Here's an early Barbara Walters Special (the third, in fact) as aired over WLS Channel 7, before they (and her particular interviewing style) became the subject of many a parody; here, the interviewees are Bob Hope and wife Dolores, Bing Crosby, and Redd Foxx and his third wife, Joi. Sponsored by General Electric.

Includes:

Station ID / promo for "Fort Apache" (voiceover by Al Parker is cut off by what's coming up)

Show opening, with preview of upcoming edition with interview excerpts with each of the celebrities, followed by GE sponsor billboard

Barbara outside the LA skyline at night, setting up coming show and those who she'll be speaking with

Bob Hope interview, starting off on golf course and going through his vast property in Toluca Lake with wife Dolores and Barbara, and going on about the twists and turns in his career, his marriage, and who he worked with; mementos including pictures of him with U.S. Presidents are shown, as is a clip of Dolores singing on one of USO trips to Vietnam

Commercial: General Electric "Progress For People" with actor Pat Hingle as Thomas Edison from 1928

The next segment is with Bing Crosby, then celebrating his 50th year in show business; at the time he was recovering from injuries sustained after falling into an orchestra pit while taping a TV special (though still managed a little soft shoe with Barbara); a look inside his vast mansion outside San Francisco, with various photos from within his career shown; he speaks of his convalescence (this was aired nearly five months prior to his death on 10/14/77), his life and career, and those he worked with

Another GE "Progress For People" commercial with actor Pat Hingle impersonating Thomas Edison

Animated ABC ID with lowerthird station ID

Last up is Redd Foxx, whose 6seasonlong Sanford and Son series "on another network" is about to end and is about to start his own variety show on this network (Redd Foxx, a.k.a. The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, which would end up going down like a lead balloon by midway in the coming season); Barbara mentions the startup of his third marriage after the dissolution of his second after 23 years; plus inside his house, including an art studio for his wife and a minizoo for a collection of animals and that's before he goes on about the challenges of his new venture, and other topics

Yet another GE "Progress For People" commercial with actor Pat Hingle playing Thomas Alva Edison.

Barbara mentions that none of her interviewees tonight used their own real first names, thinking they could have made it that way, before ending the program and one more GE sponsor billboard

Ending credits (with voiceover by Ms. Walters promoting upcoming ABC News Special, "Fidel Castro Speaks," for June 9th, followed by voiceover promo for 1977 Tony Awards for June 5th by Wally Parker):

Produced by Daniel Wilson
Directed by Don Mischer
Coordinating Producers JoAnn Goldberg, Linda Marmelstein
Production Administrator David J. Goldberg
Lighting Consultant Jack Horton
Assistant to the Producer Wendy Cornell
Production Assistants Sylvia Pancotti, Betty Rothenberg
Researcher Judy Weiss Bougades
Assistant to Barbara Walters Mary Hornickel
Graphics Hy Bley
Videotape Editors Ed Brennan, Richard Audd, Douglas Kahan
Camera Hank Geving, Don Jones, Mike Keeler
Audio Mike Gannon
Video Dean Terrell
Technical Director Terry Green
Videotape Facilities Compact Video
Post Production Facilities Milestone Teletronics
The Barbara Walters Special
With the Cooperation of ABC News
A Barwall Production, Inc.
(C) 1977 Barwall Productions, Inc.

Promo for Barney Miller and Fish for Thursday (main voiceover by Ernie Anderson) (ending voiceover by Wally Parker)

"Like a white Richard Pryor."

This aired on local Chicago TV on Tuesday, May 31st 1977 during the 9:00pm to 10:00pm timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of offair, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: [email protected] Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, please email [email protected] Thank you for your help!