Friday, September 13, 2024

The Fifth Battle: November 18th, 1978


Battle of the Network Stars 
Battle V
November 18th, 1978
Hosts: Howard Cosell & Frank Gifford


The Teams:
ABC: Gabe Caplan, (Captain) Debby Boone, Billy Crystal,  Joyce DeWitt, Richard Hatch, Maren Jensen, Robert Urich and Robin Williams.


CBS: McLean Stevenson, (Captain) Valerie Bertinelli, LeVar Burton, Lou Ferrigno, Pat Klous, David Letterman, Tim Reid and Charlene Tilton

NBC: Robert Conrad, (Captain) Joseph Bottoms, William Devane, Pamela Hensley, Brianne Leary, Wendy Rastatter, William Shatner and Caskey Swaim


I had forgotten David Letterman did an episode of Battle.  David didn't participate because he was a host, but because he was a regular on Mary, the Mary Tyler Moore variety show that was on at the time.  Letterman actually participated, (badly) in the swimming relay, but I could not find any speedo shots.  He work track pants on the podium, and was seen mostly after that, in the water.


Robert Conrad and his bulging speedo returned to captain the NBC team, leading them on to a win.  It was also great to see Robert Urich, who was such a beautiful man, taken far too soon.  There were many contestants I had not heard of, most notably Caskey Swaim, a name I'd never heard before.  Swaim was on a TV show I also never heard of, named Project UFO.

Shatner

Williams

Urich

Hatch & Urich

The show gave a better view of the swimming participants then they did in Battle four.   Too bad they were so quick, I would have loved to have seen a better view of many, especially Tim Reid.  

Swaim



Above: A Bottom's Up from Joseph Bottoms

1 comment:

JJ said...

I still have to find that BOTNS show where Gregory Harrison has that "Speedo malfunction" on camera with half his bush coming out and embarrassing even Howard Cosell! Haha!