In the 70's & 80's, Atari was a big name in video games. Both in arcades and home video.
To promote an early iteration of their video entertainment system, Atari recruited baseball star Pete Rose, then with Cincinnati, and TV icon Don Knotts, playing a convict.
Seven, nearly eight, months after Big Bird was shown getting the COVID vaccine, another Sesame Street character has followed.
Now that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which joined forces with Sesame Workshop to produce the following PSA, has authorized vaccines for younger children, the long running series, seen on PBS, HBO, HBO Max, & PBS Kids, used Elmo, a Muppet character nearing his 40th anniversary (debuted in 1984), to illustrate not only how safe the vaccine is for preschoolers, but also having his father, Louie, express his concerns when Elmo is off camera.
The Inspector goes hunting, solo, in the pentultimate short in the series, "Bear de Guerre". He goes into a forest area that clearly is prohibiting hunting, but his single minded pursuit has him running over a ranger, and running afoul of a talking bear.
All Charlie Ant (John Byner) wants to do is enjoy a day at the beach, like anyone else. The Aardvark (Byner) has other ideas. Unfortunately, he also has to get around a lifeguard who thinks the blue furred antagonist is a dog.
Here's "Dune Bug":
The Flintstones' 25th anniversary had already come & gone by the time CBS landed a primetime special in 1986 to mark the occasion.
And there are the few of you who dare ask, "why CBS"?
Easy answer: 15 years earlier, CBS landed the 1st spinoff of the series, Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm, which morphed into the 1st Flintstone Comedy Show the next season. Tim Conway hosts this retrospective, which features his good buddy, Harvey Korman (Great Gazoo, season 6), plus guest appearances from a host of celebrities, including Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White. When they get around to the song, "Teammates", Korman & Conway pick up for the original vocal track from the series (Mel Blanc and, we must assume, Henry Corden, one of two musical voice doubles for Alan Reed during the series' run before inheriting Reed's role as Fred in 1977).
Mind the video quality, which is not the greatest.
Take one look at the following ad for Romper Room's Mr. Magnet Man, and you'll see why it's not on the shelves anymore:
"And She Was" was a single off Talking Heads' 1985 CD, "Little Creatures". Director Jim Blashfield took his cues from comedian-turned-filmmaker Terry Gilliam (ex-Monty Python's Flying Circus) in creating the general look of the video.
Pulled from lead singer David Byrne's YouTube channel.
In 1953, Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes (now simply, Frosted Flakes) was relatively new on the market, and aside from Tony The Tiger, there were other spokesanimals in the Kellogg's zoo.
In this ad, you'll meet Katy the Kangaroo and George the Giraffe, the latter voiced by Dallas McKennon.
In 1990, Hanna-Barbera decided to make Fred Flintstone the face of the company, if ya will, retiring the swirling star logo after 11 years for a simpler graphic using Fred to mark The Flintstones' 30th anniversary.
To help promote the occasion, co-creators William Hanna & Joe Barbera, and actors Henry Corden & Jean (misidentified as "Jan") VanderPyl, were interviewed on Entertainment Tonight. A shorter clip with just Corden & VanderPyl has floated around for years, but this nearly 4 minute piece is a better fit.
Those of you who also follow my other blogs know I work for an insurance agency during the day. Safeco, now a part of Liberty Mutual, gained a license to use the Pink Panther in this short piece, which may have been produced by Marvel's animation division of the era.
Goofy (Pinto Colvig), in the role of George Geef, reluctantly takes his son out for a day at the beach in 1953's "Father's Weekend". June Foray voices both Mrs. Geef and Junior.
The Jackson 5ive made their first Soul Train appearance in 1972. After an interview with host-executive producer Don Cornelius, the brothers perform "I Want You Back".
From season 4 of Recess:
Professional brown-noser Randall Weems has no friends because of his being a tattletale, even if he makes up a large percentage of his reports. However, life at home isn't so easy, either, as he lies to his parents about having friends, and, then, discovers that pops will visit him at school......
From season 3 of Duckman:
Cornfed (Gregg Burger) learns he has a strange genetic disorder that requires him to lose his virginity in 24 hours, or he dies. Enter Bernice (Nancy Travis).
From Challenge of The Super Friends:
Mr. Mxyzptlk (Frank Welker) decides to torment our heroes by forcing them into a movie of his own making, using 5th dimensional magic. He'd try this again three years later in "Mxyzptlk's Flick", a shorter piece.
Here's "The Rise & Fall of The Super Friends":
From season 2 of Fonz & The Happy Days Gang:
The gang winds up in an undersea kingdom in the far future. Standard stuff. Greedy villain wants the domed city, and meets resistance. Here's "Kelp!":
From the series finale of the short-lived No Soap, Radio:
This wacky sketch-driven sitcom lasted just five weeks, but provided opportunities for the likes of Bill Calloway (ex-Love, American Style) and Gary Owens (ex-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Space Ghost, Dynomutt, etc.) to return in front of the cameras. Owens was doing a few guest shots here and there, anyway, and was mostly working in radio other than his cartoon work, his 2nd stint as Space Ghost having ended.
Bob Hastings was on General Hospital at the time, and lightened his hair for his appearance here. Gregg Burger? Well, if you didn't know what one of the more prolific voice actors of the 80's & 90's looks like, here's your chance.
Full review in The Land of Whatever:
Hasbro introduced the Incredible Super Stamper in 1976. Unfortunately, it didn't last, though this ad did.
Today, Chunky is one of the candies now made by Ferriero, which acquired the brand from Nestle a ways back. In 1986, the thick, square bar was announcing its comeback with a jingle written to the beat of the Angels' one-hit wonder, "My Boyfriend's Back":
A few months after the launch of their first series, Beavis & Butt-Head were blessed with a compilation CD, "The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience", in which the Texas Twits (both voiced by Mike Judge) comment on the songs on the album, with 2 exceptions---their own tracks.
"Come to Butt-Head" is a slow jam that plays on Butt-Head's signature come on catchphrase. On the other hand, pop icon Cher joins the boys for a retooling of "I Got You Babe", which was a huge hit for Cher and then-partner Sonny Bono nearly 30 years earlier.
If this was Kids' WB!'s idea of summer entertainment in 2002, someone sold them a bill of goods.
Phantom Investigators was, in fact, a summer replacement series that lasted just 13 weeks (May-August), and was a mix of stop motion animation, puppets, and a hint of live-action. The faces were paper cutouts, not too dissimilar to Angela Anaconda, but nowhere near the genius of South Park. Basically, this show, since it was from Columbia-Tri-Star (Sony), aspired to be a junior version of The Real Ghostbusters, but minus the gadgets and boss animation. Epic fail!
Methinks WB intended this for the fall of 2001, but held it to the summer of '02 for reasons only they know.
Here is the intro:
Kenner took over the license from Mego to produce action figures based on the DC comics heroes in 1983.
The resulting Super Powers Collection line of action figures led to some changes for the Super Friends franchise on Saturday mornings the following year. For starters, the series was given the sub-title, The Legendary Super Powers Show, for the 1984-5 season. With just 8 episodes, the Wonder Twins were written out of the series after the series finale. As we know the final season was rechristened, Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, with narrator Bill Woodson all but removed. Unfortunately, the toy tie-ins had an adverse effect, as the series was cancelled, this time for good, after 13 years (1973-86), to be replaced by The Real Ghostbusters in the center of ABC's lineup.
For what it's worth, Zan & Jayna had to wait 26 more years before they got action figures.
Let's take a look at an early commercial for the action figures.
We had this up before, and then, it was deleted. Now, it's back.
Mort Walker's Beetle Bailey returned to television for the first time in an animated cartoon in several years. Unfortunately, while the special was produced for CBS, the network was undergoing management changes at the time, and backed away.
This show did air overseas, which is why it has been available online off and on. Hank Saroyan (Jim Henson's Muppet Babies) teamed with Walker on the script. The only familiar voices heard here are Henry Corden as Sgt. Snorkel (the part was essayed by Allan Melvin in the 60's), and Frank Welker (Smurfs, Real Ghostbusters, etc.) as Snorkel's canine sidekick, Otto, and dim-witted Zero. Corden's name getting misspelled might've been a bad omen.
It's been a while since we checked on Bud Collyer and To Tell The Truth.
From November 19, 1957, four days before Thanksgiving, we meet the creator of the long running board game, Monopoly, and, in the first game, hockey legend Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens.
Seals & Crofts returned to The Midnight Special for this performance of their 1976 hit, "Get Closer", featuring singer Carolyn Willis (Honey Cone) as the added vocalist.
When Saturday Night Live ended its season May 21-2, a parody of ESPN's First Take ended up on the cutting room floor, edited for time.
Special guest Natasha Lyonne is made up to look like actor Michael Rappaport. Kenan Thompson gets a fake beard to pose as Kendrick Perkins. Chris Redd's mimic of Stephen A. Smith, though, is the highlight.
By 1966, Peter Paul, makers of Almond Joy & Mounds, added Caravelle to their roster, and in short order, also brought along Power House and (Peanut Butter w/) No Jelly. It is not known if Power House actually survived to this day, but No Jelly and Caravelle did not.
Caravelle was the company's answer to Nestle's $100,000 Bar, later rebranded as 100 Grand, and recently sold off, along with the rest of Nestle's candy line.
Check out this ad. Sounds like it might be Lynn Ahrens (Schoolhouse Rock) as the vocalist.
26 years after their first feature film, Beavis & Butt-Head will star in another movie, this one streaming on Paramount+ later this month.
"Beavis & Butt-Head do The Universe", debuting June 23, sounds like a natural sequel to 1996's "Beavis & Butt-Head do America", as Mike Judge's dimwitted teens wind up in outer space, as seen in the following image supplied to the media.
From season 3 of Recess:
Ashamed of his own failures in "The Kindergarten Derby" years earlier, Mikey (Jason Davis) refuses to participate in the current event, until a boy named Tubby (Davis in a dual role) persuades him to be his coach.
Many thanks to correspondent Steven Dolce for the tip (in the comments section of our last entry) on this next item.
Winnie-The-Pooh, to be formal, went into the public domain back in January. Jagged Edge, an independent studio, has capitalized, and finished primary production on a horror movie, "Blood & Honey", in which the beloved bear and his BFF, Piglet, turn into murderous killers after being left to fend for themselves by Christopher Robin.
Is nothing sacred anymore?
Not for kids, and likely to wind up on SyFy before the end of the year. Ugh.
The CB Bears travel to the "Valley of No Return" to find out why the animals have left the valley. Seems some greedy fellow is looking for a lost city....
