Saturday, November 29, 2014

Classic TV: Bowling For Dollars (1976)

The concept of Bowling For Dollars actually goes back to the early 70's, but we're focusing on the New York version of the show, which lasted a few years in the 2nd half of the 70's.

What you might not know is that the franchise, which had different hosts in each city, was the brainchild of Bert Claster, the man who was also behind Romper Room, so it stands to reason that some of the same stations  (i.e. WOR in NYC) had both Romper Room and Bowling For Dollars. Like, how cool is that?

Anyway, WOR hired WHN DJ Larry Kenney as their host. Kenney might be better known for his later cartoon work (i.e. the original Thundercats), but back then, he was a big name in the Big Apple. My folks and I would sit and watch every night, since bowling was the one sport we all played. Scope out a sample episode, one I've previously posted over at Saturday Morning Archives.



It's just too bad no one in the Albany market was willing to try this concept out. But, by then, Romper Room had lost its local affiliate, and.......!

Rating: A.

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