Duration: 0:59

Views: 959

By: fuzzymemories

Description: Here's a special and rare treat for the 35th Anniversary of the infamous "Disco Demolition" event! (please excuse the ghosty picture quality and buzzy audio)

Includes:

Part 2 of the TV44 Sports Spotlight with Jim Durham, with the San Diego Chicken (a.k.a. Ted Giannoulas) as guest, as aired on WSNS Channel 44 just before the first game of a proposed doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers that was followed by the infamous "Disco Demolition Night." Includes:

Jim introducing his guest by explaining how a chicken had been hatched in California eight days before, and came out as the San Diego Chicken (whom he also introduces by the name of the person inside the chicken suit). Ted starts off by listing Chicago as one of his favorite towns, and this is his second trip and hopes to be back "many, many more times," working on some Cubs games and hoping to fit in a Sox game now and then. Jim then touches on a lawsuit he was involved in against a San Diego radio station that made allegations about his past, and the settlement made him "a new bird . . . a bird of a different feather, so to speak"; and mentions how his work as the Chicken has turned into a full-time occupation. When asked by Jim about whether he could legally call himself a "chicken" in San Diego, Ted goes into a routine similar to Bill Saluga's "Raymond J. Johnson, Jr." character ("You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay...but don't call me KGB") Ted then mentions that after Chicago, he plans to "wing it" to Seattle for a week's worth of Mariners' games, as well as for the upcoming All-Star game; and has plans for appearing at a Japanese All-Star game.

Jim then signals for a commercial break, with brief shots of the Chicken doing his schtick in various venues, with the "Pathé News" theme music and lower-third bumper: "Back With the Bird....In a Minute"

Commercial: Schlitz Beer - "Schlitz Makes It Great" - (C) 1978 Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co., Mil., Wis.

Commercial: Deel Ford - with Gene(?) Wynegar(?) hosting "You Auto Know This" asking contestants the name of the tri-state's biggest Ford center with 12 acres of inventory, and where you can shop for Fords (voiceover by ??)

This aired on local Chicago TV on Thursday, July 12th 1979 from about 4:59pm to 5:15pm.