Battle of the Network Stars

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Battle of the Network Stars was the name of nineteen U.S. television specials featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS, and NBC.

The first Battle was broadcast on ABC starting in November 1976, with subsequent episodes airing approximately every six months until May 1985. It returned to the air for a final show in December 1988. It consisted of a two-hour sequence of physical challenges, which were real and sometimes even aggressively competitive. Sports broadcasting legend Howard Cosell hosted or co-hosted almost all of the specials, and commented on the action with a semi-serious version of the style for which he was famous. NBC tried to revive the show fifteen years after the final "Battle" in 2003 (without Cosell, who had died in 1995) and with only NBC stars for an intra-network contest.[citation needed]

Each team had a captain; they and their fellow teammates were interviewed during the contest, engaging in sometimes earnest and campy discussions about the competition.

One regular contest on the program was a game of "Simon Says" directed by Catskill hotel Grossinger's entertainer Lou Goldstein[1].


Contents

[edit] I: November 1976

[edit] II: February 1977

[edit] III: November 1977

[edit] IV: May 1978

[edit] V: November 1978

[edit] VI: May 1979

[edit] VII: November 1979

[edit] VIII: May 1980

[edit] IX: December 1980

[edit] X: May 1981

[edit] XI: December 1981

[edit] XII: May 1982

[edit] XIII: December 1982

[edit] XIV: May 1983

[edit] XV: December 1983

[edit] XVI: May 1984

[edit] XVII: December 1984

[edit] XVIII: May 1985

[edit] XIX: 1988


Competition includes swimming, kayaking, golf, tennis, cycling, the baseball dunk, running, the obstacle course, and finally the top two scoring teams face off in the tug-of-war.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1], SRO Productions

[edit] External links