Famous people/works you were exposed to in a kiddie context

[Freudian Slit]

Sorry if the title sounded weird. An example of this is I first saw Ringo Starr and George Carlin when they were playing Mr. Conductor on "Shining Time Station" but had no idea they were famous for other stuff.

Or when I just thought of Joe Pesci as the Home Alone robber.

What are your examples?

[Swallowed My Cellphone]

Richard Wagner. The first time I heard some of his actual opera music, I thought: "Hey, it's that Bugs Bunny music!" (from What's Opera Doc?). Ditto the Rabbit of Seville.

[kenobi 65]

I was first exposed to Bill Cosby on "The Electric Company", and in "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids".

For that matter, "The Electric Company" was where I first became familiar with Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.

[Sampiro]

Not sure if this counts, but the old Bugs Bunny cartoons that featured him as a waiter in a restaurant patronized by Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall/Mickey Rooney [during his heyday]/Sidney Greenstreet/etc. was the first exposure I can remember to Golden Age stars.

As for the stars themselves, I remember watching a children's version of The Canterville Ghost that starred John Gielgud and of course STAR WARS with Alec Guinness and thinking both times "Those old men are good... I hope they get another role sometime".

As for famous works, I used to read the Classics Illustrated comic books religiously. There are still a few books (Kidnapped and Black Beauty come to mind) that I've never read but will catch references to due to those comics.

[Freudian Slit]

I also hate to admit this...but when I was little, the Beach Boys were just that band that guest starred on Full House once in a while and didn't Uncle Jesse drum with them sometimes? ::hangs head::

[RealityChuck]

Harry Warren, Raymond Scott, and Rossini -- all from Warner Brothers cartoons, which used their music.

Pinky Lee and Soupy Sales.

[Kolga]

I don't know if this counts, but my grandmother had a book of Shakespeare's plays summarized in child-appropriate language, so I read all of the Bard's plays before I was about 10.

[h.sapiens]

I was first exposed to Bill Cosby on "The Electric Company", and in "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids".

For that matter, "The Electric Company" was where I first became familiar with Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.

My first exposure to Tom Lehrer was on "The Electric Company".

I first saw Pete Seeger and James Earl Jones (reciting the alphabet!) on "Sesame Street".

[Don Draper]

I also first saw Rita Moreno & Morgan Freeman on "the Electric Company."

I still sometimes think of Angela Lansbury as Miss Price from "Bedknobs & Broomsticks." Also, I first saw Darren McGaven, Don Knotts and David Niven In Disney's "No Deposit, No Return."

I think the first time I saw Bette Davis, she was in "Return from Witch Mountain" (a looooooow point in her later career. She wasn't even the main bad guy - she was a flunky sidekick to the villain.)

[Hampshire]

my childhood self on Richard Pryor:

"This black guy in the movie 'The Toy' is hiiiii-larious. Where have I seen him before? Oh yeah, he was the balloon guy in 'The Muppet Movie'. He must have got a lucky break to be starring in a movie like this. Good for him. I can see him going places."

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Wait! George Carlin was Mr. Conductor? Holy shit! :eek:

[ZipperJJ]

Yo Yo Ma is that neato cello player from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

My mom used to rent Faerie Tale Theater (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199214/) videos for me when I was a kid. It was hosted by Shelly Duvall and there were a lot of famous people who showed up in the series.

I still think of Elliot Gould as The Giant from "Jack & The Beanstalk" from that series.

[Freudian Slit]

My mom used to rent Faerie Tale Theater (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199214/) videos for me when I was a kid. It was hosted by Shelly Duvall and there were a lot of famous people who showed up in the series.

I still think of Elliot Gould as The Giant from "Jack & The Beanstalk" from that series.

I didn't watch all of them, but a lot of them had commercials talking about the famous people. In particular I remember hearing, "Mick Jagger in the Nightingale" and "Jean Stapleton in Jack and the Beanstalk" and not knowing who they were. Also, Paul Reubens was in Pinocchio but I did actually know who he was. :D

[ZipperJJ]

I didn't watch all of them, but a lot of them had commercials talking about the famous people. In particular I remember hearing, "Mick Jagger in the Nightingale" and "Jean Stapleton in Jack and the Beanstalk" and not knowing who they were. Also, Paul Reubens was in Pinocchio but I did actually know who he was. :D

Wow you totally just jogged my memory. I remember all three from the shows!

Although...I think by that time I had already known Jagger and Stapleton (my parents firmly entrenched us in the 70's even tho I was born in 79)...and it's possible that by the time I got the videos, Reubens was already Pee Wee.

But, nevertheless, still some great memories :)

[Freudian Slit]

This totally makes me want to go back and rewatch Fairy Tale Theatre. Actually, I didn't really know Shelly Duvall as anyone other than the Fairy Tale lady. Now I think of her as Wendy Torrance in the Shining.

I didn't know Elliot Gould was the giant! I love that guy.

Going through the cast list, I'm already seeing Terri Garr, Michael Richards, Robin Williams, Eric Idle, Jeff Bridges, Jerry Hall (also in the Nightingale!), Anjelica Huston, Bernadette Peters, Malcolm McDowell, Roddy McDowell, John Lithgow, Tatum O'Neal, Frank Zappa, Billy Crystal, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Dennehy and Helen Mirren. Wow! Were these the cool fairy tales of the day or something?

ETA: With Roman Grant/Harry Dean Stanton as Rip Van Winkle! This I gotta see.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

As for famous works, I used to read the Classics Illustrated comic books religiously. There are still a few books (Kidnapped and Black Beauty come to mind) that I've never read but will catch references to due to those comics.
I read those too, and I still hate Charles Dickens in novel format even though I really liked the comic book versions.

[missred]

I was introduced to caricatures of stars from the forties and some classical works from the old Warner Bros. cartoons.

The only other ones I can think of are Woody Allen and Joan Worley from a program I seem to recall as Bananas.

[Stauderhorse]

I first knew of Kevin Bacon from Balto, an animated movie in which he voices a wolfdog. It was only much later that I made the connection: "Man, the guy from Sleepers and Flatliners sounds familiar. Holy crap, it's Balto!"

And when I saw Ralph Fiennes in Red Dragon, I didn't know that he was Voldemort in Harry Potter and Rameses from The Prince of Egypt. When I figured all that out, it was a very :eek: moment.

The Lion King introduced me to a whole lot of voice actors as well. It was weird to go back later in life and figure it all out. Holy crap, the guy from Ferris Bueller is Simba! Darth Vader is Mufasa! Gah!

(And I only just figured out from Wikipedia that James Earl Jones was the guy with the dog in The Sandlot. My mind is officially blown.)

[Harvey The Heavy]

The first time I ever saw a Get Smart rerun, I thought "Holy crap! It's Tennessee Tuxedo!"

Same thing with just about anyone who played a villain on the old Batman: Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eartha Kitt, Victor Buono, etc.

[jayjay]

I first knew Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl in the Robin Williams' Popeye.

[Freudian Slit]

(And I only just figured out from Wikipedia that James Earl Jones was the guy with the dog in The Sandlot. My mind is officially blown.)

I forgot he was in that!

I first knew Denis Leary as the stepdad in Sandlot, but I forgot he was in that...only to be reminded when I watched him get roasted.

It was also kind of weird when I first discovered that Bog Saget was dirty and not, in terms of his real personality, the corny Danny Tanner or host of Funniest Home Videos. He was raunch personified!

[GuanoLad]

We never got I Love Lucy in New Zealand, at least not while I was growing up in the 70s, but we did have her later show, Here's Lucy. So I couldn't figure out what all the Americans were talking about when they referred to the former show, as I thought they were talking of the latter. And I also didn't know why she was such a famous and popular actress when she was so damned irritating.

Anyway, I love this animation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0RQK3xsim4).

[Drain Bead]

My first Carlin exposure was Rufus, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

[joebuck20]

My first Carlin exposure was Rufus, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Same here. I was actually suprised to find out some years later just how raunchy his stand-up act was.

[joebuck20]

I forgot he was in that!

I first knew Denis Leary as the stepdad in Sandlot, but I forgot he was in that...only to be reminded when I watched him get roasted.

It was also kind of weird when I first discovered that Bog Saget was dirty and not, in terms of his real personality, the corny Danny Tanner or host of Funniest Home Videos. He was raunch personified!

Yeah, I have to wonder having seen his act, how did he get cast on Full House.

[Thudlow Boink]

Probably many of us first encountered Shel Silverstein as a kids' author, and only later learned (or not) of his adult career as a songwriter, playwright, etc.

[kayaker]

When I was a kid, circa 1964, I was over a friends house playing. My friends parents had two people over for drinks. They were Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. They were funny, very nice people. I had no idea that they were famous until many years later.

[Goblin Queen]

However much of a kids' movie it was or wasn't, I first saw David Bowie in Labyrinth, when I was about five or so. What a way to start a 16-year obsession!

There's also Tim Curry, who I first heard in Fern Gully and first saw in Muppet Treasure Island. Yeah, my jaw dropped the first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If I could find a third example, I could maybe even come up with a theory that starts with Muppets and ends with bisexual space aliens...

[Freudian Slit]

However much of a kids' movie it was or wasn't, I first saw David Bowie in Labyrinth, when I was about five or so. What a way to start a 16-year obsession!

There's also Tim Curry, who I first heard in Fern Gully and first saw in Muppet Treasure Island. Yeah, my jaw dropped the first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I saw him in Annie but I don't think it really registered as him. Actually I saw a lot of famous people in Annie--Anne Reinking, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Burnett. I don't think I realized how famous any of t hem were for quite a few years.

For a while, Bebe Neuwirth was just Frasier's wife on Cheers. Okay, that's not kiddie, really...

[Voyager]

I was introduced to caricatures of stars from the forties and some classical works from the old Warner Bros. cartoons.

The only other ones I can think of are Woody Allen and Joan Worley from a program I seem to recall as Bananas.

Jo Anne Worley? I saw her in The Mad Show Off Broadway before she was in Laugh-In. I also recently saw her in a play in San Jose. Woody Allen had a movie called Bananas, but I don't remember Worley in it. Howard Cosell, yes.

I'm way too old for most of the things here, but I saw a lot of Warner Brothers cartoons in the '50s on TV, and I also got a good shot of '40s celebrities and vaudeville jokes on them. Vaudeville jokes bet recycled a lot - we're re-watching The Muppet Show, which is full of them, as was You Can't Do That on Television which I watched with my kids on the early, classical, days of Nickelodeon.

[missred]

Jo Anne Worley? I saw her in The Mad Show Off Broadway before she was in Laugh-In. I also recently saw her in a play in San Jose. Woody Allen had a movie called Bananas, but I don't remember Worley in it. Howard Cosell, yes.

<


Actually, it wasn't the movie. It was an afternoon TV program for kids that had her and Woody Allen doing narration and schtick between cartoons and shorts featuring how things were made. It aired in the late sixties and early seventies.

[jayjay]

Actually, it wasn't the movie. It was an afternoon TV program for kids that had her and Woody Allen doing narration and schtick between cartoons and shorts featuring how things were made. It aired in the late sixties and early seventies.

Hot Dog! (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065301/)

Opening and closing sequences for the show on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhhZIPplIY).

[gallows fodder]

When I was five, my mom gave me a book on the painter Velasquez (IIRC, it was part of a series of paperback books on famous artists geared toward children) and I carried it with me everywhere.

I very vividly remember dreaming about Las Meninas (http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/disciplines/espagnol/img/cuadros/velazquez/velazquez_meninas.jpg) -- I didn't understand what was going on in the painting, but gathered from the young girls' dresses that it was a painting of a birthday party, so I dreamt I was invited to the party.

Velasquez and the other old Spanish masters are still my favorite artists...no coincidence, I'm sure.

[Robot Arm]

Wait! George Carlin was Mr. Conductor? Holy shit! :eek:Ever seen Theodore Tugboat? The Harbourmaster is Denny Doherty.

[TWDuke]

Hamlet and Bizet simultaneously on Gilligan's Island (which was originally a primetime series but was definitely considered kiddie fare by the time I saw it).

On the guest star tip, The Flinstones had a number of celebrity and/or celebrity impersonator voice actors - Ann-Margret and Alfred Hitchcock come to mind.

[missred]

Hot Dog! (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065301/)

Opening and closing sequences for the show on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhhZIPplIY).


That's it! I don't know why I remembered it as Bananas. :smack:

[Freudian Slit]

Hamlet and Bizet simultaneously on Gilligan's Island (which was originally a primetime series but was definitely considered kiddie fare by the time I saw it).

Yes! I used to watch reruns of Gilligan as a kid and now whenever I hear Toreador, a little part of me starts to sing, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be..."

[Hilarity N. Suze]

My father had a large collection of Spike Jones records. For those who don't know, Jones took a song and added...elements, like whistles, grunts. He did "Holiday for Strings" with various members of his band singing, "Ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha," and nobody playing any instruments at all (it's a holiday, get it?) and that kind of stuff. Sort of the Mad Magazine version of the songs.

But for me, this was the first time I'd ever heard the songs. So as far as I was concerned, it was the straight version. It was like hearing Weird Al's version of
"Another One Rides the Bus" years before hearing the real version of "Another One Bites the Dust."

Some of the songs were clearly there to be laughed at ("Water Lou (Drip Drip Drip)" but others were crazy versions of popular swing-era songs like "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "That Old Black Magic."

Yes, other people did "Begin the Beguine," and oddly enough, they got through the song without howling. Sure surprised me.

[Thudlow Boink]

Sort of the Mad Magazine version of the songs. Which reminds me of all the movies I was first introduced to through Mad.
Yes, other people did "Begin the Beguine," and oddly enough, they got through the song without howling. Sure surprised me.Kinda like hearing Sousa's "Liberty Bell March" not punctuated by Monty Python's raspberry?

[rowrrbazzle]

On kids' 45 rpm records:

Jimmy Stewart narrating a dramatization of "Winnie the Pooh".

The Weavers singing "Train to the Zoo".

As background music to various stories: Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, Schubert's incidental music to Rosamunde, Rossini overtures.


Kids' 78 rpm records: the badinerie from Bach's Orchestral Suite in B Minor, Rameau's Le Tambourin (showing the difference between performing it on a harpsichord and a piano).

And of course, a lot of the music in Fantasia.

[rowrrbazzle]

Almost forgot: the scene from Melies' Voyage to the Moon where the ship crashes into the eye of the Man in the Moon at the beginning of the Disney tv program Man in Space.

[Freudian Slit]

Almost forgot: the scene from Melies' Voyage to the Moon where the ship crashes into the eye of the Man in the Moon at the beginning of the Disney tv program Man in Space.

Same here except I first saw it in the Smashing Pumpkins video for "Tonight, Tonight." Okay, not really kiddie. Teenagery?

[freckafree]

When I was little, there was in the living room a little slip-cased set of soft-cover art history books from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I used to pore over those books, so I was familiar with a lot of works of art before I really had any idea that there were great masterpieces. I just thought they were purty pictures!

[mbh]

The first time I ever saw Alice Cooper, was when he appeared on The Muppet Show.

I saw Alistaire Cookie host Monsterpiece Theater, long before I ever saw Alistaire Cooke host Masterpiece Theater.

I saw caricatures of Peter Lorre in Warner Brothers cartoons, long before I ever saw the real man in the original movies.

I saw Arte Johnson's parody of Dwight Frie in Love at First Bite, long before I ever saw Dracula.