On The Air: Weather Hunters (2025)

 Well, here it is. 

Weather Hunters, PBS' ambitious flash animated series built around weather, premiered in the fall, but production has ended after 40 episodes were produced. Not all 40 have aired as yet, but expect PBS to make this available to elementary schools around the country, if that hasn't happened already.

Al Roker (The Today Show) is Al Hunter, TV meteorologist and father of three, who takes his children on field trips to learn about weather patterns, and the how's & why's of meteorological trends. Holly Robinson Peete (ex-Hangin' With Mr. Cooper) plays his wife. Actress-singer Yvette Nicole Brown performs the opening theme. Celebrity guest stars have included Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Frank Welker, and, in "The Windy Day", LeVar Burton (Trivial Pursuit) as a sentient pair of eyeglasses that Lily finds............

Burton has also been heard as Great-grandfather Wallace Hunter in this series.

Check your local PBS listings for times.

Rating: A.

Valentoons: Peculiar Penguins (1934)

 Here's a winter-centric Silly Symphony from Disney. "Peculiar Penguins" gives us a budding couple, with the romance endangered by a shark......

Not sure if this had aired on The Mickey Mouse Club in any of its iterations, or in the early years of the Disney Channel.

No rating. Happy Valentine's Day.

Looney TV: The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938-44)

 For nearly 60 years, Tex Avery's "The Isle of Pingo Pongo" has been barred from airing on television due to the use of outdated stereotypes. The prototype for Elmer Fudd, originally billed as Egghead, pops up here, waiting for his turn until narrator Robert Bruce gives him the go sign......

No voice actors were credited, per Wikipedia, but Bruce did narrate a few more shorts where he was belatedly given credit, and we have to assume he did this one, too. As you can see, this was a Blue Ribbon reissue, released in 1944.

Rating: B.

On The Air: Hare, There, & Everywhere (2026)

 While it was previously reported that Bugs Bunny was TCM's Star of the Month, the Oscar winning icon got all of the attention a week ago.

The reason? TCM begins 31 Days of Oscar tomorrow, and to spread out their plans for Bugs over the month would've conflicted with the annual promotion. Unless, of course, the shorts that won those Oscars for Bugs & WB are part of the 31 day event.

Comics Dana Gould, Patton Oswalt (ex-Happy!, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, The King of Queens), & Bill Hader (ex-Saturday Night Live) discuss Bugs' eternal appeal.

Rating: A+.

Tooniversary: Fat Albert in Food For Thought (1981-4)

 You won't find this Fat Albert episode in the series' syndication package, assuming anyone's actually daring to play it these days, in light of the scandal that torpedoed series creator-star-co-executive producer Bill Cosby's career a few years ago.

No, "Food For Thought", about healthy eating, was produced for elementary schools in 1981. At the end of the clip is a promo for the series' shift to syndication in the fall of 1984.

Rating: A.

Sunday Funnies: Pardon My Backfire (1953)

 "Pardon My Backfire" was the 2nd & last Three Stooges short produced in 3D, though the effects were replaced for television.

Moe, Larry, & Shemp are mechanics looking to raise money to marry their girlfriends, who are a little shy about commitment. Some escaped convicts enter their shop, and the fun really begins.

Rating: A-. I've never seen the 3D version.

From Primetime to Daytime: Joanie Cunningham, teacher (Happy Days, 1984)

 From the final season of Happy Days:

Joanie (Erin Moran) has landed her first teaching job. On just her 2nd day, a punk decides he wants to hit on her, not realizing she's already spoken for, and when she's not ready. Of course, Joanie's got some backup......

What is forgotten after the 3rd Cunningham sibling, Chuck, was written off early in the series, Fonzie (Henry Winkler) became more of a surrogate big brother/guardian angel to Richie & Joanie. It just happens here that Fonzie had a job at the same school, making for a timely save.