# TV Shows Only You Remember **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [July 8, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022 "2021-07-08T20:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/423 "2021-07-16T15:56:10Z")
Two children’s shows from the late 70’s [Whitney and the Robot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3CVOaCpe7w&t=3s) [Marlo and the Magic Movie Machine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvnHVuDFIt8) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/424 "2021-07-16T17:01:13Z")
Was Gladys then the first “Vera”? (Reference to Norm’s wife from Cheers, for the few who might not know.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/425 "2021-07-16T17:08:21Z")
_Whirligig_, a children’s show from the early 90s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LF7I4xK1zw8/hqdefault.jpg "Kermit Love's Whirligig") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF7I4xK1zw8) ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/426 "2021-07-16T17:29:38Z")
There are two obscure 80s TV shows that I remember watching: [Wizards and Warriors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_and_Warriors_(TV_series)), a series about a good prince fighting against an evil prince and his wizard, and… [Whiz Kids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiz_Kids_(TV_series)), a show about teenage computer hackers. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/427 "2021-07-16T17:30:47Z")
**Fun Fact:** In 19th century American slang, a “whirligig” was a testicle. 🙂 Your handle is remarkable coincidence, seeing as how I was just about to post the following: In one article of _ **MAD Magazine** _, they interviewed a TV scheduling executive who played a game called “Switcheroo,” where every idea yielded two shows. One example was _ **The Beverly Hillbillies** _ vs. _ **Green Acres** _ (“Country folks in the city/City folks in the country”). Another was these two shows (“A couple who pretends they’re not married/A couple who pretends they are married”): > **[The Cara Williams Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cara_Williams_Show)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Cara Williams Show is an American situation comedy starring Cara Williams which centers on a married couple who try to conceal their marriage from their employer. Original episodes aired from September 23, 1964, until April 21, 1965 on CBS. > Cara and Frank Bridges were both divorced and co-workers at Fenwick Diversified Industries, Inc. — where Cara is a file clerk and Frank holds a management position as an efficiency expert — when they met, ... > **[Occasional Wife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occasional_Wife)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Occasional Wife is an American sitcom which aired on NBC beginning September 13, 1966 and running until May 9, 1967 (repeats were aired through August 29). It was originally on NBC's Tuesday night schedule, airing from 8:30–9:00PM ET/PT. Reruns were aired on Comedy Central in 1992. > The lead character was Peter Christopher, a bachelor who enjoyed the single life, but was blocked from professional advancement by not having a wife. Peter's boss, bab... I remember watching the former with my mother and older brother when I was in fifth grade. So far as I recall, only my brother watched the latter, I guess because he had a “thing” for the female lead. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/428 "2021-07-16T17:48:31Z")
I remember that one. Although I didn’t watch it much, a few things have weirdly stuck in my head over the years. The Wiki entry says it was based on All in the Family, which first aired just a year earlier in 1971. I always thought some elements were taken from The Honeymooners (the main character is a bus driver, for example). I also remember that, when working, he kept one of those change-making devices on his belt loaded with aspirin, which he called “headache tablets.” I wondered about that for a long time, then I learned that aspririn was a trademark, and I’ve just seen that Bayer had lost the trademark in the US about 50 years before the show premiered (so, back to wondering). ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecccb3/32.png) [@Old\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Wench)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/429 "2021-07-16T18:04:27Z")
My dad didn’t watch a lot of TV but when I was a kid, he really liked Combat! (mentioned upthread somewhere) and a similar show, Rat Patrol. I think they fascinated him because he tried very hard to join the service when he graduated from high school in 1943 and most of his friends were joining up, but the Army discovered that he was totally deaf in one ear and about 50% deaf in the other ear so he was classified as 4-F. I’m quite sure this saved his life but he always regretted not being able to serve. Another show I haven’t seen mentioned is “The Mothers-in-Law” starring Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden as friends and neighbors whose children married each other and made them in-laws. I seem to recall that this came on immediately after “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights, which we always watched. > **[The Mothers-in-Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mothers-in-Law)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Mothers-in-Law is an American situation comedy featuring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as two women who were friends and next-door neighbors until their children's elopement made them in-laws. The show aired on NBC television from September 1967 to April 1969. Executive produced by Desi Arnaz, the series was created by Bob Carroll, Jr., and Madelyn Davis. > Eve (Eve Arden) and Herb Hubbard (Herbert Rudley) have lived next door to Kaye (Kaye Ballar... ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/430 "2021-07-16T18:21:03Z")
Weird the memories something like that brings back. I remember nothing about the show but watching the intro reminded me that the theme music from that was where I first heard the word “spouse”. I assumed it was a joke because “spouse” sounds funny. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/431 "2021-07-16T18:25:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > I remember that, very vaguely. > > Same…- I too remember it vaguely. Wasn’t Goldbloom a black belt that had to give the “My hands are lethal weapons” warning before he could fight anyone? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/432 "2021-07-16T18:27:18Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > I always thought some elements were taken from The Honeymooners (the main character is a bus driver, for example). He was voiced by the same actor who did Fred Flintstone, and he sounds just like Fred…distracting. Also, Fred Flintstone was based on Ralph Kramden. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/433 "2021-07-16T18:35:47Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Was Gladys then the first “Vera”? (Reference to Norm’s wife from Cheers, for the few who might not know.) No idea if she was the first, but it was one of the earliest example of the trope. _December Bride_ premiered in 1954. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/434 "2021-07-16T18:38:28Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Fred Flintstone was based on Ralph Kramden Zackly. You know a lot about that old show. What do you make of the weird reference to aspirin? I think I’m remembering it right, but I have to acknowledge that was about 50 years ago. Sheesh… 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/435 "2021-07-16T19:09:39Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > You know a lot about that old show. I vaguely remember it, so I consulted Wikipedia…I just remember thinking it was so bizarre to take “All in the Family” to the kids on Saturday morning. Wikipedia says it only lasted 13 episodes. Youtube has at least half of them. You might find the aspirin dispenser in there. I don’t remember it…it sounds like his colorful nomenclature, a joke, like when Calvin remarked that his teacher Miss Wormwood was drinking antacid straight from the bottle. [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=The+Barkleys&page=&utm\_source=opensearch](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Barkleys&page=&utm_source=opensearch) ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/436 "2021-07-16T19:39:01Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > What do you make of the weird reference to aspirin? I think I’m remembering it right, but I have to acknowledge that was about 50 years ago. Sheesh… Aspirin is the genericized name for acetylsalicylic acid. Not all “headache tablets” are aspirin. Paracetamol aka acetaminophen, for example, has been available as an over-the-counter “headache tablet” in the U.S. since around 1960. There were probably “herbal” and homeopathic “headache tablets” around then as well. “Headache tablet” may also have been a regionalism or now-obscure common term. Goody’s Headache Powder (which is actually aspirin), for example, is still popular in a lot of the South. There might also have been some hyper-vigilance from the network about using a name that might still have been under trademark protection in some foreign markets. Or, it seems more likely to me, some concern about a direct reference by name to a specific drug in a children’s program. My personal bet is that “headache tablet” was just the common term that the episode writer personally knew and used. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/437 "2021-07-16T20:16:20Z")
I remember the Munroes, the western about the five siblings mentioned at the top of this thread. Another was Lancer, a short lived western copy of the High Chapparral. A detective series starring David Janssen that came out around the same time as Rockford - called “Harry O” And some British ones - a short lived one about a European Moonbase colony, Moonbase 3 And a really weird one, Adam Adamant, about a Victorian gent who was frozen and revived in the 1960s, heavy on his astonished reaction to miniskirts and the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/438 "2021-07-16T20:34:59Z")
**lobotomyboy63** : Thanks for the link. I’ll probably get around to having a look at some point. It’s always interesting to check distant memories. **gdave** : > There might also have been some hyper-vigilance from the network about using a name that might still have been under trademark protection in some foreign markets. That’s what I was thinking. Assuming I haven’t mis-remembered the show, it’s the only time I’ve heard “headache tablets” used in conversation among regular people. I’d be surprised, although regional variation will do that. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/439 "2021-07-16T21:10:12Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I haven’t seen “Kay O’Brien” mentioned here. It was a one-season series about a female surgeon, played by Patricia Kalember (who most recently was a senator on “Madam Secretary” and her best friend, an ER nurse, and the various dramas that take place in the big-city hospital where Dr. O’Brien was doing her residency. It, and “Skag” re-ran on cable for several years afterwards; “Skag” was about a blue-collar man in IIRC **Chicago** and his family, which also ran for one season. The single episode I remember was when his obese (part of the plot) teenage daughter got pregnant and had no idea who the father might be, and had an abortion. When she woke up in the recovery room, her parents were there, reading her some poetry. Weird. I came here to list that one (nitpick: it was set in Pittsburgh.) I remember the episode where Skag ran afoul of the mob in dealings with the United Steel Workers. A USW rep wrote a guest editorial in the Post-Gazette expressing their shock–_shock_–at allegations of corruption in the USW. [The Super](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/), starring Richard S. Castellano as the affable father and janitor, who practiced a different trade as Clemenza in “The Godfather”. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/440 "2021-07-16T21:23:17Z")
**Fun Fact:** Asprin may have played a part in the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty. When Rasputin was brought in to cure Tsarevich Aleksei’s hemophilia, the first thing he did was take him off the aspirin (a blood thinner) that physicians had been giving him as the new “wonder drug” of the 20th century. The marginal improvement in Aleksei’s condition convinced Empress Aleksandra that Rasputin was a miracle worker and she came to rely on him completely. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/441 "2021-07-16T21:24:07Z")
> [@Old\_Wench](#): > > Another show I haven’t seen mentioned is “The Mothers-in-Law” starring Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden as friends and neighbors whose children married each other and made them in-laws. I seem to recall that this came on immediately after “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights, which we always watched. > > [The Mothers-in-Law - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mothers-in-Law) I remember the episode where they got locked in a department store overnight (they had been ordered by their husbands\*\* to stop tying up their home phone gabbing with their kids, so they decided to tie up the store’s pay phone instead, and lost track of time). They had money for one call, but when they called home, something went wrong and sent their call to a guy in Madrid, Spain (played by Desi Arnaz, the series executive producer). They asked him to call their husbands the next morning to get them out of the store, which he did. After that call ended, one of the husbands mused, “I wonder what that guy does for a living”, and the camera drew back to show Arnaz dressed in a bullfighter’s garb. \*\* Yes, the show hasn’t aged well. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/442 "2021-07-16T21:27:01Z")
> [@Eclipse\_Chaser](#): > > Another was Lancer, a short lived western copy of the High Chapparral. **Lancer** is referenced in **Once Upon a Time in Hollywood**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022.md?page=23)