Ye scribe spent two summers at Sunnyside Day Camp in the 70's, and during this time, I contracted chicken pox, and forced to quarantine at home for a few days (true story). That said, I do have some idea of what the kids at Camp Annawanda were in for in Nickelodeon's Salute Your Shorts, based on a 1986 book by Steve Slavik.
However, Nick only got two seasons out of what should've been a perennial seasonal treat. Danny Cooksey (ex-Diff'rent Strokes) was the camp bully in what would be one of his last roles in front of the camera before making a second career a a voice actor.
While episodes have become available again, I don't expect them to last very long if ViacomCBS has its way, so we'll serve up the opener, as Cooksey and the rest of the cast perform the camp theme song.
Rating: B.
2 comments:
Loosely based on the children's book of the same name, Salute Your Shorts had a decent first season, the second one, not so much. Much of season 2 was hindered by the fact the young cast had noticeably gotten older. They were all pushing puberty and were now looking too old to still be a summer camp, unless they were training to become junior counselors.
A better idea, I think, would have been to rotate the main cast and focus on a different set of kids each season. Either that or make Salute Your Shorts an animated show the kids would never outgrow their roles.
You make a great point, but someone at Nick wanted to build their live action lineup beyond their game shows. Unfortunately, "Salute" had a short shelf life. "Fifteen" was a Canuck import. "Hey Dude" was another seasonal entry that more people remember, I think. "Welcome Freshmen" will get a look down the line.
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