The Lookback: Kids of Degrassi Street: Noel buys a Suit

Joshuaonline Canada 

The Flashback  Degrassi 

             We've finally reached the final short film of "Kids of Degrassi Street" with the fourth film "Noel Buys a Suit"  The first film came out in 1979, this one came out in 1982.  Later in 1982 it became a series for the CBC. 

           This episode focus on Noel Canard who was in the other four. This one gives him a spotlight. Noel and his father are buying paint.  Apparently,  Noel's dad likes the paint shop lady named Gayle. (That or kissing is how she wants her tips)  In fact, more than just like the father and her are getting married. During dinner, she also wants to paint the inside of the house.  The film does a good job at making sure we can tell Noel is bothered by Gayle without him saying it.  I have to mention here again, that one of the fun parts of these films is that feel very genuine and don't have a high production feel giving a more  like they are just following some kids around documentary style, while still giving a story. 

You are still going to have to pay, sir/ Copyright Wildbrain 

           Noel also is getting ready for a new suit, hence the title, his father forgot to take him to get a suit but things have gotten a little time messy. Noel suggests that he could go buy his suit himself.  I like that he goes to with his friends is a literal actually existing store. Moore's is really a suit place in Canada.  I'm happy to say that we do get Noel buying a suit action in this one.  Noel finds a suit that stands out and has bought a suit. There's still over 10 minutes left so...uhh hmm what else happens?

The Suit People, the lawsuit people are the other way/ Copyright Wildbrain 

             Later, Noel is bothered that things are being changed around him, like the cabinets in the kitchen, he's also used to cooking as well. He tells his friends he's  annoyed by this.  Gayle bought him a new shirt, but it won't go with his suit.  He later decides to buy his own shirt when he picks up his suit from the store.  Gayle sees the suit and she chuckles he takes it as her laughing at him and storms upstairs. He says he's not going to the wedding.  

                His father tries to talk to him, but has to do it from behind the locked door. The man tries to talk to him, but it seems to not be going too well. 

             It's wedding day and  Noel comes down wearing his new suit, but the shirt Gayle bought him.  Gayle tells him he didn't have to wear the shirt, but it seems he's ready to give her a chance. The wedding happens during the credits and that's it. 

             I like how the credits thank the store, but say they didn't provide the suit! Again, this provides a simple story. This is one about a boy who is worried about the changes having his father get remarried brings up. It's very good at being not too thick with how it shows how Noel is dealing with it. He used to things being a certain way and Gayle coming in and painting stuff, moving things, and etc. effects him. It's good at presenting that story. Honestly, all of these 4 Degrassi early days films were really good at presenting a story that would be good for kids while not being too over the top and odd. I can see why the CBC eventually wanted a series and why Degrassi got more later on. 

Don't blame them for the suit!/ Copyright Wildbrain 

            That's it for now, in our stops at Degrassi Street, there might be more later. Tune in  next time, when we buy a suit then return it, causing a hassle. 

        

The Simpsons does Ray Bradbury :Wicked This Way Comes

The Simpsons 

            Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) was a prolific writer who is well known for his creative and vast amount of stories.  As someone who likes his writing this  episode from Season 36 of the Simpsons called Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes  decides to take 3 Bradbury stories and decides to Simpsons them up.   The Simpsons in this case also has decided here to make it's Treehouse of Horror have a spinoff  type thing going on here with  them using the that part of the title to make it also known that his not "canon" to the main shows actions like the Halloween episodes aren't.  The rest of the title comes from Bradbury's novel , Something Wicked This Way Comes. 

            The Simpsons episode only really takes from that novel the concept of a carnival to set up the wraparounds for the episode to work in. That and the man telling Lisa the stories having tattoos all over his body.  Lisa visits him. She calls him the "Illustrated Man" which is the title of Bradbury's collection of short stories from 1951.  One of the 18 stories from that book are in this episode, we'll get to that later. 

         The first story is "The Screaming Woman" based off  a short story that was also a radio play and had a loose television film later on.  The story here is about Bart hearing a woman screaming underground and tries to get help. It's fitting in that Bart is not being believed.  He goes to the  Van Houten house and sees Luann there thinking we'll she's not the screaming woman. She puts something in the milk to make Bart sleepy, but he gets out of the house. 

            Thanks to the woman singing a jingle, Homer realizes that the screaming woman was actually a man, Kirk Van Houten.  Which plays a nice twist to the story, with Kirk and Luann in swapped roles and no murder happening.  It ends with Homer saying he'll believe Bart more and Bart having Lisa arrested for being a communist, because 1950's.  

            These segments are using actual names from the stories, so yes the second one is "Marionettes, Inc." based off Bradbury's 1949 short story, that is also included in "The Illustrated Man" collection.   This one has Seymore Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers as the main role. Chalmers is feeling drained by being with Skinner and Carl tells him he has a solution: a new robot duplicate.  Chalmers orders one. He sends his to school and goes to get ice cream when he finds Skinner who also got his own bot for the same reason.  Carl finds them and tells them that the robots are beginning to feel emotions. Skinner kills the Chalmers and it seems to end with the robot and him leaving to his office.  

        The final story is based on  what is probably the most well known work  by Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451" . This one has the most Simpsons  story to it. Instead being about the book burners called the fireman burning books, they find people watching "low quality" television and destroy the stuff. Homer works as fireman.  The idea is that people can only watch "high quality" prestige television. 

        Are the Simpsons writers' feeling something here? Homer goes on his job and watches a not America's Funniest Home Videos episode.  Willie gives Homer the tape to take it with him.  Homer later is talking at dinner and wonders aloud to everyone if they wish TV could be dumb and just laugh at it?  Bart finds him and wonders what he's watching. He shows him the video. It is funny that Bart doesn't understand, and Bart turns him in.  

             The burn-master general , Siegfried Blaze, tells Homer they want people to watch story heavy driven plots to make sure people are invested and distracted from the world instead of watching something that is lighter.  Barney is dead, and Homer finds a group of people who underground watch "low brow" TV.  The burners come in and burn everything anyway.  Homer and the others get away where everyone is telling old TV shows in a telling a story by a fire format. 

            The episode ends with Lisa being turned in a tattoo and living the rest of her life on the man and the episode  ends with "Santeria" by Sublime because sure why not? 

           The selection of  stories chosen are interesting because there's an interesting sub section of the types of stories and what they did with them. The first one is the most straight forward really taking the original story and does some switches to it like the main character being a male (Bart) and flipping the woman to a man to be a twist.  It's the lightest story in this. 

         The Marionettes, Inc. segment uses the classic Skinner and Chalmers dynamic with a dash of having it be both sides are annoyed with each other.  This one could have been a little longer. It does set up things pretty quickly and needed a quick reveal to the robots turning to have emotions, so it does go pretty quick. I kind of think it would been slightly more interesting if it was a little longer.  Still alright.  

         I'm not surprised they used the most well-known story from Bradbury. "Fahrenheit 451" is an interesting segment in how they make it fit for the Simpsons.  The concept of television's lesser series being banned is interesting. They mentioned basic sitcoms like "The King of Queens" shows that you could just turn your mind off an watch and not worry about.  The only unrealistic thing is  America's Funniest Home Videos ever being banned or canceled. I don't think the episode was doing a big message here, but maybe a jab at TV in the current times that feels like  TV goes for the high prestige and storyline structure, and  saying let people watch dumb things too. 

            It is a fun episode, with the fun of Bradbury based stories it is fun to see those. It's alright that it didn't follow them for beat but used them for an inspiration. It's a mild episode, there's nothing outwardly interesting beyond the concept and there's not much laughs either.  I do think it's alright at best.  The stories work for those who haven't checked out the works of Bradbury too.  This one isn't horrifying, which is fine. it feels like when "The Simpsons" did "The Raven" just because they could. 

       Would I like to see "The Simpsons" try other stories from Mr. Bradbury?  Maybe, depends.  Like "The Beautiful Shave" , "All Summer in a Day", and some of his murder-mystery stories would be interesting to see how the Simpsons does it. 

          That's it for now, tune in next time when we have to help a kid get his soul back and learn about the true meaning of Halloween. 

        

            

         

Those PSA's (not episodes) : Floss with Charlie Brown

PSA's  Peanuts 

         While it would seem I did a look at a PSA video about Charlie Brown and teeth cleaning, this one is a different one. There are two.  It's Dental Flossophy, Charlie Brown is a sequel to the previous one called "Tooth Brushing" and it came out in 1980.  This is a 5 minute look that takes place the next day, because they forgot to floss or something.   I am stretching my PSA line here, as this is also more an educational instructional film  and not something that aired on TV. 

         Charlie Brown is a little sad because he showed everyone how to brush their teeth, but he feels he's missing something. Lucy tells him that there's more to do, that's right: flossing. I'm glad Lucy is also a dentist.  They really knew they had five minutes and ran with it.  I should question why Lucy has floss with her in her stand.  Charlie Brown finds this a great revelation and that was the thing he forgot to talk about. (I guess they forgot too, because this was 2 years after that other one)

Floss brand Floss makes your teeth less gross (grawse) 

            We get the basic explanation of what plaque is and what happens when you don't floss. Then Lucy has Charlie Brown come with her.  Snoopy is here and there is a random moment of Snoopy and Woodstock shenanigans. Back in the bathroom, Charlie Brown and Lucy go through the steps of getting ready to floss with piece by piece instruction.  Getting a close up of Peanuts hands, you'll see they have five fingers, though that always depended on what they needed to show.  We also get a show of human-teeth Snoopy, which is somewhat scary. 

            If you want to see zoomed in shots of mouths and teeth, this is the best video for you.  The steps are repeated for the viewer to get the point and better remember. Then Snoopy steals the floss to make a nest for Woodstock.  

              There's not a lot to say as it's just a simple short about how to floss.  It has Peanuts charm and it's a fun little outing, that I hope was enjoyable to those who like Peanuts  and taking a kind of boring topic.  The Snoopy moments were fun without feeling like too much or over-taking the subject. 

     That's it for now,  tune in next time when Charlie Brown shows you how to shave. 

Oh Yeah! Cartoons : Chalkzone ( A Special Edition)

Nickelodeon 

  As I've been doing the looks at "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" the main rule I put was to not look do ones that became series, but here I present a special Edition.  This one is a look at the eight episodes that were under the title "ChalkZone" which eventually did become a series.  Does that mean I'll be doing this with others that became series? Probably not, but they are always under consideration. The main goal was to talk about ones that were interesting but didn't make it to series,  guessing on how they could have been as series or if they could have been.  And a fun look to through a trove of something different.   

        ChalkZone's concept wasn't a very new idea, there were few different ideas from different countries that happened to use a the idea of using a writing instrument  with some power to it.  There's media like the cartoon short series from Poland. "Zaczarowany ołówek"  about a boy who uses a magic pencil that an materialize things he draws.   There's "Penny Crayon" a British series about a girl name Penny who uses magic crayons.  Also from the UK there was "Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings" which has a boy who has chalk that is magic.   In fact, in that series Simon even goes into a land of chalk drawings.  Some people even think that "ChalkZone" is fully based off that but it has been denied.  I will also mention the book "Harold and the Purple Crayon" which also has the concept.   With all that, there's alot of fun and charm to ChalkZone because this is a concept that works well and why many have done that. It is funny because I think around this time, many schools were moving towards dry-erase boards, and where's my dry erase world series? 

            ChalkZone  was created by Bill Burnett and Larry Huber.  Those names I've mentioned before in our "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" series of posts.  Burnett co-created "Slap T. Pooch in What is Funny?", "Jelly's Day" , "Hobart", "Tutu the Superina"[The only one I haven't covered yet as of this post being made] , "Enchanted Adventures".  He solo-created "The Feelers".  If anyone was going to get a series from Oh Yeah! it should have been him he was trying.  The very first Oh yeah!  all 3 segments have  him as a co-creator, including the one called "ChalkZone".   Huber is also all over , he created "APEX Cartoon Props & Novelties" and "The Man with No Nose", but it seems that "ChalkZone" was his main focus a little more.  

            With that, we have eight shorts so let's get started.  

Arthur: Season 2: Episode 3: D.W., The Picky Eater/Buster And The Daredevils

Arthur  PBS 

Episode 3a:  D.W. , The Picky Eater 

The Cold Opening:  It's mostly D.W being a picky eater as she goes through the food that was brought in an judging it. She also really doesn't like spinach. 

The Episode:  She continues saying what foods she doesn't like.. Then they go to a restaurant and finds out that her salad is spinach and rages.   Her mom used her full name. Her mom tells her no more restaurants for her until she learns something. Arthur is happy until his Grandma says she'll be find doing a home dinner for her birthday , if D.W can't go. (why?) Arthur is right. He decides he'll have to find a way for her to not be picky , at least enough to be able to go the restaurant he wants to go to. 

          Part of the plan is to trick her.  The episode gives  us a gross throw up transition wipe. So, they try Muffy to convince D.W to eat spinach. Muffy thinks that she's the biggest influence to D.W. (makes sense)   A fly scares Muffy, and apparently that blows the plan.  Francine decides to use taunting to do it, by using Kate , but that plan also fails.  

                Arthur says it's time to do plan X.  (He is going to get the plumber's helper and shove it in?) Arthur pretends to be on the phone with grandma and pretending that she changed her mind. That seems to work. They go to the restaurant.  D.W orders a pot pie and everyone looks at her to make sure she won't explode. It was actually spinach, but that seems to not be a problem. 

         This is probably one of the episodes for people to use to show. D.W is annoying. Realistically, there's a balance, some food and food textures aren't very good to some people if it's something people eat and enjoy, on the other hand, this one is more mild as it seems D.W doesn't like trying new food and isn't sure if she really likes something or not, which is also kind of fair.  

           I'm guessing D.W, if anything is the grandma's favorite. That's my assumption here. I do like that Arthur helped, it was for personal gain, but sometimes that's a nudge.  I hate that this episode made that very cool restaurant and made that pot pie so appealing and it will never really look like that, it's unfair.   It's an alright classic Arthur episode. 

More after the episode. 

Arthur: Season 1: Episode 21: Sue Ellen Moves in/The Perfect Brother

Arthur PBS 

Episode 21a:  Sue Ellen Moves In 

            The Cold Opening: Arthur talks about how sometimes when kids first meet they have a hard time getting along.  We get a flashback of Muffy and Prunella acting out American politics. But they are good friends now. Binky and the Brain get along too, apparently. But nothing was like when they all met Sue Ellen. 

        The Episode: Sue Ellen , as I've mentioned in the very first episode of Arthur post, was kind of there in the background this one is here to bring her in as an origin story.  Anyway, the kids see that someone is moving in a house. They wonder if there's a kid and this leaves Buster and Arthur to snoop and peak, but they apparently end up thinking that the new family is invisible because the TV turned on without them seeing anyone. (Alex's remote in Home Alone 3 would mess them up) 

         Buster's mom tells Buster she wants to interview the new family for the newspaper. That is either a clue or really slow small news town. Arthur wants to be more rational before spreading a rumor that invisible people are amongst them.  They find that the people there aren't invisible, though Buster doesn't think they can just switch.  Prunella tells them that her sister with unfortunate name of Rubella (never realized that) said that the new family had to move.  They have alot of statues and painting and Prunella thinks they are a family of art thieves.  (If an eight year can just steal the Mona Lisa, she should be allowed to keep it.) 

             Arthur doesn't think she's a robber,  he thinks Sue Ellen is some sort of super-spy. (Arthur, are you alright? Also if an Eight-Year-old can drive a Miata then she can steal and do anything she wants)  Buster thinks that's insane, but her being an alien is his theory. Then a game of telephone happens to allow bad rumors happen.  Buster calling Mr. Ratburn was funny. 

            Sue Ellen introduces herself to Arthur and Buster and they look at her like she had lobsters crawling on her face.  She's never seen snow before either which also scares Arthur and Buster. (Californians would blow their minds) Buster finds out his Mom invited them over for dinner , he thinks they are coming to neutralize him.  Buster thinks he's the last line to Earth's safety. 

            Arthur comes by to tell Buster that Sue Ellen's family lived all over the world, he got that from the paper interview. Buster decides to let Arthur come in as backup for dinner.  Then Sue Ellen does a school presentation to mention her life. Buster still thinks she's an alien but not one to take over the world. (moral) 

            I'm glad Sue Ellen didn't hear the rumors , that'd be bad. Kind of interesting blend of wondering about a new family who seem a little strange because of the stuff they have and were they have been, and how rumors can get a little too out of control.  The story ideas they had for Sue Ellen's backstory were funny. Buster was funny at how silly his idea was.  I like how Arthur , and it seems the others, were easily able to drop their rumors and found Sue Ellen interesting and friendly.  Fun early "Arthur" charm episode. 

     More after the jump 

Arthur: Season 5: Episode 8: The Last of Mary Moo Cow/Bitzi's Beau

Arthur  PBS 

Episode 8a: The Last of Mary Moo Cow 

The Cold Opening: Mary Moo Cow is the running program that D.W loves to watch a lot in the series. It also causes the tension between her and Arthur as this is a family with one TV set.  D.W loves the show so much she knows when it's on instinctually. This is also when kid shows would be on at a consistent time.  

The Episode:  Mary Moo Cow is coming to town, to the mall. D,W wants to see her. She goes to see the cow but then finds out the news  Mary's event has been canceled.  D.W comes home and she goes to watch the show on TV.  She finds out that this is the last episode of Mary Moo Cow.  Bold for a children's show to announce it's over.  Arthur joyfully tells her it's over.   Mrs. Read tells D.W that's what eventually happens to all TV shows (even this one!) they get canceled. Everything does, except for "America's Funniest Home Videos" will out live all of Earth. I'm also guessing the idea of reruns doesn't pop up here.

        "Arthur" also predicts both afternoon children's programming - on broadcast TV- being replaced and the modern idea of having a news type program at 3:30 PM.  D.W decides she still is going to use her TV time.  She decides to watch the stock market show.  (By the time she's  9 she'll be rich)  She gets an idea to make a petition to bring back Mary Moo Cow. D.W has reached the bargaining part of a dead TV show. (This show is being too realistic) 

                I like  how D.W imagines Mary Moo Cow and the kids on the show have been arrested and put in prison. That would be strange if that happened to people who worked on shows. Arthur is a little mean this episode. They are really trying to do something to him here to make the ending work out for them where people don't think the ending is mean or something.  Shieled.  Also the show saying Channel 12, and Arthur airing on Channel 12 in my area was fun , it felt personal to me. [Take that people who have PBS on Channel 54 or 35 or 25 ppppft] [Shoutout to KBDI-TV] 

            D.W is invited to the TV studio, apparently, it was a local children's show? I guess it just makes things easier.   The stock market show is also being done in  the same studio that was home of Mary Moo Cow. This trip doesn't work out well. She goes into the the room that was dressing room for Mary Moo Cow and the stock show anchor comes in. I like how the stock market anchor is actually the lady who played Mary Moo Cow.  Her doing the Mary voice for D.W was very sweet. 

          Dark Bunny gets canned so some other channel can get reruns of Mary Moo Cow. I guess that's how that works or something?  I think they really just did that ending to have Arthur be mean earlier. 

                     I like how the petition didn't work  because that is more realistic. The show had a blunt yeah shows end message.  It's hard when a show you like gets canceled and they end for different reasons. Most of the time money, but also if the ratings aren't hitting what the people who want the money are wanting, or not getting the right demo they want, or in the case here where the woman who was playing Mary was just getting tried of the role.   It's an interesting piece for a children's show to do, since alot of kids shows end and eventually go hard on reruns or pulled from the line up, but at times networks didn't tell the viewers, it just kind of happened.  Like I said, I think it works better as an episode since it doesn't have a show coming  back- minus reruns- kind of having to understand that idea of accepting the end of show. Something that kind of needs to be learned in current times a little more.  

 Also , why was 3:30pm so big here why is everything on at 3:30pm.  Also, also, would have been bold  since there were only 2 more half hours of the seaosn, if this had been one of the last few episodes of "Arthur". 

        I can remember the times Arthur aired ,at  peak in my area, on the two different PBS stations. Weekdays 7:30am  on 12,  8am on 6/8,  5pm and 5:30pm on 12  at least at the time this episode aired. 

Fun fact: the kids' segment was replaced by having the folks from the new "Zoom" series that first premiered on PBS in 1999, this episode is from 2000. 

more after the jump 

Valentine's Day: The Simpsons: I love Lisa

The Simpsons Valentines Day 

         No, not a declarative statement there.  The Simpsons does have a lot of episodes about the theme of love,  not many of them take place on or around Valentine's Day. Here we do have one and a famous on at that. It's from season 4, and it's episode 15, under the name "I love Lisa". 

            I think an episode starting with "The Monster Mash" is a funny way to start a Valentine's Day episode. The radio DJ, who played it as a mistake trying to figure out a way to make it fit Valentine's Day is top tier.  

          Various members of Springfield are in Valentine's Day moments. Homer forgets, magically remembers, Bart knows he didn't remember and eggs him on, then he runs to get a gift. Ned Flanders doing his own over of the hit Rod Stewart "If you think I'm Sexy" is fun. Finally, it gets to the 2nd grade classroom with Lisa and also the other star of this episode, Ralph Wiggum. 

              It sets up that Ralph is a little strange and that the class thinks he's that too. After the Valentines exchange, Lisa sees that Ralph didn't get one, so she decides to kindly give him one. This makes Ralph very happy and sets up the plot.  A line the show didn't know would become famous is born, "You Choo-Choo- choose me" 

            Ralph is so happy he decides to walk home with his Valentine, Lisa.  We can declare that Ralph is a sweet character and awkward talking with him and Lisa is cute. He's brave talking to her though he didn't have trouble with that, so powerful for him.  Lisa is being kind,  but she's not really interested in Ralph.  It makes a relatable episode. There's a charm to Homer's advice and its funny, Marge offering her simple advice is fitting and charming too. 

             Lisa tells Ralph she's not that interested. Ralph decides to ask his dad for advice about how to get a girl to like you.  Now he's going to try to win Lisa's affections.  There's the 29th Anniversary of the "Krusty Show" which will be playing into the episode, they mentioned it more than once. This episode also happens to be a Presidents' Day episode   Lisa will be playing Maratha Washington and Ralph will be George. (Chief Wiggum extorting the teacher for his son is kind of sweet in a twisted way.  Ralph also got Lisa two gifts: a new Malibu Stacy car toy and tickets to that anniversary show. 

             Bart is willing to do anything to go to see that show. even pretend to be Lisa and go as far as he has too. You have to admire his love of Krusty going that hard. Sadly, for Bart, Lisa goes with Ralph to the show. This episode will also make one wonder what exactly is Krusty's show?  

             We get the other most remembered scene form this episode where Krusty does a talking to the audience thing and goes to Ralph who declares his love for Lisa Simpson and this causes Lisa to explode, figuratively, and say that she does like him.  We get the famous part were Bart uses the tape to show Lisa right where Ralph's heart break. 

                The Chief Wiggum being there for his son his really sweet, even if he does some dodgy things.  I like that it shows he cares for his son and will do anything for him.   Bart gets some funny and wild scenes in this episode, they sprinkle him to just add something funny each time and works to perfection.  The play starts and there's also the fun "lesser presidents" song number.  Homer at the play is funny too, he encourages Bart -as John Wilks Booth- to finish off some other presidents and cheers at the play being almost over.  

              Ralph playing Washington is great, they should give cartoon characters Oscars and then retroactively give Ralph one, because that was art.  The ending is sweet to give a moment of Lisa giving Ralph a card saying let them be friends.  Also capping off the episode with "The Monster Mash" 

         The hard part of talking about an exceptionally good episode  and one that's pretty old is that it has been talked about a lot a lot.  This episode is good because how strong it works. There's a great amount of little moments that are funny or sweet that bring it together, but also makes a good story with Lisa and Ralph.  Lisa doesn't like Ralph- in that way- and tried to tell him but it didn't work, she really only takes advantage by going to the Krusty show, but otherwise doesn't play with his heart.  Ralph's understandable that he first thought Lisa liked-him that way- but got the wrong message. The ending is sweet because it's Lisa trying to correct from hurting Ralph but still knowing her feelings, so being friends is great. 

             This episode isn't totally in comedy, but it has some great funny moments. Bart has the funniest moments in this, Homer coming up second. I'm also glad that thing where Homer kind of forgets Valentine's Day wasn't a b-plot, and kind of interested in how there really wasn't a b-plot story. Instead more side things happen that smaller and either add to the atmosphere or add something in the main plot.  

             I did stretch  it's kind of only partially a Valentine's Day episode, but it works and yeah. I like this one, it's fun, there's a good amount of sweetness and the classic wholesomeness.  

      That's it for now, tune in next time when we choo-choose a different something.