“New Years Week” concludes. On January 1, 1990, CBS aired “The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century,” the one-hour “Designing Women” episode in which Charlene (Jean Smart) gives birth. The plot: On New Year’s Eve, a very pregnant Charlene dreams she is visited by her “guardian movie star” Dolly Parton, who predicts Charlene’s daughter will be born soon. This thrills Charlene’s selfish friend Suzanne (Delta Burke), who wants to win a local radio contest; the prize: a new car for the first baby born in Atlanta in 1990. When Charlene goes into labor, everyone gathers... Continue reading

“New Years Week” continues. On December 31, 1984, CBS aired “New Year’s Eve,” the “Kate & Allie” episode in which Kate and Allie (Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin) struggle to find something to do on the final night of the year. The problems begin when they give teenage daughters Emma and Jennie (Ari Meyers, Allison Smith) permission to throw a New Year’s Eve party – and then are told they aren’t invited. On the big night, Allie rejects all of Kate’s ideas – bowling, riding the Staten Island Ferry, shopping (“Bloomingdale’s was closed!” she whines) – so they sneak into... Continue reading

“New Years Week” continues. On December 30, 1974, CBS aired “Nostalgia Party,” the “Maude” episode in which the loud-mouthed liberal (Bea Arthur) throws a holiday shindig. Unfortunately, Maude’s husband Walter (Bill Macy), daughter Carol (Adrienne Barbeau) and neighbors Arthur and Vivian (Conrad Bain, Rue McClanahan) don’t feel like celebrating: WALTER: Because of inflation, I’m going broke! ’74 was the worst year of my life! ARTHUR: I agree with Walter! It was a terrible year! CAROL: Watergate! The energy crisis! VIVIAN: And those disgusting movies – “The Green Door!” and “The Devil in Mrs. Jones!” ARTHUR: Disgusting is right! I’d never... Continue reading

“New Years Week” continues. On December 29, 1978, NBC aired “Retrospective,” a one-hour “Diff’rent Strokes” clip show in which the Drummonds recall the time they’ve spent with Arnold and Willis (Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges) since the orphaned brothers joined the family. It begins when an enthusiastic Mr. Drummond (Conrad Bain) awakens the sleeping boys after he realizes it’s been 56 days since they came to live with him. Next, daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato) and housekeeper Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) arrive, and soon everyone is reminiscing about the past two months. “Retrospective” appears to take place sometime soon after Christmas: The... Continue reading

“New Years Week” continues. On December 28, 1976, CBS aired “Happy New Year,” a “One Day at a Time” episode in which the Romano-Coopers and their friends turn an otherwise dull New Year’s Eve into a festive evening for some elderly neighbors. Hey, it’s the “One Day at a Time” credits, featuring one of the all-time great ’70s sitcom theme songs. You know the line, “You can’t be sure at all”? I used to think it was “Keep your shirt on.” And when I say, “used to think,” I mean, “up until a few minutes ago,” when I looked up... Continue reading

“New Years Week” continues. On December 27, 1977, ABC aired “New Year’s Eve 1960,” the “Laverne & Shirley” episode that showed how the girls spent the last night of the 1950s. Ah, the “Laverne & Shirley” credits: Sadly, another example of a sitcom that doesn’t quite live up to its terrific theme song. And we’ll do it our way/Yes our way/Make all our dreaaams come truuue/For me and yooou. The girls are counting the money they’ve collected for the New Year’s Eve party that Shirley (Cindy Williams) is throwing. Laverne (Penny Marshall) wants to go with Norman, the cop she’s... Continue reading

“New Years Week” begins. On December 26, 1953, CBS’s “The Jackie Gleason Show” was devoted to a “Honeymooners” sketch in which the Kramdens and Nortons usher in 1954 together. The story opens with Alice (Audrey Meadows) asking Ralph (Gleason) to take her out on New Year’s Eve, but he resists, saying he doesn’t like big crowds. Besides, Ralph reminds Alice he took her out for her birthday. “I hardly call watching you bowl a night out,” Alice retorts. Entertainers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey drop by the Kramdens’ apartment to pick up a lost briefcase that Alice found on the street;... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys” continues. On December 25, 1976, CBS aired “Making Up is the Thing to Do,” a “Bob Newhart Show” episode in which Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley schemes to reunite his newly separated parents at Christmastime. As Bob (Newhart) explains to his receptionist Carol (Marcia Wallace) and her husband Larry (Will Mackenzie), he plans to invite each parent to Christmas dinner and not tell them the other will be there. LARRY: Sounds like a good idea, Bob. BOB: Well, the holidays have a way of bringing people closer together. They generate warmth. You know, they kind of remind... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys” continues. On December 24, 1977, CBS aired “’Twas the Pie Before Christmas,” a “Bob Newhart Show” episode in which Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley (Newhart) and his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) throw a Christmas Day party that no one wants to attend. The Hartleys’ friends Jerry and Howard (Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily) are in no mood to celebrate after they attend a hockey game together and a puck flies into the stands: Jerry says he gets to keep the puck because he ended up with it; Howard says he’s the rightful owner because it struck him in... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys” continues. On December 23, 1972, CBS aired “His Busiest Season,” an episode of “The Bob Newhart Show” that finds everyone feeling blue at Christmastime. While Chicago psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley (Newhart) struggles to treat his sad-sack patients, his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) makes her shopping list. EMILY: What do you think I should buy your Uncle Harry and Aunt May? I can’t think of a thing. BOB: What did we send them last year? EMILY: A basket of fruit. BOB: They should have eaten it by now. To cheer his patients – and himself and Emily... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys” continues. On December 22, 1973, CBS aired “I’m Dreaming of a Slight Christmas,” a “Bob Newhart Show” episode that finds Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley (Newhart) dreading his office holiday party. The shindigs always follow a pattern, as Bob explains: Around 2 o’clock it usually starts and then Carol says what a great guy I am. And then about 2:05, somebody spikes the watercooler. About 2:30, Carol tells me off. And then sometime between 3 and 4, somebody asks for some free psychological advice. And then around 4 o’clock, all the ear, nose and throat men on... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys” continues. On December 21, 1974, CBS aired “Home is Where the Hurt is,” another “Bob Newhart Show” episode where everyone spends Christmas Eve together. Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley and wife Emily (Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette) – decked out in their very finest – are headed to the symphony when neighbor Howard Borden (Bill Dailey) shows up and asks to borrow some tinsel for his aluminum tree. After Howard finally scoots out the door, Bob’s receptionist Carol Keester (Marcia Wallace) arrives and embarks on a long-winded monologue about her unhappy childhood. Later, Howard returns to borrow more decorations.... Continue reading

“Holidays With the Hartleys,” a week of Christmas-themed “Bob Newhart Show” flashbacks, begins. On December 20, 1975, CBS aired “Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital,” an episode in which Bob has to have has tonsils out, so he spends Christmas Eve in the hospital. Scratchy-throated Bob (Newhart) feels sorry for himself, so candy striper Mrs. Loomis (guest star Merie Earle) sets him straight. BOB: I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to stay in this bed. I want to be in my own bed. MRS. LOOMIS: I, I, I!... Continue reading

“Christmas Classics” concludes. On December 19, 1968, CBS aired “The Little Drummer Boy,” a one-hour special that was based on the beloved song. Greer Garson narrated the fanciful show, which told story of Aaron (voiced by Teddy Eccles), a plucky orphan who follows the Three Wisemen to Bethlehem to play his instrument for the newborn Jesus. Aaron is accompanied by his three dancing animals – Samson the donkey, Ben Baba the lamb and Joshua the Camel – who are kidnapped by the villainous Haramed (Jose Ferrer) and forced to join his troupe of wandering musicians. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules... Continue reading

“Christmas Classics” continues. On December 18, 1966, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” debuted to big ratings and bad reviews. The half-hour special – based on Dr. Suess’ classic 1957 children’s book – told how the Grinch tried to rob the town of Whoville of its holiday spirit by stealing the residents’ decorations and presents. Of course, as the Grinch soon discovers, this doesn’t prevent Christmas (“Somehow or other, it came just the same!”) and he learns the true meaning of the holiday. Boris Karloff narrated the special, which was animated by Chuck Jones and Dr. Suess himself, Theodore Geisel, and... Continue reading

“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, concludes. Night No. 8: December 17, 1998, when NBC aired “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz,” the “Frasier” episode in which hapless Dr. Crane (Kelsey Grammer) pretends to be Jewish to please Helen Moskowitz (Carole Shelley), the mother of his girlfriend Faye (Amy Brenneman). On Christmas Eve, Frasier hides his holiday decorations – and shares his bar mitzvah “memories” with Helen and Faye. FRASIER: I can still remember reading from the Torah … before the … rabbi and, uh, the … cantor … and, uh, the mohel. HELEN: The mohel? FAYE: The one who... Continue reading

“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, continues. Night No. 7: December 16, 1998, when CBS aired “The Nanny” episode “The Hanukkah Story,” which opens with Fran explaining that Jewish holidays begin at sundown “because God realized that before 5, to wear sequins is gauche.” In a flashback, a bored Fran (Jamie Renee Smith) asks her mother Sylvia (Drescher) why Hanukkah has no parades. Says Sylvia: “After all that walking we did in the desert, we like to sit on the holidays!” Fran’s husband Maxwell (Charles Shaughnessy) is driving home through a blizzard when his car gets stuck. Several... Continue reading

“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, continues. Night No. 6: December 15, 1987, when ABC aired “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” the “Thirtysomething” episode in which the holidays test the interfaith marriage of Michael Steadman, a Jew, and his wife Hope, a Muslim Extremist. (Kidding! She’s Christian.) Let’s begin with something that’s bothered me for 23 years: What’s up with these opening credits? Obviously, this is not Melanie Mayron, and that’s not Ken Olin. Would it have killed “Thirtysomething’s” producers to match names and faces? I have no idea what’s happening here. Kidding again. Here’s the deal: Philadelphia... Continue reading

“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, continues. Night No. 5: December 14, 1987, when CBS aired the “Season’s Greetings” episode of its much-too-short-lived comedy-drama “Frank’s Place.” In the story, when college-professor-turned-New-Orleans-restaurateur Frank Parrish (Tim Reid) expresses his fascination with Jewish holiday customs, his friend Bubba Weisberger (Robert Harper) invites him to accompany him to his mother’s home for a Shabbat dinner. “There’ll be the traditional prayers, the lighting of the candle, the meal. Then we’ll all sit around and talk about why I’m not married. That, too, is an ancient ritual,” Bubba jokes. Sure enough, Bubba’s mother (guest... Continue reading

“Christmas Classics” continues. On December 13, 1979, NBC aired “Jack Frost,” another stop-motion animated holiday special from producers Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. The plot: Jack Frost (voiced by Robert Morse), a sprite, falls in love with a beautiful girl named Elisa (Debra Clinger), so Father Winter (Paul Frees) grants him “a winter of humanity,” which allows him to romance her. Jack’s villainous rival is the contemptible Coassack King Kubla Kraus (also voiced by Frees). Buddy Hackett voiced Jack’s friend Pardon-Me-Pete, who also narrates the story. “Jack Frost” included nine original songs, written by Maury Lewis and Bass. The... Continue reading

“Christmas Classics” continues. Around December 12, 1987, “A Christmas Story” began airing on television for the first time. The nostalgic movie – which was based on a story by humorist Jean Shepherd – is set in 1940 and tells the story of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), whose obsession is to receive a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. “A Christmas Story” was a modest hit during its 1983 theatrical run, grossing $19 million. It never aired on a major broadcast network; instead, in 1987, the distributor sold it directly to local stations, which each scheduled it at different times.... Continue reading

“Betty, White Hot!, a series of periodic flashbacks to key moments in Betty White’s amazing television career, concludes. On December 11, 1982, Betty White and pal Carol Channing guest starred on ABC’s “The Love Boat” as aging showgirls with a love/hate relationship – roles that almost earned the actresses their own series. White played penny-pinching Betsy and Channing was extravagant Sylvia, whose niece was cruise director Julie (Lauren Tewes). The actresses played the roles four times on “The Love Boat” – first in 1981, then again in 1984 and 1985. White recalled working with Channing in her 1995 memoir “Here... Continue reading

“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, continues. Night No. 4: December 10, 1994, when CBS aired “A First Christmas,” the “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” episode in which a Jewish immigrant family arrives in dusty Colorado Springs at Christmastime. The family rolls into town just as mayor-slash-barber Jake Slicker (Jim Knobeloch), storekeeper Loren Bray (Orson Bean) and the other townsfolk decorate the Christmas tree. Hurray! I bet everyone’s thrilled to welcome these newcomers! LOREN: More immigrants. JAKE: Worse – they’re Jews. … Or maybe not. The family is comprised of Itzhak Frankel (Bruce Nozick), his wife Zara (Bari Hochwald),... Continue reading

“Christmas Classics” continues. On December 9, 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was shown on television for the first time – establishing a Yuletide tradition that has stood the test of time, even though the program was rushed onto the air with a shoestring budget. Charles M. Schulz had been drawing the Peanuts comic strip for 15 years when producer Lee Mendelson called him in the spring of 1965 with big news: Coca-Cola was interested in sponsoring an animated Christmas special starring the Peanuts characters. The catch? The company wanted to see an outline in five days. Schulz’s Vision In his... Continue reading