All right, here’s where I divert course with the rest of the pop culture blogonetisphereaverse. While I am saddened by the death of anyone, I’m not feeling all that nostalgic about the fact that Fred ‘Rerun’ Berry has died. I knew who he was (or his character at least), but only from the VH1’s I Love the 70s and the recent Dickie Roberts movie. Other than that…clueless.
I just never watched What’s Happening? much (if at all). Which got me wondering: What did I watch instead? So, I tracked down a site that has the prime time schedules from years gone-by, called Television History – The First 75 Years, and took a gander at 1977.
Guess I must have been watching The Waltons (or maybe CHiPs). My dad ruled the TV in those days. We were allowed our run of the dial–all 4 channels–on Saturday and after school, but TV in the evening was his domain. Period. My mother never stayed up past 8pm, so it was his TV and his shows.
Looking back at these program grids, I can pick out each night’s viewing schedule like it was coming up this evening:
Saturday
8pm – The Bionic Woman
9pm – Starsky & Hutch
10pm – Carol Burnett
Sunday
7pm – 60 Minutes (we used to watch Disney when we were little)
8pm – The Six Million Dollar Man
9pm – whichever movie was better
Monday
8pm – Little House on the Prairie
9pm – Monday Night Football (or the movie)
Tuesday
8pm – Happy Days
8:30 – Laverne & Shirley
9pm – M*A*S*H
9:30 – One Day At A Time
10pm – Lou Grant (maybe)…more likely Police Woman
Wednesday
8pm – The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
9pm – Charlie’s Angels
10pm – Baretta
Thursday
8pm – The Waltons
9pm – Hawaii Five-O
10pm – Barnaby Jones
Friday
8pm – Wonder Woman (or, Lord help me, Donnie & Marie)
9pm – The Rockford Files
10pm – Quincy
So, what was on your TV tray?
I didn’t watch it either. My dad made us watch the waltons or chips too. I think I saw it one or two times. Can’t remember much about it all.
I feel very, very old as I remember watching all of the shows you have listed. What really makes me feel old though, is when my kids talk about Nick at Nite and what they have seen. Omg, they are watching what I saw for the first run! ACK! That’s okay, when they are parents, their kids will watch friends and the circle of old will be complete. 🙂
That’s back in the days where it was a big event when a “Peanuts” Special or the “Wizard of Oz” came on.
My kids have no idea what it’s like to anticipate something coming on TV since everything is shown 1,000 times a day or you can see it on video. They have no idea what it’s like to hurry up with dinner because the Brady Bunch will be on soon.
I remember those schedules just like it was yesterday!
I think my entire adult life is about to be explained. 1977 was my first year of college and I didn’t watch any television at all. In fact I viewed those who did with great disdain. Fortunately I’m over that snobbery and now there’s nothing I won’t watch.
And remember Saturday nights, before 8PM? I’m sure your Dad was offended by it, by at my house we had Hee Haw on at 7, which was a welcome option to The Lawrence Welk Show, even if I did want to watch the Muppet Show……
Oh, no! Hee Haw was always on Sat nites before the coming of the Muppet Show. But the Muppets ruled after that.
Oddly, I don’t recall watching much television at all in 1977…
Bite me, whippersnapper. Even I know it’s hard to watch TV from the womb. Reception sucks!