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The ABC Afternoon Playbreak


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This Child is Mine also starred Don Galloway(Buzz GH)

Other familiar names to appear in various eps include Denise Alexander,Patty Duke,Julie Kavner,Juliet Mills.Bert Convy,Rue McClanahan,Beverlee McKinsey and Eve Arden.

According to IMDB there were 17 movies in all.IMDB and Wikipedia don't tally in terms of what was Afternoon Playbreak and what was Matinee Theater ,which they say ran everyday for a week in December 73

i wonder what was the thinking behind these one off movies that pre-empted the soaps.

NBC did something called First Ladies Diaries in late 75/early 76,3 90 min(i think) afternoonmovies that had a ton of soap names involved.

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Months ago, I think when GL was first cancelled, I brought up these old play breaks. I wondered if once all or most of the soaps are gone, the networks would consider the occasional daytime special like this, preempting whatever game show or talk show (this would be especially good during summer months when kids are home and all of the syndicated shows are repeats). I mean, we hardly get primetime TV movies anymore, but I think soap fans will be so hungry after a while that even a week-long soapy miniseries could do well, especially if cast with some familiar soap faces.

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No the Helen falling through the window was the Angel Dust drug one I remember.

I do remember many of the 80s ones, like Scott Baio as a stoner (STONED it was called apparently--he also played a teenaged drunk in The Boy Who Drank Too Much but that was before my time lol). They're both on youtube.

The one I wish I could find a clip of as it sounds vaguely familiar (i would have been 6 though) was one from 1987 called What If I'm Gay? that aired on CBS and I'm surprised it wasn't more controversial (maybe it was? since no one seems to have a copy for youtube). IMDB says it aired as part of CBS Schoolbreak Special and has this synopsis: "The popular and macho captain of the high-school soccer team is forced to confront his homosexuality, after his buddies discover a male-pornography magazine in his bedroom. " Which I have to admit is far more than I'd expect from an afterschool special in the 80s lol.

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ha, me and my friends use to play STONED and The Boy Who Drank Too Much all the time at house partys, along with Reefer Madness and a few others films like that.

I am, so glad i didnt grow up with after school specials. I grew up when in mid/late afternoon we got reruns of Blossom, Family Matters, Step by Step, Fullhouse, Mr Belevidere, Small Wonder, Saved By The Bell and whatnot. All were pretty afterschool special-esq tho. lol.

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I can remember both growing up--the Specials when younger and most of the sitcoms you mentioned. The specials often pre empted the 3-4 slot anyway and the sitcoms aired later, it's not like you got one or the other.

(and yeah in a way the "very special episodes" were based on those specials)

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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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They also did one on AIDS that I remember watching as a kid. One of Wesley's classmates got it from a transfusion and the parents of the other kids wanted him kicked out of school a la Ryan White. They do a school play and when the kid with AIDS comes on stage, parents stand up in the audience and shout for their kids to get away from him. :o:( At the end of the episode, Wesley's the one to stand by his friend, and he gives him a big hug.

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Honestly I'm not sure if that's all that much worse. I do agree with you that the majority of "traditional" sitcoms now are crude and mean spirited--but really the ham fisted way that date rape is shoe horned into Blossom, for instance, is *awful* and it wouldn't play at all now, and even as a kid I knew it was laughable. (I'm not talking of examples like the abortion episode of Maude etc--other issue storylines) I mean Carl, you're the one who called AMC's homophobia storyline in 1997 heavy handed--compared to nearly any fo these "very special episodes" it's as subtle as Sondheim!

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Awww, Wesley from Mr. Belvedere!

Here's a promo for the cocaine ASS. The happy music and chirpy voice over do present quite a contrast with the shot of that chick with blood streaming from her nose.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I don't remember this one, but it's from the 70s and is called "My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel." Downtown Dad is obviously Beau Bridges, and the little tyke is already tugging at my heartstrings.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnNAWE294o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnNAWE294o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnNAWE294o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

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