Mystery Episode: Shows that Reflected Real Life Events

In this episode, we explore classic TV shows that wove real-world events into their storytelling. It wasn't the main focus, but as the backdrop shaping the tone and context of the episode. We’ll dive into how writers grounded fictional worlds in the real events their audiences were living through, creating TV that felt immediate and authentic. 

Transcript

Keith Loria 0:00

Welcome to season three of Don't Touch That Dial, a classic TV podcast. So join us as we remember the shows that made watching TV in the days of antennas so much fun.

Anthony Stoeckert 0:09

Grab your remote and get ready for some fun and laughs.

Keith Loria 0:13

And remember, Don't Touch That Dial.

Anthony Stoeckert 0:16

Hello everyone, and welcome to another mysterious episode of Don't Touch That Dial, a classic TV podcast. This week, Jody is going to surprise Keith and me with some sort of fun and amazing topic. I'm Anthony Stoeckert.

Keith Loria 0:33

I'm Jody Schwartz. And I'm Keith loria.

Anthony Stoeckert 0:36

So this is something we do from time to time. One of us comes with a fun TV-related topic. The other two don't know what it is. Jody has this week's topic. I keep saying the word topic over and over again. Sorry about that.

Jody Schwartz 0:50

It's on topic.

Anthony Stoeckert 0:51

I have nothing more to say because I don't know what's coming up. Take it away, Jody.

Jody Schwartz 0:54

There you go. What I have for you guys today is shows that had episodes that revolved around real-life events. Obviously, fictional shows and some sort of real-life event was going on in the background as they uh as the episode unfolded. Not necessarily about the uh that would be the event, but the event was part of what was happening. One of the ones I will start with is the MASH Olympics from uh season six, episode 11, where Colonel Potter decides the unit is in pitiful shape um because they can't lift a uh turnedover ambulance. It takes like all of them, and then like four MPs do it in two seconds. So he wants to uh get them in shape, and they decide that instead of having just you know traditional exercises and calisthenics, they're gonna split up into two teams and have Olympic-like events. And uh Hawkeye heads up one team, BJ heads up the other team. And while this is happening, it's the the 52 Olympics. There's footage of that, like real uh newsreel footage of the 52 Olympics unfolding in the background. So like they cut to like a you know a runner from the Olympics.

Anthony Stoeckert 2:00

I don't remember that.

Jody Schwartz 2:01

You actually see uh you actually see footage from the 52 Olympics, and during the course of the episode, they're talking about you know events at the Olympics.

Anthony Stoeckert 2:09

So does anybody say to Potter, let's see those MPs, you know, cure a guy?

Jody Schwartz 2:14

Uh yeah, yeah. It's funny how with that show every now and again they they would worry about something that they never worried about before or again. Nobody cared before that episode what kind of shape everybody was in.

Anthony Stoeckert 2:26

How often does Klinger have to turn over a fallen truck? A fallen vehicle.

Jody Schwartz 2:31

Exactly. When is it ever gonna come up?

Keith Loria 2:35

Should Dr. Shirili be doing that?

Jody Schwartz 2:36

Yeah, yeah. That's a great point. That that's the other point, too. It you know, that's what set it all off. The the MPs actually say, next time call us, don't hurt yourself.

Keith Loria 2:47

Like, would the three of us be able to turn over a fallen ambulance?

Jody Schwartz 2:52

I'm guessing no on that one.

Anthony Stoeckert 2:55

Yeah, probably yeah, I would think not.

Jody Schwartz 2:58

I can't imagine we'd be able to do that.

Keith Loria 2:59

All right, next week, guys, we're gonna get an ambulance and before the episode, we're gonna see what we can do.

Anthony Stoeckert 3:09

I have no idea.

Jody Schwartz 3:11

One of the funny subplots of this episode, by the way, is that uh the reason they start helping, you know, start with the calisthenics. One of the reasons is that also Hawkeye and BJ are helping this uh this enlisted man who's very overweight, and they're gonna kick him out of the army. And you would think he'd want to get out of the army.

Anthony Stoeckert 3:26

What a coincidence!

Jody Schwartz 3:27

Yeah, yeah. How about that?

Anthony Stoeckert 3:29

Yeah.

Jody Schwartz 3:30

Uh Sergeant Aangs, they're gonna help him lose weight so he can stay in the army. Um, and then Klinger finds out that he's being kicked out for being overweight, so he just starts eating excessively. So while so while he's running these events, like he's eating a salami.

Anthony Stoeckert 3:46

Now, does Margaret's husband show up in the show?

Jody Schwartz 3:49

Yes, I was gonna say Colonel Penobscot makes an appearance, one of the the the second of uh two actors who have played uh Penobscot. And um, it's the guy from Smoking the Bandit, the actor from Oh, yeah, it's uh Rufate Justice's son. Yes, yes.

Anthony Stoeckert 4:05

So so there's more than one actor who played Penopscott, though.

Jody Schwartz 4:09

Yes, correct. He was the second one. That's what he said. Yeah, yeah, he was he was the second one. Yeah, yeah. So he was he makes two appearances. One of them is when they when they actually do get married, which is Frank Burns' last episode, and this one. And he he they need a person to be uh to run an event because Klinger is now stuck, his stomach is now you know bothering him from all the salamis, so he takes Klinger's place in the event, and uh you know wackiness ensues from there. He ends up losing the final event. They pick names out of a hat to see who's gonna run this last obstacle course. So one of them is the the fat sergeant, and one of them is Colonel Penobscot, who's just got there, and now his name's in the hat too.

Keith Loria 4:48

Uh and I'm guessing tortoise in the hair. I'm no, I know who's gonna win.

Jody Schwartz 4:52

Yes, Penobscot starts showing off and then he falls down and and falls into some netting and loses. And so, you know, Margaret's mad at him at the end.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:01

She's mad at him. Wow.

Jody Schwartz 5:03

Yeah, she's mad at him for a little bit.

Keith Loria 5:04

Well, because because if they won, they would have had three days R and R.

Jody Schwartz 5:07

Yeah, right. Well, they were already going away for seven, so they and they would have had an extra three days if if they had won.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:14

So she still had a week?

Jody Schwartz 5:15

She's still at a week, yeah.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:17

Come on, Margaret.

Jody Schwartz 5:17

Yeah, she's still at a week. But when he's when he's upset that she's angry at him, he starts to act like like the character in Smokey and the Bandit. It's kind of like come on, Margaret, it's just a race.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:28

That's right. He gets kind of at that moment, he gets kind of dopey.

Jody Schwartz 5:32

He gets kind of dopey.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:34

Yeah, yeah.

Jody Schwartz 5:34

Then he gets kind of whiny toward the end. Another episode, you know. Well, I'm gonna do one. You can't just take one.

Keith Loria 5:41

Oh, oh, you you oh you have one already? Okay, I was gonna, I was gonna well once you start talking about MASH, it came to me. This is the only one I actually thought of so far.

Anthony Stoeckert 5:49

I thought of one also.

Keith Loria 5:51

So this one takes place, um, starts off on New Year's 1961, and the episode goes an entire year. 51, right? Oh, 51, I'm sorry, yes. Episode goes the entire year, and they talk about the real life event of the Bobby Thompson home run. Klinger, you know, bets his Brooklyn Dodgers and says they're gonna win. Potter wants the Cardinals, because I guess Potter's from Missouri.

Jody Schwartz 6:14

No, what happens is they bet and they say whoever's ahead on July 4th wins the bet. Yeah. Because the thinking is whoever's ahead on July 4th will win the penance. Because they're not gonna be there that long. They're not gonna be there that long, and then they bet they bet the Dodgers against the rest of the National League.

Keith Loria 6:29

Right, even though this is season nine.

Anthony Stoeckert 6:31

Um Margaret's style by this point is very 80s.

Keith Loria 6:38

Yes, but it's funny as they do in the you know, the the war was what, just a few years, but they do an entire year in one episode. Yeah, yeah, the war was three years in total. So, you know, it's funny. So that when they do the bet, you know, Charles uh Emerson Winchester um backs Klinger with all the money because he won he knows that the Dodgers are gonna win, no one could beat him. So they're all listening to Bobby Thompson's home run like on the radio when it comes. The Russ Hodges call. Yeah, he famously hits off a Ralph Branca. Um, Willie Mees is on deck, and yet the Giants win the pivot.

Jody Schwartz 7:14

The Giants win the pennant. And Winchester's like, he's after him at the end. So one of the funnier things is when he's starting to get um, as the Dodgers lead starts to dwindle a bit, and he's getting antsy about that, he's like, I can't believe I entrusted my financial future to grown men named Duke and Pee-Wee. It's great. And then he's he's wearing a Brooklyn Dodger hat at the end, and he's uh he's he's yelling at them to you know who they should bring in the pitch.

Keith Loria 7:48

It's a great episode. All right, do you have a non-MASH one?

Anthony Stoeckert 7:51

I have a non-Mash one. Why don't I get in case Jody might have this on his list? And I do not remember the details of this episode at all, but maybe you guys will. Uh there was an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati about that took place after, obviously, and it it centered around the coup concert in Cincinnati where they had like open seating and like like some kids died because everybody was you know running to the you know to get to the the close of the stage. Does this ring a bell to you guys?

Keith Loria 8:26

Oh yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Stoeckert 8:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jody Schwartz 8:28

It doesn't for me.

Anthony Stoeckert 8:30

So I I I think it might have been eighty one or eighty-two.

Jody Schwartz 8:34

Well, the the the the concert that it was based on happened in 75.

Anthony Stoeckert 8:38

The episode was that it had been that that that earlier?

Jody Schwartz 8:42

Yeah, the the so the concert happened in 75. The episode we're talking about was probably 78 or 79.

Anthony Stoeckert 8:48

Okay.

Jody Schwartz 8:48

But the concert itself was was it was like December of 75. At the end of the episode, they have a a thing, you know, uh uh uh you know uh words on the screen that say uh hold on, Jody.

Anthony Stoeckert 8:59

I just I'm gonna I'm gonna clear something up. Uh the concert happened December 3rd, 1979.

Jody Schwartz 9:05

79? Okay. I thought it was I thought it was 75. All right, then then I was wrong.

Anthony Stoeckert 9:10

Yeah, so I think I I I thought it was shortly after the that concert happened. So so I guess they based an episode where KRP was sponsoring the concert or something. Do you remember details of the episode, Jody?

Jody Schwartz 9:22

Yeah, they they were they were involved in the in the concert somehow and they were all going. One of the one of the funnier things that's going on in the background is that Mr. Carlson has a cold and um and he's congested, and Jennifer gives him a uh like one of those masks that that it I forget what they call it, but yeah, yeah, I know the mask. And he's walking around wearing it and he forgets he has it on.

Anthony Stoeckert 9:42

Yeah.

Jody Schwartz 9:43

So then everybody's like wondering why he's wearing this mask, and he's getting ready to go to the concert and he still has it on. And then Johnny tells him to uh to you know he should he should probably take it off at this point.

Anthony Stoeckert 9:54

Yeah, because it ends on a very serious note, yeah. Obviously, because it was based on a real life event where people died.

Jody Schwartz 10:00

Well the whole episode just feels like a normal episode, and then what happens is they go to the concert and then it cuts back to them sitting in the office all very solemn, talking about what had happened the night before. And the thing was that they had this, uh they had that thing at the time called festive seating, which is basically you get a ticket, you can go in and sit anywhere.

Anthony Stoeckert 10:20

Right, that was the thing.

Jody Schwartz 10:21

Yeah, apparently, since the I don't know if the city of Cincinnati actually did pass a law prohibiting that at some point, and then it, I guess it became national. They they mentioned that too with the stuff that they have, the tagline that they have at the end of the episode.

Anthony Stoeckert 10:34

The episode aired February 11th, 1980.

Jody Schwartz 10:38

Really? Okay.

Anthony Stoeckert 10:39

Just a few months later. It in retrospect, this seems odd that they had like an episode. Eleven people died at this concert.

Jody Schwartz 10:46

Yeah, 11 people died at the concert. I thought it happened earlier than 79.

Anthony Stoeckert 10:49

So so, but uh, yeah, that's that's uh it's it's odd that just a few months later they had this episode with with jokes and all.

Jody Schwartz 10:56

Yeah, well, they didn't they didn't I mean the whole mo they didn't joke about anything like the whole episode it was obviously prior to it, you know.

Anthony Stoeckert 11:04

They didn't make jokes about the tragedy, yeah. It's it's weird that they had like a normal episode and then it's this real life event that you know things got very heavy. That's you know, yeah.

Keith Loria 11:15

Did they did they advertise that they were doing this? Like I don't remember this at all.

Anthony Stoeckert 11:19

I don't know.

Jody Schwartz 11:20

I don't think they did. I remember watching it for the first time, and um, I don't think I knew about what had happened at the Who concert when I saw the episode. Right, yeah, how um yeah, I don't I don't I don't think I I knew about that, but but I know I remember watching it and it just didn't, you know, uh I didn't see it coming that all and then they when they cut to the scene when they're all sitting there all solemn because they don't they don't show them at the concert.

Anthony Stoeckert 11:42

No, no, no, yeah, they couldn't get Pete Townsend and Roger Dole.

Jody Schwartz 11:47

Yeah, yeah. Well, there was an episode where they where they uh sponsored a concert about a uh a fictitious band called Scum of the Earth, but um so there was only 11 weeks in between the time the concert was and the time the episode aired, so they did that quick. Yeah, that's that's yeah, that's that's that's yeah, that's crazy. That's yeah, that that's I I think that's why one of the reasons I thought it was a much bigger time span. Yeah, I'll have to read this.

Anthony Stoeckert 12:11

Who only recently returned to Cincinnati? Yeah, like maybe on this most recent tour, or I mean they've had 80 last tours, but um, it was either this one or maybe the one before that they went to um that they actually ever returned to Cincinnati. I think that's the only one I thought of offhand. I'll try to think of others.

Jody Schwartz 12:29

Yeah, so do you have another one, Keith, or should I uh go down my list a little more?

Keith Loria 12:33

I mean, the only other one I I could think of was the you know, happy days what dealing with the election, the 1956 presidential election, yes, right, right. You know, my bike likes Ike that episode.

Jody Schwartz 12:45

Fonzi delivering the message for Ike and Richie dating rich Richie saying he's for Stevenson just so he could date that girl.

Keith Loria 12:52

Right, right. A lot different though, because it wasn't like real life events like so quickly, like the WKRP one.

Jody Schwartz 12:57

This is you know, a hist history uh but the election was part of it, and the issues involving the election were talked about, you know, just in a comedic way.

Keith Loria 13:07

Yeah, yeah. I remember there was an episode of LA Law where they were watching something on television, and I don't remember what it was. I don't remember if it was a riot or it was the LA riots, I think.

Jody Schwartz 13:18

Is that what it was? Yeah, there was an episode where um what's his name? Um Stuart, the tax attorney. Right, gets beat up. He gets beat up during the LA riot.

Keith Loria 13:26

So, and that was based on obviously the real LA Law riots.

Anthony Stoeckert 13:29

So, but yeah, that's I I want to say something about Happy Days, but for some reason that LA law thing is reminding me. I don't know if this really fits, but I believe when ER did that live episode, yeah, they referenced like whatever game was going on. Oh, they did. They did. Was it a baseball game or I I think it was a basketball game.

Keith Loria 13:49

Yeah, it was. It was okay. But yes, and and I think other live shows did that as well. Like Roseanne, when they did this live episode, did that. You know, they would talk about whatever was happening that day on the news.

Anthony Stoeckert 14:01

But I I know everybody references Fonse saying my bike likes Ike, but my favorite part is when Fonsey goes, if Ike don't win, the Fonz is gonna be mad. And then at the end, uh Richie says to the girl, because the girl's really disappointed that Stevenson lost, and she and he goes, uh, well, you know, maybe after you get over the election, we can get back together. And she goes, No, you'll always remind me of this. My mother had to break up with a guy when Wendell Wilkie lost. So those stand out.

Jody Schwartz 14:36

The funny thing about that episode, too, is that it it goes in with the 56 election, which was the actually the second time that Adelaide Stevenson lost to Ike in the presidential election. So, you know, I don't I you know I think it was probably a bigger disappointment in 52 when people thought he had a chance. I think by 56, but uh you know it was I don't I don't think it was as right, yeah.

Anthony Stoeckert 14:57

I guess I mean I you know I obviously don't know. You know, yeah, so but kind of funny, but you know, you know, we're gonna really, you know, we're really gonna get a lot of listeners with the Adley Stevenson talk. People love Adley Stevenson talk. Keith, can you do your Adley Stevenson?

Jody Schwartz 15:13

Let's hear the Adelaide Stevenson talk.

Keith Loria 15:15

Here we go. Fellow Americans. Excellent. I'm Adley Stevenson. Vote for me. Thank you. Thank you. I get I get a lot of that man, the dates I used to get because of that.

Jody Schwartz 15:26

I think that really was his convention speech. I used to fight him off. He was the governor of Illinois. Just a little fun fact there. There you go.

Anthony Stoeckert 15:36

All right, so what else you got, Jody?

Jody Schwartz 15:38

All right, well, we'll stay with politics. And the Wonder Years um had an episode uh that was kind of geared all around the 72 presidential election in season six. Uh uh Kevin was dating Winnie at this point, and um, she was working for the uh uh George McGovern campaign in uh in 72. George McGovern was Nixon's Democrat opponent in the 1972 election, and just for the record, he got crushed. As did Winnie. Yeah, it was it was a bloodletting. But Kevin's getting jealous because of Winnie seems to have a crush on the uh guy who's running the local office, the the uh the the the election, the official running the local office. And that they're dating at this point, they're dating at that point, and he's getting she's getting very involved in the campaign, and she's she she believes in George McGovern, and he's feeling like he um he has a she has a crush on this guy who's running the the campaign office, and so he acting all crazy. There actually is a scene when he meets George McGovern. Yeah, you know, obviously not the real guy, and it's just he seemed back.

Anthony Stoeckert 16:44

They didn't get the real George McGovern.

Jody Schwartz 16:45

They didn't get the real George McGovern.

Anthony Stoeckert 16:47

They couldn't he was pretty available at that point.

Jody Schwartz 16:49

Uh one would think, but uh but but he was alive, he was alive, right? By the the episode I think aired in 92, so so maybe keep talking. I'll take it up, keep talking or 91.

Anthony Stoeckert 16:58

But uh died in 2012.

Jody Schwartz 17:00

All right, so he was around.

Anthony Stoeckert 17:01

Yeah, yeah.

Jody Schwartz 17:02

It was around. They probably they probably didn't want him associated with the show too much. So yeah, so he meets George McGovern, and that that's and then there's a there's actually a scene at the end where you know McGovern does lose. And you know, a lot of liberals at that time, because Nix every you know, Nixon was so hated by the liberal establishment, they couldn't believe that Nixon could win like this, and um uh Winnie's sitting there crying saying, How could this happen?

Anthony Stoeckert 17:29

Does Kevin care about the election at all?

Jody Schwartz 17:33

Not really, and but but he starts to you know again as it goes as it goes on, he starts to um you know starts to care a little more, and of course, his very conservative father talking about all of Nixon's you know, you know, virtues through through the episode as well.

Keith Loria 17:47

Yeah, but that was a show that did a lot with you know that time period.

Jody Schwartz 17:50

They talked about the war, of course, but but they talked about a lot of different things, but this this was one of the episodes where it uh this this real life event was sort of circling the whole episode. Yeah. Obviously it was set in the 60s and it and you know they they talked about Vietnam quite a bit. There weren't a lot of episodes where uh one actual event sort of circled everything. And I understand.

Anthony Stoeckert 18:14

I I actually didn't watch Wonder Years, which surprises they ever have one like involving sports, like was Kevin a baseball fan, and they ever had like an episode that focused on a game back then or something like that, or not really he was a Jets fan, though he was yeah, they yeah, he wore a Jets jacket through through the whole thing. But I think he would have done something there. Where was it set? Where did they live? Uh where did they live?

Jody Schwartz 18:39

Was it Long Island? I think it was Long Island, yeah, yeah. It it was very it was just like a typical suburban, you know, town. And and keep in mind it was when people just started going to the suburbs when you know when the show was uh set. I think when the show begins, the Jets had already won the Super Bowl. Okay, yeah, which is why he was a homer. Yeah, yeah, he was a he was a homer. The 60s are always part of it, but there's not a lot of episodes where they talked about a single event. Yeah, anything that involves sports was typically with one of the kids playing sports. There was an episode where uh what's Wayne? Well, no, uh Paul, and Paul joins the basketball team, and everyone's surprised he's actually good. Yeah. Interesting.

Anthony Stoeckert 19:18

I was gonna ask, maybe this would jog one of your memories. Did because family ties was very much about its time and what did they have any episodes specifically about?

Jody Schwartz 19:30

They did have an episode centered around the 88 election, very late in its run. And it, you know, where where obviously Alex is in fate, you know, is voting for George Bush, who was running against Michael De Caucus. And um, yeah, there was an episode where that was a circular, uh, you know, circling the episode, I like to say. Absolutely.

Anthony Stoeckert 19:49

Campaigning, like were they both working for campaigns? They were both active.

Keith Loria 19:54

Yeah, and the parents were going.

Anthony Stoeckert 19:55

Go ahead, Keith. What were you gonna say?

Keith Loria 19:57

No, the the they the parents were working for um Dukakis, the caucus team, and um, you know, Alex obviously was was being a little smug, um, the way Alex could be. Yeah, and you know, and they made it seem like you know, he was it was it was a funny episode. It was probably funnier than it it should have been, you know, for something so serious like an election, but it was a good one. They also family ties, you know, that was a fairly comical election.

Jody Schwartz 20:26

Yes, yes.

Keith Loria 20:27

Well, that's true. They all are now, aren't they?

Jody Schwartz 20:29

Well, that one that one had some stuff.

Keith Loria 20:31

They during a clip episode, they had um um the parents go back to Woodstock and they showed like what they were doing at Woodstock. It wasn't a whole episode though.

Anthony Stoeckert 20:41

Oh, that's that but they had they had like scenes with Michael Gross and Maratha Burney as their younger selves at Woodstock. Yes, that's I don't remember that. That's cool. I like it.

Keith Loria 20:50

It was it was a clip episode. It was like one of those memories. Oh, remember when we did this? You know, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was later in the run, though.

Anthony Stoeckert 20:57

Nice, nice.

Jody Schwartz 20:58

Yes. The other thing, too, with that episode with the 88 election with family ties was that at that time, you know, the Democrats had had, you know, going into 88, the Democrats had lost back-to-back presidential elections badly. You know, you know, Carta, Carter got crushed twice. Well, Carter got trusted in 80, Mondale got crushed in 80, Reagan won by a lot twice.

Anthony Stoeckert 21:20

So 80 wasn't like 84.

Jody Schwartz 21:22

No, but Carter for an incumbent, Carta, Carta got got knocked around. Well, yeah, yeah. Carter got knocked around pretty good.

Anthony Stoeckert 21:29

I believe Mondale won only DC in Minnesota.

Jody Schwartz 21:32

Yeah, yeah. 13 13 electoral votes.

Anthony Stoeckert 21:35

Yeah, it wasn't um. I remember a stand-up comedian going, that's only that's only like it was Dennis Miller. It's only like 13 more than I got, or something like that.

Jody Schwartz 21:43

Yeah, Dennis Miller said, uh, I didn't even spend any money and I almost tied him.

Anthony Stoeckert 21:47

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but yeah, yeah.

Keith Loria 21:49

But I have another one, sort of, and I don't know. I didn't watch this show. Maybe you guys did Quantum Leap. So yeah, I watched that. So obviously, I mean lots, yeah. So the plot was he would jump in the body of somebody and live their life, right? But as far as I know, it wasn't usually historical figures, it was mostly just run-of-the-mill people, right? Normal people.

Anthony Stoeckert 22:13

That was the way it was, and then later, well, I don't know how later in the show, because the guy who made the show said he wouldn't do anything that would like change, you know, involve like real people, and then they did an episode about the Kennedy assassination.

Keith Loria 22:27

Right, that's what I was gonna bring up. I saw they did one of those and they did one of the about the Civil War as well.

Anthony Stoeckert 22:32

And it was the Civil War, but the Kennedy one was a big deal. Kennedy one was huge. They might have been trying to you know get a little uh you know, heat off that.

Jody Schwartz 22:42

Well, the the idea too with the with Quantum Leap was he was supposed to help something from prevent something bad from happening, right? And and and I think when they when they sent them back there, the thinking was he was gonna stop Kennedy from being assassination from being assassinated, and then it turns out he was there to save Jackie.

Anthony Stoeckert 22:59

Yes. Oh yeah, yeah, he thinks he's there to save Kennedy, he doesn't save Kennedy, and he goes to um Dean Stockwell? Is that who was that?

Jody Schwartz 23:10

Dean Dean Stockwell was his like mentor.

Anthony Stoeckert 23:13

But he goes to Dean Stockwell, I failed, and Dean Stockwell goes, No, you didn't. He goes, She died the first time. And they and they look at the hospital and you see. Yeah, but like like Stockwell's like, what do you mean? But you know, Sam only knew the timeline where she lived.

Jody Schwartz 23:30

Right? Yeah, that's interesting.

Anthony Stoeckert 23:32

Yeah, so yeah, it was pretty good. That was a good one.

Jody Schwartz 23:36

That is a good one.

Anthony Stoeckert 23:37

And then real people well, I think occasionally I don't know if real people showed up a lot. I know there was one that was set in Maine and some kind of strange thing was going on, and then at the end you saw like a geeky kid with glasses writing in a book, and it it was I don't know if they said it was Stephen King or it was supposed to be. It was like a young Stephen King.

Keith Loria 23:59

Uh it wasn't one of us.

Anthony Stoeckert 24:00

It was not one of us, no, because it took place in the 50s. But I I think like someone goes, Oh, there's that King kid again with his notebook or you know something like that. So interesting. Yeah, yeah. It was a good show. I I I like that show. That was a fun show.

Keith Loria 24:16

Did you watch the reboot?

Anthony Stoeckert 24:17

I did not. Is it still is that reboot still going on?

Jody Schwartz 24:20

I I've watched a couple of episodes. It's it's it's pretty good, the reboot, except that um, you know, you f you feel m a little more sorry for him in in the reboot. You know, in in in the original, he's just bouncing from life to life, and you know his life is being interrupted while he does this. But in the in the reboot, it it that they kind of push that point home a little more of just how bad this guy's life is because he has to do this.

Anthony Stoeckert 24:46

Yeah, yeah. And when that show was on, me and a friend of mine were working, and there was this guy named Bob who I'm not gonna say Bob's last name by any means. And then he goes, Oh, I just said I just said a name I shouldn't have said. My friend said, Um, maybe they'll do a quantum leap where he jumps into Bob and he goes, that wouldn't be a good show.

Keith Loria 25:12

Well, guys, I got something to tell you. I am not me today. Yeah, yeah. Somebody's jumped into you. Scott Back, I am Scott Bacula.

Anthony Stoeckert 25:21

Are you here to save the podcast? I am.

Keith Loria 25:24

I am. We need some more laughs.

Jody Schwartz 25:28

So we so we got Scott Bacula for that? Scott Bacula. We got Scott Bacula for more laughs.

Keith Loria 25:35

We should have got Joe Piscopo. I don't know.

Anthony Stoeckert 25:37

Maybe have you seen Scott Bacula in anything, Keith? I assume necessary roughness. Was he in that? Am I right about that?

Jody Schwartz 25:43

Yeah, he was the he was the like 40-year-old quarterback they had. Yeah, he was good in that. He was good in that. That was not a bad movie. That was that was not not at all.

Keith Loria 25:51

Yeah, he was in um the major league movie too, like the sequels.

Jody Schwartz 25:55

Yeah, he was in the last one, the the the one uh oh, just one? Okay, yeah, the one where Roger Dorn owns the twins. Yeah, for some reason.

Anthony Stoeckert 26:03

There are more than two major league movies.

Jody Schwartz 26:05

Yeah, there's there's a third one. Yeah, there's a three.

Anthony Stoeckert 26:08

I had no idea.

Keith Loria 26:09

Yeah, oh, I think there might even be more than three.

Jody Schwartz 26:11

There's three I can remember. If they had another one, I don't know.

Anthony Stoeckert 26:15

If they had another one, it's just one of those things where like they made one direct to video and like it has nothing to do with the first one.

Jody Schwartz 26:22

Yes, you know, Roger Dorn is in it. Roger Dorn's in the one with Scott Bacchula, but was that a theatrical release, though? I I didn't I thought it was.

Keith Loria 26:30

Yeah, I think it was. And I'm looking now, a bunch of them are in it.

Jody Schwartz 26:34

Yes, Pedro uh Serrano was in it. Yeah, so the the Asian guy from the second one was in the third one.

Anthony Stoeckert 26:42

Right? Pedro Serrano's the president from 24, right? Yeah, yeah.

Keith Loria 26:45

Dennis Hazard.

Anthony Stoeckert 26:46

The All-State guy.

Jody Schwartz 26:47

Well, yeah, nothing. And the Allstate guy, yeah.

Keith Loria 26:49

And Ted McGinley is in this one.

Jody Schwartz 26:51

Yes. Ted McGinley plays the manager of the twins.

Keith Loria 26:56

Wow, how did we not see that?

Jody Schwartz 26:58

Yeah, Ted McGinley, as always, coming into a franchise late.

Anthony Stoeckert 27:03

Major League spawned two sequels, major league two, and this does sound familiar now. Major League back in the minors.

Keith Loria 27:11

Yeah, that's the the one we're talking about.

Anthony Stoeckert 27:13

Yeah, so I think that's it, though.

Keith Loria 27:16

Okay. I don't know why I thought there was another. I'm sure there will be.

Jody Schwartz 27:20

I have to see back in the minors again because I'm wondering if they if they explain why Roger Dorn suddenly owns the twins. Like has nothing to do with the Indians anymore. Uh uh, the Cleveland team, I guess. Not the Indians, but the Guardians. No, this was this was my list. You got you, and you know, I got it. This was this was it. You guys uh contributed nicely.

Keith Loria 27:40

There's probably some others out there, and you know, now that we obviously we didn't have time to prepare for this, so I will try start to think about some things.

Jody Schwartz 27:47

Well, we could do a sequel.

Anthony Stoeckert 27:48

Let's see if anything we we could do another things we forgot episode one day.

Keith Loria 27:52

Yeah, well, we were supposed to do that last year and we forgot.

Jody Schwartz 27:55

So I have to say that almost always when when sitcoms do this, it's it's effective. It's it usually it usually works. It's usually a uh a fun type of thing that adds to it. I mean the WKRP one, you know, was not obviously fun, but I think it works when when they do it. I thought the the uh the giants win the pennant thing with the man with mash was was terrific.

Keith Loria 28:16

And yeah, I'm gonna look for that WKRP episode because I if I saw it, I don't remember it at all. So I wonder if they didn't rerun it so so much because of the serious nature.

Jody Schwartz 28:25

They definitely re-ran it a couple of times because I've I've seen it on reruns a number of times. The thing about that episode again is like it's goofy up until you know regular stuff, and then all of a sudden they're sitting around very solemn. And I don't know how many people watching when they when it aired the first time. I don't know how many people watching were getting the connection before that happened. Oh, sure, sure. You know what I mean? So so I I just remember watching it the first time and being like, wait a minute, why why are we all serious now? Like what happened?

Keith Loria 28:51

Yeah, yeah, because how would you even know about this con if you were outside of Cincinnati? I don't know how much press there would have been.

Anthony Stoeckert 28:57

Uh well, I it wasn't right.

Jody Schwartz 28:58

I knew about it because it made it made national, it made national news, but but I mean, you know, I'm talking, I mean, like I said, I was young when I saw the episode, so it's it's it's understandable I wouldn't know it, but I'm saying there had to have been people who probably knew about the incident who were watching who still didn't make the connection.

Anthony Stoeckert 29:14

Bye everyone.

Jody Schwartz 29:15

Thanks everyone. Take care.

Keith Loria 29:16

Thanks for listening to Don't Touch That Dial, the Classic TV podcast. If you like what you've heard, be sure to subscribe. Please leave a review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen. We'll be back soon with another journey back in time to the days of static, laugh tracks, and seven channels.