Howard Cosell

Two-Minute Warning

A psychotic sniper plans a massive killing spree in a Los Angeles football stadium during a major championship game. The police, led by Captain Peter Holly and the SWAT commander, learn of the plot and rush to the scene.

Night of 100 Stars

The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers paid up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as "The Night of 100 Stars" but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and costume changes, tape rewinding, and the like. Executive producer Alexander Cohen estimated that the 5,800 Radio City Music Hall seats sold out at prices ranging from $25 to $1,000. The show itself cost about $4 million to produce and was expected to yield around $2 million for the new addition to the Actors Fund retirement home in Englewood, N. J. ABC is reputed to have paid more than $5 million for the television rights.

Johnny Be Good

It's recruiting time and despite being short and scrawny, Johnny Walker is America's hottest young football prospect. His dilemma: should he take one of the many offers from college talent scouts or should he attend the local state college with his girlfriend and give up his football career?

When We Were Kings

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

Bananas

When a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girlfriend, he travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion.

Curt Flood: The Athlete Who Made LeBron James Possible

"When baseball star Curt Flood rejected a trade in 1969, he challenged America’s pastime and helped spark a revolution that rippled beyond the game" (The New York Times)..

Night of 100 Stars III

A celebrity benefit for The Actors' Fund of America, featuring music, songs, dance and comedy.

Ron Lyle

Ron Lyle A look back at Ron Lyle, a convicted murderer who upon his release from prison, was able to rebuild his life and become one of the top heavyweight contenders in the 1970s. Lyle would fight Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Earnie Shavers among others.

Two-Minute Warning

A psychotic sniper plans a massive killing spree in a Los Angeles football stadium during a major championship game. The police, led by Captain Peter Holly and the SWAT commander, learn of the plot and rush to the scene.

Night of 100 Stars

The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers paid up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as "The Night of 100 Stars" but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and costume changes, tape rewinding, and the like. Executive producer Alexander Cohen estimated that the 5,800 Radio City Music Hall seats sold out at prices ranging from $25 to $1,000. The show itself cost about $4 million to produce and was expected to yield around $2 million for the new addition to the Actors Fund retirement home in Englewood, N. J. ABC is reputed to have paid more than $5 million for the television rights.

Johnny Be Good

It's recruiting time and despite being short and scrawny, Johnny Walker is America's hottest young football prospect. His dilemma: should he take one of the many offers from college talent scouts or should he attend the local state college with his girlfriend and give up his football career?

When We Were Kings

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

Bananas

When a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girlfriend, he travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion.

Curt Flood: The Athlete Who Made LeBron James Possible

"When baseball star Curt Flood rejected a trade in 1969, he challenged America’s pastime and helped spark a revolution that rippled beyond the game" (The New York Times)..

Night of 100 Stars III

A celebrity benefit for The Actors' Fund of America, featuring music, songs, dance and comedy.

Ron Lyle

Ron Lyle A look back at Ron Lyle, a convicted murderer who upon his release from prison, was able to rebuild his life and become one of the top heavyweight contenders in the 1970s. Lyle would fight Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Earnie Shavers among others.

Frank Sinatra: The Main Event

Charged with the electricity of a heavyweight prizefight, " The Main Event " was filmed live at Madison Square Garden, a venue usually reserved for sporting events and rock 'n' roll concerts. Sinatrra dazzies the crowd with contemporay numbers as " You are the Sunshine of My Life ", " Let Me Try Again " and delivers the knockout blow with signature tunes " My Kind of Town " and " My Way ".

Carpenters Very First Television Special

The Carpenters First Special was a performance of a variety of sketches with guest stars Victor Borge and John Denver.

The Connection

An out-of-work newspaperman in need of money becomes the go-between for a jewel thief and an insurance company that wants to settle.

The Polo Grounds: Requiem for an Arena

Documentary about the history and imminent demise of the Polo Grounds ballpark in New York. Hosted and narrated by actor Horace McMahon, it was filmed during the winter of 1964 at the now abandoned stadium. The film looked back at its history from its opening in the 19th century, to its glory years as the home of the New York Giants baseball team and its final two years as the home of the amazing (and not in good way) New York Mets - as well as other famous events that took place there, such as football contests and boxing matches.

Muhammad and Larry

In October of 1980 Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight for an unprecedented fourth heavyweight title against his friend and former sparring partner Larry Holmes. To say that the great Ali was in the twilight of his career would be generous; most of his admiring fans, friends and fight scribes considered his bravado delusional. What was left for him to prove? In the weeks of training before the fight, documentarians Albert and David Maysles took an intimate look at Ali trying to convince the world and perhaps himself, that he was still “The Greatest.” At the same time, they documented the mild-mannered and undervalued champion Holmes as he confidently prepared to put an end to the career of a man for whom he had an abiding and deep affection

Casey at the Bat

Down-on-his-luck baseball player Casey Frank (Elliott Gould) follows his dreams to become the biggest star in the game.

Run To Daylight

A documentary based on the book by legendary Packer coach Vince Lombardi. Narrated by Horace McMahon and told by Vince Lombardi, the 55-minute B & W film is a behind-the-scenes look at the Green Bay Packers from the beginning thru the end of training camp for the 1964 NFL season.

The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

Video series spotlighting memorable moments and roasts hosted by Dean Martin. "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts" were periodic specials aired in the 1970s and 1980s, which roasted (or honored) such stars as Lucille Ball, Muhammad Ali and Johnny Carson; guests then recalled comedic moments they shared. Comedian Rich Little (a regular on the "Roast" specials) served as pitchman for the videos in a series of TV infomercials

Fight of the Century

Legendary boxing match between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

The Real Rocky

Chuck Wepner is a liquor salesman from Bayonne, N.J., who drives a Cadillac with “Champ” vanity plates. A former New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion, he took abuse from Sonny Liston, got his nose broken by Muhammad Ali, and inspired Sylvester Stallone to write “Rocky” which won three Academy Awards. Wepner was left out of the “Rocky” glory, and his career took turn after strange turn as he worked to stay in the spotlight: he went on to fight Andre the Giant as “The Assassin” and boxed a 900 pound bear. Twice.

Fol-de-Rol

A filmed version of Sid and Marty Krofft's 1968 live puppet show, set at a medieval fair. The special was a pilot for a weekly series.

Wide World of Sports: 1970's A Decade in Review

ABC's Wide World of Sports hosts Jim McKay and Howard Cossell take a look back on the decade in this wrap-up of the top sports stories of the 1970s.

The 500 Pound Jerk

An advertising man's dream of turning a huge hillbilly into an Olympic weightlifting champion is set back when the hillbilly falls for a Russian gymnast.

McEnroe

Legendary "bad boy of tennis" John McEnroe finally tells his side of his storied career and famously hot-tempered performances on the court in this engrossing documentary revisiting the record-setting career of one of the all-time greats.

The World's Greatest Athlete

Stuck with a feeble sports department, college coach Sam Archer (John Amos) faces the ax unless he can reverse the school's athletic fortunes. An African vacation with his assistant (Tim Conway) answers Archer's prayers when he spots the athletically gifted Nanu (Jan-Michael Vincent). Sam counts on Nanu's remarkable abilities to put the team back on the winning track. This upbeat farce boasts an impressive cast of comedians.

O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose

An independently produced sports documentary on the career of O.J. Simpson, (#32) the upcoming running back for the Buffalo Bills football team.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

Saturday Night Live

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

The Dick Cavett Show

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

The Odd Couple

Felix and Oscar are two divorced men. Felix is neat and tidy while Oscar is sloppy and casual. They share a Manhattan apartment, and their different lifestyles inevitably lead to conflicts.

The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom series about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

An American sketch comedy television program hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

The Dean Martin Show

The Dean Martin Show, also known as The Dean Martin Variety Show, is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by entertainer Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody."

The Flip Wilson Show

The Flip Wilson Show is an hour long variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become highly successful with a white audience. Specifically, it was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. During its first two seasons, its Nielsen ratings made it the nation's second most watched show. The show consisted of many skits over an hour. It also broke new ground in American television by using a 'Theatre-in-the-Round' stage format, with the audience seated on all sides of a circular performance area. Wilson was most famous for creating the role of Geraldine Jones, a sassy, modern woman who had a boyfriend named Killer. Flip also created the role of Reverend Leroy, who was the minister of the Church of What's Happening Now!. New parishioners were wary of coming to the church as it was hinted that Reverend Leroy was a con artist. Wilson popularized such catchphrases as "What you see is what you get", and "The devil made me do it!".

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an American variety show starring American pop-singer Cher and her husband, Sonny Bono. The show ran on CBS in the United States, when it premiered in August 1971. The show was canceled May 1974, due to the couple's divorce, though the duo would reunite in 1976 for the identically-formatted The Sonny & Cher Show, which ran until 1977.

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts is a NBC television special show hosted by entertainer Dean Martin from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin would periodically "roast" a celebrity. These roasts were patterned after the roasts held at the New York Friars' Club in New York City. The format would have the celebrity guest seated at a banquet table, and one by one the guest of honor was affectionately chided or insulted about his career by his fellow celebrity friends. In 1973, The Dean Martin Show was declining in popularity. The final season of his variety show would be retooled into one of celebrity roasts, requiring less of Martin's involvement. For the 1973–1974 season, a new feature called “Man of the Week Celebrity Roast" was added to try to pick up the ratings. The roasts seemed to be popular among television audiences and are often marketed in post-issues as part of the official Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and not The Dean Martin Show. After The Dean Martin Show was cancelled in 1974, NBC drew up a contract with Martin to do several specials and do more roast specials. Starting with Bob Hope in 1974, the roast was taped in California and turned out to be a hit, leading to many other roasts to follow.

Battle of the Network Stars

Battle of the Network Stars was a series of competitions where television stars from ABC, CBS, and NBC would compete in various sporting events. A total of nineteen of these competitions were held, all of which were aired by ABC. In 2013, the show appeared in TV Guide's list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.

Monday Night Football

Howard Cosell hosted the first instalment of Monday Night Football.

Tall Tales & Legends

An anthology series that showcases various mythical characters and incidents throughout history.

America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions

America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions is an annual documentary series created by NFL Films (broadcast on the NFL Network and CBS). Each of its 55 (and counting) installments profile the National Football League's annual Super Bowl champion through highlights, interviews with players and coaches, and a celebrity narrator. A spin-off debuted on September 18, 2008, titled America's Game: The Missing Rings which chronicled five of the best teams to never win the Super Bowl.

What's My Name | Muhammad Ali

Explore Ali’s challenges, confrontations, comebacks and triumphs through recordings of his own voice. The two-part documentary paints an intimate portrait of a man who was a beacon of hope for oppressed people around the world and, in his later years, was recognized as a global citizen and a symbol of humanity and understanding.

Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell

Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell is an American television comedy-variety program that ran on ABC from September 1975 to January 1976, hosted by Howard Cosell and executive-produced by Roone Arledge. The series ran for 18 episodes before being cancelled. Despite having highly notable celebrities both as cast members and guests, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell has never been made available on home video. Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell should not be confused with the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, which debuted on rival network NBC in October 1975 when NBC began airing a late night comedy show produced by Lorne Michaels titled NBC's Saturday Night. After Cosell's show was cancelled, the NBC show renamed itself Saturday Night Live. The shows did not directly compete, as Cosell's Saturday Night Live aired at 8 p.m. EST/PST, whereas NBC's Saturday Night aired at 11:30 p.m.