NBC Saturday Morning Advertisement from 1973

It’s been over six years since I’ve come across a comic book advertisement for a network’s Saturday morning lineup. A few days ago I stumbled upon a two-page ad for NBC’s 1972-1973 Saturday morning lineup in Shanna, the She-Devil #2 from Marvel Comics.

The cover date is February 1973 but the issue was likely on newsstands two or three months earlier. So it may have been in the hands of younger viewers in November or December 1972. That’s still several months after NBC unveiled its new 1972-1973 Saturday morning lineup on September 9th, 1972.

The lineup ran from 8AM to 1PM ET and included 10 half-hour shows. Six were new while a seventh was a reformatted version of a returning show. I had to scan the advertisement as two separate pages. Click on the images for larger versions.

Scan of a comic book advertisement for NBC's Fall 1972 Saturday Morning Lineup

Advertisement for NBC’s Fall 1972 Saturday Morning Lineup – Page 1
Copyright © 1972 Magazine Management Co., Inc.
Scan of a comic book advertisement for NBC's Fall 1972 Saturday Morning Lineup

Advertisement for NBC’s Fall 1972 Saturday Morning Lineup – Page 2
Copyright © 1972 Magazine Management Co., Inc.

Here’s a look at the full schedule:

  8:00AM – The Underdog Show
  8:30AM – The Jetsons
  9:00AM – The Pink Panther Show
  9:30AM – The Houndcats (New)
10:00AM – The Roman Holidays (New)
10:30AM – The Barkleys (New)
11:00AM – Sealab 2020 (New)
11:30AM – Runaround (New)
12:00PM – Around the World in 80 Days (New)
12:30PM – Talking with a Giant (New Format)

Talking With a Giant was a revised version of Take a Giant Step, which ran during the 1971-1972 season. Most of the new shows lasted just 13 episodes before NBC began airing repeats.

Perhaps someone who remembers watching NBC on Saturdays during the 1972-1973 season will recall if the network referred to its lineup as “The Terrific Ten” in promotional spots or bumpers. What about Adam and Evy? Did they make it on air or were they only featured in print advertisements?


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9 Replies to “NBC Saturday Morning Advertisement from 1973”

  1. in the NYC area*….Saturday mornings 1972===most characteristically introduced the living- voice over news stories by the late CHRISTOPHER GLEN==long before the idea of kids news/ or anthology news shows by kids were even considered!= I’ve never seen any on you tube yet either

  2. I remember seeing this ad in at least 1 comic book at the time. I remember watching ROMAN HOLIDAYS and THE BARKLEYS, which was my favorite cartoon that season. I recently bought Mark Arnold’s book about DePatie-Freleng cartoons, THINK PINK: THE DEPATIE-FRELENG STORY, and he reprinted this ad, stating kindly that this depiction of the Barkleys was “off-model” (looked nothing like the cartoon characters).

    This ad probably was sold months before Feb 1973 (I remember cartoons and magazines like MAD coming out months before their cover dates.). The schedule didn’t stay this way for much longer, as NBC moved around some cartoons midyear, as I remember seeing and enjoying UNDERDOG right before THE BARKLEYS. Though UNDERDOG had been around for years, this is the only season that I recall seeing it, and it was gone from network tv the following fall. I don’t recall seeing this promotion or Adam or Evy on NBC network tv, but maybe I just don’t remember it. I’m surprised I don’t remember seeing RUNAROUND, as I loved game shows, even at that age. I do remember seeing AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS and remember its opening and theme song.

    Christopher Glenn was featured on IN THE NEWS, which appeared Saturday mornings on CBS at :26 & :56 of each hour. The only one I specifically remember was on Mar. 17, 1979, when IN THE NEWS presented a report on St. Patrick’s Day and how it was celebrated around the world.

  3. Both The Barkleys and The Houndcats are on Retro TV on Saturdays at 12 MST. Many years ago, I think Boomergang was showing the Houndcats but I have never seen the Barkleys broadcast on any station. I wonder if at one time Boomergang was showing it? I need to pick up that book THINK PINK: THE DEPATIE-FRELENG STORY. Thanks for the article!

  4. I bought a DVD set of all HOUNDCATS/BARKLEYS episodes from Amazon, and it’s still available there. I bought a videotape of two BARKLEYS episodes (the first two of the series) from EBay years ago. You can probably see every episode of both series on YouTube, as I know I’ve seen at least one of each there. i just recently figured out that the older son on THE BARKLEYS, Roger, was likely named for LA DJ and game show host (with Al Lohman) Roger Barkley.

    I don’t have any memories pf seeing TALKING WITH A GIANT, but it was apparently a shorter version of TAKE A GIANT STEP aired the previous season, also on NBC. I have found an episode of the show, co-hosted by future actress Heather Thomas and featuring The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers) here on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P_M1y-xqPg

  5. Hey Jon. Thanks for the heads up! I assumed Houndcats and Barkleys were not on DVD so I skipped Amazon. I forgot about You Tube. I have always been interested in the Barkleys as I read it was a takeoff of sorts of All in the Family? I’m headed over to You Tube right now. Thanks again!

  6. THE ROMAN HOLLIDAYS were from Hanna-Barbera…it seems that a family living in the time of Imperial Rome with adapted items of the present was one of the concepts Bill and Joe considered for a prime-time animated series with adult appeal, before going with what became THE FLINTSTONES.

  7. I don’t recall Around the World in 80 Days, but it started at noon. Many stations would preempt network shows with their own programs a that time, often sports. And that’s also when kids got kicked out of the house to play outside. Of course it’s easy enough to confuse with the Rankin Bass Festival of Family Classics episode or the HB ’69 series, Around the World in 79 Days.

  8. As kids my brother and I made a movie for Take a Giant Step (the aired kid made films as part of the format). We chose ‘Celebrations’ from suggested topics, filmed and logged everything. NBC edited and put used “Day by Day” for music background from the then brand new musical Godspell.

    The next year they asked us to make another which ended up with a trip to NY to record an intro (7 sec) in the former Johnnie Carson studio. `

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