A comedian whose name I don’t remember once said that to people who would now be about 35-50, the phrase “Sooouuuuuuuuuul Train!” were still the most frustrating words on the planet, because it meant cartoons were over.
My ideal Saturday mornings would included (don’t care about what order):
FLASH GORDON (the Filmation version)- one of my favorite cartoons ever (one of the few where living people [Hawkmen and others] got killed- loved their battle sequences)
The Tarzan Filmation- especially when the talking ape (“the Bol Mongani”, or something like) was on
And the last one I remember liking, even though I was a bit old for it, THUNDARR!
I loved the artwork of America in ruins (Neanderthal like hordes under the capitol dome, for instance)
I can think of lots I liked but not as much, lots I couldn’t care less about, but these were probably my Saturday morning dream-team.
I was all about the Superfriends (Super Friends? Can’t remember if it was one word or two). Everything else paled in comparison, but I also remember enjoying Speed Buggy, Wheelie and the Chopper Gang, Inch High Private Eye, the live action Shazam! and Isis, and of course the Schoolhouse Rock and Big Blue Marble breaks between shows.
Superfriends, Land of the Lost, H.R. Pufnstuf, Captain Kool and the Kongs, (in other words, all the Krofft stuff), The Yogilympics, all the Hanna-Barbera stuff (even though it was horrible animation): Scooby-Doo, Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt, Captain Caveman, etc., Schoolhouse Rock, Big Blue Marble, In The News.
Oh my god, YES! That is exactly how I felt when I heard that sound and saw that animated choo-choo chugging onto the screen. It’s funny because it’s true.
My favorite cartoons:
The old-school Loony Toons/Merrie Melodies, of course.
Superfriends - loved Gleek and the Wonder Twins, “Form of… an ice wrench!” wtf?
**He-Man **- “By the Power of Grayskull”
The Smurfs - also The Snorks and The Littles
Kidd Video - anyone else remember this? Live action teen rockers get trapped in the animated “flipside” world
Dungeons and Dragons - I wish this had lasted longer.
Voltron - the Lion Force was the best
The Flintstones and The Jetsons
There was the wave of video game cartoons: Pac-man, Frogger, and Q-bert.
Plus all the Sid & Marty Kroft shows. I had a major crush on Dyna-girl.
#1: Schoolhouse Rock. I loved those like nothing else.
After that, in no particular order:
Superfriends
Bugs Bunny & Friends
Fat Albert (before it got re-vamped and the Brown Hornet was added)
Scooby-doo
Laff-a-lympics
Really, Saturday mornings were just an incredible sea of garbage. Even these were pretty awful (minus schoolhouse rock), and there were dozens that were far worse. Looking back, I’m amazed my parents put up with me watching it every week.
It kept you out of their hair for about four hours once a week…they’d have probably made you sit and watch it if you didn’t want to… (generic you, of course…I have no idea what kind of holy terror you might or might not have been as a child)
I was a big fan of Scooby Doo, Super Friends, Land of the Lost and the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour that sometimes went 90.
Capping it all off were the short run Star Trek Animated Series and to a lesser extent Jason of Star Command with James Doohan for the first fun season. It was a spin off of a lesser show Space Academy.
Did you know they are making a **Land of the Lost **movie starring Will Ferrell? Ferrell is overexposed, IMO, but this is the kind of cheese that could really play to his strengths. It could be awesome… or another abomination. I’ll see it because it also stars Anna Friel (of Pushing Daisies).
I’m really torn on this. Land of the Lost with a budget. I love Anna Friel and I usually hate Will Ferrell. I will end up going to see it and I will just hope for the best.
The most awful thing about Soul Train is that the intro was animated. What a cocktease.
It’s sad to me that kids get cartoons all day now. They were a lot more special when you only got them on Saturday mornings. My kids will see “Saturday morning cartoons” as being as antique as “Saturday night baths”.
What is a little sad is we got the first season of the old show from Netflix and my kids liked it as little as they liked the old Tom Baker “Doctor Who”. That is to say not at all. The kids are spoiled by special effects these days. Though great writing will win the day. They both like the old black and white “Twilight Zone”.
