What classics did you see last week, Sept 12 to Sept 18?
Sept 19, 2021 12:44:26 GMT
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Fox in the Snow, teleadm, and 4 more like this
Post by claudius on Sept 19, 2021 12:44:26 GMT
This week’s MASTERPIECE 50 is:
FORTUNES OF WAR (1987) based on Olivia Manning’s series of trilogies about the travels of a lecturer and his wife through Europe in WWII. This was the series that introduced Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson to viewers, as well as the production they first met. I first read of this production and got it fit Christmas 2005. I viewed the final episode. BBC Video DVD.
And thus begins my largest Anniversary viewing of Saturday Morning Cartoons, in this case the 1981 season. It’s rather confusing to watch which episodes considering the different sources (Wikipedia, IMDb, DVD listings, my memories, and recordings) give conflicting reports.
12
THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW (1981) “Sink or Swim/Crazy, It’s Cold Outside/Pigskin Pooch” 40th Anniversary A collection of new Hanna Barbers characters with guidance from Tex Avery. The series is broken into three segments: the title character being chased- in vain- by the hungry- John Lynde-sounding Wilford Wolf. “Krazy Klaws” A Groucho-Marx quipping wildcat in the wilderness, and Dirty Dawg, a tramp dog cheating his way to a good living (In between the segments are the bumbling stage performers the Boogle Brothers). Another series I viewed on USA Network’s Cartoon Express in the 1980s. Warner Archive DVD.
THE SMURFS (1981) “Smurf Apprentice/ The Smurfette” Peyo’s Belgian comic makes its American appearance by Hanna-Barbera into a show that incorporates music from Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Papa Smurf and Dreamy (Don Messick), Smurfette and Jokey (Lucille Bliss), Hefty (Frank Welker), Brainy (Danny Goldman), Clumsy (William Callaway), Vanity (Alan Oppenheimer), Grouchy and Lazy (Michael Bell), Harmony and Greedy (Hamilton Camp), and the evil Wizard Gargamel (Paul Winchell), and cat Azrael (Welker). I remember the first episode- Clumsy Smurf turns into a dragon- sometime during its first year on NBC. Warner DVD.
FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG (1981) “The French Connection” 40th Anniversary. The second season. CBS Video DVD.
HEATHCLIFF AND MARMADUKE (1981) “Home Run River/ Gator/ Play Grounded” 40th Anniversary. Heathcliff returns with a new companion show Marmaduke, based on Brad Anderson’s Comic strip. Dailymotion presentation of a Boomerang Broadcast.
THE KIDS SUPER POWER HOUR WITH SHAZAM (1981) “Boo Who?/ Who’s Who at the Zoo?/ A Fistful Of Knuckles“ A combination of two Filmation shows. HERO HIGH is a scrapped Archie series turned to an original one about the misadventures of super-powered students learning the ropes of super heroism. The other is an animated version of Filmation’s 1970s Live Action show SHAZAM (based on Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel) this time more focused on fighting supervillains and using the Marvel Family cast. Combining the two shows are Live Action personalities of the HERO cast performing to a kid audience. HERO was viewed on BCI Eclipse DVD. SHAZAM on YouTube.
THE POPEYE AND OLIVE OIL SHOW (1981) “Reptile Ranch/ Mission Impossible/ Who’s Watching the Bird Watchers?” 40th Anniversary The fourth season of Hanna-Barbera’s POPEYE series changed the format. Now it’s Popeye (voiced by John Mercer) in Prehistoric times and Olive and Alice the Goon as Privates in the military with a frustrated drill sergeant voiced by Ruth Buzzi. YouTube.
THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN (1981) “Wizard Wars” The second season. Warner Archive DVD.
SPACE STARS (1981) “Microworld/ Nebulon/ The Firebird/ Planet of the Space Monkeys/ Will the Real Mr. Galaxy Please Stand Up? /Polaris” 40th Anniversary. Newly animated episodes of Hanna-Barbera 1960s shows SPACE GHOST and HERCULOIDS with ASTRO (of THE JETSONS fame) AND THE SPACE MUTTS and TEEN FORCE (about a trio of teenage superheroes). The series was made up of six segments: Two SG episodes, one each from the other three, and a finale involving a crossover of two of the shows. These episodes would be broadcast in the 1980s on USA Network’s Cartoon Express (albeit in two separate shows). Warner Archive DVD.
GOLDIE GOLD AND ACTION JACK (1981) “Night of the Crystal Skull” 40th Anniversary This Ruby-Spears cartoon mixes a female millionaire and male reporter in adventures. My first viewpoint of this was a channel-surf on a 1981 recording of Sat Morn cartoons. I finally saw the series on Cartoon Network in 1994. YouTube.
BLACKSTAR (1981) “Search for the Star Sword” 40th Anniversary Filmation’s take on JOHN CARTER follows the adventures of lost astronaut Blackstar on the planet Saigar fighting monsters and tyrants with one part of a magic sword (the other half belongs to the evil Overlord). Familiar with this series for decades but didn’t view the series until 2006. YouTube.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ZORRO (1981) “Three’s A Crowd” 40th Anniversary The first animated adventures of the masked hero (voiced by Henry Darrow, who would later play the old man in ZORRO AND SON and Zorro’s old man in the 1990s series) was a rare one from Filmation: rather than animate it themselves, they had it done in Japan. This series aired alongside Filmation’s LONE RANGER series and its 1976 TARZAN series. BCI Eclipse DVD.
SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (1981) The Triumph of the Green Goblin” 40th Anniversary Aside from some guest-appearances in SPIDER-WOMAN, the web-slinger makes his return to Animation with his own series in this Marvel production (designed by John Romita Sr., the second Spidey artist) that teams him up with X-Men’s Iceman and the newly-created Firestar (originally it was to be Human Torch, but Irwin Allen owned the rights at the time). The premiere episode involves the Green Goblin (voiced partly by Neil Ross, who would reprise the full character for FOX’s 1994 series) and Superhero Costume party (Firestar dresses up as Spider-Woman, and the guest costumers includes Power Man, and the deceased Phoenix). This is an edited version (Stan Lee’s narration removed from the audio) on Amazon Prime.
SPIDER-MAN (1981) “Bubble, Bubble, Oil and Trouble.” 40th Anniversary At the same time as AMAZING FRIENDS was this solo Spidey animated series by the same studio but with a different voice cast. This one focuses more on Spidey’s everyday college life and the conflicts with being a super-hero, with Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson taking a greater leads in the cast. The debut episode has him face Doctor Octopus (Stanley Jones, the Lex Luthor of SUPERFRIENDS). YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Apes of Wrath” 30th Anniversary this year. This was actually the first scene I ever saw from the series. It was one of early Disney Channel previews in spring 1991. Again, due to the lack of access, I could only view it via a scrambled and static transmission. YouTube.
This is the Saturday Morning Cartoons of 1986.
13
THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (1986) “Ghost R Us” 35th Anniversary. After SCOOBY DOO and SUPERFRIENDS ended their long runs on ABC, this animated adaptation of the 1984 film came out, with the voices of Maurice LeMarche, Lorenzo Music, Arsenio Hall, and Frank Welker. The difference here are different colored jumpsuits, a blond Egon, and the addition of Slimer as their mascot (the REAL was added to avoid confusion with Filmation’s own series). Sony DVD.
DISNEY’S ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS (1986) “Up Up and Away” 35th Anniversary The new series moves on from the changes of several voices (Bill Scott’s death meant Griffin, Toadie, and Sir Tuxford got new VA). This episode- where the gang meets a Gummi on an airship- was also the animation debut of Jim Cummings who would voice Darkwing Duck and be the present VA for established Disney characters like Pete and Winnie the Pooh. Disney DVD.
WILDFIRE (1986) “The Once and Future Queen” 35th Anniversary Hanna-Barbeta “girl with a magic horse” cartoon that aired on CBS.
THE CARE BEARS FAMILY (1986) “Care-A-Lot’s Birthday” 35th Anniversary The franchise went into a major reboot with that year’s CARE BEARS MOVIE II NEW GENERATION. This series follows the new continuity: here the Bears and cousins were raised together by True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse. The new villain is No Heart and his bumbling sidekick Beastley. Saw this on its premiere. YouTube.
PEE WEE’S PLAYHOUSE (1986) “Ice Cream Soup” 35th Anniversary. Based on his Live show, Paul Ruebens ‘ zany children show with early appearances by Laurence Fishburne and Phil Hartman. Who annoyed their family by screaming at the mention of the secret word? Saw this on original broadcast. YouTube.
MUPPET BABIES (1986) “Pigrella” 35th Anniversary Framed for a deed she didn’t do, Piggy is punished with chores, imagining herself as Cinderella. YouTube.
GALAXY HIGH SCHOOL (1986) “Welcome to Galaxy High” 35th Anniversary Animated fantasy series about an arrogant jock and bookworm girl transferred to a space school of aliens. Written by Chris Columbus, with graphics designed by John Krisfalusi. Never really watched the series on its original broadcast. Saw some on Sci-fi Channel in the turn of the century. YouTube.
POUND PUPPIES (1986) “Bright Eyes Come Home” 35th Anniversary. Hanna-Barbera cartoon based on the toy line. Saw this on original airtime and later on the Disney Channel. YouTube.
TEEN WOLF (1986) “Teen Wolf’s Family Secret” 35th Anniversary. Cartoon series based on the 1985 film, retaining the characters with some additions: Scott now has werewolf grandparents and a normal kid sister. Also, Scott’s werewolf abilities are kept to just his friends. Saw this on original broadcast. YouTube.
THE SLAYERS NEXT (1996) “Sinister Trap! The Mysterious City of Ghosts“ 25th Anniversary. Lina and gang reach Sairaag , only to see the city restored. Japanese with English Subtitles. Sculptor Software DVD.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (1986) “The Music Awards” 35th Anniversary The first 2-parter introduces the dancer Danse and the Misfit inventor Techrat. It also deals with runaways, when several of the Starlight kids, feeling unwanted, take to the streets. Rhino DVD.
CASUALTY (1986) “Hide and Seek” 35th Anniversary. BBC PAL DVD
WINSTON CHURCHILL THE WILDERNESS YEARS (1981) “Politics Are Foul” 40th Anniversary. Episode 2 covers 1931. Lancer/Southern Star DVD.
14
SUPERMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1996) “A Little Piece of Home” 25th Anniversary. Superman gets introduced to Kryptonite. Warner DVD.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Film Flam” 30th Anniversary. This Saturday aired episode (where a villain brings film antagonists to life) was probably the first single that didn’t have an earlier broadcast on the Disney Channel. YouTube
BEETLEJUICE (1986) “Back to School” 30th Anniversary. Shout Factory DVD
BACK TO THE FuTURE (1991) “Brothers” 30th Anniversary. Animated series of the 1985 film centers on Marty and the Brown family, Emmett, his wife Clara, and their sons intellectual Jules and the bratty Verne. Christopher Lloyd reprises his role in Live Action segments (with Dan Castanella voicing Doc for the animation), while Thomas Wilson reprises the Biff Tanner family, in this case a Civil War ancestor. Saw this on premiere 30 years ago. Universal DVD.
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “Earth VS The Spider” 30th Anniversary. Joel & the Bots handle another Bert I Gordon flick about a town getting menaced by a giant spider. Like AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, I saw this film before the MST3K treatment. YouTube presentation of original Comedy Central Broadcast September 14, 1991. Includes promos for THE FISHER KING and the upcoming HOME IMPROVEMENT.
HOUSE OF ELLIOT (1991) “Part Three” 30th Anniversary. The sisters develop their own fashion making business while leaving the family home. This was the episode that introduced the series for me, back in July 1992 on Arts & Entertainment with opening and closing segments by co-creator Jean Marsh. Acorn Media DVD.
The weekend of September 14-15 1996 saw the Learning Channel having a marathon of its GREAT BOOKS documentaries, with 8 new ones. For the Anniversary, I am unable to access two of them (CATCH 22 and NATIVE SON), but here are the rest:
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Plato’s Republic” 25th Anniversary. This is actually an edited version of the actual episode, cut from 52 minutes to 25 and Donald Sutherland’s narration replaced with Harry Chase. YouTube.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Prince” 25th Anniversary. A look at Machiavelli and his influence on politics. A lot on then-POTUS Bill Clinton, with a bookend of an imaginary correspondence between Machiavelli to Bill. Interviews include Henry Kissinger and Gary Hart. YouTube.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Odyssey” 25th Anniversary. Homer’s Greek Poem is examined with footage from the late Kirk Douglas epic ULYSSES (1954) and- for comparison of Indiana is Jones as an Odysseus-like character - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981). Interviews include Astronaut Jim Lovell (referring to his Apollo 13 experiences with similarities to Odysseyus), Irene Papas (who played both Odysseus’ wife and mother in different adaptations) and Judith ‘Miss Manners’ Martin who describes the poem with emphasis on Bad Host manners (Polythemus the Cyclops eats his guests) and Bad Guests (Penelope’s suitors as the Guests who never leave, eat the host out of house and home). Discovery Channel DVD.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Moby Dick” 25th Anniversary. Documentary on Herman Melville’s novel, with a lot of footage of John Huston’s 1956 film. Includes an interview by Ray Bradbury and his difficulty in putting Melville to script. TLC Video VHS.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Scarlet Letter” 25th Anniversary. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, with re-enactments. Interviews include Roland Joffe, director of the 1995 Demi Moore version, who comments his distaste for the ending (and we all know what he did about that!). TLC Video VHS.
15
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Gulliver’s Travels” 25th Anniversary. Johnathan Swift’s four-story collection is documented (with footage from the 1996 miniseries). Interviews include satirist mark Russell and Political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant. TLC VHS.
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “The Person Who Becomes Wife and Mother” 30th Anniversary. A turning point begins as Yvonne realizes the Captain’s feelings for Maria and decides to bow out, as the children realize a way to keep Maria from leaving them for the Abbey. Japanese with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
RUGRATS (1991) “Beauty Contest/Baseball” 30th Anniversary. Amazon Prime.
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1921) 100th Anniversary. Mary Pickford’s adaptation of the Burnett classic. Here she plays both Cedric the child and his mother Dearest. Milestone DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise!” 35th Anniversary. The second full season (4th if you include the first two miniseries as seasons) begins with new additions to both sides (A new leader Hawk, and Sgt Slaughter for the Joes. Dr. Mindbender for Cobra) and Cobra deciding to usurp the incompetent Cobra Commander for a being created from the DNA of historical warriors. I think this episode introduced me to the concept of DNA. YouTube.
16
BAND OF BROTHERS (2001) “Carentan” 20th Anniversary. HBO DVD
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 2” 35th Anniversary. Gaining information, the Joes travel the world protecting tombs from Cobra. Nevertheless, Cobra manages to get the DNA of Napoleon Bonaparte, Amon-Toth, Montezuma, and Vlad Tepes. I remember this series informing me about historical figures like the historical Dracula. YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Duck Blind” 30th Anniversary. The introduction of fan favorite Megavolt, the electrifying gopher. YouTube.
17
LEGEND OF PRINCE VALIANT (1991) “The Blacksmith’s Daughter” 30th Anniversary. Valiant and Arn are now joined by the village maiden Rowanne (Noelle North the voice of Calla from GUMMI BEARS and Video in JEM), who also wishes to become a knight. BCI Eclipse DVD.
MONKEY BUSINESS (1931) 90th Anniversary. The Marx Brothers first original film, and the one where Zeppo gets a significant part. Of the five Paramount films (which all I like) this is probably my favorite. Highlights include Groucho flirting with Thelma Todd (making an ironic comment- he talks of her sleeping in a garage- that foreshadows her mysterious death) and the Maurice Chevalier impersonations. First saw the film on a Marx marathon on American Movie Classics in December 1991. Universal DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 3” 35th Anniversary. Cobra’s search for DNA continues, from Ivan the Terrible to Genghis Khan, and- as a last minute change of plans- Sgt. Slaughter. YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Comic Book Caper” 30th Anniversary. Dailymotion.
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THE FUNKY PHANTOM (1971) “Heir Scare” 50th Anniversary. Warner Archive DVD.
HELP! ITS THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH (1971) “Rare Bear Bungle” 50th Anniversary. Warner Archive DVD.
THE PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM SHOW (1971) “Putty in her Hands” 50th Anniversary. This episode- Pebbles is conned into being a sculptor, eventually leading to Bamm Bamm being an unwilling statue- was the first P & BB episode I ever saw. Watching it in the mid 1980s on USA Network’s Cartoon Express, I was interested on how Fred, Wilma, and co. were unchanged in what passed for 16 years. Warner DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 4” 35th Anniversary. The DNA gathered, Dr Mindbender creates Cobra’s new leader Serpentor. YouTube.
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1971) “The Birds and uh…the Bees” 50th Anniversary. The second season of the series begins (with a remade version of the title tune, adhering to Mary established in her new surroundings). YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Water Way to Go” 30th Anniversary. A leftover of the original Launchpad Spy series was the two organizations: S.H.U.S.H. and F.O.W.L. Outside crimefighting, Darkwing would sometimes be enlisted by Head J. Gander Hooter (much to the chagrin of by-the-book agent Vladimir Grizzlikov) to face the villainous spy organization, and its agent Steelbeak. YouTube.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) 50th Anniversary. Robert Wise’s SciFi Classic about an alien giving the Earth a warning: resolve their conflicts…or else. My first knowing of the film was a VHS at my local market’s Rental display in the 1980s. Knowing more of it later, I saw a third of it on TCM during the millennium. FoxVideo Laserdisc.
THE STRONG MAN (1926) 95th Anniversary this month. Harry Langdon’s most famous comedy, and Frank Capra’s Directorial Debut. I first learned of this film from Kevin Brownlow’s HOLLYWOOD series. I eventually saw the film in 2005. This is a Thames Silents version with Carl Davis score. HBO/Thames Video VHS.
FORTUNES OF WAR (1987) based on Olivia Manning’s series of trilogies about the travels of a lecturer and his wife through Europe in WWII. This was the series that introduced Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson to viewers, as well as the production they first met. I first read of this production and got it fit Christmas 2005. I viewed the final episode. BBC Video DVD.
And thus begins my largest Anniversary viewing of Saturday Morning Cartoons, in this case the 1981 season. It’s rather confusing to watch which episodes considering the different sources (Wikipedia, IMDb, DVD listings, my memories, and recordings) give conflicting reports.
12
THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW (1981) “Sink or Swim/Crazy, It’s Cold Outside/Pigskin Pooch” 40th Anniversary A collection of new Hanna Barbers characters with guidance from Tex Avery. The series is broken into three segments: the title character being chased- in vain- by the hungry- John Lynde-sounding Wilford Wolf. “Krazy Klaws” A Groucho-Marx quipping wildcat in the wilderness, and Dirty Dawg, a tramp dog cheating his way to a good living (In between the segments are the bumbling stage performers the Boogle Brothers). Another series I viewed on USA Network’s Cartoon Express in the 1980s. Warner Archive DVD.
THE SMURFS (1981) “Smurf Apprentice/ The Smurfette” Peyo’s Belgian comic makes its American appearance by Hanna-Barbera into a show that incorporates music from Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Papa Smurf and Dreamy (Don Messick), Smurfette and Jokey (Lucille Bliss), Hefty (Frank Welker), Brainy (Danny Goldman), Clumsy (William Callaway), Vanity (Alan Oppenheimer), Grouchy and Lazy (Michael Bell), Harmony and Greedy (Hamilton Camp), and the evil Wizard Gargamel (Paul Winchell), and cat Azrael (Welker). I remember the first episode- Clumsy Smurf turns into a dragon- sometime during its first year on NBC. Warner DVD.
FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG (1981) “The French Connection” 40th Anniversary. The second season. CBS Video DVD.
HEATHCLIFF AND MARMADUKE (1981) “Home Run River/ Gator/ Play Grounded” 40th Anniversary. Heathcliff returns with a new companion show Marmaduke, based on Brad Anderson’s Comic strip. Dailymotion presentation of a Boomerang Broadcast.
THE KIDS SUPER POWER HOUR WITH SHAZAM (1981) “Boo Who?/ Who’s Who at the Zoo?/ A Fistful Of Knuckles“ A combination of two Filmation shows. HERO HIGH is a scrapped Archie series turned to an original one about the misadventures of super-powered students learning the ropes of super heroism. The other is an animated version of Filmation’s 1970s Live Action show SHAZAM (based on Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel) this time more focused on fighting supervillains and using the Marvel Family cast. Combining the two shows are Live Action personalities of the HERO cast performing to a kid audience. HERO was viewed on BCI Eclipse DVD. SHAZAM on YouTube.
THE POPEYE AND OLIVE OIL SHOW (1981) “Reptile Ranch/ Mission Impossible/ Who’s Watching the Bird Watchers?” 40th Anniversary The fourth season of Hanna-Barbera’s POPEYE series changed the format. Now it’s Popeye (voiced by John Mercer) in Prehistoric times and Olive and Alice the Goon as Privates in the military with a frustrated drill sergeant voiced by Ruth Buzzi. YouTube.
THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN (1981) “Wizard Wars” The second season. Warner Archive DVD.
SPACE STARS (1981) “Microworld/ Nebulon/ The Firebird/ Planet of the Space Monkeys/ Will the Real Mr. Galaxy Please Stand Up? /Polaris” 40th Anniversary. Newly animated episodes of Hanna-Barbera 1960s shows SPACE GHOST and HERCULOIDS with ASTRO (of THE JETSONS fame) AND THE SPACE MUTTS and TEEN FORCE (about a trio of teenage superheroes). The series was made up of six segments: Two SG episodes, one each from the other three, and a finale involving a crossover of two of the shows. These episodes would be broadcast in the 1980s on USA Network’s Cartoon Express (albeit in two separate shows). Warner Archive DVD.
GOLDIE GOLD AND ACTION JACK (1981) “Night of the Crystal Skull” 40th Anniversary This Ruby-Spears cartoon mixes a female millionaire and male reporter in adventures. My first viewpoint of this was a channel-surf on a 1981 recording of Sat Morn cartoons. I finally saw the series on Cartoon Network in 1994. YouTube.
BLACKSTAR (1981) “Search for the Star Sword” 40th Anniversary Filmation’s take on JOHN CARTER follows the adventures of lost astronaut Blackstar on the planet Saigar fighting monsters and tyrants with one part of a magic sword (the other half belongs to the evil Overlord). Familiar with this series for decades but didn’t view the series until 2006. YouTube.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ZORRO (1981) “Three’s A Crowd” 40th Anniversary The first animated adventures of the masked hero (voiced by Henry Darrow, who would later play the old man in ZORRO AND SON and Zorro’s old man in the 1990s series) was a rare one from Filmation: rather than animate it themselves, they had it done in Japan. This series aired alongside Filmation’s LONE RANGER series and its 1976 TARZAN series. BCI Eclipse DVD.
SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (1981) The Triumph of the Green Goblin” 40th Anniversary Aside from some guest-appearances in SPIDER-WOMAN, the web-slinger makes his return to Animation with his own series in this Marvel production (designed by John Romita Sr., the second Spidey artist) that teams him up with X-Men’s Iceman and the newly-created Firestar (originally it was to be Human Torch, but Irwin Allen owned the rights at the time). The premiere episode involves the Green Goblin (voiced partly by Neil Ross, who would reprise the full character for FOX’s 1994 series) and Superhero Costume party (Firestar dresses up as Spider-Woman, and the guest costumers includes Power Man, and the deceased Phoenix). This is an edited version (Stan Lee’s narration removed from the audio) on Amazon Prime.
SPIDER-MAN (1981) “Bubble, Bubble, Oil and Trouble.” 40th Anniversary At the same time as AMAZING FRIENDS was this solo Spidey animated series by the same studio but with a different voice cast. This one focuses more on Spidey’s everyday college life and the conflicts with being a super-hero, with Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson taking a greater leads in the cast. The debut episode has him face Doctor Octopus (Stanley Jones, the Lex Luthor of SUPERFRIENDS). YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Apes of Wrath” 30th Anniversary this year. This was actually the first scene I ever saw from the series. It was one of early Disney Channel previews in spring 1991. Again, due to the lack of access, I could only view it via a scrambled and static transmission. YouTube.
This is the Saturday Morning Cartoons of 1986.
13
THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (1986) “Ghost R Us” 35th Anniversary. After SCOOBY DOO and SUPERFRIENDS ended their long runs on ABC, this animated adaptation of the 1984 film came out, with the voices of Maurice LeMarche, Lorenzo Music, Arsenio Hall, and Frank Welker. The difference here are different colored jumpsuits, a blond Egon, and the addition of Slimer as their mascot (the REAL was added to avoid confusion with Filmation’s own series). Sony DVD.
DISNEY’S ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS (1986) “Up Up and Away” 35th Anniversary The new series moves on from the changes of several voices (Bill Scott’s death meant Griffin, Toadie, and Sir Tuxford got new VA). This episode- where the gang meets a Gummi on an airship- was also the animation debut of Jim Cummings who would voice Darkwing Duck and be the present VA for established Disney characters like Pete and Winnie the Pooh. Disney DVD.
WILDFIRE (1986) “The Once and Future Queen” 35th Anniversary Hanna-Barbeta “girl with a magic horse” cartoon that aired on CBS.
THE CARE BEARS FAMILY (1986) “Care-A-Lot’s Birthday” 35th Anniversary The franchise went into a major reboot with that year’s CARE BEARS MOVIE II NEW GENERATION. This series follows the new continuity: here the Bears and cousins were raised together by True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse. The new villain is No Heart and his bumbling sidekick Beastley. Saw this on its premiere. YouTube.
PEE WEE’S PLAYHOUSE (1986) “Ice Cream Soup” 35th Anniversary. Based on his Live show, Paul Ruebens ‘ zany children show with early appearances by Laurence Fishburne and Phil Hartman. Who annoyed their family by screaming at the mention of the secret word? Saw this on original broadcast. YouTube.
MUPPET BABIES (1986) “Pigrella” 35th Anniversary Framed for a deed she didn’t do, Piggy is punished with chores, imagining herself as Cinderella. YouTube.
GALAXY HIGH SCHOOL (1986) “Welcome to Galaxy High” 35th Anniversary Animated fantasy series about an arrogant jock and bookworm girl transferred to a space school of aliens. Written by Chris Columbus, with graphics designed by John Krisfalusi. Never really watched the series on its original broadcast. Saw some on Sci-fi Channel in the turn of the century. YouTube.
POUND PUPPIES (1986) “Bright Eyes Come Home” 35th Anniversary. Hanna-Barbera cartoon based on the toy line. Saw this on original airtime and later on the Disney Channel. YouTube.
TEEN WOLF (1986) “Teen Wolf’s Family Secret” 35th Anniversary. Cartoon series based on the 1985 film, retaining the characters with some additions: Scott now has werewolf grandparents and a normal kid sister. Also, Scott’s werewolf abilities are kept to just his friends. Saw this on original broadcast. YouTube.
THE SLAYERS NEXT (1996) “Sinister Trap! The Mysterious City of Ghosts“ 25th Anniversary. Lina and gang reach Sairaag , only to see the city restored. Japanese with English Subtitles. Sculptor Software DVD.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (1986) “The Music Awards” 35th Anniversary The first 2-parter introduces the dancer Danse and the Misfit inventor Techrat. It also deals with runaways, when several of the Starlight kids, feeling unwanted, take to the streets. Rhino DVD.
CASUALTY (1986) “Hide and Seek” 35th Anniversary. BBC PAL DVD
WINSTON CHURCHILL THE WILDERNESS YEARS (1981) “Politics Are Foul” 40th Anniversary. Episode 2 covers 1931. Lancer/Southern Star DVD.
14
SUPERMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1996) “A Little Piece of Home” 25th Anniversary. Superman gets introduced to Kryptonite. Warner DVD.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Film Flam” 30th Anniversary. This Saturday aired episode (where a villain brings film antagonists to life) was probably the first single that didn’t have an earlier broadcast on the Disney Channel. YouTube
BEETLEJUICE (1986) “Back to School” 30th Anniversary. Shout Factory DVD
BACK TO THE FuTURE (1991) “Brothers” 30th Anniversary. Animated series of the 1985 film centers on Marty and the Brown family, Emmett, his wife Clara, and their sons intellectual Jules and the bratty Verne. Christopher Lloyd reprises his role in Live Action segments (with Dan Castanella voicing Doc for the animation), while Thomas Wilson reprises the Biff Tanner family, in this case a Civil War ancestor. Saw this on premiere 30 years ago. Universal DVD.
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “Earth VS The Spider” 30th Anniversary. Joel & the Bots handle another Bert I Gordon flick about a town getting menaced by a giant spider. Like AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, I saw this film before the MST3K treatment. YouTube presentation of original Comedy Central Broadcast September 14, 1991. Includes promos for THE FISHER KING and the upcoming HOME IMPROVEMENT.
HOUSE OF ELLIOT (1991) “Part Three” 30th Anniversary. The sisters develop their own fashion making business while leaving the family home. This was the episode that introduced the series for me, back in July 1992 on Arts & Entertainment with opening and closing segments by co-creator Jean Marsh. Acorn Media DVD.
The weekend of September 14-15 1996 saw the Learning Channel having a marathon of its GREAT BOOKS documentaries, with 8 new ones. For the Anniversary, I am unable to access two of them (CATCH 22 and NATIVE SON), but here are the rest:
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Plato’s Republic” 25th Anniversary. This is actually an edited version of the actual episode, cut from 52 minutes to 25 and Donald Sutherland’s narration replaced with Harry Chase. YouTube.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Prince” 25th Anniversary. A look at Machiavelli and his influence on politics. A lot on then-POTUS Bill Clinton, with a bookend of an imaginary correspondence between Machiavelli to Bill. Interviews include Henry Kissinger and Gary Hart. YouTube.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Odyssey” 25th Anniversary. Homer’s Greek Poem is examined with footage from the late Kirk Douglas epic ULYSSES (1954) and- for comparison of Indiana is Jones as an Odysseus-like character - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981). Interviews include Astronaut Jim Lovell (referring to his Apollo 13 experiences with similarities to Odysseyus), Irene Papas (who played both Odysseus’ wife and mother in different adaptations) and Judith ‘Miss Manners’ Martin who describes the poem with emphasis on Bad Host manners (Polythemus the Cyclops eats his guests) and Bad Guests (Penelope’s suitors as the Guests who never leave, eat the host out of house and home). Discovery Channel DVD.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Moby Dick” 25th Anniversary. Documentary on Herman Melville’s novel, with a lot of footage of John Huston’s 1956 film. Includes an interview by Ray Bradbury and his difficulty in putting Melville to script. TLC Video VHS.
GREAT BOOKS (1996) “The Scarlet Letter” 25th Anniversary. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, with re-enactments. Interviews include Roland Joffe, director of the 1995 Demi Moore version, who comments his distaste for the ending (and we all know what he did about that!). TLC Video VHS.
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GREAT BOOKS (1996) “Gulliver’s Travels” 25th Anniversary. Johnathan Swift’s four-story collection is documented (with footage from the 1996 miniseries). Interviews include satirist mark Russell and Political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant. TLC VHS.
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “The Person Who Becomes Wife and Mother” 30th Anniversary. A turning point begins as Yvonne realizes the Captain’s feelings for Maria and decides to bow out, as the children realize a way to keep Maria from leaving them for the Abbey. Japanese with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
RUGRATS (1991) “Beauty Contest/Baseball” 30th Anniversary. Amazon Prime.
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1921) 100th Anniversary. Mary Pickford’s adaptation of the Burnett classic. Here she plays both Cedric the child and his mother Dearest. Milestone DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise!” 35th Anniversary. The second full season (4th if you include the first two miniseries as seasons) begins with new additions to both sides (A new leader Hawk, and Sgt Slaughter for the Joes. Dr. Mindbender for Cobra) and Cobra deciding to usurp the incompetent Cobra Commander for a being created from the DNA of historical warriors. I think this episode introduced me to the concept of DNA. YouTube.
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BAND OF BROTHERS (2001) “Carentan” 20th Anniversary. HBO DVD
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 2” 35th Anniversary. Gaining information, the Joes travel the world protecting tombs from Cobra. Nevertheless, Cobra manages to get the DNA of Napoleon Bonaparte, Amon-Toth, Montezuma, and Vlad Tepes. I remember this series informing me about historical figures like the historical Dracula. YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Duck Blind” 30th Anniversary. The introduction of fan favorite Megavolt, the electrifying gopher. YouTube.
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LEGEND OF PRINCE VALIANT (1991) “The Blacksmith’s Daughter” 30th Anniversary. Valiant and Arn are now joined by the village maiden Rowanne (Noelle North the voice of Calla from GUMMI BEARS and Video in JEM), who also wishes to become a knight. BCI Eclipse DVD.
MONKEY BUSINESS (1931) 90th Anniversary. The Marx Brothers first original film, and the one where Zeppo gets a significant part. Of the five Paramount films (which all I like) this is probably my favorite. Highlights include Groucho flirting with Thelma Todd (making an ironic comment- he talks of her sleeping in a garage- that foreshadows her mysterious death) and the Maurice Chevalier impersonations. First saw the film on a Marx marathon on American Movie Classics in December 1991. Universal DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 3” 35th Anniversary. Cobra’s search for DNA continues, from Ivan the Terrible to Genghis Khan, and- as a last minute change of plans- Sgt. Slaughter. YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Comic Book Caper” 30th Anniversary. Dailymotion.
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THE FUNKY PHANTOM (1971) “Heir Scare” 50th Anniversary. Warner Archive DVD.
HELP! ITS THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH (1971) “Rare Bear Bungle” 50th Anniversary. Warner Archive DVD.
THE PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM SHOW (1971) “Putty in her Hands” 50th Anniversary. This episode- Pebbles is conned into being a sculptor, eventually leading to Bamm Bamm being an unwilling statue- was the first P & BB episode I ever saw. Watching it in the mid 1980s on USA Network’s Cartoon Express, I was interested on how Fred, Wilma, and co. were unchanged in what passed for 16 years. Warner DVD.
GI JOE (1986) “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! Part 4” 35th Anniversary. The DNA gathered, Dr Mindbender creates Cobra’s new leader Serpentor. YouTube.
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1971) “The Birds and uh…the Bees” 50th Anniversary. The second season of the series begins (with a remade version of the title tune, adhering to Mary established in her new surroundings). YouTube.
DARKWING DUCK (1991) “Water Way to Go” 30th Anniversary. A leftover of the original Launchpad Spy series was the two organizations: S.H.U.S.H. and F.O.W.L. Outside crimefighting, Darkwing would sometimes be enlisted by Head J. Gander Hooter (much to the chagrin of by-the-book agent Vladimir Grizzlikov) to face the villainous spy organization, and its agent Steelbeak. YouTube.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) 50th Anniversary. Robert Wise’s SciFi Classic about an alien giving the Earth a warning: resolve their conflicts…or else. My first knowing of the film was a VHS at my local market’s Rental display in the 1980s. Knowing more of it later, I saw a third of it on TCM during the millennium. FoxVideo Laserdisc.
THE STRONG MAN (1926) 95th Anniversary this month. Harry Langdon’s most famous comedy, and Frank Capra’s Directorial Debut. I first learned of this film from Kevin Brownlow’s HOLLYWOOD series. I eventually saw the film in 2005. This is a Thames Silents version with Carl Davis score. HBO/Thames Video VHS.