Welcome to another Wildcard Wednesday! I’m happy to announce that we have a winner in our first ever That’s Entertainment contest! Out of five players, the average score was 30.8. (That’s 15/50 episodes guessed correctly.) With a grand total of 50 points (or 25/50 episodes), Jeff is our grand prize winner! He wins:
- An original script for The Mary Tyler Moore Show‘s classic “Chuckles Bites The Dust” — autographed by MTM herself
- A complete series set of The Associates (1979-80, ABC)
- A $25 Barnes & Noble gift card
Jeff, I’ll be emailing you at your AOL account to get your mailing address. But our other four participants aren’t “going home empty-handed” either. Through email, they’ll be receiving .pdf copies of the above mentioned “Chuckles Bites The Dust” script!
Thank you to all who played — Track, Beau, Nat, Elaine, and Jeff. I wish there were more participants, but I’m so grateful for your readership and the effort you put into making your selections. I know it was a difficult contest, and I’m very glad you took the time to play. It means a lot that I can share my passions with you! Now, for the official list of my favorite sitcom episodes of the 1970s . . .
1970-71:
1. HERE’S LUCY: “Lucy Meets The Burtons”
2. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “Today I Am A Ma’am”
3. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Meet The Bunkers”
1971-72:
4. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “The Election Story”
5. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Cousin Maude’s Visit”
6. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Edith’s Problem”
7. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Sammy’s Visit”
1972-73:
8. THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: “The Former Mr. Preston”
9. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “The Bunkers And The Swingers”
10. MAUDE: “Maude’s Dilemma (I)”
11. THE ODD COUPLE: “Password”
12. THE BOB NEWHART SHOW: “Bob & Emily & Howard & Carol & Jerry”
13. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “My Brother’s Keeper”
14. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Archie Is Branded”
15. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “Put On A Happy Face”
1973-74:
16. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “The Lars Affair”
17. LOTSA LUCK: “Stanley And The Librarian” [a.k.a. “The Librarian”]
18. SANFORD AND SON: “The Members Of The Wedding” [a.k.a. “The Engagement”]
19. SANFORD AND SON: “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe”
20. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Lionel’s Engagement”
1974-75:
21. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “Will Mary Richards Go To Jail?”
22. MAUDE: “The New Housekeeper”
23. MAUDE: “Lovers In Common”
24. RHODA: “Rhoda’s Wedding (II)”
25. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “You Try To Be A Nice Guy”
1975-76:
26. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “Chuckles Bites The Dust”
27. THE BOB NEWHART SHOW: “Over The River And Through The Woods”
28. PHYLLIS: “Phyllis And The Little People”
29. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: “The Happy Homemaker Takes Lou Home”
30. THE JEFFERSONS: “Lunch With Mama”
31. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Joey’s Baptism”
1976-77:
32. MAUDE: “Vivian’s First Funeral”
33. RHODA: “Together Again For The First Time”
34. THE PRACTICE: “The Dream”
35. PHYLLIS: “Mother Dexter’s Wedding”
36. THE TONY RANDALL SHOW: “Case: Franklin In Love”
37. THE JEFFERSONS: “A Case Of Black And White”
38. MAUDE: “Feminine Fulfillment”
1977-78:
39. SOAP: Episode 1
40. THE JEFFERSONS: “Once A Friend”
41. MAUDE: “The Gay Bar”
42. SOAP: Episode 20
1978-79:
43. SOAP: Episode 32
44. WKRP IN CINCINNATI: “Turkeys Away”
45. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “California, Here We Are (II)”
46. THREE’S COMPANY: “The Bake-Off”
47. WKRP IN CINCINNATI: “Fish Story”
1979-80:
48. SOAP: Episode 48
49. TAXI: “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey”
50. THE ASSOCIATES: “The Censors”
The only episodes unanimously guessed correctly were: “Archie Is Branded,” “Chuckles Bites The Dust,” “Vivian’s First Funeral,” “Turkeys Away,” and “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey.” Four of the players got: “Sammy’s Visit,” “Password,” and “The Lars Affair.” Meanwhile, the incorrect episodes that got more than two guesses were: “The Puerto Ricans Are Coming!,” “The Last TV Show,” and “The Weekend.” All three of those offerings, along with both “The Analyst” [a.k.a. “Maude Bares Her Soul”] and “Rhoda Meets The Ex-Wife,” were fantastic guesses and probably would have made a list of my 55 favorites!
Come back next Wednesday for another Wildcard post! And tune in tomorrow for the last ever Xena Thursday!