This is the second and last of the official spinoffs of M*A*S*H. In it we catch up with Radar, the gentle radio man from the original series. His marriage has failed and he's decided to become a policeman in St. Louis, MO, after being encouraged by his cousin (Buktenica). This comedy is of the "laughter through tears" brand of sitcoms made popular by the foregoing series, featuring the lead character in some gritty circumstances including that failed marriage, the loss of his family farm and a suicide attempt. The lead character's charm apparently wasn't enough to pull the show through, however. It was never picked up, and the pilot ran only once as a special in the eastern and central time zones on July 17th, 1984, being preempted by convention coverage on the west coast.
This is an extremely rare show and without YouTube would be almost impossible to find. It's been uploaded by TheGorzak for your viewing pleasure, however.
Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, almost completely forgotten, available on YouTube)
Wow, that is truly horrendous, and directed by Bill Bixby, no less.
ReplyDeleteUntil the mid-80s, networks (by contract) were required to "burn off" unsold TV pilots during the summer months. I recall seeing some really interesting shows as a kid, and not quite understanding what kind of "special" they actually were. They LOOKED like a sitcom, but why was there only one? There are actually a few fascinating books out there, with detailed lists of filmed pilots that never made it, from the 50s through the 80s, in particular. There were some big names, in some "interesting" potential series, both good and bad.
Yeah, like Royal Bay - the early 60's pilot featuring Joan Crawford as the matriarch of a California town. It eventually became Della, and then was rereleased in the late 80's as Fatal Confinement. http://theobscurityfactor.blogspot.com/2010/12/joan-crawford-in-della-1964.html
ReplyDeleteWow, I totally forgot about this one, although I'd remembered -- but never watched -- "After M*A*S*H." In terms of actor's craft, check out his hands in any scene. His left hand was misshapen, so he generally finds a way to do "business" to hide it but yet not draw attention to it. It's a difficult trick to execute and he does it well.
ReplyDeleteIn the early-70s CBS would show unsold pilots fairly regularly during the summer. For some reason I especially remember one with Jackie Cooper that was called "Keeping an Eye on Denise."
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember seeing the unsold pilot of "Steel Magnolias?" It got an airing on CBS a couple years after the movie. I thought it had a very good cast and was well-written. It struck me as a show that could have been successful, but obviously the network executives did not agree with me!
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ReplyDeleteThanks and have a great day!
Ben, I'm having withdrawal.....more please!!! (I know you're busy.)
ReplyDeleteI remember "AfterMash" but I don't remember this at all. Wow, pretty obscure!
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