The Big Moment is an American television game show that aired on ABC in 1999 and was hosted by Whose Line Is It Anyway? alumnus Brad Sherwood. John Cramer served as announcer. The show was based on a Japanese show of the same concept, Happy Family Planning.
The show's premise centered on one member of a family who was given one week to practice a certain task before the episode's taping. A video camera was provided to record the rehearsal process at home. At the end of the week, the contestant came to the studio to perform the task. The contestant was given only one attempt; if successful, he/she won a pre-selected prize package worth $25,000. If unsuccessful, he/she received a $2,000 consolation prize. Two contestants appeared each episode.
Some of the stunts presented:
⁕Memorizing pi to the 100th decimal
⁕Playing Beethoven's Für Elise on a piano, without missing a note
⁕Answering ten questions on the film Ghost
⁕Riding around three cones on a unicycle and returning to a starting
FYI was an information series seen on the ABC network in the early 1980s. Hosted by Hal Linden, the program features answers to questions that many viewers ask, from common questions such as, "What's the leading cause of burns in children?", to questions not many ask, but may be interesting to know, like "Can a child dance his/her way to better grades?", just to name a couple.
With each show lasting sixty seconds, FYI was seen three times a day on weekdays, following ABC's popular soaps All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital, using a formula not unlike ABC's Saturday morning mini-programs, such as Time for Timer, The Bod Squad and Schoolhouse Rock.
Two books based on the television series have been published, both by M. Evans and Company: FYI: Unexpected Answers to Everyday Questions and More FYI: Further Tips for Healthful Living.
Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? is an animated musical television special written by Dr. Seuss, directed by Gerard Baldwin, produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, completed in 1979 and first aired on CBS on May 2, 1980. This was one of the final cartoons done at DePatie-Freleng as the studio would be sold to The Coca-Cola Company and become Sunbow Productions in 1981. The songs are by Joe Raposo.
The Challenge is a 1970 made-for-television movie starring Darren McGavin and Mako. Director George McGowan chose to hide his involvement by using the pseudonym Alan Smithee.
A Quiet Word With ... was an Australian conversation television series originally broadcast by ABC TV in 2010 and 2011. Each episode featured New Zealand comedian and writer Tony Martin engaging in a twenty-six minute conversation with a local or international entertainer, mainly other comedians.
The Mail Story, subtitled Handle with Care, is a half-hour dramatic television anthology series which aired on ABC for thirteen weeks from October 7 to December 30, 1954.
In the premiere episode then Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield, who served in the administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, introduced the program to American audiences. The program was partly documentary in offering explanations of the services available from the Post Office Department, now known as the U.S. Postal Service. It also had original dramas about individuals or groups who tried to misuse the mail and hence faced apprehension for their crimes. Such segments ranged in date from the 1850s with stagecoach robberies to contemporary times with sophisticated mail fraud cases.
The three-month series aired at 8 p.m. on Thursdays opposite Meet Mr. McNutley, renamed The Ray Milland Show on CBS, and You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx on NBC.
Encounter is a five-week anthology television series aired from Toronto, Canada, and carried by both CBC Television and ABC from October 5 to November 2, 1958.
The one-hour dramas were either romance, adventure, or mystery stories. Patrick Macnee and Barry Morse were among those who appeared on Encounter..
In the United States, Encounter followed the western series Colt .45. The program faced competition on CBS from The Alfred Hitchcock Show and The $64,000 Question. NBC at the time aired part of The Dinah Shore Chevy Show.
It is not known what program succeeded Encounter in the 9:30 Eastern time slot beginning on Sunday, November 9, 1958. The following season The Alaskans, an adventure program set in Alaska and starring Roger Moore, Dorothy Provine, and Jeff York, aired on ABC in that time period.
Encounter is not the shortest-running series on an American television network. In the fall of 1966, The Tammy Grimes Show, a situation comedy starring Tammy Grimes, ran only four episodes on ABC before it was cancel
Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People is a televised compilation of ten public figures who are prominent names in the fields of entertainment, sports, politics and popular culture. Hosted by Barbara Walters, the list has been broadcast annually on the second Thursday of December on ABC since 1993. Though produced by ABC News, the specials are not presented under the 20/20 banner, the network's flagship newsmagazine.
Good Behavior was a drama/comedy television series pilot that was never picked up by the ABC network. It was based on the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. It was being produced by ABC and written and developed by Rob Thomas. The series was set to be broadcast in 2009.
Good Behavior revolved around a family of criminals who decide to go straight after the father is jailed. The lead role in the pilot was portrayed by Catherine O'Hara, with Mae Whitman playing her daughter. Other cast members include DJ Qualls, Gary Cole, Jeffrey Tambor, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Treat Williams, Steve Harris and Marilu Henner. A new adaptation titled Scoundrels was picked up by the network in early 2010. Eight episodes aired between June and August 2010.
The Guy Mitchell Show is a short-lived half-hour television variety program hosted by and starring 30-year-old recording artist Guy Mitchell, which was broadcast from October 7, 1957, to January 13, 1958. The series aired on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC following a half-hour prime time version of American Bandstand. The Guy Mitchell Show faced strong competition from The Burns and Allen Show, a situation comedy on CBS starring George Burns and Gracie Allen, and from John Payne's NBC Western, The Restless Gun.
Mitchell’s guest stars, performing songs, dances, or skits, included dancer and pianist Johnny Bach, Jack Carson, Mindy Carson, Gloria DeHaven, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting, Dolores Hawkins, The Four Step Brothers, and baseball pitcher Jerome “Dizzy” Dean. Berry sings his hit song, "Rock and Roll Music" in the episode which aired on December 16, 1957.