WHEN TV WAS DY-NO-MITE
In the 1970's we faced touch choices. Woodward and Bernstein had to decide whether to trust Deep Throat. President Gerald Ford had to reflect on whether to pardon Nixon. And Americans had to choose between Donnie and Marie, or Chico and the Man on Friday night.
Mike Toomey remembers growing up in Carol Stream, when the President interrupted "Happy Days" with a message, that Mike has long since forgotten.
"Is he an idiot---of all times!" Come on during Mannix or something! Doesn't he know what's on?!"
'Sit on it' Gerald Ford!
Toomey's performs his one-man show "TV and Me" at the Skokie Theater tonight and Saturday at 8pm. I saw it last weekend with Dean. It is hysterical. People laughted all the way through. You know Toomey from his appearances on WGN as Skip Parker and Lord of the Limerick. Capture the childhood magic through the comic's amazing impersonations of Adam West and Andy Griffith.
"I remember everything they said on the sitcoms but conversely I couldn't remember anything I was suppose to learn in school. I couldn't remember important dates, but I could remember everything Fonzie said. Every kid, now, when there's something wrong, they assign letters to them---a-d-d, and o-c-d; When I was a kid-they just said, 'well, he's an idiot.'"
Hey Robin Williams and Chris Rock didn't get to where they are now because they aced the history quiz. Schoolhouse Rock got me through the high school multiple-choice exams of my public school education. I remember '75 was a big year in American history----in the 18th century, colonists were inspired by 'Give me liberty or give me death;' and in the 20th century, "Up your nose with a rubber hose" marked the debut of ''Welcome Back Kotter'' on ABC.
The catch phrase was a 70's stabple: J-J Walker's "Dy-no-mite," and Arnold's "What'chu talkin' bout Willis." They seem so cheap now.
"They were so contrived," Toomey told me. "They'd do it and everyone would clap-like Pavlov's dog."