Animation Congregation: More Animated Themes, Dreams and Schemes!

Redartz: Hey, last week was a lot of fun- there's a lot of love out there for Saturday mornings (and after school, and evenings; anytime animation is available). I'm gobsmacked by the response you all had (picture me as Wile E Coyote getting clobbered by an ACME Anvil). So, to slake your thirst for more cartoonish capers, here is one more heaping helping of memory prompters. Some were inspired by your comments last week. Others, I just tried to mine a few more obscure clips. And to start us off, here's a few of those Saturday morning preview ads so prominently featured in the comics. They always appeared in late summer comics, so the anticipation they prompted for the new fall season helped take the sting out of the impending return of school...

Next up, before we hit the toons, here's a couple of fondly remembered Public Service-type spots that were common throughout  the 70's and 80's. Bet you still know the lyrics...

Schoolhouse Rock: Conjunction Junction

Time for Timer

And now, let's settle back and feast our eyes upon some more cartoons. How many do you remember?

Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)

Jabberjaw (1977)

Return to the Planet of the Apes (1976)

Where's Huddles (1970)

The Jackson Five (1971)

Groovie Ghoulies (1970)

Star Trek (1974)

Roger Ramjet (1965)

Underdog (1964)

Super Friends (1973)

The  Mighty Heroes (1966)

Smurfs (1981)

Wait 'Till Your Father Gets Home (1972)

Well, that about does it. We'd better turn off the set and get busy before we're told to "turn that off and go play outside". Hope you enjoyed another dose of classic animation; next week we'll be looking at some comics art. So until then, keep sharing those thoughts, and be well!

Riding the Retro Metro: Friday Dec. 7, 1979

Redartz:  Hello again everyone, and welcome to another vicarious voyage to the past aboard the Retro Metro! Our itinerary today takes us to the turn of a decade, back to Dec. 7, 1979. As is too often the case, troubling news abounds in the headlines: 11 concertgoers killed at a Who concert in Cincinnati. The Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan. And of course the US is still roiling over the hostages being held in the US Embassy in Iran. Despite all this, the world is on the verge of the 80's, with the eternal hope that a better world awaits therein. 

As we look for a bit of diversion from world events, we first turn to music. And thus we find the most popular song on the radio this week is:

Tops on the US Billboard Chart:  Styx, "Babe"

Styx finally hits the top with this song, almost five years after first charting with "Lady". I've liked much of their work, but this song admittedly leaves me yawning a bit.

Rounding out the  top five:  
2. Barbara Streisand/Donna Summer, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
3. Commodores, "Still"
4.  KC and the Sunshine Band, "Please Don't Go"
5.  Rupert Holmes, "Escape ( the Pina Colada Song)"

To be honest, the only song among the top five I much care for is the odd Rupert Holmes song. More interesting are some tunes further down the chart. Among the ones of note:  Blondie, "Dreaming"; a very cool song with some totally dynamite vocals by Debbie Harry. Michael Jackson,  "Rock With You"; Michael is making the most of his comeback album "Off the Wall".  M, "Pop Musik"; an unusual song for the American pop chart, I like that. Supertramp, "Take the Long Way Home"- their album "Breakfast in America" is very solid, and I love this particular cut. The harmonica just chills me.

Blondie: "Dreaming"

Tops in the UK: The Police, "Walking on the Moon"- another example of why the British chart is the place to look for the best new music.

Turning to the tube and it's offerings tonight:  Fridays have often been a good night for viewing. What about this Friday?

US Television Schedule:

ABC:  Fantasy Island, The ABC Friday Night Movie

My girlfriend at college is hooked on Fantasy Island, and I rather enjoy it too. Ricardo Montalban is a suave Mr. Roarke, played with some wit and irony. And you can't dislike Herve  ("The Plane, the Plane") Villachaise . At least now we know what happened to him after he lost his position on the island with Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun".

CBS:  The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas

As you might guess, watching the Hulk is regular routine at my apartment. Bill Bixby has long been a favorite actor of mine, and Lou Ferrigno does a decent Greenskin. On the other hand, "Dukes" holds no interest for this viewer, and neither does Dallas (although many, many viewers disagree with my  opinions here).

NBC: Shirley, The Rockford Files, Eischeid

Apparently Shirley Jones stars in Shirley (makes sense), but I've never seen it. Rockford keeps hanging on, and Eischeid? I've no idea. Perhaps my study time has cut into tv watching to the extent that numerous shows are completely off my radar. Perhaps some of you fellow riders have some thoughts on these programs...


BBC1:  Up a Gum Tree, My Wife Next Door, Penmarric, Kojak, Points of View, George Burns and Gracie Allen

BBC2:  Better Badminton, In the Country, Talking Pictures, "I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang", The National Poetry Competition 1979

Wow, BBC is showing Burns and Allen? Going for the golden age of television! Can't go wrong with the classics. And speaking of  (future) classics, what fine reading is out on the stands this week? It's about time to take a trip to the comic store and add a few more to the ol' collection. Some possible choices:

Man, I picked up a bunch of these. Daredevil versus the Hulk by Frank Miller? Got to have that one. X-Men by Claremont and Byrne? Even though Dazzler doesn't exactly dazzle me ( couldn't resist that, sorry). the book is just too good to pass up. Iron Man is another fine title these days, love that Romita Jr./Layton artwork. Then you have the Panther taking on the Klan, another must buy. And the first issue of King Conan; another new title to try. About the only book here I'm  skipping is the Star Trek movie magazine (which again puts  me in a minority; have seen the long-awaited film at least). All things considered, it looks like the 70's are going out strong, comic-wise. What will the new decade bring?

Of course, we can now answer that last question with the benefit of hindsight. The 80's had plenty to offer, many of those will likely be awaiting us in upcoming trips on the "Retro Metro". As for today, we bid goodbye to 79 and the seventies, and return to our present. Until we next venture back to the Bronze age, take care. and share those memories!

Follow The Leader: Episode 44: Crossovers

Martinex1:  Every Tuesday we Follow the Leader and latch onto your topic suggestions for the day.

The last few weeks' offerings have really inspired the commentators, and the feature has regularly been among the top-viewed posts on this site.

So bring it on! What will we discuss today?  Somebody please get the ball rolling.  Everybody else join in with comments.   Cheers!

Animation Congregation: Borrowing from "Prime Time"...

Redartz:  Hello everyone! Time for another salute to Saturday mornings. Saturday morning - the traditional home of cartoons of all kinds. Many of these cartoons were new concepts, created especially for the young Saturday morning viewers.Some cartoons, however, owed their existence to Prime Time programming aimed at a generally older audience. The 1970's ( 1973 in particular, for some reason), and 80's, borrowed heavily from  evening network programming to fill those early weekend hours . In 1972, ABC debuted "The Saturday Superstar  Movie", which often featured characters familiar from nighttime television. But for this discussion, we'll focus on the specifically copied, regularly scheduled shows. 

As lighthearted fare was the rule in that era of parental watchdog groups, humor shows abounded. And many of those comic cartoons were spawned from popular evening comedies. Among them:

The Addams Family (1973)- It took something dramatic to keep me from watching "Scooby Doo Movies", but this did it. A great show with plenty of Addams oddity.

Martinex1:  Hiya Red, I had to just jump in quickly on this topic.   That Addams Family cartoon was my introduction to the characters.  I saw this when I was five-years-old and long before I saw the actual live action show.   I have to say I still remember the opening until this day.

I Dream of Jeannie- "Jeannie" (1973)- When "Star Trek" was a rerun, I'd catch this. As a longtime fan of Barbara Eden, I was disappointed that she wasn't involved. But it was a fun show, nonetheless. And I never could figure out what Babu's magic phrase was supposed to be.

 
Martinex1:  You mention Star Trek and we will get to that down the blog... but regarding "Jeannie," Babu's magic phrase was "Yapple Dapple."   Babu was voiced by none other than Joe Besser of The Three Stooges fame.  Another star to note, Mark Hamill (yes Luke Skywalker himself) voiced the male lead Corey.  He even sings a bit on the opening.




The Brady Bunch - "The Brady Kids" (1972)- Featured the Brady children and pets, sans parents. Never watched it, as I preferred "Josie and the Pussycats" on another channel...

Martinex1: I did watch this one when my sisters got to pick the show.   I did like Ping and Pong the pandas.  I think pandas must have been big in the 70s; wasn't there some big event with Nixon visiting China and the pandas at the zoo in 1973?  The stars of the original show actually voiced the kids in the first season; but there was some contractual dispute and only some of the kids' voices returned for the second season. 





 




The Partridge Family- "The Partridge Family: 2200 AD" (1974)- it had a few original cast members voicing their characters. No memories of the show, though- I was watching Gilligan...
Martinex1:  Not sure if I have my facts straight, but I believe Hanna-Barbera was looking at a Jetson's revival with a teenage Elroy (ala the popular Pebbles and Bamm Bamm morphing out of the Flintstones)  and through some sort of Hollywood boardroom magic the show warped into this Partridge Family version.   You can definitely see the Jetsons' influence.


 




Gilligan's Island- "The New Adventures of Gilligan" (1974) and "Gilligan's Planet" (1982)- "New Adventures" kept up the misadventures of the castaways, and the classic show's cast was mostly involved. My brother, sister and I almost never missed it, as fondly as we recalled the eternally rerun original series.




 



My Favorite Martian- "My Favorite Martians" (1973)- Another show I'd catch from time to time, despite the lack of Bill Bixby.
Martinex1:  I remember this show fondly.  It was one of my favorites. I liked the idea of people from other planets and I was in my Mars-loving phase.









 

Happy Days- "The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang" (1980)- Several members of the nostalgic series' cast lent their voices to this version. By the time this cartoon aired, though, I personally had lost interest in the old 'gang', and tuned in to Bugs Bunny instead.






 
Laverne and Shirley- "Laverne and Shirley in the Army" (1981)- a short-lived cartoon teaming of the brilliant Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams. 
Martinex1:  Can I just say, "Wow!"   I cannot believe this got made.  I cannot imagine many of my friends wanting to see this.






 


Mork and Mindy (1982)- packaged in an hour-long teamup with the Fonz and Laverne & Shirley. As much as I loved the Robin Williams/Pam Dawber comedy, I never saw this version. Perhaps one of you can give us a critique?


 




Prime Time drama shows weren't mined nearly to the extent the comedies were. There were several, however. All of these from the same season, coincidence? Who knows...

Emergency!- "Emergency Plus 4" (1973)- A must-see for me, as it featured "Emergency" cast members Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe in their paramedic roles, along with several precocious kids. Less gore than Saturday night's version, but plenty of adventure.

Star Trek- "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (1973)- A great adaptation, reuniting the original nighttime series' cast. I most fondly recall the "tribbles" episode.
Martinex1:  There was actually a "Star Trek: Animated Series" episode that scared me as a kid.  It had something to do with this creepy tentacled alien that disguised itself as a crewman.   It seemed like every time I turned the show on, that episode aired.   This was my first and only exposure to Star Trek for years.  As mentioned recently, I really did not watch the original series until a couple of years ago, so that animated episode was much of my Star Trek experience. 

Lassie- "Lassie's Rescue Rangers" (1973)- A fairly decent adventure series, I tried to watch fairly regularly. After all, it was Lassie...

Hope these bring back a few memories for some of you. Which shows did you watch? Were they worthy representatives of the shows from which they arose? Or were they best forgotten, left to the dregs of dvd collections and YouTube. Were there other examples I missed? Were there other shows that you feel would have been ideal Saturday Morning fare? Let your thoughts be heard! Oh, and many thanks, Marti! I've wondered for decades about Babu's magic phrase. One item off my bucket list...

Follow The Leader: Episode 37: Star Trek Preferences and Avengers Rosters!

Martinex1: The kids are back in school and Autumn is in the air, but that doesn't stop us around here - every Tuesday is Follow the Leader time at BitBA!  Join the conversation with all of the regular crowd.  What will the interesting and exciting topic be today?  Keep us guessing and keep us coming back for more!   Let's get started!

The Brave Or The Bold: Gene Roddenberry or George Lucas?

Martinex1: Star Wars Rogue One is in the theaters, so it seemed like a fitting time to do a little spacefaring compare and contrast.   Today let's analyze the creators of the two best known space franchises, Gene Roddenberry and his new frontier exploration Star Trek and George Lucas and the revolutionary worlds of Star Wars.

In your opinion who crafted better stories, characters, conflicts, and futures?   Who was more visionary?  And who was the better creative master?   What was innovative and what was just plain goofy?   Kirk or Skywalker?  Darth or Khan?  Leia or Uhura?  Falcon or Enterprise? Movies and shows? Identify the pros and cons of each and speculate on our own future.   We know where some of you stand; but can you be swayed?

And if you feel the need to comment on Rogue One, please keep it very SPOILER free!  You have the helm...