A Charlie Brown Lookback: It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown

Peanuts 

           Charlie Brown has a lot of baseball specials.   This is our second one in a row to cover.  We are looking "It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown".  This special came out in 1996 it was the only special that aired on TV didn't premiere on a  network.  It was supposed to air on CBS in 1992 but  CBS changed their minds and it never aired then it came out on VHS  in 1996 with Nickelodeon airing the special in 1998. (If Nick didn't air it, this would have been the the a third special that never aired on TV)     Did CBS pass this up for a reason? Let's find out.

               The special begins with snow. (What ? It CAN snow in spring you know)  Charlie Brown is shoveling the snow and then starts on a snow mound to be  a pitcher's mound because he's really into baseball.  Charlie Brown keeps yelling that it's spring training. (Poor CB is losing it)  All his player leave and he starts talking to a a snowman.

       Now it's not snowing and well it's now really time for some spring training .  Though, I am not sure how well the team will do.  Hey, there's Leland ,a minor character from the comics, who apparently might be Freida's brother. (In this special he apparently is)  Leland wants to try out for  a baseball team and he of course, goes to Charlie Brown's team.  Leland also thinks Lucy is pretty. (awww)  He asks Charlie Brown to try out and C.B gives him a chance.   (Honestly, Leland is a good as the other players on that team)

Leland  is an icon/ Copyright Peanuts 

     I'm going to note music here, because why not?  This is also the last special not have any scoring music written by Vince Guaraldi. Other specials after this one did reuse cuts or had other music but still used Guaraldi's cuts as well.  The music in this special for example  when Lucy and Charlie Brown are practicing  sounds very early 90's like the two of them are about to start rapping kind of sound.    This was the last special where Judy Munsen was a composer for , she worked on 14 Peanuts specials and two movies. 
 
     Lucy also wonders why the team doesn't have uniforms. (She didn't watch Charlie Brown's All Stars) Linus says that Lucy is right (I'm scared) they are the only team without uniforms.  Inspeaking of Charlie Brown's All Stars, Mr.Hennessey  is back. Yep, the hardware store owner says he will sponsor the team's uniforms if they win. (He's not a gambling man) They visit his hardware store where Snoopy gets attacked by hardware.  To be exact they have to win the first game of the season. Off note: When did Marcie leave Peppermint Patty's team to join CB's team?

See Marcie randomly there/ copyright Peanuts 

   It's the big game day. The best way to start a baseball game is the hockey pokey then Franklin raps.  It's the most 90's scene ever.
        

     
     After all that, the game begins.  Woah wait a minute , back to that  thing: What's Franklin doing on Charlie Brown's team? He's on Peppermint Patty's team , did they trade? I need a back story! Alright back to the game.  In standard Charlie Brown team fashion it doesn't  go well.   Then it starts going well.  (They did that on purpose)  Then it's Leland's turn.   Poor fellow gets two strikes then the ball gets stuck in helmet and he makes it to home,   The team wins 27-26.

ummm great team names/ copyright Peanuts

     Now his team gets their uniforms.  Leland quits the team because his uniform is too big. They play another game but it goes in normal Charlie Brown team fashion and they lose. (27-25)

Yay Uniforms though/ Copyright Peanuts

more after the jump

The Last Episode : Green Acres :When you don't even get a last episode.

The Flashback Essays 

       May is the month that is usually the home of season and series finales, since it's the end of the TV season. Many shows never have a chance to have  a planned finale since most most shows fail in catching on in the first place. This month we take a look at some examples of how shows made their ends. 

           "Green Acres" was a popular show in the 1960's it ran on CBS from 1965 to 1971. Since, this article is about last episode we talk about how ... wait a minute.  Green Acres really doesn't have an official series finale.   Many TV series in the last 50's and all through out the 60's were based in rural and or small town areas , CBS in particular.   They were mostly well revived and popular series that came out in this time.  Over the course of events in the 1960's  things were changing on the outfront and  one thing networks really wanted was to be part of the change.  Seeking younger viewers is something networks strive to do.  The idea was they starting to reject programming that didn't take place in urban areas, that didn't have young  people , or didn't fit with a social narrative of the times.  

     Maybe one day I'll talk about the so-called "Rural Purge" but since we are here to talk about "Green Acres" we are going to get to that but using the purge as a connector.   The Rural Purge as it is called is  what is called  a period of between 1970 to 1975 when networks  (especially CBS) decided to no longer have as much programming set in  non urban (read: hip, city folks) areas.   This series was doing well in ratings for the network. In fact, in it's last season it was in a block of programming where it aired Tuesdays at 8PMET/PT , after the other popular series that was rural purged , "The Beverly Hillbilly's", which aired at 7:30pm (more on that in a second) , and it was on before "He Haw" another show that was Rural Purged and if I ever talk about that show , it had that last laugh there.  

          Now the not last episodes , last episodes. 

         It's as if they were anticipating what CBS was doing  the people working on the show made two episodes that ended up being the last two  as back door pilots for new series that they in hoped to be new series.  Episode called "Hawaiian Honeymoon" which was a backdoor pilot for a hopeful series called "Pam".   The only connector that is was Green Acres was Oliver and Lisa going to Hawaii just to make sure CBS didn't get confused and somehow air the Green Acres theme but pop in a different show.  The next episode called "The Ex-Sectary"  did the same thing it had Oliver and Lisa be there at the start, trying to connect them to the story but the rest of the episode is a back door pilot for a show called "Carol" which also didn't  make.   Both these series pilots focused on a young woman in the working world  , the kind of idea CBS was looking for.  

   So the last episode that is "Green Acres" is the episode that aired on March  9th , 1971. This episode is called "Lisa the Psychologist" and it was a normal episode of the series.  It is a strange case  because there are many series that have not really had a finale because they were canceled before it could have one or the people working on the show didn't know it was going to end. The reason why I picked this case is because of the external things around its end.   

   Bringing back the 7:30pm thing now.  The FCC had made a new rule around early 70's to come into effect in the 1971  was that the hour before 8pm ET/ 7ct had to be given to local stations to help foster independent productions and local programming.  With the 7:30pm/6:30ct half hour not of access for network programming anymore, networks had to shave that time off and many programs got caught in the loop. Green Acres wasn't airing at 7:30  though.  Infact Tuesday of the next season CBS still started at 7:30 for the time being, they moved the "Glen Campbell GoodTime Hour" to Tuesdays taking the Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres slots. So it wasn't even rural purged and replaced with the shows CBS was replacing other things with but with one of the shows that manged to laugh at the purge for awhile. (Though Campbell's show was canned at the end of  the 1971-72 season.)  

     This wasn't a look at an episode in particular but, a look at how one show didn't get it's goodbye chance because of some external factors.  Also ironic because this show was about a city guy who wanted to move to the country to be a farmer and the series was ended because it wasn't in the city. (I will note that Rural purge is also included with series that didn't have a rural theme but also got canned too.)  

 I don't plan it this way but yes I have a blog post  because they did do a reunion movie for "Green Acres" which you can read about HERE . 

  Taking a break from this series of posts as we have other themed things do , but will be back to this topic later with sometimes a last episode is built up as a big going out party with an arc plot and everything. 

 Tune in next time when we replace all programs or remake current shows but they take place in the country now.  Imagine the fun of "Big Acres Theory". 

The Last Episode: Alf: The Finale that wasn't supposed to be

The Flashback Classics 

     May is the month that is usually the home of season and series finales, since it's the end of the TV season. Many shows never have a chance to have  a planned finale since most most shows fail in catching on in the first place. This month we take a look at some examples of how shows made their ends.

     Unlike the last show we looked at where it had a finale that they had planned this show didn't have that chance , but even more their finale left loose threads and this is a finale that wasn't supposed to  be one. We look at "Alf"  Consider Me Gone.   Though that would a good title for a finale.

        "Alf" had ran for four seasons on NBC from 1986 to 1990 and was popular where when the show wrapped up it's fourth season they had some well something, something to make sure that the fifth would start off fun but, plans changed.

      The episode  starts with Alf being his normal self  when eventually he picks up a signal that he thinks is from someone from  his home planet ,Melmac. His friends apparently have bought a planet and they want Alf to join him.  Alf is considering if he wants to leave or not. (Should I stay or should I go?) Meanwhile, the alien task force is also getting the signals and they wonder if it is aliens. (Insert picture of  guy on History Channel saying aliens here)  If Alf wants to leave he has only one chance to do so. He gives his answer  he decides that he wants to leave. The task force also captures Alf's signal back to his friends and know it's from Earth but not where it's from.

     The Tanner family is un happy that Alf is leaving (Well not Kate) at his going away party. They give him some gifts.   [Cutting away from the episode for a minute]  This scenes here would have actually made a good series finale, with Alf deciding to leave and the family saying goodbye. It has all the great workings of being a series finale and a fine one.  [more on that later]  So, Alf say his goodbye to the house as the family is going to drive him to spot where he's going to picked up.  The Alien Task Force finds out about the space craft is coming down and they of course, are going to do their thing. The aliens come done to pick up Alf when the Alien Task Force come from behind and his friends fly away in fear. The Task Force surrounds Al, and the original cut of the episode ends with to be continued.

       My personal note about this episode: When I was watching the series on repeats as a kid, I never knew the show ended  so when this episode came on and I saw the line to be continued, apparently the channel I had watched on it didn't use the cut where that doesn't appear (Amazon Prime Streaming's version for example doesn't have that message) and I  thought the next day when they were airing the first episode , i  thought I had somehow missed it or the channel messed up. I didn't know for years that this was how Alf ended.

    As said above, I feel the episode before the alien task force comes in and Alf's friends leave would  have actually made a great series finale for Alf.  Though, I will add the build up with the task force was also hinting to more than just a finale.  The people working on this show didn't know this was going to be the last episode and they had  made a two parter as an insurance policy and sadly, it ended  up being the last episode.  It is kind of funny how this show ended though , Alf crashes into  the world causes  a stir makes messes and the end of the whole thing it's a mess.  Many series do get unexpected or unplanned finales, because maybe the show was getting expensive or the network was trying a different direction or 892 other reasons.  Alf's finale is remembered because of the cliff hanger and it wasn't supposed end here it's like reading something in a book or something and it just.

       Alf did get some sort of reprieve  in 1996 thanks to ABC. We have written about that  HERE   

    Next time, some series don't get a chance to choose their finales, but what if a series never really had a chance to end and it's final episodes weren't even for the series?  That's Next time.

 Tune in next time,  after we get picked up by a space ship, we just got a call and we are going!  

The Last Episode : Leave it To Beaver. Saying Goodbye by looking back

The Flashback  Classics  Essay 

   May is the month that is usually the home of season and series finales, since it's the end of the TV season. Many shows never have a chance to have  a planned finale since most most shows fail in catching on in the first place. This month we take a look at some examples of how shows made their ends.  

   We start with "Leave it To Beaver"  this series is a classic sitcom that's still being rerun today even though it aired starting in 1957.  Funny enough, the finale episode we are looking at aired in June of 1963 so June not May.  "Beaver" had 234  episodes  and ran a span of 6 seasons.  It was running well , but some of the actors wanted to move on and so they got their wish. This episode is called "Family Scrapbook".     

      This episode is considered the first episode (ha) in a prime time series have an episode expressly written to be a finale, other series ended like normal.  Through this  process I will be looking at different kinds of series finales so this kind is called the finale that looks back at the series as away to say goodbye.

  

         It starts with June doing some cleaning and she finds a box with some old stuff . The stuff in the box brings June and Ward some memories then they find the scrapbook the episode is named after. It's full of old pictures and they decide to have the kids look at the book with them.   If you ever wondered by Theodore is called the Beaver this episode explains that.  The episode uses the pictures as a way to guide into clips of past episodes of the series. It shows  memorable events from the past six seasons. Yes, this episode is a clip show with the wrap round segments being the new content.  There's not much to say on what happens in the episode because of that.  Going to the last couple minutes of the episode Ward and June talk with each other and are talking about how they've grown  up while it cuts to Beaver and Wally laughing at a toy.  

       Over the time of watching this series, viewers watched for 6 years as the two boys grew up and the wondered what the family would do the next week. I consider this episode to be a thank you episode to the viewers for sticking by and enjoying the moments put together.  Clip shows aren't much of my thing but I like it used for the last episode more than say random episode in season 4 when a show needed something to fill time.  Beaver had grown up and was on his way to high school and Wally was on his way to other things  so it's a good time to end the series.

    

   This was also one of the first family sitcoms to look at things from the kids' point of view not Mom and Dad (Father Knows Best) and so the audience could identify as either currently a  child or remember their own childhoods.   Since Beaver was moving on to high school and we've done pretty much the high school plots with Wally it was good time.  To  get a little dark as an analogy  think of this episode as like when someone dies  and people look back the person's life this episode was that a look at this series as Beaver won't be on the air (as new episodes) anymore here's  the show's life and moments we were glad to share it with you. 

         Is this a good series finale? Yes, it has things you want in a finale a way to say goodbye to a series you love and one way is to remember what it brought you over the years.  

      Next time,  what happens if you  planned a whole big 2 part episode where one episode was the season finale and next was to be the new season premiere, but then you find out the show was canceled? That's what we talk about next in our journey of season finales with  Oh What? Damn you network!  

  Tune in next time when we shut down the blog and reminiscence about our episodes.  

Also on the Blog: 

   You know this thing that's been happening where they make continuation series of a series that ended like years before ?  (Fuller House, Raven's Home, Girl Meets World, etc..)  Beaver had that in the 80's I've written about that before.  HERE

A Look at Craig of the Creek

CARTOON NETWORK 


           This is kind of our first look at a Cartoon Network series, something we really don't do much so, this is a moment in Joshuaonline history.  The series we are looking at is called "Craig of the Creek" it premiered just in March of this year.

   As an example I will be using the first episode as our reviewing episode so that if it sounds interesting there's room to check out the other episodes. Join us.

       The episode starts with Craig doing some drawing in the kitchen when his older brother , Bernard, tells him to move because he has some English work to do.  So Craig moves to the living room but then gets booted out because his sister Jessica wants to watch CNBC. (Not literally but you know one of those stock market things)  He travels to the room where his father is exercising and that gets ruined because of the air from the bike.

Draw! Copyright Tuner 

      Craig then goes to the creek part of the show's title. There are his two friends Kelsey and J.P. Craig is working on an atlas of the known parts of the creek where legendary kids have been .  (ooh an Atlas)   There's an area that's filled with poison ivy. (I'm itchy thinking about it)  The three of them decide to go there wearing protective clothing pass through it to be come 'legends'. (or die trying.) They notice a rustling the poison ivy something is there.  J.P's suit gets a tear in it and they have lost their calamine lotion and there's something in the poison ivy still rustling.  They try to evade  it   but they've run out of trees.  Craig decides to run into the poison ivy to get help and risking his own not itchiness. He jumps down but then bounces back on the tree (because he is a witch, what? don't look at me like that.)  and he suggests they gotta jump that they found a trampoline under the ivy.  All 3 of them jump up and down then a kid wearing just shorts comes out of the ivy in mysterious fashion.

Copyright Turner 

       He was the one following them, he's called "The Scatch less one" . (That's the name of my band) Unlike most people he's immune to poison ivy.  He explains that didn't have anywhere else to go and has six brothers and sisters at home so this was the one place he couldn't be bothered. Craig decides not to be legendary and puts on the map a warning to keep out. (awww)

copyright Turner 

   That's the first episode.   more after the jump

A Garfield Lookback: Garfield's Babes and Bullets

The Flashback  Garfield 


         We did the Garfield related holiday specials as Lookbacks but much like "Peanuts" , "Garfield" did branch out into  TV specials. So we are starting another sub-series for a look at "Garfield" specials.   (Yay)  Much like the Peanuts specials reviews we aren't going in order of appearance we are going  just kind of in a flow.  Let's start with "Garfield's Babes and Bullets" (What?)

           This special came out in 1989 on  guess what network?  Yeah CBS. (The Charlie Brown Specials network , but we also have Garfield too)  On May 23rd to be exact.  Voice casting is as expected  with Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield, there's also Law Rawls singing.  Directed by Phil Roman like most of the specials.  It won an Primetime Emmy for Oustanding Animated program (One Hour or Less) in 1989.   Let's begin.

            Garfield is bored. So  of course he finds a trench coach and fedora  and ends up in a noir movie. (Just like real life)  The special turns black and white (saves on the coloring budget)  and Garfield plays  a private investigator  named Sam Spayed (Really? Double Checks. Oh oh my) who like classic noir movies,  narrates.  Of course since this a private detective  special a woman has to appear asking for for our hero's help. (They did another spayed joke too)  The woman says her husband was murdered and needs Sam's help.  (We are going with Garfield's character name here) The woman's name is Tanya O'Tabby.

Hey! She's not a tabby. /Copyright Garfield 

      Even the intro of the special is in black and white and Low Rawls sings the theme because of course.  Sam decides to take the case and look for who murdered Tanya's 23 year old college professor husband.  So Sam decides to go the morgue to look at Mr. O'Tabby's body.  I love the morgue guy ,Burt Fleebish, he's kind of  off but seems to enjoy his job.    Sam drives to the scene of the crime and runs into Tanya  who says that she's trying to figure out a clue of why her husband was there in the first place. They have coffee together and I think Sam has a thing for her.

Burt Feebish a Man of the town. 

     A big guy beats up Sam because you can't have a private detective thing without them being beaten up right ,Richard Diamond?   Sam goes to the college to ask another professor some questions.  This special mentions the world coffee alot.

Coffee so hot it seems from the side. 

        Sam starts to put together the clues  and we get an Odie appearance (first time this special) and he figures out who the murderer is , I won't reveal it so not spoil it , in case you want to see the special yourself.    Tanya shows up at the agency and they talk but their love will never be. (Saddest part of the special) Garfield tells his secretary , Kitty, how he figured out the case .  Also I think Kitty has a thing for Garfield. (So Happy  ending after all)

       My Review: First oh the jokes, they kept going in this special I didn't write them because that's would be a lot  and again watch the special to see the fun.  Yes Sam Spayed. They did about 3 of those jokes based off his name. It is funny the used the Sam Spade character name with their own twist.  The special did a good job of using the standard things you see in old detective movies having some twists on them and really being as fun as they could be with them.  I really had fun watching it.  The music fits very well , where they went with retro styled music then the background music really fit the mood.    You can also try and piece the clues together yourself and figure out who did the murder.    I can see why it won an Emmy in 1989 beating another Garfield special.   If you like noir films , noir parodys, or both this is your special, and if you like Garfield it's a bonus.  Well timed, well paced, funny, affectionate to what's parodying , has some good twists with it's parody, great animation, and wonderful music and acting give it try.

   That's our look back , tune in next time (as we put on our fedora and trench coat) after we solve this case.   

The Loud House: Season 2: Change of Heart /Making The Grade

Nickelodeon 

       We've done  a couple season 1 episodes halves of the Loud House  (which you can read here) so, It's time to do a couple season 2 episodes halves.  First there is a  rule that I didn't do in the first one for a good reason.   Since , season 2 has a few specials ( 2 holiday episodes and an hour long episode)  those wouldn't be counted for this. We'll maybe touch on the holiday specials around their respective holidays. 

     Like the last  TLH post we did it randomly in our episode picks so no bias in my picks  and makes it fun to go at  it raw.

         This is funny, the way the randomizer did it , this episode airs after the the other episode we are going to talk about.   This episode is the first half of episode 44 in the series over all. It aired on July 26th 2017.  Part of week of new episodes.

   
    Background of  the series and specifically the character Clyde.  Clyde has a thing for Lincoln's older sister Lori, he even the does the anime nose bleed thing around her. (gross) This episode starts with Clyde nose bleeding on Lori's shoes. (again ,gross)  It gives us a montage of Clyde doing that or the other thing he does where he's a robot and "system overloads" and still messes up her shoes with food. Lori , of course, is annoyed by this.  Clyde says he wants to act normal when  he's around Lori.


   Lincoln decides to get Leni, the 2nd oldest sister, to help with this situation. Lori sees Clyde and Leni hanging out with each other and she thinks that he's falling for  Leni. (I wonder what will happen) Lori's assumption makes her happy that maybe he's not interested in her anymore.   Lori then remembers the nice things Clyde did for her over time and this make her want to Clyde back. (what?)  Clyde  doing Leni's tips makes Lori think that he's not interested in her anymore.  Lori then over hears Clyde complementing Leni. (Who happens to be dressed like Lori at the time)

Clyde seems like he won the lottery but worried about the taxes

     Lori then decides to dress up to Leni. (If this was a different show  this would get dark)  Then she realizes  she doesn't need to do this  (very quickly too)  as Clyde comes over to try out the things he learned on Lori. Lori tells him that he's a special guy , but he nose bleeds on her shoes and passes out.  Lincoln explains the things she misheard and saw, then Clyde wakes up sees Lori and Leni (still dressed up like Lori) does his system overload thing and his nose bleed and leaves the house.

 more after the jump

The Loud House : Season 1 : Along Came a Sister/ Butterfly Effect

Nickelodeon 

      If you remember my "Arthur" lookbacks for the 20th anniversary, you know the structure of those where by random use I took an episode half from two seasons and did a look at them. Well we are doing the same here , but with a little difference. Since "The Loud House" hasn' t been on the air for 20 years (as of this writing) and only has so far 3 seasons (third just started in January)  we are going to look at two episodes from one season, in this case season 1.   So again this are random picks that  I used site to pick for me.  I had no say in which episodes would make it to this lucky lottery.

     Wait , what is the Loud House?
 
            The Loud House is an animated series about a family called the Louds  (they live in a house) they are an interesting family because the middle child. Lincoln is the only boy out of  11 kids. (Steady show) Episodes are about the characters and what ever antics bring them in a day.  This is the simplest description but the one that makes the most sense.

       For reference the sisters' names are in order of age  : Lori, Leni, Luan, Lynn Jr. (Lincoln goes between these two)  Lucy, Lana, Lola (Lana and Lola are twins) , Lisa, and Lilly.


     Season 1 premiered in 2016 on Nickelodeon it has 26 episodes (or 52 half episodes / 11 minutes )  All the episodes ran in 2016.

    Along Came a Sister   first aired on May 4th 2016 as part of a week of premieres when the show first started.   So let's take a look at the episode.   (finally , after all your yapping up there)

 

          The episode starts with Lincoln getting to watch the class spider for the weekend, he really wanted to watch it.  Lincoln takes Frank , the spider, home  and Clyde , Lincoln's best friend,  tells him that Leni , the second oldest sister, would be terrified of the spider.  Lincoln likes plans (he's the plan man) and sneaks into the house with Frank easily. He makes it to his room but we need something to happen let's see.... oh hey Lana.  Lana comes into the room to borrow something and she sees the spider and she's excited by it ,Lola and Lisa also get enamored  by our eight legged friend. (he's our friend? I don't know him)   The other sisters that aren't Leni finally all crowd in impressed by the spider repeatedly asking if Leni has seen it.   

Hey! You are breaking like 30 fire codes! / Copyright Viacom 

      Leni doesn't see it because the others did a good job at blocking the cage (container).  Frank gets out of the cage (they called it cage, leave me alone)  and so the mission is to find ole Frank before Leni does.  After trying to evade the non Leni sisters  they eventually figure out why he's acting weird after he tells them.  They join in the mission to find Frank. 

needed picture of the spider 

No they aren't disappointed by her smoothie./Copyright Viacom 

      Frank falls into Leni's cup and now she reacts to what their worries were by screaming then spraying bug spray. Poor Ole Frank is  dead.  (cries)  So the Loud siblings that aren't Leni  have a funeral. Leni overhears Lincoln defending her in the death of the spider.  Cliff the cat  coughs up a hairball that looks like the dead Frank, and they add 2+2 and well that's not Frank.  (Frank lives!)  Their father is heard screaming because spider. (He has a fear of them too)   He calls  the world's fastest exterminator ever. (Like one that is just to eager to kill) 

He seems a little too into his job/copyright Viacom

      The Louds find ways to stop exterminator while, Lincoln goes and looks for Frank.  When it looks like it's all over, there's a savior! Leni!  Leni saves Frank from the death and the kill happy exterminator leaves.  Lisa (the smartest sister)  then remarks it's strange that a girl spider is named Frank , Lincoln is surprised by that. (Hey Frank is a great girl name,)  Also Frank is pregnant.  Episode ends with Frank's babies scaring Leni. 

more after the jump