Rein-Toon-Ation: Tabitha & Adam & The Clown Family (1972)

 We've had this before, but then, it was deleted by YouTube. The Chuck Shack has brought back "Tabitha & Adam & The Clown Family", from season 1 of the ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. Tabitha & Adam Stephens have been aged up to teenagers for this one-off. As you know, they were further aged up to adults for the live-action Tabitha 5 years later.

From Comics to Toons: Big Monster on Campus (2000)

 "Big Monster on Campus" was the series finale of Archie's Weird Mysteries, first shown in February 2000. 

A mad scientist with a major hate on for Riverdale decides to avenge himself by inserting an android onto Central High's wrestling team, targeting Riverdale's star, Marmaduke "Moose" Mason.......

From Comics to Toons: An episode of Archie's TV Funnies (1971)

 This installment of Archie's TV Funnies takes a good natured poke at the infamous "rural purge" of 1970-1, with Reggie (John Erwin) trying to pass himself off as a rural host.

Featured strips:

Broom-Hilda, The Captain & The Kids, Dick Tracy, Smokey Stover, The Dropouts, Moon Mullins.

Coming Attractions: Darkwing Duck returns to television

 After appearing during the revival of DuckTales, Darkwing Duck is returning to action, this time on Disney+, in a new CGI series.

Darkwing already is appearing in comics, through Dynamite Entertainment, but now, the "Terror that flaps in the night" is ready to return to the small screen.

Photo courtesy Disney.

Mark Hamill has been cast as Darkwing, heading up an ensemble that also includes Seth Rogen, who was one of the masterminds behind the 50th anniversary revival of The Muppet Show earlier this year.

Start date to be announced.

Stay tooned.

Same show, new title (for now): South Park becomes South America

 Some TV shows change their titles during their runs. For example, an attempted Columbo spin-off focusing on the detective's otherwise unseen wife was rebooted as Kate Loves a Mystery, which didn't help, as the show was cancelled anyway.

Given how we have an impulsive, immature president with the comportment of a 5 year old changing Lake Ontario to Lake America just on his say-so (which is wrong), the producers of South Park decided to have a little fun with that, and so, the just launched new season sees a title change to South America.....

Title change aside, nothing else has changed. It's the same kind of subversive satire you've gotten for nearly 30 years. The title change won't last forever----it'll revert when the man-baby in Washington is out of office----and if the owners of Paramount don't have a problem, neither should anyone else.

As they said in the "Naked Gun" movies, just accept it.

Toonfomercial: A Hamm's beer ad, with music by Spike Jones (1961)

 Spike Jones & his City Slickers provide the soundtrack for this Hamm's beer spot from 1961. Another brand that bit the dust.

Sunday Funnies: Scotched in Scotland (1954)

 By the mid-50's, Columbia was running out of ideas for the Three Stooges.

For example, our next entry, 1954's "Scotched in Scotland" was a remake of "The Hot Scots", which was made 6 years earlier. The boys are given a private graduation from a detective school, and head off to Scotland.....

Rating: B.

Getting Schooled: Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents? (ABC Afterschool Special, 1983)

 School's back in session, so let's take a trip back to the 80's, and the ABC Afterschool Special. Marion Ross (Happy Days), Kari Michaelson (Gimme a Break), and Julie Piekarski (ex-The Facts of Life) star in "Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents?":

Celebrity Toons: The Spirit of Thunder Mountain (Lassie's Rescue Rangers, 1973)

 From season 2 of the ABC Saturday Superstar Movie:

"The Spirit of Thunder Mountain" was the pilot for Lassie's Rescue Rangers, but didn't air until November, two months into the season. Ted Knight (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Super Friends) is Ben Turner, Sr., the leader of the family-based Rescue Force, which incorporates some forest animals to assist Lassie.

Lassie's trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, condemned the series because of its writing (mostly Chuck Menville & Len Jansen) and (animal) violence. Viewers must've agreed, since the series lasted just the one season.

Toon Sports: Dexter plays dodgeball (1996)

 From season 1 of Dexter's Laboratory:

Dexter doesn't want to go to gym class, but a substitute teacher forces him to endure a week of dodgeball, and it doesn't help that there are three idiots passing themselves off as bullies. Of course, as Bugs Bunny famously put it, you realize this means war.

Leave it to Dee Dee to be a buzzkiller.

Toon Legends: Spider-Man vs. The Circus of Crime (1981)

 Spider-Man is framed for a series of robberies by the Ringmaster and his "Carnival of Crime".

So predictable.

Tooniversary: Wildfire (1986)

 Aside from the 50's series, Fury, few series centered on horses as protagonists have succeeded.

When CBS announced Wildfire as part of their 1986 lineup, some would be forgiven if their first thoughts were of a song by the same name that was a hit for Michael Martin Murphey 10 years earlier. Instead, it was another fantasy cartoon. If memory serves, this was a lead-in to the returning Muppet Babies. The cast includes David Ackroyd, Jessica Walter, and, in a rare dive into animation, Krofft stalwart Billy Barty.

Here's the open:

I think you can see why this bombed.

Coming Attractions: Futurama and Disenchantment come together!

 The cast of Disenchantment returns after 5 years away for a crossover with one of Matt Groening's other creations, Futurama, in a parody of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

While the following teaser suggests it drops Monday, the text after it on YouTube says September.

The plot, based on the teaser: Fry (Billy West) lands in the world of Princess Tia Bean and friends. Somehow, dumber than a doorknob Elfo (Nat Faxon) is now king........

Prepare to have your mind blown.

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Love Will Keep us Together (1975)

 The Captain & Tennille soared all the way to #1 with 1975's "Love Will Keep us Together", written by Neil Sedaka. In this clip from The Midnight Special, not only is "Captain" Daryl Dragon on keyboards, but so is Toni Tennille.

From Primetime to Daytime: McHale's Navy vs. Nippon Nancy (1963)

 From season 1 of McHale's Navy:

"Nippon Nancy" (voice of Julie Bennett) gets under the skin, not so much of McHale and his crew, but Capt. Binghamton (Joe Flynn, ex-The Joey Bishop Show).

I'll bet anything that today, a certain demagogue would find Nancy's voice to be soothing......

Literary Toons: The Incredible Detectives (1979)

 What happens when you have a crow, a bulldog, and a Siamese cat, all belonging to the same family?

You have The Incredible Detectives, which TV & comics writer Mark Evanier adapted for the ABC Weekend Special in 1979, 13 years after the original novel was released.

Davey (Al Eisenmann) is kidnapped, and the family pets set out to rescue him. Additional voices include Frank Welker, Marianne Aragon, Laurie Main, & John Stephenson.

It Should've Been on a Saturday: Cadets (1988)

Viacom wanted to try a sitcom set in a military academy, not exactly a haven for comedy. ABC was willing, but ultimately passed on Cadets after a 1-shot airing in September 1988.

Film stars Richard Roundtree ("Shaft") and William Sadler are part of an ensemble with Soleil Moon Frye, fresh from Punky Brewster, Jaleel White (ex-Charlie & Company, and a few months away from Family Matters), Remy Auberjonois (Rene's son), and Corin "Corky" Nemec, two years away from Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

Didn't see this the first time (baseball season, you know), and now I know why ABC passed.

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits (Revisited): Tallahassee Lassie (1964)

 Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon racked up a few hits, including "Palisades Park" and this next item, "Tallahassee Lassie", which brought him back to American Bandstand in 1964, four years after "Lassie" charted.....

In memory of Cannon, who passed away on Saturday. Rest in peace.

Retro Toy Chest (with a side order of candy): Shillin' with the (future) Brady Kids (1960's)

 Many actors start off doing commercials before hitting it big. Such was the case with the Brady Kids well before The Brady Bunch launched in 1969.

A trio of commercials are showcased here:

1. Barry Williams for Milky Way candy.

2. Maureen McCormick (and some assume Eve Plumb appeared here, too) for Mattel's Chatty Cathy.

3. Christopher Knight for Marx's Fun Pack Carry-all action figure set.

Teenage Toons: Totally Spies! in Wild Style (2002)

 HG Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau gets sent up in the episode, "Wild Style", in which Clover and some cruise ship passengers are turned into humanoid animals for the benefit of a deranged fashion maven, who wants to then kill them for their newly acquired fur.....

I'm told the show is still airing somewhere, but not available on local cable at the present time.