What’s the “UMPH!!”? Is that a sound that Mighty Manfred made?
FireballXL5 about a space rocket in the future all the characters are marionettes. The programme was made by the Andersons who went on to make Stingray,Thunderbirds,U.F.O. etc.
My memories of it are hazy but enjoyable.
Some more trivia: the Bloodhound Gang segment was discontinued after the guy playing Ricardo died of AIDS related cancer. This was early enough in the 1980s (pre-Rock Hudson) that the fact that he had AIDS was a ‘dirty secret’ and had to be hushed up.
Anyway, does anyone else remember a blatant “Scooby Doo” ripoff called “Goober and the Ghostchasers?” Slightly hippie teens/young adults cruising around the country in a van with a cowardly dog & a ‘wacky’ Shaggy type, solving mysteries?
Some more trivia: the Bloodhound Gang segment was discontinued after the guy playing Ricardo died of AIDS related cancer. This was early enough in the 1980s (pre-Rock Hudson) that the fact that he had AIDS was a ‘dirty secret’ and had to be hushed up.
Anyway, does anyone else remember a blatant “Scooby Doo” ripoff called “Goober and the Ghostchasers”? Hippie-type teens/young adults cruising around the country in a van with a cowardly dog & a ‘wacky’ Shaggy type, solving mysteries?
Visionaries. I know, perhaps not too obscure, but apparently I was the only one in my nerdherd to watch them.
Was that the cartoon with the futuristic knights who had holograms in their chests and on something like a sign on a pole? I actually got the 1st issue of the tie-in comic book in my last White Elephant, if it is.
If anybody remembers the UFO scare of the 70s this show really freaked me out because it was supposed to be real.
Project UFO
A man called Sloane
I remember that show. The dog, Goober, would turn invisible when frightened or something.
After Felix the cat who got things raked over his sack, cartoons moved up to Geralg McBoing Boing,Huckleberry Hound,Quick Draw McGraw and Heckle and Jeckle . I think there was Droopy Dog too.
It was OswalD the Rabbit who got raked. They were the mainstay of early TV.
I could’ve sworn that show was called “Project Blue Book.”
The “holograms” and signs were called totems.
I remember the cartoon too but it’s inaccurate to call it a ripoff of “Scooby Doo.” Both “Scooby Doo” and “Goober” were Hanna-Barbara shows. “Goober” would’ve been a ripoff only if somebody else made it. Instead, it was a blatant copy of “Scooby” crossed with “The Funky Phantom” which had hippie-type teens/young adults cruising around the country in a van with a cowardly ghost solving mysteries.
Ah, Philly!
Yoose guys in NYC got your egg creams and knishes; England’s claim to fame is its Lancashire hotpot and jellied eels; no one can resist a tasty Minnesota lutefish; Tanzania’s ugali is a pretty dish; Oh boy, for Louisiana Po’boys; never met a German wiener schnitzel I didn’t like; Marylanders got an itch for crabs…formed into cakes; Scotland’s got Arbroath Smokies; Chicago got its Italian Beef; Moldova Fermented wheat bran Borscht…mmm mmm good; California is awash in Fish Tacos; Vietnamese bánh mì, phở is practically a lunch bag staple of mine along with Rhode Island Jonnycakes and I can’t say no to a bowl of Finland’s poronkäristys (sauteed reindeer)…unless I see a red nose in there.
But, the regional junk food capital of the world is surely the Philadelphia (aka Philly/Filthydelphia/ Psychodelphia)-South Jersey part of Delaware Valley—where I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. You really haven’t eaten until you’ve had a Philly cheese steak, hoagie, scrapple, Tasty Kake or soft pretzel, downed with a glass of Jersey’s own Boost Drink-a-Toast (…and while the NYC and Chicago pizza parlor posers fight it out, we all know the best pizza really comes from the Mafioso front pizza joints in South Jersey…it was worth the gamble of stumbling into the cross fire of a drive-by hit, for a slice of heaven).
As Philly rocks the world of indigenous junk food, so it rocks the world of indigenous junk TV—particularly morning kid’s shows.
Here’s a near complete list of local Philadelphia shows that perhaps few people remember (along with a little stream of consciousness commentary):
Wee Willie Weber
Willy the Worm
Captain Philadelphia
Rex Morgan
Carny C. Carney
Happy the Clown: Parading with marching sticks. We kids bought into the urban legend that Happy the Clown wasn’t very happy and, in fact, hated kids. Supposedly he lost his show when his mike was still on at the end of the show, and adoring fans from all around the Delaware Valley heard him say, “get these little f**kers out of here.”
Pixanne: She flew into my heart as she flew precariously across stage suspended on a wire. Talked to an Owl in a tree.
Bertie the Bunyip: Aussie puppeteer whose cast included, Bertie, Humphrey the White Rabbit, Fussy and Gussy, Nixie the Pixie, Cindy the dog, Sir Guy de Guy Fox and Twinkle the Squirrel.
Pete’s Gang: With host Peter Boyle (father of actor Peter Boyle).
Lorenzo: “Emmett Kelly ripoff, with a heart of gold”
The Larry Ferrari Show: Live organ music. Larry was a neighbor of mine. Had a marble front door. Gave out interesting Halloween treats.
The Original American Bandstand: It was all downhill after they moved to California.
Captain Noah: “Send your pictures to Dear Old Capt. Noah!”
Gene London: Very talented artist who drew very detailed pictures while telling engaging stories. Become a fashion designer in NYC after his show was canceled. I had a huge crush on his girlfriend, Debbie Dibley.
Sally Starr: Popeye Theater. She was a real pro…still performing well into her eighties. I recall Mo Howard and Larry Fine of the Three Stooges guesting on Sally’s show as very old men… rather sad to see them so decrepit. She moved to Florida, house burned down, moved back to Jersey.
Doctor Shock Show: Exterminator turned television host whose daughter Bubbles would knock on his coffin with a toy hammer to wake him up for the show.
And, lastly, the legendary Chief Halftown, a full-blooded Seneca tribe Native American, whose show ran from 1951 to 1999 (a mind boggling 48 years!)
I think the magic of these shows was the perfect blend of schmaltz, hamminess, Philly/South Jersey accents, complete sincerity, real talent in a certain area (e.g. drawing) and a complete lack of acting ability. Those shows were one-of-a-kind masterpieces of a bygone, innocent time and I wish they were still around for my kids to watch.
On the National Scene, who remembers:
Me and the Chimp, starring Ted Bessel
It’s About Time
Clutch Cargo…and those wretched, nightmarish lips!
Winky Dink and You
I mentioned these a while back in a thread where I was trying to identify them – the Ritts Puppets. Nobody else seemed to recall them from the time of my youth, although they’d seen them since. I recalled Magnolia the Ostrich, but couldn’t remember her name (or what kind of bird she was – I was remembering a swan):
Here they are on YouTuve. I don’t remember the Abominable Snowman, though – he was after my time:
Here are a few more of my favorite old shows that not many of you may remember:
Ruff & Reddy, an early Hanna-Barberaproduction.
Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har
Circus Boy, starring future Monkee, Micky Dolenz
I remember Chief Halftown. The Chief was the guest of an annual assembly in my elementary school in the early 70’s. The first year he arrived in full traditional costume and talked to us about growing up indian. The next year he arrived in regular street clothes and began his talk. he then told the origin of each piece of clothing as he put them on, and the meaning of the feathers and other adornments of his costume.
Growing up in the St. Louis area, I didn’t know was that he was famous for TV and radio work on the East coast.
Yeah, Chief Halftown! I used to watch that with my grandfather!
Factoid: This show was created and written by the same team who created and wrote the still-forbidden Amos and Andy television series.