Brainatra
01-12-2004, 10:52 AM
1971: Nixon in the White House; "Mary Tyler Moore" and "All in the
Family" as the hottest new things on the airwaves; PBS continuing its early
years in the noncommercial programming game (unless you count its
predecessor network "NET" [National Educational Television] in the 60's)
with the third season of "Sesame Street" getting underway (and "Mr.
Rogers' Neighborhood" airing as well); and Saturday mornings bring yet again
more "fun" for the rugrats of that time...
Re: Saturday Mornings:
From what sources I've managed to find (namely TV Party's website, the
basis for most of the facts I've presented in these postings),
apparently 1970's lineup went along well enough that they mostly repeated it in
1971---thus, more "kinder, gentler", non-violent programming fare to
appease the parents' groups. Noteworthy shows during this season include:
- "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm": the first of many Flintstones spinoffs
debuts. While the Flintstones' original series was a rerun staple on
Saturday mornings (since its 1966 cancellation in primetime), this show took a
more "Archie" twist, by making Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm early 70's-style
teenagers (Pebbles in a miniskirt, Bamm-Bamm owned a "cave buggy" (read:
dune buggy)), etc. Apparently this spinoff was popular enough to merit
more Flintstones spinoffs over the years, a chunk of them featuring the
teenaged versions of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (and setting the character
designs for what Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm would look like in the adult
versions of themselves that showed up in the 90's). In these, Fred, Barney,
Betty and Wilma usually played minor roles in the stories as the kids
were the featured stars, usually involving a scheme of Pebbles (a la
Fred) that requires a reluctant Bamm-Bamm for assistance. Pebbles' two
female friends here were Wiggy (hippie-ish astrology nut) and Penny
(nondescript heavy-set(?) black-haired girl); Bamm-Bamm, despite apparently
being a jock, hung out with Bedrock High School's #1 brainiac Moonrock.
Occasionally causing havok was "bad luck Schleprock", a dumpy looking
guy who wreaked bad luck wherever he went, and a biker gang called the
Bronto Bunch. Pebbles was voiced by Sally Struthers (yes, the same
Struthers from "All in the Family"/that goofy "South Park" parody), and
Bamm-Bamm by former "Dennis the Menace" Jay North.
Amusing Stone Age tidbits here: a Stone Age version of popular
60's/70's adventure show "Mission: Impossible" (the "this message will self
destruct" bit); "typewriters" (a bird on the carriage pecking the letters
when the keys are pressed); telephone switchboards (lightning bugs
posing as the switchboard lights).
<Anal retentive geek trivia>Last chronological appearance for Fred and
Barney's offspring would be the late 70's "Flintstones' Little Big
League" special...furthering the debate on whether or not Pebbles should
know how to play baseball (since in this spinoff, she apparently
doesn't)</trivia>
OK, hands up on who figures I'd have rather watched an episode of this
over "The Hair Bear Bunch"? ;-)
- "Bugs Bunny": according to TV Party, his show's only a half-hour this
season, sans Road Runner
- "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?": Last season for this show's original
run; next season brings the "New Scooby Movies"...
- "The Jackson Five": the Rankin-Bass animated cartoon about Michael
and the gang, who did their own voices. The first (AFAIK) Sat. morning
show to star a primarily Black cast (though "Fat Albert" shows up next
year for a long, long run).
- "Lidsville": another Sid and Marty Krofft production/probable descent
into weirdness.
- "In the News" debuts on CBS this season---a series of brief mini-news
update segments that ran during commercials between shows. I remember
seeing this as a kid---IIRC, one segment told me the price of postage
was going up to--gasp!---22 cents apiece! The segments were canned in the
80's (probably with deregulation of kids' TV = not having to show squat
vaguely more redeemable than shows based on toys/video games)...
- "Soul Train": probably the most important show to debut this season,
though it's not technically a Saturday morning show (depending on its
airing, since it was, and continues to be, syndicated) in some areas, in
Chicago it usually aired/airs on Saturday mornings. Each week, host Don
Cornelius would introduce the world to the latest R&B/funk/etc.
artists, with accompanying dance moves from the show's dancing teens. A big
deal to see a show featuring mostly Black artists (and a Black host) in
the early 70's, I'd presume, and more importantly, it went on to be a
hit. Also a bigger deal in the days before music videos/MTV/BET came
along; these days, it's pretty clearly a shadow of its former self...
I can recall at our house us tuning into "Soul Train" on Saturdays (in
Chicago IIRC it usually ran against "American Bandstand", the perennial
Sat. morning Dick Clark-hosted dance show I generally didn't watch),
and seeing the hip, cool, "with it" stuff like the scramble board, the
musical numbers, and of course, the opening intro: "it's the SOOOOUUUULLL
TRAIIIINN!" (with the accompanying closing departing words: "love,
peace and *SOUL*!"). That, and the ads for such useful products as
"Afro-Sheen"ª (basically a spray that was supposed to make combing one's Afro
easier---but try telling six-year-old *me* that.... :-) ).
*Ahem*...anyway, while most of the above shows from '71 might actually
be interesting to watch, instead we're saddled with today's offerings
;-) :
"Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch!"
"Funky Phantom"
So, here we go:
"Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch!" (CBS)
Show description:
A trio of bears living at the "Wonderland Zoo" keep trying to break out
to go hang out in the city (against the zookeeper's wishes), along with
pulling various schemes/scams on the zookeeper.
My two cents:
The TV Party website describes this show as "stupid beyond belief." One
possible choice of words to describe this, though another might be
"bizarre beyond belief." Wondering what it was the writers/creators of this
thing were smoking/drinking/ingesting when they came up with this... I
mean, let's see: three early 70's-clothed bears (the ringleader with an
*Afro*, no less), a cage that turns into a groovy pad, an assistant
zookeeper who's voiced by the "ooh, ooh" guy from the 60's sitcom "Car 54,
Where Are You?" (and *doing* that same "ooh, ooh" bit to death here),
and---oh, yes: the bears tooling around on an invisible motorcycle.
Let me repeat that again, in case you missed it: *an invisible
motorcycle*.
Granted, it *is* a cartoon (where characters have been shown
spontaneously riding invisible vehicles even back in the theatrical days), and
it's still way more entertaining than the evil, abysmal blemish on the
face of the space-time continuum that was "The Brady Kids" (still my vote
for "the worst cartoon ever made"), but *still*, those particular
elements were so weird... I keep imagining the genesis of this show must've
gone something like this:
(H-B Studios, circa 1971. See: a guy who looks like an uncle/aunt of
Dilbert and Alice, along with a guy who looks like a relation of Bobcat
Goldthwait. All are seated before a guy who looks like the Pointy Haired
Boss' father [or uncle])
PHB RELATION: OK, we've got to come up with something for next season.
And it can't have a cat in it---marketing says kids don't like cats.
DILBERT'S UNCLE: How so? Sylvester's a cat... the Pink Panther's a
cat...
PHB RELATION: *Please*... panthers aren't cats. They're, well, more
like oversized lizards. (Dilbert's uncle is about to say something, but
Alice's aunt waves him off with a "it's not worth it" motion) OK,
so---let's go. Ideas, people?
DILBERT'S UNCLE: I have an idea about a show about a boy genius who
conducts secret, high-tech experiments that his dimwitted-yet-carefree
sister interferes with... (holds up a picture of a Dexter-lookalike kid,
only wearing groovy 70's clothes) I call it "Dexter's High Tech
Treehouse." In the first episode, Dexter's sister messes up his attempt at
creating something called a "personal computer". Funny, or what?
ALICE'S AUNT: Well, I have an idea about a show about a warrior who's
forced to fight evil in a post-apocalyptic future until he can return to
his own time... (holds up a picture of a Black guy who looks like
Richard Roundtree, wearing samurai clothing) I call it: "Samurai Shaft."
Pretty cool, huh?
BOBCAT GUY: (Sounding dazed-and-confused, hands the PHB a paper with
crudely-drawn, stick-figure renderings of three bears on it) Uh...here's
one I drew up---somethin' about bears livin' in a zoo....or somethin'.
I think one of 'em has an Afro. Or somethin'... I whipped it up after
that fifth shot of...whatever it was... last night at that party.
Groovy, huh?
PHB RELATION: Hmmm... I *LOVE IT*! We don't already have any bear
characters...
DILBERT'S UNCLE: Actually, we have several: Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo,
Cindy---
PHB RELATION: (Ignoring him) ---and we can load it up with all sorts of
"groovy" stuff the kids today love! (to Dilbert and Alice's relations)
I want you two to work with this bold visionary writer here (see:
Bobcat Guy scratching himself with his pencil) to come up with a new show on
this concept! I want you all to stay here all *weekend* non-stop to get
this done---it's due Monday at the head honchos' desks.
(The Dilbert and Alice relations stare at each other in horror.)
(Cut to: Monday morning; see the PHB relation in his office, reading a
"Justice League of America" comic, featuring that year's annual JLA-JSA
teamup hootenanny...a pile of era-vintage comics, including the famed
"Green Lantern/Green Arrow" series, a copy of the classic "Sand
Superman" storyline, an O'Neil-written Batman, a Wonder Woman comic, and a
Kirby-written-and-drawn "Jimmy Olsen", are seen on his desk. In walks the
writers, looking much worse for wear)
PHB RELATION: (Chuckling at the comic) Heh.... what a super bunch of
friends these JLAers make. "Super friends"... hmm... (writes something
down, then sees the people in the room) Ah, excellent, you're here. Did
you get it done?
DILBERT'S UNCLE: (Sounding exhausted) Yes, we did...but I don't think
it's *yawn* fully ready. We wound up staying up so late and downing more
coffee than any sane person should have just to get it done.
ALICE'S AUNT: (Also sounding exhausted) I think sometime around 4 AM I
started hallucinating something about "invisible motorcycles"...
BOBCAT GUY: Yeah... that was kewl. So we like threw that in along with
a bunch of other stuff! (Belches)
PHB RELATION: (Looking at the finished concept) Invisible
motorcycles... (ecstatic look crosses his face) What *genius*! (To the Bobcat Guy)
You're my choice as my new assistant! I want you to keep up the good
work... (leads him away, saying "let's talk merchandising...")
(The Dilbert and Alice analogues both eye each other and moan...)
:-)
*Ahem*...anyway...
Saturday's episode:
The bears, put on a diet by the zookeeper, try to break out of the zoo
to find something more palatable to eat than nuts and berries.
Sunday's episode:
The bears try to win a $500 wrestling match prize.
The bears' ringleader "Hair Bear" (the one with the Afro) is a knockoff
(voice- and mannerisms-wise) of Sgt. Bilko (old late 50's TV show that
also featured someone pulling various schemes)---or maybe also H-B's
own "Top Cat". Though my sister (upon seeing a snippet of the bears
swiping food out of the zookeeper's fridge) though they were ripping off
Yogi Bear... (shrug)
The zookeepers apparently have a large-screened black-and-white TV in
their office---which were still plenty commonplace in '71.
Gee, aren't zookeepers supposed to *like* animals? The skinny,
nasty-toned zookeeper seems pretty, well, nasty/miserable about his job (the
"Bunch"'s antics aside)...
The theme song needed work (as sort of amusing as the stuff in their
cave was), big time---the theme music/opening credits were usually the
best part of a lot of these old H-B cartoons, and this show's was pretty
weak...
They probably could've kept just the hat-wearing tall bear ("Square
Bear") and ditched the rest of the characters, personally speaking. :-)
"Hair Bear Bunch"'s competition at 9:30 EST Saturdays in '71 was:
NBC: "The New Pink Panther Show". More Pink Panther (and Ant & the
Aardvark, etc.) cartoons. Fun!
ABC: "The Jackson Five". See comments above.
Besides its own "unique merits", I'd imagine that the "Bunch" were
probably done in by the Pink Panther in the ratings (the TV Party website
says the "Bunch" returned after this season for repeats on Sunday
mornings in '74)...
Funky Phantom (ABC)
Show description:
A group of teens (two boys, one girl) and their pet bulldog
inadvertently free from an abandoned house's grandfather clock an American
Revolutionary War-era phantom (with a voice/mannerisms just like Snagglepuss)
and his phantom pet cat, and together, they all travel around solving
mysteries in their dune buggy.
Saturday's episode:
The kids and ghosts solve a mystery involving an ape at a circus.
Sunday's episode:
The kids and ghosts must help stop two crooks who've hidden stolen
jewels inside of a football at the kids' high school football game.
My two cents:
Gee, a cowardly pet---er, friend ghost, a group of teens, and a
green-colored vehicle they're all tooling around in (here, a dune buggy called
the "Looney Duney")...where have we seen this before? Yep, one of the
first of many knockoffs of "Scooby Doo"...
What was the ghost so afraid of everything for? He's already
*dead*---what else could happen to him (besides being forced after spending 200
years in a clock to hang around with teenagers, anyway ;-) )?!
If they'd waited a few more years, they could've tried cashing in on
the bicentennial fever that gripped the nation in the mid-70's with this
show... :-)
For a ghost that's spent two centuries in a clock, the phantom
certainly seems aware of modern day (early 70's) stuff---a veiled reference to
then-popular TV show "Mission: Impossible" is made in Saturday's
episode. Though there's more colonial-era references made by the ghost in
Sunday's episode (see below):
- "Heavens to Besty Ross": Betsy Ross was, as legend goes, the
seamstress who designed America's first flag during colonial times.
Additionally, I've heard "heavens to Betsy Ross" (a play on the expression
"heavens to Betsy") used in the early 90's "Back to the Future" cartoon (it
was used by Clara there).
- IIRC, lawn bowling (aka "bowling on the lawn" as the ghost puts it)
was popular in colonial times.
- Valley Forge was where General George Washington and his troops
spent a hard winter making camp during the American Revolution.
- Hessians were German soldiers; they were hired by the Brits during
the American Revolution. They also fell victim to an attack by
Washngton's troops (the famous "crossing the Delaware" bit, IIRC) on a Christmas
morning (they had too much celebrating the night before and were caught
off-guard)---at least according to "Histeria" (and that "Liberty's
Kids" PBS show) :-)
- John Hancock is the guy who has the biggest signature on the
Declaration of Independence (hence the slang term, erm, "one's John Hancock").
- the "Spirit of '76" of course refers to when America officially
declared its independence from the British (July 4, 1776)... I also remember
(as a kid) it was also the "76" gas stations chains' old ad slogan,
back in the early 80's ("get in the spirit... the spirit of 76") ;-)
- "Redcoats" of course refer to the nickname given to the British
troops (since their uniforms were bright red)
- the Battle of Bunker Hill was IIRC the first major American
Revolution battle?
- IIRC, the origin of the phrase "don't fire until you see the whites
of their eyes" dates to the Revolution, as well.
- unrelated to the American Revolution, but "Van Cleef" is (part of)
the name of an expensive jewelry store in Beverly Hills, IIRC.
<Timmy Turner's Dad's voice>Hey, this show was educational *and*
informative... Neat! Let's go to our local library to learn *more* about
our Founding Fathers!</Dad> ;-)
"Phantom"'s competiton at 9 AM EST on Saturdays in '71:
NBC: "Deputy Dawg". Reruns of the old Terrytoon series. Lasted one
year.
CBS: "The Harlem Globetrotters". Various H-B animated adventures
featuring the team that Krusty the Clown forgets to bet *for*, not *against*
("they were using a freakin' ladder, for God's sake!"). According to TV
Party, the Globetrotters returned to Saturdays a few seasons later as a
live-action show (though they do show up as animated guest stars on the
"New Scooby Movies" a few times).
"Phantom" returned again for a second and last season in '72 at 12 noon
EST, against the apparently-short-lived "Around the World in 80 Days"
on NBC (educational show about geography, no relation to "Cattanooga
Cats" loosely based version of the Jules Verne tale) and the second season
of "Archie's TV Funnies" (yet another Archie spinoff, this one
featuring the gang showing cartoons of obscure old comic strip characters).
---
Apologies for the above formatting; I couldn't get to an Internet computer with a non-locked-out word processor/text editor, so I had to "improvise"...
Next week: 1972...as American pop culture gets even more immersed in 1970's goodness!
-B.
Family" as the hottest new things on the airwaves; PBS continuing its early
years in the noncommercial programming game (unless you count its
predecessor network "NET" [National Educational Television] in the 60's)
with the third season of "Sesame Street" getting underway (and "Mr.
Rogers' Neighborhood" airing as well); and Saturday mornings bring yet again
more "fun" for the rugrats of that time...
Re: Saturday Mornings:
From what sources I've managed to find (namely TV Party's website, the
basis for most of the facts I've presented in these postings),
apparently 1970's lineup went along well enough that they mostly repeated it in
1971---thus, more "kinder, gentler", non-violent programming fare to
appease the parents' groups. Noteworthy shows during this season include:
- "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm": the first of many Flintstones spinoffs
debuts. While the Flintstones' original series was a rerun staple on
Saturday mornings (since its 1966 cancellation in primetime), this show took a
more "Archie" twist, by making Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm early 70's-style
teenagers (Pebbles in a miniskirt, Bamm-Bamm owned a "cave buggy" (read:
dune buggy)), etc. Apparently this spinoff was popular enough to merit
more Flintstones spinoffs over the years, a chunk of them featuring the
teenaged versions of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (and setting the character
designs for what Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm would look like in the adult
versions of themselves that showed up in the 90's). In these, Fred, Barney,
Betty and Wilma usually played minor roles in the stories as the kids
were the featured stars, usually involving a scheme of Pebbles (a la
Fred) that requires a reluctant Bamm-Bamm for assistance. Pebbles' two
female friends here were Wiggy (hippie-ish astrology nut) and Penny
(nondescript heavy-set(?) black-haired girl); Bamm-Bamm, despite apparently
being a jock, hung out with Bedrock High School's #1 brainiac Moonrock.
Occasionally causing havok was "bad luck Schleprock", a dumpy looking
guy who wreaked bad luck wherever he went, and a biker gang called the
Bronto Bunch. Pebbles was voiced by Sally Struthers (yes, the same
Struthers from "All in the Family"/that goofy "South Park" parody), and
Bamm-Bamm by former "Dennis the Menace" Jay North.
Amusing Stone Age tidbits here: a Stone Age version of popular
60's/70's adventure show "Mission: Impossible" (the "this message will self
destruct" bit); "typewriters" (a bird on the carriage pecking the letters
when the keys are pressed); telephone switchboards (lightning bugs
posing as the switchboard lights).
<Anal retentive geek trivia>Last chronological appearance for Fred and
Barney's offspring would be the late 70's "Flintstones' Little Big
League" special...furthering the debate on whether or not Pebbles should
know how to play baseball (since in this spinoff, she apparently
doesn't)</trivia>
OK, hands up on who figures I'd have rather watched an episode of this
over "The Hair Bear Bunch"? ;-)
- "Bugs Bunny": according to TV Party, his show's only a half-hour this
season, sans Road Runner
- "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?": Last season for this show's original
run; next season brings the "New Scooby Movies"...
- "The Jackson Five": the Rankin-Bass animated cartoon about Michael
and the gang, who did their own voices. The first (AFAIK) Sat. morning
show to star a primarily Black cast (though "Fat Albert" shows up next
year for a long, long run).
- "Lidsville": another Sid and Marty Krofft production/probable descent
into weirdness.
- "In the News" debuts on CBS this season---a series of brief mini-news
update segments that ran during commercials between shows. I remember
seeing this as a kid---IIRC, one segment told me the price of postage
was going up to--gasp!---22 cents apiece! The segments were canned in the
80's (probably with deregulation of kids' TV = not having to show squat
vaguely more redeemable than shows based on toys/video games)...
- "Soul Train": probably the most important show to debut this season,
though it's not technically a Saturday morning show (depending on its
airing, since it was, and continues to be, syndicated) in some areas, in
Chicago it usually aired/airs on Saturday mornings. Each week, host Don
Cornelius would introduce the world to the latest R&B/funk/etc.
artists, with accompanying dance moves from the show's dancing teens. A big
deal to see a show featuring mostly Black artists (and a Black host) in
the early 70's, I'd presume, and more importantly, it went on to be a
hit. Also a bigger deal in the days before music videos/MTV/BET came
along; these days, it's pretty clearly a shadow of its former self...
I can recall at our house us tuning into "Soul Train" on Saturdays (in
Chicago IIRC it usually ran against "American Bandstand", the perennial
Sat. morning Dick Clark-hosted dance show I generally didn't watch),
and seeing the hip, cool, "with it" stuff like the scramble board, the
musical numbers, and of course, the opening intro: "it's the SOOOOUUUULLL
TRAIIIINN!" (with the accompanying closing departing words: "love,
peace and *SOUL*!"). That, and the ads for such useful products as
"Afro-Sheen"ª (basically a spray that was supposed to make combing one's Afro
easier---but try telling six-year-old *me* that.... :-) ).
*Ahem*...anyway, while most of the above shows from '71 might actually
be interesting to watch, instead we're saddled with today's offerings
;-) :
"Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch!"
"Funky Phantom"
So, here we go:
"Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch!" (CBS)
Show description:
A trio of bears living at the "Wonderland Zoo" keep trying to break out
to go hang out in the city (against the zookeeper's wishes), along with
pulling various schemes/scams on the zookeeper.
My two cents:
The TV Party website describes this show as "stupid beyond belief." One
possible choice of words to describe this, though another might be
"bizarre beyond belief." Wondering what it was the writers/creators of this
thing were smoking/drinking/ingesting when they came up with this... I
mean, let's see: three early 70's-clothed bears (the ringleader with an
*Afro*, no less), a cage that turns into a groovy pad, an assistant
zookeeper who's voiced by the "ooh, ooh" guy from the 60's sitcom "Car 54,
Where Are You?" (and *doing* that same "ooh, ooh" bit to death here),
and---oh, yes: the bears tooling around on an invisible motorcycle.
Let me repeat that again, in case you missed it: *an invisible
motorcycle*.
Granted, it *is* a cartoon (where characters have been shown
spontaneously riding invisible vehicles even back in the theatrical days), and
it's still way more entertaining than the evil, abysmal blemish on the
face of the space-time continuum that was "The Brady Kids" (still my vote
for "the worst cartoon ever made"), but *still*, those particular
elements were so weird... I keep imagining the genesis of this show must've
gone something like this:
(H-B Studios, circa 1971. See: a guy who looks like an uncle/aunt of
Dilbert and Alice, along with a guy who looks like a relation of Bobcat
Goldthwait. All are seated before a guy who looks like the Pointy Haired
Boss' father [or uncle])
PHB RELATION: OK, we've got to come up with something for next season.
And it can't have a cat in it---marketing says kids don't like cats.
DILBERT'S UNCLE: How so? Sylvester's a cat... the Pink Panther's a
cat...
PHB RELATION: *Please*... panthers aren't cats. They're, well, more
like oversized lizards. (Dilbert's uncle is about to say something, but
Alice's aunt waves him off with a "it's not worth it" motion) OK,
so---let's go. Ideas, people?
DILBERT'S UNCLE: I have an idea about a show about a boy genius who
conducts secret, high-tech experiments that his dimwitted-yet-carefree
sister interferes with... (holds up a picture of a Dexter-lookalike kid,
only wearing groovy 70's clothes) I call it "Dexter's High Tech
Treehouse." In the first episode, Dexter's sister messes up his attempt at
creating something called a "personal computer". Funny, or what?
ALICE'S AUNT: Well, I have an idea about a show about a warrior who's
forced to fight evil in a post-apocalyptic future until he can return to
his own time... (holds up a picture of a Black guy who looks like
Richard Roundtree, wearing samurai clothing) I call it: "Samurai Shaft."
Pretty cool, huh?
BOBCAT GUY: (Sounding dazed-and-confused, hands the PHB a paper with
crudely-drawn, stick-figure renderings of three bears on it) Uh...here's
one I drew up---somethin' about bears livin' in a zoo....or somethin'.
I think one of 'em has an Afro. Or somethin'... I whipped it up after
that fifth shot of...whatever it was... last night at that party.
Groovy, huh?
PHB RELATION: Hmmm... I *LOVE IT*! We don't already have any bear
characters...
DILBERT'S UNCLE: Actually, we have several: Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo,
Cindy---
PHB RELATION: (Ignoring him) ---and we can load it up with all sorts of
"groovy" stuff the kids today love! (to Dilbert and Alice's relations)
I want you two to work with this bold visionary writer here (see:
Bobcat Guy scratching himself with his pencil) to come up with a new show on
this concept! I want you all to stay here all *weekend* non-stop to get
this done---it's due Monday at the head honchos' desks.
(The Dilbert and Alice relations stare at each other in horror.)
(Cut to: Monday morning; see the PHB relation in his office, reading a
"Justice League of America" comic, featuring that year's annual JLA-JSA
teamup hootenanny...a pile of era-vintage comics, including the famed
"Green Lantern/Green Arrow" series, a copy of the classic "Sand
Superman" storyline, an O'Neil-written Batman, a Wonder Woman comic, and a
Kirby-written-and-drawn "Jimmy Olsen", are seen on his desk. In walks the
writers, looking much worse for wear)
PHB RELATION: (Chuckling at the comic) Heh.... what a super bunch of
friends these JLAers make. "Super friends"... hmm... (writes something
down, then sees the people in the room) Ah, excellent, you're here. Did
you get it done?
DILBERT'S UNCLE: (Sounding exhausted) Yes, we did...but I don't think
it's *yawn* fully ready. We wound up staying up so late and downing more
coffee than any sane person should have just to get it done.
ALICE'S AUNT: (Also sounding exhausted) I think sometime around 4 AM I
started hallucinating something about "invisible motorcycles"...
BOBCAT GUY: Yeah... that was kewl. So we like threw that in along with
a bunch of other stuff! (Belches)
PHB RELATION: (Looking at the finished concept) Invisible
motorcycles... (ecstatic look crosses his face) What *genius*! (To the Bobcat Guy)
You're my choice as my new assistant! I want you to keep up the good
work... (leads him away, saying "let's talk merchandising...")
(The Dilbert and Alice analogues both eye each other and moan...)
:-)
*Ahem*...anyway...
Saturday's episode:
The bears, put on a diet by the zookeeper, try to break out of the zoo
to find something more palatable to eat than nuts and berries.
Sunday's episode:
The bears try to win a $500 wrestling match prize.
The bears' ringleader "Hair Bear" (the one with the Afro) is a knockoff
(voice- and mannerisms-wise) of Sgt. Bilko (old late 50's TV show that
also featured someone pulling various schemes)---or maybe also H-B's
own "Top Cat". Though my sister (upon seeing a snippet of the bears
swiping food out of the zookeeper's fridge) though they were ripping off
Yogi Bear... (shrug)
The zookeepers apparently have a large-screened black-and-white TV in
their office---which were still plenty commonplace in '71.
Gee, aren't zookeepers supposed to *like* animals? The skinny,
nasty-toned zookeeper seems pretty, well, nasty/miserable about his job (the
"Bunch"'s antics aside)...
The theme song needed work (as sort of amusing as the stuff in their
cave was), big time---the theme music/opening credits were usually the
best part of a lot of these old H-B cartoons, and this show's was pretty
weak...
They probably could've kept just the hat-wearing tall bear ("Square
Bear") and ditched the rest of the characters, personally speaking. :-)
"Hair Bear Bunch"'s competition at 9:30 EST Saturdays in '71 was:
NBC: "The New Pink Panther Show". More Pink Panther (and Ant & the
Aardvark, etc.) cartoons. Fun!
ABC: "The Jackson Five". See comments above.
Besides its own "unique merits", I'd imagine that the "Bunch" were
probably done in by the Pink Panther in the ratings (the TV Party website
says the "Bunch" returned after this season for repeats on Sunday
mornings in '74)...
Funky Phantom (ABC)
Show description:
A group of teens (two boys, one girl) and their pet bulldog
inadvertently free from an abandoned house's grandfather clock an American
Revolutionary War-era phantom (with a voice/mannerisms just like Snagglepuss)
and his phantom pet cat, and together, they all travel around solving
mysteries in their dune buggy.
Saturday's episode:
The kids and ghosts solve a mystery involving an ape at a circus.
Sunday's episode:
The kids and ghosts must help stop two crooks who've hidden stolen
jewels inside of a football at the kids' high school football game.
My two cents:
Gee, a cowardly pet---er, friend ghost, a group of teens, and a
green-colored vehicle they're all tooling around in (here, a dune buggy called
the "Looney Duney")...where have we seen this before? Yep, one of the
first of many knockoffs of "Scooby Doo"...
What was the ghost so afraid of everything for? He's already
*dead*---what else could happen to him (besides being forced after spending 200
years in a clock to hang around with teenagers, anyway ;-) )?!
If they'd waited a few more years, they could've tried cashing in on
the bicentennial fever that gripped the nation in the mid-70's with this
show... :-)
For a ghost that's spent two centuries in a clock, the phantom
certainly seems aware of modern day (early 70's) stuff---a veiled reference to
then-popular TV show "Mission: Impossible" is made in Saturday's
episode. Though there's more colonial-era references made by the ghost in
Sunday's episode (see below):
- "Heavens to Besty Ross": Betsy Ross was, as legend goes, the
seamstress who designed America's first flag during colonial times.
Additionally, I've heard "heavens to Betsy Ross" (a play on the expression
"heavens to Betsy") used in the early 90's "Back to the Future" cartoon (it
was used by Clara there).
- IIRC, lawn bowling (aka "bowling on the lawn" as the ghost puts it)
was popular in colonial times.
- Valley Forge was where General George Washington and his troops
spent a hard winter making camp during the American Revolution.
- Hessians were German soldiers; they were hired by the Brits during
the American Revolution. They also fell victim to an attack by
Washngton's troops (the famous "crossing the Delaware" bit, IIRC) on a Christmas
morning (they had too much celebrating the night before and were caught
off-guard)---at least according to "Histeria" (and that "Liberty's
Kids" PBS show) :-)
- John Hancock is the guy who has the biggest signature on the
Declaration of Independence (hence the slang term, erm, "one's John Hancock").
- the "Spirit of '76" of course refers to when America officially
declared its independence from the British (July 4, 1776)... I also remember
(as a kid) it was also the "76" gas stations chains' old ad slogan,
back in the early 80's ("get in the spirit... the spirit of 76") ;-)
- "Redcoats" of course refer to the nickname given to the British
troops (since their uniforms were bright red)
- the Battle of Bunker Hill was IIRC the first major American
Revolution battle?
- IIRC, the origin of the phrase "don't fire until you see the whites
of their eyes" dates to the Revolution, as well.
- unrelated to the American Revolution, but "Van Cleef" is (part of)
the name of an expensive jewelry store in Beverly Hills, IIRC.
<Timmy Turner's Dad's voice>Hey, this show was educational *and*
informative... Neat! Let's go to our local library to learn *more* about
our Founding Fathers!</Dad> ;-)
"Phantom"'s competiton at 9 AM EST on Saturdays in '71:
NBC: "Deputy Dawg". Reruns of the old Terrytoon series. Lasted one
year.
CBS: "The Harlem Globetrotters". Various H-B animated adventures
featuring the team that Krusty the Clown forgets to bet *for*, not *against*
("they were using a freakin' ladder, for God's sake!"). According to TV
Party, the Globetrotters returned to Saturdays a few seasons later as a
live-action show (though they do show up as animated guest stars on the
"New Scooby Movies" a few times).
"Phantom" returned again for a second and last season in '72 at 12 noon
EST, against the apparently-short-lived "Around the World in 80 Days"
on NBC (educational show about geography, no relation to "Cattanooga
Cats" loosely based version of the Jules Verne tale) and the second season
of "Archie's TV Funnies" (yet another Archie spinoff, this one
featuring the gang showing cartoons of obscure old comic strip characters).
---
Apologies for the above formatting; I couldn't get to an Internet computer with a non-locked-out word processor/text editor, so I had to "improvise"...
Next week: 1972...as American pop culture gets even more immersed in 1970's goodness!
-B.