Where’s The Fire?

For 3 decades spanning from the 1970s to the 1990s television producer Aaron Spelling could almost do no wrong. In those two decades he produced series ranging from Charlie’s Angels and the Mod Squad to Dynasty and TJ Hooker to Melrose Place and Charmed. But even a TV legend can strike out sometimes. Within that span of time when Spelling was riding high came this 1974 clunker about a wacky crew working at a firehouse. There were all sorts of supposedly funny bits included in this show that I am sure the writers assumed would be exactly what viewers were looking for at the time: A firehouse dog that was afraid of the mere mention of fire! A Col. Robert E. Hogan-like (from the old series Hogan’s Heroes) fireman who was constantly up to scams like using the firehouse as a dry cleaner while scoring with all the happening’ 70s babes who got weak in the knees for a man in uniform! Or going to a call about a little kid’s cat stuck in a tree and realizing that it was a giant jungle cat! My funny bone hurts just thinking about all of the hilarity that would have come from this show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_kkQ19IKIw
Alas Where’s The Fire? was doomed because aside from looking like it would be monumentally unfunny it also was a victim of a rules change by the Federal Communications Commission that saw the governing body change their mind on a ruling that would have given the 7-8pm hours to the Big Three (at the time) networks and instead those hours stayed with local affiliates. So with too many shows and not enough hours to air them, ABC decided to drop this show from the schedule.