October 1976 - Jane Pauley, Cincinnati Reds, Quincy

Quack, Quack, it's October 1976!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in October 1976 was 'Disco Duck' by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots.  Despite speculation to the contrary, Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, did not perform on this song...the duck was voiced by a guy Rick met at the gym! 

October 4 - Barbara Walters joins Harry Reasoner as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News. 

October 3 - Quincy, M.E. tv series premieres on NBC, starring Jack Klugman.  Quincy's first name is never mentioned on the show, though a business card in one episode revealed his first initial is 'R'.

October 6 – During his second televised debate with Jimmy Carter, U.S. President Gerald Ford mistakenly says that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe".

October 8 - Marathon Man movies premieres.

October 11 - Jane Pauley makes her debut on NBC's Today.

October 13 – The United States Commission on Civil Rights releases the report, Puerto Ricans in the Continental United States: An Uncertain Future, which highlights Puerto Ricans high poverty rate.

October 15 - The Sylvia L. Ossa cargo ship is reported missing in the Bermuda Triangle.  The ship did not send out an emergency distress message.  Only some debris, an oil slick and a lifeboat were found. 

October 16 - Most Wanted tv series premieres on ABC.

October 18 – Ford launches significant production of Fiesta at its Valencia plant in Spain.

October 18 - Burnt Offerings movie premieres.

October 20 – The Mississippi River ferry MV George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing from Destrehan, Louisiana to Luling, Louisiana, killing 78 passengers and crew.

October 21 – The Cincinnati Reds sweep the New York Yankees in four games to win the 1976 World Series.

October 21 - Willis Reed becomes the first New York Knicks basketball player to have his uniform number (19) retired.

October 22 - Car Wash movie premieres.

Albums released in October (album / artist):
Chestnut Street Incident / Johnny Cougar
Crystal Ball / Styx
Virgin Killer / Scorpions
Arrival / ABBA
Four Seasons of Love / Donna Summer
Hoppkorv / Hot Tuna
Triumph / Triumph
Johnny the Fox / Thin Lizzy
Zoot Allures / Frank Zappa
Blue Moves / Elton John
Night Moves / Bob Seger
The Song Remains the Same / Led Zeppelin Live 1973
On the Road to Kingdom Come / Harry Chapin
Calling Card / Rory Gallagher
Land of the Midnight Sun / Al Di Meola
Hardcore Jollies / Funkadelic
Brass Construction II / Brass Construction

Nielsen top 20 shows for the week of October 25-31:

Happy Days, Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman and Laverne and Shirley (ABC); Bob Hope
Special ( NBC ); Baretta and Six Million Dollar Man (ABC); All in the Family (CBS); Amelia Earhart (NBC); M-A-S-H and The Waltons (CBS); Live and Let Die (ABC); Disney (NBC);
Alice and Hawaii Five-O (CBS); Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC); One Day at a Time and
Maude (CBS); NBC Saturday Movie; and NFL Monday Night Football.

Sears Fall/Winter 1976 Catalog:

Shazam comic for October:

Welcome Back, Kotter colorforms play set (released 1976):

Disney magazine for October:

Railroad Modeler magazine for October:

Travel and Leisure magazine for October:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood magazine for October:

Playboy playmate of the month, Hope Olson and Playgirl man for October (and later man of  the year), David White:

Peanuts comic strip from October 1976:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in October 1976, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

April 1978 - Panama Canal, Neutron Bomb, WAC

I Caught Night Fever in April 1978!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in April 1978 was 'Night Fever' by the Bee Gees.

April 2 – The CBS soap opera Dallas is launched.

April 3 – The 50th Academy Awards are held with Annie Hall winning Best Picture.  Best actor is Richard Dreyfuss for Goodbye Girl, best actress is Diane Keaton for Annie Hall, best supporting actor is Jason Robards for Julia, best supporting actress is Vanessa Redgrave for Julia.  Richard Dreyfuss became the youngest man to win an Oscar for best actor.  This was Bob Hope's 19th, and final, time hosting the event.

April 3 - Pass the Buck game show debuts on NBC.  Hosted by Bill Cullen, four contestants competed to give a list of items that fit into a specific category announced at the beginning of each round (e.g., first names with exactly five letters, things that make people laugh). 

April 5 - Pretty Baby movie premieres.

April 7 – Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb – a weapon which kills people with radiation but leaves buildings relatively intact.

April 8 - The Ted Knight Show debuts on CBS.

April 9 - Rabbit Test movie premieres.

April 10 – Volkswagen becomes the second (after Rolls-Royce) non-American automobile manufacturer to open a plant in the United States, commencing production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, at the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania.

April 16–19 - Holocaust, starring James Woods and Meryl Streep, first airs on NBC.

April 18 – The senate votes 68–32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.

April 20 - Dawn of the Dead movie premieres.

April 21 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, civil rights activist, biologist and educator; first African American to receive a doctorate from Cornell, dies. (born 1877)

April 22 - The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

April 24 - Card Sharks game show debuts on NBC.

April 26 - F.I.S.T. movie premieres.

April 25 - Vega$ tv series debuts on ABC.

April 28 - FM movie premieres.  Some AM radio stations played an edited version of the movie's title song in which an overdubbed "A" was substituted for the "F" of FM.

April 28 – WAC abolished; women integrated into regular Army.

1978 Dodge Magnum XE:

Star Wars comic for April:

Superman pinball game (released 1978):

Playboy playmate of the month, Pamela Jean Bryant, and Playgirl man for April, Brian Dawson:

Albums released in April (album / artist):
For You / Prince
Heavy Horses / Jethro Tull
Almighty Fire / Aretha Franklin
Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture / Various Artists
Come Get It! / Rick James
Bad Boy / Ringo Starr
Showdown / The Isley Brothers

Nielsen top 10 for the week ending April 16th: 1 Three's Company; 2 Laverne and Shirley; 3 M-A-S-H; 4 Holocaust Part I; 5 Happy Days; 6 One Day at a Time; 7 Charlie’s Angels; 8 Baby I'm Back; 9 Amazing Spider Man; 10 60 Minutes.

Cool YouTube video of some commercials from April 1978:  
1978 Commercials

Teen Beat for April:

Us magazine for April 18th:

Vogue magazine for April:

Peanuts comic strip from April 1978:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in April 1978, check out this really good site: ultimate70s.com

Alice Vintage Collectibles

 Kiss My Grits!

Alice was a sitcom that aired on CBS from August 1976 to March 1985. The series is based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start life over again, and finds a job working at a roadside diner in Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the episodes revolve around events at Mel's Diner, where Alice is employed.

Ms. magazine:

Autographed picture:

People magazine:

TV Guides:

Original script: