Rick Springfield’s cartoon debut in Mission: Magic!, 1973
Filmation’s Mission: Magic! first aired September through December, 1973 on ABC. 16 episodes of this animated series were produced and they featured the voice and likeness of actor and singer Rick Springfield.
Springfield, aged 23 and still sporting an Australian accent, would usually perform a song in each episode while assisting a group of youngsters called “The Adventurers Club” and the magical Miss Tickle.
No lollipop? No shades? What the hell? Telly Savalas as ‘Kojak’,’ 1973.
It’s time to launch a new reoccurring segment here at Bionic Disco with the catchy title of “Show Toppers.” Herein, we’ll post intros for television shows of the 1970s – both well-known and obscure. Let’s start things off with a New York-based detective series you may remember fondly.
Kojak, created by Abby Mann, originally aired on CBS from October, 1973 to March, 1978. The show stars Telly Savalas as the boldly bald Greek American, Lieutenant Theodore Kojak. The character was known for dressing in sharp suits, constantly sucking on a lollipop and uttering the catchphrase, “Who loves ya, baby?”
Other cast members include: Dan Frazer as Captain Frank McNeil, Kevin Dobson as Detective Bobby Crocker and Telly’s real-life brother, George Savalas (aka Demosthenes) as Detective “Fatso” Stavros.
Kojak Wiki
**Watch full Kojak episodes for free at IMDb.
It’s time to catch up on recent 1970s-related stories. Ripped from the news we have word on a possible prime time return of The Brady Bunch, actor Norman Alden passing away and more. Read on.
A new Brady Bunch for CBS?
Vaughn reboots the Bunch. (Image skillfully manipulated by Bionic Disco)
Deadline are reporting that actor Vince Vaughn is co-developing and executive producing a possible reboot of The Brady Bunch for CBS. The new version of The Brady Bunch, written by Mike Mariano (My Name Is Earl), will focus on Bobby Brady who is now divorced with a set of his own kids. Read more.
After hearing the news, Susan “Cindy Brady” Olsen took to Twitter to say “BB redux? Who knows? When I heard about the first movie I thought it was a crazy idea – but it turned out great!”
Deadline Quote:
“I hear Vaughn came up with the idea for the new Brady Bunch and teamed with Mariano. Mariano and Lloyd Schwartz, son of the late Sherwood Schwartz, will executive produce the CBS project along with Vaughn, Victoria Vaughn and Peter Billingsley through Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Picture Show Prods.
CBS TV Studios has the rights to the original series as it was produced by its predecessor Paramount Television. The studio has a lot of experience successfully reviving old series. There are three reboots now on the air now: CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 and the CW’s 90210 and Beauty And The Beast — all of them produced by CBS TV Studios.”
Norman Alden has died
Norman Alden
Famed character actor Norman Alden passed away on Friday, July 27th at the age of 87. Alden was a talented man with a distinctive voice who never seemed to be without work throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s.
70s fans will best remember Alden as Frank Heflin on Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (1976), Coach Fedders on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976) and as the voice of Aquaman on Super Friends (1973, 1977). A small sampling of shows Alden appeared on throughout the 70s include; My Three Sons (1970), Ironside (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972-75) and Kojack (1975).
For more on Norman Alden hit Alden’s IMDb, Alden’s Wiki and NormanAlden.com.
Screen Crush Quote:
“Calling Alden prolific undermines his massive contributions to the entertainment industry. Though he’s best known for playing tough guys in ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ and ‘Semi-Tough,’ he also appeared in ‘Back to the Future’ (where he played diner owner Lou), Tim Burton’s ‘Ed Wood’ (where he played a cameraman), ‘They Live’ and ‘Patch Adams,’ with Robin Williams.
Alden’s television credits are staggering. He had a multi-episode run on ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.’ He appeared on such iconic shows as ‘Perry Mason,’ ‘Bonanza,’ ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’…‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ ‘Dallas,’ ‘The Rockford Files’ and many, many more.”
Norman Alden as Frank Heflin on Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, 1976
Other 70s stories you may be interested in:
American Flags From Apollo Missions Still Standing
Groovy 1973 Archival Film Celebrates Landsat Satellite Launch
Lifetime Picks Up Renee Zellweger-Produced Drama ‘Cinnamon Girl’ To Pilot
7-Up ‘Bubbles’ TV commercial, 1974
Here’s a pair of ultra-colorful and slightly trippy 1970s-era TV commercials for 7-Up. Both of the spots feature a heady mix of animation and live-action and show off the 1920s and 1950s looks that were popular once again during the decade. Drink ’em up.
Michael York – from Musketeer to Sandman,. Logan’s Run, 1976
Logan’s Run released to theaters in June of 1976. This sci fi classic, directed by Michael Anderson, stars Michael York as Logan 5 and Jenny Agutter as Jessica. The unlikely pair attempt to escape from a society that wants them dead for the crime of being over the age of 30.
I’m a huge fan of this film and saw it when it was originally released. Until Star Wars came along the following summer it was the best sci fi film we 70s kids had ever seen. The movie also looms large in my personal life as (decades later) my wife was celebrating her 29th birthday with a Logan’s Run-themed get-up – complete with a crystal on the palm of her hand – on the night we first met and fell in love. Awwwwww!
Babes of the 70s #21 – Jenny Agutter. Logan’s Run, 1976
Logan’s Run 1-sheet. (Photo via: Jon’s Random Acts of Geekery)
Bionic Disco proudly presents Babes of the 1970s: Lovely ladies. Feast your eyes on 20 lovely and luscious female entertainers we found enticing and exciting in the years 1970 through 1979.
This visual list contains a healthy amount of feminine babes but there are many more we could have included. If response is good we’ll post part two in the coming days (and also present some “manly males“). Here now, in alphabetical order we have Loni Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Barbi Benton and many more. Dream on…
Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson
Adrienne Barbeau
Adrienne Barbeau
Barbi Benton
Barbi Benton
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset
Linda Blair
Linda Blair
Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter
Charo
Charo
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson
Lola Falana
Lola Falana
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Deborah Harry
Deborah Harry
Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton (Photo by Rex Features)
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers
Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Tiegs
Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Return to the Bionic Disco homepage for more mind-expanding 1970s pop culture!