1976 was a truly historic year. Jimmy Carter won the presidential election, Apple and Microsoft both got their start, and the floppy disk was invented. Aside from landmark political and business milestones, 1976 was the year that polyester, bell bottoms, leisure suits, flower-patterned dresses, and sideburns reigned supreme in the fashion world.
On the radio, Wing's Silly Love Songs, Elton John and Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart, and Johnnie Taylor's Disco Lady were playing on repeat while rock bands like AC/DC, Blondie, Boston or Aerosmith were changing the world with their edgy sound.
On TV, the shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, The Sonny and Cher Show, and Rhoda were making waves. Perhaps most importantly (although we say that somewhat facetiously) Battle of the Network Stars, which aired on ABC, was a series of competitions that made its debut on November 13, 1976. The show offered an athletic competition between various well-known stars of primetime television shows from all three major networks at the time, ABC, CBS, and NBC.
The notion of actors turning into athletes and competing against each other was at first seen as being so absurd that it could only be introduced to the audience with a tongue and cheek intro that didn't seem to take itself very seriously. The show's intro spoke of lines being drawn where soldiers arriving 'not on foot nor horseback but by jet and limousine' would 'hurl themselves against each other in mortal combat...lusting for victory at any cost'.
While the concept was presented to the viewers with a bit of a wink, it didn't take long for the participants to start taking the competition very seriously. The viewers also took to the concept fairly quickly, leading Battle of the Network Stars to be one of the biggest surprise hits of the year.
The very first installment of the Battle of the Network Stars in 1976 was fairly revolutionary for it's time. A total of 19 competitions were held between 1976 and 1988 and there have been several attempts to revive the series since then. Most recently ABC revived the competition as a summer series that ran from June to September 2017. Join Facts Verse as we review the various teams and stars that took part in that first trailblazing internetwork event almost fifty years ago.
Battle of the Network Stars Was the Sexiest TV Show of 1976
By: Facts Verse Title: Battle of the Network Stars Was the Sexiest TV Show of 1976 Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EveK1pmNDro
