Blog: Black and white TV's, Bryant's Sunday review show, Great pair says the Bear

Tide&True · Oct 2, 2012

I wonder how many current TideFans can remember these things. When I was kid I looked forward to watching Coach Bryant's Sunday review show. The MC of the show would always have to remind Coach Bryant of commercials and when the show was about to end. Coach Bryant would get carried away talking about meeting some of the parents of the players after the game. In fact Coach would let several plays on the tape review of the game go by while talking on and on about meeting so and so's mother and dad. At certain points Coach Bryant would yell out "Bingo!" as a Tide defender would de-cleat a member of the opposing team. Typically he would say things like "he was out to practice early" when a player was uncontested while going into the end zone for a score. Many of the games reviewed on the show were routs by Alabama over a hapless opponent...therefore as Coach Bryant's gravelly voice droned I would inevitably drift off to sleep while visions of Bama victories danced in my head.

Perhaps there are a few of you who can add your memories as well.

bama119 · Oct 2, 2012

I also fondly remember watching Coach Bryant's review shows. He would have a coke and bag of golden flake chips in front of him on the desk. He would also say " thats a goodie" I loved the way he would talk about the players, where they were from and other things about the player that that made you feel like you knew them.
But we better be careful, we're telling our age here.:smile:

tidegrandpa · Oct 2, 2012

I remember the radio broadcast from the previous day/night and make it a point to see the most exciting plays and scores on the Bear Bryant Show Sunday afternoon. When Denny Chimes rang, I was front and center of the tube.

BamaNBossier · Oct 2, 2012

Sunday afternoons in Alabama was not for Pro football. At 4pm, you were in front of the tv to watch Coach Bryant's show, and in Birmingham at 5 Auburn would come on.
I have read that the Coach Bryant's replay show had the highest viewer audience of any replay show ever, not sure if true , but what I read one day. But was something you didnt miss as an young Alabama fan, listening to the game on Saturday on the radio and watching Coach Bryant on Sunday.... One other, anyone remember Leonard's Losers on Saturday mornings, Our family sat around kitchen table to hear his show every Saturday.. great memories..RTR

Tide&True · Oct 2, 2012

BamaNBossier said:
Sunday afternoons in Alabama was not for Pro football. At 4pm, you were in front of the tv to watch Coach Bryant's show, and in Birmingham at 5 Auburn would come on.
I have read that the Coach Bryant's replay show had the highest viewer audience of any replay show ever, not sure if true , but what I read one day. But was something you didnt miss as an young Alabama fan, listening to the game on Saturday on the radio and watching Coach Bryant on Sunday.... One other, anyone remember Leonard's Losers on Saturday mornings, Our family sat around kitchen table to hear his show every Saturday.. great memories..RTR

I definitely remember Leonard's Losers! He often referred to Alabama as the "pachyderms".

CB4 · Oct 2, 2012

Tide&True said:
I definitely remember Leonard's Losers! He often referred to Alabama as the "pachyderms".

His real name was Leonard Postero and went by "Leonard Postoasties" (Post-Toasties). He died about 10 years ago. Would listen to him every Saturday morning. Instead picking a winner, he would pick the loser.

Remember him in 1977 in the game versus USC in Los Angeles picking a young Alabama team (that later developed in the 1978 and 1979 National Champions) to upset the then, I believe, number 1 Trojans. ("Leonard's Loser, in an upset, USC")

And, by golly, they did!:biggrin2:

Clubfitter · Oct 2, 2012

Used to get the biggest kick out of listening to Coach Bryant trying to pronounce Thad Flanagan. He would always say Fad Thanagan. He would just hush and say he is a good un.

jdua · Oct 2, 2012

"There's Peter Kim, from Korea, Alabama......" :smile:

CB4 · Oct 2, 2012

Clubfitter said:
Used to get the biggest kick out of listening to Coach Bryant trying to pronounce Thad Flanagan. He would always say Fad Thanagan. He would just hush and say he is a good un.

What about Dave Gerasimchuk, the "big offensive line" (at 265 lbs)? Bryant couldn't say his name so he referred to him as "Big Chunk".

dvldog · Oct 2, 2012

If you listed through the years, you could catch little hints of the players he especially loved. He loved Musso. Effort players really held a special place in his heart I think.

Tide&True · Oct 2, 2012

dvldog said:
If you listed through the years, you could catch little hints of the players he especially loved. He loved Musso. Effort players really held a special place in his heart I think.

Musso is my favorite planner of all time...you would be hard pressed to find a former Bama player with more heart than he had.

bamamc1 · Oct 2, 2012

I loved watching that show as a kid with my family on Sundays. We were lucky to get on TV 2-3 times per year so you watched the show to see what you heard John and Doug call on the radio. My Dad passed away 7 years ago this month and I have many fond memories of watching and listening to Bama football with him. I can still smell the parched peanuts in the oven and can hear John Forney describe the games like it was yesterday. Great times. RTR

BigBama76 · Oct 2, 2012

I'll never forget those Sunday afternoons with the "Bear". They were important because most of the games we had to listen to on the radio and the Sunday highlights let you see what you'd missed. Of course coach's gravelly voice rambling along in the background just added to it.

bamachile · Oct 2, 2012

Thanks for the memories, folks. I was a child for most of this (born 1967), but those are good childhood memories. Bear talking about how his 'skinny-legged' boys had a hard row to hoe against that fine Nebraska team, B&W Ford Philco TV, Golden Flake 'tater chips', Leonard's Losers, etc. Think I'll go watch that YouTube video of the 1978 Sugar Bowl again...

bamamoss2 · Oct 2, 2012

I was among those who enjoyed the show with Paul "Bear" Bryant and Charlie Thornton hosting. One of the most memorable was when they tried to celebrate the Coach's birthday and he wanted none of it. Takes up too much time and away from talking about the players. Poor old Charlie was perplexed.

You did not want to be Charlie on days after a loss. He was always on pins and needles it seemed on those few days.

It was also very special to watch on days following a victory over Auburn. You could hear Coach talk about how the players excelled here and there. Then, on the Auburn show Shug Jordan would come on and talk about how the grass was too high or the wind too strong.....

Ole Man Dan · Oct 2, 2012

Coach Bryant always managed to single out some people who attended the games.
Comments like: 'It was good to see Col. Davis and his wife Minnie at the game'.
I never knew who most of the people were, but we always listened to see who were singled out.
Coach Bryant loved to talk about our 'Little ole Boys',
or 'Our skinny legged Boys'.

Favorite Coach Bryant rumors was the different bowl's calling him and Coach Bryant making the parings for the games.
(I kinda believe that one)
I'm not saying that Coach Bryant was the man,
but if you needed a coaching job, a call to CPB
and they had the inside track on the job...
OR...
Listening to 'Big John Hannah' talking about going into a pile and stealing the football.
He didn't want to face CPB if he came out W/O the ball.
I believe that one too.

BamaNBossier · Oct 2, 2012

But NO game gave Coach Bryant joy more than, beating Tenn. IMO.

Boo Radley · Oct 2, 2012

Yep, great memories for sure. I always got a kick out of seeing Charlie open and pour a big bag of Golden Flake chips into a bowl, then simultaneously with Coach, take a swig from a Coke bottle. It always happened at the opening of the show right after Charlie said "brought to you by Golden Flake ... (open & pour chips) . . . and Coca Cola (swig), and usually before Coach Bryant growled out his first words. It was so down home, but also must see TV every Sunday.

I also have fond memories of dove hunting on warm September Saturdays while listening to John Forney and Doug Layton call the game through a shirt pocket radio and mono earphone. Those were surely the good ole days.:smile:

bamachile · Oct 2, 2012

Boo Radley said:
I also have fond memories of dove hunting on warm September Saturdays while listening to John Forney and Doug Layton call the game through a shirt pocket radio and mono earphone. Those were surely the good ole days.:smile:

I was just reminiscing last week about how long it had been since I did just that. The time I remember dove hunting on a 'Bama game day the most was on my grandmother's place on Sand Mountain in 1986 or '87. We were #2 and lost to Penn State that day - I was shocked.

CrimsonForever1 · Oct 2, 2012

There was also an hour show on sunday mornings that recapped most of the games as Bill Fleming was host..... He would show short replays of most teams for a half hour and for the other half, he would highlight just one team..... Bama was the highlight team many times...... But the Bear Bryant Show and Shug Jordan show was usually a family event for a Sunday afternoon...... If The New York Jets with Joe Namath was on in the old AFL broadcasts, I was in heaven!!!! Do the older generation remember that the Blitz was once called the" Red Dog"? I was trying to remember when that term changed...

Blog: Black and white TV's, Bryant's Sunday review show, Great pair says the Bear

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