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50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)
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M*A*S*H
"Dear Dad"
Originally aired December 17, 1972
Wiki said:
It's Christmas time at the 4077th, and Hawkeye is writing a letter to his father about the activities at the camp.
After three straight days of surgery, and with the holiday imminent, Hawkeye sits down to write his father in Vermont. He makes a casual reference to the option of putting on earrings and lipstick for discharge in what turns out to be Jamie Farr's second appearance as Klinger, though the character isn't in drag this time. Hawkeye shares how Radar's been shipping a Jeep home piece by piece (which is likely to get Radar in trouble with whoever's reading the letters for sensitive info), and describes Blake giving the men a characteristically bumbling lecture about sex, which he's so uncomfortable about that he cuts it short. Trapper is described as being popular with the locals for his sundry services to both them and their livestock. Mulcahy's decorating the ward when Klinger decks Burns over a nonregulation lucky bandana that Klinger refuses to take off. Mulcahy covers for Klinger with an M.P., and when Klinger afterward threatens to return to Burns with a grenade, Mulcahy talks him down. (They clearly haven't nailed down Klinger's role on the show yet.)
Hawkeye describes how he and Trapper sabotaged Houlihan's tent for a date with Frank. We get our first real sexual tension between Hawkeye and Hot Lips when he later gives her a surprise romantic kiss and she seems to have gotten something out of it. Hawkeye's dressed as Santa for the local Korean children when he gets urgently flown to the front lines to tend to a badly wounded corporal. A private (Bill Katt) at the corporal's side is left to believe it or not when a guy in a bright red suit is lowered from the chopper.
Hawkeye signs off by narrating a series of MTM-style closing cast credit shots, saying the character names in the letter while the actor names are displayed onscreen.
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 6, episode 14
Originally aired December 18, 1972
The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Howard Cosell, Alex Karras, Kent McCord, Martin Milner, Vin Scully, Mark Spitz
A couple of the
Adam-12 cameo bits from the episode appear at 0:46 and 1:15 in this MeTV compilation video:
Patti Deutsch does a skit as Howard Cosell's mother.
Cosell in the cocktail party:
A salute to--What else?--sports:
Gladys as a stripper:
There's a bit of Christmas business in the Irish portion of the news segment:
There's an (unsuccessful, IMO) attempt to revive the old Robot Theater bit with Ruth Buzzi and Dennis Allen.
Howard Cosell: They wanted me to pose in Cosmopolitan nude with my hands over my mouth, so no one would recognize me!
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Hawaii Five-O
"I'm a Family Crook--Don't Shoot!"
Originally aired December 19, 1972
Wiki said:
In this comic relief episode, a husband and wife team of confidence operators accidentally steal a mob payroll and get caught between the islands' most powerful mobs.
The episode opens with husband/wife con team Arnold and Rhoda Lovejoy (yes,
that Andy Griffith...and Joyce Van Patten) engaged in their latest swindle, which involves Arnold posing as a lawyer to collect legal fees over money that Rhoda "found" while accompanied by their unsuspecting mark. For their next job, however, they unknowingly pick the wrong mark--Frank Butrell (Bryan Da Silva), the bagman of mobster Charlie Walters (Bob Basso)--both of whom Five-O are planning to bust that day when Walters arrives at Butrell's home with the weekly take. What's more, a rival mobster, Shibata (Seth Sakai), is also about to have his men move in on Butrell for Walters's list of extortion victims when the Lovejoys pull their scam, which involves Arnold posing as a cop while their daughter, Melissa (Kimberly Louis)--also in the family business--approaches Butrell so that Rhoda can cry molestation as a distraction for Melissa to get away with his wallet. She takes his briefcase instead, and the Lovejoys are shocked to discover that it contains over $98,000 in cash, and evidence of what the money was being collected for. Rhoda convinces Arnold not to give in to his instinct to fly out, as that's exactly what the mob would expect. Five-O is perplexed when Butrell arrives at his destination without the case; and Walters shoots Butrell for what he thinks was Walters letting Shibata get the better of him.
McGarrett confronts Walters after Butrell's body is found. The Lovejoys arrange to have their money kept in the hotel safe, then make preparations to skip the islands via chartered boat when they read about Butrell's death in the paper. But they're nabbed by Shibata's men (including definitive Bond villain henchman Harold Sakata). As the Lovejoys are brought to Shibata's warehouse hideout, Walters and company move in. Shibata and goons attempt to split, only to blow up real good via car bomb. The Lovejoys hide while Walters and goons bust in looking for the money and list, only to find evidence that Butrell was telling the truth about the Lovejoys' involvement. The Lovejoys listen as Walters puts a price on them.
Five-O inspects Shibata's lair in the aftermath, also turning up the Lovejoys' name, and show up at their hotel room, taking them in. McGarrett confronts the Lovejoys with the record that he's dug up on them, and offers them protection if they'll help him reel in Walters. But they fall back on the unwritten rules of their trade, which include that people like them are only allowed to operate by the grace of people like Walters, and that it's understood that they can't go to the cops. But the Lovejoys find Walters staking out the hotel desk for them, so they engage in another scam to get the money for their charter--involving Arnold posing as a recently released con who needs to borrow a car from a minister (Grady Sutton), which they use as collateral for a couple of loans and then sell. However, Walters calls them at the shady drinkside dive where they're securing passage, informing them that he's got Melissa.
The Lovejoys return to McGarrett, who wants them to deliver the case with marked money to Walters while wearing a transmitter. Five-O stakes out Walters's place while the Lovejoys return the case. Walters brings in his "doctor" (George Herman, I presume--a quick Google mainly turns up images of Babe Ruth), whose own briefcase contains a mobile lab for testing the bills. Chemical and radiological results are negative, but then the money is counted and found to be $10,000 short. Arnold turns over the stack that he was holding back on Walters, then hits his transmitter. Five-O and hordes of conventional law enforcement swoop in, and Walters has the list incinerated. Che goes over the bills with his own Geiger counter, turning up a positive result on the stack that wasn't tested.
McGarrett takes the Lovejoys' boat money and offers to see that charges aren't pressed against them if they leave Hawaii and never return. As the family is being taken to the airport, they try to pull their "found money" scam on the driver...but Ben turns around and flashes his badge.
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Adam-12
"Gifts and Long Letters"
Originally aired December 20, 1972
IMDb said:
A woman attempts suicide over unrequited love with someone who wants nothing to do with her. After a liquor store robbery, Reed and Malloy may be the only ones who can find the robber.
The officers are called to an attempted suicide at an apartment. The victim, Sharon Blake (Leslie Parrish), tried using gas in what they're informed is her second attempt. She asks if the man she wrote a note for, Tom Dunbar, is there. They pay Dunbar (Mark Miller) a visit at his apartment in the same complex, but he doesn't want to see her. Malloy calls in to report that he recognizes Dunbar as Tom Dunne, who served time for murder--to the surprise of the apartment manager, Phil Peters (Leonard Stone), who doesn't want Dunne there. Mac informs them on the radio that Dunne's current address and alias check out with his parole officer. Back on patrol, the officers drive by a man (Sammy Jackson, I think) changing the tire of a car with a badly banged up rear driver's side. At the station, Mac further elaborates that Dunne doesn't like to leave his apartment and works remotely way ahead of his time, for an addressing firm via typewriter and delivery.
The officers subsequently get called for a 415 at Dunne's apartment, to find him in an argument with Peters, who's threatening to evict him. When it's pointed out that Peters doesn't have cause, he tries to use Dunne's typing at late hours as one, and also threatens to throw Sharon out, which upsets Dunne more. He explains that Sharon wrote to him while he was serving time, though he didn't know her; and hints that he's not safe outside his apartment, and is afraid of getting her involved. On patrol again, Reed only has to mention the idea of taking a code seven to see Blake at her job as a waitress for a call about a liquor store robbery to divert them. The vehicle used matches the one they drove past with the tire being changed, so Reed radios in a description of the man. Mac emphasizes that the robber's face wasn't seen, so Reed and Malloy are the only ones who could identify him.
The officers make it to the groovy bistro where Sharon works, and find her in better spirits. She explains her interest in Tom, which included sending him the titular items while he was on the inside. They ask about Tom's safety concerns, and she dismisses the idea that his old accomplices would care about him now.
The officers are then called to meet a detective unit to identify the 211 suspect. Outside they positively identify the car to Detective Ruben Sanchez (Carlos Romero, who character will recur twice this season). When the man comes out and approaches the car, Sanchez intercepts him and the suspect denies that the vehicle is his, but gives in when he sees Malloy and Reed. Sanchez takes the man's keys, and finds a gun and bag of money in the trunk.
At the station, Mac relays info from Dunne's PO again, confirming that Dunne has delusions of grandeur about his importance to the gang he used to work for. Then Reed gets a call from Sharon Blake, who tells him that Dunne took a shot at Peters and has barricaded himself in his apartment. When the officers arrive and announce themselves, Dunne shoots through the door, then when it comes open, he jumps out through a window into an alley. He takes more shots, and is apprehended after he runs out of ammo. He rants about how everyone's afraid of him as he's being strapped into a stretcher to be taken away in an ambulance. Sharon expresses her intention to go back to her old routine with the titular items.
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The Brady Bunch
"Everyone Can't Be George Washington"
Originally aired December 22, 1972
The first sentence on Wiki said:
Peter auditions for the role of George Washington in the school play, but is cast as Benedict Arnold instead.
Peter annoys the siblings by practicing for his desired part via acting in character. Jan's placed in charge of scenery and special effects, and asks Mike for help with that. Peter comes home from the audition downtrodden. He reveals that Miss Bailey was so impressed with him that she picked him for Benedict Arnold, which she considers to be the harder part. Carol tries to get Peter invested in the role, in part with the titular advice. Jan has Mike and her siblings helping to build the scenery, including a boat facade on roller skates. Peter practices with Bobby reading the part of Major Andre, filling the audience in a bit on the nature of the historical persona Peter is playing. Peter's taking pride in his role when his classmates start treating him differently based on it, routinely referring to him as a traitor. At rehearsal, Peter tries to improv a kinder, gentler version of Arnold, though Miss Bailey (Sara Seegar) doesn't approve, and Peter gets in a fight with the student who's playing Major Andre.
Feeling like he can't just quit, Peter decides to get himself thrown out of the play by botching his lines, but that doesn't work when Miss Bailey proves too helpful. Then Peter pretends to get a sprained ankle at home and shows up for rehearsal with a fake limp, But Miss Bailey doesn't consider this a disqualification because Arnold had a limp in the same leg. Finally, Pete fakes laryngitis, but the parents don't buy it. Jan informs them that Bailey's considering canceling the play because she can't find a replacement for Peter on such short notice, so the parents have a talk with him, arguing that letting down his classmates would make him a traitor to them. Peter goes through with the part, which includes a death scene as a repentant Arnold, 21 years after his betrayal, which suffers some mishaps in dress rehearsal.
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It's so very nihilistic, really. That's what makes it so disturbing.
I guess I don't have as big of a problem with that; the dilemma the men were in seemed authentic. They had Cox's character attempting to provide some moral compass, though he was overruled and ultimately passed away before he might have contradicted the alibi.
That's what I was thinking. He knows the mountain folk, but he's not quite like them.
It's not hard to imagine that he has some experience covering up local incidents, and his primary motivation was not wanting this one to open the can of worms in the town's eleventh hour.
Amazing. Not only the best ex president, but the
most ex president.
I hope he makes it to a century, at least.
I'd put money on it at this point.
It's thought provoking that they mention Nixon had no one's advice to seek. I wonder if that really made any difference.
In that, the list compiler was parroting a point that was emphasized in
The Presidents Club, which is all about the role of ex-presidents, including their politically unlikely alliances (e.g., Clinton eagerly taking foreign policy advice from Nixon, and later practically being adopted as a surrogate son by the president he beat in '92).
I've thought about this too. And since it seems that longer lifespans seem to also result in longer childhoods, I've been thinking it might be a really good idea to raise that limit.
Thus far, the electorate hasn't threatened to get particularly close to that limit.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays all! 
In most ways, it wasn't as bad as I expected, but did manage to be more grotesque/squalid in its depiction of the locals than I would have thought.