Z is for...

Zoom*

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Sure, it would have been great to be a Brady, a Bradford, a Walton or a Partridge, but those kids were actors. I was not. I thought my vision was more realistic in dreaming to either be on Sesame Street or to be a Zoom kid. I had no idea what crowds these children were plucked from, nor where to sign up. Yet just like my budding singing career and poetry writing, I was sure to land in this spotlight as well.


Come on and Zoom-a Zoom-a Zoom...

Who are you? Whaddaya do?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzoom, and this concludes another a-z challenge! Thanks for visiting!

*Yes, I also used Zoom's theme song last year for my Seventies Serenade theme, in case it seems familiar. I did choose a different season for the opening credits.

Y is for...

Yogi Bear

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Hey there BooBoo!

Yogi's shenanigans in Jellystone Park could be a bit much, and I admired BooBoo for sticking by his friend.

I hope the sun is shining where you are today...a perfect day for a pic-a-nic, perhaps?

X is for...

eXtras

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

My childhood would not have been complete without these shows, nor the fabulous theme songs that went with them.

The Brady Bunch

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

Diff'rent Strokes

What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

Laverne and Shirley

Vo-dee-oh-doh-doh

W is for...

Welcome Back Kotter

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

How I loved this show, and how I loved this song from the very first measure. Slightly melancholy, but I can still feel the anticipation it always conjured up of getting to spend thirty minutes with the Sweathogs.

There was not a character on this show that I didn't like, right down to Mr. Woodman. Vinnie, Epstein, Freddy, Horseshack...go ahead, have yourself a class reunion and let the memories wash over you. Up your nose with a rubber hose? Yeah, I thought so.

Signed,
Epstein's mother

V is for...

Vera (from Alice)

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

There have been at three times that I have had a "Vera and her straws" moment, and none of those times found me in the company of people old wise enough to get the reference. You remember though, right? Here's a little refresher, as well as a great theme song.

Alice had her act together, so well-equipped to take on burly Mel, scattered Vera and sassy Flo. Look at that hottie of a son, Tommy (for anyone with a girl crush on Jo from Facts of Life, requests answered for Nancy McKeon to have a brother). Alice worked so hard to raise him, despite roadblocks for her own singing career dreams. 

I had to cheat a little bit on this one, but I don't mind. Kiss my grits!

U is for...

Underdog

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid. Now I pout every Saturday morning because the same old junk is on tv when I flop on the couch with my breakfast. The thrill of the once a week shows is gone, and it seems like even the decent cartoons that have come along have either left or aren't on in that coveted time slot (or my kids are just lying to me, knowing full well that I am ill-equipped to navigate the television remote on my own). Can a girl just get a little Speed Buggy or Rocky and Bullwinkle to go with her Cheerios?

Maybe part of my special connection with Underdog was that my last name started with a "U", and there he was making that sometimes awkward and uncommon letter seem cool. His outfit had kind of a bizarre fit about it, but he made it work. 

Despite watching this Underdog intro, the song I cannot get out of my head this morning is the Mighty Mouse theme. It's like I have some cartoon superhero caper mash-up going on in my brain!

Always rooting for the Underdog!

T is for...

Three's Company

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Come and knock on our door...

Maybe it seemed like a fun idea, at first, to live in the same building as Jack, Janet and Chrissy, but then you'd have to deal with the cantankerous Stanley Roper and creepy Larry. Although Helen Roper's flair for fashion might have been worth it. (No.) Ralph Furley's style was even better. (No.)

As a young girl with brown hair, I felt like I should have been Team Janet. They made Chrissy seem like so much more fun though, in that dumb as a box of rocks way. Sure she paved the way for brighter corn silk-haired gal Terri, but not before her cousin Cindy moved in for a bit. I did have moments where I thought it would be nice to be bright like Janet, but a better strategy might have been to seek a different show for role models altogether.

Go on, take a step that is new!

S is for...

Sanford and Son

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

It's time for some junkyard groove...

Some of the shows have taken a gentle prodding to bring me right back to our television set in the seventies. I will remember the general gist, but then as I pull up the theme song and cast, I am amazed by the larger than life characters who had slipped my mind. Let's face it, thinking about Sanford and Son, this is probably what we think of right before, or after, the theme song...

"Elizabeth!" 
I loved Lamont and Fred, with his old man walk. I enjoyed the times when Grady stopped by as well, but how did I need a reminder about Esther?

R is for...

Rhoda

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

"This is Carlton your doorman." (It is definitely not Garfield the cat.)

Sure, Mary Richards could throw her hat up in the air, but could anyone really wear a scarf headwrap thing like Rhoda? She deserved her own spin-off for that look alone!

I loved Brenda and Ida Morgenstern, and not just for the sarcasm.

Q is for...

Quincy, M.E.

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Of course I was too young to watch this show. Look at the opening, as it pretty much warned us of what to expect. It was even too much for the police officers!

For some reason, despite the red flag, I still kept hoping to find Oscar Madison hanging around that medical examiner's office. (As long as Felix Unger wasn't the corpse du jour!) I usually took Qunicy's arrival on the screen to mean that it was time for me to go find something unrelated to television to occupy myself with. This had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the show. Now that I am older than seven (much, much older) I may considering checking this out.

P is for...

Partridge Family

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

P is also for peer pressure, as I was afraid to leave David Cassidy's Keith and the rest of his family off the list. Despite my heart belonging to the Brady boys, some sweathogs, a couple of Bradfords and a Walton or two, come on, get happy...

O is for...

One Day at a Time

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

This is it!

Are you up on your feet? 

While you're here, enjoy the view...

Man was Bonnie Franklin spunky! Three cheers for Anne Romano! Valerie Bertinelli's Barbara was all that. I know I should've loved Mackenzie Phillips as Julie, but I just didn't. Maybe it was just that I saw Barbara as the superior sister, or just could not accept Julie's wardrobe. I tried to embrace all things seventies clothing, but her bell bottoms were just a certain kind of awful.

Chipping away at the a-z! Don't you worry none we'll just take it like it comes.

N is for...

Nightly News

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

It was thirty minutes of local news followed by thirty minutes of national news. Once commercials were accounted for it was really more like forty-four minutes. Those were the days. Don't get me wrong, fires, airplane crashes and kidnappings terrified me, but I wasn't saturated with information like we are now. Obviously a certain amount of my blissful ignorance had to do with the fact that I was six years old in the mid-seventies; however, when I was hanging around at my grandparents' house, they had no option for twenty-four hour news. That television was going to be showing Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune sooner than later.

I just saw some clips on the Daily Show of news stations dissecting Hilary Clinton's recent visit to a Chipotle. The notion of this being news might frighten me as much the stuff of childhood nightmares.

M is for...

Mork & Mindy

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Nanoo, nanoo!

It didn't matter how implausible the plot of this show was. Right from the opening insult of Orson, it was time to just let go and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. These were the early days of Robin Williams showing us the energy he could pour into a character with such a twinkle in his eye. Larger than life. 

My wish to be Mindy was unrealistic, as it was unlikely that another egg would fall to earth, but no more so than swooning over a vampire or werewolf. Shazbot! Not only did she have Mork, but I thought her hair was all that, she drove that cool jeep, and the music store thing! I used to enjoy watching how exasperated Mork made Mindy's father. Remember Grandma Cora too?

Of course I had the khaki pants with the rainbow suspenders. You didn't doubt it, did you?

L is for...

[The] Loveboat

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Hey, come aboard! We've been expecting you.

I am sure I am not the only person to have had the thought "Who do you think I am, Julie McCoy, your cruise director". Oh that lucky Julie McCoy, surrounding by such dashing men, including a doctor. I did not necessarily have a favorite amongst them, as they each had their merits. How about taking the best of each: Doc being a doctor, Gopher being a go-fer (as in get me this and that), Captain Stubing's sense of direction, and Isaac with a drink and a smile at the ready.

I am sure avid watchers had their own favorite guest stars. Did you read who was on the episode this opening was taken from? Sherman Hemsley, John Ritter AND Jacklyn Smith? Well somebody was going to fall into, and out of, and back into love! One of my favorite passengers was Charo! "Cuchi-cuchi!"

In the late seventies, the closest I could get to being Julie McCoy was this rad outfit and my cousin "crew".

I have no other words, as this photo has completely taken me away!

K is for...

Kojak

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

OK, I admit it, I wasn't really watching this show very often. It was on, but I am sure I had Barbies to play with or something equally as important to tend to. There was something sort of mildly captivating about Telly Savalas though. I might have been most interested in what flavor lollipop he had.

"Who loves ya baby?"

J is for...

[The] Jeffersons

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Come on now, we're movin' on up!

Weezie, and Florence, did such an incredible job of trying to keep that angry little George Jefferson from driving himself and others completely bonkers. As a kid, it was a little confusing listening to all of Mr. Jefferson's commentary, especially about the Willis family. Luckily Lionel and Jenny, and their love, were able to rise above it all! 

I also had no idea that the drycleaning business was so lucrative.

I can't forget to mention Mr. Bentley from next store. He rounded out an incredible cast of pawns in George's equal opportunity offender game. 

"Fish don't fry in the kitchen..." That song! That verse! I am sitting back on the floor to be as close to the television as people will allow.

I is for...

I Dream of Jeannie

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Hands above your head, get ready to get your genie on...

How did Major Nelson resist her? Major Healey was certainly taken in by Jeannie. Was it the fabulous outfit or the magic?

I used to love it when they'd show the inside of her bottle. Such luxury accommodations! (Far fancier than that witch Samantha had.)

Now cross your arms, nod your head, blink and have yourself a great day!

H is for...

Happy Days

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

The thrill of seeing that jukebox pictured, then the record...it's coming! Get ready for today's earworm! 

Arthur Fonzarelli. The Fonz. Jukebox starting, motorcycle repairing, shark jumping Fonzie. For thirty minutes each week he was my elementary school aged focus in life. Oh sure, I had love for Potsie as well, just to solidify an early indicator to a future of my being often conflicted. Don't get me wrong, I loved Howard, Marion and Joanie too, but they were family, and therefore perhaps taken for granted. I did respect Joanie though, and never considered trying to steal Chachi from her. (I did not respect her enough to appreciate Joanie Loves Chachi though.)

It seems like I am forgetting someone. Not Chuck Cunningham. Not Arnold or Al. Definitely not Ralph Malph. Not LoriBeth. Wait, Richie...Richie Cunningham. Looking back, was he like the moral compass of the show? At age eight, I was all about the Fonz, but now? Richie's plaid shirt, cuffed jeans and that smile. Let that keep you rockin' and rollin' all week long!

G is for...

Good Times

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Dy-no-mite! 'Nuff said?

Jimmie Walker had it going on in a show I found endlessly entertaining and intriguing, without really understanding the strife of the Evans family. I was five years old when the show first aired, and while I knew Florida and her family were different than mine, and that the show took place in a different part of New York City than I went to visit, there was still comfort in watching their togetherness...watching them find their good times in the midst of everything.

Larger than life J.J. and his siblings (younger brother Michael was my favorite), Willona the neighbor...Remember her story line with Penny? (Janet Jackson)

Keep your head above water, make a wave when you can!

F is for...

Facts of Life

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

This show may not have started  until 1979, but I watched and loved the heck out of those gals from Eastland School enough for it to make the cut. Plus, we all needed to hear this song, right?

I was absolutely Team Jo over Team Blair. I am not sure I was old enough to recognize that the girls' characters were exaggerations, or that they were even just characters at all. I bought into the whole thing, as if I was going to meet Tootie at school. Yikes, the thought of that gossip girl still makes me cringe a little. I was always wishing the best for Natalie as I thought she'd make the best friend.

There certainly were some "very special episodes" for Mrs. Garrett and the girls. Well of course, as the world didn't always seem to be living up to their dreams.

E is for...

Eight is Enough

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

I was an only child back when this show was on, so can you just imagine the envy I had for those Bradfords? Of course I also spent a portion of each daydream crushing on Adam Rich with that awesome hairdo, but despite Nicholas being more my age, Grant Goodeve's David was simply dreamy. (Sorry Tommy, I just didn't like you like that.) He even got to sing the words when they added them to the theme song.

Mary, Joanie and Nancy seemed nice enough, but Susan was super awesome. Remember when she landed Merle "The Pearl"? (Sorry Tommy, he bumped you down to fourth.) That leaves one more sibling, the one I wanted to paint my nails and share clothes with the most - Elizabeth. I thought she was all that. 

Go on and spend your day like a bright and shiny new dime, and keep that plate of homemade wishes on your kitchen window sill.

D is for...

Dukes of Hazzard

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

How about these good old boys, Bo and Luke, never meanin' no harm. Yet somehow in trouble with the law since the day they was born. 

Boss Hogg, Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane and Deputy Sheriff Enos were always calling shenanigans on those Duke boys. Uncle Jesse was trying to learn them a thing or two. Cousin Daisy certainly wasn't rushing to anyone's rescue, as it was a wonder she could even move in those shorts, let alone jump in the General Lee's window. I fancied myself a Luke Duke fan, not to take anything away from Bo Duke's golden locks. My heart could be fickle though at ten years old, depending on the episode. The best performer on the show actually may have been the car.

C is for...

CHiPs

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

It is time to get you own mirrored shades on, lest you be blinded by Erik Estrada's teeth. 

Could you feel the majesty of the California Highway Patrol? (Which was somehow CHiPs for short.) The breeze rushing through your glorious seventies' mane? Frank Poncherello and Jon Baker out keeping the highway safe. Sometimes the stress of the job just gets to be too much and you have to unwind. Am I right Ponch?  You're welcome for this bonus link...

Close that other tab, you do not need to buy yourself a disco ball today.

B is for...

Barney Miller

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

Boom, bappaboom, bappaboom- go ahead and listen again for yourself...

Did you get your groove on? This show? How I loved this show. Barney, Harris, Wojo, Fish, Yemana...to highlight just some of the key ingredients in that precinct's melting pot. They were all so interesting and incredibly entertaining to me. Thinking back on the characters is like reflecting on old friends, granted they would have been an odd assortment of peers for a nine year old girl. 

A is for...

All in the Family

Shows I was watching in the seventies is my theme for the A-Z challenge this April.

"Oh, Aaaarchie" 

"Gloooooooria!"

I loved Edith Bunker, the way she tried to keep the peace amidst people with opposing views, her smile while doing so. I believed that character was who Jean Stapleton was in real life.

Of course I have not abandoned music altogether this year, as some of these shows' theme songs still take up a very special place in my mind. Go ahead, give a listen to Edith and Archie. Can't you just feel yourself back on the old couch settling in to the cushions?

The a-z challenge is here! Thanks for stopping by. 

I will be responding to comments via email when available, and here in comments when it is not.