The lost "Turn On" episode

[Atl 1996]

I asked about this 6 months ago, and didn't get any reply....anyone know about this? I think Tim Conway alluded to it in an interview, that after Turn On was cancelled after one episode, the 2nd was already in the can.

Would love to see both episodes released on tape.

[bb]

It would be quite interesting to see TV Land or some channel ( maybe even HBO ) show Turn On just to see what the fuss was all about back in 1969. Home Video could be an option.

However...according to the book Forgotten Fads & fabulous Flops by Paul Kirchner, that will never happen. Thanks to some kind
of an agreement between ABC and the sponsors.

The book also said that show featured a lot of homophobic jokes
( use of the words f*g and dyke) and other sexual gags like a condom/ birth control pill vending machine and Tim Conway and Bonnie Boland playing around with the words "SEX", "Lets have Sex !!" throbing on the screen. And this was 1969 !!!

The book also said it was taken off the air midway through the first broadcast in Denver and Philladelphia ( though someone awhile back posted that in Philly that did NOT happen ). Stations in Buffalo and Cleveland couldnt handle the negative calls, in fact the Cleveland station sent ABC a telegram telling them that if you naughty little boys must write dirty words on wall, dont use our walls !!!

Must have been one heck of a show.

Like the Raquel Welch/Mae West film Myra Breckinridge ( just try to get a copy of that film today on home video), Turn On will be Turn OFF for years to come.

[bencasey]

Terrible show. Two episodes were finished and several others were in various stages of completion. Just a lot of bad jokes that fall flat. Kind of like Laugh-In on acid. Not entertainingly bad but just bad. Robert Culp is the host of the second episode, although host is really a misnomer. Both show exist at the Paley Center.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...claimed he had all seven episodes of the series (complete or not) in his archives, several years ago. Whether those are ever seen again depends on him.

:tv:

[bencasey]

Believe me, if you ever saw the first 2 you would be in no hurry to view any others.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...if only to see how Robert Culp handled himself as a "guest host".

:(

[bencasey]

Well, the second show is available to view at both the Paley Center and the UCLA archives, if you are ever in either place.

[tanner68]

The book also said it was taken off the air midway through the first broadcast in Denver and Philladelphia ( though someone awhile back posted that in Philly that did NOT happen ). Stations in Buffalo and Cleveland couldnt handle the negative calls, in fact the Cleveland station sent ABC a telegram telling them that if you naughty little boys must write dirty words on wall, dont use our walls !!!



I know I am a bit late in this..well very late but about Denver yanking off Turn-ON in mid-broadcast, well it didn't happen. A few years ago Denver's KUSA channel 9 ( today its an NBC affiliate but back in 69 it was ABC ) a long time employee whose name I have since forgotten had retired was interviewed by the now defunct Rocky Mountain News and the Turn-On bit was brought up. Long story short the employee in question was in the channel 9 master control center during the Turn-On broadcast and according to him the show had aired in full though after broadcast they decided to not any anymore Turn-On episodes.

There is also some debate I had seen over the years on various broadcast websites such as radio-info dot com questioning if even the WEWS/Cleveland--telegram to ABC had really taken place or not. Makes a good story though even if it wasn't true.

[jehobden]

Terrible show. Two episodes were finished and several others were in various stages of completion. Just a lot of bad jokes that fall flat. Kind of like Laugh-In on acid. Not entertainingly bad but just bad. Robert Culp is the host of the second episode, although host is really a misnomer. Both show exist at the Paley Center.

I saw the ep that aired either at the Paley Center or the Museam of TV & Radio in Chicago, and I was surprised that I was more bored than offended by it. It looked really ugly, IMO, and was on film rather than tape, though some titles seemed to be superimposed via tape.

[Bob's TV Treasures]

PALEY CENTER and I'm almost certain UCLA have BOTH episodes of TURN ON. It's a painful show to watch. It's, what I call, LAUGH-IN on acid. It's a SLOOOWWWW 60 minutes. You've been warned.

[jehobden]

PALEY CENTER and I'm almost certain UCLA have BOTH episodes of TURN ON. It's a painful show to watch. It's, what I call, LAUGH-IN on acid. It's a SLOOOWWWW 60 minutes. You've been warned.

It was actually only 30 minutes long. It just SEEMED like 60 minutes! :lol: