Christmas: Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Christmas   The Flashback 

    One of my problems is that I kind of assumed everyone knows about  the same collective things, case in point: this special. I at least assumed everyone has seen this special and really , I shouldn't. That's one of the reasons why I never really jumped on this special to write about. I also really do like looking up stuff people really probably haven't seen or I've not seen my self to show my thoughts to all.    Since this is a special year for this special, I think it's time to write about it.

  Now This is "Frosty the Snowman"

       So, this special premiered on December 7th 1969 on CBS and has aired there ,as of this writing, for all 50 years. (In Canada it airs on CBC)    This special is based off the song of the same name written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson.  The history of the song is for a different blog, for this blog, I'm going to be writing about how Rankin-Bass (The Kings of Christmas)  took that song and figured out how to write a whole dang story around it. 



      Per tradition in Rankin Bass Christmas specials there is a narrator , this time it's Jimmy Durante!  So, it's the day before Christmas and kids are in school while the first snow of winter has fallen. (Why are the kids in school on Christmas eve? I don't know)   The teacher hires a Professor Hinkle, a magician, to come to the class Christmas party. He's not a very good magician. (He also has a rabbit named Hocus Pocus, who is best rabbit.)  Anyway, school's out (FOR SUMMER, I mean Christmas)  and the children , the main girl is named Karen, start to make a snowman.  (Also the kids are dressed in shorts and short dresses because people were tougher in the old days--weakling!)

Tougher Days/ Copyright NBC Universal 

More after the Jump

But First These Messages: Merry and Bright Edition

But  First These Messages 

           
        Christmas means commercials. "Santa Claus vs Elvis" will be back but first these messages...

       Christmas brings Christmas themed products like Christmas cakes, Christmas toothpaste and even Christmas Captain Crunch.



The kids seem over joyed that Captain Crunch broke into their house.
     

Eat my cereal  , It tastes like Christmas 

                       So anyway I need buy stuff but where? Amazon? No! Walmart! What?  Target? Maybe.   Kmart? They barley exist. I need a real store.

  For our Joshuaonline UK audience.

        The shots of this ad are interesting because they give you the feeling that you are a giant looking inside a doll house.  They also do these strange  zoom into the products like hey this is the price, this is the product, here you go.  The ad also has no words until the end.

I don't know why she's upset, that's a good price. 

  The one type of commercial that screams to me Christmas more than anything else are perfume ads; they seem to run in more excess around Christmas time than anything else and there are some that I only remember running around Christmas time.  

 More after the jump first 

Something about Charlie Brown: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

Peanuts Christmas 

 
     How many Christmas specials can Peanuts have?  The answer is a few. 

  "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown" is an hour long  (with commercials) Christmas special from 2003, that first aired on ABC, and as of this writing airs once a year on ABC.

          This special focuses on Rerun Van Pelt, the little brother of Linus and Lucy. The primary plot, and I say that because there's loose connections in this special,  is that Rerun really wants to have a pet dog.
 
       That's the main focus but most of the special is vignettes of  Rerun's daily life: He rides on the back of his mother's bicycle and she's not the most cautious rider,  he wants to play with Snoopy, people ask him about his "weird" brother and sister.   Rerun is  an interesting peanuts character , because he's one of the youngest ones, he's one that was introduced in the 1970's but there wasn't  much done with him. His primary gag was the riding on the back of his mother's bicycle.  Schulz didn't really have much ideas for the character. For awhile, he was background or not shown at all. (He appeared in the 80's special "Happy New Year")  He got a resurgence in the 90's and is in many Peanuts strips many of which were put into special, and a later special, "He's a Bully".


         We get to see how Rerun interacts with his sister and brother which brings us some funny moments like when Lucy threatens to knock down his blocks and she asks what he would do? His answer was that years down the lane he would refuse to sign a co-sign on a loan for Lucy and her husband. Which causes her to just storm away and not knock down the blocks. 

you could say, he blocked her... ha ha ha / Copyright Peanuts 

        Later on,  Rerun is at school and there's a character that was introduced in the comics in the 90's  called "The little pig-tailed girl" she and him are working on some crafts in Kindergarten.   When she says she's tired of "this Kindergarten stuff" he says maybe they could go to Paris one day.  The next day, he gets in trouble for harassment. (What?)  ( This segment is based off strips from January of 1997 and one from 2000.  )

Nothing can be proved/ Copyright Peanuts 

            Then it gets to the plot of Rerun still wanting a dog. More daily life of Rerun stuff, with Rerun being with  his mother.  They did put in a Schroeder and Lucy moment. (We do have time for this)  It has some funny moments to it.  Rerun asks Charlie Brown if  Snoopy has any family members, to which Charlie says he does.  Charlie Brown talks about Snoopy's brother, Marbles, visiting but leaving after one day because Snoopy is a bad pilot. Then about Andy and Olaf. (We get sweet shot of inside Snoopy's house) There's Spike. (His last special was "The Girl in the Red Truck" ) To fill in the gap, he asks Snoopy if he can play with him, which works for a while until Snoopy grows tired of this apparently.

Yay/ Copyright Peanuts 

more after the jump

         

NBC/CBS/ABC Mideason 2020 Super Post

NBC ABC CBS 

 

     Due to my own distraction  I had missed the news for the networks' mid season premiere dates; only ending up with Fox and The CW . So, this is mostly for completionism here are NBC, CBS, and ABC's mid season premiere dates and details.

All Times ET , unless otherwise mentioned

NBC 

 new series marked in blue
    Mondays Starting January 6
     8PM  America's Got Talent: Champions (new season)
                The Voice returns in February
     10PM  Manifest (new season)

     Tuesdays starting January 7
     8PM  Ellen's Game of Games (new season)
     9PM  This is Us  (Council of Dads  begins in March
     10PM  New Amsterdam

    Wednesdays
   Chicago Night continues
   8PM Chicago Med
   9PM Chicago Fire
  10PM  Chicago PD

 Thursdays  (Starting February 13th)
 8PM  Superstore
8:30pm Brookyln Nine-Nine   (1 hr premiere on February 6th at 8pmet)
9PM Will and Grace
9:30pm  Indebted 
10pm  Law and Order : SVU

Fridays
8PM  Lincoln Rhyme :Hunt for the Bone Collector (The Blacklist returns in March )
9-11pm Dateline NBC

Saturday
8pm  Alternative Encores
9PM  Dateline Saturday Night Mystery
10PM   Saturday Night Live Encores

Sundays (March )
8PM  Little Big Shots
9PM Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist 
10PM  Good Girls

Friday January 10th : Lincoln Rhyme :Hunt for the Bone Collector Premieres
Sunday, February 16th : Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Premieres (Special Preview on January 7th)

"The Good Place" Series Finale is 90 minutes  with an extended episode  and a post show special hosted by Seth Myers Starting at 8:30pmET on January 30th.

CBS 

New Series marked in Blue

Tuesdays starting January 7th
8PM  NCIS
9PM  FBI
10PM FBI: Most Wanted 


Wednesday  January 8th
8pm Undercover Boss  (new season)
9-11pm Criminal Minds (2 hour season premiere)


Wednesdays Starting January 15th
8PM Undercover Boss
9PM   Criminal Minds  (Regular Time Slot )
10PM  S.W.A.T
  

Thursday Starting February 6th
8PM Young Sheldon
8:30PM  The Unicorn
9PM  Mom
9:30  Carol's Second Act
10PM Tommy 

Fridays Starting February 7th
8PM MacGyver (New Season)
9PM Hawaii Five-0 (new Time slot)
10PM Blue Bloods

Wednesday February 12th
8-10PM  Survivor (2 hour season Premiere)
10PM   Criminal Minds (special time)

Sundays Starting February 16th
8PM  God Friended Me
9PM  NCIS : Los Angeles
10PM NCIS : New Orleans (New Time)

Wednesday, February 19th
8PM  Survivor (Regular slot)
9PM-11  Criminal Minds (2 hour Series Finale)



ABC
new series in Blue

Sunday, January 5
7pmet  America's Funniest Home Videos

Monday, January 6
8PM  The Bachelor  (Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Jan. 7
8/7c: JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time
9/8c: mixed-ish
9:30/8:30c: black-ish
10/9: Emergence

Wednesday, Jan. 8
9/8c: Modern Family
9:31/8:31c: Single Parents
10/9: Stumptown

Monday, Jan. 13
10/9c: The Good Doctor

Wednesday, Jan. 15
8/7c: The Goldbergs
8:30/7:30c: Schooled

Friday, Jan. 17
8/7c: American Housewife
8:30/7:30c: Fresh Off the Boat

Tuesday, Jan. 21
8/7c: The Conners
8:30/7:30c: Bless this Mess

Thursday, Jan. 23
8/7c: Station 19 (new time, crossover event)
9/8c: Grey's Anatomy (new time, crossover event)
10:01/9:01c: A Million Little Things (new time)

Sunday, Feb. 9
8/7c: The Oscars

Tuesday, Feb. 11
10/9c: For Life  

Sunday, Feb. 16
8/7c: American Idol (Season 18 premiere)

Sunday, Feb. 23
10/9c: The Rookie
Thursday, April 2'
10/9c: How to Get Away with Murder



Press Releases after the Jump

The Lookback: Thanksgiving: Mouse on the Mayflower

Thanksgiving  The Flashback 

    Our quest to find a Thanksgiving special has been accomplished once again. This time we have a special brought to us from Rankin-Bass from 1968 it's "Mouse on the Mayflower" , a different Rankin-Bass special with mice!   The special has the voice of Tennessee Ernie Ford (Consult your local Ernie Ford today!), Eddie Albert (whom you may know from Green Acres) , Joanie Sommers (nice!)  also Paul Frees (a Rankin Bass mainstay) and June Foray. Now on Joshuaonline this is "Mouse on the Mayflower"

       The special takes us right into the Mayflower like we just wondered in to them and the boat's taking on water and we're not going to help. (We're mean that way!)  Also, there's a mouse wearing clothes. (Network censors won't allow naked mice)   The theme music takes over. Then it takes us to church in the modern times (because I see cars) and there's a mouse. Since this is a Rankin Bass special, we have a narrator, this mouse (voiced by Ford) and he tell us that should remember what Thanksgiving and his name is Willum and he is talking about his great (many greats) grand father  was part of the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower compact. (Mice power!)

Mice also signed the Declaration of Independence and your checks/ Copyright NBC Universal 

   Also his relative was named Willum because, sure why not?  Now it goes back in time to the days of the pilgrims.  This is a musical? (I didn't sign up for this.) All the famous pilgrim people from the  Thanksgiving story are there. (You're Watching Mouse Thanksgiving on History Channel, followed by Aliens did it!)   The special mentions the correct original plans of the separatists wanting to go to Virginia to settle.  It  does skip of the other ship falling apart and being of no use, so they had to take the Mayflower.  We have only 40 minutes  so we don't have time for all that. (Peanuts has less time and still mentioned it ) 

I'll Miles Standish next to you/ Copyright NBC Universal 

      Is this special trying to pair Priscilla Mullins and Miles Standish? Oh no, wait they are setting up the details where she marries John Alden in Plymouth the next year.(Spoilers, sir!)  Why are there villains in this special? When did villains join the mayflower. These two guys want the pilgrims' gold because the special has time for this.

They are the bad guys!  Copyright NBC Universal 

   Where's the mouse? Oh there he is, he also gets on the Mayflower.  (This special is called "Mouse on the Mayflower" not mice, meaning that he was single, therefore no lady nice, therefore his grand child shouldn't exist)  The Mayflower is crowded, and we have time for 3 stooges gags.   There's a song about the Mayflower being crowded. "How about a little elbow room?"  Good, we have some more Maury Laws music, that's how Rankin Bass works!  I think John and Priscilla are falling in love (don't do any sinning there you two).  Now there's a storm and the bad guys want the pilgrims to abandon ship so, they can take the gold. (dark as heck!)   Willum "tells" Miles that the main beam is breaking so, they'll need a great screw.  The mouse changes history.  Crises adverted. (that was quick)  Granny (because this lady is voiced by June Foray) catches Alden talking to Priscilla (sinning!) .

Hey this is 1620! Go do that in 2020! / Copyright  NBC Universal 

     Great news ! They let Joanie Sommers sing a song! It's a song about Priscilla wanting to be with John Alden because why not?  Then they find land? (Would be strange if they went the wrong way and were back in England)  Bad news folks! They didn't reach Virginia.  (Oops) They are near New England. (There's a new England?)    They are encouraged to start  their own colony. Oh another song with Joanie Sommers. There's a native mouse, because of course.  Also, a bear and native are hugging each other?

What the history books don't tell you/ Copyright NBC Universal 

      Meanwhile, the bad guys, the same native and a bear  team up?   What am I looking at?  The bad guys wanted to start a war because gold. Then the mice get a deer to stop the pilgrims from shooting the natives.  Thus stopping a war. Mouse unity made them not be enemies because that works. The bad guys are stopped  easily so, sure.   Another song.  They are trying to beat winter's cold grip. Then winter hits, good thing they built so many houses in 1 month.  They even mention the deaths that happened, so it's not shying away from that part of the story.  Spring comes! 

"There's a bug on your neck" / Copyright NBC Universal 

        After all the spring and summer. Hey it's 1621, when are John and Priscilla to be wed hurry up?  Anyway, first Thanksgiving. The special's near end quotes "Psalm 100".  Then it turns into modern times again  showing contemporary America then roll credits! 

had to include shot of the mouse / Copyright NBC Universal  

    It is an experience for a Thanksgiving related special. It's quite a messy special with the idea of having villains for some reason.  They did put some moments of historical accuracy that I wasn't expecting because this about talking mice, and there's a bear who joins our villains which probably didn't really happen. I also see Rankin Bass saved their best songs for the Christmas specials but, the songs here are serviceable.   It's goofy and strange, but at least it wasn't boring.  

     That does it for our Lookback, tune in next time when we wonder why there was only one mouse on the Mayflower.   

       

20 Years of Mike Lu and Og

CARTOON NETWORK  THE LOOKBACK 

       There are cartoon network series that seem to get slipped under the radar of bigger ones even now. (In fact, I wont' even say what shows I currently think slip under the radar, to keep this post current for 50 years or something) I think in the framing of 90's early 2000's Cartoon Network for "Powerpuff Girls" , "Dexter's Lab" there are shows that slip under that memorability.   This case it's "Mike Lu and Og"

          First airing on November 12th 1999.  To be pure and exact, it had a pilot that aired on "What a Cartoon Show" a year before this, but they already had made their choice for it be a series, obviously.     The series had 2 season and ran 26 episodes (or 52 segments). 

    The premise of this series is simple a girl named Mike who is from New York, and won't let you forget it, is an exchange student to a random Island. Where a few British settlers were shipwrecked and their descendants inhabit. Most of the episodes is Mike trying to figure out the island while also trying have the comforts of home and teaching them about her home lifestyle.

On the Left in Red: Mike/ Copyright Warner Media 

                     The main cast of characters ,besides Mike, are  Lu and Og.  Lu is younger than Mike but older than her cousin Og, She considers herself to be the princess of the Island.  A mostly stubborn character who wants things to go her way. 

                    

pictured : Lu / Copyright  Warner Media 

            Og is the youngest of the trio, and Lu's cousin.  He is very helpful to Mike's ideas because he is an inventor and scientist. He's the smartest of the three by default but gets caught up in everything as much as everyone else does. 

  

   pictured : Og/ Warner Media 

          There are other characters as well  like Lu's father is dotes on his daughter and is governor of the Island, thus why Lu acts like a princess.  There's Og's parents who have also taken in Mike as their exchange student guest.  There's Lu's turtle Lancelot, and a few other animals as well.  Interesting cast really. 

    

               Most of the episodes plots are simple: Mike wants the comforts of home and the episodes center around the islanders trying to figure  these modern things and customs.   The series was strange but it seemed to have fun with it's premise. It's interesting to see  Mike's reactions to island life yet, still missing things she's used to from home. I think it mostly takes place contemporary time  so he's put on an island with stuck in a past time attitudes. The Islanders are quirky and yet seem receptive to most of Mike's "oddities" 

  more after the jump 

The CW's Mid season Premiere Dates announced

The CW  MidseasonTV 

   
     The CW has announced their 2020 Mid season Premiere dates.

    Highlights include ;   The Fifth Season premiere of "DC's Legends of Tomorrow",  New Series: "Katy Keene";  "Supernatural" moves to new night in March, and series finale dates for "Arrow" and "Supernatural" announced.


 All times ET  (unless otherwise noted)

     Here are the dates

Tuesday, January 21, 2020
8PM    Arrow (Original Episode)
9PM   DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Season Premiere)

Tuesday. January 28,2020
9PM  Arrow (Series Finale)


Thursday, February 6, 2020
8PM  Katy Keene (Series Premiere)
9PM  Legacies (Original Episode)

Monday, March 9, 2020
8PM  All American (Season finale)
9PM   Black Lightning (Season finale)

Monday, March 16, 2020
8PM  Supernatural (new time period premiere)
9PM  Roswell, New Mexico (season premiere)


"Supernatural" ends on Monday. May 18th.



Press release after the Jump

The CW 2019 Holiday programming

The CW  Christmas 

     The CW has released their holiday programming. Including "Grandma Got Run Over by  A Reindeer" , specials from  I Heart Media and more!

Here's the schedule
all times ET , unless otherwise noted

Wednesday, November 27
8-10PM   iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1

Thursday, November 28
8-10PM  iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 2

Friday, November 29
8PM  Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer
9PM   Penn & Teller: Merry Fool US

Friday, December 13
8-10PM The 88TH Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade

Sunday, December 15
8PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge
9PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge

Monday, December 16
8PM  Penn & Teller: Merry Fool Us (Encore)
9PM  Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown 2019

Tuesday, December 17
8pm   Dogs of the Year
9pm  Arrow (Encore)


Wednesday, December 18
8pm  Grandma Got Runover by  Reindeer (Encore)
9PM  Masters of Illusion : Christmas Magic

Thursday, December 19
8PM  iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019
9:30PM  Whose Line Is it Anyway? (Encore)


Sunday, December 22
8PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge
9PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge

Monday, December 23
8PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge
9PM  The Christmas Caroler Challenge


Tuesday, December 24
8PM Masters of Illusion : Christmas Magic (Encore)
9pm  Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown 2019

Wednesday, December 25
8PM  iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2019  (Encore)
9:30PM  Whose Line Is it Anyway? (Encore)

Thursday, December 26
8PM  iHeart Radio Music Festival Greatest Moments (Encore)
9PM  Legacies (Encore)

Friday, December 27
8PM  TBA
9:30PM  Popstar's Best of 2019


Monday, December 30
8-10PM   iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1 (Encore)

Tuesday, December 31
8-10PM  iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 2  (Encore)

Press Release after the Jump