All That Glitters

Starring: Barbara Baxley, Lois Nettleton, Vanessa Brown, Jessica Walter
First Aired: April 18, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

Eileen Brennan and Jessica Walter were among the notable celebrities who appeared in All That Glitters. Despite the fact that the show was ahead of its time, it was met with disapproval, most likely due to its socially progressive nature. The sitcom featured one of the first transsexual characters to appear on a major network, and it was a critical success. Linda Gray appeared on the show as the transgender character Linda Murkland, who worked as a fashion model. The show was also ahead of its time in terms of how it flipped the traditional patriarchal relationship on its head. Women were all breadwinners, and the men were either stay-at-home dads, househusbands, or secretaries in the households depicted in the episode. Wes Parker, a former Major League Baseball player, was the show’s lone male voice.

All That Glitters

Hee Haw Honeys

Starring: Misty Rowe, Lulu Roman, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kenny Price
First Aired: September 12, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

The Hee Haw Honeys starred Kathie Lee Gifford, who would later go on to become well-known as the host of The Today Show, as well as Hoda Kotb, who was also a member of the cast. In this sitcom, which was a spinoff of Hee Haw, Gifford appeared alongside Misty Rowe, Lulu Roman, Kenny Price, and Gailard Sartain, among others. During the time period covered by Hee Haw Honeys, the family ran a truck stop (Lulu’s Truck Stop, which was featured on the show Hee Haw). There was a bandstand at the restaurant, and country stars frequently performed there. The show was a cross between a musical and a Western in terms of style and content. In the end, TV Guide rated the spinoff as one of the “worst shows ever,” which was sad.

Hee Haw Honeys