Spooktober: Sabrina meets Scooby-Doo! (2002)

 Zoinks!!! While they never crossed paths in the comics during Scooby-Doo's brief stint at Archie Comics, the Great Dane and his BFF, Shaggy, meet Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, during the final season of the series.

"Sabrina Unplugged" is not available online in its complete form, so all we have is this brief snippet in which Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) literally goes online and meets Scooby (Frank Welker) & Shaggy (Casey Kasem). Sabrina had moved from ABC to WB two years earlier, and What's New Scooby-Doo had launched a few weeks prior to this episode airing.

Chalk it up to the network looking to test the waters of Scooby in primetime before his Christmas special aired two months later.

Spooktober: The Monster Squad vs. Ultra Witch (1976)

 What would Halloween week be without checking on the Monster Squad?

Anyway, the team goes after Ultra Witch (Julie Newmar), who is draining away the world's supply of milk (!). Dick Bakalyan, who frequently played henchmen on Batman and did some work for Disney, and Johnny Brown (Good Times) also guest star.

Wardrobe did Julie a disservice, didn't they?

No rating. Didn't see this one the first time around.

On The Air: Wild Kingdom: Protecting The Wild (2023)

 Maybe NBC should've thought of this sooner.

Wild Kingdom, sponsored, as always, by Mutual of Omaha Insurance, marks its 60th anniversary this year, and, earlier this month, began a 2nd run on NBC, adding the subtitle, Protecting The Wild. Peter Gros, who has been hosting repeats of the original series on RFD-TV, hosts the new version. Gros had originally joined the original Kingdom in 1985, after Marlin Perkins retired.

Cosmetic changes and modern technology aside, it's the same show your parents will remember, fitting comfortably opposite similar programming on ABC. Check the trailer for the new Kingdom:

Current episodes are available online on Peacock and NBC.com, as well as On Demand on your cable system.

Rating: A.

Teenage Toons: French Deception (The Archie-Sabrina Hour, 1977)

 Boy scientist Dilton Doiley (Howard Morris), in an effort to impress a French exchange student (Jane Webb, of course), builds a machine to help her translate French to English, but the jealousy of Betty & Veronica (Webb again) sabotages the plot. Or does it?

Nearly 40 years later, in the books, Dilton would finally find love, albeit vying for the hand of an exchange student from India while Betty & Veronica were on their European tour. It is clear in this series, though, that Morris was losing the inflection in his Dilton voice, not that anyone really noticed.

Rating: B.

From Primetime to Daytime: The Night of The Grand Emir (The Wild, Wild West, 1966)

 From season 1 of The Wild, Wild West comes an example of how even assassins fall in love while on the job.

This would refer to sexy Ecstasy La Joie (Yvonne Craig), sent to kill a visiting emissary, but in the course of her mission, falls prey to the charms of James West (Robert Conrad). Here's "The Night of The Grand Emir":

As you can see, Ecstasy ended up helping West and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) thwart the plot, although she did promise to try again to kill the Emir (Robert Middleton), but, unfortunately, Ecstasy was never seen again.

Rating: A.

Toonfomercial: Does toothpaste make you want to sing? (1980's)

 Aquafresh toothpaste turned 50 this year. In the 80's, the product, now a part of Glaxo-SmithKline, mounted an animated ad campaign meant to encourage families to brush.

At the time, Procter & Gamble was also using animation to sell Crest, but marketed to kids with a superhero theme (The Crest Team).

Spooktober: All Howls' Eve (100 Deeds For Eddie McDowd, 1999)

 It's Halloween, and Eddie McDowd's quest to regain his humanity continues in "All Howls' Eve":

In memory of Richard Moll (The Drifter), who has passed away at 80. No rating out of respect.

Spooktober: Aliens interrupt a campout (1987)

 Rodney Dangerfield and the Miller Lite Celebrity All-Stars got into the spirit of Halloween---sort of---with this 1987 spot, as a camping trip is interrupted by a UFO. You won't believe the end of this one. Well, maybe.

An alien planet full of Rodney clones? Yeah, that was the punchline, as Rodney finally gets some respect, after a sort. But how to explain all those clones? We asked an expert.

"I have to hazard a guess, but these aliens are big fans of Rodney's, and thought the best way to make a first impression was to assume his appearance. As a shape changer myself, it's not the best strategy."

Considering that Rodney is considered even by his peers to be such a hard luck loser---even by Marv Throneberry's standards in early ads----it's a big stretch, but Jayna has a point. Those aliens saw the ads and/or some of Rodney's movies via satellite on their world, and saw him as a hero. Regrettably, there wasn't a sequel.

Spooktober: The Raven, a la The Simpsons (1990)

 From season 2 of The Simpsons:

The final segment of the "Treehouse of Horror" episode is a loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's legendary poem, The Raven. The segment begins with Lisa (Yeardley Smith) beginning to read before the scene melts into the poem itself, with Homer (Dan Castellaneta) in the role of the narrator (guest star James Earl Jones does most of the reading), and Bart (Nancy Cartwright) is the title bird.

Since Bart is a perpetual elementary school student in this series, who wants to think they could have him study the poem in class when he gets older?

Rating: B.

You Know The Voice: E. G. Daily (1985)

 In addition to co-starring in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", E. G. Daily had a featured part in another 1985 movie, "Better Off Dead". Here, she sings "One Way Love":

But for fate, she could've been equal to pop contemporaries Cyndi Lauper & Madonna. Voice acting has saved her career, and it also led to a brief revival of her singing career on The Voice a few years back.

Spooktober: Edgar Allan Poe-session (Bone Chillers, 1996)

 The setting of Betsy Haynes' Bone Chillers novels is Edgar Allan Poe High. So what happens when a bust of the legendary author is removed from the school? Well, let's just say it's never a good idea to anger a ghost.........

Oh, by the way, Gary Owens, on his 2nd tour of duty as a studio announcer at ABC, takes us in & out of commercial breaks.

Bone Chillers was the final Saturday morning entry from network executive-turned-producer Fred Silverman, and his first sale to ABC since Mighty Orbots 12 years earlier.

No rating. Didn't see this the first time.

Toonfomercial: Remember the Cheetos Mouse? (1976)

 Before Chester Cheetah became Cheetos' mascot, there was the Cheetos Mouse, who appeared in commercials between 1971-9, capitalizing on mice and their love of cheese.

In this 1976 spot, the mouse impersonates Tarzan......

Spooktober: The Vampire of Taratupa (McHale's Navy, 1965)

 Ensign Parker (Tim Conway) falls----literally---for a nurse newly arrived on the base (Ann Elder), but the trouble-prone Parker could be shipped out after one accident too many with Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn). How does "The Vampire of Taratupa" play into this? Watch & find out.

Unfortunately, Nurse Benson was a 1 shot paramour for Parker. Ann Elder would resurface on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In a few years later. Jane Dulo, who recurred as a prospective love interest for McHale, later turned up on Get Smart, Sha Na Na, and a few other places.

No rating. My memory is fuzzy about this one prior to today.

Spooktober: Cliche Castle (The Archie-Sabrina Hour, 1977)

 Sabrina is visiting Horrible Hall to pay a call on the Groovie Goolies, but when Reggie (John Erwin) and Moose (Howard Morris) have their car break down, they have to go to Horrible Hall, and Sabrina can't risk being seen. Seeing her change into a knight was worth the price of admission. Seems the storm, though, is wreaking havoc with her powers.

Here's "Cliche Castle":

Seems Moose is tiring of Reggie's obsession with exposing Sabrina's secrets........

Rating: A-.

Saturtainment: Lunch With Soupy Sales (ABC version)(1955)

 Soupy Sales went national when Lunch With Soupy Sales, which had been a regional series, airing six days a week in Detroit, was added to ABC's Saturday lineup in 1955. The format is familiar to anyone who saw his syndicated 1979 series, including skits with puppets White Fang, Black Tooth, and Pookie, but here, there's also some footage of silent films, such as a Buster Brown short, included in this 1961 episode.

Director Bill Carruthers had come over from Howdy Doody after that series ended its NBC run. It wasn't long after this episode aired that Lunch was cancelled.

No rating. Just a public service.

From Primetime to Daytime: Before she was a Bat, she was a nurse (McHale's Navy, 1965)

 Talk about boosting morale!!

In season 3 of McHale's Navy, Yvonne Craig guests as Lt. Susie Clayton, an exotic dancer-turned-nurse who not only turns the crew's heads, but that of Captain Wallace Binghamton (Joe Flynn), and that's despite Mrs. Binghamton (Ann Doran) being on the base. Oh, the hilarity!!!

Before Yvonne joined the cast of Batman 2 1/2 years later, she'd already logged an impressive resume, with The Man From UNCLE, Perry Mason, The Wild, Wild West, & Dobie Gillis on her resume. This episode had previously been posted over at The Land of Whatever.

Ann Doran would land a recurring gig the following fall on The Legend of Jesse James, which, like McHale & Batman, aired on ABC.

Game Time: Pac-Man in The Bionic Pac-Woman (1982)

 Pac-Man (Marty Ingels) has to rescue his wife, Pepper, aka Ms. Pac-Man (Barbara Minkus, ex-Love, American Style, Curiosity Shop), after Mezmeron creates a robot clone of her to deceive Pac-Man.

The Ghost Monsters were such tools, more so than in the game itself. The writer is not credited, perhaps knowing how silly this was.

Rating: B-.

From Primetime to Daytime: McHale's Floating Harem (McHale's Navy, 1964)

 From season 3 of McHale's Navy:

McHale (Ernest Borgnine) and the PT-73 are sent to retrieve a visiting sultan (Henry Corden) and his three daughters, one of whom falls for Virgil (Edson Stroll), and that causes a problem.

This is one of those stories that would have to be totally rewritten if the series ran today.

Rating: B.

Spooktober: Alias The Scarf (Green Hornet, 1966)

 In the late 50's & 60's, a number of film legends, such as Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., Peter Lorre, and John Carradine gravitated to television to extend their careers.

Lorre, for his part, tried comedy, landing a recurring role opposite Gertrude Berg in Mrs. G. Goes to College. Carradine was the last to make the transition, and one of his first TV gigs came in The Green Hornet. Here's "Alias The Scarf", previously presented over at The Land of Whatever.

Rating; A.

Spooktober: The Galloping Ghost in Too Many Crooks (1978)

 It's way past time to visit the Fuddy Dude Ranch and The Galloping Ghost.

Nugget Nose (Frank Welker) rides to the rescue when a crook seeks shelter at the ranch. Here's "Too Many Crooks":

No rating. Did not see this the first time.

Spooktober: The Monster Squad vs. the Music Man (1976)

 No, The Monster Squad isn't being pitted against Harold Hill, the title character of "The Music Man" on Broadway and in the movies. Instead, this Music Man (Marty Allen) is actually a fella named Lorenzo Musica, a bit of a rib on the real-life Lorenzo Music, at the time heard but not seen on Rhoda. Writer Stanley Ralph Ross steps in front of the camera to play a comedian hosting a parody of telethons. 

The opening scene of our heroes (Buck Kartalian, Michael Lane, & Henry Polic II) playing music of their own is amusing all by itself.

Ross co-wrote the script with Far Out Space Nuts creators Earle Doud & Chuck McCann. As we've previously noted, he was a writer-producer on Wonder Woman around the same time, and with this series, Ross was trying to recapture the campy spirit of Batman a decade earlier.

No rating. Didn't see this the first time.

Toon Sports: Double Dribble (1946)

 Goofy does basketball. Enough said.

I've heard of screwball comedy, but this is ridiculous.

Rating: B-.

Girl power: Kim Possible teams with Lilo to rescue Stitch (Lilo & Stich: The Series, 2005)

 In the last of three crossovers with other established Disney Channel series, Kim Possible (Christy Carlson Romano) pays a visit, along with Ron Stoppable (Will Friedle) & Rufus (Nancy Cartwright) to Hawaii when summoned to rescue Stitch, who has been abducted by Kim's nemesis, Dr. Drakken (John DiMaggio) and his aide, Shego (Nicole Sullivan).

Kim reluctantly takes on Lilo (Daveigh Chase) as a partner du jour, but Lilo does come in handy. Meanwhile, Dr. Jumba (David Ogden Stiers, ex-M*A*S*H) mistakes Rufus for one of his experiments.

Earlier in the series, there were crossovers with The Proud Family and American Dragon Jake Long.

Rating: A-.

Coming Attractions: Doug returns, all grown up

 Doug creator Jim Jinkins revealed that he is developing a follow-up to his original series, which first aired on Nickelodeon, then ABC & Disney Channel, in the 90's and early 00's.

Doug Kids (working title) sees Doug Funnie and friends all grown up, and, welp, Doug eventually did pop the question to childhood sweetheart Patti Mayonnaise. They're married with 2 kids in the new series, which is ticketed for Disney+ and Hulu

File photo courtesy Jumbo Pictures & Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon had tried to age up the Rugrats, but All Grown Up bombed on Nick & CBS. A grown-up Doug & Patti have a better chance of succeeding.

Stay tooned.

Daytime Heroes: a werewolf vs. a mummified sandman (Big Wolf on Campus, 2000)

 From Season 2 of Big Wolf on Campus:

How is it that every time someone writes a story about the Sandman, absent Neil Gaiman's iconic comic books, the Sandman is a villain? 

In this case, this Sandman is also a shape-changer whose true form looks more like a mummy, but uses the guise of a woman to lure in Merton (Danny Smith). Tommy has to try to save both Merton & Lori or everyone falls asleep for good.

No rating. Didn't see this the first time.

Spooktober: Halloween on The Facts of Life (1983)

 From season 5 of The Facts of Life:

By this point in the series, Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) has left Eastland School, and opened a shop, Edna's Edibles, where Blair, Jo, Tootie, & Natalie are all employed part-time.

In the Halloween episode, a customer disappears, and the girls fear that Edna may have pulled a "Sweeney Todd", and turned the poor fellow into ground meat.

As you can see in the modified opening credits, Pamela Segall (Adlon), now a respected voice actress, had joined the cast, but, apparently had not yet appeared on the show, though that would change with the next episode. Nancy McKeon (Jo) was moonlighting, as we know, heard on The Puppy's Great Adventures over on ABC, and, 20 years later, Mindy Cohn (Natalie) would make a comeback in cartoons (What's New Scooby-Doo?).

The theme song was co-written by the husband & wife team of Alan Thicke & Gloria Loring, and sung by Loring (Days of Our Lives).

Spooktober: The Little Rascals in Rascals' Revenge (1982)

 Hanna-Barbera tried to adapt The Little Rascals into an animated series, and recapture the spirit of the classic shorts with Spanky, Alfalfa, and the gang. The series was cancelled after 2 seasons. We discussed previously the reason why. It was not a stand-alone series, instead lumped together with fellow freshman series Pac-Man and 3rd year series Richie Rich.

"Rascals' Revenge" plays as if this was an old short loosely adapted for television. There's also a Pac-Man bumper voiced by Marty Ingels. Spanky (Scott Menville, in one of his first toon jobs) leads us into the show.

Shavar Ross (Buckwheat) was also heard on Mork & Mindy while moonlighting from Diff'rent Strokes.

Rating: B.

Spooktober: Who'd ever think an amulet could turn people into animals? (1970)

 From Sabrina & The Groovie Goolies:

Sabrina (Jane Webb) tries to help Ethel (Webb) by supplying her with Cousin Ambrose's special amulet. What Ambrose (Howard Morris) forgot is that the amulet has special powers, which pose problems for Jughead (Morris).

Here's "Ambrose's Amulet":

As Sabrina predated the TV series, Bewitched, by 2 years, you wouldn't know if Ambrose was actually the inspiration for Dr. Bombay on the latter series if you hadn't read the books first. As we now know, Ambrose, like Aunts Hilda & Zelda, was rebooted for a modern generation in the comics and the recent Netflix Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series.

Rating: B.

Saturday Morning's Forgotten Heroes: The Arabian Knights vs. Ramnizar (1968)

 Bakaar (John Stephenson) recruits "The Wizard Ramnizar" to try to stop The Arabian Knights. Good luck with that.

Rating: A.

Sunday Funnies: The Adventures of Major Effects (Disney's Wonderful World, 1979)

 After 10 seasons as The Wonderful World of Disney, the series' title was changed again, this time to Disney's Wonderful World, for its final 2 seasons on NBC (1979-81) before shifting to CBS.

To promote the feature film, "The Black Hole", the studio decided to devote an entire episode to "The Adventures of Major Effects", with "Black Hole" star Joseph Bottoms (later of Land of The Lost's 1990's revival) in the title role, plus Hans Conreid (ex-Hoppity Hooper, Make Room For Daddy, Fractured Flickers) and the Barnstable twins, Cyb & Tricia (ex-Quark). Voice characterizations performed by Len Weinrib (ex-Magic Mongo).

From what I recall, my folks started to watch this, then dumped out for something else. Can't recall what. No rating.

Tooniversary: Sid The Science Kid (2008)

 PBS' Sid The Science Kid combined motion capture imagery with virtual puppetry and CGI, producing 2 "seasons" over a 5 year period (2008-13). As with many preschool shows of today, Sid talks directly to the audience in important moments.

From 2011, here's a Halloween episode:

I've never seen the show, so I cannot fairly rate it. Reruns moved from PBS Kids to Amazon earlier this year, in case you want to introduce your preschoolers to the series.

Saturtainment: Magnificent Muttley in Muttley on The Bounty (1969)

 The Magnificent Muttley  back-up shorts in Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines were Hanna-Barbera's parody of James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, based on the fact that all of Muttley's adventures in this series are built around his daydreams.

Here's a parody of "Mutiny on The Bounty". Poor Dick Dastardly (Paul Winchell) is the put upon Captain Bligh.

Yes, it's just over 2 minutes, but that's because they also had the Wing Dings blackout skits to fill time.

Rating: B.

Retro Toy Chest: Remember Count Creepyhead? (1983)

 Kenner (now part of Hasbro) had acquired Play-Doh from Rainbow Brands. In 1983, they added to Play-Doh line with Count Creepyhead. I have to admit I never saw this commercial until today.

Unsurprisingly, it doesn't appear to have survived the year.

Sunday Funnies: The Miller Lite Celebrity Bowling Tournament (1982)

 We've seen the Miller Lite crew (i.e. Bubba Smith, Rodney Dangerfield, Dick Butkus, John Madden) play golf. Now, the action shifts to the bowling lanes.

In memory of Dick Butkus, 80, who passed away Thursday. Rest in peace.

From Primetime to Daytime: Daniel Boone meets Joe Snag for the 1st time (1967)

 Earlier this year, we served up a season 5 episode of Daniel Boone with guest star Forrest Tucker (ex-F-Troop). Tucker's character, Joe Snag, actually made his debut a year earlier in the season 4 opener. As an added bonus, the episode opens with Mingo (Ed Ames) singing a capella, a callback to Ames' days with his brothers as the Ames Brothers.

For Hal Horn at The Horn Section:

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Victor Buono was under contract to Fox, as he recurred as King Tut on Batman, which finished its run six months after this episode aired. Vito Scotti (ex-Andy's Gang), who had recurred on Gilligan's Island, and would do the same on The Flying Nun, also guests.

No rating.

Spooktober: The Monster Club (1981)

 If memory serves me, 1981's "The Monster Club", imported to the US by ITC, was included in one of those syndicated horror movie packages (think Seymour Presents), and I recall seeing this on a Saturday afternoon one time.

Horror legends John Carradine & Vincent Price share top billing in this movie, which is an anthology including three short stories based on the works of R. Chetwynd-Hayes, played by Carradine in the film. Donald Pleasance ("Halloween"), Stuart Whitman ("Night of The Lepus", ex-Cimmaron Strip), and Britt Eklund co-star.

Chetwynd-Hayes was not a fan of how his stories were adapted, and felt Carradine was too old for the role. As we know, Carradine would turn to radio in the fall of '81 to begin an annual series of radio dramas for NBC radio.

Rating: B.

Spooktober: The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1996)

 Nearly 20 years after the Charlie Daniels Band scored with "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", alternative rock favorites Primus recorded their version, and used claymation to illustrate their accompanying music video.

The only downside was the fact that Johnny's & the devil's lips never moved to lip-sync. Live & learn.

Spooktober: Smog (Sabrina & The Groovie Goolies, 1970)

 Sabrina is called to Horrible Hall to babysit Hauntleroy and twins Ratso & Batso while the Groovie Goolies are away. Archie and the gang are doing an environmental study for school, and end up encountering some weird "Smog".

This is the episode where Reggie (John Erwin) finds a picture of Sabrina and the Goolies, but before he can expose her, he gets a strange surprise......

Seeing Frankie (Howard Morris) wear a human-like mask was amusing itself.

Poor Reggie. He never could get the evidence he wanted.

Rating: B.