That's Incredible!

[wiseguy182]

I know there's been some discussion in the past about shows similar to UM, but I wasn't sure if this has ever been mentioned. The show: That's Incredible!

I managed to acquire a few full length episodes with original commercials through trades, plus 7 episodes of the condensed syndicated version. (RTV aired these a little while back, but unfortunately don't any longer) I found that there are a lot of similarities to UM: 4 or 5 segments per episode, aired during the 80's, and it had the ability to scare the crap out of you if you were young.

A good number of the segments profiled on this show were similar to UM. You had sci-med stories, lost loves, ghosts, supernatural phenomenon, etc. I'm not sure if there were a lot of crime stories, but I did see one where this guy jumped into a moving vehicle to save a lady being attacked. That was pretty darn cool. Some of the stories directly mirrored UM segments, such as a dog that traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to be reunited with its owner. Also, this is the show that aired the infamous Haunted Toys R Us segment, a segment which is sometimes incorrectly associated with UM. One of my favorite segments is about the psychic who pinpointed the location of a young boy lost in an Iowa cornfield.

Now, as with pretty much everything associated with the 80's, some might call this show "corny", but I'm an 80's boy and I think this show is really cool. It was a neat collection of stories, from the national video game championships, to things that might wind up in the Guinness World Book of Records. Your hosts were John Davidson of Hollywood Squares, Cathy Lee Crosby from Wrestlemania 2, and footballer/businessman Fran Tarkenton.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down any more episodes other than the handful I've gotten. I'm dying to see what else this show offered. The show was a top 3 hit in its first year, and remained in the top 30 for the next 3 years. It was ABC's version of Real People, which was ok, but focused more on dumb comedy bits.

Oh yeah, this show also profiled a then 5 year old golfing prodigy...named Tiger Woods.

[TheCars1986]

Wasn't this the show hosted by the immortal Skip Stephenson?

EDIT: Just checked, Skip was the co-host of "Real People" a somewhat similar show to "That's Incredible!".

[Steve W.]

I think a guy named John Davidson was the host (at least at one point) of "That's Incredible!".

[scc1222]

I'm old enough to recall that show in the 70's;yes it was really interesting.My fav was the one where the native american came to the lady in a dream and told her where he wanted to be buried,and also the one about the asian man with two faces who had surgery to correct his condition.I also recall a certain Sylvia Brown in the toy store ghost episode.
quite the prerequisite for UM coming along,IMO.I'm glad it was on.

[TheCars1986]

"Ripley's Believe it or Not!" hosted by Jack Palance was also a prerequesite to UM. So was "In Search of...", which IIRC was hosted by Leonard Nimoy.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

"Ripley's Believe it or Not!" hosted by Jack Palance was also a prerequesite to UM. So was "In Search of...", which IIRC was hosted by Leonard Nimoy.

"In Search Of..." was a great show. It used to come on in reruns on either A&E or the History Channel (don't recall which one presently) a little over a decade ago or so. I remember being freaked out by those episodes as much as some UM segments. I've never forgotten that Jim Jones episode.

[crystaldawn]

I love "Thats Incredible"!! I remember when I was little watching it as well as "Real People".

Love ISO as well Meg. I'll never get the Amityville Horror episode out of my head...

[wiseguy182]

I was just going through the That's Incredible episode guide and was really struck by how much it resembles UM. I think, in a lot of ways, it really was a precursor to UM. Here are some descriptions of some segments. They sound very fascinating.

-a *survivor* of spontaneous human combustion
-faith healer Father DiOrio
-woman who claims she can predict earthquakes (a la Dr Browning)
-Amityville
-pizza restaurant popular with expectant mothers - the sauce is said to induce labor (reminds me of Fertility Statues)
-reports on buried treasure in Nova Scotia
-amnesiac reunited with his parents
-man struck by lightning 7 times (reminds me of unlucky family)
-numerous UFO segments
-numerous ghost segments including people who claim that ghosts call them on the phone , and a house haunted by a woman who mourns for her children.
-evidence from a house plant was used to obtain two murder convictions (sounds like an early Forensic Files)
-the Nebraska church explosion/choir members all safe
-pigeons that help the Coast Guard save lives
-a psychic who helps the police on criminal cases
-persons who recovered after being declared dead including a boy who drowned in freezing water and other miracles segments
-a man whose dream predicted an airline disaster
-a man whose sight and hearing were restored by lightning

Here are some other segment descriptions. These don't necessarily relate to any UM cases, but they sound very fascinating

-woman who had never flown a plane before and was forced to make an emergency landing (real life Airplane!?)
-15 year old female softball pitcher who threw 17 no-hitters in one season (?!)
-mysterious Mayan crystal skull
-house with an unexplainable ooze bubbling under the floor
-"The Batman of Birmingham" Willie Perry, a guy who was well known as a Good Samaritan who frequently assisted stranded motorists and other people in distress in his tricked out "Batmobile". Sadly, he died at a young age. There are numerous articles on the net about him, one is here:

http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Willie_Perry