The Lookback : Alice in Wonderland with a really long title

The Flashback 


       This fits in to like 4 categories for us here : 1 ) it's Hanna-Barbera 2) It's kind of obscure 3) It's a cartoon (we seem to fall into animated television here)  4 ) It's random. What we are looking at this time is  Alice in Wonderland (don't grown , it's not the Disney movie, look we said H&B and we meant it). To be exact this is called :  " Alice in Wonderland (or What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?) " it came out in 1966 , it's 48.5 minutes of  TV movie fun.

  Hanna-Barbera  found all stars for this movie as well, we have Sammy Davis Jr,  Don Messick,  Zsa Zsa Gabor , Mel Blanc (as Barney Rubble,  wait what?)  there's  Alan Reed as  Fred Flintstone (what?) .  And many more.

      So um let's get started... Of course the movie starts with Alice  and she has a dog named Fluff  playing in some 60's suburban neighborhood.  She has a book report on Alice in Wonderland to do, so this movie is not Alice in Wonderland it's some other Alice. Well. no wonder the title still makes no sense.  Not Alice , Alice's father tells her that she has to do her book report and that means no television. (Better finish it before 8, or no My 3 Sons)  Alice gets tripped by her dog and  she gets mad and throws  it to him to get him out of the room and it goes through the TV.   The ball is somehow absorbed into a portal through the TV ,then Fluff follows after the  ball into the TV.  Alice tries to see if Fluff really went into the TV and she ends up going through the TV.

Some people get way into TV/Copyright H/B

     First there's  a rabbit that she meets who is a bit off, then eventually after playing a bunch random games with her , he says he's in a hurry.  Alice also  needs help because she is gigantic so he gives her a cinnamon cake that can make her taller or smaller. (We used his rhyme because it works)  This movie is a musical as well , but they restrained themselves  until about 6 minutes in , when the rabbit sings that life is a game.  The rabbit remembers he's in a hurry and tells Alice to wizard of oz this movie and follow the un winding road.  (That rabbit didn't get the Beatles song right.) In fact even he says that they could have gotten a yellow brick road. (Confusing)

Closed Tuesdays /Copyright H/B

       The road appears out of nowhere and picks her up and she slides all the way to a sign that says "Welcome to Wonderland" ( North Dakota , not Wonderland , Ohio)  The Cheshire cat  (voiced by Sammy  Davis Jr.) shows us up  and says he knows where Fluff has gone. He didn't mean the dog so that was unhelpful.  He also says he's not a Cheshire cat. (Don't tell that credits that)   This means it is song time , name dropping the 2nd part of the title , What's  a nice kid like you doing in a place like this?
         

     The rabbit shows up with her dog, but he used her dog as a frame of reference to find her dog, she tries to tell him that dog his her dog  but he doesn't listen.  There's  tea party (woo hoo) coming up and the rabbit said he would be there.  The mad hatter is there  and he apparently knows everything about Alice. (which is strange, run Alice run!)  Him and his buddies are of no help and they disappear.   Alice hears a voice and it's Fred Flintstone who is attached to Barney Rubble as a two headed caterpillar.  (This sentence beats Alf goes to a strip club in oddest sentence I've ever wrote on this site)  Fred and Barney  get a song about them not being split up.  Otherwise Fred and Barney were no help. (Wilma!)

I don't wanna know what happened/ Copyright H/B 

         

       Alice hears a dog barking.(Maybe it's Fluff, who knows?) Yes she's back with Fluff until a knight scares him away.  He says he's a K-Night.. (playing the greatest hits on K-NIGHT 104.5)  The knight is a little sad , so this gives Alice a chance to have a song. (Forget the dog , I have  a song to do!)  The knight seems cheered up and he runs off without helping either.  The Rabbit is back and Alice chases after him. It's time to meet the queen. She gets a ride with the king who is driving a train to the queen's croquet game.  The game makes as much sense as anything else in this movie.  Queen Zsa Zsa Gabor makes Alice the tart girl to give tarts to the players, but then she says Alice should be thrown in jail. (Queen Zsa Zsa Gabor is ruthless)  Alice wanted a trial and it's what you expect.

Darling/ Copyright H/B

       Alice gets thrown in jail for 99 years but does reunite with Fluff. (so win!?)  Also Humpty ...sorry Humphrey Dumpty  is in jail.   Alice misses home so she gets to sing another song about her house. (That's what we needed)  Then the escape because Humpty-Humphrey had the key.  The guards and Queen Zsa Zsa chase her.  Alice makes it back, but the movie makes it look like a dream but then  we see everyone from Wonderland and they brought back Fluff.

I don't know what's going on/ copyright H/B 

    That's our lookback , tune in next time when we find out we can crawl into our TV but we eneded up in Springfield. 

 

The Look back: The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town.

Easter The Flashback

          It is that time of year again and we have found another Easter special to cover here, which is good because these are far and few between.   This is one is special it has everything it's also a sequel in  away  to a Christmas special, so that even gives us more a reason to cover this.

     "The Easter Bunny is Coming' to Town" is  a stop motion special from Rankin Bass , yes that Rankin Bass ,  that came out in 1977 on the ABC network. Now how  is this special kind of a sequel?  Well S.D Kluger voiced by Fred Astraire is back he was the mailman on "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town".  This is the 3rd special for Easter by Rankin Bass as well.  Now let's start.

        So it starts like "Santa Claus' is Comin' to Town" with a news report  and  stock pictures leading to our stop motion world. (Darn it , there's a talking train, I quit)   S.D Kluger talks to the kids there waiting at the train station he's moved up he now delivers mail by train. (I want the special where he travels by plane.)   Apparently. the Easter Bunny gets mail, and some of the letters are questions about Easter Bunny and Easter questions because why not?  S.D is going to tell us about the Easter Bunny.    We also get a song!  Finally, an Easter song.

He's the magic mail man/ Copyright Rankin Bass

       This special has  the Rankin Bass standbys with the music being done by Maury Laws ,while Bass provides the lyrics to the songs. Romeo Muller is the writer.    There was a village called Kidville , because no one but children lived there. (I have like  9 questions)   S.D also lived in Kidville the town mail carrier. (I have 11 questions)  All the children are orphans who decided to just live there. (I have 12 questions) There was  a giant bear named Gadzooks (That's how I am going to spell it) who was a jerk and steal toys on Christmas, Halloween pumpkins , and Birthday cakes.

On wedding days, he steals the brides! /Copyright Rankin-Bass 

      They find a baby bunny ( redundant?) and the kids give him the name Sunny because he apparently likes the sun.  And this was Easter Morning.  Sunny grew up in the town and it's a year later. He wants the town to expand and thinks they should  distribute their wares around the  world.  (Darn Rabbits coming into villages and telling them to join the global economy... what?) One idea is to deliver eggs because they had the best eggs.  What comes first the chicken or the egg? That requires a song. This special answers that question,  the chicken came first and don't you defy the singing chickens!   (We write odd sentences on this blog.)
                               

Can't argue with them/ Copyright Rankin Bass 

      Sunny decides to boil their eggs to send the eggs so they don't break.  So he sets out and runs into Hallelujah H. Jones, a man who tells him a place called Town. (That's his name?  And Town called town)   He runs into Gadzooks because of course.   Sunny runs without the eggs to Town.  Which is an awful place everyone wears the same clothes and pretty flowers are outlawed.
              Prisoner 1: What are you in for?
              Prisoner 2: I had some carnations.
              Prisoner 1: Woah you're evil, stay away from me!
      Also in Town , children are against the law. ( I have 15 questions)  When a child is born there the whole family has to move away. (Glad they aren't taken out , umm then back to 12 questions)   The king named Bruce  the frail, is only 7 and his aunt , Lilly,  is the real power. (Even her face is painted evil)  Bruce doesn't want to be king and be a normal kid. (I have 15 questions again)

They also banned rabbits. so you better run/ copyright Rankin Bass

He's also un happy with how heavy this crown is/Copyright Rankin Bass 

          Hallelujah decides to tell the people in Kidville to dye the eggs so the bear wouldn't want them. Gadzooks grabs Sunny by the ears (which isn't very nice)  and Sunny hopes that the bear is stupid not to know they are eggs.  It works and he runs.   Sunny gives the guards of Town an Easter Egg. Song time! This song is called Someone's Gotta be First.  Sunny gives  Town's townspeople (sigh)  eggs.   Even king Bruce got an egg. ( I have a 16th question)  Bruce decides to call Sunny the Easter Bunny and what he says goes. (Well except the whole Aunt thing) Sunny teaches the king how to eat an Easter egg. (gotta keep that run time up)   That song from before continues for a second.  Aunt Lilly is mad that they aren't beans. (What she works for the Big Bean)  She kicks out Sunny, and she forces Bruce to to ban Easter eggs. (Lady is no fun)   Sunny decides that maybe he should bring an Easter bean. And thus Jelly Beans were created! (Sorry William Schrafft)
                                 

   And thus the assembly line was created/ Rankin Bass

    Gadzooks  decides to throw the basket full of colored eggs because he still thinks they are rocks,  but this did create a new tradition : hiding Easter Eggs. (Somehow they didn't crack)   So the kids think of a  plan, they made him a new suit. (He mean because he was naked?) That works!  This is why you get Easter Outfits, because bears.  (I have 17 questions)  Song time! They also find him a lady bear ,during the song. (The first dating service)
                     

Fashionable / Copyright Rankin Bass

     The  people of Town love the eggs and jelly beans.  Aunt Lilly once again isn't happy because is she ever? ( I like the music as her background music in this scene though)  This special progresses through a lot of Easters and nobody ages, woah.  Since Lily sent her guards out to stop them from sending eggs and Easter cheer so Sunny's plan was to roll the eggs to trip them, thus creating Easter Egg rolling. (yay?)   He also apparently created first chocolate Easter Bunny.  People in Town got new Easter outfits and held yes, the first Easter parade.  The Easter Bunny got Bruce some stuffed toys, and yes, the first Easter toys.  He convinces Bruce to allow him to him and his friends pass through as much as possible.  Bruce tries but couldn't must the power to stop Aunt Lily. She gives them the power do anything to stop Sunny.
                           

Kill them! Woah, I didn't sign up for this. /Copyright Rankin Bass 

         Hallelujah  calls his Hobo-gang to build a rail-road. (What?)  So Sunny and the chickens have to go find a train and trains are sentient in this world (because that' what I need) and they don't want to it because sentient trains are a bad idea people wake up! (cut after a break , he's sorry about that end)  The train that you see at the beginning  is now having his origin story explained. Chugs is lonely and rusted ,so he has the blues. This means a song.  They give him a job and not rusted anymore.

He has the yellows, now/ Copyright Rankin Bass 

            Aunt Lilly wants them to stop the train at all costs.  I think this special is also incorporating "The Little Engine that could" as well.  ( Gotta keep that run time)  Another song time but can't be mad at it, it's a Fred Astaire singing. Aunt Lily chases her guards because she has time for that.   Our Heroes make it over the mountain to umm Town. (I have 18 questions) Lilly turns she can't stop Easter.  Bruce decides not banish  (or kill her)  instead he gives her a flower (guess what kind?)  and this makes her remember something and she cries. Yes ,it's an Easter Lily. (Best redemption story ever!)   Ok Fred Astaire play us out!
\

no comment, just sweet/ Copyright Rankin Bass 

Thanks Fred ! /Copyright Rankin Bass 

     
         There is a lot of similarity in the story structure of this special and of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (hope not the same Town as Town). That goes beyond the opening news thing. Our main character was left somehow in some random place.  Both have  a contrasting town in Santa there's Sombertown which was depicted as grey and well somber compared to Kris Kringle and Kringles part of the world and here we get a dour town. Both have a leader who wants to keep things gray and un happy.  Both have a something to overcome in the middle either the Winter Warlock or  Gadzooks. They serve as our secondary villains who later turn to our hero's sides after being shown some kindness they needed.  We also get an ally in our towns either Jessica, the school teacher -turned Chris' wife,  or King Bruce, the kid who just wants to be kid but his aunt uses him to pass her agenda.    We also get  their take on the traditions of Easter much like why Santa does what he does on Christmas.   The one change from this and Santa is that Aunt Lilly, unlike Burger Meister Meisterburger, does get a redemption of her character mostly through  that our main characters don't take malice on her and take pity and give her a gift out of love and caring no matter what she tried to do before.

       
         On the music.  I don't know if it's because I've watched "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" so much that I know the songs so much to say if this special had heavily catchy songs or not.  I do love that track they played in some of the Aunt Lilly scenes it was like  evil disco somehow.   Since there's no hook song  like R and B did in the Christmas specials where they at least used one famous Christmas song in their specials, but still making original songs.  Here they had to even create an Easter song ,which isn't bad.

     The Dvd cut is very nice and crisp as it should be, but Rankin Bass over time did better better on stop motion animation and this has some very work.  The colors are greatly balanced here as Easter is a colorful spring holiday it really felt like Easter. 

    I missed an opportunity last year, by not talking about this special in it's 40th anniversary year. (Shame on  me)   It's sadly not really re aired on TV anymore , though unless ABC surprises me this year,  neither is It's the Easter Beagle , Charlie Brown. (And that's freakin' Charlie Brown)   You can get it on DVD.

   That's our lookback, Happy Easter! Tune in Next time when we wonder there's no Rankin Bass special for Valentine's Day . and we wonder this in April.

     

FOX Summer Premiere dates

Fox  Summer TV 

     Fox's summer premiere have been released.  The summer includes the return of summer series  "Beat Shazam", "Leave Connection", "Masterchef",  and "So You Think You can Dance".   They also have a new series "Gordon Ramsay's  24 Hours to Hell and Back". 

      Here are the  dates

   Monday, May 21
   8PMET   2018  Miss USA

    Tuesday, May 29
    8PMET   Beat Shazam (Season Premiere)
    9PMET   Love Connection ( Season Premiere)

   Wednesdays, May 30
    8-10PMET  Masterchef (Season Premiere)

   Monday, June 4
   8PM ET  So You Think You Can Dance  (Season Premiere)

Wednesday June 6
 8-10PMET  Masterchef ( 2 Hour new episode)

Wednesday , June 13
 8PMET Masterchef  (Time Period premire)
9PMET   Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back  (series premiere)


Press Release after the jump

Watching CBS Sports HQ

Online TV  Reviews 

    Remember ESPNEWS, ESPN's spin off channel devoted to news?  Sadly, these days it's a place to re air ESPN's stuff and simulcast some ESPN radio shows.   ESPNEWS had a basic principle , 24 hours of sports news and highlights.  CBS has launched something similar.  Much like the wonderful CBSN is for news, CBS Sports HQ is an online streaming service that you can also watch on your television through a Roku or other such device.  It's also portable so you phone and tablet users can switch from this site to the CBS Sports app and watch. 

    CBS Sports HQ gives you well sports highlights and news , so like the old ESPN News or the old Sports Center.  It's graphical design gives you a side bar with upcoming games, league standings (also some betting stuff) ,and also some scores.  While the ticker on the bottom does the same along with some sports news.   To throw in the 9th time saying ESPNEWS , it reminds me of ESPNEWS'  old graphical style where you had scores and data taking up some screen space. 

               CBS Sports HQ focuses on sports news using the resources of CBS Sports (of course) and much like how CBSN focuses on the news and doesn't do what the cable counter parts do , meaning none of those shows with two guys  "debating".   If you are someone who doesn't care what Chuck (sorry to any real Chuck's out there) on ESPN thinks about the Dolphins and just want to know what the Dolphins are doing  this is your place to watch.   Also unlike CBS Sports Network , it doesn't simulcast their talk radio shows. 

        Their sports coverage does include sports that CBS doesn't have rights to, such as : NBA, MLB, NHL and others.  So there's a dedication to be a sports "HQ". It doesn't have live games and that's kind of the point  though, that and contracts with sports leagues might not ready for that idea yet.  But that makes it  a good thing to check at anytime to find out some sports news and insight.  Its pacing is not to slow to make you feel bored or too fast to make you miss something important.

     The convenience of the "channel"  also makes it useful. CBS has done this model with CBSN as well instead of trying to get cable companies to pick up the channel then hoping you'll watch and then to watch online you have to sign in with your pay TV service, instead all you do is just watch online either on their website, the CBS Sports mobile app , the CBS Sports app on Roku, Fire TV ,etc.  No sign in or calling your cable company to pick up the channel.    It even gives you an ability to go back to another segment if you want to catch it again. 

   There is not too much to say about it because it's simple and the simplicity makes it a good watch and keeping it's basic premise is a good thing.   It should be good to attract those who really just want sports news, annalists, and highlights , and none of the stuff you would find on ESPN or FS1.  Give them a look. 
 
  You can find it online here : http://cbssports.com/live   and watch on Roku, Apple TV , Fire TV, Chromecast under the CBS Sports name , and on your table or phone under the CBS sports name. And probably a bunch of other places to watch things on.

TVLOOKFALL 2018 : What's New, What's Renewed, What's Ended?

TVLOOKFALL 2018 ABC  CBS CW  FOX  NBC 

   It's our annual list of  network TV moves either shows being renewed or canceled /ending. Also what's new?  For disclosure, we are going to count reboot or one of those shows that are returning after ending as new , just to keep this list consistent.  

    Also to be determined is our list for shows that haven't been officially given a status so, it's constantly changing.  (red font shows are shows that have moved to or are  summer series meaning they are in a different rule) 

 Last updated : June 29th 5:27 PM MT  

ABC 

Renewed 

Marvel's  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

America's Funniest Home Videos 

American Housewife 

American Idol 

The Bachelor 

Black-ish 

Child Support

Dancing With the Stars 

For the People 

Fresh Off The Boat

The Good Doctor 

The Goldbergs

The Gong Show 

Grey's Anatomy 

How to Get Away with Murder 

Modern Family 

Roseanne 

Shark Tank  

Speechless

Splitting up Together 

Station 19 

Summer Series 

Match Game 

To Tell the Truth 

New Series 

The Fix

Grand Hotel 

A Million Little Things 

Take Two 

The Kids Are Alright 

The Rookie 

Schooled 

Single Parents 

Whiskey Cavalier 

Canceled 

Alex Inc. 

The Crossing 

Designated Survivor

Deception 

Kevin (Probaly) Saves the World 

Marvel's  Inhumans

The Mayor 

The Middle  (In farewell season) 

Once Upon a Time 

Quantico 

Roseanne  

Scandal 

Ten Days in The Valley 

CBS

Renewed 

48 Hours

60 Minutes 

The Amazing Race 

Big Bang Theory (was renewed for two seasons before the 2017-18 season)

Big Brother  

Blue Bloods 

Bull

Criminal Minds

Elementary 

Hawaii Five-O

Instinct 

Life in Pieces 

MacGyver

Madam Secretary 

Man with a Plan 

Mom

NCIS 

NCIS : Los Angeles 

NCIS : New Orleans 

Ransom 

Salvation 

SEAL Team 

Superior Donuts 

Survivor 

S.W.A.T

Young Sheldon 

Summer Series 

Code Black  (canceled) 

Undercover Boss  (celebrity) 

New Series 

The Code 

Fam

FBI 

God Friended Me 

Magnum P.I (remake) 

Murphy Brown (new revival season) 

The Red Line 

Canceled 

9JKL 

Kevin Can Wait 

Living Biblically 

Me, Myself &I 

Scorpion 

Wisdom of the Crowd 

CW

Renewed 

The 100

Arrow  

Black Lightning

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 

DC'S Legends of Tomorrow 

Dynasty 

The Flash 

iZombie 

Jane the Virgin 

Riverdale

Supergirl

Supernatural 

Summer Series 

Penn &Teller: Fool Us

Whose Line is it Anyway? 

New Series 

All American

Charmed (remake) 

Legacies 

Roswell New Mexico

Canceled 

Life Sentence  

The Originals (final season starts April 20th) 

Valor

Fox

Renewed 

9-1-1

Bob's Burgers

Family Guy 

Empire 

Gotham 

Hell's Kitchen 

The Gifted 

LA to Vegas 

Lethal Weapon 

MasterChef

MasterChef Junior 

The Orville 

The Resident 

The Simpsons 

So You Think You Can Dance 

Star

Summer Series

World's Funniest 

New Series

The Cool Kids

Last Man Standing (revived from ABC) 

Proven Innocent  

The Passage
Rel

Canceled 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (update :moving to NBC ) 

The Exorcist 

Ghosted 

Lucifer 

The Last Man on Earth 

The Mick 

New Girl (Final Season starts April 10th) 

Shots Fired 

Wayward Pines 

The X-Files 

NBC

Renewed 

AP Bio 

The Blacklist 

Blindspot 

Chicago Fire 

Chicago Med 

Chicago P.D 

Ellen's Game of Games 

The Good Place 

Good Girls 

Law & Order :SVU

Marlon (summer 2018) 

Midnight ,Texas

Shades of Blue

Superstore

This is Us

The Voice 

The Wall

Will and Grace (renewed for a season 2 and season 3) 

World of Dance

Summer Series 

Trial&Error 

New Series 

Abby's
Brooklyn Nine-Nine  (moving from FOX)

Enemy Within 

The Gilded Age 

I Feel Bad

The Inbetween 

Manifest

New Amsterdam 

The Village 

Canceled 

The Brave 

Champions 

Great News 

The Night Shift 

Rise 

Shades of Blue

Taken

Timeless

The Lookback: Another Disney Channel Original Movie: Alley Cats Strike

The Flashback  Disney Channel 

   Time to dip into another Disney Channel Original movie, what do we have here this time? (Gets handed a fake tape)  Oh a Disney Channel movie about bowling.  You know Disney Channel really used to be varied on their movies , they have a movie for almost anything. (Well not really)  This movie came out in March of 2000, (March 18th)  and is called "Alley Cats Strike".  So let's take a look at the movie.

    It has a 50's music theme and our main character is named Alex he is also narrating and telling us who is friends are :  Ken, Elisa (played by Kaley Cuoco who you may know from such shows as Brandy and Mr.Whiskers, Eight Simple Rules, and some show about the Big Bang Theory)  and Delia.   Ken likes music from the 1950's  (I am going with 1940's and 50's since the movie came out in 2000)  Elisa likes 50's clothes and Alex likes to point out that she's a good bowler, and Delia is the smart one.   His Father owns a bowling alley that they get to use  to play.   He and his friends  go to school (because kids) and  the school is dominated by the (let's see check the checklist oh yes) a jock named Todd McLemore. (who is played by the same person who starred in Cousin Skeeter if you remember that show)  There's a trophy called the mighty apple, which there's a rivalry between two towns called West Appleton and East Appleton (creative). Alex asks I guess us  ,the viewers,  how will their worlds ever collide?  I guess that means their worlds are going to collide.

Collusion/ Copyright Disney 

      The jock kids  are mean I guess (because sports make you mean, I think) and our main group isn't into watching whatever the game will be that evening. (Oh it's basketball)  Also Tim Reid is in this movie .   So if the West wins  they tie and if the East wins the East gets the trophy.  The bowling alley doesn't get a lot of people visiting it because who knows. (plot reasons)  The West wins. (How the west was won) They have to find out what the charter says on how to break a tie. (hmmm wonder if it has something to with bowling?)  The next day, the answer was bowling. (duh)

  His reaction to bowling is I guess he doesn't like it./Copyright Disney

         Both schools have bowling clubs and guess who is in the club? (Yep our main  characters) Remember that question Alex asked earlier about how would he and Todd end up colliding? Welp, apparently Todd signed up for bowling club , but Todd doesn't remember.  Actually one of his stupid friends did it.  Can Todd bowl?  (hahhahhahahahhahahahahhahahahaha No)   Oh Todd's father , played by Tim Reid is the mayor of the town as well. So, how is East Appleton's bowling team? Looks they are good players.
     

All Green too / Copyright Disney 

     I do like how the music contrasts between Todd and the others showing their contrast musically is nice touch. Todd is learning from our main characters how to bowl but yes of course he doesn't seem responsive to it.   (of course)  Also this movie mentions so much late 90's stuff and figures it's kind of funny when Todd says the music that Alex and his friends listens to is outdated.  Alex offers once again to help Todd , and we'll see how that helps.

 
      Now a party , because Disney Channel movies need parties or something.   Alex decides to leave the party early. It's not his thing. He leaves to  Elisa's house and they talk for a little bit and then he goes home.  The mayor comes to the bowling to announce something that he and the town of East Appleton decided , to make it 4 vs 4 players. They do allow substitute players too.  Also, they find out that the Mayor bet on the bowling. (Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him.)  Todd wants to check out the East Appleton team and Alex decides to go with him. They play like machines. The other team catch  Alex and Todd gets them out of there. (so that was quick)

Payphone remember those? Copyright Disney 

      More after the jump

Those PSA Episodes: Small Wonders of Smoke

PSAs   

     IN 2017 we had PSA month, were we looked at public service ads , but they weren't the only things trying to get you not to smoke or drink.  TV Shows sometimes also try also have public service messages especially, those made to target families with kids that might be watching.  Sometimes called "The Very Special Episode".  That's our focus this time. (not for a month , that way we can space them out and come back when need be.)

         So we head to the 1980's because this is the decade at the height of family TV and  of the very special episode.
       
                     Our Show: Small Wonder
                   What is it trying to tell the audience?  : Don't Smoke or Chew Tabbaco
       
         
           Small Wonder is a weird show.  It's a show about a guy who makes a robot girl because he wants to make it to impress his job but doesn't do anything with it.  She lives with the family and acts as a snarky mono-toned daughter/sister.  So this is the series I want to  teach the ills of smoking.

         From season 2, Episode 1  "Chewed out/ Smoker's Delight"
 
       Ted , the father, had a stressful day at work and decides to pull out a cigarette which shocks his wife. (gasp!) She gives the lines of cigarettes are bad and stink up your clothes. Then she takes away his cigarettes  and she steps on his foot  then Vicki the robot does it too, harder.

      Their kid and his friend (I'll say their names later)  are now in junior-high school and feeling low because they  are umm at the bottom of school compared to top of elementary school.  Jamie ,that's the son's name, finds the cigarettes in the trash. (plot device and delivery done)  Jamie's friend  thinks of idea to get the older students to not think of them as babies.  (OOh I wonder what ?)

       The robot shows them how to smoke. (This like kids going on the internet, or what the robot future looks like , if we don't stop now)   Because  this is a comedy, we get funny robot smoking scenes like the smoke coming out of her ears because ha.   The two boys try smoking and they cough and stuff and the taped in front a live studio audience laughs.  (It's funny because coughing is funny)

Smoking.. darn AI has gone too far/ Copyright 20th Fox

      Skipping unimportant stuff.

     A boy named Peter ,who is in the 9th grade is coming to visit Jamie and Reggie. He's the biggest jock in the 9th grade apparently. (weee)  Jamie bribed the boy to come with  a rare baseball card then they  offer the smokes.  Now breaking news: smoking isn't cool. Well that's the episode Jamie and Reggie find out that smoking isn't cool and stop doing it. (Psst we have like 9 more minutes)  Oh no wait.   Peter says all the jocks are doing chewing tobacco.

You could say , eight is enough. Copyright 20th Fox. 

     Now the episode explicitly says again that cigarettes hurt you  with the kids saying that to Peter. He says that chewing the tobacco is less dangerous than cigarettes. So this episode isn't about smoking after all it's about the dangers of chewing tobacco.   Also he goes that all pro-ball players are doing it so it must be alright. (good thing this wasn't made during a later time)  The taped in front of a live studio audience laughs at Jamie and Reggie trying it because faces are funny.

Laugh at this , audience /Copyright 20th Fox

   Skipping the unimportant secondary plot line again.  (Scratch that)
      So the parents are trying to have the robot girl sleep (?) in their room because Jamie doesn't think she should be in his room anymore. When they see her sleeping cabinet is smoking they find out that she's been smoking.  The parents find out that Jamie and Reggie were smoking before and they confront their son.   Since the episode isn't smoking is just bad , but chewing tobacco is also  Jamie tells his parents that he's not smoking because of chewing tobacco. (Laugh Track)   Then Father Ted tells him the message (for the audience at home) that chewing tobacco is worse than smoking.  So the father does something else, he tells his son to show him how to chew it, and tricks him into stuffing a whole bunch in his mouth. (laugh track)  So the next day , they hope he learned his lesson.  Just in case , the audience didn't get the message-- they gave Peter , cancer . Jamie says he will never chew or smoke again.

        I do give the show a great point for actually going with the chewing tobacco angle instead of smoking.  The idea that it was safer than smoking happened dafter smoking was reviled not to be safe and this show came out about a decade after , so that message was being given in everything. So to tell the audience that no it's not safer than smoking and they are both bad is a message to get with.

        The writing of this series was not the best in the first place so they apparently needed a way to really nail in that chewing tobacco is bad, so they gave the 1 note character we didn't see before or after (WOAH) cancer as a way to instill that.   The father really only said that it's bad then made his son barf because giving him too much tobacco and making him accidentally swallow it is a good plan?   They did still nail in the message that smoking is bad in the beginning of the episode  and in the middle with even the kids saying that they know it's bad to another kid. But the reason why they did it was to be "cool" with the bigger kids.  Which does show  a good reason why a kid would want to smoke or chew tobacco , because the cool kids are doing.  Again the giving Peter cancer line (because we didn't see him or anything at the school , it was a line Jamie tells his parents) is like saying "see even cool kids can get cancer from doing something dangerous.

       Here's something interesting , cigarettes ads on TV and Radio in the US were banned in 1971 , but  smokeless tobacco ads were still allowed until 1986.



     Even sponsoring the Olympics.

   This episode aired after the ban of those ads took place so, the timing worked out.  But  yeah you could maybe see why people think its safer, it was even still advertised on TV for 15 years after cigarette ads were not allowed.

         Does this episode work as a PSA?  Yeah sure,  It doesn't hammer fist the message with words that doesn't sound natural.  It also tries to keep it feeling like a standard episode so no sappy music or weird drama , though they did kind of breeze through Peter having cancer. Also it was smart to make him somewhat likable otherwise the message would have gotten lost where an audience could go well he's a jerk so bad thing happened to him.  They did that right.

     That's our PSA ,don't smoke or chew tobacco.  Tune in next time when we find out it's bad to smoke pixie sticks.

A Charlie Brown Lookback: Charlie Brown's All Stars

 Peanuts 

        Ah March, the smell of baseball is in the air (it smells like rubber and grass) and we luckily we have a baseball themed Peanuts special.  "We've went to the most modern times  of Peanuts specials that tried to hark back the 1960's now let's go back to the 60's.  "Charlie Brown's All Stars"  the second animated Peanuts special  came out in 1966, on CBS. Since it's not a  holiday themed special it has missed it's annual airings and has bounced around from CBS to Nickelodeon, Disney Channel , and ABC. It hasn't aired on TV in sometime though,but is on DVD.
 
           The voices continues the idea that the first one had to have children be the voices and many from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" returned to their roles, like Christopher Shea as Linus , Peter Robins as Charlie Brown,  Kathy Steinberg as Sally Brown,  Sally Dryer switched roles from Violet to Lucy , and Karen Mendelson  went from being Patty's voice to Violet's.   


      So let's begin.
           It starts with Charlie Brown running after a baseball , while successfully jump roping to get to it , to only drop the ball in which the rest of his team calls him a block head.  Linus shows Charlie Brown the stats about his team including that they lost 999 straight games.  Lucy tells him not show up.    The next day, Charlie Brown's hope he doesn't show up,  but he does. (They are nice [sarcasm font])  Charlie Brown chases after a fly ball and the other kids yell at him to catch it , which he does then it falls out of his glove. (Also they could have also caught the ball, but alright.)  His team lost that game 123-0. (The other team was examined for steroids)

How'd that get there? / Copyright Peanuts 

        Violet , Lucy, Shermey,  (hey!), and Snoopy decide to quit the team. Linus tells Charlie Brown that Mr. Hennessey , the owner of the harware store, want to sponsor the team. (Mr. Hennessey also  put his money on (We decided against the joke after ,all) )  Charlie Brown cheers up , but Linus tells him to forget it.  We get some summer scenes because summer with nice Jazz music because yeah.

Hey Charlie Brown , I am telling to you to forget that thing that I told you because meh/ Copyright Peanuts 

       So Charlie Brown wants to tell his former team but they don't wanna play with him. (Take it like this  Chuck, find better players and nicer ones as well.) When Charlie Brown tries to tell about the news, this impresses them. (Why is Linus impressed, he told the news to Chuck in the first place?)  So Charlie Brown gets a call from Mr. Hennessey for the uniforms.  Apparently, Mr. Hennessey doesn't tell Charlie Brown the league doesn't allow teams with dogs and girls.  (It is interesting how Charlie Brown's team has girls on it in the 1960's it's very forward thinking)  Charlie Brown  tells him he couldn't do it and that they are his friends.  (What?)  So Charlie Brown, rejects this.

Hey how  big is that pool, how are they fitting in there?/ Copyright Peanuts 

      The funny part is where Linus was supposed to scout the competing team but he ends up scouting his own.  For a note: C.B didn't tell the others they aren't getting uniforms or what the league wants so he thinks if they win this game they would maybe forget the uniforms.  The game seems to be going well. (I'm more sad that something  bad is going to happen.) 

This is a bad sign/ copyright Peanuts 

     It's Charlie Brown's turn to bat , he's not had a good batting season.  (That's right , Jim He's not the ball all season, but you know what hits the ball any season?   Paul's Ice Tea it's the perfect swing for a summer afternoon drink.)  He hit the ball and lands on first base, then he steals second. (He's a manic Jim! like Crazy Steve at Crazy Steve's Electronics,  A TV for half price he's Crazy! ) He lands Third! (That's a steal , Jim,  just like at Tom's Diner, where you can steal  a free Coke with any purchase!)  Charlie's team is 1 run behind with 2 Outs , Charlie Brown is at third.  What's he doing?! He's trying to steal home oh my gosh, he' missed game over! (What a blow for the team, Jim, just like the blow out sale at Super Mattress warehouse)
                       

      Here lays Charlie Brown... it's a cheap funeral. /Copyright Peanuts

            So Charlie Brown screwed up there and his team mates aren't happy. (That's right, Jim) Alright you that part is over. (Well that''s never happened before.)   The team finds out they aren't getting uniforms but, Chuck didn't even say way, and they left.  Linus tells them
 why turned down the uniforms.  Schroeder gives a speech the girls on how bad they've been to CB even though he thought about them over uniforms.

They feel bad /Copyright Peanuts 

       The girls think about making a uniform for ole CB to say sorry. (Using Linus' blanket) Apparently, Linus has the same proportions as C.B., never mind. 

It's the thought that counts/ copyright Peanuts 

          Then again it rains, and Charlie Brown apparently he 's never heard of  P.P.D.  (Yeah this game is Postponed , and this channel is airing reruns of Burns and Allen) 

blanket of rain/ copyright Peanuts 

    That's our lookback, tune in next time when we see Charlie Brown is fired as manager and ends up calling games on TV instead.