It Was a Thing on TV: Episodes 377, 378 & 379 - Bob Rooney Day on Letterman/Stick Around (1977 ABC pilot)/Baffled! (1973 NBC backdoor pilot)

This week on It Was a Thing on TV we celebrate a 40th Anniversary of a special episode on late-night television while we continue on with Pilot Month 2023 with two pilots featuring well-known TV stars.

 

First, May 9th, marks 40 years since David Letterman dedicated an entire day to an assistant sound engineer on his show.  We go back and relive that day with a beer, a BLT, and another beer.

 

Next, in 1977, Andy Kaufman was an up and coming comic.  ABC cast him as a robot servant in the year 2055 with a distinct voice, one which would become associated with Kaufman on another ABC show a year later, Taxi.  Why didn't this work?  We blame the mood synthesizers, AKA the "ass toasters."

 

Finally, as we have mentioned previously, ESP was popular in the 60s and 70s.  What happens when a racecar driver starts having psychic visions?  Lots of stuff in England, enough to make the casual viewer feel Baffled!

 

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Timestamps

0:36 - Bob Rooney Day on Late Night With David Letterman

54:10 - Stick Around (1977 ABC pilot)

1:23:47 - Baffled! (1973 NBC backdoor pilot)

 

Leonard Nimoy totally tripping balls in Baffled! y’all!