This week on It Was a Thing on TV we begin our annual Pilot Month!
First, one of the amazing technological marvels of the mid-1980s was the story telling teddy bear Teddy Ruxpin. A cartoon was later created around the world of Teddy Ruxpin but before that, a live-action pilot was created. Coincidentally, this pilot aired in two parts in late 1985, just in time to purchase Teddy Ruxpin as a holiday gift.
View the pilot and follow along at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAyeKcKC4Xs
Then, in 1998, the variety show as we know it had been a dead format for close to 20 years. However, what if you could revive one of the greatest variety shows ever with a host who had been deceased for nearly a quarter century? That was attempted by UPN with a virtual Ed Sullivan, voiced by John Byner. The result was this one-off pilot which was reminiscent of a more recent format, and with star power packing arenas to this day.
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Timestamps
0:36 – The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
40:44 – Intermission
41:51 – The Virtual Ed Sullivan Show
1:36:47 – This Week in Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour History (5-7-84/5-11-84)
