You Are What You Were. Celebrate Retro Pop Culture At Retroland.
For many a decade, monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man spent their time terrorizing movie audiences at every opportunity. But, like any career choice, things can get a little boring after a while. And when it was time to consider a new vocation, they brought their formidable talents to the exciting world of crime fighting, in the campy 1976 live-action series, Monster Squad.
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In decades past, few shows were ever been able to rival sports programming when it came to capturing the attention of the adult male television demographic. Why, to do that, one would first need a beautiful woman – perhaps a subservient beautiful woman – okay, how about a beautiful subservient woman that not only worships her male master but has the power to grant his every wish. To borrow from sports terminology – Game, set, match. This winning, testosterone-inducing formula helped make I Dream of Jeannie one of the most popular and successful sitcoms of all time.
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One of the more popular sitcoms among the youngsters of the early 90s, Blossom consistently delivered the laughs each week for five seasons on NBC. And if you were one of the many adolescents tuning in, there was a pretty good chance you learned a life lesson or two along the way.
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Two conflicting characters make for some great comedy. Think Laurel and Hardy, think Fred and Ethel, think Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. And for a short time in the 70s, Chico and the Man. Portrayed by Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson, respectively, the popular sitcom debuted in 1974 and followed the story of a cranky caucasian garage owner and his smooth-talking Puerto Rican mechanic. And for a few seasons, we not only laughed at their antics, we learned that the most unlikely of bedfellows could become friends.
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Debuting in 1985, the Steven Spielberg-helmed Amazing Stories was a new sort of Twilight Zone, and the network showed their faith in the project with committing to an unprecedented two year, forty-four episode run. The result was a whimsical and creepy series of stories that were unlike anything else on television.
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Who knew that the American justice system could be so bawdy? You can thank Night Court for that little revelation. Through nine prime time seasons, this hit sitcom turned a New York City courtroom into a den of naughty humor. It wasn't that Night Court was just about sex; it's just that the libidinous parts were the ones the kids stayed up to watch.
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Perhaps one of the most fondly remembered live-action series to ever grace the Saturday morning airwaves, Land of the Lost stranded a family of modern humans in a prehistoric setting where they had to contend with underdeveloped technology, strange people and of course, a few hungry dinosaurs. The brainchild of iconic children’s show producers, Sid and Marty Krofft, Land of the Lost was far from being just typical campy and kooky Saturday morning fare; it was a well-written and ambitious offering and its continued popularity is a testament to its quality.
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Just about every kid of the 70s, at least those who had access to a TV on Saturday morning, remembers Jonny Quest. The reason is simple: there was hardly a time that the Hanna-Barbera produced series wasn’t on TV. From 1967 through most of the 70s, and even into the 80s, kids have been following the adventures of Johnny and his pals. That’s some surprising longevity considering that only 26 episodes of the original animated series were ever produced.
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Remember back when there were only three major networks on TV? It seems so long ago. There were ABC, NBC and CBS and each network fought vigorously for their slice of the pie. And while viewers might not have been privy to the cutthroat nature of the business behind the scenes, they were at least able to get a glimpse of their favorite stars try to best each other on The Battle of the Network Stars.
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After years of being reminded that a dog is man's best friend, we learned in the 70s that primates make pretty good pals as well, especially when one is driving a truck. First, we saw Clint Eastwood traveling the nation's highways with his sidekick orangutan in two successful movies, Every Which Way But Loose, and the follow-up, Every Which Way You Can. Then, as network executives began to see the potential of such an interspecies pairing, we were treated to a lighthearted weekly series called BJ and the Bear.
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