Family Fridays: The series premiere of The Smith Family (1971)

 The Smith Family was Don Fedderson's final sale to ABC, and by year's end, he would not have anything on the network, as the series was cancelled, while, The Lawrence Welk Show moved to syndication that fall.

Smith was a mid-season replacement, and the first series for film star Henry Fonda in about a decade (The Deputy). It also brought Ron(ny) Howard (ex-The Andy Griffith Show) back to television after he'd made a movie or two for Disney.

In the opener, Cindy (Darleen Carr, later of The Streets of San Francisco) is ostracized when a classmate (guest star Heather Menzies) is busted for marijuana possession.

The title song is performed by Mike Minor (ex-Petticoat Junction).

Fonda would not land another TV series, but spent the rest of the 70's shilling for View-Master in between movies.

Musical Interlude: Spinning Wheel (1969)

 I remember watching some figure skating as a youth, and the background music was "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears. It was so, so perfect.

So, let's go back to 1969, and a live performance of "Spinning Wheel":

In memory of singer David Clayton Thomas, who has passed away at 84. Rest in peace.

Judge to Trump: Leave our elections alone!

 I think you can stick a fork in Dumb Donald's "SAVE America Act", which is meant to be a voter suppression law. A judge just shut down Trump's efforts to interfere in future elections. Glenn Kirschner explains.

Just think, Dumb Donald blocked a bi-partisan housing bill because he wanted his precious project passed. You can just imagine the reaction in the White House....

Meanwhile, a fence has been erected around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and Trump still won't allow the tarp to be removed from the Kennedy Center. Everyone can see right through your act, now, bub. Grow up, and deal with it.

Notes from around town

 For months, it has sat dormant, even though the logo was already in place. Then, last week, Elev8 Entertainment finally had its grand opening.

Elev8 is located in the same building as La Victoria on Congress Street, in the former Troy Kitchen location. Elev8 handles bookings for parties and weddings.

Moving to the corner of Congress & 3rd, we find that someone apparently is interested in putting a new business in the retail space last occupied by Midtown Grocery a few years back. Unfortunately, that's all we know.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy wanted to put a bus terminal in the former McDonald's on South Pearl Street, a building that last housed an inner city grocery not too long ago. Residents said no way.

So McCoy, undaunted, has decided to try to put a bus terminal in the Empire State Plaza.

Now, if you live in the 518,  you know the Plaza is a common stop for CDTA buses arriving in Albany from Troy or Cohoes. What McCoy wants to do is set up space for Greyhound, which closed its terminal years ago, and Yankee Trails.

Stay tuned.

While the town of Brunswick isn't exactly in a hurry to fill the vacancy created by Family Footwear's closing, they are filling space across the road.

QuickChek, which is both a sub shop and a gas station, just opened next door to Mattress Firm, which has Chipotle on the other side.

In all honesty, I don't think they're done just yet developing properties on Hoosick Road, but they'd be well served to work out a deal with CDTA for bus service into and out of Hannaford, just up the street from QuickChek. Just sayin'.

Is "Patrick Star" this year's Grimace for the Mets?

Last month, prior to a home game vs. Cincinnati, the Mets thought they could replicate the magic of 2024, when McDonald's mascot Grimace threw out the first pitch. This time, actor Bill Fagerbakke (ex-Coach), now better known as the voice of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick's self-titled spinoff series, joined Farmers Insurance pitchman JK Simmons, whom most of you know as J. Jonah Jameson from some of the Spider-Man movies, at Citi Field. The Mets gave the two actors microphones.

Yes, Simmons is also the voice of M & M's mascot Peanut, in case your kids don't know. Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to turn the Mets' fortunes around. 

Paging Danhausen?

Algae turns the water in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool green. Dumb Donald claims vandalism, proving again he doesn't know what he's talking about.......

 "Dumb Donald is really dumb!"---Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.

When you rush a project through, disaster usually follows.

Unfortunately, that logic is lost on an 80 year old man-child with the impulse control of a 5 year old.

Donald John Elmer Fudd Trump, man & boy, had the Department of the Interior award a no-bid contract to a friend of his, John Cafaro, and his company, Greenwater Services, to restore the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. However, in his haste to have the pool ready for last week's debacle of a birthday party, headlined by the UFC White House MMA card, Trump didn't give Cafaro enough time to allow his water purification system to be fully installed in the pool. As a result, the water turned green because of algae rising from the floor of the pool.

Cafaro, a neighbor of Trump's in Florida, isn't exactly a saint, either, because of a pair of felonies for which he was sentenced to probation. When the water turned green, Trump threw another temper tantrum, looking for a scapegoat to blame.

"WAAAAAHHHHH!!! Someone wrecked my pool! WAAAAAHHHHH!"

No, dummy, you did it because you couldn't be bothered to properly schedule it. A retired Olympic cyclist visiting the pool was arrested, and falsely accused of vandalism, though it's a safe bet the charges will be dropped. As usual, Dumb Donald didn't have any evidence to support his lie du jour.

If left alone to handle the project, Cafaro could've gotten more time to make sure his system was in place.

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it."--Super Chicken, 1967.

But, when your client is a neighbor with the mental capacity of a kindergartener.....!

And, oh, that ain't all.....!

On Sunday, it was reported that the oldest baby in America undermined vice president Just Dumb Vance's negotiations with the Iranian government in Switzerland, prompting the Iranian delegation to leave the bargaining table after Trump threatened, yet again, to blow up Iran, days after he'd signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Iran. Seems as though Trump is only going to be happy with a deal that benefits him (of course), moreso than the country. And that ain't happening any time soon.

Bellevue is waiting.

50 years ago, Coca-Cola celebrated the bicentennial (1976)

 To inspire the US of today, maybe Coca-Cola should bring this commercial back.

Just sayin'.