TV Time Capsule

Tuesday, February 10, 1981

“Be Mine Week” continues with “Hart-Shaped Murder,” the “Hart to Hart” episode ABC broadcast 29 years ago tonight.

Sinful! To thank her friends for their help with her charity work, rich socialite Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers) purchases Valentine’s Day chocolates from grandmotherly confectioner  Mrs. Bittersweet (Nedra Volz), unaware one of the candies conceals a tiny, valuable bird sculpture. Mrs. Bittersweet’s son, chocolatier/smuggler Mr. Krump (Dick Davalos), sends his goon Oscar to retrieve the candy from Jennifer; when Oscar fails, Krump feeds him a poisoned nougat. “Oscar seems to have eaten something that disagrees with him,” Krump says as the toady croaks. “Mwahahaha.”

Sticky! For no good reason, Krump sends Jennifer poisoned chocolates, but since she and hubby Jonathan (Robert Wagner) are dieting, the box sits unopened in their kitchen. Meanwhile, Krump’s minions break into the homes of Jennifer’s friends, looking for the bird sculpture. “Our Hart problem could become terminal,” Krump says when the henchmen come back empty-handed. One goon wonders if Jennifer has tasted her Valentine candy. Responds Krump: “If she has, she’ll be giving up chocolate – permanently. Mwahahaha.”

Sweet! Jonathan and Jennifer become suspicious when they learn someone is breaking into their friends’ homes and smashing their chocolates to pieces. Finally, the Harts discover the bird sculpture and take it to the candy shop, where they determine it activates a cuckoo clock that controls an espionage messaging service. (Don’t ask.) Krump and Mrs. Bittersweet are spies! “More bitter than sweet,” Jennifer observes. The spies discover the Harts snooping around, a fight ensues and Krump winds up on a conveyer belt, covered in chocolate. “Well, if it isn’t a chocolate-covered nut,” says Jonathan.

“Hart-Shaped Murder” can be streamed at Hulu and purchased at iTunes. It’s also part of the “Hart to Hart: The Complete Second Season” DVD set.

 

Elsewhere on Television

TV Guide listings for February 10, 1981:

7 AM NBC TODAY – Tom Brokaw

Paul Newman and Jack Klugman are interviewed. (2 hrs.)

SYNDICATED MERV GRIFFIN

Guests: Jack Klugman, Elke Sommar, John Huston and Judith Krantz (“Princess Daisy”). (90 min.)

11:30 NBC TONIGHT

Scheduled: Bill Cosby, Jack Klugman. Johnny Carson. (60 min.)

 

… And in the News

New York Times excerpts from February 10, 1981:

G.A.O. PREDICTS ELECTRONIC MAIL WILL REDUCE POSTAL SERVICE ROLE

The General Accounting Office said in a report today that an increasing use of electronic mail would dramatically change the United States Postal Service in the next two decades, sharply reducing the volume of conventional mail and cutting postal employment by two-thirds.

U.S. TO DELAY REQUIREMENT FOR AIRBAGS AND AUTOMATIC PROTECTION IN CARS

The Reagan Administration proposed today to change Federal automobile safety rules so that manufacturers could postpone installing airbags or other automatic crash protection for at least one year. The proposed change, which is subject to public comment before it becomes official, was eagerly sought by the industry and looked upon with dread by auto safety advocates, who say that delays may cause unnecessary deaths on the highways.

Thursday, Nov. 3, 1994

Fifteen years ago tonight, NBC aired “Blackout Thursday,” threading together three of the evening’s four Manhattan-set sitcoms with a plot about a citywide power failure.

The story began at 8 on “Mad About You,” where Jamie (Helen Hunt) triggers the outage by illegally installing cable TV in her bedroom.

At 8:30, the blackout spread to “Friends,” trapping Chandler (Matthew Perry) in an ATM vestibule with supermodel Jill Goodacre, who portrayed herself.

Fellow freshmen sitcom “Madman of the People” picked up the storyline at 9:30, when Dabney Coleman’s character is jailed after being mistaken for a post-blackout looter.

Appropriately, nothing – or at least nothing to do with electricity – happened at 9 on “Seinfeld,” which didn’t participate in NBC’s stunt.

Instead, “Seinfeld” aired “The Gymnast,” the episode in which Jerry dates a Romanian athlete and George’s girlfriend’s mother catches him eating an éclair from a trash bin.

NBC heavily promoted “Blackout Thursday,” even recruiting “Today” weatherman Al Roker to provide “news” updates on the power failure during that evening’s commercial breaks.

The network probably hoped to recreate its success from Nov. 9, 1991, when “The Golden Girls,” “Empty Nest” and “Nurses” scored their highest ratings of the season with a seamless storyline about a hurricane striking Miami, where each show took place.

On Feb. 29, 1992, a similar stunt – this one about a full moon causing Miamians to act strangely – also scored big ratings.

How did the gimmick work in 1994?

Each “Blackout Thursday” sitcom won its time slot and landed in that week’s top 20: “Mad About You” was 11th, “Friends” was 12th and “Madman of the People” was 17th.  

But “Seinfeld” – the lone “Blackout” holdout – turned out to be the evening’s most-watched show, ranking second for the week.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Nov. 3, 1994:

8 PM FOX MARTIN (CC)

Martin’s efforts to impress his future mother-in-law (Judyann Elder) may be in vain when he gets a visit from a boy claiming that he’s Martin’s son. Martin Lawrence. Angie: Kimberly Brooks. Mr. Jim: John Wesley.

8:30 FOX LIVING SINGLE (CC)

Fired by passion – and full of advice from nosy friends – Synclaire and Overton (Kim Coles, John Henton) take their relationship to a new level. Meanwhile, Khadijah (Queen Latifah) learns the power of a chain letter.

9 PM CBS CHICAGO HOPE (CC) – Drama 1:00

Dr. Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) performs a risky heart operation on an overweight mob killer (Ron Karabatsos) who’s a key witness for the FBI; two weary residents plot to get even with Geiger for his dour temperament; and the budding relationship between Dr. Shutt (Adam Arkin) and Dr. Antonovich (Margaret Colin) takes an alarming turn. Dr. Carney: Jon Favreau. Dr. Bradley: Taylor Nichols.

10 PM ABC PRIMETIME LIVE (CC) – Donaldson/Sawyer 1:00

Scheduled: An interview with former President George Bush, his wife Barbara, and sons George Jr. and Jeb (who are gubernatorial candidates in Texas and Florida). Also: a segment considering the extent of cheating on college campuses.

Monday, Nov. 1, 1999

Ten years ago today, CBS introduced “The Early Show,” its umpteenth try since 1954 to stage a successful morning news program.

The Washington Post’s Tom Shales described his enthusiasm for the new show – hosted by NBC veteran Bryant Gumbel and newcomer Jane Clayson – as ranking “somewhere in the vicinity of adding another slice of pickle to a Quarter Pounder With Cheese.”

Don’t blame Shales for being grumpy; the poor guy’s been chronicling CBS’s morning show failures for decades:

• “[T]he new 90-minute news and feature magazine … will be okay as soon as it falls out of love with itself. Since Charles Kuralt is the host, that may take a while.”

(From a Jan. 29, 1979 review of “Morning,” hosted by Kuralt on Sundays and Bob Schieffer weekdays.)

• “What goes ‘chirp-chirp thud, chirp-chirp thud?’ An 800-pound canary or the “CBS Morning News.’”

(From a March 16, 1982 review of the “CBS Morning News,” the Bill Kurtis/Diane Sawyer-hosted successor to the weekday version of “Morning.”)

• “The show wears a smile button three miles wide.”

(From a Jan. 15, 1985 review of the revamped “Morning News,” hosted by Kurtis and Phyllis George.)

• “I hate everything about it. It’s antsy, it’s noisy, it’s too insistent for an early-hour program. The set is cold, the weatherman is a wimp, the announcer gets on my nerves, the graphics are too busy, the music is jangly and pushy. ... I expect that irritating announcer some morning to say, ‘If you’re not there when we come back from this next commercial, we’ll find you and kill you.’”

(From a Sept. 30, 1985 review of another revamped “Morning News” – this one hosted by Forrest Sawyer and Maria Shriver.)

• “Watching it was like waking up and finding the house overrun with last night’s party guests, most of them stewed to the gills and gabby as all get-out.”

(From a Jan. 13, 1987 review of “The Morning Program,” a Mariette Hartley/Rolland Smith-hosted show that bumped “Morning News” out of its time slot.)

• “You’d have been a fool to expect anything really new.”

(From a Dec. 1, 1987 review of “CBS This Morning,” the Kathleen Sullivan/Harry Smith-hosted show that replaced “The Morning Program.”)

• “Smith still looks like he’s arrived to go over your books, and Paula Zahn … tends to be handed demeaningly lightweight assignments.”

(From a Sept. 10, 1991 column, referring to a revamped version of “This Morning” that debuted in 1990.)

• “This poor embattled old scow of a show has had so many paint jobs and refurbishings they’re beyond counting – and the matter of whether CBS can ever come up with a winner, or even a viable contender, is beyond caring.”

(From a Nov. 6, 2002 review of a revamped “Early Show” hosted by Julie Chen, Hannah Storm, Smith and Rene Syler.)

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Nov. 1, 1999:

7 AM ABC Good Morning America (CC) – Gibson/Sawyer 2:00

7 AM NBC Today (CC) – Couric/Lauer 2:00

Monday, Oct. 4, 1976

Thirty-three years ago tonight, Barbara Walters joined Harry Reasoner as co-anchor of the “ABC Evening News,” becoming the first woman to preside over a network newscast.

The pairing proved disastrous.

At the time, Walters was a daytime star, having spent 15 years co-hosting NBC’s “Today,” first with Hugh Downs, and later, Jim Hartz.

ABC lured her away with a then-record $1 million salary, triggering a media sensation.

The Washington Post’s headline: “Million Dollar Baby Handling 5-and-10 Cent News.” The Christian Science Monitor’s: “Barbara Leaves Jim for Harry.”

Reasoner resented having a co-anchor and was rude to Walters on-air.

In one notorious incident, she attempted to engage him in a little light anchor banter, noting Henry Kissinger’s newfound status as a sex symbol.

“You’d know more about that than I would,” Reasoner shot back.

ABC News chief Roone Arledge described watching Reasoner and Walters as being “like arriving for a dinner party at the house of a couple trying to maintain a truce in front of the world while waiting to claw each other’s eyes out.”

Arledge broke up the duo in 1978, replacing them with the trio of Peter Jennings, Max Robinson and Frank Reynolds and renaming the show “World News Tonight.”

Reasoner returned to CBS, where he remained until his 1991 death. Walters reunited with Downs on “20/20” and eventually returned to daytime on ABC’s “The View.”

Today, Walters is credited with blazing a trail for Katie Couric, another “Today” refugee who became the first woman solo anchor when she took over the “CBS Evening News” in 2006, and Diane Sawyer, who is slated to succeed Charlie Gibson at “World News” next year.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Oct. 4, 1976:

8:00 ABC CAPTAIN & TENNILLE – Variety

Gabriel Kaplan joins Toni and Daryl, along with “Happy Days” cast members Ron Howard, Erin Moran, Donny Most, Roz Kelly and the Pinkettes. Comedy spots include Ron as Prince Charming in a modern-day singles bar. Toni and Daryl as a moviegoing couple forced to sit separately in a crowded theater; and Gabe as a confused funeral director with a game-show fixation. The entire cast joins in a finale saluting the ’50s. (55 min.)

Musical Highlights

“Smile” … Toni

“Gimme Some Lovin’,” “How Sweet It is” … Toni, Daryl

8:00 CBS RHODA

Faced with the financial burden of renting separate apartments, Rhoda economizes by swapping places with her neighbor (Ron Silver), who views the trade as a prelude to a cozier arrangement. Rhoda: Valerie Harper. Joe: David Groh. Brenda: Julie Kavner. Carlton: Lorenzo Music.

8:00 NBC LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Scheming Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim), knocked from her horse after an argument with Laura, pretends to be crippled so she can turn guilt-stricken Laura into her personal handmaiden. First of a two-part episode. Laura: Melissa Gilbert. Charles: Michael Landon. Mrs. Oleson: Katherine MacGregor. Oleson: Richard Bull. Dr. Baker: Kevin Hagen. Caroline: Karen Grassle. Jason: Eric Shea. (60 min.)