Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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GREAT SCOTT! From the Lost and Obscure Pilots Department: Here's a complete-ish broadcast of an ABC Network "busted pilot" - "Old Friends", as transmitted over WLS Channel 7. ("Complete-ish," because the opening title sequence is missing, though the rest is intact; as another show had been recorded over the first half hour of the tape; they likely recorded Happy Days, which preceded this broadcast.)

This apparently hasn't seen the light of day - anywhere - since it originally aired, almost 42 years ago!

Even though it's missing - based on the ending credits music being an instrumental version of "Teach your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - can we assume the opening theme was something similar? Maybe a cover-vocal version of the song?

The plot, according to IMDb, was this: "Jerry Forbes is a big-time lawyer who gets divorced and gives up his position at a New York City firm to move back to his home town of Columbia, Ohio [surely they didn't mean Columbus?]. There, he struggles to raise his son, fifteen-year-old Mark, while helping his father, Phil, keep the family drugstore afloat. Meanwhile, he meets Laura, his old high-school flame who's now a local disc jockey. The two rekindle their relationship despite that fact that she is married to Charlie, Jerry's old pal, who is now the high-school football coach."

Jerry is played by Christopher Lloyd, here in-between Taxi and the original "Back to the Future" movie; the rest of the cast is filled out by Jennifer Salt, Grant Forsberg, John Randolph, Deborah Goodrich, Stanley Kamel, and Steve Ryan; and guest starring Peter Van Norden. Writer and executive producer was Elliot Shoenman, the producer was Tom Cherones, and the director was Michael Lessac.

Includes:

Commercial: Olympic Gold & Silver Coins - "No one knows what they'll be worth tomorrow..." (joined in progress)

Act I

Theatrical trailer for TV for "The Last Starfighter"

Commercial: Dentyne

Promo for Arizona Wranglers vs. Philadelphia Stars (voiceover by Fred Collins?)

Promo for XXIII Summer Olympic Games (voiceover by Fred Collins?)

ABC/Olympic ID with lower-third station ID

Act II

Commercials for:

AT&T (with Andy Griffith)

Arby's Famous Roast Beef - "Welcome to Arby's - You're Right Where You Belong"

Promo for 20/20 (with Hugh Downs)

Ending credits (with voiceover promo for T.J. Hooker, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island by Bob Lloyd):

Story Consultant - Richard Gurman
Consultant - John Markus
Associate Producer - Faye Oshima
Casting By Marc Schwartz
Director of Photography (E) - Kenneth Peach, A.S.C.
Art Director - Tommy Goetz
Videotape Editor - Kelly Sandefur
Associate Director - Thomas Klein
Stage Managers - Gerry Cohen, Joann Singer
Set Decorator - Bruce Kay
Script Supervisor - Marjorie Mullen
Music By Artie Butler
Technical Director - Parker Roe
Audio - Gordon Klimuck
Video - Eric Clay
Cameras - Paul Basta, Rick Caswell, Dick Price, Irv Waitsman
Women's Costumer - Bettylee Balsam
Men's Costumer - Kimon Bayzlie
Makeup Artist - Mark Bussan
Hair Stylist - Rick Provenzano
Assistant to Elliot Shoenman - Courtney Flavin
Assistants to Tom Cherones - Linda Nieber, Michael Casey
The persons and events in this program are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons or events is unintentional.
COPYRIGHT (c) 1984 MCMLXXXIV
This program is protected under laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.
 
followed by E&L Productions, Inc. and Paramount Television bumpers

Promo for Wilfred Benitez vs. Davey Moore boxing match and World Lumberjack Championships on Wide World of Sports (voiceover by Scott Muni)

Commercials for:

Lowenbrau beer

7-Eleven (with world amateur super heavyweight champion Tyrell Biggs)

Station ID / promo for Eyewitness News at 10pm (with preview of Roger Ebert review of "The Muppets Take Manhattan")

'Closed-Captioned' bumper, followed by the beginning of opening titles for Lottery! (entire episode can be seen here: youtu.be/l7bSoogN_0w)

This aired on local Chicago TV on Thursday, July 12th 1984 during the 7:32pm to 8:01pm timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!