nPostednon September 14, 2016
n
n
nSometimesnwhen I’m rhapsodizing over how wonderful it is to be alive today,npartly because of technology, I mention how good TV is these days,ncompared to the Stone Ages of television (my childhood LOL).
n
n
n
n
n
nAndnwhen I talk about how limited our TV choices were, back then, and hownhokey many shows were, one show’s name readily comes to my lips:
n
n
n
n
n
nInsay, “Well, we watched shows like My Mother the Car!”
n
n
n
n
n
nActually,nI don’t remember minding that show all that much, at the time. Inmean, I was 10, so what did I know? But the preposterous premise (bynwhich I mean the silly central idea of the show) is that a lawyernshopping for a used car discovered a car that is the reincarnation ofnhis own mother! She speaks to him through the car’s radio. Inmean…that does sound dumb, doesn’t it?
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nOfncourse, we were also watching other shows that had prettynpreposterous premises – an astronaut becomes the master of an2,000-year-old genie; a witch marries a mortal and tries to live annordinary suburban housewife; a klutzy architect owns a talking horse;na reporter finds a Martian who is stranded on Earth (and happens tonlook exactly like humans) and passes him off as his uncle…Trust me,nsome of these shows were pretty entertaining!
n
n
n
n
n
 |
| Note that even bad shows that were instantly cancelled managed to sell merchandise! |
n
nBacknwhen My Mother the Car debuted (on this date in 1965), mostnshows filled an entire “season,” and this one was no different.nEven though the show was cancelled just a few weeks after its debutnon this date in 1965, after a bunch of horrible reviews and ridiculenwere heaped upon it, there were 30 episodes made. And all 30 of them aired, taking the show into April of 1966.
n
n
n
nThe show may evennhave gone into reruns.
n
n
n
nThese days My Mother the Car is rated the second worst shownever, according to TV Guide, but it’s still available as anboxed DVD set and on hulu.com! Maybe it’s so bad, it’s good!
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAnothernTV show celebrating its anniversary today is The Waltons,nwhich premiered on this date in 1972. It was a big hit and ran fornnine seasons and had not one, not two, but SIX TV movie sequels! Evennthough I watched My Mother the Car despite the fact that itnwas hokey, I did not watch or even try The Waltons – andnyet I still managed to think it was hokey. But the main reasonnI didn’t try the show was that I was going to college and then movingnaway to an apartment as I got a full-time job, and I just didn’t havenaccess to TV most of those years.
n
n
n
n
n
 |
| At the end of every show, viewers would see an exterior shot of the Walton’s house, and they would hear various cast members saying good night to each other. Just one of the reasons I assumed it was hokey– |
n
n
n
nThenlast in my premiere-anniversary list for today is the show Morknand Mindy, which had its debut on this date in 1978. This shownALSO had a preposterous premise, but it was so good!
n
n
n
n
n
n
First,nthe preposterous premise: Mork is an extraterrestrial from Ork (yes,nthat’s right, Mork is from Ork; you have a problem with that?) in annegg-shaped spaceship. He has been sent to observe humans (and,ncoincidentally again, just happens to look exactly like humans!), butnhe doesn’t fit in very well. Mindy is a human who teaches Mork aboutnEarth and Earthlings and even allows him to move into hernattic!
First,nthe preposterous premise: Mork is an extraterrestrial from Ork (yes,nthat’s right, Mork is from Ork; you have a problem with that?) in annegg-shaped spaceship. He has been sent to observe humans (and,ncoincidentally again, just happens to look exactly like humans!), butnhe doesn’t fit in very well. Mindy is a human who teaches Mork aboutnEarth and Earthlings and even allows him to move into hernattic!
Very silly, but Mork and Mindy starred Robin Williams,nand he was sooooo delightful and different, the show was a huge hitnin its first season. It even out-
rated The Waltons (which wasnof course in one of its later seasons. But the network execs decidednto move the show to another day to capitalize on its success andnended up making the show slip drastically in ratings. It lasted onlynfour seasons, although it did go to syndication, DVDs, a comic strip,nand even a Saturday morning cartoon! We can still watch Mork andnMindy on hulu (and maybe some other ways as well).n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nMorknand Mindy also shot Robin Williams to instant stardom, but I’mnthinking that almost any show could have done that – he was prettyndarned brilliant!
n
n
n
n
n
 |
| “Na nu na nu” was what Mork said has he said goodbye. |
n
n
n
nOfncourse, I still relish TV of today way, way, way over television ofnyesteryear. And one thing that makes it especially grand is that wencan still see the best shows (and even the worst shows) fromnyesteryear, thanks to technology!
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAlsonon this date:
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
| n
n
n |
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nSannJacinto Day in Nicaragua
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAnniversarynof the completion of the first North American lighthouse
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAnniversarynof the completion of Handel’s Messiah
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nPlannahead:
n
n
n
n
n
n
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
n Septembern holidays
n
-
n Septembern birthdays
n
-
n n Historicaln anniversaries in September
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
n
-
n Octobern birthdaysn n
n
-
n
n
n
n
n
n
