#forgotten pbs

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: Painting with Elke Sommer 

We’ll guess a lot of guys preferred this show over The Joy of Painting (with Bob Ross). This episode, “Circus Dreams,” comes from 1984.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: Lilias, Yoga and You (AKA Lilias!) 

This exercise program aired on PBS from 1970-‘99 and was hosted by Lilias Folan,* who had six years of yoga behind her when the show began. (NOTE: The episode shown in the above video, circa the ‘70s, is missing its credits.) 

* - She wasn’t the first to bring yoga to US TV; that credit goes to Richard Hittleman, who did it in 1961 with Yoga for Health.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: Frontline

In the premiere episode of the long-running documentary series, the National Football League’s connections to illegal gambling and the Mafia are investigated in An Unauthorized History of the NFL, broadcast thirteen days before Super Bowl XVII on January 17, 1983. Host Jessica Savitch (the first of two for Frontline) is also credited as a co-writer and contributed reporting to the story, including an interview with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Watch it here. (WARNING: As Savitch says in the introduction, “There is one graphic sequence.”)

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: On the Level 

In “Behind the Scenes - Accepting Feelings” (1980), Miranda tries to persuade her boyfriend, David, to join her drama class. He’s reluctant to do so but changes his mind once he meets the teacher, Susan (pictured), and falls in love with her.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: Ripples 

What does an astronaut need to take with them when they’re going on a trip to the moon? John Bannister, a NASA rep (pictured), talks about this with a classroom of elementary school children in “Out to the Moon” (1970). 

To find out more about Ripples, go here.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: You Owe It to Yourself (1974) 

This quiz show, hosted by Allen Ludden, ran on PBS for ten weeks in 1974 during the summer. Of the ten shows taped at WITF Hershey, PA, only two survive as copies on film. Compared to a program like Jeopardy!, the questions on You Owe It to Yourself “focused on more serious subjects,” and in this episode, they are all about... liability insurance.* (It’s as exciting as it sounds.) 

Watch it here, and wait until you see the prize they gave to the winners!

* - To be specific, home and auto.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: This Old House 

In a This Old House home video from 1986, host Bob Vila and master carpenter Norm Abram show viewers how to do 14 DIY projects. These jobs include weatherstripping a door, unclogging a toilet, and refinishing a floor.

[the-ram-67]

Forgotten PBS: Carrascolendas 

This bilingual children’s program first aired on KLRN (now KLRU) Austin, TX, in 1970 before going nationwide on PBS in 1974. Though production ended in 1976, reruns have been shown into the 21st century. 

Watch an episode here.