NORTH SHORE TO W E R S 18 North Shore Towers Courier n 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION n June 2015 40 • 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE • DID YOU KNOW? Building of North Shore Towers begins in 1971; Tower #1 is completed in 1973; Tower #2 in 1974; and Tower #3 in 1975. 1975 TELEVISION When the residential complex opens, it is the only gated residential community in New York with its own zip code: 11005 1 All in the Family (CBS) 2 Rich Man, Poor Man (ABC) 3 Laverne & Shirley (ABC) 4 Maude (CBS) 5 The Bionic Woman (ABC) 6 Phyllis (CBS) 7 Sanford and Son (NBC) 8 Rhoda (CBS) 9 The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC) 10 ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC) Live from NEW YORK The Pittsburgh Steelers confronted the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX on January 2 to start the year off. The game was held in New Orleans, Lousiana, and pit two of the NFL’s best defenses, each fronted by future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Terry Bradshaw led Pittsburgh’s “Iron Curtain” while Fran Tarkenton led Minnesota’s “Purple People Eaters”. The Vikings were trying to redeem themselves from losing to the Miami Dolphins the year before, 24–7, in Super Bowl VIII. The Steelers had different plans, limiting the Vikings to Super Bowl record lows in first downs (nine), total offensive yards (119), rushing yards (17), and no offensive scores. Minnesota’s only score came on a blocked punt, but they didn’t even score on the extra point attempt. Steelers went on to win their first Lombardi Trophy, 16–6. The sports year ended in October in spectacular fashion when the Boston Red Sox faced the Cincinnati Reds in what many deem as one of the greatest World Series ever. Seven eventual Hall of Famers played in the series, including the starting catchers for both teams—Johnny Bench for Cincinnati and Carlton Fisk for Boston—Joe Morgan and Carl Yastrzemski. The series ran the full seven games, including two going into extra innings, the second of which, Game 6 at Fenway Park, would go down as one of the greatest games in baseball history. The score was tied, heading into extras. There was no further scoring until Carlton Fisk’s famous homerun in the bottom of the 12th inning, an iconic baseball moment, with Fisk wildly waving his arms, as if coaxing the ball to “stay fair.” It did, and the Sox e v e n e d the series with the win, eventually losing the series 24 hours later in Game 7. SPORTS ► Muhammad Ali beats Joe Fraser in the “Thriller In Manilla” match ► NBA Championship: Golden State Warriors defeat Washington Bullets ► Stanley Cup Championship: Philadelphia Flyers defeat Buffalo Sabres ► Foolish Pleasure wins the Kentucky Derby ► Lou Graham wins the PGA U.S. Open ► Manuel Orantes and Christine Marie Evert capture the men’s and ladies’ titles, respectively, at the U.S. Open ► Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King take the men’s and ladies’ titles, respectively, at Wimbledon ► NCAA Basketball Champions: UCLA defeats Louisville The big story on the small screen in 1975 was the debut of a live musical sketch comedy show called “Saturday Night,” although no one would have predicted it at the time. NBC was struggling with one show in the Top 10 “Sanford and Son” and that usually stalwart comedy had fallen out of the Top 5. The network’s wet-behind-theears Late-Night Programming Chief, Dick Ebersol, met a young Producer ,Lorne Michaels, who convinced Ebersol to allow him to create a live, 90-minute comedy variety show for the wee hours of Saturday evenings. NBC executives were less enthusiastic, trying to curtail Ebersol’s maverick instincts by suggesting “safe” hosts, like impersonator Rich Little, and musical guests, such as the USC Marching Band, for the unusual new show’s debut. But Ebersol went with counter-culture comic George Carlin and singer/songwriter Janis Ian. Surprisingly, the series was green-lit and “Saturday Night” premiered on October 11, 1975. Michaels put together a team of peer writers and performers, culled from hip comedy troupes, like Second City and National Lampoon. While in line to see “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” in LA, Michaels met Chevy Chase who was entertaining the crowd with wisecracks and pratfalls. The fledgling show received mixed reviews. Jeff Greenfield of the New Yorker noted that the series had “promise” and was “something worth rooting for.” But “Saturday Night” immediately struck a cord and built a devoted following with viewers under 35, who found a show not only for them but by them. Over the decades, “Saturday Night” has churned out waves of marketable characters and movies; ironically becoming that which it was originally intended to attack: the TV establishment. HIGHESTRATED TELEVISION SHOWS OF 1975 1975 SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS AN INCREDIBLE FINISH 1975
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