Coming Attractions: Reading Rainbow returns with a new host, and a new home

 Nearly 20 years after production ceased, Reading Rainbow is returning, this time refocused for today's generation.

With original host LeVar Burton busy at the moment with the CW's revival of Trivial Pursuit, which officially begins season 2 next month, viral librarian Mychal Threets (Mychal The Librarian) takes over as the host, with the show now set in an actual library. Threets made his debut on social media during the pandemic 5 years ago, and, fittingly, the new Rainbow, which is set to start Saturday, will be streaming on YouTube through Sony's KidZuko channel, which also serves up this trailer:

Actors Adam DeVine, Jamie Chung, and Gabrielle Union, and the husband & wife team of John Legend & Chrissy Teigen are among the celebrity readers lined up for the series.

Mark this as family time. You'll be glad you did.

Robert F. Kennedy and the kids (Wonderama, 1965)

 Prior to being elected Senator from NY, Robert F. Kennedy began what would be a 4 year run of annual appearances on WNEW's Wonderama with host Sonny Fox. RFK's compassion for children, unfortunately, has been lost on his son, now the brainless head of the department of Health & Human Services.

Let's go back to 1965.

The above clip comes from a Sonny Fox fan channel.

Saturtainment: A complete episode of the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show (1974)

 This is listed on YouTube as episode 2 of The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. Among the highlights:

The Hudsons, Billy Van, & Peter Cullen play a staff of Frankenstein monsters, operating on a patient, from the looks of things. Cullen was also the show's announcer, and voices the Bear (likely Janos Prohaska in the costume, just like on The Andy Williams Show) in a skit.

Unfortunately, Wikipedia has no info on the young boy playing the "network president".....

The brothers also cover the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'", some 6 years before the Blues Brothers charted with it.

No rating. Just a public service.

When your brother is a one hit wonder: Far From Over (1983)

 Some genius at Paramount thought having Sylvester Stallone direct "Staying Alive", the sequel to 1977's "Saturday Night Fever", would create another monster hit.

Uh, not so much.

"Alive" was one of two films John Travolta headlined in 1983, the other being "Two of a Kind", reuniting him with "Grease" co-star Olivia Newton-John. But, enough about that for now.

Stallone managed to get his brother, Frank, onto the "Alive" soundtrack, producing a 1-hit wonder with "Far From Over", which landed Frank on American Bandstand:

At least Frank quit while he was ahead. Sylvester is still plugging along with Tulsa King on Paramount+, contrasted by his association with a certain immature senior citizen in Washington.......

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Do The Circulation (1979)

 From Schoolhouse Rock:

"Do The Circulation" is a bouncy Science Rock entry that teaches kids how blood circulates. Funny how the aerobics craze was starting around the same time........

One YouTube commenter thought the producers had hired the Pointer Sisters, but, of course not. They found three studio singers who sound almost like the Pointers.....

Remember DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)? (The New Adam-12, 1991)

 The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program was founded by then-LAPD Chief Daryl Gates in 1983, and expanded its reach to the UK in the 90's.

Before that expansion, the DARE program was the subject of an episode of The New Adam-12. Ron Glass (ex-Barney Miller) and Bridget Hanley (ex-Here Come The Brides) are the guest stars.

No rating. Just a public service.

From Primetime to Daytime: Urkel be ballin' (Family Matters, 1991)

 Who says nerds can't play?

Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) is the manager for his school's men's varsity basketball team. When the team suddenly is down to four healthy players due to injuries and players fouling out, Urkel talks his way into the game, with the team down double digits in the 4th quarter.

IIRC, White may have taken part in some of MTV's Rock 'n' Jock basketball games in the 90's, but all of America got to see him show some skills.....

Saturtainment: The Ramones on Sha Na Na (1979)

 Apparently, Jon "Bowzer" Bauman always wanted to be a game show host.

That said, it explains why he has the MC's role for a parody of Family Feud involving The Ramones. Post-game, the punk icons perform "Rock & Roll High School".

Today, the sketch wouldn't play well with certain demographic groups........! You know, of course, that Bauman would swap out the grease to host 2 game shows 4 years later, before shifting to VH1.

You Know The Voice: Norman Alden (1973)

 In addition to being cast as Aquaman in the initial Super Friends, character actor Norman Alden (ex-Rango) began recurring on Owen Marshall, Counselor-at-Law, as part of a 3-man rotation with Pat Harrington and Russell Johnson (ex-Gilligan's Island) as prosecutors. We've seen Harrington on Owen Marshall before, so now, from season 3, Norman takes his turn in "The Prowler", with Donna Mills, Jed Allan (Celebrity Bowling, Days of Our Lives), and singer-turned-actress Michelle Phillips (The Mamas & The Papas).

This was one of Lee Majors' last appearances in the series, as The Six Million Dollar Man launched its series run a few weeks after this episode first aired.

Toons You Might've Missed: Sudden Fried Chicken (1946)

 From Famous Studios' Noveltoon series comes this farce from 1946, "Sudden Fried Chicken".

Now, we're all familiar with Herman (Arnold Stang), who teamed with Katnip in the 50's, but it turns out Herman had already appeared in a number of shorts with Henry, a rooster, and his wife, Bertha. "Sudden Fried Chicken" spelled the end for Henry & Bertha, and it would be a few years before Katnip made his debut.

Here, Henry is coaxed into fighting in a boxing match to win some money and respect.

This was included in a Disney Channel movie years later, but hasn't turned up much since.

Rating: B-.

On The Air: The NFL Today (1975)

 And here I thought this started sooner than it did.

"This" would be The NFL Today, CBS' pre-game show ahead of their NFL coverage, which launched in 1975. Brent Musburger was the show's 1st anchor, aided by a revolving door cast of analysts and co-hosts, including Phyllis George, Jayne Kennedy, former player Irv Cross, and the infamous Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, whose run with the show was torpedoed in the 80's due to some ill-timed remarks.

Today, James Brown is the anchor, having come over from Fox a few years back, aided by former players Matt Ryan, Nate Burleson (CBS Mornings, Hollywood Squares), and Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher.

To mark the 50th anniversary, Musburger was brought back as a special guest, and the panel honored him with some throwback wardrobe, breaking out some wigs and polyester suits.....

Musburger retired from ESPN a few years back, but still sounds like he can do the job.

Rating: A.

Retro Toy Chest: Alexander's Star (1982)

 In the wake of Rubik's Cube becoming a cultural phenomenon in the 80's, Ideal came out with a copycat in Alexander's Star. Check this ad:

Hadn't seen this until today. Unsurprisingly, it was gone in short order.

Toonfomercial: The California Raisins (and a friend) rap about library books (1990)

 The "friend" in question is rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot, who'd score a big hit on the Hot 100 with 1992's "Baby Got Back". It's his voice you hear in this ad.

Still relevant today.

From Comics to Toons: Beetle Bailey in Labor Shortage (1960)

 We all know that Beetle Bailey was adapted for television, with the first shorts rolling out in 1963.

Ah, but what is this? A short from 1960? Yep.

Seems that King Features, which launched their animation division with Popeye in '60, had tried out Beetle with a pilot produced, and presumably written, by Joe Oriolo and Pat Sullivan, Jr., more closely associated with Felix The Cat and Casper.

The voice actors remain the same, Howard Morris & Allan Melvin, as this is a 2 man show. Here's "Labor Shortage".

Comics Kingdom is a YouTube channel dedicated to King Features properties.

Rating: B.

That time Peter Pan tried a live-action mascot (1972)

 Today, Peter Pan peanut butter is one of a zillion products under the ConAgra banner.

Back in 1972, it was still manufactured by Derby Foods, whose advertising agency felt the product needed a live-action mascot.

Enter Alan Sues (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), who donned the green costume for a series of spots, including this one.

Sues' Peter was a bumbling sort, not heroic at all. Epic fail!! Small wonder this ad campaign lasted less than a year.

Getting Schooled: A primer on drug use at home (Dragnet, 1969)

 From season 4 of Dragnet (2nd series):

Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) probe the death of a juvenile, and find that the parents don't seem to mind that they're toking right in front of three kids......

I must've seen this a fair number of times over the years, and the little girl looking like a deer in the headlights just hits.

Rating: A.

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Goodbye Stranger (1979)

 One week ago, Supertramp co-founder, co-vocalist, and songwriter Rick Davies had passed away. In his memory, we present "Goodbye Stranger", off 1979's "Breakfast in America", as presented on The Midnight Special.

Toonfomercial: Glade introduces a lemon scent (1970s)

 Sometime in the 70's---no one's exactly sure, it seems---Johnson Wax (now SC Johnson) added a lemon scent to its line of Glade air fresheners. The couple depicted in the ad look & sound like they might've migrated from a certain yellow brick road...........

Saturday Morning's Forgotten Heroes: The Houndcats in The Perilous, Possibly Pilfered, Plans Mission (1972)

The Houndcats get a rematch with The Raven (Michael Bell in a dual role), who's after some government plans after escaping prison.

If young Jeff's voice sounds familiar, it's because it's that of Don Messick, who'd recycle the voice when he took over the role of Scrappy-Doo a few years later. Messick went uncredited.

No rating. Just a public service.

Tooniversary: The Lone Ranger in Tall Timber (1980)

 The Lone Ranger (William Conrad) meets up with some lumberjacks in "Tall Timber".

I wonder how that would play in these times.

Rating: B.

Looney TV: Bars & Stripes Forever (1939)

 What happens when prisoners try to escape? Chaos, sure, but also some silliness, in "Bars & Stripes Forever".

Warden Paws is modeled after Hugh Herbert, a popular comedian of the day, and this wouldn't be the last time Herbert was used as a model for a character.

Not as good as you think.

Rating: B--.

Saturtainment: Kung Fu Theatre (1984)

 Haaaaiiiii-yaaaaaahhhhh!!

USA Network had something when they decided to bolster their Saturday afternoon block with Kung Fu Theatre, with all the high impact, high camp martial arts adventure you could ever want. If memory serves me, USA would schedule 2 movies every Saturday afternoon, a practice adopted by the now-defunct El Rey network a few years ago when owner Robert Rodriguez wanted to pay homage to the cult favorite block of the 80's.

Yes, the dubbing wasn't all that great, it usually isn't, which is part of the appeal. I wasn't really a fan. Just give me David Carradine in Kung Fu and some Bruce Lee movies, and I'd be happy.

Rating: B--.

From Comics to Toons: Beetle Bailey in For Officers Only (1963)

 2025 marks Beetle Bailey's 75th anniversary, as the strip debuted in 1950, and the Walker brothers, Neal, Greg, & Brian, sons of creator Mort Walker, are keeping the series going to this day.

In 1963, Beetle (Howard Morris) and friends scheme to get into a dance that is meant "For Officers Only", although Sgt. Snorkel (Allan Melvin) is saddened to deliver the bad news, because he knows his men deserve a good time as much as he does.

Co-author Bruce Howard also worked on a number of primetime shows in the 70's.

Predictable.

Rating: B.

Parkinson's Disease costs a Teen Titans GO! actor his job. Like, seriously?

 If you're a fan of Teen Titans, or the insipid, still-on-the-air, still unfunny Teen Titans GO!, this hurts.

Greg Cipes, who voiced Beast Boy ever since the 1st Titans series launched on Chumptoon Network in 2003, revealed that he was fired earlier this year due to his having Parkinson's Disease. In Instagram posts shared earlier this year, Cipes proved that he could still do the job, and executive producer Sam Register was being blamed for the firing. Cipes had essayed the role for 22 years, including some DTV's.

Two "generations" of Teen Titans. Photo courtesy WB/CN.

Problem is, Cipes is blaming the wrong guy.

In this writer's opinion, Register is just the messenger/scapegoat. The true blame lies with WBD CEO and professional dweeb David Zaslav. On orders from Zaslav, who has all the compassion of a dead tree, Register told Cipes in February that he was being let go.

How Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool News, which broke the story, missed that part of the equation, I don't know. Cipes says Register told him they were looking at finding an impressionist to take over the role of Beast Boy. And this was despite the fact that the rest of the show's regular cast (Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch) "had his back" and were supportive.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this starts the end of the line for Teen Titans Go!, which has been on the air for over 10 years, outlasting the previous iteration. Five actors, working together for 22 years, like a family unto itself. Take one away, and the domino effect could be in the offing. Just sayin'.

Parkinson's claimed Muhammad Ali. Michael J. Fox has it, and is still with us. Prayers to Greg as he recovers.

Tooniversary: The Outfoxed Fox (Tom & Jerry, 1975)

 This Tom & Jerry offering, "The Outfoxed Fox", has nothing to do with a children's book of the same name, but is, rather, a clever tale of a fox (Len Weinrib, impersonating Paul Lynde) and a hound (John Stephenson) running a scam on our boys, but make a fatal mistake.........

Weinrib's on-again, off-again association with Hanna-Barbera cost him the opportunity to use his Lynde mimic again two years later, which resulted in Stephenson taking over the role of Mildew Wolf (Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics) and doing his best Lynde mimic.

Rating: A-.

Rare Treats: A CBS promo reel from Terrytoons (1957)

In 1957, CBS had asked Terrytoons to produce a promo reel for network affiliates. No, you wouldn't see classic Terrytoons characters like Mighty Mouse (who had made his CBS debut 2 years earlier) or Heckle & Jeckle, but an experimental new style of animation under the direction of Gene Deitch.

Depth Study, I don't think, was ever shown over the air. All the voices, apparently, are performed by Allen Swift. There's also vintage footage of I Love Lucy, The Ed Sullivan Show, Person to Person, & The Jack Benny Program, among the CBS shows.

Deitch, then, would be credited with the development of someone like, say, Tom Terrific, maybe?

Rating: B--.

Daytime Heroes: Courageous Cat (1960)

 I had done a piece before on our next subject, but it was deleted at a time when YouTube had removed every last video available on Courageous Cat.

Courageous was, along his sidekick, Minute Mouse, a parody of Bob Kane's most famous creation, Batman, and produced by independent producer Sam Singer for Tele-Features. 130 shorts were produced over 2 seasons (1960-2). The music was credited to Johnny Holliday, and, per Wikipedia (take it with a grain of salt), Roy Halee (Heckle & Jeckle) & Dayton Allen (ex-Howdy Doody) worked on the series along with primary voice actor Dallas McKennon.

Have to guess it might be either McKennon or Allen impersonating Edward G. Robinson as Chauncey Frog, Courageous' arch-nemesis, in "The Case of The Prison Break":

Reruns played on WPIX during the 70's & early 80's, before 1st run syndication took hold. That's how I was introduced to Courageous.

Rating: A.

Toon Rock: Crambone (1955)

 From Tom & Jerry's 1955 entry, "Pecos Pest", comes this little novelty.

Jerry's Uncle Pecos (Shug Fisher) sings & stutters his way through "Crambone". To think this was 70 years ago.

Silly stuff.

It Should've Been on a Saturday: OK KO: Let's be Heroes! (2017)

 OK KO: Let's be Heroes! ran on Cartoon Network for 3 seasons over 22 months (2017-9), but the network made the mistake of running the series on weekdays instead of Saturdays. Had they made the show weekly, it might still be on the air, but for the network's obsession with Teen Titans Go!, which had one crossover episode with OK KO that also involved other CN series such as Steven Universe & Uncle Grandpa.

Full episodes are not available on YouTube, just excerpts, like this one, in which Captain Planet (David Coburn, essaying the role for the first time in 21 years) appears, as does Kwame (LeVar Burton).

Not every show that uses the Cal Arts animation style has been successful for CN, as we all know. Hated the design for Captain Planet, as the producers just couldn't be bothered to use older models. I didn't see the show the first time around, but I felt that the show had promise, and could've stood to have a better time slot.

Rating: B--.

Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Then Came You (1976)

 The Spinners hit #1 with "Then Came You", a duet with Dionne Warwick. However, while Warwick was either ill or on tour, Joni Sledge (Sister Sledge) stepped in to pinch hit when the Spinners appeared on The Midnight Special:

Saturday Morning's Forgotten Heroes: The Houndcats in The Ruckus on The Rails Mission (1972)

 The writers of The Houndcats borrowed from the Scooby-Doo playbook for the episode, "The Ruckus on The Rails Mission".

A phony ghost scam for personal enrichment? Yep. Common Scooby plot #101A.

Michael Bell would recycle his voice for Stutz for Plastic Man 7 years later.

Rating: B.