Pop Culture Flashback: Duct Tape, Pocketknives and MacGyver (Sept. 29)

Richard Dean Anderson stars as a non-violent, and exceptionally smart MacGyver who could save a group of people with a roll of duct tape and Swiss Army Pocketknife.

1985 – ‘MacGyver’ Gets Out of His First Snag

Richard Dean Anderson as MacGvyer — Richard Dean Anderson as *MacGvyer. (ABC via TVDB)*

Sometimes all you need to survive a bad situation is a Swiss Army Knife, a roll of duct tape and maybe some chewing gum as seen on the action-adventure series MacGvyer. Played by Richard Dean Anderson, Angus “Mac” MacGyver is a U.S. government agent who secretly works for the fictional Phoenix Foundation. He is sort of a superhero without a cape. He saves people, prevents disasters and stops criminals all without the use of guns unless he really must.

Time and time again, MacGyver gets out of dangerous situations by using his mind. Not only is he smart, but he’s resourceful. He can get out of tight situations using whatever household items he can get his hands on.

To the casual viewer, some on-the-spot inventions seem outrageous, but consulting scientists were on hand during the making of each episode to make sure that all MacGvyer’s problem solving ideas made scientific sense. Anderson also performed many of his own stunts for the show.

MacGvyer ran for seven seasons on ABC from this day in 1985 to May 1992. When asked why the show was cancelled, Anderson told TV Guide, “The only reason it went off the air was that everybody was ready to move on. I was physically exhausted and had no life.”

The MacGvyer series was followed by two made-for-TV movies in 1994. In 2016, the show was rebooted for CBS with Lucas Till taking the starring role. It ran from 2016-2021.

Will Forte often parodied the character of “MacGruber” for Saturday Night Live beginning in 2007. This led to a MacGruber movie in 2010 and a MacGruber TV series for Peacock in 2021.

1983 – National Coffee Day

While no one really knows for sure why today is considered the National Coffee Day, but one of the most popular theories is that the holiday started on this day in Japan in 1983. It was created as a way to raise awareness about the struggles of the coffee growing farmers and to help promote fair trade coffee.

1960- ‘My Three Sons’ Debuts

The cast of "My Three Sons" — (Wikimedia Commons)

It was on this day in 1960 that America first heard that familiar opening song for My Three Sons which would continue to be played through 1972! The premise of the show featured widower Steven Douglas (Fred MacMurray) raising his three boys along with the help of live-in maternal grandfather played by William Frawley (known for playing Fred on I Love Lucy).

The show began airing in black and white on ABC and then in 1965, the show was moved to CBS and in color. It was also that year that Frawley left due to health reasons and “Uncle Charley” (played by William Demarest) stepped in.

It was also during ‘65’s premiere that Mike, the oldest son, married and then was written out of the show. In order for the 3 Sons title to continue to make sense, Steven then adopted Ernie. Later, middle son, Robbie married and had triplet sons. Then near the show’s end, Steven remarried and became a stepfather to daughter Dorothy. The last episode aired on April 13, 1972.

1969 – ‘Love American Style’ Airs for the First Time

National Coffee Day, "My Three Sons" and "Love American Style" — *(TVDB)*

While never a huge rating hit, Love American Style was a unique and different type of sitcom. The show premiered on this day in 1969 and featured different stories of romance and marriage, most in the form of 15 to 30 minutes in length.

While each episode featured guest stars, there was a main cast as well that played different characters in different scenarios each week. It is said that the show paved the way of the “mini comedic soap opera” that was used in later TV shows like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Most of the stories on Love American Style were light and fluffy, and the jokes were accentuated by a laugh track.

In 1985 ABC tried a daytime revival of the show, New Love, American Style, but it didn’t last long. Another attempt was created in 1998, but the show never made it past the pilot stage.