Softball, Nostalgia, and “Happy Days”

When Happy Days premiered on January 15, 1974 as a mid-season replacement for ABC, it began a 10-year journey as a refuge from the barrage of daily headlines indicating malaise, frustration, and tension—particularly in the second half of the 1970s with inflation, gas...

Visitors at the 4077th

M*A*S*H was a powerhouse show for CBS from 1972 to 1983, depicting the adventures of the fictional Mobile Army Surgical Hospital 4077 staff during the Korean War.  Guest stars populated M*A*S*H, later becoming fixtures of other CBS shows. Joan Van Ark and Knots...

When Colonel Potter Was a General

M*A*S*H had a terrific roster of guest stars during its run from 1972 to 1983 on CBS.  Ron Howard.  Laurence Fishbone.  Andrew Duggan.  Rosalind Chao.  Dennis Dugan.  Blythe Danner.  James Cromwell.  Leslie Nielsen.  Gwen Verdon.  George Wendt.  Mary Wickes.  Susan...

Springfield’s First Family

The Simpsons began as cartoon shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.  It was the debut year of the FOX network.  FOX expanded The Simpsons to a half-hour show in 1989.  The Simpsons got so popular that FOX moved America’s favorite dysfunctional family from...

Origins: “Happy Days”

A logical nexus can be drawn between the 1973 film American Graffiti and the television show Happy Days, ABC’s prime time juggernaut that debuted in 1974.  Drive-In hamburger stand.  Rock and Roll.  Teenagers.  Ron Howard. Actually, the conception of Happy Days...