# Oldies But Goodies - A TV HIstory



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Remember when this was a common symbol on your TV?

What shows do you remember best, or for that matter which shows do you still watch today in reruns or on specialty channels?


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## JPL (Jan 21, 2005)

I loved Hop a Long Cassidy aka Hoppy and the Little Rascals circa 1955 I think. I was on the Howdy Doody show, in the Peanut Gallery, here in Toronto. Oh ya and the original Superman was great as well.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

Bonanza
Lonesome Dove
Golden Girls

old musicals - I think they're great.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Howdy Doody, of course. 
Won a puppy on Junior Frolicks (a New York City-based show that showed cartoons)
Little Rascals
Hoppy, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, et al
Mr. Wizard

More to follow


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Rifleman, Father Knows Best, Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle. I seem to recall that Jack Benny had his own show? Oh, and Red Skelton too.

And definitely Bonanza, and the Lone Ranger, as mentioned.

I darned near forgot Lassie, and The Littlest Hobo.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

gw, how could I forget Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. Add to this list 
Sargent Preston of the Mounties
Andy Griffith, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, George Burns and Gracie, and of course, Uncle Miltie, "Mr. Tuesday Night".


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## PenguinBoy (Aug 16, 2005)

"Get Smart", and "Bewitched"


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

PenguinBoy said:


> "Get Smart", and "Bewitched"


...and "Batman," "Speed Racer," "The Munsters," "The Addams Family," and "F Troop." Does anybody remember the Monkees' TV show, and the Beatles even had an animated show for a short time.


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## JPL (Jan 21, 2005)

As I aged a tad I liked to watch I Spy Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll, and Barbra Moore, The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan and such.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Miss G., I saw the Monkees (took my younger sister actually) at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. It was their first outdoor concert to try an dispell the myth that they could not play any instruments. Also saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

Dr.G. said:


> Also saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium.


WE ARE NOT WORTHY!

Trivia - When the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan (either the first or second time), the cast of Oliver! was one of the acts. Davey Jones (the short British Monkee) was the Artful Dodger.

Another show: Ed Sullivan! Every Sunday night.

Smothers Brothers.

My kids have watched the first three seasons of Get Smart (and love it).

Twilight Zone. Mission Impossible. Loved The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the Prisoner ("Who is Number 1? You are Number 6").

Sadly, I grew up when all cartoons being made were bad (well, except Bullwinkle & Rocky).


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Good start folks. I will not yet reveal my favs, just in case you guys mention them. so far you have missed them.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

*Where Have All The Good Times Gone?*

Bewitched, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I Dream Of Jeannie, Lost In Space, Laugh-In, Get Smart, the original Star Trek, The Prisoner, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Forest Rangers, All In The Family, The Dick Van **** Show, Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Avengers, Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Mission: Impossible, Hill Street Blues, WKRP In Cincinnati, Adam 12, Emergency...


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

The Doug got a few of 'em, but there are still a couple more to unearth.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

SINC said:


> The Doug got a few of 'em, but there are still a couple more to unearth.


Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Darn, you're good Doug, but not perfect!


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

SINC said:


> Good start folks. I will not yet reveal my favs, just in case you guys mention them. so far you have missed them.


We know already! Barney and Friends, My Mother the Car and Care Bears.

Am I right???


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Mr. Ed.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

nxnw said:


> We know already! Barney and Friends, My Mother the Car and Care Bears.
> 
> Am I right???


Not even close! :lmao:


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

SINC said:


> Not even close! *:rofl:*


A _clever clue!_

The Rolf Harris Show!


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

The Doug said:


> A _clever clue!_
> 
> The Rolf Harris Show!


OK, one down.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Dr.G. said:


> Miss G., I saw the Monkees (took my younger sister actually) at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. It was their first outdoor concert to try an dispell the myth that they could not play any instruments. Also saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium.


I really, really envy you. Seeing the Beatles live at Shea (or anywhere at all) was rock 'n roll nirvana, but you didn't know it at the time.

A bit of Monkees' trivia: Mike Nesmith was an established musician, and penned Linda Ronstadt's early hit "Different Drum." His mother was a secretary who invented Liquid Paper, and became a millionaire from her invention.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

MissGulch said:


> Mike Nesmith was an established musician, and penned Linda Ronstadt's early hit "Different Drum." His mother was a secretary who invented Liquid Paper, and became a millionaire from her invention.


He would help her mix up batches in the kitchen.

My old neighbour saw the Beatles at MLG and couldn't hear for all the screaming girls (of which she was one). I imagine Dr. G. was more reserved.


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## PenguinBoy (Aug 16, 2005)

The Doug said:


> ...and The Beverly Hillbillies.


We picked up DVD box sets of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Bewitched" -- our nine year old loves them!


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## JPL (Jan 21, 2005)

SINC said:


> Good start folks. I will not yet reveal my favs, just in case you guys mention them. so far you have missed them.


Come on sinc, most of didn't have TV when your programs were airing


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

And so they should. They are a part of TV history from a kinder and more gentle society.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

JPL said:


> Come on sinc, most of didn't have TV when your programs were airing


Um, er, ah, ahem, "most of didn't"?


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## Chris (Feb 8, 2001)

Razzle Dazzle, Dr. Who, Land of the Giants, Chez Helene, Friendly Giant, Forest Rangers, The Mighty Hercules, The Beachcombers, Get Smart....

Just a few of the great ones!


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## Dreambird (Jan 24, 2006)

The original Outer Limits... was absolutely fascninated by the control voice... 

Of course the original Star Trek, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and many of those already mentioned.

Movie... The Fantastic Voyage.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Time Tunnel, St. Elsewhere, The Flinstones, Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Twilight Zone, Combat, Twelve O'clock High, Rat Patrol.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Anyone else know who made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than any other act?


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

SINC said:


> Anyone else know who made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than any other act?


Topo Gigio? I loved Topo Gigio. He was not on any of the Beatles shows, though. Ed must have been upset with him.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Commander Tom
Rocket ship 7


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Fireball XL5, Supercar, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet...


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

SINC said:


> Anyone else know who made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than any other act?


Rich Little?


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

SINC said:


> Anyone else know who made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than any other act?


Señor Wences?


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

*Wayne & Schuster*


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

Space Ghost
The Herculoids
Johnny Quest
Land of the Giants
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (loved that flying sub)
The Forest Rangers


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

don't forget Mod Squad, Rawhide, Andy Griffith, Happy days, Laverne and Shirley.........


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

The Doug gets the BINGO! The Canadian comedy duo is correct!


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

Mod Squad! Great opening sequence and music, and there was always Linc's patented flying tackles. Plus I had a huge crush on Julie Lipton. 

[blushes]


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

SINC said:


> The Doug gets the BINGO! The Canadian comedy duo is correct!


"I told him, Julie, don't go! It's the Ides of March already!"


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

nxnw said:


> "I told him, Julie, don't go! It's the Ides of March already!"


I had forgotten that classic line! :lmao:


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

"My name is Flavius Maximus, Private Roman Eye. Licence number MMMCMLXXXVIII. It also comes in handy as an eye chart. I'm gonna tell ya about the Julius Caesar Caper. It all began during the Ides of March. I had just nailed Spartacus the Gladiator, he had a crooked lion who kept takin' a dive. Anyhow, I was just beginning to rest on my laurels when, suddenly-- HE burst in to my office."


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Well, I guess I will have to reveal my shows. Unless I missed it, it appears that no one thought of them so here goes:

All In The Family, The Honeymooners and Barney Miller.


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## Chris (Feb 8, 2001)

"I'll have a martinus."
"You mean martini?"
"Look, if I want two I'll ask for two!"

Brilliant 


Then, there's Shakespearean Baseball...

"A hit! A hit! A very palpable hit!"

All great stuff. I know it's good, as my 15 year old daughter sat down with me and actually watched some of the retrospective specials on Wayne and Shuster, and she actually laughed!  :lmao:


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## GratuitousApplesauce (Jan 29, 2004)

MissGulch said:


> I really, really envy you. Seeing the Beatles live at Shea (or anywhere at all) was rock 'n roll nirvana, but you didn't know it at the time.


My Dad won tickets to see the Beatles in '66 in Toronto on their last ever tour, when I was 9 years old. I begged and pleaded for him to take me, but he wasn't even vaguely interested. He knew the tickets were very saleable and that their value in bottles of Old Vienna was worth more than sitting through a screaming fest with his kid.  A few years later, after they broke up, I became a huge Beatles fanatic probably because I knew I'd missed history.

I kind of doubt that the concerts would have been rock 'n roll nirvana though. In any of the unvarnished recordings of those concerts, it's almost impossible to hear the Beatles with all the non-stop screaming and they didn't have the kind of sound systems that bands used a decade later. John Lennon said that the touring for them was horrible and they were only going through the motions. The concerts were very short too, often including medleys so they could race through all their hits in under an hour.

Couldn't think of any early TV shows that weren't listed here - did we get them all?

I used to watch Tiny Talent Time on CHCH TV in Hamilton, every week. Whatever happened to Bill Lawrence and Guernsey Gold milk?

Oh yeah, Mod Squad and Julie Lipton, dynamite for a boy going through puberty. I caught an episode of Mod Squad on TV a year or so ago and it was so bad, it was good.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

SINC said:


> Well, I guess I will have to reveal my shows. Unless I missed it, it appears that no one thought of them so here goes:
> 
> All In The Family, The Honeymooners and Barney Miller.


Great choices SINC!
Can't believe I didn't guess, "All In The Family", I've always been a huge fan of that show, right back to when it began. I've been missing the reruns lately.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Miss G., to be truthful, there was too much screaming to hear much. Things were better at Woodstock, however.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Doug, we are on the same wave length..........except for Adam 12.

"All In The Family, The Honeymooners and Barney Miller" -- Sinc, you are a New Yorker deep down.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

How about "Arrested Development"? A classic before it's time...



PenguinBoy said:


> We picked up DVD box sets of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Bewitched" -- our nine year old loves them!


You're spending way too much time here...


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Dr.G. said:


> Doug, we are on the same wave length..........except for Adam 12.
> 
> "All In The Family, The Honeymooners and Barney Miller" -- Sinc, you are a New Yorker deep down.


And very glad to be thought of as one, by one, Dr. G.!


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## fellfromtree (May 18, 2005)

Fernwood 2-Night, Quark, Connections with James Burke.
Cannon and Harry-O fer yer crime drama and Kraft snack commercials


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sinc, we could make you an honorary New Yorker and Newfoundlander/Labradorian.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Dr.G. said:


> Sinc, we could make you an honorary New Yorker and Newfoundlander/Labradorian.


Sounds good as long as you don't make an error and make me an honourary Librarian.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Dr.G. said:


> "All In The Family, The Honeymooners and Barney Miller" -- Sinc, you are a New Yorker deep down.


Yes, Sinc. Welcome to the team. Now repeat after me. Fuhgedaboutdit, gimmee a slice-a pizza, gimmee a bagel with a schmeer, up yours, pal. 

Testing your creds. Which alphabet is this, Sinc? 
A B C D E F G J L M N Q R S T V W Y Z


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## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

I rent my favourite TV on DVD, not counting politics. I'll watch some good shows here and there, but I generally wait for DVDs because I don't like arranging for TV times. I've very much enjoyed:

Black Adder (II and III)
All in the Family (distant memories...considering renting/buying)
Simpsons (from TV, syndication makes it easy)
Futurama
Family Guy
Cheers (syndication, but I watched most of them on TV)
Arrested Development

On the 'I'll watch it if it's on' list:
Seinfeld, Star Trek episodes, Frasier and some others.

Rent: Much anime. A huge gap in our TV entertaiment that, although having much poop, has many shows that would greatly add to our entertaintment.

My two cents and not comprehensive, just what occurs to me at the moment.


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## JPL (Jan 21, 2005)

OK my more recent(sorta recent) favs; Faulty Castle, All Creatures Great and Small, To The Manor Born, Upstairs Downstairs, Frost, Benny Hill.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Er, Fawlty Towers you mean.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

The Carol Burnett Show.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

The Jeffersons and Good Times.


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## JPL (Jan 21, 2005)

The Doug said:


> Er, Fawlty Towers you mean.


OOPS it was early sorry bout that


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I Love Lucy and Ozzie And Harriet come to mind.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

SINC said:


> I Love Lucy and Ozzie And Harriet come to mind.


We were watching "Follow the Fleet" (an Astaire and Rogers movie) last weekend, and by coincidence, both Lucille Ball and Harriet Hilliard were in it. Harriet had a big part, but Lucy only had a couple of lines. She was about 25 years old.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Anyone mention "Car 54, Where are you?" which first teamed Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne in a sitcom?


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

kps, don't forget Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody. "Ooh, Ooh". Yes, the good old 53rd precinct in the Bronx.

There's a holdup in the Bronx, 
Brooklyn's broken out in fights. 
There's a traffic jam in Harlem, 
That's backed up to Jackson Heights. 
There's a scout troop short a child, 
Krushchev's due at Idlewild...... 
CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU???

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/sounds/car54whereareyou.wav


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (a.k.a. You'll Never Get Rich a.k.a. Sgt. Bilko)


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

How about McHale's Navy with Ernie Borgnine, Joe Flynn and Tim Conway.

Joe E Ross as Gunther Toody:


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

kps, McHale's Navy is another classic. I have Deja Vue on StarChoice, and they bring back classic TV shows.

Probably my favorite show was The Twilight Zone.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Absolutely The Twilight Zone, along with Rod Serling's unique delivery, is one of the finest TV shows ever produced. One of the few old series that can span time and still be relavant today. One of my all time favourites as well.


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## chuckster (Nov 30, 2003)

*Another one*

I can't think of the actor's first name, Boone was his last name. He starred in Palladin: Have Gun Will Travel. There was a series he was in, maybe two seasons, with the same actors every week in different roles. With makeup and different settings sometimes it was difficult to pick out which was which, but this really wet my appetite for theatre. And as for Westerns: Wantedead or Alive, Bat Masterson, Sugarfoot, Cheyenne and of course Maverick.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Richard Boone. He was a fine actor on the legitimate stage as well, even doing King Lear.


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## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

What fascinates/frightens me is that I have seen at least some of virtually every one of the show you mentioned. The Prisoner is the only one that stuck out as one that I had never seen (although I've heard of it).

And Wayne and Schuster are still the best.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

kps said:


> Absolutely The Twilight Zone, along with Rod Serling's unique delivery, is one of the finest TV shows ever produced. One of the few old series that can span time and still be relavant today. One of my all time favourites as well.


What is your favorite TZ episode? Mine is "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder."


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I enjoyed, "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beer Holder."


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Miss G., I have a few -- The Mighty Casey, A Stop at Wiloughby, Where is Everybody, Time Enough at Last, and The Odyssey of Flight 33 (because I grew up between NYC's two major airports and near the NY World's Fair grounds).

"You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!"


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I have just reread the entire thread and I am amazed that no one mentioned either, The Munsters or The Adams Family. Where's "Lurch" or "Hand" when you need them?


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## BigDL (Apr 16, 2003)

How about Sea Hunt wirh Lloyd Bridges and his closing line for every show "Scuba Diving can be fun but it can be dangerous too so always dive with a friend *EH!*!"

Does anyone remember the show Johnny Umah or the Rebel. The opening line of the theme song went "Johnny Umah was a rebel and travelled through the west." I remember it first aired around the early to mid sixties. it first aired on one of my Birthdays. I considered it a present.

There was a truly weird kids show from Britain starring Bill and Ben Flower Pot Men. Me and my friend would watch it everyday after school. It used to crack us up. It was such a terrible show that it was truly good.

Spraking of which a Merrytime cult classic with the advent of cable TV in the early 70's was on a NBC feed from Bangor, Maine every Saturday night at midnight. Truly Must See TV. It was called (Dick) Stacey's (Country) Jamboree. So poorly produced and executed that it was truly enjoyable. :clap: 

Any memories of any of these shows.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

The Munsters, The Adams Family and Sea Hunt..........all classics.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

SINC said:


> I have just reread the entire thread and I am amazed that no one mentioned either, The Munsters or The Adams Family. Where's "Lurch" or "Hand" when you need them?


I mentioned both early on as favorites. 

I forgot to mention that I have a special fondness for a couple of TZ episodes: "To Serve Man" and the one with the cyclops luncheonette owner.  

Thank you, Thing.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

It is also funny to think that shows I watched as a kid like "McCloud and Starsky and Hutch, Cannon, Spencer for hire are also classics in that they are over 20 yrs old.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

You guys are doing a pretty good job getting most of 'em. Because TV varied somewhat from station to station (in the 60's, the local station bought everything except prime time shows) some of these might not ring a bell with everyone:

The Bugs Bunny Show (not the watered down Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, or the even worse Buggs & Tweety Show, or whatever they show now, but the prime time 1960-62 and Saturday morning 62-68 versions, both of which are essentially banned today as too violent, so you won't see them even in reruns, although a very few edited skits do show up as part of the newer shows).

Davey and Goliath (I know, but you gotta love claymation)

Dragnet

Hawaii Five-0 (cheezy, but fun anyway; it was on reruns Sunday Night at midnight, right after Monty Python's Flying Circus, while we were in high school. We used to call it "Worshiping the Lord", bonus: a Wo Fat episode.
Remember this one? Every week, 12 minutes before the end of every episode: Jack Lord goes to the window, where the Oracle, whom only Jack could see, could be consulted, providing answers to any, and I mean any, question).

The Night Stalker (the original, with David Niven)

Sledge Hammer (80's Fox)

ABC's Wide World of Sports
My Favorite Martian
Barney Miller
The Wild, Wild West
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (now discredited for animal abuse)

The Pink Panther (animated)

Gumby

British TV; these were all on Canadian TV in the 60's and 70's:

Bless This House
Doctor In The House
The New Statesman (late 80's)
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
The Two Ronnies
'Till Death Do Us Part (later reworked in the US as "All In The Family")
Man About The House (later reworked in the US as "Three's Company")


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

You guys are doing a pretty good job getting most of 'em. Because TV varied somewhat from station to station (in the 60's, the local station bought everything except prime time shows) some of these might not ring a bell with everyone:

The Bugs Bunny Show (not the watered down Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, or the even worse Buggs & Tweety Show, but the prime time 1960-62 and Saturday morning 62-68 versions, both of which are essentially banned today, so you won't see them even in reruns).

Davey and Goliath (I know, but you gotta love claymation)

Dragnet
The Untouchables

Hawaii Five-0 (cheezy, but fun anyway; it was on reruns Sunday Night at midnight, right after Monty Python's Flying Circus, while we were in high school, we used to call it "Worshiping the Lord", bonus: a Wo Fat episode (he always got away).
Remember this one? Every week, 12 minutes before the end of every episode: Jack Lord goes to the window, where the Oracle, whom only Jack could see, could be consulted, providing answers to any, and I mean any, question).

The Night Stalker (the original, with David Niven)

Sledge Hammer (80's Fox)

ABC's Wide World of Sports
My Favorite Martian
Barney Miller
The Wild, Wild West
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (now discredited for animal abuse)

The Pink Panther (animated)

Gumby (more claymation)

British TV series; they were on Canadian TV in the 60's and 70's:

Bless This House
Doctor In The House
The New Statesman (late 80's)
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
The Two Ronnies
'Till Death Do Us Part (later reworked in the US as "All In The Family")
Man About The House (later reworked in the US as "Three's Company")
The Avengers
The SAINT


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

> The Bugs Bunny Show


This show was really classic theatrical WB cartoon shorts, with the title credits abbreviated (and eventually deeper editing to delete Daffy's beak being blown off, etc.). Not really a made for TV, but reworked for TV.

- You dirty dog.
- And you're a dirty skunk.
- I'm a dirty skunk???? I'm a dirty skunk????
(Bugs holds up sign - "Dirty Skunk Season")


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I saw most of those productions in movie theatres prior to the Saturday matinees.

Compared to today's violence in video games, they were pretty tame and I seriously doubt they had any real effect on children of the 50s. Cartoons were an obvious fantasy world. We simply giggled and forgot about them until next week, unlike the blood, guts and gore of today's video games.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

Another one I loved and followed in its entirety is Little House on The Prairie.
My partner and I were talking about night stalker the other night - he watched it all the time.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

"Compared to today's violence in video games, they were pretty tame and I seriously doubt they had any real effect on children of the 50s. Cartoons were an obvious fantasy world." I never did want to drop an anvil on someone's head after I pushed it off of a cliff.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I never did tie a fireworks rocket to my back, put on roller skates and light the fuse either!


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

*Coyote v. Acme*



SINC said:


> I never did tie a fireworks rocket to my back, put on roller skates and light the fuse either!


It brings to mind the case of Coyote v. Acme


> My client, Mr. Wile E. Coyote, a resident of Arizona and contiguous states, does hereby bring suit for damages against the Acme Company, manufacturer and retail distributor of assorted merchandise, incorporated in Delaware and doing business in every state, district, and territory. Mr. Coyote seeks compensation for personal injuries, loss of business income, and mental suffering causes as a direct result of the actions and/or gross negligence of said company, under Title 15 of the United States Code, Chapter 47, section 2072, subsection (a), relating to product liability.
> ...
> Hampered by these injuries, Mr. Coyote was nevertheless obliged to support himself. With this in mind, he purchased of Defendant as an aid to mobility one pair of Acme Rocket Skates. When he attempted to use this product, however, he became involved in an accident remarkably similar to that which occurred with the Rocket Sled. Again, Defendant sold over the counter, without caveat, a product which attached powerful jet engines (in this case, two) to inadequate vehicles, with little or no provision for passenger safety. Encumbered by his heavy casts, Mr. Coyote lost control of the Rocket Skates soon after strapping them on, and collided with a roadside billboard to violently as to leave a hole in the shape of his full silhouette.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Nor have I ever painted a tunnel on a solid rock wall, watched a bird speed right through it and then slam my head into the painting attempting to catch him.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sinc, you missed out on the joys of being an imaginative child.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

You might remember the movie shorts now, but what made the old "Bugs" good was not those characters, but the other skits, that didn't involve any Loony Tunes copyrighted, patented, marketed, poisonous junk. Most of the material was original content for the show; the Loony Tunes characters were filler.

I don't think I ever cracked a smile from Daffy Duck or Tweety Bird, I <i>know</i> that Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd never made me laugh, and later, during what I call the "unfunny" phase of Bugs Bunny shows, when The Road Runner (a straight man to a straight man to the funny props) became half the show due to a marketing contract with Chrysler, it naturally had no actual comedy or entertainment as it's prime motive.

Some of the lesser characters were funny and rarer than we seem to remember (Martin the Martian, who only appeared twice in the first two seasons); Pepe Le Pew, The Tasmainian Devil, etc. all were rarely, not commonly seen. Wyle E Coyote and the Roadrunner were seen once per episode, not every second skit.

Now, give me the Singing Frog, or Foghorn Leghorn (he appeared in every episode) being courted by the Widow Earl, and you've got something. Bugs Bunny gave us cartoons for adults, that as kids, we somehow loved. Mac and Tosh? Remember them? Hint: the two overly polite Gophers.

But, it was assumed in the early 60's that the audience would recognize the literary cues and the history topics; about Pompeii, the Crusades, The Merchant Of Venice, Ali Baba And The Fourty Thieves, Pocahontas, The California Gold rush, the Klondike Gold Rush, the Mutiny On The Bounty, etc. All seen on the original 52 episodes, and then either regurgitated along with drivel filler or banished into obscurity for the next 30 years.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

gg, re your comment about "literary cues", I think that you have made a very perceptive analysis of these cartoons.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

gordguide said:


> But, it was assumed in the early 60's that the audience would recognize the literary cues and the history topics; about Pompeii, the Crusades, The Merchant Of Venice, Ali Baba And The Fourty Thieves, Pocahontas, The California Gold rush, the Klondike Gold Rush, the Mutiny On The Bounty, etc.


I was in high school in that era and until now I had never given the associations with history topics in cartoons much thought. I recognized them in the cartoon form as did all the crowd I hung around with and appreciated the humour.

I wonder if today's teens would do the same?

And yes, Foghorn Leghorn was and still is my favourite cartoon character. Every time I see Gerbil's avatar I chuckle.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

gordguide said:


> Daffy Duck... and Elmer Fudd never made me laugh


WHAT!!!!

Among the funniest cartoons that ever came out of WB were with Bugs, Daffy and Elmer, notably, "Duck, Rabbit, Duck".


> Daffy: Well, I guess I'm the goat.
> [Bugs holds up a sign that reads "Goat Season Open!" and Elmer shoots Daffy].
> Daffy: Boy am I a pigeon.
> [Bugs holds up a sign that reads "Pigeon Season" and Elmer shoots Daffy].
> ...


There is also the ingenious "Duck Amuck", with Daffy alone (except for Bugs revealing himself at the end.


> Daffy Duck: [sings] Daffy Duck he had a farm, yi aye yi aye yo.
> [scenery changes]
> Daffy Duck: And on this farm he had an *igloo*, yi aye... yi... aye... er?
> ...
> ...


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Even Elmer laughing made me laugh:

http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Elmer_Fudd/ltef_005.wav


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I credit those Bugs cartoons with my introduction to classical music. I think I also enjoyed them because they were some of the few that my Dad watched with my brother and I. As I grew up I began to understand that there was as much for the adults in there as there were for the kids. Something that was certainly apparent when I watched the first Aladdin with Robin Williams. 

I think that my kids get confused, I'll watch some of their favourites with them, but detest some of the others. Someday they will understand too, if there is something for the adults, and something for the kids, they can capture a much wider audience.

Hopefully I won't upset our female population with this but...

nobody mentioned the Mickey Mouse Club. Annette Funicello... need I say more?

If memory serves me correctly, it was one of the first 'after school' shows. Came on around 3:30 or 4:00 every afternoon on Buffalo's channel 2 (NBC). And there were the various incarnations of Wonderful World of Disney.

One of my more recent favourites (and I wasn't a Sci-Fi fan) was Quantum Leap. I first watched it while on a business trip to the States and the TV in the hotel only picked up 4 stations back then. Fell in love immediately with the way the wove historical events into the story.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

M I C .......... K E Y ..................


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Good grief...Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, MICKEY MOUSE!!!!!!

You call those goodies? I watched the really good cartoons.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

kps, I recall as a little boy watching the early TV black and white cartoons, with classical music instead of dialogue.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Ah, yes Dr. G., I too remember those days. It reminded me of a silent movie with a piano player, but no words flashed on the screen. One had to imagine what was happening, but most of us figured out the plot pretty easily.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

The cool thing about the early Betty Boop cartoons was that they were loaded with sexuality and innuendo. More for adults than kids. Things changed after Hollywood started their censoring deal. Fun to watch in any case.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

kps said:


> Good grief...Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, MICKEY MOUSE!!!!!!
> 
> You call those goodies? I watched the really good cartoons.


If you want to see some wonderful Max and Dave Fleisher cartoons, Archive.org has those beautiful WWII era Superman cartoons, as well as "Popeye meets Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" (Popeye ad libs hilariously through the soundtrack). Print quality is not great. There may be some Betty Boop too.

Lots of the Fleisher stuff is in the public domain. It's tragic that Dave died in the war, as that pretty much killed the studio. They were competitive with Disney until then.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Boo - poopy - doo!


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Thanks for reminding me about archive.org, it's a great site.

I took a quick look and there's a large selection of Betty cartoons, including one with a very young Louis Armstrong performing the soundtrack.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

nxnw, the "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons of Max and Dave Fleisher were the main "staple", of TV in the late 40's/early 50's, at least as much as I am able to remember, back in New York City.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

That is where you have the edge on me, Dr. G.

We did not get television in our area until 1957.

My parents bought a 19" b & w portable before the station even "signed on" and I can clearly remember watching that "Indian" test pattern illustration I started this thread with, for weeks before we ever viewed a show.

It used to broadcast from noon until 11:30 p.m. only.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sinc, growing up in New York City as an early baby boomer, TV was there from my earliest memories. I remember neighbors coming to our house during the US Senate-convened Army-McCarthy Hearings in the spring of 1954. I was more interested in baseball (1954 was the last time the NY Giants won a World Series), but the people watching these hearings spoke in hushed tones.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

Dr.G. said:


> nxnw, the "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons of Max and Dave Fleisher were the main "staple", of TV in the late 40's/early 50's, at least as much as I am able to remember, back in New York City.


I love the way the characters bounce up and down, even when they are standing still.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

nxnw, those were the days............long before your day, but not for Sinc and yours truly.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Here's a pair no one has mentioned:


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

For your Betty Boop fix, all in the public domain and available for download at archive.org:

Bamboo Isle
Stop That Noise
Not Now
Snow White - with "St James Infirmary" by Cab Calloway
She Wronged Him Right
Minnie The Moocher - with Cab Calloway
Musical Mountaineers
Betty Boop And Grampy
The Old Man Of The Mountain
Chess Nuts
Betty Boop's Big Boss
Swat The Fly
Betty Boop's Rise To Fame
Betty in Blunderland
Betty Boop And The Little King
Be Human
The Impractical Joker
House Cleaning Blues
Morning, Noon And Night
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Happy You And Merry Me
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You - With Louis Armstrong


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Okay, here I go giving up my age again, but I just recalled that, as a kid, I watched...
*Razzle Dazzle, Romper Room, and Reach For The Top.*

I thought I'd quickly post those three, because the brain cell containing that info could be killed in the not too distant future. :yikes:


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

The three "R's" during your school days, was it gw?


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

SINC said:


> The three "R's" during your school days, was it gw?


Geez, ya I guess so!
You must remember those old shows SINC? Alan Hamel (now Suzanne Sommers husband) was actually the host of Razzle Dazzle and they had that talking turtle named Howard. That's my name too, so I've been called Howard the turtle at least a gazillion times in my life. I probably should've got some counselling for enduring that.  
Cripes but I'm getting old! :lmao:


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

gw, you are only as old as you feel.........or think.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

gwillikers said:


> Geez, ya I guess so!
> You must remember those old shows SINC? Alan Hamel (now Suzanne Sommers husband) was actually the host of Razzle Dazzle and they had that talking turtle named Howard. That's my name too, so I've been called Howard the turtle at least a gazillion times in my life. I probably should've got some counselling for enduring that.
> Cripes but I'm getting old! :lmao:


Yes, I do remember those shows gw, as do I remember Alan Hamel. I always thought he had the widest smile on TV. Guess that is what got him Suzanne eh?

And yes, I suspect we are certainly in the same age group. I was born in '44, you?


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

SINC said:


> Yes, I do remember those shows gw, as do I remember Alan Hamel. I always thought he had the widest smile on TV. Guess that is what got him Suzanne eh?
> 
> And yes, I suspect we are certainly in the same age group. I was born in '44, you?


'58, still a spring chicken.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

'48..............one of the first massive wave of "baby boomers".


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

gwillikers said:


> '58, still a spring chicken.


Yikes! that was the year I entered high school.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

I was in 5th grade back in 1958.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

It is worth noting that in late 1958, Hanna and Barbera launched Huckleberry Hound. The half-hour syndicated program featured, in addition to the title character, such cartoon favourites as Yogi Bear, Pixie and Dixie, Augie Doggie, and Quick Draw McGraw (who went on to an enormously successful series of his own).

Aw yes, I remember it well.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Classic cartoons for sure, I remember them well.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Don't forget Tennessee Tuxedo.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Yikes, how could I forget the Penguin?


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Magilla Gorilla. "How much is that gorilla in the window?"


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

SCTV. My all-time favourite show.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Yes, I agree!

Shot right here in Edmonton too!


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Don, one of our doxie pups is named Huck. People ask is this because it is short for Huck Finn, of Mark Twain fame? I say, "No, it is for Huckleberry Hound." A great many people haven't a clue who HH is.............but we do.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

SCTV was one of the all-time funniest shows, at least in my opinion. Compared to the early years of Sat. Night Live.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

SINC said:


> It is worth noting that in late 1958, Hanna and Barbera launched Huckleberry Hound. The half-hour syndicated program featured, in addition to the title character, such cartoon favourites as Yogi Bear, Pixie and Dixie, Augie Doggie, and Quick Draw McGraw (who went on to an enormously successful series of his own).


Excuse me! These cartoons were the "innovation" of Hanna-Barbera, when they determined that cartoons with full motion and rich soundtracks (i.e. good cartoons) could not be appreciated on the "small dim" screens of TV.

Ech, ech, ech.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

nxnw said:


> Excuse me! These cartoons were the "innovation" of Hanna-Barbera, when they determined that cartoons with full motion and rich soundtracks (i.e. good cartoons) could not be appreciated on the "small dim" screens of TV.
> 
> Ech, ech, ech.


And your point is?


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

I was referring to this post (which I thought was in this thread).

Hanna-Barbera should be tried for crimes against animation. The garbage they foisted on us - animation where only mouths moved, characters without knees or elbows, backgrounds that a 5 year old could draw, anemic soundtracks and witless plots - brought a wave of garbage animation that lasted 20 years. 

This is the junk I grew up with. Many people came to believe that quality animation would never be produced again because it was too expensive but, to a large degree, Hanna-Barbera had demonstrated that you could make a lot of money selling crap and others simply followed suit.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Ah, now I see.

I have to agree with their early work being bad, but I thought they redeemed themselves with the Flintstones.


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