From The Flintstone Comedy Hour in 1972, here's the Bedrock Rockers performing "Oh, How I Love You". I honestly don't know who the studio singers were that recorded this number, but I've a feeling it sounds similar to the music Mike Curb produced for the Cattanooga Cats 3 years earlier. Then again, Don Kirshner was still on the H-B payroll, since he was the music supervisor for Amazing Chan & The Chan Clan the same season.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Daytime Heroes: Q. T. Hush (1960)
Q. T. Hush is one of those long forgotten syndicated entries from the 60's that was produced specifically to be used in locally produced kids' shows. Independently produced, Hush tells the story of a private eye and his dog solving oddball crimes.
All the voices were done by one man---Dallas McKennon, who also was doing Gumby at the same time, as well as one other one-man show---Courageous Cat, Bob Kane's feline send-up of Batman. Toontracker takes us into the midst of a serial already underway, in which the Statue of Liberty has been abducted. Why they couldn't just say it was stolen, I'll never know. It makes more sense that way!
No rating. This was before my time.
All the voices were done by one man---Dallas McKennon, who also was doing Gumby at the same time, as well as one other one-man show---Courageous Cat, Bob Kane's feline send-up of Batman. Toontracker takes us into the midst of a serial already underway, in which the Statue of Liberty has been abducted. Why they couldn't just say it was stolen, I'll never know. It makes more sense that way!
No rating. This was before my time.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Looney TV: A Sheep in the Deep (1962)
No, Wile E. Coyote didn't enter the Witness Protection Program, not that it would do him any good.
Ralph Wolf only looks like Wile, but then again, wolves & coyotes are cousins. Chuck Jones decided to try out Ralph and Sam Sheepdog in a series of shorts that had minimal dialogue (spoken by Mel Blanc), but plenty of gags and pratfalls for Ralph.
Imagine if wolves & sheepdogs had to punch in and out of work like us humans? Oh, this is just wiggedy wack! Here's "A Sheep in the Deep".
It's just too bad that while this was included in a Bugs Bunny compilation movie ("1001 Rabbit Tales"), Ralph & Sam haven't exactly been treated with respect by later generations at WB. As in, not getting any attention at all.
Rating: A.
Ralph Wolf only looks like Wile, but then again, wolves & coyotes are cousins. Chuck Jones decided to try out Ralph and Sam Sheepdog in a series of shorts that had minimal dialogue (spoken by Mel Blanc), but plenty of gags and pratfalls for Ralph.
Imagine if wolves & sheepdogs had to punch in and out of work like us humans? Oh, this is just wiggedy wack! Here's "A Sheep in the Deep".
It's just too bad that while this was included in a Bugs Bunny compilation movie ("1001 Rabbit Tales"), Ralph & Sam haven't exactly been treated with respect by later generations at WB. As in, not getting any attention at all.
Rating: A.
From Primetime to Daytime: Circus Boy (1956)
Before he joined the Monkees, Micky Dolenz was already a show business veteran.
In fact, his first series for Screen Gems came 10 years before The Monkees. Under the name, Mickey Braddock, Dolenz starred in Circus Boy, which spent two seasons on ABC (1956-8) as a primetime entry. NBC scooped up rerun rights and aired the series on Saturday mornings for 2 more years (1958-60).
Corky (Dolenz) is an orphan serving as a water boy for Bimbo, a circus elephant. In the series opener, "Meet Circus Boy", Tim Champion (Robert Lowery) has bought the circus, and assumes a debt from the previous owner. However, he's not too keen on Corky remaining with the circus, but I think we know how that problem is solved.............
Coincidentally, after The Monkees ended its NBC primetime run in 1968, CBS added it to its Saturday morning lineup that fall to fill time. It's funny how things work, isn't it?
Rating: B.
In fact, his first series for Screen Gems came 10 years before The Monkees. Under the name, Mickey Braddock, Dolenz starred in Circus Boy, which spent two seasons on ABC (1956-8) as a primetime entry. NBC scooped up rerun rights and aired the series on Saturday mornings for 2 more years (1958-60).
Corky (Dolenz) is an orphan serving as a water boy for Bimbo, a circus elephant. In the series opener, "Meet Circus Boy", Tim Champion (Robert Lowery) has bought the circus, and assumes a debt from the previous owner. However, he's not too keen on Corky remaining with the circus, but I think we know how that problem is solved.............
Coincidentally, after The Monkees ended its NBC primetime run in 1968, CBS added it to its Saturday morning lineup that fall to fill time. It's funny how things work, isn't it?
Rating: B.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits: Shadows (1970)
It's been a while since we featured the Groovie Goolies, so let's go back to 1970 for "Shadows", courtesy of the GrownUpKidsChannel:
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Teenage Toons: Good Vibes (2011)
When MTV decided to revive Beavis & Butt-Head in 2011, they needed another cartoon to share the 10:00 (ET) hour. Unfortunately, it seems the programming idiots got advice from sister network Nickelodeon, since Good Vibes lasted just one season.
The series bowed in late October 2011, but was set in the middle of the summer. Yeah, dumb idea, right? Of course it was. It also ends up being the last MTV cartoon, since Vibes was cancelled and MTV decided to put Beavis & Butt-Head, their former golden boys, in turnaround. Their creator, Mike Judge, reportedly has talked about shopping the series to other networks. Fox might be interested, since they've been good to Judge in the past (King of the Hill, for starters).
About the only thing that stands out about Vibes is the casting of actor Danny McBride ("Land of the Lost") as a female sex education teacher. He's not even trying to effect a feminine voice, and if that's part of the joke, well, now you know why Vibes was beached after 2 months.
Don't believe me, effendis? Check the promo.
I tried to watch this. To me, it was out of season. You know, like a fish out of water. 'Nuff said.
Rating: D.
The series bowed in late October 2011, but was set in the middle of the summer. Yeah, dumb idea, right? Of course it was. It also ends up being the last MTV cartoon, since Vibes was cancelled and MTV decided to put Beavis & Butt-Head, their former golden boys, in turnaround. Their creator, Mike Judge, reportedly has talked about shopping the series to other networks. Fox might be interested, since they've been good to Judge in the past (King of the Hill, for starters).
About the only thing that stands out about Vibes is the casting of actor Danny McBride ("Land of the Lost") as a female sex education teacher. He's not even trying to effect a feminine voice, and if that's part of the joke, well, now you know why Vibes was beached after 2 months.
Don't believe me, effendis? Check the promo.
I tried to watch this. To me, it was out of season. You know, like a fish out of water. 'Nuff said.
Rating: D.
Rein-Toon-Ation: Flintstone Kids (1986)
The popularity of CBS' Jim Henson's Muppet Babies prompted ABC & Hanna-Barbera to try to duplicate the formula, using familiar characters rebooted as children. Unfortunately, H-B went to the well a couple of times too many in the course of a 5 year period (1986-91).
The first of these was The Flintstone Kids, which spent 2 seasons on ABC (1986-8) before being shunted off into the syndicated Funtastic World package. Fred, Wilma, Betty, & Barney were all reimagined as kids, growing up together in Bedrock. Henry Corden, who had taken over as the voice of the adult Fred a few years earlier, voiced Fred's father and mother (!). However, young Freddy had two actors essay the part. Len Weinrib returned to H-B for the first season, but left again, and Scott Menville took over in season 2.
There were a trio of backup features that rotated, including solo stories starring Dino, and the return of Captain Caveman (Mel Blanc), who now had a son, Cavey, Jr. (Frank Welker), which all but killed Cavey's appeal as he neared his 10th anniversary. The other backup had the kids engaging in some Walter Mitty-like fantasies, not quite unlike the Magnificent Muttley backups from Dastardly & Muttley.
Here's the show open & close:
Right now, the series sits in Cartoon Network's vaults. Maybe just as well.
Rating: C.
The first of these was The Flintstone Kids, which spent 2 seasons on ABC (1986-8) before being shunted off into the syndicated Funtastic World package. Fred, Wilma, Betty, & Barney were all reimagined as kids, growing up together in Bedrock. Henry Corden, who had taken over as the voice of the adult Fred a few years earlier, voiced Fred's father and mother (!). However, young Freddy had two actors essay the part. Len Weinrib returned to H-B for the first season, but left again, and Scott Menville took over in season 2.
There were a trio of backup features that rotated, including solo stories starring Dino, and the return of Captain Caveman (Mel Blanc), who now had a son, Cavey, Jr. (Frank Welker), which all but killed Cavey's appeal as he neared his 10th anniversary. The other backup had the kids engaging in some Walter Mitty-like fantasies, not quite unlike the Magnificent Muttley backups from Dastardly & Muttley.
Here's the show open & close:
Right now, the series sits in Cartoon Network's vaults. Maybe just as well.
Rating: C.
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