Steve Martin's Lost TV Series: What Happened?

Anthology of Anthology TV Shows looks back at forgotten television series. Our second installment looks at Steve Martin copying an idea from Steven Spielberg. We're going back to 1985 to revisit the year of the anthology TV show. See which ones succeeded and which ones failed.
Written and Narrated by Kevin Maher
Edited by Bill Scurry
Produced by Kevin Maher and Nick Nadel
Executive Producer: Tim Finn
Thumbnail and title card by Mike Schuster.
Thanks to Will Harris and the AV Club.
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[@atomicabe]

If this video gets to 100,00 views, we will make a video essay where Atomic Abe's Kevin Maher watches "Falling Down" FOR THE FIRST TIME. SHARE this video, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to help get this video to 100K views and MAKE KEVIN WATCH the awesome 1993 Michael Douglas flick FALLING DOWN!

[@atomicabe]

We've hit 100,000 views! Kevin will watch "Falling Down" for the first time in a future video. Thanks everyone!

[@Tuning_Spork]

Steve Martin? George Burns? Half-hour comedy episodes? I was 22 in the fall of 1985, and this was right up my alley. So, why is this the first I'm hearing of this show ever existing? 😳

[@atomicabe]

It's a failing on CBS' part that they didn't reach you back in the day. But it's not too late. You can find all of the episodes on KZbin. But they're scattered across multiple channels. And sometimes a single episode is in 3 parts.

[@danielflynn8530]

I remember the Steve Martin show but briefly.

[@kali3665]

@@atomicabe Not the best of quality in some places, but they're there. Admittedly, I did only watch for George Burns' intros/outros, but many of the stories were very well done. Shame it was probably doomed on arrival.

[@leafbelly]

I was 14 and don't remember it either. I fondly recall watching "Amazing Stories" though.

[@dukekorey2944]

I too am surprised I have never heard of this. I was only 12 at the time, but was already a "comedy nerd" by then and a tv-aholic.

[@PatrickMersinger]

If they had called it by another title it would’ve worked out better. You get the feeling it’s a George Burns Tv show. That likely scared away the younger audience. Steve should have done a quick appearance just to introduce that weeks show.

[@kevhead1525]

Steve shot himself in the foot by not calling it The Steve Martin Comedy Week.

[@atomicabe]

I can't understand why they didn't do that.

[@KenLieck]

@@atomicabe IIRC, the show's failure was largely considered to have come about because people thought it was a new George Burns show and they didn't want to see that.

[@AiMR]

@@KenLieck George Burns was decidedly unhip in 1985.

[@CHDean]

That seems to make more sense. I wonder why he didn’t?

[@kevhead1525]

In hindsight, it may have been a smart move. Noone remembers it and I'm sure he's glad about that. I'm going to have to remind him of it on my talk show. 🤪

[@Froggievilleus]

I totally never heard of this show or its spin off. I do remember Amazing Stories.

[@atomicabe]

It's a deep cut. We're trying to cover a lot of different anthology series, from the obvious to the obscure. (There's an upcoming entry on The Twilight Zone.)

[@kodiekulp]

​​@@atomicabeHappy Days! Mork & Mindy! Richard Matheson is maybe my favorite writer! It's awesome here all the time. And I look forward to the new stuff ! Also, I don't have no clue how I've never heard of this show! I knew most of the cool old school/late 70s comedian/writer names too 😂. I am blown away !

[@NoirFan01]

IKR. I had the exact same thought. Guess I was busy doing other things in 1985 than watching TV

[@alexsandell8260]

​@@atomicabewhy don't you tell us the actual title?

[@fanaticat1]

I thought the same thing. I DO remember the revamp of Twilight Zone & Outer Limits, but not this. I LOVE the Amazing Stories series...

[@stevenmanchester2104]

I actually have all but, I think, 1 episode of this series. Several years ago there was a website that sold DVDs of failed tv shows that never got released on dvd. They were bootleg, recorded off of tv, but mostly still decent quality. It was a good show.

[@atomicabe]

I love those kinds of websites. I've gotten some good looking DV-Rs of made for tv movies that will never get a proper release. Also the VHS Preservation Society captures VHS tapes and puts them onto DVD. Do you know which episode you're missing?

[@gallery7596]

The first episode "The Dynamite Girl" was my favourite, and mostly because of Catherine O'Hara's considerable charm in a role that allowed her to showcase the kind of versatility (she played everything from a female James Bond to a valley girl) that won her acclaim on "SCTV." Real missed opportunity that Hollywood didn't catch this and recognize what a terrific romantic comedy lead she would've made.

[@suedenim]

She has always been so good in everything she's done, it's a shame that she never got a breakout star vehicle.

[@AlternateRealityReading]

Oooof! "Marie" got dumped into another dimension @ 00:34. Great video. Loved a lot of these shows. Nice little waltz down memory lane!

[@MikesOrganicVideos]

I, for one, would like to see this series, either on DVD or a streaming service.

[@kali3665]

I was drawing a blank here, and then got a revelation. Are you going to discuss George Burns' Comedy Week? That would be awesome (even if I only watched the show for him)!

[@Attmay]

That actually spawned a spinoff called *Leo and Liz in Beverly Hills* with Harvey Korman and Valerie Perrine.

[@HorribleHomeVideo]

thats what this video is about (try watching the video before commenting)

[@kali3665]

@@HorribleHomeVideo Already did. I posted that before it was made available. I already know what was posted. Good video.

[@waddlesdpuffin]

I watched Home for Dinner it was the only ep I ever saw. I remember them blowing up a flower pot in the big shootout. After that I think I switched to one of the other aforementioned shows. And chef’s kiss for including James Coburn and Dark Room in your quartet of classics with Twilight Zone Outer Limits and Night Gallery

[@larkefedifero]

@ 6:35 - I must say, "The Equalizer," with all of its comedy hijinks, was definitely one of my favorite comedy series of the 80's. The various shtick and shenanigans of the always-hilarious Edward Woodward left me howling like a dog every time! 😊

[@atomicabe]

Dave Thomas did a funny parody of THE EQUALIZER on his summer series, THE DAVE THOMAS SHOW. He did a great impression of Edward Woodward. And I think the MAD Magazine parody was called "The Tranquilizer".

[@larkefedifero]

​@@atomicabe Awesome! I'm not familiar with either sketch, but being that he was part of the original "Second City" troupe, and that MAD TV had a lot of funny, often timeless sketches of its own, I readily believe you! 😊

[@blairperry6399]

Great video! Speaking of Steve Martin & short-lived TV comedy series from the 1980s, have you heard of his failed SNL sketch series Twilight Theater? It only aired once or twice in 1982 and also had a STACKED celebrity cast, including one of the earliest tv appearances of Pee-Wee Herman. It seems to be almost entirely Lost media save for a few clips on KZbin.

[@univerz0]

Yes--I saw that episode with Pee Wee! I was hoping this video would be about that show.

[@timstamps5281]

Then in 1984 he hosted yet another SNL-style sketch comedy series called The New Show.

[@PtolemyJones]

I would have watched the heck out of that show. I would argue that the sixties was the golden age of anthologies, the eighties were the silver age. Nothing could top the original TZ, or the original Hitchcock show. I loved Love American Style.

[@a.champagne6238]

Outer Limits was the best.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, some very good anthology shows from the 1960s.

[@SallySallySallySally]

I miss the anthology format. I still remember two Amazing Stories episodes vividly: "Santa 85" -- From the first season. Douglas Seale is Santa who gets arrested by the sheriff (Pat Hingle) for breaking and entering. "You Gotta Believe Me" -- From season two. Earl Sweet (played by Oscar nominee Charles Durning) has a dream about a plane crashing into his house. He is convinced it's a premonition and does everything he can to avert it happening. I still remember specific scenes, such as his traversing the airport in his bathrobe.

[@rogermorris9696]

There were a few British comedy anthology series, Seven of One (seven pilots for British star Ronnie Barker) Murder Most Horrid (staring Dawn French) and Ripping Yarns written and staring Mchael Palin.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks. I don't know Serven of One or Murder Most horrid. I liked RIPPING YARNS. (I loved learning that in the pilot episode there's a scene where Michael Palin's character is attacked by a bear -- and the actor in the bear suit was Terry Jones. It could've been any actor, but I love that Palin must've felt comfortable doing battle with his comedy partner.)

[@nickstadler1906]

Don't forget The Comic Strip Presents... I loved me some Bad News back in the day.

[@paultreneary]

I'm racking my brain for some comedic British old comedy anthology series, but for now I can only think of 'Inside No. 9' (I'd suggest 'Black Mirror' but that's veering too far from comedy, although it's superb). !! I've just remembered that Rik Mayall did a series: 'Rik Mayall Presents'.

[@canadaclaret]

I loved Ripping Yarns. I even liked the books that came out of them.

[@Garch-the-Great]

I thought this was a Steve Martin show that I didn't remember. While rattling off 1985 anthologies at the top, I was thinking, "You forgot George Burns Comedy Week." Never realized Martin produced it. CBS didn't do much to promote this, and they buried spinoff Leo & Liz on Friday nights at the end of the season. Wish the latter was on KZbin, I recall it was really funny.

[@BigGiantMonster]

Is this the show that had a sequel to A Christmas Carol, where Scrooge learns moderation?

[@atomicabe]

Yes it is! We show a short clip of it. @4:05 -- there's James Whitmore as Scrooge!

[@BigGiantMonster]

@@atomicabe I missed your clip of it but I remember that episode was brilliant. I also remember thinking "There's no way this show lasts"

[@ThatJohnKillion1970]

I remember that one. Scrooge was buried with a misspelled tombstone.

[@KenLieck]

@@ThatJohnKillion1970 "Ebenoozer Screege"!

[@goodmaro]

@@KenLieckThat cheap joke has me laughing to this day. I've heard said that Charles Dickens wanted to write a sequel like that.

[@user-ip3tf4gf1v]

I remember this show ! the Christmas episode was Scrooge (Walter Matthau!) the year after a Christmas carol , and Scrooge had become a complete pushover, so the spirits came back and set him straight.

[@atomicabe]

I'm so glad someone else remembers this show. One detail has been blurred in your memory: In CHRISTMAS CAROL II - THE SEQUEL, Scrooge is played by James Whitmore. But you are right about Matthau playing Ebenezer Scrooge, he played the role in a Rankin-Bass animated special called "The Stingiest Man in Town."

[@kellybarthel8060]

How can you mention falling down and not see it?????? It is one of the best movies of the 90s

[@atomicabe]

If this video gets 100,000 views, I will watch FALLING DOWN and make a video about it. - Kevin

[@57z]

Looks like this video is trending enough for that to happen

[@Ravum]

Such a good film.

[@VIRGONOMICS]

Right

[@atomicabe]

So I gave in and watched FALLING DOWN. I made this video about it. We included your comment in the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOpmIKkgbWFfKM

[@Lori-lp6uc]

I've never heard of this program, but I do remember Steve playing a serious role in a movie as a corrupt art dealer. I can never remember the name of the film but he was fantastic. So convincing. Probably because Steve is a wealthy, art connoisseur

[@atomicabe]

The Spanish Prisoner?

[@Lori-lp6uc]

@@atomicabe Yes!! I haven't seen that movie in YEARS! It's a great film.

[@RedVynil]

As far as I know, anthology shows died in the early `70's with The Night Gallery. I've never seen or heard of any since then except the HBO series, The Crypt Keeper. In the `90's, Pen Densham brought back the best of them, "The Outer Limits". Those were the last 2 I ever heard of.

[@kodiekulp]

Monsters!(had the series on VHS. sold it many years back) Wow, I had no clue Martin did an anthology ! I rented L.A. Story the other week too and was going to use the firing gun in traffic casually on the channel but never got around to it. I am going to kick back and learn! I always enjoy your videos, cheers!

[@KenLieck]

Oh oh oh -- This reminds me, Bobcat Goldthwait's 2018 anthology series "Misfits and Monsters" was *way* better than it had any business being!

[@MattMcIrvin]

I recall seeing ads for "The George Burns Comedy Week" but knew nothing about it--had I known it was really Steve Martin's pet project, I might have been more interested.

[@atomicabe]

I bet most people fall into a similar category. Criminally mis-marketed.

[@KenLieck]

@@atomicabe I swear to God they ran one episode before they even started advertising it...

[@MarkCalise]

I loved The George Burns Comedy Week. I had no idea (or at least didn't remember) Steve Martin was behind rhat show. It was so good. Like any anthology series, it had some stinkers (even Twilight Zone had a few), but over all, the episodes were good. One of the episodes i most remember is the Christmas episode, A Christmas Carroll Part 2, where the spirits come back to warn him he's being too generous.

[@goodmaro]

I loved that one, forgot (or didn't know) it was part of an anthology. "They didn't even spell my name right: Ebenoozer Screege!"

[@ethansloan]

Fascinating. I'd never heard of this. Thanks for sharing. You're research and editing are really good, btw.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks very much! It's a fun topic to research.

[@zartan2007]

Wasn't "Amazing Stories" an automatic two-year commitment when it was greenlit by NBC? I did love the show.

[@paulnolan4971]

The Cryptkeeper NEVER gets old !

[@atomicabe]

ha ha! Yes.

[@GeneralGeorgeS.PattonJr.]

One of my favorite show of this type back then was Friday the 13th: The Series.

[@silentm999]

That figure skating clip was brutal. Did she live? Her head bounced hard.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, Donnie and Marie both recovered. Phew!

[@timstamps5281]

I remember his short-lived sketch comedy prime-time series called “The New Show” in 1984. Anyone else see that? The first episode had references to Orwell’s 1984 with the Zager&Evans song “In the Year 2525”.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, I loved THE NEW SHOW. Steve Martin was a guest for one episode. Other guests included Jeff Goldblum, Penny Marshall, Teri Garr, John Candy, Dennis and Randy Quaid.

[@markjamesmeli2520]

Man.........I must have been studying REALLY hard in 1985! I grew up - and old - watching TV, but I remember NOTHING about ANY of the shows mentioned here. The only shows I can recall from the era was appointment TV, like TELEVISION PARTS (for the few episodes it was on) and then NEWHART. I feel like I must have blacked out.

[@atomicabe]

Ha! It's not you, this show doesn't have much of a footprint. Steve Martin blamed the poor timeslot. Incidentally, I rediscovered TELEVISION PARTS a few years ago. I love it. Y'know Jack Handey started doing DEEP THOUGHTS on that show.

[@Phaota]

I have fond memories of watching that series. I think I even VHS recorded them at the time to re-watch. I loved the Eugene Levy one of being accidentally taken on the secret mission.

[@mysticx0]

11:43 that opening gave me 'saved by the bell' vibes also, 'falling down' is so good.....

[@firesoulrocker]

Ok ok its the Easter egg in The Mighty Wind movie. With 'What Happened! '. Thank you!

[@writeralbertlanier3434]

I think I remember the George Burns Comedy Show. I may have seen the Catherine O hara episode . Not a bad concept. Could work today but probably on cable or streaming. Strangely I saw the spinoff series. Harvey Korman and Valerie Perrine were rather good and it was an OK show.

[@whattheflorida7159]

Steve Martin a genius for this. It great for the modern age we in now! Wished they do this now. He just way to ahead of his time useing unfortunately a worng type of styling with title name. People want something fresh and unusual but not being all about the person unless it talks how host like how Eric Andre do lol

[@crashburn3292]

This entire video was footnotes.

[@amcaesar]

George Burns was the first person they went to for potentially hosting "The Hitchhiker."

[@KevinGeeksOut]

ha!

[@comicsgrinder]

You just barely mention that Spielberg was part of Twilight Zone: The Movie but I understand you have much to cover here. I think it was that movie that triggered the '80s reboot of antho-TV, for better or worse. Much of it best forgotten. To reach true icon status is simply magical, like Love, American Style!

[@atomicabe]

Thanks for understanding. It's a lot of background and context just to set-up how Steve Martin's anthology show came to be. Fortunately we're working on another video about Twilight Zone: The Movie, so there'll be a chance to really dig in.

[@Ravum]

The segment Spielberg directed is based on one of my least favorite episodes. I think the less said about it, the better. The movie found success despite that segment, not because of it.

[@guignolfest]

Tom Bosley hosted his own spooky radio show in the 1970s!

[@m00k61]

Loved all those 80s anthology shows and movies. How about Creepshow and Cats Eye? Those were great too.

[@m00k61]

Oh and Kentucky Fried Movie!

[@FrankHablawi]

This was a lot of fun! George Burns Comedy Week is ripe for a reboot... but who would host?

[@jamescarter3196]

I saw one episode of this show and didn't know what it was called until like two years ago. It was an episode starring Howard Hesseman as a TV producer who creates a show called 'The Honey Bunnies' and it's a cute cartoon for kids, but he gets sick of it for some reason and does an episode where all the Honey Bunnies get stuck to tar on railroad tracks and get hit by a train. The scene where he shows it to his office is funny as hell, because he's thrilled with it, smiling while everybody in the room is horrified.

[@CoCotheTurtle]

I was onboard as an 18-year old when they were first promoting the "Sgt Pepper" movie with The Bee Gees, Frampton, Billy Preston, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith*. But as soon as I saw they had added George Burns to the mix, I knew it was going to suck. Everyone I knew went just to laugh at it. Same reaction today to hearing this really cool idea (Let's make TV series pilot episodes for each member of SCTV!") only to destroy it with George Burns. *and Steve Martin!

[@atomicabe]

oh man, I wish we'd thought to call out the Sgt Pepper connection with Mr. Kite and Maxwell! Good on you for connecting those dots.

[@CoCotheTurtle]

@@atomicabe Well, you serve up a seven course meal, no reason why we commenters can't have a _few_ crumbs! Here's one: it's a backdoor pilot about a gay flight attendant called, "Backdoor Pilot!"

[@Aiur]

As a huge twilight zone fan, this is so interesting

[@atomicabe]

Yes, I am first and foremost a fan of Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone. That's how I'm coming at these anthology shows. I like that with an anthology series, the star is the producer. But it's really a writer's medium. Very unique for TV. We have more Serling videos coming as part of this series.

[@candidgamera]

I would love to get my hands on this one.

[@atomicabe]

Most of them are on KZbin. But the quality isn't great. I'd love to track down LEO & LIZ IN BEVERLY HILLS.

[@TennantMary]

Short stories stuff is my fave and still those movies with 3 to 4 in a movie.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, I love those, too!

[@williambrown3458]

I remembered there was a story where the main character died but somehow came back to life. The person was dead long enough where a death certificate was written up and he submitted it to his insurance company and the insumrance company eventually paid hisspouse because she was the beneficiary. I wish I can remember the name of the episode and who starred in it.

[@atomicabe]

Joe Piscopo starred in "Death Benefits" with Robert Klein as the insurance agent. This one was co-written by Amy Heckerling and Neal Israel and Irving Newman (his sole writing credit on imdb)

[@williambrown3458]

Thank you! I was hoping someone would fill in the blanks for me considering that was the only episode I remember from that show.

[@dreamsinthree]

Never knew about this! Awesome!

[@atomicabe]

Thanks. It seems like this show has really been forgotten, glad we could remind people about it.

[@PatrickGoodspeed]

Never saw this one. Anthology shows could be fun. I wish reality shows would go away.

[@jyesucevitz]

I've only seen Steve completely gray or completely brown. its like one night he went to bed looking 30 and woke up looking 70. (i think Martin Short said it first.)

[@greglevrault3348]

Digging this! Can’t wait to see which early 90s horror anthologies get your spotlight… And if you do feature some black and white era anthologies, may I suggest The Millionaire? It lasted a few seasons, and managed a wide range of genres within its format…

[@greglevrault3348]

@divinelightshine no, but I am ex-Catholic; more of a ‘homeless Christian’ until recently… but that’s between me and the Lord.

[@dylan.t180]

Great video as always, but where do you find the footage for these obscure shows?

[@atomicabe]

George Burns Comedy Week has been uploaded to KZbin across a few channels. Most of them appeared to be recorded on a VCR, some feature the original commercials and bumpers. Couldn't find a single episode of LEO & LIZ IN BEVERLY HILLS, just a couple of promos and publicity stills. Sometimes I'll want to make a video about a topic and there isn't quality footage. But when covering a "lost" tv series or a forgotten piece of media, you have to use what's available.

[@dylan.t180]

@@atomicabe thanks for your reply

[@toddnolastname4485]

Maybe if it had been Steve Martin's show with him hosting, it would have lasted longer.

[@atomicabe]

That's the consensus. At least in the comments section. Not clear why Martin didn't want to host it. Though his memoir, BORN STANDING UP, reveals that he became disenchanted with stand-up.

[@scotthillman9134]

Ever thought about Doing Trying Times the other 80a Comedy Anthology series i can think of, which was i want to say one of the Rare PBS comedy shows-featuring an episode all about the resemblence of Terri Garr and Catherine Bach from Dukes of Hazzard?

[@atomicabe]

TRYING TIMES is such an important show to me. When we made our list of anthology shows we wanted to cover, it was at the top for me. It's infuriating that the show is so hard to find and will likely never get a home video release or become available on streaming. The KZbin channels that have it often get the videos struck down. That Teri Garr episode is a great one! And they really got Catherine Bach.

[@scotthillman9134]

@@atomicabe I remembering thing when it came out that they just got Catherine Bach and ask her to streach a bit. Hope you do it. It really does represent an experiment in television that was obviously very short lived but neat that could go away.

[@timothykuring3016]

The Brady Bunch also premiered on love American Style. I missed the series, and I didn't like its apparent successor, Love Boat, which was also a comedy series of that sort, but restricted to guest stars on the cruise.

[@atomicabe]

Wow. I had no idea the Brady Bunch came out of LOVE AMERICAN STYLE. Coincidentally, a number of actors from The Brady Bunch appeared on THE LOVE BOAT.

[@yankee2110]

The Hitchiker. Memory unlocked!

[@failing_safely]

This looks really interesting. But did you drop a teaser in the video? Are we to expect a video of spin-offs from “Love, American Style“? Anthonology-Backdoor Pilot mash-up?

[@atomicabe]

Yes. Eventually we'll do an epic HAPPY DAYS video.

[@suedenim]

George Burns kept being funny his entire life, but his name didn't exactly scream "hip young comedy" in the 80s, and I suspect kept a lot of the potential audience away. The "comedy Twilight Zone" pitch got me thinking also that a comedy anthology specifically about that style of SF/fantasy/horror series could have been great. I think Lin Ye Tang would have been available to host.

[@atomicabe]

Funny you should mention that. There was a very short-lived anthology parody show (it never got past the pilot movie) starring actors from SCTV, called REALLY WEIRD TALES, with John Candy, Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara. Hosted by Joe Flaherty.

[@biffstrong1079]

Parody of the twilight zone? I don't remember this at all. I was in Grade 11 and I was watching too much TV at the time. I was a huge Steve Martin fan I had Lets get Small fromm 77 and wild and crazy guy from 78. Was watching him on Saturday Night Live. I saw the jerk in theaters in 1979, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982, All of me 1984. and The Lonely Guy on video 1984. Guess I didnt know he was involved with the George Burns Comedy Week???

[@atomicabe]

Not a parody of The Twilight Zone. Though around that same time Lorne Michaels had a new series called THE NEW SHOW and in one episode they did a funny Twilight Zone parody where John Candy played Rod Serling's son, who hosted short little episodes called "The Twilight Zonettes"

[@KenLieck]

@@atomicabe Damn, I keep posting these references, seeing you already know about them, and deleting my now-pointless comments..

[@atomicabe]

@@KenLieck ha! that happens to me all the time

[@roseheschmeyer2768]

Love your channel. Could you do a video covering the '905 Wild'' episode of the series 'Emergency'?

[@atomicabe]

Thank you. We'll add EMERGENCY to the list. It's a long list, but "905 Wild" has been added! I wonder if the makers of Fox's ANIMAL CONTROL ever saw it.

[@superdavid002]

Some anthology type Comedy shows have succeeded like The Carol Burnett Show, SNL, MadTV, SCTV, Sesame Street

[@atomicabe]

Yes, those are all very successful shows with some of the longest runs on television. But most of them are sketch shows. (I don't know how to categorize Sesame Street's format.) Anthology shows are more about doing one story each week. Coincidentally Carol Burnett did a show like that in the '90s called CAROL & COMPANY, which we'll be covering in a future video.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

When will the next Behind the Backdoor Pilot be about? I would also like a Halloween Atomic Abe video as well. I really do not know that two Steve's made Anthology TV Shows.

[@atomicabe]

Two more Behind the Backdoor Pilots will run this month. On Sunday it's BTBP: STARSKY & HUTCH. And the following week it's BTBP: THE ROCKFORD FILES. For our Halloween episode we've got a video about John Carpenter's THE THING. It's an exciting month at Atomic Abe HQ.

[@Jupiterbotz]

I remember this show and I remember the first episode being absolutely hilarious

[@Truthisfreedom7776]

I heard of a couple of these, but I didn’t realize it was such a big trend at the time. I’m going to seek some of these out!

[@atomicabe]

one of my favorites is SCENE OF THE CRIME, from 1984. We covered it in our first installment of ANTHOLOGY OF ANTHOLOGY TV SHOWS. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6CXZ6ChmMSZjassi=EwYv-4XzNv3ECmmz

[@clarencewalker3925]

I honestly don't remember "The George Burns Comedy Hour" or "Leo and Liz". Maybe that 's a good thing. I do remember "Amazing Stories". It should have been a bigger hit.

[@hatednyc]

7:33 if you got this reference (especially without looking at the picture) you might be a Re…Tro comedy nerd!

[@brianarbenz1329]

Sounds like some good episodes. Sorry to say I didn’t hear about this during the ‘80s. I loved comedy then as now and still watched network TV then. Of course if everyone posting here that they would have watched it if they’d known, it would have been a ratings hit!

[@klatubaradanikto]

I don’t remember this show but I remember that couch episode & the twist at the end. I think there was a British sitcom that used the same premise but it was a piece of art or something instead of a couch.

[@atomicabe]

Someone else mentioned that in the comments. I feel like it's an old shaggy dog kind of story.

[@fuguestatetoo6789]

this may be the reason i hate what they have done with Goosebumps, and Are You Afraid of The Dark?... they are destroying the anthology series. Creepshow is my only hope now!

[@brianthomas2434]

I vividly remember the Mull episode cited at 4:31. I thought it was better than Steve Martin's " My Blue Heaven ", with a similar plot. Absolutely LOATHE that movie!

[@atomicabe]

The Martin Mull witness relocation episode was directed by Phil Alden Robinson. A few years later he'd write and direct FIELD OF DREAMS.

[@jordil6152]

It's a brilliant idea. I think the problem was in presentation. As much as I loved George Burns, "The George Burns Comedy Hour" does not do the idea justice. All I picture is George Burns smoking on a soundstage while a bunch of warmed-over ghouls from the Carol Burnett Show recycle puns from Laugh-In.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I have never heard of this show until now, which is weird, because I remember every one of the other shows talked about here (except the one that was a spinoff of this one).

[@atomicabe]

It's a deep cut. Very hard to find footage. The clips we got are from KZbin uploads that appear to be from VCRs, some include the original commercials and news teasers.

[@shootincoyotes]

Almost scrolled when you said you never watched Falling Down. Rectify immediately.

[@atomicabe]

Rectified! I have watched FALLING DOWN and made a video to prove it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOpmIKkgbWFfKM

[@FlamingoKicker]

Too bad Steve wasn't ready yet to be a "serious" performer. Would have done more for the series than George Burns. I imagine younger viewers were turned off by any show with burns as the host (:"Oh god" not withstanding). Sure, Burns had his fans but generally you see him you assume the show will be aimed at an older, older audience.

[@jamesl9371]

Interesting that a lot of the actors are Canadians from SCTV

[@atomicabe]

Good point. Lotta funny Canadians from the 1980s comedy world. And Carl Gottlieb seems to work with people from The Committee, too.

[@TennantMary]

Amazing stories was awesome

[@atomicabe]

I went back to watch some of the ones I never saw during the original run. There are some really good episodes. MIRROR, MIRROR is excellent.

[@kristopherwilhite]

"CAROL AND COMPANY" was an anthology sitcom with Carol Burnett.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, good memory. It's a fascinating series. We're going to cover that in a future episode. What a cast it had.

[@Mark73]

It should be mentioned that Amazing Stories was a sci-fi magazine that started in 1926.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks I appreciate this footnote. I didn't think that detail was necessary for a video about George Burns Comedy Week. Also, AMAZING STORIES wasn't like TALES FROM THE CRYPT -- the plots on AMAZING STORIES didn't come from the magazine. Most of the premises were from Spielberg himself. Did he credit the magazine for inspiring the show?

[@addictstatic]

Falling down was amazing when it was released. I don't know if it aged well.

[@atomicabe]

A bunch of people told me I need to see it. Curious how it's aged.

[@atomicabe]

@@atomicabe Kevin will find out how it's aged and tell everyone about it in a video essay if this video gets to 100k! MAKE KEVIN WATCH FALLING DOWN IN 2023!

[@atomicabe]

Good question. I watched FALLING DOWN and made a video about it and I try to answer your question in the review (though it's not a typical review) Thanks for writing. You can see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOpmIKkgbWFfKM

[@drunvert]

Flip Wilson was so damn funny

[@paulnolan4971]

Falling Down is a BOSS movie. Michael Douglas shines.

[@atomicabe]

Agreed! If this video gets to 100,00 views, we'll make a video about Kevin watching Falling Down for the first time.

[@atomicabe]

As promised, I watched FALLING DOWN and made this video about it. We included your comment in the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOpmIKkgbWFfKM

[@dave3657]

There must of been something else on at that time? I don’t remember any of these shows. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@tripleb221]

If this is the show, l remember an episode where a town fakes an earthquake by shooting a video (interspersed with clips from the movie EARTHQUAKE) in an attempt to get federal relief funds. I remember how hilarious the town's damage video was.

[@atomicabe]

Yes! That's "Disaster at Buzz Creek". The episode was directed by John Landis, who said at the time that he doesn't do TV but did it as a "favor for Steve." The episode featured Don Rickles and Don Knotts.

[@azraelvrykolakas157]

That Eugene Levy one would totally hold up thats basically somewhere between American dad and Beverly hils cop.

[@atomicabe]

Yes! The shootout on the lawn was VERY similar to the final shoot-out in Beverly Hills Cop. Good eye.

[@sejejo7565]

The Hitchhiker was HBO??? Why was I watching that at like 6 years old in my room before bed ?

[@atomicabe]

It also aired on USA Network, so you might've seen it there.

[@sejejo7565]

@@atomicabe that would make more sense than me having HBO in my room

[@edwardgleeson850]

What about Martin's The New Show, with Carl Reiner? Saw one episode, now wonder it got cancelled.

[@atomicabe]

Steve Martin was a guest on The New Show. Lorne Michael was running The New Show after his first stint at Saturday Night Live. The New Show was considered a bomb, so after it got canceled he went back to running SNL.

[@dukekorey2944]

Does anyone know where episodes of this can be seen? Are any entire uploaded to youtube?

[@atomicabe]

Yes, all of the episodes appear to have been uploaded to KZbin. Not on one single account, but across many different KZbin channels. So you'll have to dig a little. The quality isn't great, since there was never any home video release. It's uploads from VHS home recordings. But that's better than nothing.

[@dukekorey2944]

@@atomicabe cool! Thanks! I have subscribed to your channel. 👍

[@tzzlite]

So Steve Martin's anthology show is called George Burns comedy week??

[@atomicabe]

Correct. It makes no sense.

[@taydrabrookshire347]

😐

[@sandyzeiss2589]

More Steve Martin

[@drunvert]

Falling down was a lot better than the TV show you were talking about

[@atomicabe]

Hey, I took your advice and watched FALLING DOWN and we included your comment in the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOpmIKkgbWFfKM

[@kidzoki]

Think I vaguely recall this being on the air, was totally uninterested because of the title. Had it been called "Steve Martin's Edgy Comedy Anthology" I would've watched every episode. Also, "Amazing Stories" had awesome production values but the stores weren't amazing, more like meh, and was a generally a big disappointment.

[@lw1391]

Wow, there are a lot of SCTV alumni on here. Which is always a good thing

[@Snakebat]

I remember the Dark Room.

[@atomicabe]

I missed DARKROOM during its original run. But NBC.com was streaming it for a while.

[@Chilli_Heelers_Doula]

Well, >>I

[@atomicabe]

that is an impressive memory!

[@brianthomas2434]

I've always thought of the Fifties and Sixties as the Golden Age of anthologies. I didn't give much thought to the Eighties shows because most were non-Network, and cable (I didn't get Cable until late 1996!) I saw all of the Network shows you mention. The first Twilight Zone reboot was actually rather good. Episodes like "The Uncle Devil Show" and "I of Newton " were standouts. And there was early work by George R.R. Martin! Amazing Stories were afterthoughts of Spielberg, almost deliberately second rate. If they were first rate, they'd be movies, right? AHP had it's moments ,the flaw to me being they were remakes of the originals, so they could repurpose colorized introductions by Hitch.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, I'm a fan and defender of the '80s Twilight Zone. I like "Dealer's Choice" and "Nightcrawlers." Joe Dante directed episodes of the reboot *and* episodes of Amazing Stories. He said the budgets were super-small for the Twilight Zone. (Especially compared to Amazing Stories.) And you're right, Amazing Stories' episodes look great, but they're not as memorable or as haunting as some of the other series. I think anthology shows are ultimately a writers' medium.

[@brianthomas2434]

Two other terrific episodes: "The Last Defender of Camelot ", with Richard Kiley as Arthur and Norman Lloyd as Merlin, and "Button, Button," starring Mare Winningham and Treat Williams. When I first watched the latter, I was certain the stars had made a bet over who could overact the most. Boy, do they chew the scenery....l "Camelot " was from a Roger Zelazny story, "Button's" original was from Richard Matheson. Interestingly, the ending of BOTH teleplays were than the originals. Matheson was upset, Zelazny publicly said it was an improvement!

[@SuPeRNinJaRed]

I always thought Tales From the Crypt was supposed to be a comedy (well comedy horror) but anyway know how old is the Crypt keeper is supposed to be anyways??

[@atomicabe]

Oh TALES FROM THE CRYPT is totally a comedy/ comedy-horror/ horror-comedy. Not sure how to categorize TALES FROM THE CRYPTKEEPER, but I imagine the Cryptkeeper himself would say "the show doesn't fit into any one cata-GOREY!"

[@jamesmeanwhile]

what is the clip from where Steve Marten is dancing downthe stairs and grabs a kain?

[@atomicabe]

It's from a great bit in the 1980 tv special "Comedy Is Not Pretty", he does a dance number and canes just keep being thrown at him. Worth seeking out. It was released on DVD a few years ago.

[@jyesucevitz]

the twilight zone was famous for the "twist" that was typical in each episode. with respect what were the "twists" in Steve Martin's anthology series to make it comparable to tz?

[@atomicabe]

Hmm. I think a better analogy might be O. Henry short stories. Comedic twists. Irony without TZ's social commentary. Irony without the bitterness of Roald Dahl's series TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. And not all of them had twists. THE COUCH episode is about Leo & Liz spending all this money on a couch to impress their In-Laws to be, and when the In-Laws arrive they immediately recognize the sofa as their old couch.