Hot or What? – Southern France

So many of our holidays began on Brittany ferries, and we spent many a happy hour playing cards in the Commodore Lounge, having sussed early on what a different experience you could have by paying a little extra. I love this first photo, showing how protective Chris was of Jo.

Lake District
The one and only time we stayed in Limousin (somewhere between Limoges and Clermont-Ferrand if memory serves), I remember it being perpetually muggy and close. Although totally land-locked, we did visit the beach of a huge lake and hired pedalos.

Atlantic Coast
1991 saw us near Biarritz, and my enduring memory is of the sand dunes at Arcachon. It was ambitious to say the least, starting in Brittany, and ending in the Loire. The trusty Volvo had no air-con, but luckily this was all in May, so it wasn’t too terribly hot.

One of our first holidays with a pool was somewhat further north near Royan in 1992 with 2-year-old Jo looking cute as a button, and a handsome Chris shortly before his 4th birthday.

Mediterranean Coast
In 1993, 4 & 5, we took the 24-hour ferry cruise to North Spain (Santander), then took a few days to travel across to a gite in the region of Var, spending a week there before driving up to Paris (in a day) to stay in a Disneyland hotel and visit the park.
We have several videos of Jo singing “Look at this stuff,” from the Little Mermaid, and the crocodile was an essential pool/beach toy.
The gite in Flayosc was memorable for Stephie’s first steps, and the bottom right photo is hanging up in our hall – one of my favourites ever.

Lourdes
This place was something else – we found a cool hotel with a family room for all five of us and a balcony overlooking the town, which although choc-a-block full of tacky souvenir shops, had a certain charm. At least once we visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, staying for a mass and doing the whole tourist bit of queueing to walk past the grotto.
But the take home for me was the amazing water – each time we brought more containers. Over five years later, we found a bottle buried in the spare wheel compartment, and the water was still as cool and clear as when we collected it. Truly magical!

Al-fresco dining
One of the joys of self-catering holidays was siting down to dinner in the outside dining area provided by almost all of the French Gites and Spanish Villas. We would go to town with exotic meals and we have many photos of us sitting down to lavish meals.
Another Gray custom was wherever we stayed we’d have a bowl of fresh fruit – quite often purloined from the one provided in the commodore cabin.

Hot or What? – Mid-France

Loire Valley

We spent many October half-terms in gites in the Loire valley when the kids were growing up, and it’s the place I hanker after most when our ability to travel is restricted. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep detailed records of all the places we visited, but a quick tot up says there were at least a dozen, one of which was in the grounds of a small Chateau. I have vivid memories of many fabulous holiday homes with exposed beams, log fires, and semi-wild gardens. I would always find a circuit for a daily jog of at least a couple of miles, and quite often there was a local farm shop where we could buy fresh eggs, milk and cheese to accompany our favourite dish: tarte aux champignons.

We must have visited over a dozen chateaux, including the ones which feature in many of the top lists, i.e. Chenonceau, Chambord, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry and Ussé. Saumur Gets a special mention, because it’s twinned with Warwick, where I spent a decade in a house whose garden backed on to the castle grounds. One of the most memorable sheets was in a small town called Pallau-sur-indre, and we booked the same place in 2007 and 8. In particular, at the bottom of the garden was a small cave, which linked up with a network of caves which ram underneath the castle. The first time we went we were not really equipped to explore too far, so on the second time we made sure we had powerful torches. Despite the numbers painted on the walls in various different colours, it was extremely Easy to get lost and the girls stayed outside, anxiously waiting for us to return.

The most recent trip was October 2019, staying just outside Angers, where we celebrated my 60th birthday: We visited the Caves Grenelle at Saumur for a wonderful guided tour and wine sampling. The moment we parked the car, the heavens opened with torrential rain oh biblical proportions bouncing off the courtyard so we were soaked by the time we reached the lobby. However by the time we had to go outside, it had stopped. We were so impressed, we bought home two cases of their wines, including several sparkling reds. Now we’re able to travel again this is my first destination to stock up on some more.

Green Venice
Many of the villages we’ve stayed, particularly in France, are situated on a river. Bri’s always had a fascination with boats and has piloted every type you can imagine from pedalos & punts to swanky speed boats. So in 1998, when we stayed near la Rochelle, we had several trips out in boats, as you can see from the pix. The top left shows one of the daily practices which soon became a tradition – a stroll to the boulangerie for the daily baguette.

Oradour-sur-Glane
I have mixed feelings about recommending this place, it’s possibly one of the most harrowing experiences, and the atmosphere hits you as soon as you step out of the car. In a cruel and heartless retribution, four days after D-day, a 200-strong panzer division rounded up all the women and children in this village in the church, and all the men in barns and sheds. The soldiers set fire to every single building in the place, and those attempting to escape were machine-gunned.
The entire village has been preserved as a monument to the 642 people who died – definitely not for the faint hearted. Most moving for me was the lone vehicle believed to be the doctor’s car. He had arrived back in Oradour from visiting a patient whilst the round-up of the villagers was taking place. He parked his car and joined his father, the mayor, in waiting to see what was going to happen. This view is one of the best known of all the images of Oradour, symbolising as it does, a frozen instant of time.

Hot or What? – Northern France

Brittany

My first experience of France, was a family trip to Brittany in summer after finishing my a levels. Grateful to discover I had reasonably good sea legs on the ferry, I joined in with fascination as we discovered warm seas, stunning sights and scrummy crepes. I was particularly taken with the fortified island in Concarneau and the standing stones at Carnac. One of my takeaways, however, involved a British couple on the ferry home who declared their loathing of the French pancakes, calling them creepies. Nowt as queer as folk!

So with a toddler and a six-month-old, hubby and I ventured back to Brittany, staying in a fabulous gite with a pool table, which we returned to one year later. We were truly bitten by the explorer bug, but one of our excursions, seeking a place known as Merlin’s Tomb in Paimpont forest, our trusty Volvo ended up in a ditch. Both being engineers, we returned To the site and borrowed enough logs (conveniently lying around), to lift the tyre out of a ditch. On returning them, we gave copious thanks to Merlin – it truly was a magical experience.

Normandy

We enjoyed our first trip, in October 2000, so much, we returned three more times in that decade. We also popped over to Caen in November 2017 for my daughter’s birthday – she was working in Paris at the time. The big pulls for us were the Bayeux tapestry, the Normandy landing beaches, and the jewel in the crown: the Mont St Michel. There’s something truly magical about the narrow, cobbled streets which wend their way around the island up to the abbey of Saint Michael at the summit. It seems every square inch of the island is devoted to tourism, with wall-to-wall hotels, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops. We returned there several times, the most recent included a two-night stay in La Mere Poulard to celebrate my 60th birthday.

That visit coincided with the 80th anniversary of start WWII, so there were a stack of related events around the patch.

The previous year (2018) was the 100th anniversary of end WWI, so I organised a trip for Dad and I to visit a bunch of salient sites, including a trip following the Somme for dozens of miles. We toured several war memorials and museums, including the Wellington tunnels at Arras – well worth a visit.

But even more memorable for me were the tunnels at Bouzincourt – we were lucky to get a private viewing and, without all the safety features, it was much closer to the experience the men would have had.

Hot or what? – My Greek Love Affair

In light of the recent UK heatwave – rarer on a bank holiday than unicorn droppings, let alone hen’s teeth – I thought I’d revisit some of our awesome holiday destinations. Any excuse to look through the holiday pix.
As it happens, I’m currently having great fun remembering some of the fabulous experiences on Greek islands, many of which my characters get to share. Well they do say write about what you know about! Some of them feature in Helen’s Hazard, and yet more are in Janet’s Jeopardy, the 5th in the Calamity Chicks series, the one I’m writing right now. At least I will be as soon as I finish this post.

The first holiday with my wonderful hubby was in September 1985 on the fabulous island of Rodos (Rhodes), when we stayed in a wonderful, traffic-free village, Lindos. This made a huge impression on me, in particular the establishment, “Lindos by Night,” a fabulous bar set on four floors with phenomenal views over the village and especially the acropolis.
With it being our first foreign holiday, we hadn’t hired a car, and Bri hadn’t taken his driver’s licence, so the most we could hire on my provisional licence was a motorbike. Thankfully, he was an experienced rider, and we explored a few nearby villages, to add to the couple of coach tours we’d taken.

The most memorable being the valley of the butterflies (Petaloudes), where we walked along the serene paths, surrounded by waterfalls, streams, and the gentle murmur of water.

May 1986 Plakias, Kriti (Crete)
We definitely upped our game this time, hiring a car to tour the largest of the greek islands. Being us, we liked to explore well off the beaten track and one of my strongest memories was of going indigenous in a tiny restaurant up in the hills. Although the sign said it was a taverna, but we felt like we’d stepped into someone’s dining room. The hostess didn’t speak a word of English, so she took us into the back kitchen and showed us a couple of pans bubbling on the sove – what looked like a beef stew and rice. Except the rice turned out to be soggy, oily pasta. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of complimenting the food in my limited Greek, and she was so pleased she brought out a tin of what looked like bakewell tartlets. Unfortunate because the one I chose had several parches of blue green mould. But I couldn’t exactly refuse it after her generosity. And like the specks of mould on bread, it did me no harm. The best takeaway was the off-the-cuff proposal, and for some crazy reason we set the date for 27th September – a mere six months hence.

Sept 1986 Sidari, Kerkira (Corfu)
The first day we arrived, there had been a thunderstorm which knocked out all the power and water in the accommodation. Which turned out to be a long stone building split into rooms by flimsy partitions which didn’t reach all the way to the floor. Not exactly the level of privacy you’d want for a honeymoon. Thankfully, the services were back on by the second day and the people next to us left the day after that.
The top couple of pix show the famous “Canal D’Amour” in Sidari (the tiny northern village we stayed in). Legend had it that if a maiden swam through there, she would find the man of her dreams. Nowadays, they say if a couple swim through it together, they will find true love. Either way, it worked its magic!

Sept 1987 Rethymnon, Kriti (Crete)
This time, we stayed in a village due north of the previous lodgings, although we did get down to Plakias, spending the day revisiting old haunts, and a memorably evening on the beach.
We also returned to complete the full walk through the Samaria Gorge (left) via a coach trip. Nothing tasted so good as that first sip of beer after walking 13 km through a picturesque rift.
The following year saw our first addition to the family, a beautiful, bouncing son whose arrival on July 23rd meant he would have been created during this holiday. It’s no coincidence we gave him a Greek name – Christopher, meaning bearer of Christ.

September 2020, Kerkira (Corfu)
Driving a hire car in amongst those crazy Greek accidents-waiting-to-happen wasn’t the most conducive to peace and serenity, but it did allow us to revisit some old haunts. On the east, we visited the Durrell’s “White House,” but no sign of Keeley Hawes. A flying drive through Kassiopi where there was nowhere obvious to park for the Byzantine Castle, then a disappointment on the western Logas where the magnificent view of the sunset from the glass balcony was denied us – closed due to COVID. We had undivided attention and a marvellous gyro (donner kebab) at a Pitta place, and parked at the bottom of the magnificent Angelocastro. The double/triple hairpin bend on the way out reminded us why we wouldn’t make it to that one either. Unfortunately, modern-day Sidari is way more Benidorm – or “Blackpool with sun.”
But the following day, Paleocastritsa felt like coming home – we remembered swimming all the way out to where those rocks meet the horizon on the 4th piccie. We walked up to the monastery, then had a well-earned beer overlooking the picturesque beach. Awesome stuff. Here’s a wee flavour of Corfu 2020.

Who are you? …

… and what have you done with Jacky Gray?

I know, right? This is probably only the third year in my life I’ve been anywhere close to doing something with football.

The first was 1987, when Coventry City won the FA Cup. I wouldn’t have called Brian an avid fan, but the opportunity to support our local team was overwhelming. Consequently, along with thousands of others I don’t as much sky blue clothing as I could. There was plenty of sky blue eye shadow leftover from the 70s, and I even bought blue lipstick. And a ton of blue ribbons, so the ones which weren’t in my hair found themselves in bows in our poor dogs collar and lead. Rocky took it all in good part. The three of us walked into town to cheer on the Sky Blue players as they rode through the city centre in an open-topped, double-decker bus. I even went to my one and only match at Highfield Rd, and was privileged to see the phenomenal Steve Ogrizovic in goal. “Oggy, Oggy, Oggy, Oi, Oi, Oi!”

The next dabble with football was 2001, when Marconi, who had businesses in many different countries, run their own world cup. Being a true-blue, card- carrying geek, I had the hand to eye coordination of a wet cabbage and couldn’t kick a ball to save my life. But there were so few women in our department, they let me in as a winger because I could run up and down the pitch no problem. Our team was called Comic Strip, and the best bit about the training was definitely the pint in the clubhouse afterwards.

Lots of the women were busy moms who couldn’t make all the sessions, so I brought in my two daughters (aged 8 and 11), Who both played football for their school teams. And my 12 year old son who, although far more of a geeky gamer, run rings around the rest of us when it came to fancy footwork. Good times. My biggest regret was being unable to play football in our final match, because I had an abdominal operation the previous day. But I wouldn’t let them give me any anaesthetic so I could at least attend and support. Needless to say we didn’t get past the first round, but we had so much fun and our manager/coach, Yad the Bad, was just the best.

Brian’s been a season ticket holder for at least three decades, and I usually listen uncomprehendingly as he enthuses or laments, with a suitably encouraging Or sympathetic expression. Even I could tell this year was different for Cov, Under the phenomenal mentoring of Frank Lampard, resulting in then the streets ahead of the pack, and a well deserved promotion. I even spent several matches chatting online too our son, Chris, who follows then ardently from afar.

At the end of my month long binge of every marvel movie and every episode of Agent Carter and agents of shield, Disney plus decided in its wisdom that my next venues should be welcome to Wrexham. Obviously that microphone they have in the corner off the dining room add a worked on several conversations and decided I should move from superhero to football reality show. Maybe the link is Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool? Anyway the upshot is I’m totally hooked – it’s a cross between Clarkson’s Farm and Ted Lasso. Oops – forgot that brief binge a couple of years ago – probably because it was less about the football and more about the relationships. Must go back and re-visit that.

Why am I devoting a post to this today? Because Bri and I dashed home from Wales, sniggering at the bank holiday queues going in the opposite direction as we travelled 124 miles virtually unhindered, to get back in time for 3:30. The kick-off of the Championship Playoffs Final, to find the third team to join Coventry and Ipswich in the Premier League next year. So much controversy after Southampton admitted to spying on training sessions of their opponents despite knowing it was against the rules. Poor old Middlesbrough, having narrowly missed the final, went off on their holidays, and let loose after months of restrictions. With days to go, they were called back to Wembley to play against Hull, who themselves only had a couple of days to unlearn everything they knew about Southampton and start from scratch with Middlesbrough. And there was even a case that Wrexham should have been included in the mix which would have feathered the rise to the top even more. Brian is happy that Hull’s goal in extra time after 90 minutes of sweltering heat produced the right result.

Doppelgangers – Female

Women you never rarely see in the same room:

Geraldine McEwan — Maggie Smith

Geraldine McEwan – Born May 1932
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 1978 – Jean
Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves 1991 – Mortiana
Marple 2004 – Miss Marple

Maggie Smith – Born Dec 1934
Hook 1991 – Granny Wendy
Sister Act 1992 – Mother Superior
Harry Potter 2001 – Minerva McGonagall
Downton Abbey 2004 – Violet

Meryl Streep — Helen Mirren

Meryl Streep – Born June 1949
Kramer vs. Kramer 1979 – Joanna
Devil Wears Prada 2006 – Miranda
Mamma Mia 2008 – Donna

Helen Mirren – Born July 1945
Prime Suspect 1991 – DI Jane Tennison
The Queen 2006 – QEII
1923 2022 – Cara Dutton

Natalie Portman -–- Keira Knightley
Helen Hunt -–- Jodie Foster

Play Up Sky Blues

Anyone living in Coventry couldn’t fail to be aware of the city-wide excitement involving many thousands of households who decorated their homes in various shades of blue and white. The celebrations started when it was confirmed the team would definitely be in the top 2 of the Championship league, and culminated on May 4th with a huge parade from the football ground to the Memorial Park. There thousands watched as a bunch of local bands played and even Kylie sent a recorded message.
Here’s a couple of photo-montages of my experience.

Doppelgangers – Male

Hubby and I had an interesting conversation last week as we tried to identify an actor. I couldn’t decide between John Hannah and Titus Welliver and it turned out to be James Nesmith. Then we started thinking about other lookalikes and came up with several.
The internet is full of sites – here’s a few.

John Hannah – James Nesmith – Titus Welliver
Gregor Fisher   – Mark Addy – Nick Frost
Gerald Butler – Russel Crowe – David Morse

1970s prices

The 1970s in the UK were marked by a mix of economic growth and inflation. Here are some key price points from that decade, reflecting the economic conditions of the time, with inflation being a significant factor in the cost of living. The figures are not absolutes, but averaged over those from a number of different sources. The given price of petrol is based on £1.22 per lire. Today’s price is £1.55/litre, £7.05/gallon.
Despite the rising prices, there was a slight improvement in living standards compared to the 1960s.

1970s TV Crime Shows – US

The 1970s marked a transformative period in television history with a golden age for detective and cop shows. These series captivated viewers with their intricate plots, star-studded casts, and provocative social commentary. The characters navigated various settings, from the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles to urban New York. The shows did more than unmask the perpetrators of crimes; they unearthed deeper societal issues, often using the criminal justice system as a lens to scrutinize the social fabric of the time.

Ironside 67-75
Ironside uses a wheelchair after an attempted assassination left him paralyzed. With his former assistants Brown and Whitfield (later Belding) and former delinquent (and later lawyer) Mark, he combats crime for the San Francisco police from his mobile office (a van) while leaving a pot of chili cooking back at headquarters.

Hawaii Five-O 68-80
The sun-soaked shores of Oahu provide a picturesque backdrop for this thrilling police procedural that follows an elite task force as they tackle crime on the Hawaiian Islands. Five-0 was a special state police unit answering only to the Governor of Hawaii. It worked with Honolulu police to fight the underworld in the island state. Sooner or later virtually all the bad guys heard Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord55) grunt “Book ’em, Danno!” though chief bad guy Wo Fat was caught after MacArthur left the series.

McCloud 70-77
Navigating the gritty streets of 1970s New York City, a cowboy-hat-wearing detective from Taos, New Mexico, Sam McCloud (Dennis Weaver) finds himself solving complex crimes with his unique perspective and unorthodox methods. The show’s success lies in its seamless blend of humour, action, and drama; showcasing engaging character dynamics between McCloud’s down-to-earth wisdom clashing with his urban counterparts’ scepticism whilst unravelling intriguing mysteries that keep viewers enthralled throughout each episode.

Longstreet 71-72
A visually impaired detective, portrayed by the inimitable James Franciscus, teams up with a martial arts expert and philosopher played by Bruce Lee, to unravel mysteries that confound even those with sight. Set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans, this show masterfully intertwines elements of crime-solving drama and martial arts action while delving into themes such as overcoming personal limitations and the power of intellect over physical prowess.

Cannon 71-76
Diving into the world of a rotund private detective, this American series captivated audiences during its five-year run on CBS in the early 1970s. With William Conrad masterfully portraying Frank Cannon, viewers were treated to thrilling investigations and clever plot twists that showcased the protagonist’s keen intellect and determination.

Columbo 71-98
The show revolves around a seemingly bumbling, yet brilliant detective who solves murder cases with his unassuming demeanour and relentless pursuit of the truth. When you first saw him, Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk) looked like a bum that just came off the street. He had a bumbling demeanour, was overly polite and seemed to chomp on the same short cigar on a daily basis. However, beneath all that comical exterior was probably the most dogged investigator in the Los Angeles Police Department. Columbo was often called on to investigate high profile murders that involved the rich and famous. The culprits were often amused by him, and just as they thought they were going to get away with murder, Columbo would find a way to trap them or find enough evidence to make them confess.

Kojak 73-78
Set in the gritty streets of Manhattan during the 1970s, it features Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) as a tough cop with unorthodox methods and memorable catchphrases, but his trademark is a fondness for lollipops. Despite his difficult work, he tirelessly brings criminals to justice while staying upbeat and good-natured. With catchphrases “Who loves ya, baby?”, “Quit ya bellyaching”, and “Cootchie-coo!” Kojak was stubborn and tenacious in his investigation of crimes—and also displayed a dark, cynical wit, along with a tendency to bend the rules if it brought a criminal to justice.

Streets of San Francisco 72-77
This captivating crime drama series, set in the picturesque city by the bay, follows two detectives as they navigate the challenging terrain of solving murders and bringing justice to their community. A pair of plainclothes homicide detectives, Lieutenant Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas), cruise the streets of San Francisco, California solving a variety of crimes, usually involving murder. Stone is the street-smart twenty-year veteran cop, and Keller is the college-educated rookie. Much of the series’ success was due to the friendly by-play and relationship between the two leads.
Shaft 73-74
Based on the movies of the same name, John Shaft is a two-fisted black private eye along the lines of Mike Hammer and Phillip Marlowe. Each week presents a different case and a different crime to solve.

Police Woman 74-8 
A ground breaking television series from the 1970s follows the story of a courageous female officer Sergeant “Pepper” Anderson (Angie Dickenson), LAPD’s top undercover cop, who combats crime and challenges societal norms in Los Angeles. A member of the Criminal Conspiracy Unit, Pepper works the wild side of the street, where she poses as everything from a gangster’s moll to a streetwalker to a prison inmate.

The Rockford Files 74-80
Jim Rockford, an ex-convict turned private investigator who solves a variety of cases while navigating the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. The show’s success can be attributed to its unique blend of humour and suspense, as well as the compelling performance by James Garner in the lead role. Additionally, memorable supporting characters such as his father Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) and his former cellmate Angel (Stuart Margolin) contribute to its enduring appeal by providing both emotional depth and comic relief.

Baretta 75-78 
Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) is a street-smart, maverick undercover cop with the N.Y.P.D., who won’t hesitate for a second to toss the rule book out the window if it stands between him and taking some bad guy off the street. His unconventional methods often land him in hot water with his boss (Lieutenant Shiller (Dana Elcar), later Lieutenant Hal Brubaker (Edward Grover)), but as long as Baretta was getting the job done, there wasn’t much they could do. Ex-cop Billy Truman (Tom Ewell) and Rooster (Michael D. Roberts) were Baretta’s main men on the street, and Fred was his pet cockatoo. His catchphrases include “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time”, “You can take dat to da bank” and “And dat’s the name of dat tune.”

Starsky & Hutch 75-9
Two streetwise cops bust criminals in their red-and-white Ford Gran Torino with the help of police snitch Huggy Bear. Tough Det. Sgt. Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and educated Det. Sgt. Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson (David Soul) are plainclothes cops taking on dope dealers, muggers, and other thugs, aided by their souped-up red-and-white 1974 Ford Special Edition Gran Torino and their informant, Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas). Both bachelors’ private lives play out as interweaving threads in the drama.

Charlie’s Angels 76-81
Sabrina Duncan, Kelly Garrett and Jill Monroe were all graduates of the Los Angeles Police Academy. However, rather than do meaningful police work like their male counterparts, they are given menial jobs such as meter maid (Sabrina), crossing guard (Kelly) and typist (Jill). Reclusive millionaire Charlie Townsend hires the trio to work for his private investigation agency. Their only contact with him is through the phone and through his right hand man John Bosley. In the course of their duties they often go undercover to try to get the goods on the various criminals they go after. A year after joining the firm, Jill quits the agency to become a driver on the Formula-1 circuit and is replaced by her kid sister Kris, who originally was going to be a teacher, but followed in her big sister’s footsteps and became a police officer herself in San Francisco, but like her big sister was given menial duties. A couple of years later Sabrina quits to get married and start a family and is replaced by former Boston policewoman Tiffany Wells. Tiffany quits a year after joining the firm and was replaced by ex-model Julie Rogers.

Quincy 76-83
This captivating crime drama series follows the life of a brilliant medical examiner, Dr. Quincy (played by Jack Klugman), who uses his forensic expertise to solve baffling cases and advocate for public health issues. Set in Los Angeles, the show delves into various themes such as political corruption, social injustice, and ethical dilemmas while providing viewers with an insightful look into the world of forensic pathology.

Chips 77-83
Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s California, it follows the lives of two motorcycle officers from the California Highway Patrol as they enforce law and order on Los Angeles’ freeways. The show’s dynamic duo, Officer Jon Baker (played by Larry Wilcox) and Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello (portrayed by Erik Estrada), tackle a variety of challenging cases while also dealing with personal struggles.

Hart to Hart 79-84
Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) was a self-made millionaire, the C.E.O. of Hart Industries, a global conglomerate. His gorgeous wife Jennifer (Stefanie Powers) was a freelance journalist. They were both amateur sleuths, and in every episode found themselves up to their eyeballs in murder, smuggling, theft, and international espionage. They also managed to find time to snuggle together, as they loved each other very much. Max (Lionel Stander) was their loyal, gravelly-voiced butler, cook, and chauffeur, and Freeway their pet canine.