THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW

 

THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW
(Syndication, September, 1952-May 1, 1954)

 

T.C.A. Productions, Inc.

 

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy duo whose partnership spanned from 1935-57. Their pairing came about on the burlesque circuit when Abbott substituted for Costello’s regular partner after he took ill. At the insistence of other performers and Abbott’s wife, the two became a permanent team with Abbott playing the straight man to Costello’s dimwitted antics. Their work spanned between radio, film and television, making them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and early 1950s and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during WWII. Their routine “Who’s on First?”, which debuted on the radio in 1938 a month after their first broadcast, is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time. When changing tastes and overexposure reduced their popularity and their film and television contracts expired, the two went their separate ways; with Costello dying soon after in 1959.

But and Lou getting into antics with Mike the Cop and Sidney the landlord.

After being part of the rotating roster of hosts for The Colgate Comedy Hour, Abbott and Costello were given their own show. It was loosely based on their radio show and even shared the same title: The Abbott and Costello Show. The premise was that Abbott and Costello were unemployed actors sharing a rooming house apartment in Hollywood. A running gag featured Abbott constantly nagging Costello to get a job while he himself remained happily unemployed. Unlike typical sitcoms, the series was more of a showcase for the pair’s burlesque routines in a manner they could control (and own, as Costello owned the show with Abbott on salary) and put little emphasis on plot, character or continuity. If it was funny, it was in the show. Other characters included their landlord, Sidney Fields (himself); their neighbor and sometimes love-interest for Costello, Hillary Brooke (herself); Mike the cop (Gordon Jones), their dimwitted foil and occasional rival for Hillary; Mr. Bacciagalupe (Costello’s brother-in-law Joe Kirk), a stereotypical Italian immigrant that held whatever job the script required; and Stinky (Joe Besser), a 40-year-old little boy in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit.

Lou outside with Stinky.

The Abbott and Costello Show debuted in the fall of 1952, sold into syndication by MCA Inc. to approximately 40 local stations across the country; meaning it was broadcast on different days at different times in different cities. Despite airing on CBS in New York City and later NBC, the series was never carried by a national network. The only time it received network airplay was when CBS broadcast reruns as part of their Saturday morning schedule for the 1954 season. The original intro featured a montage of scenes from the pair’s early Universal films and was followed by a framing sequence with them on a stage addressing the audience (sometimes with another cast member) at the beginning, middle and end. For the second season, Brooke, Kirk and Besser were dropped, the intro was simplified, the stage segments removed, and a more traditional sitcom format adopted with tighter plots at the insistence of series director and season producer Jean Yarbrough. The series aired in reruns through the 1990s, and again from the 2010s to the present on MeTV and sister network Decades.

EVERETT PECK DEAD AT 71

 

You can read the announcement here.

He worked as a character designer on The Real Ghostbusters and Godzilla: The Series, the latter of which he also served as an executive design consultant as he did on Men in Black: The Series. He also provided animation for “The Worm Winter Games” episode of Sesame Street. 

BILLY KAMETZ DEAD AT 35

 

You can read the full story here.

He provided the English voice for Fubuki Sumiye in Beyblade Burst and guest-starred as Navareth in the “Witches Before Wizards” episode of The Owl House.

YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH / THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW

 

YOU’LL NEVER GET RICH / THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW
(CBS, September 20, 1955-September 11, 1959)
 

The CBS Television Network

 

 

Created by Nat Hiken, the series centered on the adventures of Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Phil Silvers), the head of the motor pool of the unremarkable army post of Fort Baxter in the fictional town of Roseville Kansas. Bilko was a schemer who was always involved in some kind of swindle or get-rich-quick scam while trying to do as little actual work as possible. Under him were his right-hand men Captain Rocco Barbella (Harvey Lembeck) and Captain Steve Henshaw (Allan Melvin), as well as CaptaiN Sam Fender (Herbie Faye), Private Duane Doberman (Maurice Gosfield), Private Dino Paparelli (Billy Sands), Private Fielding Zimmerman (Mickey Freeman), Private Gander (Tige Andrews), Private Mullen (Jack Healy), Private Irving Fleishman (Maurice Brenner), Private Stash Kadowski (Karl Lukas), Private Claude Dillingham (Walter Cartier) and Private Sugarman (an African-American defying the segregation still prevalent at the time, played by Terry Carter). In charge of all of them was Bilko’s long-suffering commanding officer, Colonel John T. Hall (Paul Ford). Bilko’s men were fiercely loyal to him, despite the fact they were just as likely to be the target of his schemes as the participants. However, Bilko did have his own code of honor: only he got to fleece his men and would often turn his shady skills against anyone else that tried.

Bilko and his men.

Originally titled You’ll Never Get Rich during its first season, The Phil Silvers Show debuted on CBS on September 20, 1955, with a theme and music by John Strauss. Despite television production beginning to move from New York to California at the time, Hiken insisted on filming the show in New York and like a stage-play: in sequence in front of an audience (which often resulted in a lot of improvisations to cover for flubbed lines; particularly from Ford). When Hiken left the series after the third season, the show moved production to California and adopted an out-of-sequence format that everyone found easier. The setting was also moved to Camp Fremont in California to realistically allow Hollywood guest stars. Actor George Kennedy, who was a veteran, was the show’s technical advisor and got his acting start with a minor role as a military policeman. The series was nominated for several Primetime Emmys, winning a couple.

A face you can trust?

After four seasons and 143 episodes (not counting the original unaired pilot), CBS abruptly decided to end the show. It was too expensive to produce due to the large cast and they wanted to try and recoup some of the cost in rerun sales, which they felt couldn’t be done while a show was still airing. CBS sold the rights to NBC, who saw massive returns when they aired it five days a week. Silvers’ Bilko persona outlined the rest of his career; playing similar characters in various television shows and films. Hanna-Barbera would take inspiration from the character to churn out the titular character from Top Cat (which starred Gosfield) and Hokey Wolf, and even The Flintstones’ Dino had a Bilko-style voice for his debut episode (he just barked for the remainder of his appearances). The series would air in syndicated reruns off and on for the next several decades between network television and cable, sometimes under the titles Sergeant Bilko or Bilko. In 1996, a film adaptation starring Steve Martin was released to theaters by Universal Pictures called Sgt. Bilko. It was a critical and box office flop.

AS TOLD BY GINGER

AS TOLD BY GINGER
(Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, October 25, 2000-November 14, 2006)
 
Klasky-Csupo, Nickelodeon Animation Studios
 
 

            As Told by Ginger was created by Emily Kapnek and produced by Klasky-Csupo. The series followed junior high school student Ginger Foutley (Melissa Disney) and her friends Darren Patterson (Kenny Blank), Deidre Hortense “Dodie” Bishop (Aspen Miller) and Macie Lightfoot (Jackie Harris) as they tried to improve their geeky social standings in school while dealing with typical life drama. Ginger’s standing was slightly helped by the fact that the most popular girl in school, Courtney Gripling (Liz Georges), took a liking to her based on her quirky “Gingerisms”, as she called them, and often invited Ginger along on social functions. Courtney’s right-hand-woman, Miranda Killgallen (Cree Summer), makes sure to keep Ginger in check and from replacing her. Ginger’s younger brother, Carl (Jeannie Elias), often got up to his own mischief with his best friend Robert Joseph “Hoodsey” Bishop (Tress MacNeille). Always available for guidance and advice was their divorced mother, Lois (Laraine Newman). Ginger documented her daily activities in her diary.

Ginger and (mostly) her friends.

            As Told by Ginger debuted on Nickelodeon on October 25, 2000, airing on the TEENick programming block. The show’s theme was “I’m in Between” written by series composer Jared Faber and Kapnek, and performed by Macy Gray. The series became notable for its unusual approach compared to other animated productions at the time. The characters were allowed to age, ending up in high school by the middle of the third season, and changed clothes every episode (sometimes several times in an episode, depending how many days it spanned). It also dealt with heavy topics, such as the school believing Ginger was suicidal after she wrote a creepy poem, Ginger becoming addicted to caffeine, and the death of a teacher (prompted by the untimely death of her voice actor, Kathleen Freeman). In 2002, the series became part of the Saturday morning Nick on CBS programming block; however, it was dropped after two months to make room for NFL coverage. As Told by Ginger was allowed to air fully in international markets, but was taken off the Nick schedule with several episodes left to air as its popularity had declined (largely due to constant schedule shifts). Two additional episodes would make their American debut on sister channel Nicktoons in 2004 and 2006, and the three-episode series finale was released as a direct to video film in 2004. In 2016, four additional episodes finally aired on TeenNick’s NickRewind block, “The Splat”. In 2021, the entire series was made available to stream on Paramount+.

PINWHEEL

PINWHEEL
(Channel C-3, Nickelodeon, December 1, 1977-July 31, 1984)
 
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
 
 

            Pinwheel was a children’s television show aimed at preschoolers aged 3-5. Created by Dr. Vivian Horner and produced by Sandy Kavanaugh, two veterans of Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), the series was set around a large Victorian-style boarding house called Pinwheel House (and happened to be powered by a pinwheel on the roof). Like CTW’s Sesame Street, human characters lived alongside and interacted with puppet ones. The humans included storyteller and artist Franci (Franci Anderson); Parisian mime/handyman Coco (Caroline Cox Loveheart & Lindanell Rivera); music enthusiast Jake (George James, also the series’ composer), who liked to collect unusual sounds in small boxes for future musical inspiration; elderly couple Smitty (Dale Engle) and Sal (Betty Rozek) who published local newspaper The Daily Noodle; and Kim (Arline Miyazaki), the house’s resident artist. The puppets included Aurelia (Brad Williams), a bohemian-style character who owned the house and worked as a fortune teller; Ebenezer T. Squint (Williams), an inventor and part-time magician that lived in the basement; Luigi O’Brien (Williams), an Italian produce vendor that worked out of the backyard; Aurelia’s nephews Plus (Williams) and Minus (Jim Jinkins) who were opposites in every way; Molly the Mole (Olga Felgemacher), an elderly mole that lived in a tree and introduced cartoon shorts; Admiral Bird (Craig Mann), a pirate bird that was elusive and hard to catch; Silas the Snail (Mann), constantly on his way to a snail gathering that he never makes due to his slow speed; siblings Herbert (Mann) and Lulu (Felgemacher), a pair of bugs that danced and played on the hedges; the Wonkies Tika, Gorkle and Woofle (all Anderson), aliens that live in in Franci’s garden terrarium; and Spiderbelle (Anderson), a bonnet-wearing spider.

            Pinwheel debuted on Columbus, Ohio’s Channel C-3 on December 1, 1977. Like similar programs, episodes dealt with concepts such as sharing, manners, the environment and other topics children should be exposed to. Short skits were interspersed with song numbers, mostly performed by Jake. It was specifically geared for the short attention span of younger children. In 1979, the network went national and became Nickelodeon, making Pinwheel one of the first programs broadcast on that network. Along with the shift came a bigger budget, allowing production to move from Columbus to New York City, the inclusion of imported animated shorts, and an expansion into a full hour (edited down to a half hour for international distribution). After five seasons and 260 episodes, production on Pinwheel ended in 1984; however, the network continued to air it for the remainder of the decade. Following the cancellation of Captain Kangaroo, Bill Cosby’s Picture Pages segment was incorporated into Pinwheel’s reruns. When Nickelodeon launched the Nick Jr. programming block, Pinwheel became the first program aired on it; promoted by Nick running a series of commercials where the logo took the shape of two pinwheels. In 1990, Pinwheel was finally taken off the air, making way for another puppet series aimed at preschoolers: Eureeka’s Castle.

SATURDAY MORNING STREAMING JUNE 2022

 This is what Saturday morning favorites are available to stream this month on the major services. NOTE: Not all titles are available on the 1st, and availability is subject to change at the providers' discretion.

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo

Amethyst: Princess of Gem World (DC Nation shorts)

Atom Ant

Back at the Barnyard

Batman Beyond

Batman: The Animated Series

Blaze and the Monster Machines

Bobby’s World

Bunnicula

Busytown Mysteries

Cave Kids

Cool McCool

CyberSix (certain areas)

Droopy: Master Detective

Duck Dodgers

Garfield & Friends

The Gumby Show

Horseland

LEGO Ninjago

Max & Ruby

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

Pokémon the Series: Ruby & Saffire

Pokémon the Series: XY

Pokémon the Series: XYZ

Richie Rich

Rusty Rivets

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!

Shimmer & Shine

The Smurfs

Sonic Boom

Sonic X

SpongeBob SquarePants

Strange Days at Blake Holsey High

Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries

Taz-Mania

Tenkai Knights

Thomas and Friends

Tom and Jerry Kids

Tom and Jerry Show

Tom and Jerry Tales

Turtles Forever

Wacky Races (1967)

What’s New, Scooby-Doo?

Xiaolin Chronicles

Yogi’s Galaxy Goof-Ups

Yogi’s Space Race

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

ReBoot

Street Fighter: The Series

The Weird Al Show

101 Dalmatians: The Series

Amphibia (NEW EPISODES!)

Avengers: United They Stand

Big City Greens

Big Hero 6: The Series

Bunk’d

Coop and Cami Ask the World

Darkwing Duck

Dino Ranch

Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears

Disney’s Doug (Disney episodes)

Doc McStuffins

DuckTales (2017)

Elena of Avalor

Gargoyles/Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles

The Ghost and Molly McGee

Gigantosaurus

Goof Troop

Hercules: The Animated Series

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

LEGO Star Wars All-Stars

Lilo & Stitch: The Series

The Lion Guard

The Little Mermaid: The Animated Series

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Mickey Mouse

Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series

Milo Murphy’s Law

Mira, Royal Detective

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Miraculous World: New York, United Heroez

Miraculous World: Shanghai, the Legend of Ladydragon

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The Owl House (NEW EPISODES!)

Pepper Ann

Pickle and Peanut

Puppy Dog Pals

Recess

The Rocketeer (2019)

Roll it Back

Schoolhouse Rock!

Silver Surfer: The Animated Series

Spider-Man (1981)

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Spider-Man Unlimited

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Spider-Woman

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Star Wars: Droids

Star Wars: Ewoks

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Teacher’s Pet

Timon & Pumbaa

Vampirina

Walk the Prank

Wolverine and the X-Men

X-Men: Evolution

X-Men: The Animated Series

 

Apple and Onion

Aquaman (1967)

Batman Beyond

Batman: The Animated Series

Ben 10 (2005)

Ben 10 (2016)

Ben 10: Omniverse

Beware the Batman

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic

Craig of the Creek

Esme & Roy

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Josie and the Pussycats

Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space

Love Monster

Lucas the Spider (NEW EPISODES!)

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo!

The Scooby-Doo Show

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Sesame Street

The Smurfs (1981)

Static Shock

Summer Camp Island

Super Friends

Superman: The Animated Series

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

Teen Titans Go!

The Batman

Total DramaRama

Victor and Valentino

We Baby Bears (NEW EPISODES!)

What’s New, Scooby-Doo?

Young Justice

Animaniacs (1993)

Ben 10 (2005)

Ben 10: Omniverse

Doc McStuffins

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (season 9 only)

My Little Pony: Pony Life

Pickle and Peanut

Pikwik Pack

Pinky & the Brain

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Pokémon Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends

Pokémon the Series: XY

Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest

Pokémon the Series: XYZ

Saved by the Bell (1989)

Sonic Boom!

Sonic X

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Teen Titans Go!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

The Tick (1994)

Tiny Toon Adventures

Where’s Waldo? (2019) (season 1)

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

44 Cats

Angelina Ballerina

Bakugan: Battle Planet

Beyblade Burst Evolution

Beyblade Burst Rise

Beyblade Burst Surge

Beyblade Burst Turbo

DC Super Hero Girls (2019)

Gigantosaurus

Goosebumps

Hotel Transylvania: The Series

LEGO City Adventures

LEGO Friends

LEGO Ninjago

The Magic School Bus (1993)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir (season 1-3)

Molang

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Tales of Canterlot High

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (4 seasons)

Oggy and the Cockroaches

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Pokémon Indigo League

Pokémon Journeys

Power Players

Power Rangers Beast Morphers

Power Rangers Dino Fury

Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel

Rabbids Invasion

Saved by the Bell (1989)

Sonic X

Transformers: Cyberverse

Transformers: Rescue Bots (season 1)

Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy

Winx Club

Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

All Grown Up!

Alvinnn!!! And the Chipmunks

Archie’s Weird Mysteries

Blaze and the Monster Machines

Breadwinners

Bunsen is a Beast

The Cassagrandes

ChalkZone

Doug (Nickelodeon episodes)

Heathcliff (1984)

Inspector Gadget (1983)

It’s Pony

LEGO City Adventures (NEW EPISODES!)

The Loud House

Madeline/The New Adventures of Madeline

Max & Ruby

The New Archies

Oswald

The Penguins of Madagascar

Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Ryan’s Mystery Playdate

Shimmer and Shine

Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM)

SpongeBob SquarePants

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures

Super Mario World

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) (1 season) (NEW!)

Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

3-2-1 Penguins!

Angelina Ballerina

Beethoven: The Series

Fievel’s American Tails

Garfield and Friends

The Mummy: The Animated Series

The New Woody Woodpecker Show

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Postman Pat

Roger Ramjet

The Savage Dragon

Saved by the Bell (1989)

The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat

The Weird Al Show

Where’s Waldo? (2019)

Wing Commander Academy

Yu-Gi-Oh!

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo

The Adventures of Flash Gordon

The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police

Anatole

Angelina Ballerina

The Archie Show

Archie’s Weird Mysteries

Beakman’s World

Bump in the Night

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

City Guys

Conan the Adventurer

Cool McCool

DC Nation Shorts

Denver the Last Dinosaur

Dino Squad

Dog City

Earthworm Jim

Freakazoid!

Flying Rhino Junior High

G.I. Joe: Sigma 6

Garfield and Friends

Groovie Goolies

The Gumby Show

Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!

I Married Joan

The Karate Kid: The Series

Horseland

Inspector Gadget (1983)

Jem

LEGO Friends

LEGO Ninjago

Littlest Pet Shop (2012)

Madeline/The New Adventures of Madeline

Medabots

The Mini Munsters (ABC Saturday Superstar Movie)

Mister T

Monster Rancher

My Pet Monster

Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend

Ned’s Newt

The New Archies

Oggy and the Cockroaches

Pelswick

Popeye and Son

Pound Puppies (2010)

ReBoot

Rescue Heroes

Sabrina’s Secret Life

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Shazam! (1974)

Shelldon

Sherlock Holmes in the 22^nd Century

Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) (Spanish only)

Sonic X

Stargate: Infinity

The Super Globetrotters

Super Mario World

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

Transformers: Animated

Transformers: Beast Machines

Transformers: Cybertron

Transformers: Energon

Ultraforce

Underdog

The Wacky World of Tex Avery

The Weird Al Show

Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

WildC.A.T.s.: Covert Action Teams

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal