You won't find this Fat Albert episode in the series' syndication package, assuming anyone's actually daring to play it these days, in light of the scandal that torpedoed series creator-star-co-executive producer Bill Cosby's career a few years ago.
No, "Food For Thought", about healthy eating, was produced for elementary schools in 1981. At the end of the clip is a promo for the series' shift to syndication in the fall of 1984.
"Pardon My Backfire" was the 2nd & last Three Stooges short produced in 3D, though the effects were replaced for television.
Moe, Larry, & Shemp are mechanics looking to raise money to marry their girlfriends, who are a little shy about commitment. Some escaped convicts enter their shop, and the fun really begins.
From the final season of Happy Days:
Joanie (Erin Moran) has landed her first teaching job. On just her 2nd day, a punk decides he wants to hit on her, not realizing she's already spoken for, and when she's not ready. Of course, Joanie's got some backup......
Two teens decide to open a magic shop, with the help of their aunt (Jane Withers), but it's also a building being earmarked for demolition. Yoiks! "Zack & The Magic Factory" was a 2-part Weekend Special from the winter of 1981, hosted by Michael Young (Kids Are People, Too):
We had this before, but, then, a mass deletion of F-Troop on YouTube resulted in the previous video being removed.
"Scourge of The West", the series opener, explains how bumbling Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry) landed at Fort Courage. The opening sequence is narrated by William Conrad (The Fugitive).
From season 3 of The Rifleman:
A very strict new teacher (Arnold Moss) causes problems for Mark (Johnny Crawford), but must work with Lucas (Chuck Connors) to rescue Mark and a friend from a mine after the boys run away from school.
Worth noting: Connors' real life son, Jimmy Fields, and niece, Pamela Cole, are among the guest stars.
Return with us now to a time when Native Americans were treated as stereotypes, such as the villainous Superchief, also known as Injun Joe. Porky Pig is a scout leading a wagon train, and runs afoul of Joe until the lone survivor of Joe's last raid shows up........
Jennifer Warnes went all the way to the top of the Easy Listening (now Adult Contemporary) chart in 1977, and hit #6 on the top 40, with "Right Time of The Night", which crossed over to the country chart, peaking at #11. This landed Jennifer on The Midnight Special:
Poor Ralph (Donny Most). He's caught the attention of a cheerleader, but her jealous boyfriend (guest star Reb Brown) is so not digging, leading to a boxing match between the two men....
This compilation covers the basic plotline.
James Street's Goodbye, My Lady was adapted into the feature film, "Weep No More, My Lady", with Brandon DeWilde, several years ago. In 1979, Ruby-Spears took their turn for the ABC Weekend Special. The print we have comes from a 1983 repeat hosted by Willie Tyler & Lester. Ernie Anderson & Dick Tufeld are our announcers.
We had this one before, but then it was removed by YouTube. Now, it's back, even though it's not the original CBS print.
Bugs Bunny burrows through a time warp into Camelot, becoming "A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court". Subsequent reruns rechristened the special as "Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court", likely due to issues with the estate of Mark Twain, even though Chuck Jones had made it clear what he was doing, taking creative license with the story......
From season 1 of Room 222:
Ever-busy Bernie Kopell (That Girl, Get Smart, The Doris Day Show) guests as a teacher who tries to connect with his students by adopting a hipster persona, which seems to have won over Alice (Karen Valentine).
Directed by Terry Becker (ex-Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea):
It's been quite a while since we checked in on Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, so let's go on a CHUMP hunt.
First up, it's "The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze", which makes the common cold and flu viruses seem tame by comparison in 1970 standards.
After a performance by the Evolution Revolution and some Chimpies, we've got "The Great Bank Robbery". Both episodes narrated by Malachi Throne (ex-It Takes a Thief).
Western Airlines' mascot, Wally Bird, debuted in the 50's, with Jim Backus voicing the character. We'll try to locate one of those spots another day, but Western gave Wally another chance 20 years later, this time with Shepard Menken as Wally.
Only cartoon physics can explain how you can be comfortable listening to music while sitting on top of the plane.....
From Spider-Man's 1981-2 solo series:
Captain America (George DiCenzo) is captured by his ancient nemesis, the Red Skull (Peter Cullen), who decides to do a mind swap. Spider-Man must rescue Cap and ruin the Skull's plot.
CBS' Schoolbreak Special offers up a cautionary tale about the dangers of steroids in "The Fourth Man". Peter Billingsley (ex-Real People), taking on a more mature role as he puts Hershey's chocolate syrup pitchman Messy Marvin in his rear view mirror, stars, along with Tim Rossovich, Adrienne Barbeau (ex-Maude), Nicole Eggert (later of Baywatch), Lyle Alzado (ex-Learning The Ropes, former NFL star), and, in his TV debut, Vince Vaughn.
Music by John Tesh (Entertainment Tonight):
It had gotten to the point where ABC was no longer asking for a lot of 1st run animated entries for the Weekend Special, like its sister series, the Afterschool Special. Live-action had become the way to go, and, not only that, but by the mid-80's, fewer episodes were produced each year.
Neil Ross, who'd been voicing Capt. OG Readmore in animated interstitals and some episodes, now voiced the puppet version of Readmore, acting as series host. Joan Lunden (Good Morning, America) joins Readmore for this 1987 repeat of a 1985 entry, "Columbus Circle", headlined by veterans Peggy Cass (ex-To Tell The Truth, The Hathaways), & Nancy Walker (ex-Rhoda, McMillan & Wife, etc.).
Jim Henson had been shopping a primetime project for his Muppets for years, after Jimmy Dean's ABC variety show had ended. In 1974, ABC took a chance with a primetime special that brought together the gang from Sesame Street with the cast of The Electric Company, plus guests Elliott Gould, Barbara Eden (ex-I Dream of Jeannie), & Carol Burnett, plus a cameo by ABC newsman Bill Beutel.
Out to Lunch aired two weeks before Christmas. Unfortunately, no video footage is available, just some audio clips. Basically, the Muppets (i.e. Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar, Big Bird) take over ABC to do some movie, TV, & commercial parodies.
The emergence of the audio clips and accompanying promo advertising is a case of perfect timing, since a new Muppet series is set to launch next week on ABC and Disney+, looking to recapture the spirit of The Muppet Show as it marks its 50th anniversary.
Now, if only someone would find the videos.......
After getting bounced from HBO Max last year, Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew will return to the Warner Bros Discovery umbrella, with shorts airing on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) starting next Monday, February 2, with Bugs designated as the channel's "Star of The Month".
So, you're probably asking, what happens to the shorts airing on Me-TV? That remains to be seen. They'll still stream on Tubi, which acquired the lot a few months back, until such time as WBD decides to bring them back to HBO Max. Whether that means getting rid of kid-unfriendly David Zaslav remains to be seen as well.
According to the article, plans call for the legendary "What's Opera, Doc?" and "Rabbit of Seville" to air as opening acts, if you will, for the Marx Brothers' "A Night at The Opera". Like, I don't know if that ever really happened at the theatres (doubtful), but fans of both Bugs and the Marxes will be in hog heaven.
Somewhere, Daffy Duck is in a jealous fit. Again.
I can't think of a better way for someone to mark the 40th anniversary of Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet", but some enterprising folks did.
Last month, "Bon Meovi" released "Livin' on a Chair", a parody of "Livin' on a Prayer".
While "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was tearing it up in Mid-South Wrestling, Glens Falls' other gift to wrestling made her TV debut with World Class Championship Wrestling.
Misty Blue leads off this card from September 1985. I don't think Misty ever followed Duggan to the WWE.....
The following is the closing tag from a 1991 episode of Saved by The Bell. NBC programming chairman Brandon Tartikoff made a special appearance as part of an anti-drug episode of the series.....
In 1988, Hanna-Barbera decided to tweak their Funtastic World block with a game show. No, they weren't going to try the originally conceived format for Wacky Races, but, rather, they decided on something of a cross between Hot Potato & Nickelodeon's Double Dare.
Skedaddle, however, lasted just 6 weeks, a total dud, as viewers figured out very quickly that this was more of a knock-off of Dare. Ron Pearson served as host. Unfortunately, no footage exists, just some screen captures like this:
No rating, as I never saw the show.
Here's a seasonally appropriate Afterschool Special.
"The Skating Rink" stars Rance Howard (Ron & Clint's dad), Stewart Peterson, radio & cartoon personality Jerry Dexter (ex-Gomer Pyle, USMC, Josie & The Pussycats), and, in one of his earliest roles, Sparky Marcus (later the voice of Richie Rich).
Producer Martin Tahse became a go-to for ABC in the mid-to-late 70's, producing films for the Afterschool Special and, later, Weekend Special.
"Martin", of course, is Martin Luther King, Jr., and this 1999 animated DTV, which has aired on cable in the intervening years, traces his life, with the contrivance of time travel.
LeVar Burton, Whoopi Goldberg, Jaleel White, Ed Asner, and Angela Bassett lead an all-star cast in this Emmy nominated film. The movie also features King's son, Dexter, as the adult King, and Frank Welker & John Travolta in supporting roles.
No rating. Strictly for educational purposes, as we honor Dr. King's memory today.
Now, here's a band I'd never heard of until today.
From 1975, here's The People's Choice with their disco hit, "Party is a Groovy Thing":
I think you could tell To Tell The Truth was nearing the end of its 1st syndicated run in 1977 when they started doing stunt casting like they did a decade earlier near the end of the CBS run.
In game 1, ventriloquist Shari Lewis introduces viewers to her magician father, Abraham Hurwitz. Lamb Chop introduces moderator Joe Garagiola, and after the game, a little magic trick with father & daughter.
Sentient shoes? In the world of Here Comes The Grump, definitely.
Making it all the more obvious the series was both inspired by, and DePatie-Freleng's audition for, Dr. Seuss' madcap stories, which DFE would begin adapting two years later.
Terry (Jay North, Arabian Knights, ex-Maya, Dennis The Menace) and Princess Dawn end up in the city of Shoe-Cago. Marvin Miller paints the word picture to start.
Time to go across the pond for our next entry.
The first remembrance I have of Doctor Snuggles was that it'd been imported to the US by one of the pay-cable channels in the early 80's. The series had launched in 1979 as a co-production between Dutch & British animation houses until a strike, either in the UK or the Netherlands, forced outsourcing of the animation to Korea and the US (DePatie-Freleng handled the final 6 episodes).
Peter Ustinov voiced the title character, and also served as narrator. Ustinov was no stranger to cartoons having narrated the Babar cartoons.
Following is a sample episode.
Vincent J. (Jess) McMahon was never satisfied with 1 syndicated program. He needed to have 2.
In addition to Championship Wrestling, there was also All Star Wrestling, a title used by other promotions in other parts of the country, including the AWA. You'd get the occasional competitive feature match, but most of the hour was loaded with jobber matches, the likes of which you don't see anymore.
From 1978, you'll see 2 former champions, Ivan Koloff and Stan Stasiak, in separate bouts, the latter in the opener vs. Larry Zbyszko. Also on the card is Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell, who would later become a babyface (good guy) in the AWA in the 80's after turning on Sheik Adnan El-Kaissie. Once Blackwell lost a title match vs. then-champ Bob Backlund, he left the 3WF.
Vincent K. McMahon solos on commentary.
Hasbro decided to adapt the long running Game of Life into a TV show, which lasted 1 season on the ill-fated, Hasbro-co-run The Hub (now Discovery Family). Unfortunately, 15 years later, it appears as though Hasbro went old school, and wiped most of the episodes, save for this one.
The CMDF are assigned to the World's Fair to intercept foreign saboteurs in this episode of Fantastic Voyage.
Here's another Disney entry produced for schools.
"Buyer Be Wise" is all about how we're consumers, and what goes into the money we spend. Hal Smith voices Goofy, while Gary Owens is the narrator.
One of the biggest complaints about The Looney Tunes Show was how it dumbed down Daffy Duck (Jeff Bergman) to the point where he was little more than an imbecile.
In this case, a case of mistaken identity has him thinking Porky Pig (Bob Bergen) is a killer. Meanwhile, Bugs (Bergman) rushes to the aid of Lola (Kristen Wiig) after she breaks her ankle. Legendary producer Garry Marshall, who hadn't done much acting since the 60's, is heard as Dr. Weisberg, a recurring role.
Produced in between seasons 2 & 3 of Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, the web-spinner (Dan Gilveazan), Firestar, Iceman, Captain America, Spider-Woman, & Hulk greet a family at Hardee's to shill the chain's answer to McDonald's Happy Meal.......
Meet Pete & Harry, the Carnation Rabbits, who shilled for Carnation cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, dips, & ice cream.
Today, Carnation is a unit of Nestle, continuing the long running company's evaporated milk and Breakfast Essentials (formerly Carnation Instant Breakfast), but the wider range of products didn't survive too far past the 60's.
A quick Google search reveals that Mel Blanc (who else?) gave life to Pete & Harry, though YouTubers were convinced Paul Winchell and/or Pat Harrington, Jr. did the voices.
Following is a 4 minute montage of commercials.
From season 1 of Problem Child:
Junior (Ben Diskin) takes umbrage when his grandfather (Jonathan Harris) welcomes a visiting general.
Considering that the president of our country fancies himself a dictator, but has the comportment of an immature child, well.........!
Here's a Fractured Fairy Tale from 1961.
The Three Little Piggs are a trio of sisters (all voiced by June Foray), instead of brothers in the traditional story, who get their own individual homes thanks to an inheritance from a recently deceased relative. Daws Butler is the wolf.
The Staple Singers scored a crossover hit in 1971 with "Respect Yourself", which brought them to Soul Train.
