The White Shadow (1978-1981)- anyone remember this drama series?

It was about a white, former NBA player who now was a coach at a mostly black inner-city school. Lmaoooooooo. God, this show would never fly today.

Tim Van Patten was hot to death in it; he had an episode where he falls in love with a female teacher. And IIRC they actually do it- or maybe just wishful thinking on my part-

He was supposed to be Italian - his name was "Salami" - ahem

Yes. I was in junior high at the time, and knew a girl whose father went to college with Ken Howard. And she WOULD NOT SHUT UP about it.

One of my brothers favorite shows even though he didn't like basketball. I could never get into it a a kid but maybe now I'd give it a chance.

Was there a gay or a rape episode?

I think he was married to Dear Abby or Ann Landers daughter

[quote] It was about a white, former NBA player who now was a coach at a mostly black inner-city school. Lmaoooooooo. God, this show would never fly today.

And? Where are you trying to go with this? According to your thread title, the show ended in 1981. I don't feel like doing the math but it was a long time ago.

Great show. I was in junior high school then, and I loved looking at those guys. Even the daddy coach.

I remember there was one episode with a gay-ish theme.

It was about one male student who was close friends with another male student. The friend started hanging out with other guys, who the first guy wasn't friends with, or didn't get along with, or something, and he felt left out and jealous. He said something his friend about it, I don't remember what it was exactly, maybe he issued a "them or me" ultimatum or something, I'm not sure. But it backfired on him and all those guys started making fun of him and saying he was a fag, and it became a big bullying thing.

I distinctly remember that episode because I was going through something similar at the time. Not the 'fag" part, just the part about having a close friend who was friends with other guys who didn't like me and I didn't like them. There was no sexual attraction going on, it was just all about emotional intimacy and feelings. That show hit me because I'd never seen those type of feelings between guy friends addressed on TV before.

R11 that has nothing to do with homosexuals.

Originally titled "The White Savior"

R6 Yea, it was the one who started her own advice column. Marlo? Or something like that.

Anyway, we all still remember Ken and his team. Good show.

It was produced by MTM productions and at the end of the closing credits for the production company credit logo, instead of the MTM cat going "meow" it bounced a miniature basketball.

The show was good its first season or so, but then there were cast changes as some of the guys graduated high school so new team members had to be found. That was realistic, but the new guys weren't as interesting and that impacted ratings.

Another production from the MTM quality factory. Goop's dad got his first big job.

It saved CBS's ass in 1977-78, because they found themselves unexpectedly in third place that season. It did well in a couple of previously dire 8pm time slots.

But when Dallas, Incredible Hulk and Dukes of Hazzard took off, the network dumped the show.

Much of the creative team moved on to St. Elsewhere.

Aka ‘The Pretty White Bottom’

Ken Howard was so convincing to me as a high school basketball teacher that it is still disarming to me when I see him in anything else.

“Ok, everyone in the locker room”

“Anything you say coach”

They’re from THE STREET

It was semi-autobiographical. Ken Howard was the only white starter on his high school basketball team. He was a good actor who did Broadway before tv. It was a good show without a lot of the usual "noble white guy" schtick. One of his wives was "Ann Landers" daughter.

They crossed over the character of Coolidge to St. Elsewhere. They even included an interaction with the actor who'd previously portrayed Salami.

Does everyone earn each other’s respect?

No trans players??? CANCEL!!!!

Original Working Title: “Dropped Soap”

MTM must have really liked the film version of 1776. Nearly everyone in that movie got a leading role in an MTM show.

William Daniels - St. Elsewhere

Ken Howard - White Shadow

Blythe Danner - Tattingers

John Cullum - Northern Exposure

R27- William Daniels always seemed GAY to me.

I remember hoping for a shower scene every week.

r27 "Northern Exposure" was not an MTM show.

Loved Salami. It never occurred to me as a kid that there may have been an anatomical reason for his nickname.

r23 So does that mean that The White Shadow was also a dream of the autistic kid ? Did he have a snow globe of the high school too ?

It was a decent show. I remember my brother and I really liked it when we were kids. I was still in grade school and he was in junior high. My brother and I always got along very well, but our taste in TV shows was different. This was one show we both liked. R15 got it right. It was good for a season or two, but then cast changes hurt it and the dynamic changed. By the end of its run it just wasn't as good.

I always liked Ken Howard and as a gayling, he made me tingle. He was a hot daddy coach. But watching the show back, his toupee is terrible.

There's a weird thread connecting the musical 1776, The White Shadow, and St. Elsewhere.

1776 starred Ken Howard (White Shadow) and William Daniels (St. Elsewhere), and featured Blythe Danner (mother of Gwyneth Paltrow).

Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth's dad) produced both TV shows.

Does anyone remember Bill Murray spoofing the theme song in his lounge lizard voice?

That seems so clear to me but I can’t find it anywhere.

Heh, I thought of the same thing....I think it was "The Black Shadow" from 1979. Can't find the audio though :/

^^^ Saturday Night Live skit

Yes! The Black Shadow - that was it.

Thx R38

I have vague memories of it being a standout in the sea of trash that was 70s TV.

Whoops, r31. I assumed because it was a Brand/Falsey show it was MTM. Change the connection to Brand/Falsey then.

This show was one of my teenage guilty pleasures and seemed like it was shot right out of my own high school. Here's the episode about a gay kid who's been transferred from another district.

Wow, the clip at R43 made the coach look like a complete bigot. And he was supposed to be the hero of the show? He wants to cut someone from the team because he suspects he’s gay and would try to put the moves on the other players.

Spoiler: In the rest of the episode at R43, the coach becomes aware of his bigotry and has a change of heart. So there's that.

R44 It's fiction meant to dramatize the issue!

I remember a gunwrenching episodes when one of the players was shot and killed.

Great show, very entertaining and actors melded well and seemed real. 70s low key vibe. I loved salami too, they were all good in their roles, believable.

OP: the coach was white so what.

OP since the actor played ball in real life, even though he’s a horrible white person, does he get a pass, no cultural appropriation charges? I liked it when everyone could play sports just had to have skills, you equal opportunity

I loved this show and watched it every week.

I loved it too, much simpler time and lots of locker room scenes.

R28 William Daniels is now gay by default. He's too damn old to get any pussy.

Excuse me, R53! He still pounds my pussy every night!

Sometimes we incorporate our *four* Emmy Awards!

“The Coach comes off like a complete bigot!”

Ummm most of the country is bigoted, yet alone in 1978!

Would love to see a remake of this series. Have Jerry Sandusky play the coach to spice things up. Kevin Hart could play Coolidge.

[quote]Be thankful the gay kid wasn’t beaten or worse.

Hey, he had to survive if he was going to play Gary on thirtysomething ten years later. Then "or worse" could happen.

R2, TV guest star and Streets of San Francisco Queen Darlene Carr played the teacher; when the White shadow had a problem with her sleeping with Salami, she said, 'to use your terms - NO HARM, NO FOUL'

but of course 25 year old Salami (he looked it) couldn't handle it emotionally and the teacher got in trouble, I recall.

SNL spoofed this; the Black Shadow; an all white goody good team keeping their black coach out of trouble.

Couldn't stand it. Sports. Jocks. The source of many school nightmares.

Isn’t that statue rape? Why is it treated so lightly?

You all know Salami being called Salami was not because of his endowment and would be considered derogatory now, right?

The coach made me feel like a lady.

[quote]Isn’t that statue rape?

OUCH! Sounds painful.

Besides -- David has a micropeen.

"The White Shadow" is the least annoying offspring of Bruce Paltrow

I was too young to be interested but I remember this show being a favorite of my dad, uncle and older cousin.

I do remember this show. I love how pant on men back then cut off their circulation and apparently went straight to their scalp.

[quote] I love how pant on men back then cut off their circulation and apparently went straight to their scalp.

You might want to loosen your pant. You don't make sense.

This could be the box cover of a William Higgins feature, circa 1984.

I just watched a marathon of this and wow it’s crazy how un PC tv was back then. It was a great thing actually. This show in particular was raw and let everything and anything fly. I was surprised how most topics are relevant today, they even had a story about autism.

I do agree that S3 was a mistake with getting rid of players and adding new ones. There were too many to keep track of as it was, but adding newer faces was confusing and they were corny. What happened to Hayward? It didn’t seem like he graduating, but he disappeared in the 3rd season too and I must’ve missed the reason.

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