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That '70s Girl

That Would Be ME

By Paula ShabloPublished 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 5 min read
9
The Author, Circa 1974

In response to an idea posted on Vocal Writing Prompts, I decided I'd make a playlist based on 1970s television theme songs.

I came of age in the 1970s. (And now you know I am OLD!)

During the early 1970s I was quite the television fan. In the later 70s I was busy with band, choir and theater and didn't watch as much, which is why my playlist before 1975 is bigger than the post- '75 list.

Although this show began in the late 1960s, it was a staple of network television well into the 70s and the theme song is iconic. When the show was revised in the 21st century, the same theme song preceded each episode. Who could forget Hawaii 5-O?

This show debuted in 1969, but also continued into the 70s. My siblings and I were in the same age group, and we took our fashion cues from these kids. (Goodness help us!) Now in reruns on MeTV, the Brady Bunch is still fun and silly--although it IS dated. I would say it hasn't aged as well as some shows. I was recently surprised to learn that I am closest in age to Bobby and Cindy! I thought it was Jan all these years. Oh, my.

What 10-year-old doesn't want to be a member of a Rock band? I did, but I wasn't all that keen about having my whole family involved. But I did think I'd have fun scheming with Danny Partridge. He was a smart (aleck) kid. He could have managed the family without Mr. Kinkaid. (Why do I remember this stuff?) The Partridge Family debuted in 1970.

Ah, Mary Tyler Moore! Another show that debuted in 1970, it was too "old" for me, but I enjoyed it. I wanted to write for the news team, and if we looked at the Brady Bunch for fashion ideas, I was much more likely to be looking at Mary's friend Rhoda. She was over-the-top and cool. Mary was a little too sophisticated for me and my bib-overalls. I wasn't about the power suits, but I still want to walk down a busy city street and throw my hat in the air.

When you're a kid, you're not in charge of the television. This was another show that was over my head. But Dad liked it. He'd laugh at Archie Bunker and then tell us all to never, ever be like Archie Bunker. "Be an Edith," he said. That's good advice. All in the Family was ahead of its time.

The Waltons debuted as a series in 1972, after the success of its Christmas Special, The Homecoming. I was, at first, a little taken aback by the recasting of Mama, Daddy and Grandpa. I was a kid; the idea that such things could happen really hadn't crossed my mind. John-Boy and his dream of being a writer really hit home with me, and I've never forgotten the choked up feeling in my throat when he was gifted a stack of notebooks to write in by Santa Claus in the movie. Mary McDonough, who played Erin, is one of the few people I know of who has the same birthday I have.

There was an ongoing lament among the cast that the television show M*A*S*H didn't have lyrics for its theme song, although there were lyrics for the movie that spawned the series. However, the lyrics are disturbing. I prefer this.

A very handsome young (28) Michael Douglas appeared with veteran actor Karl Malden in The Streets of San Francisco. I hadn't seen him in anything else, and when my mother informed me that he was the son of Kirk Douglas, I studied his face for a moment and said, "Well, of course he is! Just look at that chin!" Mom still insists that Kirk was more handsome than Michael. No comment.

"I da Fonz! Eyyy!" So said my baby brother, Frankie, popping up his thumbs dramatically. He was a toddler when Happy Days was popular, and he was quite a Fonzie fan.

What can I say? James Garner was a heck of a handsome man. I like handsome men. I always liked handsome men. Jim Rockford, Bret Maverik, any role at all, I liked looking at the guy, okay? Besides, he was funny, and the combination on handsome and funny cannot be beat. The Rockford Files was fun.

You hit the age of 15, and all you want to do is look at handsome men. Starsky and Hutch filled the bill, and the show was great. Also, I wanted the car. Never got it. Bummer. The show had more than one theme song, but this was the one I liked.

Speaking of my toddler brother, Baretta was his other go-to show, because he wanted that bird. He had an imaginary bird, also named Fred, and would suddenly yell, "Don't sit on Fred!" when we were three-quarters seated and likely to fall into the seat even as we were warned that the bird was going to get smashed. He would sound so panicked about the impending doom of "Fred" that he scared more than one person half to death on multiple occasions. Sammy Davis, Jr. did the theme song. What more could you want?

Welcome Back, Kotter was another show that debuted in 1975, my 15th year in the world, and introduced us all to John Travolta. I later had a boyfriend who looked very much like the dim-bulb character, and he flinched every time someone came up to him and said, "Yo, Vinnie!" He didn't actually dislike John, but he sure wasn't a fan of Vinnie Barbarino.

I can't actually remember much about S*W*A*T, except that I loved the theme song! I actually went out and bought a 45 record of it. Good stuff.

The Jeffersons lived next door to Archie and Edith Bunker. Then they got their own show, and it was great. Love this theme song.

Who remembers when the Fonz first brought Laverne and Shirley to Arnold's to double date with a down-on-his-dating-luck Richie Cunningham? Oh, yeah. I do. And I really enjoyed this 1976 spin-off. When I was home, that is.

John Ritter. John Ritter. Um, what else? Oh, yeah. John Ritter. Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Sommers were okay, too, but let's face it: handsome and funny, the best combination. I missed the later shows with the other girls, because I was way too busy for television by that time, but I loved this show when I had the chance to watch. Three's Company debuted in 1976.

More handsome men I didn't have time to watch. Doggone it. But when I did, they were sure nice to look at. The shows I did see were good television, and the theme song--although they changed it a few times--was good.

I know I have missed a lot of good shows and theme songs. I'd be interested to see what others might show up in another writer's 1970s theme song story!

**********************************************************************

If you're looking for some books, I can be found here:

70s music
9

About the Creator

Paula Shablo

Daughter. Sister. Mother. Grandma. Author. Artist. Caregiver. Musician. Geek.

(Order fluctuates.)

Follow my blog at http://paulashablo.com

Follow my Author page at https://www.amazon.com/Paula-Shablo/e/B01H2HJBHQ

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