70s Television

I was checking out Julie Fidler's "Stuck in the 70s" http://www.stuckinthe70s.com website the other day (as I do almost every day!) and she had posted about the "One Day At A Time" Reunion show coming up on Feb. 22nd. That, of course, got me thinking about all the shows I watched growing up in the 70s. Sometimes I changed my day and activities to make sure I caught my faves (what we called favorites back in the day!). I found a site - oh, no, I can't tell you what it was because I forgot to bookmark it - but it had the entire 1970s television prime time schedule so I went through it to see what I could remember. And boy did the memories come back!
"One Day at a Time" with Bonnie Franklin, MacKenzie Phillips, and Valerie Bertinelli was one of my favorites. Growing up in the home of a divorced mom, I could identify with the girls. I wasn't as "perky" as Barbara Cooper so it was MacKenzie whom I really thought I was like. Loved the Elton John references back then. Early in the 70s my Friday nights revolved around getting my PJs on early and settling down with a pillow in front of the TV to watch "The Brady Bunch" (I was the 3rd child in my family but my siblings were way older than me so it was as if I was an only child - this show allowed me to live vicariously in the large family I'd always wanted); the "Partridge Family" (how cool to be in a family that made records and went on tour? Of course my main reason for watching it was yummy David Cassidy!); "Room 222" (this allowed me a peak at what high school was going to be like!); "Love, American Style" - I was a little too naive to get the risque jokes; and "The Persuaders" with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis. This was one of the few nights I was allowed to stay up late.
Of course there were the "grown up" shows - "Hawaii Five-O", "Cannon", "Barnaby Jones", "Longstreet", "Mannix", "Medical Center" (do you remember the "shocking" episode with Robert Reed portraying a man who was starting to undergo gender-changing surgery?!), "The F.B.I.", and a few more.
Seventies television would never have been the same without the comedies of "All in the Family", "Maude", "Mary Tyler Moore", "The New Dick Van Dyke Show", "Here's Lucy", "Chico and the Man", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres", "Petticoat Junction" and "My Three Sons". And who could forget the variety shows - "Donny and Marie", "The Carol Burnett Show", and of course "Sonny and Cher!" The three shows that I still catch in syndication or wish were in syndication are "M*A*S*H" (I could watch this show 24/7!), "Happy Days", and "The Waltons." Yes, you read that right - the "Waltons" - I know it was sappy and corny and all that stuff - but I couldn't get enough of it. First off there were 7 kids in that family - how cool was that!! Second off, it was during the Depression - a time my mom lived through - so watching this show together gave me a great insight into her life as a young girl. She would confirm and validate stuff they were portraying on the show and probably gave us some of our best conversations! The family really loved each other and were proud of their heritage on Walton's Mountain. I was always tearing up by the time the show was over.
Just goes to show that television has always played a part in our lives since it's inception. Back then everyone gathered around to watch Uncle Miltie! And Ed Sullivan introduced so many legends into our lives!
So what shows were you watching in the 70s? Which ones made an impact on your life then - how about now? Feedback is welcome!
'til next time - Wendy