Blast from the Past: TV Shows That Nobody Remembers

This week's Blast from the Past is a personal favorite topic. It's kind of the basis for columns like this: nostalgia, and forgotten pop culture nuggets. Sometimes "forgotten" just means you haven't seen it in a while, and it slipped your memory. But this list is more like, I'm the only one who remembers. Now, I will cop to being a little too absorbed by pop culture my whole life, and to having an unusually sticky brain that remembers useless details. So sometimes, I'll remember a show that may have been on only a couple of seasons, maybe wasn't really all that highly rated, but I just love it. Then it is cancelled, and never gets rerun anywhere, so the world forgets.

Not me. I remember them all. And this list is an unearthing of the corpses of several of my favorites.



1. Throb (1986) - This was a show about a working single mom (Diana Canova of Soap), raising a cute kid (Paul Walker of The Fast and the Furious), who takes a job at a fledgling record studio, working with the flighty Blue (Jane Leeves of Fraiser) and diminutive-but-adorable boss Zach (Jonathan Prince). At home, she had best friend Meredith (Maryedith Burrell of Fridays). It was syndicated, and only lasted three years, but I loved it.

2. Tucker's Witch (1982) - This one is probably forgotten because it only lasted 12 episodes, though they were spread out over an entire season. It starred Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven) and an in-his-prime, frequently shirtless Tim Matheson (Animal House) as a husband-and-wife sleuthing team with a twist: she was a witch. It was like Bewitched crossed with Hart to Hart, only with younger, hotter actors. Particularly memorable were Barbara Barrie as Hicks' mom, and Dickens the Himalayan cat.

 

3. Stingray (1986) - Nick Mancuso was a mysterious man (identity unknown!) who drove around in a black vintage Corvette Stingray (naturally), and looked cool doing it. Notable mostly for its Mike Post theme song, and a vibe that pegs it as sooo 80s, right in the heart of the Hunter and Silk Stalkings milieu.

4. The Phoenix (1982) - Judson Scott (Ricardo Montalban's number one in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn) stared as a frequently shirtless alien/superhero. The show was unremarkable. But you might be catching a theme of some of these "favorites."




5. The Powers of Matthew Star (1982) - Peter Barton starred as another alien/superhero, who wasn't as frequently shirtless, possibly because he suffered some pretty bad burns as a result of shooting the show. But again, you see where my memories tend to congeal.

6. Automan (1983) - I know it seems that I had a one-track mind when it comes to these things, and I guess I kind of did! But I disguised that aspect of my personality in those days, which wasn't hard to do because I also loved superheroes. Automan starred the amazing looking Chuck Wagner as a holographic hero drawn by a cursor into the real world. He was programmed by the still cute Desi Arnaz Jr., and together they fought crime. Really ahead of its time, and probably should be rebooted!




 7. Sledge Hammer! (1986) - Getting away from the studly heroes (but not too far) comes this over-macho, crime fighting farce, starring David Rasche as Hammer, who talked to his gun as if it were a woman. It was very much in the spirit of Police Squad! but lasted a bit longer.

8. Cover Up (1984) - And we're back to the often-shirtless crime fighter. Starring Jennifer O'Neil and the impossibly good looking Jon-Erik Hexum as undercover CIA agents. Their cover was photographer and model. Sadly, Hexum shot himself with a prop gun and died, and was replaced by Antony Hamilton (also quite the looker), who died only years later, an early casualty of the AIDS crisis. Very oddly, O'Neil had accidentally shot herself a couple of years before.

And on that very strange note (but no stranger than both Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers of Hart to Hart losing their spouse/partners to unusual deaths two weeks apart), we leave the trip through my memories, and face a new week. Happy Monday everybody!

Blast from the Past: The Lost 80s (Part 1)

What is "The Lost 80s?" It is music from the 1980s that you don't often hear, even on "I love the 80s" or your local "80s and More!" radio stations. These are the songs that were small to medium hits on MTV and your local radio stations. But they fell through the cracks somehow. They could be one-hit wonders. Or, they're the second or third hit from a flash in the pan. They could be the third tier hits from groups or acts that had a dozen hit songs. Somehow, people just forgot about them. But not me. . .





#1 - One in a Million, The Romantics - The group better known for their huge hit, Talking in Your Sleep, also had a fairly big hit with this forgotten tune.
#2 - The Sun Always Shines on TV, ah-ha - Sure, you remember Take on Me, but do you remember this one?
#3 - Living in a Dream, Pseudo Echo - This group barely made a ripple in the United States, but you might remember their remake of Lipps, Inc.'s Funkytown. This song was their first hit though, and nobody plays it today.
#4 - Room to Move, Animotion - Everybody knows Obsession. It was an 80s anthem. But this one gets no respect.
#5 - Hyperactive!, Thomas Dolby - Though accomplished in music, Thomas Dolby will always be remembered for She Blinded Me with Science. But Hyperactive! was a big hit back in the day. And do you remember the even rarer Airhead?
#6 - Baby Love, Regina - Who was Regina? Who knows? Everybody in the 80s just thought this was one of Madonna's new hits. It wasn't.

I labeled this Blast from the Past installment as Part 1 for a reason. There are a lot of these things. I may not run sequels in sequential weeks, but trust me there is more to come. Meanwhile, if you have the day off on Memorial Day, have a great extended weekend. If not, happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Howard Jones

One of my favorite 80s acts was Howard Jones, a performer who had a lot more hits than you probably remember. Most of his hits are relics of the era. But there are a couple of gems in there that are pretty timeless. All of them are still enjoyable. Take a listen.

Blast from the Past: Forgotten 80s, #3

Back to some fun stuff. My definition of "Forgotten 80s" would be those songs from the 1980s that rarely if ever get played on the "80s Hits and More!" stations, and only end up on part #26 of 80s compilation packages. They're the secondary hits of established stars, or the one hit wonders that nobody remembers. . .until they hear them. Here are more of my favorites.




#1 - Boom Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room) by Paul Lekakis - This artist had some overt clues to his sexuality in his album's liner notes, but people in the 80s didn't really catch on. Neither did his career (unfortunately) for this was his only real hit. Question though, what's with all the women in this video, especially since it's a recent remix--years after he came out?

#2 - Living in a Dream by Pseudo Echo - I featured this group in part 2, for their version of Funky Town, but I remember them as much for this, their first hit. I don't know why, but I loved it at the time.

#3 - Live is Life by Opus - No, not the penguin, the group! This was a fairly good sized hit, but I don't think I've ever heard it on the radio since the 80s.

#4 - Run Run Away by Slade - This one is a little more common than their other song, My Oh My, but I always liked this one better. And you still probably haven't heard it for years.

Previously:
Blast from the Past: Forgotten 80s, #2
Blast from the Past: Forgotten 80s

Blast from the Past: Forgotten 80s, #2

This subject hits my pop-culture sweet spot so hard, I had to continue it with a second post. For part one, check out this post.




#1 - No Myth by Michael Penn - This guy was at one time related to Madonna by marriage. And it is a shame he never caught on, because this is one of the best songs the 80s ever produced.

#2 - Funky Town by Pseudo Echo - Everybody remembers the original by Lipps, Inc. But this version really rocks, and I can't remember the last time I heard it since my last cassette deck died.

#3 - Don't Want to Fall in Love by Jane Childs - Long before Janet Jackson made it cool to wear funky pierced ear/nose jewelry, Ms. Childs had a lock on it. And the song was pretty cool too.

#4 - Sidewalk Talk by Jellybean Benitez & Madonna - This is the "lost" Madonna hit, one that never made it on to one of her Greatest Hits compilations. I don't think it ever had a proper video, but I always had a special affinity for the song.