Hit the Road, Ron
California Gov. Ronald Reagan, 62, and wife Nancy, 52, begin a national tour Jan. 18 to gauge interest in a run for President. At Washington's Touchdown Club, Vice President Gerald Ford gives the onetime sportscaster a plaque, which the Gipper would later hand off to his alma mater, Eureka College.
Hero Ex Machina
A superhero created out of replacement parts—expensive, high-tech replacement parts—was the idea behind the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, which premiered Jan. 18. Astronaut Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors, got atomic legs, a right arm worthy of the World Wrestling Federation and a robotic left eye, after a crash landing had destroyed his original equipment. As the Bionic Man, he battled evil for a government science office. The series ended in 1978, but spin-offs and specials continued until 1994, bringing us the Bionic Woman (Lindsay Wagner), the Bionic Boy (Vince Van Patten), even Max, the Bionic Dog.
Parental Problems
Fathers and sons made headlines when a court granted Marlon Brando custody of son Christian, 15, on Jan. 17, following a long battle with his ex-wife Anna Kashfi, and Dean Martin Jr., 22, was arrested Jan. 18 for selling machine guns. Both would make news again: Dean Jr. died in a 1987 jet crash, and young Brando killed his sister's boyfriend in 1990.
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A Mountain of Family Values
Living high on a Virginia hill, The Walton were a Depression-era family rich in love. And ratings; the show was No. 1 this week. From 1972-81 (CBS), Michael Learned and Ralph Waite (right) raised seven spunky children. In 1998, Waite ran for Congress and lost to Sonny Bono's widow, Mary.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
