Game show producers E. Roger Muir & Nick Nicholson got their start in television working on the original Howdy Doody. In 1976, Muir & Nicholson acquired the rights to the franchise from NBC, which ended the original series in 1960. While that was a wise move, they made a fundamental mistake that hurt the revival.
The New Howdy Doody Show was taped in Florida, rather than in New York, as the original was. 26 weeks of episodes (130 total) were produced, with no repeats, but the series was cancelled after one season. Prior to the relaunch, Buffalo Bob Smith had guest-starred on Happy Days, which was set during the era of the original series. Apparently, that sparked viewer interest, but Nicholson & Muir opted to syndicate the revival. Gone were the days when networks would commit to daily after-school programming, and first run syndication was, at that time, a rare bird which wouldn't take full flight for another couple of years.
Smith's human sidekick, if you will, was Happy Harmony (Marilyn Patch), who was clearly eye candy for the teenage boys that might be tuning in. Today, Marilyn is a college professor, a long ways away from her show biz career. Come to think of it, one wonders if a more experienced actress like Judy Strangis could've landed the role. As we know, Strangis (ex-Room 222) landed another one season wonder-turned-cult-favorite, Electra Woman & DynaGirl, that same season.
Anyway, let's check out a sample episode, the first of a five part arc that lasted the entire week:
There would be a 40th anniversary salute to Howdy a few years later, but that didn't do anything to erase a stigma Howdy didn't deserve. Wrestler Bob Backlund, during his time as World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) champion was derided as "Howdy Doody" because of his goody-two-shoes image and look.
Rating: B-.
No comments:
Post a Comment