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Post by tarkintino on Feb 3, 2019 7:22:21 GMT -5
Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter-Popeye battles a fiend who kidnaps the stars of various King Features newspaper strips, including the Phantom, Steve Canyon, Flash Gordon, Dagwood, Snuffy Smith, Hi & Lois and others. That was sort of similar to other licensed newspaper comic strip characters who ended up as part of Filmation's Archie juggernaut in the series, Archie's T.V. Funnies (CBS, 1971-1973), which had the Archie gang running a TV station (okay...), and broadcasting short segments featuring Dick Tracy, Moon Mullins, Nancy and Sluggo, and other newspaper strip characters. A mixed bag to say the least, but it was unique in that this was one of the first--of not the first cross-company/licensed production of comic book/strip characters in animation. |
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Post by tarkintino on Feb 3, 2019 13:03:59 GMT -5
It's too bad, though, that the show just wasn't as entertaining as Batman; visually they were similar, and the stories, and villains, were suitably ridiculous, but it just didn't have the wink/smirk at the camera quality that Batman had - of course, if they had attempted to fully capture the spirit of the latter, with double entendre-laden dialgoue, etc., this or that group of 'moral' watchdogs would have been up in arms I'm sure. The problem with most Kroftt series is that they were always low-balled productions, so they tended to end up with low-balled results. There was no way to try to capture the feel of the Batman TV series with typical Kroftt staff writers, or low budgets for the entire production. Despite its faults, Batman was a very expensive production from top to bottom, with Dozier slashing the budget for its third and final season because it was so expensive (and frankly, he was more interested in getting enough episodes in the can to meet the lucrative syndication standards, but did not want to spend more money reaching that goal). Electra Woman and Dyna Girl was more "in name only copy" than the evolutionary next step in what had been established by Batman, so it was never going to be a hit, no matter what network guidelines existed. Probably, but it was not enough for Marvel to look into legal proceedings. As a matter of fact, the costume may have taken more of its inspiration from another Spider-Man-esque costume--a fan idea submitted to DC and published in the pages of Batman #259 (November/December, 1974) on the top row of the feature titled, "A New Look for Robin"--  Seems like the Kroftt's were doing a bit more than just being inspired by thr Batman TV series... |
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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 3, 2019 16:07:38 GMT -5
I remember Uncle Croc, knew CNR from Liddsville and Match Game!  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 4, 2019 15:01:58 GMT -5
One of the things I always enjoyed, in the 70s, was the new season sneak preview, you usually got on the Friday before the new season began. Here's one of the earliest surviving, from 1974 (featuring the preview of the Super Friends, among others...)
The year before had the Brady Kids & Charles Nelson Riley (as Hoodo, from Liddsville), in a sort of story that showcased the cartoons, as it went along.
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Post by tarkintino on Feb 4, 2019 15:30:40 GMT -5
^ Note how the Batman actor's costume is clearly based on the 1966 live action series, rather than a version of the then-forthcoming Super Friends version...
I guess the shadow of the '66 version was inescapable--at least where TV was concerned, also seen in this 1974 commercial for DuPont's Rally Wax @ 1:47 --
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2019 0:39:19 GMT -5
Probably more an issue of ready availability (costume suppliers, etc).
Superman is Chuck Woolery, future host of the original Wheel of Fortune (daytime) and Love Connection.
That is young Rick Springfield there, back when he first came to the US. He voiced himself in Filmation's Mission Magic. It would be 8 years before his breakthrough album, Working Class Dog, and his stint on General Hospital.
Burns & Schreiber had their own series then, plus appeared often on talk shows and variety shows/specials, in that era.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Feb 5, 2019 8:04:53 GMT -5
Here's a truly bizarre offering from DePatie-Freleng that I haven't seen mentioned. The Nitwits was an animated version of Arte Johnson's dirty old man character (Tyrone F. Horneigh) and Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby from Laugh-In. These were the sketches where Tyrone would approach Gladys (usually seated on a bench) and "hit on" her until his vulgar harassment drove her to clobber him with her purse. I had watched some of Laugh-In's original run with my parents and thus recognized the characters.
Here, Tyrone is re-cast as a superhero drawn out of retirement by the vox populi to combat a rising super-villain threat. His powers include flight and the ability to cling to walls. He has a gimmick-ed cane and a side-kick in Stockholmed Gladys, who is now his wife. Talk about rewarding predatory behavior! Johnson and Buzzi reprise their characters' voices for the show and Johnson is credited with creating the series for television. In case you're wondering, it wasn't good. The thing ran for all of three months in the fall of '77.
The duo shared their time-slot with Baggy Pants, a cat based on Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character. Chaplin was still alive when the series debuted, but died three weeks after its conclusion, probably from embarrassment. Here is the opening:
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Post by badwolf on Feb 5, 2019 11:15:27 GMT -5
We didn't get Spider-Woman in our area, and for many years I thought that it was never actually made (and that promotional ads had gone out prematurely.)
But I loved all the cartoons we did get, even (I think) that horrible Thing cartoon.
They're all pretty embarrassing now, with the exception of the Japanese shows, Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman) and Star Blazers (Space Cruiser Yamato.) Even though both shows were kiddified for U.S. audiences, I think even then I could tell that the Japanese were far ahead of Americans in animation.
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Post by zaku on Feb 5, 2019 11:35:08 GMT -5
But I loved all the cartoons we did get, even (I think) that horrible Thing cartoon. I never understood the point of it. What the heck were they thinking?!?! |
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Post by badwolf on Feb 5, 2019 11:41:15 GMT -5
But I loved all the cartoons we did get, even (I think) that horrible Thing cartoon. I never understood the point of it. What the heck were they thinking?!?! I don't know man. I do have one distinct memory of watching the premiere episode. Because it was called Fred and Barney MEET The Thing, I (and probably many others) expected them to actually meet. The F&B segment was about some kind of monster, and before it was revealed (as a werewolf) I kept thinking "Is it the Thing??"
Also, the old guy in the F&B segment kept talking about his rheumatism, which I heard as "rumor-tism" and thought had something to do with "rumors" of the monster.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2019 14:14:59 GMT -5
Here's a truly bizarre offering from DePatie-Freleng that I haven't seen mentioned. The Nitwits was an animated version of Arte Johnson's dirty old man character (Tyrone F. Horneigh) and Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby from Laugh-In. These were the sketches where Tyrone would approach Gladys (usually seated on a bench) and "hit on" her until his vulgar harassment drove her to clobber him with her purse. I had watched some of Laugh-In's original run with my parents and thus recognized the characters. Here, Tyrone is re-cast as a superhero drawn out of retirement by the vox populi to combat a rising super-villain threat. His powers include flight and the ability to cling to walls. He has a gimmick-ed cane and a side-kick in Stockholmed Gladys, who is now his wife. Talk about rewarding predatory behavior! Johnson and Buzzi reprise their characters' voices for the show and Johnson is credited with creating the series for television. In case you're wondering, it wasn't good. The thing ran for all of three months in the fall of '77. The duo shared their time-slot with Baggy Pants, a cat based on Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character. Chaplin was still alive when the series debuted, but died three weeks after its conclusion, probably from embarrassment. Here is the opening: Yeah, I remember that one, mostly the Arte Johnson and Ruth Buzzi stuff (don't recall Baggy Pants). I seem to recall it in a late time slot and a little research shows it on at 12:00 Eastern, opposite the ABC Special and Wacko (CBS a variety show), then the ABC Weekend Special & Isis. Then, it was moved an hour earlier, where it was up against Isis and the Krofft Super Show. The NBC lineup was pretty weak, in this year, with The CB Bears, Space Sentinels, New Archie & Sabrina Hour, I Am The Greatest (Muhammad Ali cartoon), Thunder, Search & rescue: Alpha Team, Baggy Pants & Nitwits, The Red Hand Gang. By contrast, ABC (who ruled much of the 1970s Saturday Morning ratings) had The All New Super Friends Hour, Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, and the Krofft Super Show, followed by the ABC Weekend Special and American Bandstand. CBS had Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, What's new Mr Magoo, Skatebirds, Space Academy, Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, Wacko, Fat Albert, Isis, and the CBS Saturday Film Festival. NBC struggled through the decade, with some years better than others; but, with more singularly popular cartoons than blocks of programming. CBS did a little better, though they also tended to be more haphazard in programming. Fred Silverman, in the early 70s, at ABC, wanted Saturday Morning to be programmed like prime time, with concentrated blocks of programming, to keep viewers tuned in. That resulted in some strong line-ups, across the decade. |
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Post by rberman on Feb 5, 2019 14:21:55 GMT -5
The NBC lineup was pretty weak, in this year, with The CB Bears, Space Sentinels, New Archie & Sabrina Hour, I Am The Greatest (Muhammad Ali cartoon), Thunder, Search & rescue: Alpha Team, Baggy Pants & Nitwits, The Red Hand Gang. By contrast, ABC (who ruled much of the 1970s Saturday Morning ratings) had The All New Super Friends Hour, Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, and the Krofft Super Show, followed by the ABC Weekend Special and American Bandstand. CBS had Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, What's new Mr Magoo, Skatebirds, Space Academy, Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, Wacko, Fat Albert, Isis, and the CBS Saturday Film Festival. NBC struggled through the decade, with some years better than others; but, with more singularly popular cartoons than blocks of programming. CBS did a little better, though they also tended to be more haphazard in programming. Fred Silverman, in the early 70s, at ABC, wanted Saturday Morning to be programmed like prime time, with concentrated blocks of programming, to keep viewers tuned in. That resulted in some strong line-ups, across the decade. ABC also blew NBC and CBS away with their government-mandated educational shorts on Saturday morning. While CBS had the snoozefest "In the News" with one of their adult newscasters droning about something boring, and NBC did a little better with kid reporters, ABC was rocking the house with season after season of Schoolhouse Rock, producing dozens of three minute ditties about how to use an exclamation point and how to count by five on your fingers and why things fall down. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2019 14:41:56 GMT -5
There were a couple of ways to meet the mandate, which Schoolhouse Rock solved perfectly, for ABC. Silverman actually shaved time off of episodes and gave up a commercial slot to fit in the Schoolhouse Rock shorts. Filmation did a lot of moral lessons in their programs, as well as educational segments at the end, which satisfied the mandate. Both CBS and NBC bought heavily from them. Hanna-Barbera dabbled a little in this, with things like environmentally conscious shows, such as the first season of the Super Friends and Yogi's Ark. The All New Super Friends Hour had moral lesson cartoons (usually the Wonder Twins; but, also some with the real heroes) and educational segments (including Batman & Robin demonstrating the Heimlich Maneuver). CBS also had the CBS Children's Film Festival, which often featured films with social and educational themes (many done in Canada, with government funding), and ABC added the ABC Weekend Special, which featured literary adaptations and similar fare.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2019 14:58:33 GMT -5
I also recall a sort of news/variety/educational program on ABC: Kids Are People Too. I've been searching and believe this was the one where they would have a celebrity and various other segments, plus show clips from ABC programs. I distinctly recall seeing one with two stunt trampoline performers, who double the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, for a scene in Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Wikipedia mentions KISS unveiling Eric Carr, as Peter Criss' replacement and I have a memory of that.
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Post by rberman on Feb 5, 2019 15:07:39 GMT -5
The All New Super Friends Hour had moral lesson cartoons (usually the Wonder Twins; but, also some with the real heroes) and educational segments (including Batman & Robin demonstrating the Heimlich Maneuver). CBS also had the CBS Children's Film Festival, which often featured films with social and educational themes (many done in Canada, with government funding), and ABC added the ABC Weekend Special, which featured literary adaptations and similar fare. I remember that one with Robin practicing the Heimlich maneuver on Batman. "You know, Robin, quite often people choke on a piece of food they are eating." Quite often? |
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