A LOOK BACK
The Best Damned TV Shows of the 70S
If you think your list is better, write your own story!
I was a child of the 60s and 70s. We played outside all day during the summer until the streetlights came on at night. During the school year, it was much the same; outside doing what kids do: street hockey, baseball, and a little football. We had a blast.
But once indoors for the night, we watched some classic TV with stars like Carroll O’Connor, Mary Tyler Moore, Redd Foxx, Penny Marshall, and Cindy Williams, who passed away recently.
So, without further adieu, here’s my list of top shows of the 70s — the entire freaking decade. I’m not listing these in order — except for the top TV show, which lasted 11 seasons and had the largest farewell TV audience in history. As much as people rave about “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” they weren’t even close.
“All in the Family” starred Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton and included an all-star supporting cast with the likes of Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford. The show was racist, sexist, misogynistic, and funny as hell. The show ran from 1971 to 1979. Odds are it wouldn’t make it on the air today.
All in the Family’s theme song, Those Were The Days, was written by Lee Adams (lyrics) and Charles Strouse (music). Atlantic Records released an extended version of the song, and it reached number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100
“Hawaii Five-O” was the ultimate cop show set in beautiful Hawaii. In addition to the scenery, which most people could only dream of seeing, the cast included Jack Lord as Det Steve McGarrett, James MacArthur as Danny Williams, Kam Fong Chun as Chan Ho Kelly, and Zulu as Kona. The show aired from September 20, 1968, to April 5, 1980. Who knew? A TV cop show covering three decades.
History lesson: When it first aired in 1968, Hawaii had been a state for just nine years.
History lesson 2: Kam Fong Chun was an 18-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department when he was cast for the show.
“Book ’em, Danno,” was Lord’s — McGarrett’s catchphrase for the show.
“Sanford and Son” Starring Redd Foxx and Fred G. Sanford, and Desmond Wilson as Fred’s son, Lamont, their junk was the TV viewer’s treasure. The Sanfords owned a salvage shop in Watts. The show aired from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977.
The show consisted of numerous get-rich-quick schemes by father and son and was the show’s running gag — along with Fred’s call every time something went wrong: “This is the big one, Elizabeth,” all while clutching his heart. It was funny, irreverent, and at times, heartwarming.
“Good Times” With or without Jimmy Walker, this show was DYN-O-MITE! “Good Times” was television’s first African American two-parent family sitcom and was a spin-off of “Maude”. “Good Times” aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979.
Starring Esther Rolle and John Amos, the show was set in Chicago. While ostensibly a comedy, the show was not without its warm family moments or violence. The supporting cast included Ja’Net Dubois as Willona Woods, Bern Nadette Stanis as Thelma Evans Anderson, Ralph Carter as Michael Evans, and Jimmy Walker as James “JJ” Evans.
One of the more poignant episodes involves JJ (Jimmy Walker) being shot by a gang member. After a teen gang member is found guilty of the shooting, he’s released after the judge learns there’s no space to hold him in juvenile detention. Rather than beat up the teen, James Evans lets him walk away.
But the king of the 1970s TV shows was “M*A*S*H,” remade for TV after the successful movie by the same name.
MASH stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital for those unfamiliar with the show. MASH units saved countless lives in Korea and Vietnam. The show debuted on September 17, 1972, and ended its run on February 28, 1983.
The film was a spin-off from the 1970 movie based on a novel by Richard Hooker in 1968.
From the first episode to the last, the show centered around Dr. (Capt.) Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce and a host of other characters. But during its 11 seasons, just two characters stayed the course, Pierce, played by Alan Alda, and Major Margaret “Hotlips” Houlihan.
Oddly enough, the pilot episode ranked 45th in the Nielsen ratings; It didn’t take off until season two. The show would seldom rank lower than 20th in the weekly ratings for the next ten years.
The last episode, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” ranks first among TV finales, with 105,970,000 viewers. No other TV show comes close.
Of course, there are other great shows from the decade of the seventies; Three’s Company, Mary Tyler Moore, and so on. The decade also set the stage for more diverse television programming that is seen today, streaming on the web or available on network TV.
It wasn’t a perfect decade for those who lived through it. But the shows then, as now, relieved us of our worries, even if just for 30 minutes at a time.
I accept tips, which go directly to Dining for Hunger, a recognized 501(c)(3) organization that looks to end food insecurity. If you can spare a dollar or two, I’d be grateful.
More stories from Bruce Coulter.
