Actually, it was more closely a parody of 1957’s Zero Hour!, with plot points and character names taken from it. Good bits of it were taken verbatim from the movie.
Of course, I’m sure the Airport movies and disaster films of the 70s impelled its creation, I’m sure, but the most direct source is the above movie.
Heck, I grew up in a fairly small town (Under 15,000 when I graduated in 1978) and our first mall opened before I started high school.
Yeah, we had malls, too. But, the big department stores, free standing, no where near any mall, were still very important.
At Sears, we could get a fishing license, buy parts for our appliances, get our mower blades sharpened, buy fabric and patterns for sewing clothes, buy clothes, order the latest in camera technology, have tires put on our car, schedule a roof inspection, check out new toys, get prescription eyeglasses, get our hair cut, get our car tuned up, lust over the coolest camping equipment, have a prefab house delivered to our mountain compound, and, finally, get Icees and popcorn while wandering around wondering where our parents might look for us next.
And that was the small, local Sears!
K-Marts were awesome in the 70s. They sold car parts, tires, lawn & garden stuff, televisions and stereos, all with the K-mart brand. The sub sandwiches and baked ham and popcorn from the deli stand were great.
The worst music then wasn’t disco- it was the sappy, syrupy “soft-rock” such as “Billy, Don’t be a Hero”, “Seasons in the Sun”, “Shannon”, and multitudes of others. Of course, I shall have to link to one of the worst of the genre:
One highlight of 1971 was “Timothy” by The Buoys (written by Rupert Holmes). It creeped me out back then- now I think it’s hilarious.
I remember the “ghost runner.” Many an argument would ensue if the other team had runners on first and second, but the runner on first would be replaced by a ghost runner.
Inevitably a bouncing ball would be hit up the middle and the fielder would step on second and throw to first claiming a double play. The live runner would end up on third.
The contention was that with such a softly hit ball, the ghost runner would have been safe at second or that he was “running” on the pitch. 
Yeah, this is starting to bring back memories. I’m pretty sure our rule was that no such benefits of a doubt were awarded to the ghost runner. The ghost runner is down the baseline as far as the hitter is. That is to say, as long as you step on second before the hitter reaches first base, you’d get a force, and certainly the double play if you step on second and manage to throw out the guy at first (which would be pitcher’s hand in our rules, as if you need the ghost runner rule, you don’t have enough players to play first base out. At least not when we played.)
The best part about going to K-Mart was if you managed to catch a Blue Light Special. Hell, I don’t remember ever getting anything good from one, but the sheer frenzy was intoxicating.
On the creepy musical front, the 70s gave us Angie Baby too. That song is all kinds of awesomeness.
Not just CREEPY, also EERIE, VAMPIRELLA, and FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, not to mention horror comics & fanzines outside of the Warren label. Oh! And Classics Illustrated comics, also!
Oh, that brings back memories! Especially Vampirella – Yummmm…
Some of my favorite memories of the 1970s involve comic books, reading the fantastical adventures of the various superheroes of Marvel and DC, and discussing them with my friends. Fun stuff!
I do love the music of the 70s, whether we’re talking disco, pop, and of course, rock. In fact if time travel is ever possible I would go back to that era and enjoy as a man what I COULD NEVER HOPE to enjoy as a boy back then. I also enjoyed a lot of the movies, even the silly grindhouse Grade B and Z horror films from back then, as well as the Blaxploitation flicks! ON a personal note: there were several restaurants and amusement parks around my area back then that no longer exist, and yes I do miss them.
What DON’T I like about that era? Some of the fashions look rather ridiculous, at least what men were wearing. I have never experimented with illicit drugs so I could easily do without those. I suppose I wouldn’t miss seeds of the “Me First” generation that were planted in that era either.
I miss those as well; yes VAMPIRELLA puts whatever “Twilight” characters to shame!
As for Famous Monsters of Filmland, I probably learned more from that magazine about old horror movies and the actors and actresses back then than from any other source back in the day. Could you imagine if we had had the access to all the movies on DVD or Netflix back then that we do now, and how much we could have enjoyed Karloff, Lugosi, Lorre, Price, Chaney, and all the others when we could have them at our fingertips? In addition, I also miss the late night horror shows as well as the ones that were shown on Saturday afternoons; I almost even miss the cheesy commercials! (see my other thread in cafe society about The Late Night Horror Show for more info)
@Faithfool: On the creepy musical front, the 70s gave us Angie Baby too.
Yeah don’t forget D.O.A.; The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia; Delta Dawn; Ode To Billy Joe; Hotel California; Indian Reservation; One Tin Soldier; and of course, the Theme from Night Gallery.
I was born in 1963. While I realize that we are discussing the 70s here, I would like to add that the opening credits from “That Thing You Do” also brought back a lot of memories as well as the song “Loving You Lots And Lots” played in the background.
Ahhh, the 70’s. I was 11 - 20 in that decade. I think it represents both the best and the worst in any given decade. By far some of the best music (and admittedly a lot of the worst pablum ever), some of the worst fashion. We weren’t as outwardly rebellious as my peers in the 60’s and we weren’t as outwardly self-centered as my peers of the 80’s. While I hated high school, I do have fond memories of that time.
I can recall the first time I heard the price of pot in recent memory and thought I had misheard. Holy cow, inflation has certainly taken control of that commodity.
I hated disco in the 1970s. But I do have a fondness for the decade. That’s when I came of age and had many and various adventures that are often associated with one’s late teens.