45 Years Ago in TV Guide Magazine

From our March 17, 1979, issue.

For our cover story, we profiled actor Mike Farrell who had been playing Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H for four seasons. It was a tough transition for viewers when he replaced original cast member Wayne Rogers (Trapper John) in 1975 as Hawkeye’s (Alan Alda) sidekick, but their partners-in-crime pairing worked, and M*A*S*H was still ranked in the Top Ten when we interviewed Farrell, his wife and other cast members. The takeaway? Farrell could be so noble sometimes that even his wife couldn’t stand it!

The Love Boat on wheels. That’s how we described NBC’s Supertrain, an adventure drama being prepped for the next season. We chronicled the extravagant and expensive sets in photo layouts that even in 1979 looked impressive. Which they should, since this nuclear-powered train included stores, a medical center, gym, a disco, and even a swimming pool. We didn’t know then that we would later rank it as one of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time.

Also in the Guide:  A brief, one line mention of an upcoming “humorous newsmagazine” show called Real People that would become a huge ratings hit and influence reality TV for decades…. A review of the TV-movie The Jericho Mile with Peter Strauss that would go on to win three Emmys…A preview of an ABC news special that at the time seemed unique, which would follow a criminal trial from beginning to end… and readers writing in to praise Julia Child, complain about a ‘gluttonous’ amount of sports programing, and wonder if Archie Bunker’s chair really deserves to be in the Smithsonian.