduate exactly Well, and the other big thing you see is the concept of despite the fact that there's only four years in high school And they stay there forever. They don't they don't really want they just continue on case in point the arches Like every every every year to us is just like oh, I don't know maybe a minute or two to them There's another dimension whatever all their cartoons don't change clothes either This is true, which is probably why Dennis never really changes clothes because if he did why you wouldn't recognize him Anyways, let's Let's talk about some uh specific shows. Okay. Well room 222 Well, let's go back a little further. Why? I drew 222. Doby Gillis was out a little earlier than that. Yeah, it wasn't actually a school show but They were at school a lot. Yeah, they were at school. I mean a lot of it took place like at school, you know, so There's Doby Gillis and patty duke's dad was the teacher a lot. Yeah Yeah, of course, that was before he became patty duke's dad. I guess so Because then he had another job with another name William Scheller just went he had dozens of jobs on sitcoms. He just must have just like oh got another show to do He's off to another studio to do another bit part. He probably said like walk through the wall Like when he went to work he was going to another show Amazing this man and later he became the president of the actors union Believe it or not. He was like president of the television actors union by golly. He wasn't just an actor But he was also the president That's right Okay, well Doby Gillis So Doby I like this show. It was a fun little show. It started actually In the all 59 minutes. Yeah 59 63 carried up to 63. So, you know And he was another one of those actors who was like older But right played this young guy in high school. But hey, you know and he went to school with him Yeah, it was before the three-hour career Three-hour tour he was he had a different name He changed his name from Maynard Gilligan. Yeah, call me. You know Maynard. Just any if you can get out on a boat I was like something stepping. Yeah Not on a boat named Maynard. See that doesn't work. Maynard little buddy. Yeah, that doesn't work Maynard It just doesn't ring like Gilligan Whatever would you come over Maynard, yes, he would have sounded more like the Howl's son And Warren Beatty was the rich kid in that in the school And and Tuesday Weld was on there for a while. There was like a lot of famous people in the school When they were in school But it wasn't actually a true true business school show and and failure manager No, no, that was Zelda that did that. That's true. That's that was Zelda for pink witty Didn't we hear that on the air Anyways, anyway, but I was gonna say though. He said he was older. Well back in fan people did look a lot older when they were in high school I know you ever look at your parents your book. All right golly. They're got on suits and short hair Glasses Let's go to your parents and say you look like you did in high school because I looked up cat-eye glasses It was just wild and let's talk about the amazing chameleon lake hair color of dobby gillin I Went it went really looks like like platinum blonde and it went back to dark It pretty much went back and forth. I don't know what the deal could have been that it just did that season to season I mean every season it would be a different thing. That's what it was the way they show the reruns. It's like one day you're looking at it I was working at the store and some bleach fell on his head. Yeah, you know No bleach head Of course, this was a show that really to try to do the breaking the fourth wall idea You know, you had nobody would just sit out and talk directly to the audience So we also had the idea of of a father who wasn't particularly supportive of his son Which you really didn't see a television at that time all that time It was pretty much a you know, all the families were you know, like the anderson's and Okay, and don't you don't have to read that kind of thing. Yeah, that's right That was that was a nuclear family. That was it. Here. You had a father who just my son's an idiot, you know But his basic concept a true life kind of thing At least now we don't have to go any farther back now. Let's go up a little bit. Okay now. We'll hit room 222. Thank you One of my favorites because I I really fantasized that high school would be just so wonderful like that You know Was it? Hell no I did get to be in room 222 in junior high though But you know, it was like everybody was like friends and everybody like cared about you And you could like talk to your teachers and your counselors and you get to high school and find out It's a lie My junior high room 222 was just a little closet. We were very upset about that It's a little closet at the end of the hall Did y'all go look in there for bernie the guy with the big red afro? Look it's a little closet. It was mr. Smith's room at my junior high I don't think our high school had one because I don't think that many people could count that It was a little closet, but it was also at office There was a lady in there typing typing typing, but it was just a little closet She's like real old. They just locked her in there and didn't tell her when to go home or nothing It was very sad That's too bad. I think she was the mother of a friend of mine Good. It was just very sad. Anyway, I like that show Karen valentine got started on that one. Yep. Um Michael constant one of the rare cases of instead of having the uh, the students look older We had teachers that didn't look like they should have been teachers They look like they were still should have been in high school It was like a first-year kind of thread is a basic thing there that she really looked like one of the kids, you know And mr. Dixon was like the cool teacher and and michael constantine was like A crabby old principal guy Which is like the only thing that was truly in high school when you got there He was the cool slightly sarcastic principal He wanted to be a comedian. Yeah, he's mad that he couldn't be a comedian So he's just gonna make the high school living hell I like that that show that saw nickelodeon or whatever now or the Because of the principal or the vice principal really tries to be a comedian, you know, and he's always talking about the Oh, welcome freshman. He's always talking about the freshman and really this was one of the first uses of a Of black characters as people non-stereotypes. Yes I mean it talks in here. You know about the idea that Uh, we didn't just have the wasp and soul clothing as was diane carol and julia Nor are they laughable buffoons such as jimmy walkers jj and good times We're still in peregrine's of street wise virtues such as link a's of the mod squad This was a They had a white guy with a great big red afro I loved it. It was neat Never found anybody that looked like that back The guy with his own bows over He's done several shows too since then. I don't recognize him now. He didn't have hair He's able to change his hair I guess the whole deal Of course, that's when everybody had hair back then denise nickels. She was the other teacher. Yeah, there's a guidance counselor She was oh, let me see this You get the high school find out about the guidance counselor and romantic interest for dixon. Yes Christian you get the high school find out too. There's such thing as a guidance counselor There's a coach sitting in there telling you. Well, you get out of school. You can get a job. Okay This was walt wittman high And I thought those crayons were just you know wittman crayons just because Walt women I did I really did Read your history and then hey well, this was this was 69 here Hey, we got a show in 69 amazingly this started. Okay. This was on september 17 to 69 Got a show here to start on september 14 to 69 the bill cosby show Where bill cosby was chet kinkage By golly, what was he bill cosby? He was a gym teacher. He was a high school physio teacher and a coach Not unlike what bill went ahead to do When he got his his master's in and whatever Go ahead back to a temple university become Super dad teacher and a coach That basically was you know, it was another developing uh Roll for bill cosby to develop his comedic talents and things after the ice pie deal left. He was then physio teacher and a coach Why could you guys stay in school and work real hard to do that? And it was it was a fun show Yeah, it really was it was so fun. It was all right. I like to be 222 better It was touching. Yeah, it was moving. It was like a warm ity Yeah, really 222 is really the first warm ity for a lot of us that and eddie's father were kind of like pretty much Yeah, you need to eddie's father. But anyway, but we can be but I don't know. I just It was like, oh, that's what high school will be. I can't wait. It'll be so wonderful all these caring grown-ups and friends It was cool another school show after that cut here. Yeah, mr. Cut here cut here Welcome back cut here pretty much spawned an industry true Yeah, I wonder if we act so stupid in school because You guys are cool The sweat hogs now, this is the classic example of a show that Uh, I mean, they never said the kids like flunked at any point because cotter always got them through and yet They never got out of cotter's class. They were in high school for like eight years. Well, they were Never got out of cotter's class It was like it seemed like eight years early. They're like, what are these kids going to graduate? Well, they were remedial academics. Yeah, they were really starting sixth grade. What's the deal? Okay, so they were the squad No, they were really the squad They were more like what we call the animals at our school the guys that worked that That went to school half the day and they went to some menial job So they could get through high school basically. Well, that's how they got their day the sweat hogs Yes, which gave john travolta his Of course, I had known who gave kaplan was because he had been a stand-up comedian. Yeah Gee does this sound like another show on the opposite end? It came back in the 80s with a stand-up comedian Oh no And wasn't it like john travolta's first shot? Yeah, pretty much And then by guy, oh, he's in a movie later. I wonder if he watches those now and go, oh my god I think he could pretty much watch anything he's ever done and go Yeah Just recently saw that boy in the plastic bubble What an actor boy this why this guy isn't getting Oscars now is absolutely beyond me I want to rage I've often noticed that every time john travolta did a movie by golly. I dance craze came because of it Or riding them bulls Who was the guy that played freddy boom boom washington? Oh, that's laurence hilton jacob, which you see a lot. Who now plays like like Supporting parts on cop shows He's like the responsible cop all of a sudden and this guy too shows up on cop shows, right? I can't remember his name one eppstein What do we can do one louise pedro fiddler the wavles eppstein Hedges hedges hedges or hedges. I don't look like hedges Oh He shows up in cop shows. Yeah, because he's cut his hair. Everybody cut their hair. I'm so what the heck happened to ron paulillo Jason movie He was in a jason movie and and that's kind of like the last I saw him But I did see him on herald are not too long ago Oh, was he on there about the about the where are they now kind of kids? It's like where are the people from room 222 now? Well, I know one of them is dead at least But the others they don't really care valentine. She's still alive, but What does she do now? Not much, but it's like a Hollywood square And um, what's her name? Um She she was hot tea hot tea on the show. Yeah, deborley scott. Yeah deborley scott It was like one of the few girls who had hogs And i'm gonna hide in this book, but that's what I used to do No, wait, wait. Yeah, but those aren't kind of books you hid behind in school There you go. There you go. Well cleverly disguised They'll never know But sweat hogs didn't read books. That's right. You don't have to worry about that. So I always wondered Cotter was a sweat hog. Yeah, he was in school. How did he get so smart? That's right And become the teacher of the sweat hog He went off and he did that stand-up comic thing in college and he just learned the world What the fascinating thing about this show is that this is one of the shows where they said, you know We're kind of we've kind of beaten the whole concept into the ground and at that point Uh kaplan wanted like a million dollars an episode or some some hideously some huge amount of money And they went no go away and they basically mrs. Cotter became like She became the lead on the show. She was just kind of like her and the twins Yeah, which is gonna like stand around. Well, he's out of town, you know for a season or so. He was out of town Marcia Strossman. Yeah She shows up a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff and they went to james buccane and high You always have to go to a high school named after someone famous It's a law. Yeah, I guess I guess I didn't know we go to high school then did I and it wasn't at all like on room Two I went to a high school named after a vacuum cleaner. So Hi, we're in a dirt devil I don't know the cheers were horrible I People running into each other Anyway, you're gonna be a piece of dust, you know, that dirt now Tasmanian devils their mascot Well, we've just gone on and on we're we're way out here on the tangent now High school isn't anything like room 22 Let's move on here to white shadow. That's right Here's another show about a coach. Oh my god Lots of coaches Calls a whole lot and everybody can just wear their sweaty basketball White shadow was neat that guy that played the white shadow was inlander's son-in-law Is he really Ken Howard? Yeah, say it ain't so it's true. Okay. I guess it is. You wear the toupee too He's really bald Now didn't know one of these kids off of this show What happened here? Was it one of the kids from room 22 room 222 went to this show or one of the kids from welcome But some some kid from one Show like this went on to another show like this I don't know and I've lost us. What was Lucas Tanner? Was he a school counselor? Well, let's find out that's another that's another fine school show actually another fine one And it had this kid that looked like an owl on it The English instructor a former baseball former baseball player and sports writer who turns to teaching after how to act Kills his wife and son. Oh, darn And of course he teaches at Harry S Truman memorial high school Any coach any coach? That sounds a lot like my high school Oh with the famous with of course david hartman before uh for gma. Good morning america Yeah All right when I remember about white shadow though I hardly remember the show but I do remember the satire that snl did the black shadow Which was a whole which was which was a white team of basketball players with a black coach and the idea was They the opening logo was he gets in trouble. They bail him out Incredibly stereotypical A lot like the white shadow was The the one okay on the white side of the one real big basketball player coolage wound up on st L square. Okay. There you go. Okay. There was the tie-in. Thank you very much. I by galley. I missed it Okay, well, I do want to mention square pegs even though hurry up real fast a little further than our point there It was like a really good show. It was a real good show There was another one that came out around that time and by galley. Who cares what it was Teachers did something it was teacher It was teachers only. That's what it was. I never watched it. I didn't like it Well g I guess we gotta say goodbye. That's right. We gotta now it's time to say good So next time We're gonna be talking about mary tyler more shows not not just her show But the whole mary tyler more universe mtm universe So uh, and look there's an address So if you want to complain about the show here it is He wanted to play to say you didn't mention paper chase Paper chase you want our paper chase there there paper chase it So for all of us advance ways land will see you next time. Good night everybody