Brady Bunch Moments: Greg grabs a goat

Brady Bunch Moments: Greg serenades “Raquel”, October, 1973.

Welcome to another exciting entry in our series of posts we like to call: “Brady Bunch Moments”. This time around we have a nugget from the fifth season episode of The Brady Bunch entitled “Getting Greg’s Goat”, which originally aired on October 19, 1973.

Remember the episode where Greg stole the Coolidge High mascot? C’mon, you remember – the mascot was an attractive goat called “Raquel”. Robert (Mike Brady) Reed was notorious for voicing his disapproval of some of the more unbelievable Brady scripts that came down the pike. Well, he must have liked this one, despite the wacky premiss, as he directed the episode. Enjoy!

Trailer Tuesday: ‘Love Story’ (and O’Neal & MacGraw today)

Ali MacGraw & Ryan O’Neal, 1970

Love Story, written by Erich Segal and directed by Arthur Hiller, was released in December of 1970. The film stars Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw as young lovers; Oliver Barrett and Jennifer Cavilleri. Many critics disliked this romantic and tragic tale but Love Story went on to become the highest grossing film of the year.

Check out this new photo of O’Neal and MacGraw who recently reunited for a Paramount Pictures 100th anniversary event and take in the original trailer from 1970.

Ryan O’Neal & Ali MacGraw at Paramount Pictures 100th anniversary, 2012 (Photo: Paramount Pictures/MPTVImages.com)

Love Story Wiki, IMDb

Yahoo! Movies/Movie Talk Quote:

“It was only the second time in the last decade that O’Neal and MacGraw have reunited (they appeared on ‘Oprah’ in 2010 to mark the film’s 40th anniversary). MacGraw, now 73, left California for New Mexico in 1994 after a wildfire destroyed her home. She devotes most of her time now to animal rights activism, but she told Yahoo! Movies that she was honored to be invited back to take part in the photo alongside her ‘Love Story’ costar.”

Music for Monday: Patti Smith Group, ‘Because the Night’

Patti Smith Group, Old Grey Whistle Test, 1978

Patti Smith released “Because the Night” in April of 1978 and it rose to #13 on the US Billboard “Hot 100”. The song, co-written with Bruce Springsteen, appeared on Smith’s Easter L.P. and is her best known tune to date.

Here’s Smith performing “Because the Night” live on the UK’s Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978.

Time covers 1975

In posts past, we took a look at eye-catching Time Magazine covers from 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974. Today, let’s turn our attention to the year 1975.

Major events included the end of the Vietnam War, Ford’s first full year as US president and musical reports on Elton John, Cher and Bruce Springsteen. Investigate below. By clicking one image you can easily scroll through them all.

Time/CoverBrowser

Funshine Friday: Kid Power

‘It’s up to Kid Power. All the colors in your head.’ Rankin/Bass, 1972

Rankin/Bass Productions produced 17, 30-minute Kid Power cartoons and they originally ran from September 16, 1972 through September of 1974. The show featured a multiracial “Rainbow Club” cast of kids (Oliver, Nipper, Wellington, Connie, etc.) and was based on Morrie Turner’s Wee Pals comic strip.

Here’s the intro with its catchy theme song. Blast that sucker and have a happy Funshine Friday!

Kid Power IMDb, Wee Pals Wiki

Dallas returns to TV, reviews favorable

Ladies & Gentlemen, your 2012 Dallas team

Famed nighttime soap opera, Dallas, which originally ran from 1978 to 1991, returned to TV last night. The new Dallas premiered on TNT with a two-hour episode and first reviews are generally favorable.

70s cast members; Larry Hagman (J.R.), Patrick Duffy (Bobby) and Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) return in their old roles and are joined by a raft of new actors as sons and love interests. Here’s a review snippet from Entertainment Weekly‘s Ken Tucker:

“So far, Henderson displays the best chemistry with Hagman – as son and father, they seem to enjoy scamming others (and, soon enough, each other). And overall, Dallas is a solidly constructed soap opera, with strong wooden dialogue and oily plot twists.”

Here’s a bit from Rolling Stone:

“Television has gotten much more sophisticated since the Dallas days, so it may seem heretical, contrarian, or just plain insane to hail it as the most innovative and influential show of modern times. But if we’re living in a golden age of TV, it’s the Ewings’ fault, because they invented the game everyone plays now. They proved you could stretch out the story week to week, throwing in preposterous cliffhangers and plot twists and power struggles. And they proved you could sum up the country’s sickest dreams and flaws all in one expensively f-d-up family.”

Read more: Dallas review at Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone.

Official Dallas TNT site

*Update: Cinema Blend is reporting that Dallas brought in “Solid Ratings”.

Cinema Blend Quote:

“The numbers are in and it looks like TNT has cause to celebrate, as the drama garnered some impressive ratings for its debut.

6,863,00 million viewers tuned in to watch Dallas’ grand return to television. As TNT points out, this is three years in a row that the cable channel has done well with a series launch.”