During the 1970s, the success of
All in the Family led to a fad for sitcoms with hip, relevant, "mature" themes. Most were set in "real places," not New York or L.A., and juxtaposed the work and home lives of young adult professionals (if they were white) or poor families (if they were African-American).
All of the adults watched, but kids were leery, unless there were teenagers in the cast (
Alice, One Day at a Time). But who wanted to watch
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77), with the former star of
The Dick Van Dyke Showas a Minneapolis tv writer, when the other channel had
The Most Deadly Game, with gay actor
George Maharis (left) as a crime-fighting criminologist?
Or
The Bob Newhart Show(1972-78), about a psychologist with wacky patients, when the other channel had
The Streets of San Francisco, with the hunky Michael Douglas as a detective?
Or
Rhoda, Phyllis, Maud, Good Times, That's My Mama, MASH, Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, Archie Bunker's Place....
So I didn't begin watching until 1974, when I was in ninth grade and trying to fit in with a hipster crowd, and then only occasionally, when I had nothing else to do. I found some gay content.
1. Beefcake. Not a lot, but occasional bulges or hints of hairy chests.
Paul Sand had a hot older brother. Joe (David Groh), the contractor who married
Rhoda, deserved special attention.
As did
John Amos, who played Gordie the Weatherman on
Mary Tyler Moore before scoring his own sitcom,
Good Times. He also starred as the older Kunta Kinte on
Roots(1977).
2. Bonding. I missed the overt homoromantic bond between Mary and Rhoda on
Mary Tyler Moore (left), but what about Hawkeye and Trapper John on
MASH, or odd couple Chico and Ed on
Chico and the Man? 3. Gay-vague characters. Not a lot, but I wondered about Howard Borden (Bill Daily, right), the next-door neighbor who dropped in every five seconds on
The Bob Newhart Show. Bill Daily also played Tony Nelson's best friend on
I Dream of Jeannie, and Leif Garrett's boyfriend on an episode of
Chips..
4. The first
gay characters on television.
