The Lost Turn On Episode - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Atl 1996 · 10-07-2001, 09:07 PM

I keep hearing about a "lost" episode of "Turn On" (the show that was shown once in the early 1970's, (72??) and cancelled after one episode. Supposedly it is in ABC-TV's vaults.

Does anyone know about this?
Supposedly Tim Conway (a star of the original show) wanted to "dust it off" and have the network show it.

What is known about this episode and the REAL reason ABC cancelled the show? I remember watching it and my mom going nuts at the constant "noise"!!!

bb · 10-07-2001, 11:06 PM

Turn ON aired in Feb. 1969. I myself would love to see it just to see what the fuss was all about.

I read in a book once that show was so dirty
that when the show was airing in Denver the local station cancelled the show halfway through. Some guy popped on camera and siad the rest of this show will not be seen. Heard the same thing happened in either Buffalo or Philly.

From what I read the show was very sexual in nature ( for 1969 standards, maybe even todays). One scene had Tim Conway and some woman either wrestling with each other or making faces with the words "sex","lets have hot sex", "SEX","give it to me now" flashing across the screen.

I also read that Turn ON had quite a few rather nasty homosexual jokes like "God save the queens", and the use of the word "dyke"
and "***got". Plus a woman going to a vending machine that serves up birth control pills and condoms.
And this was on tv the same time as Family Affair and Ed Sullivan, and on the same channel as Bewitched no-less.

Again this is what I read about Turn On. But as far as TV Land ( or any other channel unearthing this and showing it , doubt that will happen. Heard there is an agreement between ABC and the sponsor of that one show Bristol-Myers than Turn ON will never be "turned on" again. The only way I can see this show will be seen again will be on home video if that ever happens. Even if there was not an agreement it would be a safe bet that gay right groups ( and maybe other groups too ) would protest the airing of this show.

Must have been one bad show !!!

bb · 10-07-2001, 11:21 PM

oh..ABC cancelled Turn ON because so many ABC stations received so many complaints from viewers. Just days fater the first show aired 60% of the stations had to cancel the program.

There were a few "Turn On's" taped. I wonder who guest stared on the others?

Jimbo · 10-12-2001, 05:15 PM

I remember watching the first and only episode of "Turn On" the night it premiered on ABC. One of the previous contributors mentioned that some stations took it off the air in mid-program, and mentioned that Philadelphia may have been one of the cities where this happened. I watched the program that night on WFIL (now WPVI) Channel 6, the ABC affiliate in Phila. I'm certain the entire program was shown. Also, I don't think it was necessarily cancelled for its sexual content - it was just a bad show! It was created to be an ABC clone of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In", which was one of the hottest shows on TV at the time, but "Turn On" just missed the mark completely.

bb · 10-12-2001, 11:48 PM

KBTV 9 ( now KUSA ) in Denver cancelled the show halfway through. While WFIL in Philly
couldnt handle the phone calls from upset viewers. That was according from the book "Fabulous Fads and Forgotten Flops" ( forgot who worte it ), also many other books talked about the Denver incident with Turn ON. I remember reading in another book about the show being taken off the air in Philly but as is so much the case many tv trivia books contain typos and a lot of mis-info.

I remember my dad telling me he was listening to the long defunt WKBW Radio out of Buffalo
and their sister tv station ( still ABC )
and the dj the day after Turn On said that
they received so many calls against Turn On that it was cancelled halfway through there as well.

As far as the sexual content goes, kinda wish
TV Land ( or some other channel ) or maybe put Turn On out on home video and let modern viewers judge for themselves ( like the 50s Amos & Andy series that so many find racist) but again in the Fads & Flops book from 1995 the author said an agreement between ABC and Bristol-Myers pretty much threw this show into the vaults forever.

Atl 1996 · 12-05-2001, 01:26 AM

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 · 12-06-2001, 03:30 PM

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 · 03-20-2010, 12:06 AM

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 · 03-22-2010, 01:44 AM

...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.

bencasey · 03-27-2010, 10:29 PM

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

TV Knowledge Fan · 03-28-2010, 12:28 AM

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

bencasey · 04-19-2010, 09:55 PM

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 · 05-19-2012, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bb

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 · 05-22-2012, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 05-22-2012, 08:27 PM

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.

10-07-2001, 09:07 PM	#1
Atl 1996 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 04, 2001 Posts: 20	The Lost Turn On Episode I keep hearing about a "lost" episode of "Turn On" (the show that was shown once in the early 1970's, (72??) and cancelled after one episode. Supposedly it is in ABC-TV's vaults. Does anyone know about this? Supposedly Tim Conway (a star of the original show) wanted to "dust it off" and have the network show it. What is known about this episode and the REAL reason ABC cancelled the show? I remember watching it and my mom going nuts at the constant "noise"!!!

12-05-2001, 01:26 AM	#6
Atl 1996 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 04, 2001 Posts: 20	The lost Turn On episode 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.

03-22-2010, 01:44 AM	#9
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Producer George Schlatter... ...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.

03-28-2010, 12:28 AM	#11
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	I'd like to see the second one... ...if only to see how Robert Culp handled himself as a "guest host".

05-22-2012, 08:27 PM	#15
Bob's TV Treasures Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 12, 2004 Location: california Posts: 529	TURN ON 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.

10-07-2001, 11:06 PM	#2
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	Turn ON aired in Feb. 1969. I myself would love to see it just to see what the fuss was all about. I read in a book once that show was so dirty that when the show was airing in Denver the local station cancelled the show halfway through. Some guy popped on camera and siad the rest of this show will not be seen. Heard the same thing happened in either Buffalo or Philly. From what I read the show was very sexual in nature ( for 1969 standards, maybe even todays). One scene had Tim Conway and some woman either wrestling with each other or making faces with the words "sex","lets have hot sex", "SEX","give it to me now" flashing across the screen. I also read that Turn ON had quite a few rather nasty homosexual jokes like "God save the queens", and the use of the word "dyke" and "***got". Plus a woman going to a vending machine that serves up birth control pills and condoms. And this was on tv the same time as Family Affair and Ed Sullivan, and on the same channel as Bewitched no-less. Again this is what I read about Turn On. But as far as TV Land ( or any other channel unearthing this and showing it , doubt that will happen. Heard there is an agreement between ABC and the sponsor of that one show Bristol-Myers than Turn ON will never be "turned on" again. The only way I can see this show will be seen again will be on home video if that ever happens. Even if there was not an agreement it would be a safe bet that gay right groups ( and maybe other groups too ) would protest the airing of this show. Must have been one bad show !!!

10-07-2001, 11:21 PM	#3
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	oh..ABC cancelled Turn ON because so many ABC stations received so many complaints from viewers. Just days fater the first show aired 60% of the stations had to cancel the program. There were a few "Turn On's" taped. I wonder who guest stared on the others?

10-12-2001, 05:15 PM	#4
Jimbo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2001 Location: United States of America-One Nation UNDER GOD! Posts: 471	I remember watching the first and only episode of "Turn On" the night it premiered on ABC. One of the previous contributors mentioned that some stations took it off the air in mid-program, and mentioned that Philadelphia may have been one of the cities where this happened. I watched the program that night on WFIL (now WPVI) Channel 6, the ABC affiliate in Phila. I'm certain the entire program was shown. Also, I don't think it was necessarily cancelled for its sexual content - it was just a bad show! It was created to be an ABC clone of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In", which was one of the hottest shows on TV at the time, but "Turn On" just missed the mark completely.

10-12-2001, 11:48 PM	#5
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	KBTV 9 ( now KUSA ) in Denver cancelled the show halfway through. While WFIL in Philly couldnt handle the phone calls from upset viewers. That was according from the book "Fabulous Fads and Forgotten Flops" ( forgot who worte it ), also many other books talked about the Denver incident with Turn ON. I remember reading in another book about the show being taken off the air in Philly but as is so much the case many tv trivia books contain typos and a lot of mis-info. I remember my dad telling me he was listening to the long defunt WKBW Radio out of Buffalo and their sister tv station ( still ABC ) and the dj the day after Turn On said that they received so many calls against Turn On that it was cancelled halfway through there as well. As far as the sexual content goes, kinda wish TV Land ( or some other channel ) or maybe put Turn On out on home video and let modern viewers judge for themselves ( like the 50s Amos & Andy series that so many find racist) but again in the Fads & Flops book from 1995 the author said an agreement between ABC and Bristol-Myers pretty much threw this show into the vaults forever.

12-06-2001, 03:30 PM	#7
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	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.

03-20-2010, 12:06 AM	#8
bencasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: Long Beach Posts: 1,692	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.

03-27-2010, 10:29 PM	#10
bencasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: Long Beach Posts: 1,692	Believe me, if you ever saw the first 2 you would be in no hurry to view any others.

04-19-2010, 09:55 PM	#12
bencasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: Long Beach Posts: 1,692	Well, the second show is available to view at both the Paley Center and the UCLA archives, if you are ever in either place.