WHEN KIDS SHOWS RULED!

This was a show that lasted two seasons and used Chimpanzees. The star was Lancelot Link and his "girlfriend" was Mata Hari. "The Barron" was the bad guy. Each Saturday the chimps solved crmes, engaged in car chases and voiceover artists read the script as the Chimps moved their lips.

Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The show debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967 and was picked up by PBS the next year, becoming a staple of public TV stations around the United States. Rogers' mild manner, cardigan sweaters and soft speaking voice made him both widely beloved and widely parodied. Rogers ended production of the show in 2001, but reruns of the show continued to be aired on many PBS stations. He died in 2003 after a short battle with stomach cancer. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. Comedian Eddie Murphy did a popular parody of Rogers for the TV show Saturday Night Live... There is no truth to the rumor that Mr. Rogers was once an Army sniper, a Marine or a Navy SEAL. (Similar untrue stories are told about John Denver and TV's Captain Kangaroo.) He did not serve in the military in any capacity. Degreed in piano and later child development, he was a composer of 200 songs used on the show. He studied under Margaret McFarland PhD., a child psychologist and possessed the most unique God-Given insight into what children were feeling. What we saw on TV was how Fred was offscreen. He will never be equalled.I encourage any parent or single adult--for that matter--to look up his lyrics. They are all infused with themes of self esteem and the value of ones own uniqueness. His sign off on each show was derived from his Grandfather who told him: "You make everyday a special day for me by just your being you". I consider him the definitive "Class Act" of Broadcasting. He was married with two sons.

"Mister Rodgers Neighborhood" was based on his lifelong hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

"Hey Kids! What time is it?" (Audience filled with kids): "It's Howdy Doody Time!". Well before my time, but parents in the Blogosphere may agree that this started the ball rolling in kids television programming.

Gerry Anderson's first science fiction Supermarionation series. Super Car was a prototype vehicle that could travel in the air, on land or beneath the sea. Its test pilot was Mike Mercury, who traveled the world in search of adventure. Super Car was designed by Professor Popkiss and Dr. Beaker, who continued to modify it for specific missions. Often traveling with Mike was 10-year-old orphan Jimmy Gibson. Before my time, but TV re-runs today are laughable, although you could take a 5 year old and he or she would be glued to the TV with early animation that was funny.

Now Captain Kangaroo had quite a cast. There was "Mr. Green Jeans"--unfortunate that he actually wore Green jeans although most of the series was filmed in B&W, "Dancing Bear (mute), "Father Clock" spoke, and "Bunny Rabbitt" (although a mute puppet with Buddy Holly style glass frames, tricked the Captain into endless tricks that were puns and ended with pin-pong balls raining down on the Captain and the set). The Captain was the straight-man. One of the funniest shows for me was when Captain Kangaroo entered the set with a big circle of keys that he jingled. The pre-recorded Theme Song would shut off when he hung up the keys on a hook. One morning he dropped the keys three times and the Them song staggered. I laughed hysterically.

Burt Ward who played "Robin", Bruce Waynes 17 year old nephew, wrote a tell-all book called "Men in Tights" about the sexual escapades off-camera of he and Adam West with women groupies who watched this show. Plot: Billionaire Bruce Wayne lived with his Aunt Harriet and the Butler Alfred. A Red Bat Phone in his study provided a direct line to Gotham City, New Jersey's Commisioner Gordon and Police Chief O'Hara. Repeat crime offenders included "Mr. Freeze", "The Riddler" (Frank Gorshin), "The Joker" (Ceasar Romero); and "The Penguin" (Burgess Meredith) and "Catwoman" (there were several including Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriweather, and in a 1992 film adaptation Michelle Pfeiffer). Anyway, the "Dynamic Duo" had a secret door in their study that revealed fire poles to "The Bat Cave" where computerized crime fighting equipment and a Batmobile built by the late George Barris from a concept car from Ford called "The Futura". I've seen the original car at a car show and it was stunningly beautiful. The dialogue was an intentional spoof on conservative America. Robin holding onto a batrope with his teeth while Batman pulled him up the side of building to the roof top: "Holy Molars, Batman! I'm sure glad I brush my teeth"! Batman looking away to gather his philosophical response. "Yes, Robin. You do owe your life to proper dental hygiene". Fights with the villains included cartoonish graphic displays of "POW!", "OUCH!", "BIFF!", "PHOOEY"! It ran from 1966-68 and was a distraction from the Vietnam War.

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The reason I wrote this "light fare" BLOG came after a visit to the local Walgreen's. I looked over the kids DVD and VHS tape offerings for current entertainment and found it sorely lacking in creativity.

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What do memories do you have about these series listed here?

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Listening to: Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61/Isaac Stern/Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic.