Afterschool Sessions: The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip

The Flashback   Afterschool Specials   

           It's time to look at another ABC Afterschool Special, this time we go back to the early days of AAS (I'm glad the acronym wasn't something else) back to 1973, which is the part of the first "season" of the anthology.  Our look is a live-action and animated hybrid, more on that soon, called "The  Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip".  The special was written by Guy Fraumeni, who worked in children's television before this as a writer for NBC's Experiment in Television and NBC's Children's Theatre, he also worked in graphic arts.   The other writer was Larry Spiegel who did the teleplay writing and worked a couple other AAS.  

  

    

     Like I said this is an animation and live-action hybrid special the special starts with live-action and two kids named  Missey and Joey.  Missey is played by Kim Richards whom you might know from many things, but I'm going to mention she was on James at 15/16  as Sandy Hunter.  Joey is played by Michael Link who will also 2 more specials later on, and he's done a few things but we'll mention he was on the sitcom "Julia".  They are laying on the floor looking at a book, and an old man is sleeping in a chair. (He might be 30 so, "old")  

Looks like fun, that rug though. 

            Then the book starts to wink at them and they are more just amazed instead of going AHHHHHHHHHH oh noooo ahhhh!   Then they hear a voice and instead of going (we did this joke) they see a small cartoon guy, they mention he's a cartoon. This is a character named Timer, voiced by Len Maxwell,  This character will actually show up later in ABC history when he was apart of some PSA interstitial called "Time for Timer"  that ran in 1975, with a different voice provided. 

What was in that cup? 

   

    Back to IMPMT, the kids are not shocked that a cartoon character is in their house, and he introduces himself that he's the keeper of body time, so he's like the reason you're hungry.  He says he's on vacation, he tells the kids if they smile  he'll make them smaller for some reason.  The kids don't believe this for a second, because that's an odd thing here.  So he sings and makes them smaller and into cartoon characters. 

That Time I woke up as a cartoon character 

     

         Joey and Missey's  animated characters are not voiced by their live-action actors. Instead, Joey is voiced by Peter Broderick  and Missey is Kathy Buch.  I forgot to mention the sleeping man, that's their uncle Carl he's  played by Hal Smith, who's listings are long and long. He did some ABC Weekend Specials, provided voices on countless projects,  like the voice of John Whittaker in the Adventures in Odyssey. He was in "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" , voiced Goofy.  Just long list of stuff. 

     Here is in live-action and he drinks his niece and nephew who were small and on the cup. (oops)  The special was produced by David H. DePati and  Friz Freleng so we're getting everything here. 

       The kids are in uncle Carl's mouth...(ummm no) which is animated because that'd be disturbing if it it wasn't.  They meet mouth general who is there to protect the teeth and there's  decay germ who is going after the teeth. Joey is not very impressed and wants to get out, but he doesn't know there's like 32 more minutes, so yeah they are going down instead.  (So they get digested and died)  

You can say I won't stomach this adventure ! 

       They end up in Carl's lungs, which I like how they are animated and wish our lungs were this much fun. (This is in odd thing to say) Not everything in the lungs are good times, we meet "Sad Sack" who sad because Uncle Carl is a smoker.  This is like the really early time of now we're saying smoking is bad... cigarette ads were banned just about 3 years before this aired.  Since this is an Afterschool special they making the kids learn.  Odd to get this as a song, and odd close ups of man smoking is something.   The part where the air sacks are crying help us is kind of horrifying. (Don't smoke!) 

The Lungs, or Los Angles , 1972?  

        Now they kids finds out that Uncle Carl has fatty blockage near his arteries.  Oh my, anyway they meet the heart, and the heart looks like the Valentine heart so accuracy  destroyed!  Timer doesn't want the brain to find out that they are there because the brain has tough policies.  Back to the heart, it doesn't look good,  so this is the horrify the kids and tell them their uncle is about to die special. (dark) 

This would make a great Valentine's Day card 

        Uncle Carl is carrying a television set, because he wants to watch Football game in bed. (With the TV in bed? That'd be silly) This is kind the fun trippy 70's animation that existed and it very creative on how it's showing the human body, and having things act like a country, is creative. 

         To the spine which is being portrayed as a contemporary style computing system, because it's the central network of the body, get it?   The kids later end up at Carl's stomach and since it's 1973, there's a hippy.  The kids are being told that their uncle eats too much.  If you don't like close ups of guy eating then you might need a little break here. 

       Now Missey gets a song at the ribs because sure.  She's sad that she's on her uncle's ribs and not outside back home. Which I mean, does make sense. We do have like 17 minutes left so no going home yet. 

17  minutes ? 

       Joey ended up at the uncle's left hand, which guess what? It's infected!  This man is a mess.  Missey and Timer are going to look for Joey before the infection gets him. I'm concerned that Uncle Carl hasn't noticed his niece and nephew aren't anywhere. It looks like Carl is going down. 

        

     Ooh good, he's stopped from dying by the power of water, and  Missey has found Joey.  There's a battle between  Carl's immune system  versus forces of infection, and Carl doesn't have the best immune system since well look at his bottle.  It does mention death too... so wow. 

I'm Joey, the killer of infection, pray to me! 

            Joey decides to all start fighting infection because that's a power move and so does Missey for a second.  (This is the least strange episode of Magic School Bus I've seen)  Timer says that Uncle Carl needs to change his bad habits and to make sure his body can fight.  There's one more place to go  and that's the Brain. Joey and Missey meet the brain the tell him that they are tired and want to go home, which he knows, because brain.  Timer tells them this was all his plan because of course, he wanted them to help Carl.  The brain says that Carl has to help himself as well. The brain song because cool.  

Come together! 

     Eventually, they get to go home after some more 1970's happens.  Finally, they are outside of their uncle's body and they decide to tell their uncle they were inside his body. (I'm just glad they didn't go out the bad way) Uncle Carl is like "that's nice" and keeps eating.   Will Uncle Carl live? Nobody knows. 

         This is a fun outing, and I liked it. It has the right mixture of 70's oddness and cheese while being creative and fun. It's a fun special showing the kids traveling through the body, and I like how the body was shown as a country and how creative it was. The characters are kind fun, though the children are kind of flat (literally) but they are kind of like our self insert inside the body. The special gives an interesting look at the idea of taking care of your body, and even mentioning death is big.  The songs are there, but aren't too bad, they maybe don't stick out as memorable. 

   

         The character designs are simple but a nice classic simple you see in older cartoons, I like the aesthetic.  So it's a fun one. Give it a look.  That's our look, tune in next time when we venture enter a body to see if we can find a signing heart.  

A Charlie Brown Watch: Lucy's School

Peanuts 

 

      Another special?  WildBrain and Apple have decided that after like 10-years of no new specials to just make a bunch and release them over a period of 8 months.  They made 4, this is the 4th one , now in total count of television specials we've reached 49.   They did the Snoopy Presents title again, and it's just "Lucy's School", so that's fun.   Actually, that they've not done much Charlie Brown focus in these specials is something else as well.  Part of this post will be me being pedantic, but that's how I am with Peanuts. 

          It might be hard for some to remember, while for others it might be fresh, but I am talking about the last day of school, for the school year. Though, not the way it's depicted here waiting in the classroom for the the final minutes, my last day of schools were always more casual, and  had sometimes had a mixture of melancholy because some wouldn't be coming back the next school year for whatever reason. I grew up in a place where some of the kids were from military families and moved and stuff.  The special starts with the feeling you get on the last day of school a countdown to beginning of what's seen as the best time of the kid year- summer vacation. 

They want to have their 104 days of summer vacation/Copyright Peanuts 

   

    It shows the school empty except this one classroom where Charlie Brown and friend are quiet, minus Peppermint Patty snoring, and the only noise you hear is the clock deeply ticking. You get the feeling of tense waiting and it's well done. They also get to show off some of their animation which again, in these specials have been nice. 

    Nit Pick #1 It shows Peppermint Patty and Franklin in the same school as Charlie Brown, so yeah holding that well guys. Though sometimes in some specials they would be shown in the same class/school as Chuck it's a something to nitpick.    

   

        

      The bell rings and it's summer.  There's a summer song that sounds like someone wanted the Beach Boys, but also wanted the Chordettes, and wanted them to be drunk. It's a montage song and pretty fun to see the fun of summer. (Even though summer is hot and annoying) It's still kind of funny to see them have Patty and Peppermint Patty co-exist.  The song dies and there's a giant sign that says "Back to School Sale" coming. I like how that's depicted too, it's like a looming danger which it does feel to a kid, the looming danger of the end of fun.  

Doom / Copyright Peanuts 

           The one week left until school, also apparently the Peanuts tribe are going to a new school, which brings me questions.  Mostly, what? Why? Did they age the peanuts oddly, what?  I'm confused. The others are nervous that the new school is huge and different. Lucy wasn't nervous but then gets more nervous. 

    

     I guess the idea here to show the fear of starting a new school, though being oddly vague at the idea that they apparently are going to a school where there are also bigger kids, that would only imply like middle school or something, which is what?   

More after the jump

Weekendering: The Weekenders : Season 2: Episode 2: To Each His Own/ Diary

The Weekenders  Disney 

Previously: Radio Drama causes drama and traditions are important   Read here 

Episode 2a: To Each His Own

          Usually the focus of this show is seeing the whole group usually doing weekend stuff together, hence the name of the show. They do have common interests and are good friends but they also have their own interests.  They are having a meeting about what they want to do for the weekend, since the last weekend was all homework. (fun)

        They all have different things they want do; Tina decides to channel his mother and have them compromise and they all do everything, which is a good plan. Will it go well? (That's the question) 

       Carver's event  is looking at new shoes, because he likes shoes. The others aren't having fun. Then it flips to Lor's event which is Scottish games. Which is interesting. The other aren't enjoying this either.  Next, it's Tish's event and the same thing happens where only one of them is enjoying and the rest are bored out of their minds. 

          Here's where the episode makes a turn, Tino's event is the next day, The Capitan DreadNaught convention. Carver decides he's not going to go to the event, this causes the other two to join in.  Even though, Tino did sit through their events, and he couldn't enjoy the convention.  Tino's mom tells him that maybe they should have compromised by finding something they all like. 

      This is a good episode, and it expresses the good characterizations of the characters and showing how they do find things they have a shared interest in and wanting to keep some bonds even if they have separate things they want to do.  7//10

More after the jump

Coming Through the Back Door: The Brady Bunch: Kelly's Kids

Backdoor Pilots   The Brady Bunch  The Flashback 

      I haven't done a post related to a back door pilot in sometime or the Brady Bunch, which is also odd, so let's do it! 

 

            I remember this episode of The Brady Bunch  watching it (reruns) as a kid and being confused as to where the Bradys went.   Being a kid and not knowing everything (what?)  and not knowing a) this was reruns and b) what a backdoor pilot was, this episode got to me.   I came here to watch "The Brady Bunch" where are they?  

       

         This backdoor pilot is from season 5 which would also happen to be the final season of the series.   Season 5 is genuinely kind of odd it kind of becomes.  There's an episode where  Greg steals a goat and the parents think that he's hiding a girl in his room which is the goat, but woah.  There's an episode where Greg gets Peter to dress up as a some other guy named "Phil Packer"  and it's gets weird.  Though I do like there's a random episode where they go to Cincinnati, not often do you get shows just going to Cincinnati as a plot line.   I will add that I love "Never Too Young" (that's also my Bobby's my favorite kid Brady bias)  

      This is the season they really don't know what to do with Cindy, they want to keep her "the youngest one in curls" but she's not that young anymore and they didn't want to write older plots for her as much because they did it Jan before so... uhhh I don't know. They also added Cousin Oliver, who really can't be blamed for "ruining the show" the show was dying, he came in January 25, 1974, the series finale aired on March 8th  so really at this point the network was like "ehhh, who cares we're not going to continue this" but you know reasons. 

     

     Oh yeah our episode is from January 4, 1974, it's called "Kelly's Kids" . You can also tell maybe that Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, was also looking to find another show make, feeling that this show was on the way out.  

   

            You what be interesting? The Bradys have neighbors but we see them so why not make up a neighbor couple and see where that goes. (The pitch meeting for "The Ropers")  This back door pilot starts with telling you that Ken Barry  and Brooke Bundy are in this episode.

      Ken Barry, oddly, had experience in taking over a show after the main actor leaves and becoming it's own show.  He was featured in episodes The Andy Griffith Show as a widowed father named Sam Jones to then take up the leading role in the spin-off called "Mayberry R.F.D" where he plays a single widowed father with a young son. (So the viewers wouldn't be scared that Andy left or something,)  That show was purged during CBS' we need TV shows to be hip  modern and no more rural...  era.   In this Brady Bunch episode he plays a man maned Ken Kelly. 

     Brooke Bundy was doing roles in different shows since the 1960's she was in alot of shows like "The Donna Reed Show" , "My Three Sons" , "Wagon Train", etc.. if "Kelly's Kids" had become a series, it would have been her first starring TV show role. She played Kathy Kelly. (They need to calm down) 

           The episode starts by tricking the Brady Bunch viewers into thinking it's a normal episode, like that episode where Mike's Grandpa ends up marrying Carol's Grandma.  Then it goes to the family room and Carol and Mike are talking to Kathy and Ken. Ken is talking about they are adopting a child.

So we noticed you have 6, can we have one?/ Copyright Paramount

 

     

       The Brady Bunch was a unique  show at the time, there wasn't really anything about a blended family in a show.  We don't get it much it much now in TV.  The idea of a show about a family with adopted son is very different to what TV was doing at the time... interesting for the concept.  

     

       The adopted child is named Matt, who is played by Tood Lookinland, this kid is the younger brother of Mike Lookinland who is Bobby Brady. (fun) Like his brother, he also was doing some acting and  he would even appear in a an American adaptation series of the Swedish movie "The New Land" later in 1974.   

   

          Like I said, the episode baits with Brady's and switches to show us  Matt Kelly now being introduced to his family and we are in their house.  The laugh track needs to calm down.  Anyway,  you know what a spinoff needs there's a woman named Mrs. Payne (obvious name is obvious)  her job is to be annoying. She comes in and says "uh you have kids, ew" even more "eww, adopted child, I don't have children, eww boys ,eww children"  This is also Molly Dodd's second time playing in the show and she's a good actress, and she's good here playing this woman we aren't supposed to like or something.  Laugh track tells me I'm supposed to laugh. 

ha ha ha? / Copyright Paramount

          Kathy was talking to Carol on the phone, and that's for us to remember this is supposed to be "The Brady Bunch"  she is worried that Matt is lonely so her idea is to get another kid.  Matt's been with them for... 1 day... and she's worried he's lonely. What? This is kind of forcing things, they barely showed Matt being lonely or whatever.  The next day, they decide to go to the adoption orphan house whatever it is , and they ask for a 2nd kid. (can we do that?) 

                                  I'm stunned most people drop off kids not come back for more/ Copyright Paramount

    They are interested in two good friends of Matt named Dwyane and Steve. To add a little more to this, Dwyane is African American and Steve is Asian.  Back to how much speed running is going on here. the Kellys are thinking up something the original idea was to adopt one more kid, on the 2nd day they just adopted one, but you know speed running, but now as they talk to the Bradys because they are trying to remind me that this is in fact, the Brady Bunch.  

    Anyway, the Kellys decide the logical choice is to adopt both Dwayne and Steve. We're 9 minutes in and about 2 days of stuff and they've too fast. (I wouldn't trust this couple they do things too on the fast lane, they need to calm down and think) 

More after the jump

Days of Our Lives Leaving NBC After 57 years

NBC Peacock Soaps TV News  Opinion 

            It's been awhile since soap news has been presented here, and really the last big move was in 2011 when ABC announced the ends of One Life to Live and All My Children those soaps then ended up in some development  hell , streamed for a while then ended  after that.  There's only 4 network soaps left. NBC has been down to one soap since the cancelation of Passions in 2007 for a 4th hour of "The Today Show". 

        Wednesday, Vulture reported that Days of Our Lives will be moving from NBC to the  NBC Universals owned streaming service, Peacock, from September 12th. After 57 years on NBC and network TV, this means the show will be moving to an on demand pay platform and that NBC, the network, is out of the soap business themselves. (The chance of them making a new soap is probably higher than winning the lottery, but lower than being struck by lightning)  As of this writing, NBC hasn't said what's happening to the hour long slot.  NBC is replacing it with a new show called "NBC News Daily" 

        Days has had some streaming life, episodes run on Peacock, and it even had a spinoff "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem" which has had 2 seasons and 10 episodes.  Vulture also notes of the 4 daytime soaps it's the lowest rated.  NBC and Sony, who make the show, have come close in the past few years with nearby cancelations, though it was recently renewed in 2021 for two more seasons.  

     The unknown question is if this will help the soap or will this cause it wither and  eventually just go away? In other words, can the daytime show model work in streaming? That also seems to be test try as Amazon has been trying with another daytime mainstay, the court show and Judge Judy with her new series "Judy Justice".  The idea of a soap was a daytime serial , new episode each day, but at a set time and watched during the day. When Soap Net existed, it did offer a chance to see it again, and with on-demand options as well, but there is something about having a linear slot and space that might not be in the advantage of moving this show. That's hard too tell. I'd hope that there would be something that keeps it going for a long time. 

  

     Will it drive people to the streaming service? Uhhhhh, again unknown. The other thing will this encourage  CBS or ABC or both to decide to move their soaps to their corporate streaming sisters?  That opens the possibility of an idea that could happen, but it's hard to know for the best. On the bright side, there won't be any news preemptions. 

         It's not like NBC, or any other network is going to replace a soap with anything that might be fun to watch or even a new soap, they'll find some cheaper, maybe news or talk based because it's easy and less risk.  ABC has a third hour of GMA as a  daytime show, CBS has The Talk as a replacement to a soap slot. 

   

     I hope the best for  Days and hope it can continue to do well enough to continue, in this "Streaming is the Future ™" world or something.  Anyway, these truly are the Days of our Lives.  

Press release after the jump