Post by rayshae3 on Mar 8, 2023 20:14:11 GMT -5
With the launch of the official “The Midnight Special” YouTube channel earlier this week (mostly in clip forms & some never issued on the previous DVD collections), the pilot episode from Aug. 19, 1972 is here:
youtu.be/itkwPhZFAHQ
Hosted by John Denver, following the 90-minute Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show (which actually also had John Denver as one of the guests to promote the pilot), it premiered on NBC at 1AM (in the wee hours of Aug 19, 1972). The pilot (promised on Billboard frontpage of 8/12/72 issue column 5), at least on New York’s Ch. 4/WNBC, was the last program before the station’s sign-off. That’s because the TV stations were still some years away before becoming 24-hours.
BTW, the second song in this pilot is by Linda Rondstadt performing “Long, Long Time”. It recently has shown an uptick in streaming, thanks to being featured prominently in an episode of HBO current series “The Last of Us” several weeks ago. As a result it came at #6 on BB’s “Hot Trendsetting Top 20” last month, 53 years after peaking at #25 on AT40.
Finally, my favorite re-discovery of the Midnight Special pilot is Argent’s “Tragedy”, which unfortunately, did not bubble over into the Hot 100.
PS. At the end of the pilot episode, Wolfman Jack announces: The Midnight Special would be back next week hosted by Glen Campbell. That was not to be, since the 2nd episode was not broadcast until Feb. 2, 1973 with the host then being Helen Reddy. In fact overall, Glen Campbell only appeared twice on the show: one on 8/16/75 (hosted by Helen Reddy again), another on 12/17/1976 (hosted by Tom Jones). Plus, checking NY’s edition of TV Guide Late Fri/Early Sat of Aug. 25/26, 1972, WNBC after the following Friday’s The Tonight Show had “News Report” (@1am), followed at 1:15 by the early sixties movie “The Leather Boys” w/Colin Campbell (!!!!!) of all people, before signing off for the day.
youtu.be/itkwPhZFAHQ
Hosted by John Denver, following the 90-minute Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show (which actually also had John Denver as one of the guests to promote the pilot), it premiered on NBC at 1AM (in the wee hours of Aug 19, 1972). The pilot (promised on Billboard frontpage of 8/12/72 issue column 5), at least on New York’s Ch. 4/WNBC, was the last program before the station’s sign-off. That’s because the TV stations were still some years away before becoming 24-hours.
BTW, the second song in this pilot is by Linda Rondstadt performing “Long, Long Time”. It recently has shown an uptick in streaming, thanks to being featured prominently in an episode of HBO current series “The Last of Us” several weeks ago. As a result it came at #6 on BB’s “Hot Trendsetting Top 20” last month, 53 years after peaking at #25 on AT40.
Finally, my favorite re-discovery of the Midnight Special pilot is Argent’s “Tragedy”, which unfortunately, did not bubble over into the Hot 100.
PS. At the end of the pilot episode, Wolfman Jack announces: The Midnight Special would be back next week hosted by Glen Campbell. That was not to be, since the 2nd episode was not broadcast until Feb. 2, 1973 with the host then being Helen Reddy. In fact overall, Glen Campbell only appeared twice on the show: one on 8/16/75 (hosted by Helen Reddy again), another on 12/17/1976 (hosted by Tom Jones). Plus, checking NY’s edition of TV Guide Late Fri/Early Sat of Aug. 25/26, 1972, WNBC after the following Friday’s The Tonight Show had “News Report” (@1am), followed at 1:15 by the early sixties movie “The Leather Boys” w/Colin Campbell (!!!!!) of all people, before signing off for the day.
