I had a really wierd dream last night - and in it, 3 television shows that I remember watching when I was younger were brought back into my mind. Can anyone here help me identify them from my vague recollections?
Note: These shows might have been Canadian only - I know that one of them for sure is. Timeframe? Late 70s, early 80s.
All three were educational shows.
The first was a language skill/typing skill show. It took place at a newspaper, and our hapless hero (scrawny guy - wears glasses - think he did commercials for Mono foam later) always had to write a story, but was having trouble. His gruff boss always gave him a deadline to meet. And our hero always got some inspiration from a woman who worked in the office with him.
The second show was a Canadian educational show I remember watching in school. There were 2 young kids who hung out in a “secret” bookstore. They had 2 technology friends that would give them information. One was a TV set on wheels called Theta(?) and a daisy wheel printer called Omega(?). They would be magically transported to various places in history. And whenever someone woulf show up to their “clubhouse”, Theta and Omega would disappear into their hiding places.
The third show, all I can remember was that it took place in a toy store (I think). I remember it being kind of scary, because things would move around after everyone left.
Anyways, that is all I can remember. Is this good enough for anyone to help me remember the names?
I think I know what the third one is: Today’s Special. It was a department store, but a lot of the “focus” was in the toy section. Were there puppets? A manquin who came to life when the store closed? Everything happened after hours in this show. It * was * a Canadian show in 81’ but Nickeloden showed it throughout the 80’s in the US. http://us.imdb.com/Title?0198253
My oh My a TVOntario dream, that is sad. And for most posters really obscure.
The first show was from 1976, the main guy, (skinny guy was Henry, he worked with Ms Newton, under Mr. Morgan. The Show was “Write On” a 10 minute short that focused on proper writing skills, punctuation, sentence structure etc. The two episodes I still remember focused on wrongs of Comma splicing (Featuring a cheap Kiss singer knock off) and the horrors of using gobbly gook in writing. This would cause Mr. Morton to go into uncontrollable rants.
The second show’s name escapes me but it was also a short which focused on sentence structure and writing skills. Done in the late 70’s early 80’s
It was a serialized story in which the two kids were writing for a kiddy newspaper and also trying to foil the plans of a silver headed alien trying to take over the world (Mr Deadman, Devilin or something like that). He was a regular guy on earth but a floating head on his world.
Each episode they would travel to a differnt part of his world and have to solve rddles and correct mistakes to move on to the next area.
The third show sounded like Today’s special to me as well
I’m not sure what it could be
Thank you kingpengvin - you nailed that first one. And it sounds like you got the second one as well - I remember that the cast of kids changed as the series went on as well.
The third one… Man… I gotta remember more details…
Just remembered the second show
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
I looked under IMDB.com under TVOntario, There doesn’t look to be anytghing resembling your third entry but I did find the Adventures of Timothy Pilgrim… My favorite show as a kid.
Thanks again to kingpengvin for coming up with the name of the second show.
I went and checked out the list at IMDB. Too many memories. Math Patrol, Parlez-Moi, and Report Canada are now all front and centre in my mind. I’m almost afraid to go to sleep tonight…
Crap, now I’ve got the Report Canada theme song stuck in my head.
That third show is going to bother me even more though… I think I remember there being 2 or 3 kids, and an older gentleman who’s shop it was… Grrr…
I think I may have been steering everyone off the path with the third show. I am pretty sure that the toy store portion of it is correct, but the part about things moving around by themselves was only in one episode I believe. It concluded the episode, after everyone had left and turned out the lights, something vagely creepy and definitely scary to a 7 year old…
I can almost see the show and the characters in my mind… Argh!!!