From season 2 of Hoppity Hooper:
Hoppity and friends find themselves in the supposedly haunted town of Ware, where all sorts of strange happenings are taking place. Paul Frees narrates, and voices the magician and a monster based on Frankenstein.
The Three Stooges were nearing the end of their run at Columbia. "Pies & Guys" is the 2nd time they had revisited "Hoi Polloi" (1947's "Half-Wits Holiday" being the other), as two professors try to assimilate the boys into society. Chaos, of course, ensues.
It seems inevitable that Lassie's Rescue Rangers would have an episode set in Hollywood, two years after Lassie's live-action series had ended......
From season 2 of Saved by The Bell:
Zack & Kelly and Slater & Jessie end up breaking up, prompting Principal Belding (Dennis Haskins) to act as a romance counselor. It works, but then, his own marriage is on the rocks.
In this clip, Belding offers some advice.
This installment of Archie's TV Funnies takes a good natured poke at the infamous "rural purge" of 1970-1, with Reggie (John Erwin) trying to pass himself off as a rural host.
Featured strips:
Broom-Hilda, The Captain & The Kids, Dick Tracy, Smokey Stover, The Dropouts, Moon Mullins.
Time to check in on the East Side Kids, aka The Bowery Boys.
Huntz Hall makes his debut in the series in 1941's "Bowery Blitzkrieg", in which Muggs (Leo Gorcey) steps into the boxing ring, competing in the Golden Gloves under the sponsorship of the NYPD. Keye Luke (billed as "Key" Luke) appears briefly as the owner of a pool hall.
Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison (ex-Our Gang) is part of this group. Edited for broadcast when it aired on channel 5 in NYC back in the day.
Many moons ago, we discussed WSBK's Mystery Theatre, which was a lead-in to The Three Stooges on Saturday mornings back in the 80's. The only two components were Charlie Chan, which we discussed back then, and Mr. Moto, our next subject.
Peter Lorre was cast as Moto, John Marquand's secret agent, now rebooted as a detective, and, in 1938's "Mr. Moto's Gamble", as a criminology professor in San Francisco. "Gamble" was originally meant to be a Chan movie, but Warner Oland had taken ill, and subsequently passed away, so the script was rewritten with Moto taking over. Lee Chan (Keye Luke) is one of Moto's students. Our supporting cast is loaded with some familiar names, including Lon Chaney, Jr., "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom, Ward Bond, Douglas Fowley, and John Hamilton, who'd also appear with Boris Karloff in a Mr. Wong film, well before Adventures of Superman.
Episodes of Baggy Pants & The Nitwits are now available on a DePatie-Freleng fan channel on YouTube.
In this example, we see Baggy Pants in "Painter's Helper", which pretty much speaks for itself, even if it is a pantomime cartoon. Then, Tyrone & Gladys (Arte Johnson & Ruth Buzzi), the Nitwits, are after "Splish Splash" (an uncredited Frank Welker). In fact, none of the other actors in the episode (i.e. John Stephenson) were credited. The series clarified that Johnson created Tyrone, at least, for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In nearly a decade earlier.
We all know Rory Raccoon was a supporting character who had one of the rotating features on Linus The Lionhearted. While Bob McFadden voiced Rory on the show, the commercials Rory did for Post Toasties have Mel Blanc subbing for McFadden.
Here, Rory thwarts Claudius Crow......
Jabberwocky is a Boston children's television legend, even though the series lasted just 2 years in first run programming. Clips like this next item have surfaced on YouTube, so let's check it out.
While Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines lasted just 1 season of 1st run episodes, the backup feature, Magnificent Muttley, a parody of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", became an even bigger cult classic. Each shortie was a parody of something.
We previously screened the opener, "Muttley on The Bounty", but now, rather than track down the rest, we've got the whole shebang in a 40+ minute package, for the most part, as with the lead feature, a 2-man show (Paul Winchell & Don Messick).
Shari Lewis followed up Hi, Mom with The Shari Show, which ran for 3 seasons on NBC (1960-3). At the time, Howdy Doody had been airing six days a week, but when the show was ending, NBC decided to replace it with Shari on Saturdays.
Ronald Radd plays Mr. Goodfellow. During the series run, Fred Gwynne, who'd move on to Car 54, Where Are You?, and, then, The Munsters, appeared as Lamb Chop's personal physician.
In this sampler, it's Charlie Horse's birthday......
We learned earlier today of the passing of Sid Krofft at 96. In his memory, we present the series premiere of his most infamous creation, H. R. Pufnstuf, in which Jimmy (Jack Wild, "Oliver!") and his sentient flute, Freddy, arrive at the Living Island.
The performers in costumes include ex-Mousketeer Sharon Baird, and Felix Silla (ex-The Addams Family).
From season 2 of the ABC Weekend Special:
Film legend Butterfly McQueen made a rare television appearance in "The Seven Wishes of Joanna Peabody", the season 2 opener. McQueen is a fairy godmother that the title character (Star-Shemah) sees on her television.
Garrett Morris (Saturday Night Live) co-stars, plus a cameo of Monty Hall from Let's Make a Deal.
In May 1978, ABC decided to try a sweeps stunt with American Bandstand, just to show that the ratings sweeps periods didn't leave out Saturday daytime.
Donna Summer is the guest co-host, joining Dick Clark for an all-disco show, including some of Donna's own songs.
March Madness means a new set of Capital One commercials with Samuel L. Jackson joined by Charles Barkley (Inside The NBA), and, in this spot, Jennifer Garner (ex-Alias), and another NBA & NCAA legend in Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who replaces Spike Lee in the troupe. I think Spike is directing.
Well, it could've been worse. We could've gotten Stephen A. Smith trying to sing. Barkley's definitely a golden throat........
From the ABC Weekend Special:
Ruby-Spears' "Bad Cat" was the season finale for the 1983-4 season. Bart Braverman (ex-Vega$) leads an all-star cast that also includes Alan Young (ex-Mister Ed, Battle of The Planets), Hal Smith, Judy Strangis, Jon Bauman (one of his first toon jobs), Steve Spears (ex-Space Stars), and Marvin Kaplan (Alice, ex-Top Cat). Not sure if Steve was Ken Spears' son.
From season 1 of Alvin & The Chipmunks:
It was the 80's, after all. The MTV generation gave rise to a new group of female artists, including groups like the Go-Go's and the Bangles, and solo stars like Kim Wilde.
Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. & his wife, Janice Karman, decided that Alvin & the Chipmunks would have female counterparts in response. Enter The Chipettes.
In the season 1 premiere, following a team-up with Mr. T, whose animated series would debut later in the morning, Alvin, Simon, & Theodore met Brittany, Jeannette, & Eleanor (all voiced by Karman). A chance meeting after the girls, billed as the Chipmunks, are booked at a hotel, which gets David Seville (Bagdasarian) all confused.
Over the course of the series, we'd meet the girls' adoptive parent, Beatrice Miller (Dody Goodman, "Grease", ex-Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman), who would also care for the guys when Dave was away.
Edit, 10/8/26: Have to change the video. Following is a short excerpt:
"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.
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):
