Here's a classic oldie getting the animated video treatment.
Looking Glass hit the top of the charts in 1972 with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", a classic ballad that continues to gain major airplay on oldies channels today. Nearly 50 years later, an animated video was produced for the song:
From the ABC Afterschool Special:
ABC called upon DePatie-Freleng once again for another part-animated, part-live action entry, "My Mom's Having a Baby". Shane Sinutko plays a 10 year old whose mom (Candace Farrell) asks him to babysit his infant brother. Dr. Lendon Smith (ex-The Children's Doctor) appears as himself to give the kids a crash course in childbirth. Jarrod Johnson (ex-The Lost Saucer) co-stars.
Sani-Flush was a brand of toilet bowl cleaner introduced more than 100 years ago. The product passed through numerous corporate hands, including Boyle-Midway and Reckitt-Bensicker before being retired in the US 10 years ago. Environmental activists had a lot to do with the product being discontinued.
From 1979, they tried to create a mascot for the product.
Vin DiBona had a winner on his hands with America's Funniest Home Videos, still going strong 35 years after its launch. In 1990, he added America's Funniest People, which like Home Videos, started with a pilot special, and went from there. The difference? It lasted just four seasons (1990-4).
As with Home Videos, DiBona turned to the cast of Full House to find his lead host in Canadian cut-up Dave Coulier (The Real Ghostbusters), partnered with Arleen Sorkin (Days of Our Lives). However, there were some issues between Sorkin & DiBona, leading to the actress being cut after 2 seasons. She cried foul amid rumors DiBona wanted an African-American or other minority co-hostess, but DiBona blinked and brought in actress Tawny Kitaen to replace Sorkin.
Arleen made out okay, though. She landed the role of her career as the voice of Harley Quinn on Batman: The Animated Series.
Let's check the season opener, in which the competitive by-play between the hosts begins.....
Gerry Anderson's Supercar made its debut in the UK in the winter of 1961. Two seasons, or, as they say in the UK, series, totaling 39 episodes were produced, and ultimately was released on DVD.
Let's take a look at the opener, "Rescue", courtesy of Shout! Factory:
Archie, Sabrina, and the rest of the gang have plans for a big event, but Jughead (Howard Morris) mistakenly customizes Mr. Weatherbee's car, and that forces a change. Chili replaces chicken on the menu, and when Sabrina (Jane Webb) borrows her aunts' cauldron, she doesn't realize there's a curse attached!
We're finally going to meet Carlos (Jose Flores, ex-Ark II), a short-lived addition to the gang.
Here's "Pot Luck":
As the Little League World Series, which counts Kellogg's as a long time sponsor, nears its end for this year, let's take a time trip to 1980. Girls began playing Little League baseball in the 70's, and this would pave the way for Little League Softball, which had their World Series earlier this summer.
Anyway, this little darling comes home after a game that had a softball-like score, 23-17, and her side ended up losing. Enter Milton the Toaster (William Schallert), and some Pop Tarts.
The most cantankerous cowboy character in wrestling history has gone to wrestling's version of Boot Hill.
Terry Funk, former NWA & ECW World champion, respected the world over, passed away this afternoon at the age of 79.
Funk won the NWA World title in 1975, a twist of fate in that he stood in for his brother, Dory Funk, Jr., vs. the defending champion, Jack Brisco. 22 years later, he became ECW champion, ending Raven's long title reign. Funk has been inducted into several wrestling Halls of Fame, including the NWA & WWE.
It was Funk, before Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, or Roddy Piper, who parlayed his wrestling fame onto the silver screen. Funk starred in a pair of movies with Sylvester Stallone, "Paradise Alley" & "Over The Top", and "Road House", opposite Patrick Swayze & Sam Elliott. He also dabbled in television, appearing in the short-lived 1986 series, Wildside, for ABC. His television credits also include the original Quantum Leap, Thunder in Paradise, Swamp Thing (the 1991 series), The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and a recurring gig on Tequila & Bonetti.
From 1985, Terry visits Piper's Pit:
We've always wondered how celebrities' kids go to school. Do they go to private schools (some do), or public (some do)?
This ABC Afterschool Special attempts to answer that question in "A Movie Star's Daughter". Frank Converse (ex-Movin' On, NYPD) and Marcia Rodd, who would star in 13 Queens Boulevard a month after this show aired, are the parents.
Produced by the Learning Corporation of America, and I suspect this also played in some classrooms after its network debut.
Gilligan's Island was more than halfway through its 1st season when two of its stars, Natalie Schaefer & Jim Backus, appeared on Password. Backus, having already completed production on his other series that season, The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, months earlier, had a little bumble early on that would've made Magoo proud........
Gerry Anderson's Stingray turns 60 next year. Thinking about it, it might've been Anderson's (and ITC's) answer to Irwin Allen's Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea, which bowed a month earlier on ABC here in the US. Voyage lasted four seasons to Stingray's 1.
Seems ITC had little faith in their products, as most series, save for The Saint, Danger Man/Secret Agent, Space: 1999, and The Muppet Show, lasted 1 season and no further.
In the opener, we're introduced not only to the crew of Stingray, but their recurring nemesis, a race of amphibians waging war against the surface world. Hmmm. Seems as though they also referenced Marvel's Sub-Mariner, as well.
Finding episodes of 60's cartoons like The Smokey Bear Show is difficult. Fortunately, there are folks on YouTube who have located some to add to the video library.
One example is this summer rerun, and we know it's a summer rerun because among the commercials is a promo for The Odd Couple, which was one of the keys of ABC's primetime lineup in September 1970. Sponsors include Hostess, Hasbro, Zestabs (with Tom Morrison redubbing an old Mighty Mouse cartoon), and General Mills. Couldn't make out the name of that hand puppet Andy Devine (ex-Andy's Gang, Wild Bill Hickok) was shilling.
On the heels of the recent Little Mermaid live special, Ariel returns to television in an all-new series for Disney Junior & Disney+, set to debut next year.
Harris will be joined by Taye Diggs (All American) as the voice of King Triton, and Amber Riley (ex-Glee) as Ursula.
2025 sees the return of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, as Disney circles back to the popular series for preschoolers. The new version introduces a new character, Duffy, Mickey's faithful teddy bear. This will be fun, to be sure.
Before that, though, comes a Halloween special airing October 1-2, in which Mickey and Donald & Daisy Duck, along with Minnie Mouse & Goofy, run afoul of Witch Hazel, not the same as the one from those classic Bugs Bunny shorts, but you get the idea.
There's more stuff, too, and we'll look at that down the road.
Hi-yoooooooooo!
After more than 20 years as Johnny Carson's sidekick on The Tonight Show, during which time he'd hosted a couple of game shows, and landed an endorsement deal with Budweiser, Ed McMahon was tapped to host Star Search, a modern reimagining of The Original Amateur Hour, only this was in syndication for the entirety of its 12 year run (1983-95). CBS would revive Search nearly a decade later with Arsenio Hall as host.
Search was the launchpad for a number of talents, including Tiffany, Sam Harris, Sinbad, Sawyer Brown, Christina Aguilera, and so much more.
In the 90's, the producers moved the show from Hollywood to Orlando, and gave McMahon a sidekick of his own, except she didn't share the stage with him. The 518's gift to MTV, Martha Quinn, 2 years removed from her 2nd and final tour with MTV, served as co-host from Pleasure Island. Unfortunately, the 1994-5 season also marked the end of the original Search. During this season, Search moved into a morning berth locally, and the addition of Quinn (ex-The Bradys, Full House, Fan Club) was meant to boost ratings. I'm pretty sure it did here at home.
From that final season, here's a sampler.
Letterman (Gene Wilder) becomes the target of Spell Binder (Zero Mostel) in "Silver Threads Among The Bold". Joan Rivers narrates.
CBS took out this two page ad appearing in various comic books in the summer of 1982:
Anyway, Sylvester & Tweety, Daffy & Speedy merges together the former's mid-70's series with the latter's run on NBC that had ended a year earlier, and really isn't new. Labeling The CBS Children's Film Festival as new is wrong, too, since it was actually returning to the schedule after an absence. 30 Minutes was cancelled to make room.
We've previously reviewed the three highlighted frosh:
Gilligan's Planet was a rehash of 1974's New Adventures of Gilligan, but now set in space. The last Filmation series produced for a network.
Pandamonium & Meatballs & Spaghetti were collaborative efforts between Marvel Productions and Fred Silverman's Intermedia Entertaiment.
If only they could do this now......
In the late 60's, the Navy decided to try a new approach to a television ad campaign. In this cartoon, a little boy tries selling his friend on the Navy...
I'm sure you've heard this next song on the radio through the years. Elvin Bishop peaked at #3 with "Fooled Around & Fell in Love" in 1975, and it merited an appearance on The Midnight Special. However, Bishop does not sing on this track. He turned over vocals to backup singer Mickey Thomas, later of Jefferson Starship, which later morphed into Starship. This was the track, I think, that led to Thomas leaving Bishop for Jefferson Starship.
From season 12 of King of The Hill:
Dale Gribble (Johnny Hardwick) discovers that his son, Joseph, is on a middle school watch list of young quarterbacks, meaning he's likely to star in high school, then, college. Trouble arises when a prep school tries recruiting the youngster.
This next item was posted to Reddit's Vintage TV subreddit recently:
I don't think that a day goes by without an oldies channel, or even a classic rock channel on FM, playing this classic from Dave Mason, "We Just Disagree". Guitarist Jim Kreuger co-wrote "Disagree", and sits in with Mason on The Midnight Special.
From season 1 of The Real Ghostbusters:
The team is hired by a pair of African-American children being menaced by a Boogieman, who's created a portal into our world through the kids' closet.
Some episodes of Dragnet have served as teaching tools.
In season 2 of the series' 2nd run, we learn just what goes into the final determinations of who enters the Police Academy. Herbert Anderson (ex-Dennis The Menace) guest stars.
Former Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer is back with a brand new album, "The Devil Always Collects", due in September. The 1st single is a cover of Del Reeves' "The Girl on The Billboard". 40 years after the Stray Cats first broke through on the charts, Brian's still rockin'.
It was the last American Bandstand for the calendar year 1964. Host-producer Dick Clark brought in Bobby Vee, who had a huge top 5 hit a year earlier with "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", as a headline act on the day after Christmas.
Here's a rarity.
Calo cat food was off the shelves by the time I first ventured into a supermarket. This simple ad, directed by the legendary Fred "Tex" Avery, has a tiger schooling a housecat on the virtues of the product. YouTube commentators have said either Daws Butler or Shep Menken, or both, handle the voices here.
ABC had just 3 freshman cartoons in 1990, all of which we've previously reviewed: New Kids on The Block, Little Rosey, & The Wizard of Oz. Good enough for a half-hour primetime preview, hosted by Family Matters co-stars Reginald VelJohnson, Kellie Shangyne Williams, & Jaleel White. Sounds like Frank Welker (The Real Ghostbusters) is our announcer.
