That's Incredible vs. Real People -- the (US-specific) TV challenge of truth!

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The very fate of how we viewed the transition from Carter to Reagan depends on this.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

John Davidson, after.

http://www.monicarobinsonltd.com/assets/images/jd01.jpg

― Kenan (kenan), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Honestly, I don't remember "Real People" at all. I do remember "That's Incredible," though, so i vote for that.

― Kenan (kenan), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Great, now I don't need to worry about my appetite for the rest of the day. xpost

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Skip Stephenson, after:

http://incolor.inebraska.com/sumaree/nebraskafilm/images/stephensongravea.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

MAD Magazine ran a parody of both shows called "That's Real Incredible, People."

I went to elementary school with Real People "roving reporter" Bill Rafferty's son.

I preferred "That's Incredible," though, because they often had creepy segments on ghosts and other incredible phenomena.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Airplane crashes and things like that.

But!

It ALSO had a segment where a guy played Dragon's Lair all the way to the end. At long last you could see how the damn thing ended instead of watching Dirk the Daring rot to pieces again (entertaining as that was).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, wasn't there a segment on video game "wiz kids"? I remember thinking the guy who was really good at Tempest seemed way too old to be described as a "wiz kid". I think he had a moustache.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

didn't nickelodeon have a show like this, with the guy with big white hair who did all those mouth-sounds? i think he actually came out with a book/instructional videotape called "Mouth-Sounds"

― kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

There was also "Those Amazing Animals," with Burgess Meredith and some other people. This show undoubtedly played a role in the Carter-Reagan transition as well.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahah, good lord, now we're dredging.

I suppose I should also mention...

*raspy voice*

"BELIEVE IT...orrrr NOT!"

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:Pl2Q6FTTt7cJ:bad-music.empty-handed.com/gallery/images/palance_thumb.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Jack Palance once played a role in a Jean-Luc Godard movie...believe it or not!

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I remember liking That's Incredible better at the time, as it seemed like respectable television .. (Notice I did not call it "T.V." - because "T.V." is a nickname, and a nickname is something you give your friends, and television is *no* friend of mine.) .. to a 12 year old; Real People seemed somewhat scuzzy - like Married With Children - although that did not stop me from watching it.. but I felt like it was a guilty pleasure.

But in retrospect, Real People was way better and had way better hosts... including Peter Billingsly.

(Those Amazing Animals was a horrible show - although that did not stop me from watching it. Bonus points if you can name the sidekicks of each of the hosts, besides Burgess Meredith's penguin.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh my god, I was 14 when That's Incredible started. What a loser I was for watching it at that age.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Jesus, man. I at least had the vague excuse of being 7.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

haha i watched both of these, i should give real people the nod if only cuz that's incredible pissed me off too much as a kid with that 'REAL FOOTAGE OF A GHOST' and then it's just some can falling off a shelf or something ooh big deal. then again i'm pretty sure that's incredible had more motorcycle jumpers too so maybe they can be forgiven

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't remember that the hosts of "Those Amazing Animals" had animal sidekicks/familiars. That's hilarious.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Real People once had a segment about gay rodeos -- with men square-dancing with each other -- that practically made the eyes pop out of my skull, it was so fucking weird to the ten-year-old me.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

animal sidekicks -
I think Jim Stafford's was a spider or a snake. Probably a snake.
Prissy Presley's - I can't remember, but it was something cute like a monkey or a cat.

That whole Kathy Lee Crosby/ Dar Robinson quasi-romance was iritating as hell. And all the fake suspense (similar to the fake ghost.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's also not forget Speak Up, America! IMDB says Marjoe Gortner (creepy dude!), Jayne Kennedy (she sure fell off the map) and Sergio Aragonés (he drew comics during the show) were part of it. There was also some electronic voting whatchamacallit involved where people who lived in Ohio (I think) were asked about pressing topics of the day or something.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

That sounds vaguely familiar. I was (and am) a Sergio Aragones fan, so I probably watched it at least once.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh shit, I forgot about that show. Wasn't there another with some loud-mouthed woman host - obnoxious as hell - kind of a poor man's Sarah Purcell. ??

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 11 November 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

That's Incredible was half Barnum & Bailey. The hosts of Real People always seemed to be snickering, as if they had X-Ray Goggles on or something.

Blount OTM on That's Incredible being suckers. They had the Amazing Randi come on in one episode and he totally debunked Uri "Spoonbender" Gellar but the hosts wouldn't even call Uri to the carpet.

Cathy Lee Crosby was kind of hot.

― don weiner, Thursday, 11 November 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

hottest tv crosby: the one who shot jr. she's still a babe.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 November 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Blount OTM.

(happy vets' day, BTW. thanks for that.)

― don weiner, Thursday, 11 November 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

That one was awesome. Gellar got pwned.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The horror: my uncle was on Real People once. Not tellin' why, so there.

My favorite moment from either show had to be where the kung fu guy jumped over the speeding Lamborghini. He miscalculated and hit the windshield. I think his ankle was pretty f'ed up.

That's also the only moment from either show that I remember. Other than my uncle. Which I try to forget.

― Hunter (Hunter), Thursday, 11 November 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The horror: my uncle was on Real People once. Not tellin' why, so there.

He had the waterskiing squirrel, yeah?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 11 November 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember the guy who could drink a pitcher of beer in one second, standing on his head. Nice uncle ya got there, Hunter.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 11 November 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Why do I get the feeling some TV exec this very day is thinking about bringing one of these shows back?

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 11 November 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Undoubtedly. But can anybody fill Skip Stephenson's shoes?

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 11 November 2004 21:14 (twenty-one years ago)

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