The Lookback: Arthur 20: The Ballad of Buster Baxter/ The Contest

The Lookback  Arthur 20 

    We continue our look back at Arthur for its 20 anniversary of the TV Show premiering.   You can read the first post with select episodes from season 1 and 2 here.  We have season 3 and  4 in this post.

  Season 3 "The Ballad Of Buster Baxter" episode 1b.

       For a show like "Arthur" it does call back to itself alot , like with D.W's missing snowball and etc. In season 2, Buster Baxter left to be with his father , who is pilot , to travel the world. Many shows like this would have done this as one episode and where the (a) character (s) misses the character who leaves and they come back, but this show took a different route for the rest of season 2 ,except with the characters contacting him , Buster is not there.  (The episode he leaves is season 2 episode 12a  "Arthur's Faraway Friend")    In season 3 , Buster returns right in the season premiere.  The episode we look at is the 2nd part which has guest stars   Art Garfunkel  as a moose who sings.

Mom, what's an Art Garfunkel? /copyright WGBH

      First off, the songs that Garfunkel really are like sauce to the episode, it's a fun way to tell a story.  The plot is Buster left and now he's back and this could be relate-able to many people , you leave somewhere and then come back some time later and feel that everything has changed.  You can see how Buster is feeling  when  Brain ,for example changes the book that Buster and Arthur wrote together , when Arthur tries to add him back it just doesn't feel right for Buster.   He finds out that Arthur who used to not like a series of movies, does now and the other hints of things that Buster sees that has changed when he was gone. While some of the other kids feel that he is acting snobbish.

  Meanwhile from  the point of view of the episode itself , it's really nice seeing some call backs to moments from season 2, that really nails the time difference that Buster has had.  Buster talks to Sue Ellen , a character who comes from a family who traveled alot, that she had that in common with him.   The other kids  think that Buster has changed ,but Arthur suggests that they have a party for him and to look at his travel slides. (ah 1998).    The moment that  Buster breaks the fourth wall when Art's character sings song about him being sad , was funny.  Buster and his friends do make up in the end.
        It's an episode that young and old young can relate to , that if you leave somewhere or if someone left you for a trip or something that things kept on going and that that person may feel left out and just wants to reconnect and go back to what they left.  I never know if they could see the moose or not he seemed to jump from being the narrator to interacting a little bit.   It really added to the episode though.

 I will say Season 3 has some good episodes in it  there's the episode "I'd rather Read It Myself" where D.W  tells a very impressive story , or my season 3 favorite, "Arthur"s Almost Live Not Real music Festival" which spawned this:

Join us for reviewed look at an episode from Season 4.

The Lookback: Arthur 20: Locked in the Library /Lost

The Flashback  Arthur 20

    20 Years ago,  PBS launched a television series based off books of the same name  "Arthur" premiered. Since this is Joshuaonline (ie: that crazy TV blog )  we are looking back at Arthur in one way we know how : by looking back at  every episode of Arthur (psst whispers something ) oh well that might be a little much. Since there are 19 seasons with 2 more on the way  we are looking at an episode from each season , they were picked randomly. (ish)

      "Arthur" is one of the longest running animated shows so that's an accomplish thanks to viewers like you.  Let's dive in.

In season 1  we picked an episode called "Locked in the Library" , the first half of Season1 ,episode 6
 the other half is called "Arthur Accused".

   For those who don't know the show (besides the fact: spoilers!),  episodes start with a monologue before we get to the content, a character , usually Arthur breaks the fourth wall (does that mean he could see me? I'm scared. ) , so that means each episode we talk about we will have a section about the monologue.

Now back to the episode:
   Monologue:  Arthur is talking  about how Francine is best friend , besides Buster (scandal!) and how they met in Pre-school. He walks to the school building after talking to us (he never let fame keep him from us little people) when Francine calls him and apparently is mad that he said she looked like a Marsh mellow. (darn kids and their slang?)  Buster, reminds Arthur of what happened and Francine orders Arthur to apologize or he's going to get it.  (what he's going to wake up with a horse's head in his bed? )
                                   
  Now the episode:  In the classroom , Arthur gets a threat note from Francine (ah 1996), that he is in big trouble if he doesn't apologize. A class assignment forces the two to be paired (ah writers you never fail me )and this means they will meet at the library.  The librarian suggests some heroes they could look at in their research , while she also mentions when the library closes. (random, ah writers you never fail me) The library does close  (at 6pm !)  and Arthur has fallen asleep and he wakes up after it closes (hmmm odd)  As he founds out , the Library is closed and it's locked! (hence the title)  He bumps into to Francine and they start bickering about who's fault it is to be locked in the library.  They both try to find ways to get out of the library  (see kids in 1996, didn't have the cell phone to call people if they were stuck in a library)  and well those don't work well.  Arthur says it's Saturday and that means they will be stuck in there until Monday. (so who will eat whom?)  They  found out the library has a phone  but they can't figure out how to work it. (darn it they aren't 90's teenagers)
   

  Let's see.. what is my phone number?/copyright WGBH

 They get into a fight again and separate ,but after awhile Arthur starts to worry and he hears a scream and thinks it's Francine.
 He runs around the library to look for her , he enters the staff room and trips right into some pizza. (don't ask) Francine  is alright  because this is Arthur not "Locked in the Library of Death"  she is moved that he was worried about her and offers him pizza. They were found by their parents and the librarian and they tell their tale to the class mates  (with more ghosts than we had...hey were jipped!)   They use their story to fill in for their report until turn in their real one.

  So that's the season 1 episode we looked at for this, season 1 of "Arthur" is the longest and has some interesting stories , again the stories are simple ideas like being locked in a library  and a fight between friends to make an story that helps resolve their problem in an nice way.

     There are some good season 1 episodes so check them out if you  are felling nostgalic ,or want to see it for the first time or something.

Now to season 2 join us after the jump.

Frasier coming to COZI TV

Sitcoms Cozi TV classics   

                                                                 COZI 

    The 90's hit sitcom  Fraiser is coming to Digital classic channel , COZI  TV , September 12th , airing weeknights at 7pmet/6ct.
     This series  joins  Little House on the Prairie and Quincy, Medical Examiner  as part of  their line up.  According to TVNewsCheck ,   "Little House " starts September 19th  airing weekdays 10amet-12pmet and 5pmet,  and "Quincy" airing daily at 2pmet starting the same Day.

Cozi should be announcing any other schedule changes soon.
      To find out where it is in your area  find out here

        

Backdoor Pilots Exist : Top of the Heap

The Flashback 

             Ever watch an episode of a show you like and see that the main characters of your show are either not there or there  in spots and you see some other people there ,sometimes you never saw then before?  You might have a back door pilot . (or you changed the channel with out knowing it)   Backdoor pilot is an episode of TV show being used to make another series, but it's like viewer testing where maybe if the viewers like it the network will pick it up. It could be used to give a character from the show their own series so the episode may focus on them.  Many times these aren't picked up  and they air as the most random episode of   a TV Show in repeats.

     "Married with Children" is one of FOX's early successes as a network the show being  the opposite of other sitcoms with families in it at the time so of course why not use a hit show to  get another one made from it?   That's takes us to an episode from Season 5 called "Top of the Heap".    The episode starts with a guy named Charlie and his son Vinnie  (played by Matt Leblanc) and they live in apartment in Chicago (same city as Married with Children)  They also have a cat named
Mr.  Fluffy  (because why not?).   It's not  sitcom with out a neighbour who likes one of the main characters  that that would be Mona.  5 Minutes in  , so far you would think you were on the wrong show or FOX screwed up the theme music or something , so  they end up at Al Bundy's shoe shop.

 Good thing too, I was thinking Al and Peggy look different /copyright Sony 

  

    Vinnie  lost a fight last night and Al lost his TV in a bet (I hate when that happens). Vinnie has gotten a new job as a bus boy.  Charlie has a plan , that his son has to meet a rich woman , the place that Vinnie will be busboying (is that word ) will have a bunch of rich people and Charlie's plan is to get him to meet and marry a rich woman. (thanks Dad?)  Vinnie doesn't find one to marry ,but he does have enough for a year's worth of "dates". Charlie urges Vinnie to stay with the plan or something bad will happen to his cat.  Near the end , Al breaks into Charlie and Vinnie's apartment and steals their TV.  That's pretty much the episode,it's doesn't have  a finish point of a conclusion  but that means it was setting up to be a series and needed to be open ended to get there.

I got it now., after this didn't do well Vinnie ran to New York city and became "Joey" /copyright Sony

       
       The next question we ask .... is  did it make it to a series?   The answer : Yes.

    Top of the Heap came out on FOX in April of 1991 , the series  started with the re-airing of the pilot above. The series itself ran for 7 episodes but then was canceled. But that's not the end of it   In 1992, the series was spun off with a series called Vinnie and Bobby, Bobby is a roommate construction worker who replaces  Charlie , who I guess left.  Vinnie now also works as a construction worker  and series focuses on those two.  After 7 episodes this series was canceled and no more spin offs..  Well Matt Leblanc did well I think he ended up on some NBC show or something.

          For a back door pilot it  did well, where doing well means that it gets picked as  series ,then it did well and even spawned it's own spinoff.  Many back door pilots don't get that lucky.  Looking the episode itself  it's premise was interesting  and does have a subversion of many  TV shows much like Married With Children did. I am not sure how the series looked because I can't find it , but  FOX probably saw a potential in the series  because the first episode  does seem to give the show a plot of  a  father and son trying to make it rich.  I also didn't get to see the spinoff  , which from it's premise seems to be more like a buddy show ,but probably in a subversive style.