Ever since the Hub launched in October 2010, Hasbro has managed to revive several properties, some of which weren't originally theirs.
Kenner, which was later bought by Hasbro, introduced the Littlest Pet Shop line of toys in 1992. Three years later, a license was granted to Sunbow, which had previously collaborated with Marvel in adaptations of GI Joe, Transformers, & My Little Pony, among others, to create an animated series. Former DIC co-founder Jean Chalopin was on board as an executive producer, which, in hindsight, might've been the kiss of death, considering that Chalopin had last tried a revival of He-Man a few years prior, and that was a dud. As a result, this version of the Pet Shop lasted 1 season of 40 episodes, which meant that either it could air 5 days a week over 2 months, or 40 weeks as a weekend series. This strategy, ironically enough, would be employed by DIC a few years later.
Two years ago, Hasbro marked the 20th anniversary of the toy line with a new series, currently airing on the Hub, with a revamped line of toys to match. We'll look at the current series another time, but let's go back in time to the original Littlest Pet Shop.
No rating. Never saw the show.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Revisiting 1974: Why did These Are The Days fail?
We're back to our retrospective of Hanna-Barbera's freshman class of 1974, marking its 40th anniversary this year.
H-B sold four series to ABC that season, and we've previously looked at two of them----Devlin & Hong Kong Phooey. The live-action Korg: 70,000 B. C. is the final subject in our series, so we're looking at These Are The Days today.
Inspired by CBS' hit series, The Waltons, Days goes further back in time, to the start of the 20th century in small town America. The studio opted not to just rely on regular repertory performers such as Daws Butler, Don Messick, & Janet Waldo. Instead, they complemented them with a cast comprised mostly of actors familiar to primetime audiences:
Pamelyn Ferdin was already on the H-B payroll, having worked on Roman Holidays two years earlier. Ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz was also co-starring on Devlin, and this was three years after he'd made his cartoon debut in Funky Phantom. Frank Cady was, and still is, remembered as Hooterville's unofficial major domo, Sam Drucker, on Petticoat Junction & Green Acres between 1963-71. Henry Jones made quite a few appearances in guest roles during the 70's, but never had a regular series that I know of. June Lockhart turned H-B down a year earlier when they mounted an animated version of Lost in Space, but was brought in as the mother. Young Jackie Earle Haley was also working on Valley of the Dinosaurs over on CBS, and would later go on to a successful film career.
To refresh your memory, here's the open, courtesy of Muttley16:
So why did it fail, and could Warner Bros., which now owns the rights, be persuaded to bring it back?
Days---and, for that matter, Devlin----failed because they were buried near the bottom of the lineup, prone to frequent pre-emptions for college football late in the fall season, and in the summer for the British Open golf tournament. ABC just didn't believe that a dramatic cartoon could grab the same high ratings as a comedy or adventure show. That pessimistic thinking planted the seed in the viewers' minds, alright.
If WB were to relaunch the series, they'd have to re-set it closer to modern times, either in the 50's or the 60's, and allow the characters to deal with social issues of those periods. A turn of the century series won't work today. That much is certain.
So, what do you think?
H-B sold four series to ABC that season, and we've previously looked at two of them----Devlin & Hong Kong Phooey. The live-action Korg: 70,000 B. C. is the final subject in our series, so we're looking at These Are The Days today.
Inspired by CBS' hit series, The Waltons, Days goes further back in time, to the start of the 20th century in small town America. The studio opted not to just rely on regular repertory performers such as Daws Butler, Don Messick, & Janet Waldo. Instead, they complemented them with a cast comprised mostly of actors familiar to primetime audiences:
Pamelyn Ferdin was already on the H-B payroll, having worked on Roman Holidays two years earlier. Ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz was also co-starring on Devlin, and this was three years after he'd made his cartoon debut in Funky Phantom. Frank Cady was, and still is, remembered as Hooterville's unofficial major domo, Sam Drucker, on Petticoat Junction & Green Acres between 1963-71. Henry Jones made quite a few appearances in guest roles during the 70's, but never had a regular series that I know of. June Lockhart turned H-B down a year earlier when they mounted an animated version of Lost in Space, but was brought in as the mother. Young Jackie Earle Haley was also working on Valley of the Dinosaurs over on CBS, and would later go on to a successful film career.
To refresh your memory, here's the open, courtesy of Muttley16:
So why did it fail, and could Warner Bros., which now owns the rights, be persuaded to bring it back?
Days---and, for that matter, Devlin----failed because they were buried near the bottom of the lineup, prone to frequent pre-emptions for college football late in the fall season, and in the summer for the British Open golf tournament. ABC just didn't believe that a dramatic cartoon could grab the same high ratings as a comedy or adventure show. That pessimistic thinking planted the seed in the viewers' minds, alright.
If WB were to relaunch the series, they'd have to re-set it closer to modern times, either in the 50's or the 60's, and allow the characters to deal with social issues of those periods. A turn of the century series won't work today. That much is certain.
So, what do you think?
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Animated World of DC Comics: Superman in The Mummy Strikes (1943)
Superman is on his way to Egypt to help a woman falsely accused of murder in 1943's "The Mummy Strikes".
In the 80's, the classic Fleischer/Paramount shorts did have a cable home, on the now-defunct Satellite Programming Network (SPN), which is where I first discovered these cartoons. Of course, WB now owns the rights, though there's been a few public domain copies of the shorts released in recent years, as we've previously discussed.
Here's "The Mummy Strikes":
I'd like to see WB revisit these classic shorts, rebooting them for a new generation. Do you share that same sentiment?
Rating: A.
In the 80's, the classic Fleischer/Paramount shorts did have a cable home, on the now-defunct Satellite Programming Network (SPN), which is where I first discovered these cartoons. Of course, WB now owns the rights, though there's been a few public domain copies of the shorts released in recent years, as we've previously discussed.
Here's "The Mummy Strikes":
I'd like to see WB revisit these classic shorts, rebooting them for a new generation. Do you share that same sentiment?
Rating: A.
Vortexx is cancelled; an era ends
At the end of September, CW's Vortexx Saturday morning block will be no more. The articles I've read suggest that this marks the end of "traditional" weekend children's programming blocks, which leads me to suspect that NBC is also doing away with its current package. All that says is that these two networks were the last holdouts, believing that they could still generate a reasonable audience opposite cable's Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, & Cartoon Network and their respective sister networks.
Litton Entertainment, which already programs ABC & CBS' Saturday blocks, the latter as of 2013, will add CW to their schedule, under the umbrella title, One Magnificent Morning, which will launch October 4. CW is giving Litton 5 hours to program, as opposed to 3 on CBS and ABC. All of the programming is meant to be conforming to the FCC's E/I mandates, but that's not what kids want these days, and it's driving more of them toward cable.
Vortexx will end after 2 seasons, and the shows currently packaged by Saban will, with some exceptions, simply disappear, never to return (i.e. Bolts & Blip). Maybe WWE knew what they were doing when they decided a year ago to discontinue Saturday Morning Slam. They might've seen the writing on the wall, although their current web series, Slam City, previously reviewed here, ain't exactly helping things along.
Reportedly, one of the programs on deck for CW is a juvenile version of National Geographic Channel's popular Dog Whisperer. Hmmmmmm. Kids like dogs. I'd say, retitle the show Pet Whisperer so they can cover a wider spectrum, but we'll find out for sure in the fall.
The problem with cable, however, especially with Nickelodeon, is they tend to do blocks of episodes of popular series, rather than diversify. It's time we got past the mythical "sound byte mentality" and prove that there's a greater diversity of programming out there that kids can appreciate.
Pretty soon, if Litton can't get the ratings on 3 networks, they may just toss in the towel, and the next thing you know, Saturdays will be filled with reruns of the same syndicated shows you see at night (i.e. Everybody Loves Raymond, Golden Girls), which is already happening on cable. You may just want to give your alarm clock a day off if that happens.
Litton Entertainment, which already programs ABC & CBS' Saturday blocks, the latter as of 2013, will add CW to their schedule, under the umbrella title, One Magnificent Morning, which will launch October 4. CW is giving Litton 5 hours to program, as opposed to 3 on CBS and ABC. All of the programming is meant to be conforming to the FCC's E/I mandates, but that's not what kids want these days, and it's driving more of them toward cable.
Vortexx will end after 2 seasons, and the shows currently packaged by Saban will, with some exceptions, simply disappear, never to return (i.e. Bolts & Blip). Maybe WWE knew what they were doing when they decided a year ago to discontinue Saturday Morning Slam. They might've seen the writing on the wall, although their current web series, Slam City, previously reviewed here, ain't exactly helping things along.
Reportedly, one of the programs on deck for CW is a juvenile version of National Geographic Channel's popular Dog Whisperer. Hmmmmmm. Kids like dogs. I'd say, retitle the show Pet Whisperer so they can cover a wider spectrum, but we'll find out for sure in the fall.
The problem with cable, however, especially with Nickelodeon, is they tend to do blocks of episodes of popular series, rather than diversify. It's time we got past the mythical "sound byte mentality" and prove that there's a greater diversity of programming out there that kids can appreciate.
Pretty soon, if Litton can't get the ratings on 3 networks, they may just toss in the towel, and the next thing you know, Saturdays will be filled with reruns of the same syndicated shows you see at night (i.e. Everybody Loves Raymond, Golden Girls), which is already happening on cable. You may just want to give your alarm clock a day off if that happens.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Daytime Heroes: The Adventures of Superman (1952)
You know the intro:
"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
The Adventures of Superman ran for six seasons (1952-8), becoming the first series based on a DC Comics book to be adapted for television. At a time when the Man of Steel was legitimately DC's #1 attraction, something that isn't the case anymore, Superman deviated from the usual comics format in that Superman (George Reeves) fought only gangsters, con artists, and the occasional mad scientist. None of his arch-enemies, such as Lex Luthor, would appear on television until Filmation's animated adaptation came along, eight years after the series ended.
As a result, the supporting cast was more of a repertory company, as actors were used in various roles on a recurring basis. Future TV stars such as Leon Askin (Hogan's Heroes) and The Rifleman's Chuck Connors & Paul Fix (in separate episodes) made early appearances. Askin appeared at least twice. For voice actor devotees, Herbert Vigran, a frequent player for Hanna-Barbera in the 50's & 60's, made a few appearances as various gangsters, and Sterling Holloway, years before being the original voice of Winnie The Pooh, played a well meaning scientist.
My first exposure to the series came when it aired in syndication in the 70's. I barely remember seeing it locally, but it was part of a swank afternoon block on WPIX that was an action lover's dream, as Superman would be bracketed in between Batman & Lone Ranger, with Gilligan's Island at the end of a 2 hour block.
Rating: B.
Edit: 9/20/14: The episode previously posted here was deleted by YouTube due to copyright issues. In its place is a promo, produced in color in 1966. Many of us have seen this during the series' run in syndication in the 70's.
"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
The Adventures of Superman ran for six seasons (1952-8), becoming the first series based on a DC Comics book to be adapted for television. At a time when the Man of Steel was legitimately DC's #1 attraction, something that isn't the case anymore, Superman deviated from the usual comics format in that Superman (George Reeves) fought only gangsters, con artists, and the occasional mad scientist. None of his arch-enemies, such as Lex Luthor, would appear on television until Filmation's animated adaptation came along, eight years after the series ended.
As a result, the supporting cast was more of a repertory company, as actors were used in various roles on a recurring basis. Future TV stars such as Leon Askin (Hogan's Heroes) and The Rifleman's Chuck Connors & Paul Fix (in separate episodes) made early appearances. Askin appeared at least twice. For voice actor devotees, Herbert Vigran, a frequent player for Hanna-Barbera in the 50's & 60's, made a few appearances as various gangsters, and Sterling Holloway, years before being the original voice of Winnie The Pooh, played a well meaning scientist.
My first exposure to the series came when it aired in syndication in the 70's. I barely remember seeing it locally, but it was part of a swank afternoon block on WPIX that was an action lover's dream, as Superman would be bracketed in between Batman & Lone Ranger, with Gilligan's Island at the end of a 2 hour block.
Rating: B.
Edit: 9/20/14: The episode previously posted here was deleted by YouTube due to copyright issues. In its place is a promo, produced in color in 1966. Many of us have seen this during the series' run in syndication in the 70's.
Saturtainment: Hello Kitty's Furry Time Theatre (1987)
DIC imported Japan's Hello Kitty to the US in 1987. However, unlike other Japanese series that had been imported by Saban for Nickelodeon, and later, Fox, the franchise just didn't take off here in the States.
Hello Kitty's Furry Time Theatre led off CBS' Saturday morning block in 1987, but was cancelled after 1 season. Another Hello Kitty series was picked up six years later, but, yep, that was also a 1 year wonder. There's been a few more series since then, confined mostly to Japan, but available via YouTube.
Here's the intro:
No rating. Never saw the show.
Hello Kitty's Furry Time Theatre led off CBS' Saturday morning block in 1987, but was cancelled after 1 season. Another Hello Kitty series was picked up six years later, but, yep, that was also a 1 year wonder. There's been a few more series since then, confined mostly to Japan, but available via YouTube.
Here's the intro:
No rating. Never saw the show.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Getting Schooled: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006)
Disney had to find a new way to utilize Mickey Mouse, and this was, bear in mind, before they began making new shorts last year. So, they decided that Mickey and friends would be doing some teaching after a sort.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ended production last year after 7 years on the air, but reruns continue daily on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. It's meant to be an interactive show for preschoolers, one of a number of series that work in this fashion. Mickey, in the tradition of the late Fred Rogers, talks to the audience. After an expected viewer response, not one that is taped into the show, the fun begins.
Here's a sample open & close:
Hey, I look at it this way. If I were a parent, I'd use this as a starter kit if my kiddo's had any questions about Mickey.
Rating: A.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ended production last year after 7 years on the air, but reruns continue daily on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. It's meant to be an interactive show for preschoolers, one of a number of series that work in this fashion. Mickey, in the tradition of the late Fred Rogers, talks to the audience. After an expected viewer response, not one that is taped into the show, the fun begins.
Here's a sample open & close:
Hey, I look at it this way. If I were a parent, I'd use this as a starter kit if my kiddo's had any questions about Mickey.
Rating: A.
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