The Retro site Archives - Page 16 of 16 - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

The New Zoo Revue

The New Zoo Revue premiered on Monday, January 24, 1972, and ran in first-run syndication until 1977, with reruns keeping it around for years after that.

It was one of those bright, colorful 1970s kids’ shows that seemed to be on when we were home from school or planted in front of the TV in the morning. Doug and Emmy Jo led the fun with Freddie the Frog, Henrietta Hippo, and Charlie the Owl, teaching little lessons through songs, jokes, and make-believe. Like a lot of shows from that era, it stuck in the memories of kids who grew up with that catchy theme song and those larger-than-life animal characters.

Glen Campbell’s Country Spectacular

Glen Campbell’s Country Special from January 11, 1972 was one of those old-school TV nights where the whole living room got a free country concert. Glen wasn’t alone either. He had Johnny Cash, June Carter, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Freddie Hart, Jerry Reed, Minnie Pearl, and Mel Tillis all showing up like it was nothing. Today, that would be a major streaming event. Back then, it was just Tuesday night television.

That’s what made variety shows so great. You didn’t have to buy a ticket, search YouTube, or subscribe to anything. You just turned on CBS and there was Glen Campbell, smooth as ever, picking and singing with some of the biggest country stars of the era. Do you remember watching Glen’s show, or were your parents the ones who had control of the TV when country music came on?

Who Remembers The Galloping Gourmet?

Before cooking shows became calm, polished, and perfect, there was Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet. He didn’t just walk onto the set, he practically burst in, full of energy, jokes, charm, and enough butter and wine to make every 1970s kitchen feel fancy. His show became a hit in the late 1960s and early 1970s, long before Food Network made TV chefs everyday celebrities.

In this clip, he’s doing what we would now call a kitchen “hack,” showing how to clarify butter with the help of a Dixie Cup, which also happened to be the advertiser. Back then, that kind of thing didn’t feel like a forced product placement. It was just part of the show, part cooking lesson, part commercial, and all entertainment. And somehow, Graham Kerr made even melted butter seem like a performance.

Which of these lights did you own back in the day?

Before LED light strips and remotes, we had to do it the old-school way in the 1970s. If you wanted to make your room look cool, you went with black lights, lava lamps, strobe lights, flicker lights, and if you were really lucky, a color organ. This old Spiegel catalog page is a great reminder of just how different mood lighting was back then.

For me, it was number 7, the Listen-Light, also known as a color organ. You plugged it in, played your music, and the lights changed with the sound. Back then, that felt futuristic. Today it seems simple compared to all the LED lighting options out there, but in the 70s this stuff was magic. Which lights did you own?

Hey Grandpa! What’s For Dinner?

It still wasn’t as bad as when Dad turned on Lawrence Welk, but Hee Haw always felt like the country cousin of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. It had the same quick jokes, blackout skits, silly one-liners, and regular cast bits, just with more overalls, cornfields, banjos, and country music stars dropping by.

The show first aired in 1969, right around the same era when Laugh-In was still the cool, fast-moving comedy show everyone was talking about. Hee Haw took that same rapid-fire style and gave it a country spin, and somehow it stuck around for years. Even if you weren’t a big country music fan, you probably remember the corny jokes, the haystacks, the “salute” segments, and someone in the house laughing at lines that made the rest of us groan. And who can forget Grandpa?

Tag: The Retro site

The New Zoo Revue

Glen Campbell’s Country Spectacular

Who Remembers The Galloping Gourmet?

Which of these lights did you own back in the day?

Hey Grandpa! What’s For Dinner?

Wednesday Is Prince Spaghetti Day!

The White Knight & The Doors

Big Comfy Couch Clock Stretch