And it didn't just stop with the cartoons either, because the networks brought the Bay City Rollers and the Hudson Brothers onto the Saturday schedule as well. And let's not forget the Bugaloos (or perhaps we should). So live action comedy bands combined with animated musicians became almost ubiquitous in the "Saturday Morning Television" era.
The Brady Kids and The Partridge Family 2200 A.D. were still performing as family bands in their animated renditions of the evening sitcoms. And The Chan Clan, who were Inspector Chan's detective family, performed as a swinging band in their spare time.
Josie and the Pussycats are of course in the musical lineup. But the Jabberjaw kids rocked out too, as did Butch Cassidy, the Cosby Kids on Fat Albert, and Pebbles and Bamm Bamm.
There were also The Beatles and Jackson Five cartoons to assure we at least had some great music with real stars.
How about the Hardy Boys, the Banana Splits, Alvin and the Chipmunks or Jem?
We are having a bit of an open forum today at BitBA - so feel free to discuss all things "musical" related to Saturday morning fare - from Scooby-Doo chase scenes to the dulcet tones of the underwater Neptunes.
For those of you who like your nostalgia served up with a modern twist, check out a fun CD called Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits featuring many themes performed by modern (1990s) stars.
So what do you think? Did these photos and links bring back some Bronze Age memories? Or was it hard on the ears? We are always willing to listen, so let us hear your comments. Cheers all!
9 comments:
My brother and I were prone to arguing. One of us had to watch the Jackson 5, the other The Osmonds.Can anyone recall if they were in the same time slot? (You see, we were just poor folks livin in a trailer down by the river and only had one TV and we often had fights about what channel to watch...)
Also, can anyone recall from the Banana Splits Club if the Sour Grape Girls had a band too? Or were they only Go-Go dancers mopping up the floor with our beloved Splits?
Great Subject Gents!!!
I had indeed forgotten the Bugaloos, yes.
What I DO remember is that they kept popping up in a recurring child-hood dream, although I don't think I watched the show regularly at all. . .
Nearly without exception, as soon as a group of cartoon/kid show characters broke out the band gear I was rolling my eyes, "Aargh"-ing in exasperation, and running up to get another bowl of cereal or go to the bathroom. It strikes me as coming from exactly the same place that the trend in kid-focused Hollywood films has been for, like, 25 years (where the movie almost invariably wraps up in some giant dance party, and we all get to enjoy the hilarity of the most unlikely characters finally letting go and "getting-down" as the credits roll. . . )-- a lazy assumption that it's "good enough for kids-- it's easy to produce, and heck they'll probably like it, right?" Whereas kids are, if anything, very plot-driven creatures (even if the plots are simple), and sticking these extraneous musical numbers into the show to eat up time was practically worse than a commercial. NOTHING moving forward- and the animation was the same regardless of the song being "performed".
Exceptions would be the first season of Scooby-Doo, because the big chase scene was always going on underneath the song. . . and the songs, I must confess, had a distinct bubble-gum hook to them, for the most part. And The Monkees, of course, because the "romp" was always a hoot, and because they had a darned good bunch of listenable songs. . . AND they made it a point to keep them visually engaging.
Band that was missed? Ha-- my favorite! The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.-! Still waiting for the DVD release. . .
HB
Humanbelly, you have expressed my sentiments precisely!
When the singing started my palm went to my forehead. Waiting for it to end so we could return to the story.
That being said the JOSIE and THE PUSSYCATS theme song song has been with me some forty plus years. Sometimes I'll start singing it under my breath for no apparent reason. Go figure.
And since we're on cartoons I would like to give my condolences to the family of June Foray, who passed away at the age of 99. She'd been doing voices for 80 years from the Bullwinkle show to Looney Tunes, plus hundreds more. R.I.P.
Oh, so sad to lose June Foray. It's another case where, even at 99 this time, it feels like it's just too soon, y'know? Man, she was everywhere in radio and cartoons and television for just-about ever. . .
Killraven, I'll amend my comments to include a lot of Josie & the Pussycats songs on the good-list as well. Legitimately good vocalists, there.
HB
Pretty much all of these are before my time, except Alvin and the Chipmunks which I watched in the early 80s. I also liked Kidd Video, which was a mix of animation and live action. I had a huge crush on the drummer, Carla (Gabrielle Bennett) ... Ay Ay Ay!
Josie and the Pussycats were the best, though the Jackson 5 were even better! And I caught the Bugaloos as reruns and loved that, too. Also loved Alvin and his bros back in the day.
While not feeling as strongly as some of the above, I do recall detesting some of the music numbers in shows and using those opportunities to flip the channel or read a comic book. They were not all equal.
The one music act that always made me feel weird and reminds me a headache combined with a bad acid trip or something are the Banana Splits. I don't even even like to look at their picture to this day. I am not sure if there is some buried childhood trauma that goes along with them, or what, but seriously, if I saw a therapist I might bring it up!
WOW! The Josie and the PCats theme song does pop into my head too, occasionally, like KillRaven and HB.
It is truly weird... out of nowhere I start singing "Josie and the Pussycats..."
Perhaps b/c we have a cat it triggers it in some way?
Fun post, partner! I always tuned in for the "Archies" show, and eagerly listened for the tunes. Getting a couple on the back of cereal boxes was a huge treat, even though you had to put a penny on the cardboard record to give it a little weight.
Also really dug "Josie and the Pussycats". Had an early crush on Melody, I must admit. But most of the others left me cold. Big exceptions, though, were the Beatles cartoon (loved it, even at age 6) and the Jackson 5 cartoon (again, great tunes, with some 70's funk).
Dr. O- I'm in full agreement regarding the "Banana Splits Show". My cousin LOVED that show, but I couldn't figure it out. A bunch of guys in big animal suits with bizarre 60's fashions. And constant pratfalls. Actually, I still don't get it...
I was going to take you to task for forgetting the Osmond Brothers, but Charlie remembered! Not only Saturday mornings, but PBS! The Electric Company had a "kid band," the Short Circuits. But, bow can you leave out The Evolution Revolution for Lancelot Link; Secret Chimp?!!
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