TV Week listings for Wednesday, October 3, 1973.

 

Before Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star in the world (He was!  Really!  Late 1970s-early 1980s) he was a run-of-the-mill TV star.  In 1970-71, he played a Santa Barbara, CA, homicide detective on ABC's "Dan August," alongside the guy who would become Mr Roper on "3s Company" (Norman Fell) and "The Six Million Dollar Man's" boss (Richard Anderson).  In 1973, Burt was gaining traction, so CBS aired reruns of "Dan August" in the summer of 1973.  On October 3, 1973, CBS was still getting ready for its new Wednesday, 9:00 PM show, "Kojak," so they burned a rerun of "Dan August."  That seems crazy today, but their cost was near zero and the ratings were as good as any of their current shows, so why not?

At 3:30 PM on KMSP, the ABC "Afterschool Special" was "Rookie of the Year."  An 11-year-old girl (played by 10-year-old Jodie Foster) who was the equipment manager for a boys team, takes to the field and turns out to be better at the game than most of the boys.  Chaos ensues.

Also on KMSP, at 10:30 PM, they were running the syndicated "Dick Cavett Show."  Tonight's guest: Katherine Hepburn.

In 1973, the marriage of Sonny and Cher was ending and their "Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" was about to blow up as well.  Tonight's guests were John Davidson and Truman Capote.  Truman Capote on a network variety show?  That would have been worth tuning in for just for the cringe.

I see a listing on KMSP at 7:00 PM for "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," a series I never watched based on a movie I've never seen.  The theme of the movie was sexual liberation and spouse swapping.  I wonder how that was portrayed in a 30-minute comedy on at 7:00 PM?  You'd better have found out quickly as the series, starring a young Robert Urich, would get pulled after only seven episodes.  Side note: 10-year-old Jodie Foster had a recurring role in the series but did not appear in tonight's episode, apparently because she was too tired after being a baseball star in the "Afterschool Special" earlier today.

Tomorrow: Thursday appears to be the most boring day of the week, circa 1973.