This week's Sunday Showcase is from the November 11, 1979 Tennessean. Let's go!
Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! Just tigers in this case. The world's largest Siberian tiger was coming to 100 Oaks Mall. There would also be some tiger cubs and you could get your photo made with them for a small fee. I feel bad for the poor caged tigers, but this was a common occurrence back in the 70's and through the early 80's.
I'll stick with Channel 4's weatherman Bill Hall who's showing off the new electronic Weather Bank system which will give accurate rainfall and temperature measurements from 12 area cities. I miss Bill Hall. I wish someone would rerun his outdoor show which ran in the 80's.
The local November sweeps period sees ads from News Watch TV2 and WTVF Channel 5. You could see special stories on the "Film-Flam" season by Channel 2's Jim Gilchrist and Channel 5's Chris Clark shedding some light on the man in black Johnny Cash.
There was a brief window in time that the Tennessee Theatre had stopped showing films and was putting on concerts instead. This lineup is great. The incorporation of the sign into the ad is awesome. It's a shame the building was torn down in the 80's. The Cumberland Apartments are now where this was located.
George Carlin got his own stand alone ad for his upcoming Tennessee Theatre appearance.
George Carlin on time 1978
Church St. Plaza parking garage took out a full page ad. It seems strange to me that there would be a parking garage ad, but downtown Nashville was in a downturn and parking garages need customers. I like the little note at the end celebrating Nashville's 200th birthday.
Trying to be a hero, winding up a zero
Billy Joel had become a music superstar by the end of the 70's and I'm sure this was a hot ticket. There had even been a full page ad in the previous week's Showcase.
They were all impressed by your Halston dress
I found it interesting that a French film, Peppermint Soda, was playing at the Hickory Hollow Mall Cinemas. It's set in 1963 so boomers might find this nostalgic trip back into time pleasant.
Peppermint Soda trailer
The movie that I wanted to see (and would see on HBO soon after it played the theaters) was The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh starring Dr. J Julius Erving. I think I watched it every time it played on my television. I had the fish fever! It's an astrological disco sports extravaganza.
May the fish be with you.
The Eagles were playing at M.T.S.U.'s Murphy Center on the night this Sunday Showcase came out. There was no ad in the Showcase, but there had been one in the previous week's issue. I figured I'd share it since it has some connection to the next ad. I was just in 7th grade when the Eagles played so there's no way my parents would have let me go, but I do remember lots of middle school classmates wearing Long Run tour shirts after the concert. I was never a huge fan, but I do like lots of their songs.
November 4, 1979 ad
Joe Walsh's mustache rules
Blue Steel "No More Lonely Nights"
One of my favorite albums ever made had come out in October and was getting a nice push with this ad for Damn The Torpedoes which you could buy at your local Sound Shop. I lived within walking distance of the Sound Shop in Murfreesboro at this time and I would go there often mainly just browsing since I usually didn't have enough money to buy a full length album and I usually bought 45's at Port O'Call for some reason.
watch her walk
The Top 10 Records are full of tunes that I discussed in a previous Showcase review. The Eagles, "Still" by the Commodores, KC and the Sunshine Band, Styx, and Fleetwood Mac weren't in the Top 10 just 3 week prior. I really loved "Tusk" because it was so different than most top ten records.
"Babe"
"Tusk"
Bob Marley and the Wailers would be coming to play Memorial Gym at Vanderbilt on December 8, 1979. Wow!!! I would have loved to have seen this show. Not at the time since I was just in 7th grade and really only knew that he had written "I Shot The Sheriff", but I would later become a huge fan of his music. They played a 16 song set according to Setlist.
"Concrete Jungle" live at Santa Barbara 1979
Foreigner would be coming to Municipal Auditorium on November 20 with Ronnie Montrose's band Gamma opening. Foreigner were out touring for their Head Games album. The song "Head Games" reminds me of Jefferson Starship's "Jane" which came out at almost the same time.
"Head Games"
You could see the awesome Jacksons at Municipal a few days later. This would have been an exciting show as Michael had just released Off The Wall on August 10, 1979. The latest Jacksons album had been Destiny which had come out in 1978. This show was bound to showcase some of the Off The Wall numbers. "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)" from the Jacksons Destiny album was a big favorite of mine too.
"shake your body down to the ground"
ZZ Top was coming back to Nashville on tour promoting their Degüello album. It's a killer record. I'm sure the fans who got to see them on November 25, 1979 got a good dose of blues rock.
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide live in Germany 1980
Bonus Stuff
Once upon a time a show came on the NBC network at lunchtime on Saturday called Hot Hero Sandwich. It featured SNL type comedy skits, musical guests including a great house band, and a psychologist interviewing celebrities. It ran for 10 episodes and won an Emmy. I guess the quality was too good or the cost was too high because it was not picked up for another season. Which is a shame. It was a great show. You can read more about the show at the Aeolus 13 Umbra blog.
Finally here's a small article about Rock 106 reuniting the Beatles from the November 4, 1979 Sunday Showcase. I wish some enterprising person had taped this show and shared it. Perhaps someday.
