Polish your lance! (Heh.) In ye olde penultimate episode of IMYOLJ, Maggie and V discuss all things knight-in-shining-armor, especially Heath Ledger in A Knight’s Tale, Dev Patel and his fancy chest in The Green Knight, and the travesty that is the DCOM Avalon High. Plus, why knights are totally relevant to fandom and fanfiction, and Maggie sings an original song from high school that totally doesn’t rip off Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero.”
This Episode Covers…
fandom • fanfiction • maggie had covid (she’s fine don’t worry) • station eleven (2021) • elliott smith • jon brion • 2000s bubblegum pop • jojo • aladdin (1992) • bob saget • full house (1987-1995) • knights • kate and leopold (2001) • honor, pride, nobility, and chivalry • arthurian legend • the green knight (2021) • dev patel • erin kellyman • joel edgerton should have gotten an hj • barry keoghan is always a little creepy • a knight’s tale (2001) • heath ledger • shannyn sossamon • warpaint • alan tudyk • paul bettany • merlin (2008-2012) but mostly merlin fandom • merthur • the king (2019) • avalon high (2010) • avalon high by meg cabot (a completely different thing) • monty python and the holy grail (1975) • jousting is so stupid! • the cw (2006-2022)
LISTENandSUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts!
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The Morning Program debuted on January 12, 1987, about a year and a half after the whole Phyllis George fiasco. I’m reading an early New York Times preview right before the show premiered, and the show sounds like an absolute circus.
There will be personal finance segments, a segment called “Living Better” that will deal with relationships, and a segment called “Sensible Shopper,” slotted at the end of each show on the premise that by then, most viewers will be women who are staying at home. There will be a heavy emphasis on comedy (underscored by the fact that David Steinberg, the comedian, was hired to direct the show’s on-air promotions) centered in a regular feature called “The Comedy Club,” featuring brief portions of stand-up comedy acts. Also, Mr. Saget will make little comedy films, a la the “Mr. Mike” segments from the old “Saturday Night Live” show. (In a sample shown to affiliates, Mr. Saget screens a tape of his own wedding, with a running commentary: “It was a Jewish wedding. There was a $2 cover charge.”) The show will be a haven for celebrities, with a gossip columnist, a daily star interview (Frank Sinatra is said to be already booked) and a segment called “Teachers,” which will have celebrities appearing with teachers who made a difference in their lives
[…]
And then, there is the “Personals” segment. In the sample segment shown to affiliates, a young man named Jim appears on screen and proclaims, “I’m looking for an energetic, outgoing and fun-loving woman with whom I can share candlelight dinners, drives along the coast and wild nights on the town … .” Mate-hunters will communicate by mail, through a special post-office box.
The feature raises questions that CBS never had to consider when it was in the news business in the morning. At a recent news conference to announce the format, a reporter asked Mr. Shanks, “Say you do some matching up of people and let’s say some kook has responded to that and somebody is murdered or hurt. Who is responsible?” Mr. Shanks assured the reporter that CBS has “done everything we prudently can do to prevent that.” 1
I tried for the life of me to understand that Bob was saying when Mariette introduced him. Something like “I did everything you told me. Mariette, I dusted your kids, and sucked the lint out of your dressing room.”
I feel like this is so some sort of foreshadowing to Danny Tanner’s clean freak tendencies on Full House.
At around 7:18 he introduces a segment called “The Comedy Club” and sings a theme song reminiscent of the Mickey Mouse Club. You thought Comedy Network/Central was the first to show stand up comedy? Nope, you had CBS’ Morning Program?ok. This is like back in the day when there was after work drive radio programs and they would program little stand up comedy bits. I still remember my local rock station playing Jon Stewart’s “dogs going to the vet bit” inbetween traffic and music.
Like, thirty minutes in there’s a lame “Happy Anniversary” bit. Really? REALLY?
Reviews were not good. Here’s part of the New York Times review where they bring up Daisy the dog!
What was most noticeable, though, was the way Daisy took over. It was as if she were a small child who had wandered into a gathering of adults who were uncomfortable with one another. They become enthralled by the child. The gang on “The Morning Program” - Miss Hartley, Mr. Smith, Mark McEwen, who does the weather, and Bob Saget, the resident comic - became enthralled by Daisy. It was a sign that something was wrong with the show. 4
Bob knew the writing was on the wall for his time on the show when in the mornings, they would pick him up in a town car, but after work, he was on his own getting home. 2 I wonder if this episodeI found from right before Easter was near the end, because Bob doesn’t even show up until 30 minutes in.
Then he did this adorably lame bit called “this week in history”.
Bob had to go into the audience at every show. Yup, just like the Krusty quote, it was death. There’s this one guy who tries to solicit his what was it? Academy of television arts and sciences discussion on violence on TV or something? My boy shut it DOWN. Then there was a British guy who anted a nuclear free world. Ok, that’s great, but don’t go on and on.
Those two episodes are the only ones that are on YouTube. I don’t know exactly when Bob left, but it had to be sometime in the spring or early Summer for him to move to Los Angeles to start on Full House, right?
As for the show, it was announced in September of 1987 that the show as to be canceled effective on November 30th. 6
I like Saget’s afv more than Tom Burgeron’s afv. You know what irritates me about Tom? That stupid entrance he does where he acts like he’s totally surprised that people showed up to a taping of the show. Also, after he sends it off to commercial, he walks across the stage and acts like he’s about to trip, but nahh he’s not. Saget just sat around in his hallowed out living room in his hallowed out neighborhood.
According to the person who uploaded this episode, this was the original special hour long pilot episode from 1989, before the show became a 30 minute series in 1990.
Can I just say right off the bat that I hate that cartoony font for the word “Funniest”?
I forgot about the family who would “watch the show” behind the audience in the opening credits. That was a thing for a long time, right? Of course, later on in the show, Bob jokes that they live up there, their nutrition being diet sodas and popcorn.
Late 80s, first-two -seasons-of-Full-House-fluffy haired Bob Saget is so hot.
I wonder if Bob was asked to host the show just becauseofFull House, or because for a while he had a bit on the show where he would video record every detail of his daughters lives, like the time he creepily video recorded Stephanie’s feet while she was sleeping.
Bob mentions that ABC received almost 2,000 tapes. I found out recently that ABC paid for advertisements to be put in newspapers promoting the show and where to send your tapes at. 1
This was the very first ahv. The first nut shot of ahv is at 2:33. The first gross “baby boy pees on someone” vid is at 4:21.
the winner of the first ahv won $5,000.
I totally remember this lady getting her hair stuck in the dishwasher, and it made me fear dishwashers for most of the my childhood.
Saget keeps on checking up on her through the episode:
It always cracks me up in these videos when the dogs try to help.
Now he’s pulling her, and the poodle is climbing up her butt.
I keep my Cabbage Patch Doll in the living room too.
What on earth is that? derpy derp.
I guess its a billboard for the hallowed out suburbs Saget lives in.
Kellie Martin shows up to help Bob introduce some clips. Remember when her character died on ER? That was sad. I remember watching that scene on YouTube when I should’ve been studying for a test in college.
Why they’re in front of this apartment stoop set I have no clue.
It’s strange that in the pilot, they actually bring on people who were in the videos, for a brief interview, even if they don’t win. A little boy who was in a video performing, also got to perform on the show. After his performance, they play a montage clip with the most annoying theme song ever–the afv theme song you hear for the rest of the entire Saget years. The theme song that makes you want to hit the mute.
Kellie and Bob present the nominees, and unlike the afv of today, the nominees don’t show up to the taping. The runners up won “state of the art RCA camcorders”. Oh, and the producers chose the winner, not the studio audience like they do today.
