WLS Channel 7 - Happy Days - "The Muckrakers" / Laverne & Shirley - "Dear Future Model" (1976) · 12:39am Dec 11th, 2017
[Technical issues prevented the development of this week's SUNDAY SHOWCASE.]
Here's an hour-long block of complete, first-run episodes of two popular 1970's series, as originally aired over WLS Channel 7 - the Happy Days episode "The Muckrakers" (First Run - Season 4, Episode 9) and the Laverne & Shirley episode "Dear Future Models" (First Run - Season 2, Episode 7). This description will focus mainly on the commercial breaks in-between the full episodes.
(AUDIO TECHNICAL NOTE: This aired when all network feeds outside of New York City and Los Angeles still had the "tinny, boxy" 5 kHz telco sound - full frequency response ranging from 100 Hz to 5 kHz - and Chicago was no exception.)
Includes:
The recording joining in progress, a record offer commercial for "Fonzie's Happy Days Favorites" (sold at Montgomery Wards, Sears, JCPenney, Woolworth/Woolco, Korvettes, Musicland, Treasury and Walgreens - "Available at Participating Outlets Only") (seems like they forgot the ending voiceover)
"Zooming 7" animated station ID with PSA for Crusade of Mercy (voiceover by ??)
Happy Days opening titles
Commercial: Ragu Extra Thick and Zesty Spaghetti Sauce - "That's Italian"
Commercial: Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo with Natural Protein (jingle sung to tune of The Beach Boys' "California Girls") (one of the girls is supermodel Christie Brinkley)
Act I of episode
Commercial: The Hot Top Hot Lather Dispenser by Schick
Commercial: JCPenney Plain Pocket Jeans - for only $10.00 (fancy that!)
Animated ABC network ID with station ID lower-third
Act II of episode
Happy Days "Will Return" bumper (voiceover by Marion Ross with Tom Bosley)
Commercial: Adult Strength Anacin aspirin (with voiceover by Peter Thomas)
Commercial: Great Lash Mascara from Maybelline
Epilogue
Promo for Rich Man, Poor Man: Book II for 9:00pm (8:00pm Central & Mountain) (main voiceover by Ernie Anderson) (ending voiceover by John Causier?)
Ending credits, with voiceover promo (by John Causier?) for Donny & Marie on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Starsky & Hutch, all for Sunday (November 28th), and "stay tuned" notice for Laverne & Shirley
Promo for The Bionic Woman for Wednesday, November 24th at 8:00pm (7:00pm Central & Mountain) (main voiceover by Ernie Anderson) (ending voiceover by John Causier?)
Promo for Eyewitness News Special Report, "Great Mouthpieces with Hugh Hill," on past and present District Attorneys, for 6:00pm (voiceover by Gary Gears?)
Station ID with Joel Daly previewing 10:00pm Eyewitness News
Laverne & Shirley opening titles
Sponsor billboard for Scope mouthwash (voiceover by Len Beardsley - longtime staff announcer for sister station KABC Channel 7 in Los Angeles)
Commercial: Scope mouthwash
Commercial: Head & Shoulders shampoo
Act I of episode
Commercial: Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes (with the voice of Thurl Ravenscroft as Tony the Tiger - and (possibly) June Foray(?) as Mama Tony)
Commercial: Avon Products
Repeat of animated ABC network ID with station ID lower-third
Act II of episode
Commercial: Zest soap
Commercial: Kodak Tele-Instamatic 708 camera
Epilogue
Another promo for Rich Man, Poor Man: Book II for 9:00pm (8:00pm Central & Mountain) (main voiceover by Ernie Anderson) (ending voiceover by John Causier?)
Ending credits with voiceover promo (by John Causier?) for Wednesday night lineup of The Bionic Woman, Baretta and Charlie's Angels, starting at 8:00pm (7:00pm Central & Mountain)
Incomplete promo for Family (voiceover by Ernie Anderson) (recording cuts out in middle thereof)
This aired on local Chicago TV on Tuesday, November 23rd 1976 during the 7:00pm to 8:00pm timeframe.
Our thanks to Chris Tufts for financing the transfer of this tape and to Rick Garofalo for the donation of the reel itself; just a small part of the fabulous Garofalo Collection. You will see many more like this in the coming months. :-)
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s and early 80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,700+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at:
http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/index.php/contentload=donate