# TV Shows lost in the mists of time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324 "2012-04-09T23:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/1 "2012-04-09T23:39:58Z")
The recent thread about shows you want brought back made me think of a show I hadn’t thought of in years. It was on Showtime and called Leap Years. It was about a group of friends and watched them in three time frames: the past, the present and a few years into the future. It wasn’t great but I liked it (not enough to list it in the bring it back thread but still…). The funny thing is is it seems nearly completely forgotten. I googled it and there are some references to it but very few. More so I would guess if I polled 100 people maybe 2 would remember it. Anyone else have shows like that? Shows you watched and enjoyed (or maybe didn’t) but seem like they just disappeared? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/2 "2012-04-09T23:52:45Z")
In the early 60’s we watched Astroboy, and in a dumbass Hanna-Barbera cartoon world, that was one weird cartoon. We were just mesmerized by the strangeness and after either we stopped watching or it went off the air, I still remembered it like in a dream, for years, right down to the theme song. (Then it came back briefly in 1980, and so on, and I haven’t checked out anything newer, but those early 60’s cartoons of Astroboy were like something from another planet.) So from say 1965 - 1980, it was lost in the mists of time, like a dream. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/3 "2012-04-10T00:10:00Z")
I don’t think Astroboy completely disappeared – there were references to it that I saw from time to time, and new Astroboy comics came out after anime started getting big (even though it’s only recently that the old cartoons became available, not to mention the new one), but i wouldn’t call it lost. You want Lost cartoons: \*\*Rough and Reddy Spunky and Tadpole Dodo, the Kid from Outer Space Commander Bleep Bozo the Clown\*\* (I know Bozo never went away, but the cartoons have long ago disappeared) **the Wizard of Oz** I mean these, from 1961. They ran them on local kid’s TV shows: [http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=wizard%20of%20oz%20cartoons&tnr=21&vid=5029235427573883&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D5029235427573883%26id%3De6bffdc4e316a1a196e4d12d11e42f64%26bid%3DeudZPVH92FTuag%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%252fwatch%253fv%253dbrqnui9dV9o&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dbrqnui9dV9o&sigr=11a641fkd&newfp=1&tit=Tales+Of+The+Wizard+Of+Oz%3A+Free+Trade+[1961]](http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=wizard%20of%20oz%20cartoons&tnr=21&vid=5029235427573883&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D5029235427573883%26id%3De6bffdc4e316a1a196e4d12d11e42f64%26bid%3DeudZPVH92FTuag%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%252fwatch%253fv%253dbrqnui9dV9o&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dbrqnui9dV9o&sigr=11a641fkd&newfp=1&tit=Tales+Of+The+Wizard+Of+Oz%3A+Free+Trade+%5B1961%5D) > **[Tales of the Wizard of Oz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_Wizard_of_Oz)** > > Tales of the Wizard of Oz is a 1961 animated television series produced by Crawley Films for Videocraft (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions). This is the second animated series produced by the studio and the first by Rankin/Bass to feature traditional animation. > The series features stories derived from characters created in L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Several characters are given additional names, including Dandy the Cowardly Lion, Rusty the Tin Man, and Socrates t... For that matter, the animated openings to **Off to See the Wizard** (directed by Chuck Jones!!) : [Off To See The Wizard (Series) (1967) Cartoon Series](http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/56561-Off_To_See_The_Wizard.html) [NameBright - Coming Soon](http://www.kiddiematinee.com/offwizard.html) [Off to See the Wizard - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_to_See_the_Wizard) \*\*The Mighty Hercules The Beagles Tom Terrific Hector Heathcote (the Minute and a Half Man) Deputy Dawg The New Three Stooges Abbott and Costello\*\* (a cartoon series, for which Bud Abbott really did the voice of Abbott) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/4 "2012-04-10T00:43:17Z")
Cancelled after only 2 episodes were aired, “That Was Then” will forever be burned into my mind as a show I will always remember, but nobody else probably even watched or cared. I thought the idea for it was really fun, and I liked the two episodes I saw… but then, no more. Has it’s own wikipedia page, at least! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/5 "2012-04-10T00:52:25Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Cancelled after only 2 episodes were aired, “That Was Then” will forever be burned into my mind as a show I will always remember, but nobody else probably even watched or cared. I thought the idea for it was really fun, and I liked the two episodes I saw… but then, no more. Has it’s own wikipedia page, at least! Tell us about it. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/6 "2012-04-10T00:55:27Z")
A cartoon my kids used to watch called Histeria! Very much like Animaniacs but about history. I used to busy myself with housework and what have you when the other cartoons were on but I’d stop and watch Histeria! ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/7 "2012-04-10T00:58:51Z")
**Prince Planet** comes to mind when queried about this subject. Japanese Anime from 1965. Very early Anime. “\*t tells the story of a member of the Universal Peace Corps from the Planet Radion coming to Earth on a mission to determine if this world meets standards for membership in the Galactic Union of Worlds and assist its inhabitants during his stay. While on his mission, Prince Planet adopts the identity of an Earth boy named Bobby and gains comrades who work together alongside him combating evil forces both alien and terrestrial.” – Wiki Not a bad plot, considering everything. It lasted 52 episodes. Anyone else remember this? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/8 "2012-04-10T01:01:37Z")
Oh and Huff! The show I mentioned in the other thread. Hank Azaria plays a psychiatrist. Oliver Platt is his best friend. The worst kind of best friend. It was on for two seasons and ended abruptly because I was the only person on Earth who watched it. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/9 "2012-04-10T01:12:36Z")
Way back in 1967, there was a summer replacement show called _Coronet Blue._ Don’t remember much about it, except that my cousins and I thought the lead actor was cute. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/10 "2012-04-10T01:13:50Z")
\*\*The Jackie Thomas Show \*\*from the early 90s. Tom Arnold played the title character, a working class guy who had become a big celebrity for some reason. He was also kind of an asshole. The show focused more on the writers on his show and the handlers that had to deal with him. I haven’t seen it since it broadcast so don’t know how it holds up but at the time it seemed really edgy and dark. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/11 "2012-04-10T01:35:32Z")
My sister and I used to watch two early-1960s game shows called, I think, _Make-a-Face_ and _Camouflage_. They did not become “classic TV.” I also fondly recall from the 1960s a scary British show, _Journey to the Unknown_, the musical series _That’s Life!_, with Bobby Morse and EJ Peaker, and Tammy Grimes’ short-lived sitcom. None of them completely forgotten, but they never seem to be rerun or show up in retrospectives. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/12 "2012-04-10T02:30:02Z")
There was a show called _Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers in London_ which ran during the summer of 1970. It’s complicated to explain what it was for someone who isn’t old enough to remember that year. _The Dean Martin Show_ lasted so long and got such good TV ratings that it was allowed to, in effect, control its time slot, even during the summer when it wasn’t on. During the summer there was a replacement show for it which was sometimes called _Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers_. The Golddiggers were the dance troupe which would fill in between sketches and acts on the show during most of the year. In the summer they would be the main part of the show. The rest of the show would be comedy sketches and musical acts, like the show during the rest of the year but without Dean Martin. In 1970, just for a change, they decided to film the show in London and call it _Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers_ in London. There were a number of comedy sketches on the show which had Marty Feldman and Charles Nelson Reilly in them. In other things I’ve seen Marty Feldman doing, he was pretty good, but I don’t think of him as my favorite comedian. I don’t think much of Charles Nelson Reilly at all. He never did anything else half as good as these comedy sketches. There were at least four utterly brilliant comedy sketches on the show. One of them was a version of a famous sketch usually referred to as The Four Yorkshiremen. It was first written for a 1967 British show called _At Last the 1948 Show_. This show starred Feldman and two of the Monty Python people. It was never done on the regular Monty Python show, but they did it in some filmed reunion performances. I’ve never heard anyone discuss _Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers in London_ and have never seen it in reruns. It might not exist anymore even on tape. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/13 "2012-04-10T02:32:05Z")
> [@Tapiotar](#): > > Way back in 1967, there was a summer replacement show called _Coronet Blue._ Don’t remember much about it, except that my cousins and I thought the lead actor was cute. I recall this. It was about a guy who gets cracked on the head and falls into the water. He’s rescued, but has amnesia. One of the few things he can remember are the words _Coronet Blue_. It turns out that he apparently doesn’t exist – his ID doesn’t seem to match up with any existing records. So he spends the series trying to find out who he is and what the hell “Coronet Blue” means. IIRC, the screte wawsn’t revealed during the run of the show – it didn’t last long enough. But you can read all about it here: (Spoiler warning) > **[Coronet Blue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronet_Blue)** > > Coronet Blue is an American adventure drama series that ran on CBS from May 29 until September 4, 1967. > It starred Frank Converse as Michael Alden, an amnesiac in search of his identity. Brian Bedford co-starred. The show's 13 episodes were filmed in 1965 and were originally intended to be shown during the 1965–66 television season, but CBS put the show on hiatus when they reversed an earlier decision to cancel the drama Slattery's People. The network had plans to show Coronet Blue the followin... ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/14 "2012-04-10T02:44:13Z")
Thanks! He really was easy on the eyes… ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/15 "2012-04-10T02:53:22Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Oh and Huff! The show I mentioned in the other thread. Hank Azaria plays a psychiatrist. Oliver Platt is his best friend. The worst kind of best friend. It was on for two seasons and ended abruptly because I was the only person on Earth who watched it. My ex enjoyed that one, it looked like it might have been more-ish TV. i09 put up a list of [unsung science fiction](http://goo.gl/e9ybW). Includes my own favourite, Space Above and Beyond, and some other shows that sounded intriguing. They had a similar article with other interesting sounding stuff that lasted a season (or less) that I can’t seem to find. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/16 "2012-04-10T03:12:25Z")
There was a show that ran for a season or two in the early 90’s called “Brooklyn Bridge” about a three-generation Jewish family in Brooklyn in the early 50’s. Wonderful characters, dialogue, thoughtful plots. Art Garfunkel sang the opening title. A gem of a program. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/17 "2012-04-10T03:17:03Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > My sister and I used to watch two early-1960s game shows called, I think, _Make-a-Face_ and _Camouflage_. They did not become “classic TV.” It’s funny you mention Camouflage because I was thinking of posting about that in the TV Holy Grails thread. I remember seeing that show in reruns at strange hours and channels as a kid. People would find hidden pictures and then trace them with a pointer. I couldn’t even tell you for sure I ever saw a complete episode but I know I watched it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/18 "2012-04-10T03:27:45Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Oh and Huff! The show I mentioned in the other thread. Hank Azaria plays a psychiatrist. Oliver Platt is his best friend. The worst kind of best friend. It was on for two seasons and ended abruptly because I was the only person on Earth who watched it. I finally gave up and took that off of my TiVo season pass list a couple of years ago. At some point I saw the brother, whose character or IRL name I don’t remember, showed up in a McDonalds commercial. I figure when the supporting characters are taking fast food commercials, it’s done. Too bad, I really liked it. ETA, holy crap, it was on 8 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/19 "2012-04-10T04:03:47Z")
[T.H.E. Cat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.H.E._Cat) 1966-1967 show about a bodyguard, Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat. Written by Harry Julian Fink who went on to write Dirty Harry among other things. Very dark, very film noir. I loved that show. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324/20 "2012-04-10T04:05:47Z")
[It’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_About_Time_(TV_series)) [About](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1G-TsdNWGg) [Time](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYe6g6vGUac). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-lost-in-the-mists-of-time/618324.md?page=2)