TFTP On This Day: "CBS Evening News" from CBS (Apr. 24, 1980)

Posted to YouTube by user 'NewsActive3'
Length - 29:28

It Was 38 Years Ago Today: This broadcast of the "CBS Evening News", from 38 years ago today on Thursday, April 24, 1980, was near the end of Walter Cronkite's nearly two-decade run as anchor. (At the end of the broadcast, Cronkite announces he'll be on vacation the following week, with his future replacement Dan Rather filling in.) The newscast is dominated by two stories: Rep. John Anderson's announcement from that day that he would run as an independent in the 1980 presidential campaign, after having failed to secure the Republican nomination; and ongoing developments in the Iran hostage crisis, which had begun the previous fall and would last until early-1981, thus dominating the news throughout 1980.

The Iran hostage crisis garnered several separate stories, including about new sanctions against Iran, about possible plans for military action in response to the crisis, about attempts by the parents of one of the hostages to negotiate with the Iranian government, and about reports from Iranian officials on their perspective on the crisis. Other significant stories in the broadcast include a summary of an address given by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and a report on Congressional investigation into the regulatory authority of federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission.

Original commercial breaks are included in this recording from Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS. Ads appear for Nevada National Bank, Lincoln Continental autos, Remington Micro Shave electric razor, Bulova watches, Uniroyal tires, Visa travelers checks, Sanka coffee (with spokesman Robert Young), Bayer aspirin, Safeco Insurance (with spokespanther the Pink Panther), General Tire, and Five Alive orange juice. Two IDs for KLAS also appear at the very beginning and very end of the broadcast.

TFTP Variety: "The Hollywood Palace" w/ host Adam West (Oct. 8, 1966)

"The Hollywood Palace" was one of the last big-time all-purpose TV variety shows. Pretty much pure vaudeville, the show featured a succession of unrelated acts (singers, comedians, acrobatic acts, sketches) and a different celebrity guest host each week. It ran from 1964-1970 on ABC, for most of its run on Saturday evenings, and was staged in the ABC Palace Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood (before that, and now again, known as the El Capitan Theater, and now the home of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live).

This complete episode of "The Hollywood Palace" is from Fall 1966 and features Batman's Adam West as host. Late-1966 was the peak of "Batman's" popularity as a fad show and this is exploited in West's opening number. Other guests include Joey Heatherton (probably also at her peak of popularity at about this time), Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Ray Charles and the Raylettes, a pre-beard and pre-counterculture George Carlin, ventriloquist Fred Roby, and stunt performer Danny Sailor (who climbs and does stunts atop a large pole outside the theater).

This appears to be from a master tape of the episode, which is why the timecode appears throughout in the upper right corner. There are also commercials included, with a couple of half-minutes of dead air where the local affiliate would plug in local commercials. Commercials include: Dutch Masters cigars, Efferdent denture cleaner, Diet Delight canned fruit, Pall Mall cigarettes, Philips Milk of Magnesia laxative, Bayer aspirin, Chiffon margarine, and Tareyton cigarettes.