CATTANOOGA CATS

 CATTANOOGA CATS
(ABC, September 6-December 27, 1969)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Thames International

 

 

MAIN CAST:

Bill Callaway – Country

Julie Bennett – Kitty Jo, Chessie

Jim Begg – Scoots

Casey Kasem – Groove

Michael Lloyd & Peggy Clinger – Cattanooga Cats singing voices

Bruce Watson – Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr.

Janet Waldo – Jenny Trent

Don Messick – Hoppy, Smirky, Opening Announcer

Daws Butler – Crumden, Lambsy Divey

Allan Melvin – Bumbler, Bristlehound

Paul Lynde – Mildew Wolf

Marty Ingels – Autocat

Dick Curtis – Motormouse

 

 

Hanna-Barbera sought to further bolster their offerings in the growing fictional band genre while duplicating the success they found with The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. They created a new variety program with an anthropomorphic band as the headliners. However, this time around, it would be completely animated. The resulting program was Cattanooga Cats.

Promotional art of Groove, Country, Kitty Jo and Scoots with super-fan Chessie and Teeny Tim.

The titular segment focused on the Cattanooga Cats (a play on Chattanooga, Tennessee) band comprised of Country (Bill Callaway), the lead singer and guitarist who also drove their converted bus, Gashopper; Kitty Jo (Julie Bennet), a singer and dancer that occasionally also drove the bus; Scoots (Jim Begg), the bassist with a magic crayon that could create anything out of thin air to get the group out of a jam; and Groove (Casey Kasem), the drummer that always spoke in rhyme. A fifth member, a keyboardist mouse named Cheesie, made it as far as storyboards but ultimately cut out of the final production. Ads for the series would also feature 5 members and presumably older, mod-inspired designs, rather than their final ones. They usually ended up embroiled in some kind of misadventure along the way to a gig; be it pestered by the supernatural—both real and man-made—or eluding a persistent autograph hound. Only nine full episodes were made with the Cats, however they would appear in bumpers and musical numbers between the other cartoons with the addition of Kitty Jo’s big blue dog, Teeny Tim (named after the Tiny Tim character from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens).

The Cattanooga Cats album.

Producer Mike Curb served as the series’ musical director and co-wrote all of the Cats’ songs along with Valjean Johns, Guy Hemric, Shaun Harris, Johnny Cymbal, Harley Hatcher, Jerry Styner, Roger Christian, Debra Clinger, Michael Lloyd and Peggy Clinger. Lloyd and Peggy Clinger also provided the Cats’ singing voices. 34 songs were produced in all, not including the series’ theme. Several songs were covers previously handled by Curb Records. “Cold Wisconsin Night (Sittin’ by the Fireside)” was recorded in 1968 by The American Revolution as “Cold Wisconsin Nights”; “I Wish I Was a Fire” and “My Girlfriend is a Witch” were recorded in 1968 by October Country; “My Birthday Suit” was composed for the 1968 independent hicksploitation comedy Jennie: Wife/Child, aka Albert Peckinpaw’s Revenge; the melody of “The Day That Love Won’t Stay Away” originated from the traditional Irish ballad, “The King of the Fairies”; and “Sing a Song of Sixpence” and “Johnny Johnny Jump Up” were based on traditional children’s songs.

Title card for It's the Wolf! featuring Bristlehound, Mildew and Lambsy.

It’s the Wolf! centered on hungry wolf, Mildew (Paul Lynde, who was uncredited), attempting to make a dinner out of sure-footed lamb, Lambsy Divey (inspired by the lyrics of the 1943 novelty song “Mairzy Doats” composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, voiced by Butler), utilizing various schemes and disguises. A recurring gag would have Lambsy easily see through Mildew’s disguises and give several incorrect rhyming guesses as to his true identity before crying out “It’s the wool-uff!” Lambsy was under the watchful guard of sheepdog Bristlehound (Melvin), and when Lambsy called out Bristelhound would appear, snag Mildew with his cane, pound him and send him flying off into the horizon. This segment was largely inspired by the Warner Bros. theatrical shorts featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, running from 1953-63. For Japanese airings, It’s the Wolf! was renamed Ramji-chan, giving Lambsy top billing due to their love of cute characters.

Around the World in 79 Days title card featuring Crumden and his crew looking at Phineas and his.

Around the World in 79 Days was a sequel to the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr. (Bruce Watson) was the American great-great-grandson of Phileas Fogg who set out to not only beat his relative’s record, but gain a £1,000,000 inheritance by doing so. Joining him along the way were teenaged reporters Jenny Trent (Janet Waldo) and Hoppy (Don Messick). Attempting to stop him and get the money himself was Crumden (Daws Butler), the crooked butler of Phileas, his idiotic chauffer, Bumbler (Allan Melvin), and his pet monkey, Smirky (Messick). Unlike the other segments, 79 Days was serialized rather than episodic. Another unrelated attempt at adapting the novel would come 3 years later on rival network NBC.

Title card for Motormouse and Autocat, with the titular characters in mid chase.

Motormouse and Autocat was essentially a Tom and Jerry clone; however, utilizing various wild vehicles. Autocat (Marty Ingles) was a fast-talking race car-driving cat that was hired to get rid of the motorcycle-riding Motormouse (Dick Curtis, using an over-enunciation of various words) from a garage. To do so, he continually concocted bizarre vehicle contraptions in order to snag him. Of course, those vehicles would often fail on Autocat or Motormouse would simply outsmart his opponent. Hanna-Barbera would also utilize strange vehicle chases as a central theme of the concurrently-airing Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines.

The Cats in the Gashopper.

Cattanooga Cats debuted on ABC on September 6, 1969. The series was written by Neal Barbera, Larz Bourne, Eddie Brandt, Tom Dagenais, Len Janson, Earl Klein, Bill Lutz, Michael Maltese, Chuck Menville, Bill Perez, Joe Ruby, Dalton Sandifer, Martin Smith and Ken Spears. Along with Curb, producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were credited with the series’ theme. Ted Nichols handled the rest of the series’ music. To coincide with the series’ release, an album of 11 of the Cats’ songs were released by Forward Records and EMI, along with the singles “Mother May I” and “Merry-Go-Round”. The music has never seen a reissue, but as the album’s copyright was allowed to lapse in 1997 pirated recordings found their way online and for sale as bootleg CDs. While working on the show, layout artist Jerry Eisenberg had some fun with his new Super 8 camera during lunch breaks. He filmed and directed a live-action spoof of It’s the Wolf starring animator Bonita Versh as Lambsy, layout artist Alex Ignatiev as Bristlehound, and animator/layout artist Joel Siebel as Mildew.

Mildew disguised as a little old lady.

As part of their hopes for another hit, Cattanooga Cats had a decent merchandising blitz. All but 79 Days would be featured strips in the anthology series Hanna-Barbera Fun-In from Gold Key Comics, Heroes de la Tele from Ediciones Recreativas in Spain, and in Wacky Races Annual Featuring Motormouse and Autocat by Brown Watson Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Ben Cooper produced a costume based on Country in 1969. Western Publishing Company made a Cats tray puzzle in 1969, followed by a Magic Slate and coloring book the next year. Plastirama made party favors including a hat and wrist bracelets featuring the Cats’ images. Selex Decal produced a set of Cats stickers. Country, Motormouse and Lambsy were featured on the design for a footrest for The Happy Kingdom of Hanna-Barbera.

The air race has turned into an ice race between Phineas and Crumden.

Unfortunately, the series failed to achieve the success Hanna-Barbera was looking for. At least in part. It’s the Wolf and Motormouse and Autocat turned out to be the stand-outs, and were split off into their own half hour the following year with brand new entries. Cattanooga Cats and 79 Days would be paired up for reruns on ABC Sunday mornings until both shows left the network the following season. Reruns of the various segments, particularly Motormouse and Wolf, would air intermittently on Cartoon Network beginning in 1995 until 2000 and on sister channel Boomerang beginning in 2000 until 2012. The complete series has never seen a home media release, but Walton Home Movies released 3 of the music videos and the theme and several episodes of Motormouse on Super 8 in 1971, and 12 Wolf episodes were released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video on VHS in 1988.

Mildew in Laff-A-Lympics.

Mildew would appear as an announcer on the series Laff-a-Lympics, voiced by John Stephenson impersonating Lynde. Lambsy would appear on his own in 1972’s Yogi’s Ark Lark. Mildew (Bernardo de Paula), Lambsy (Dana Snyder), and the Cattanooga Cats (as animatronics) would go on to make appearances in the streaming series Jellystone! Plans were in place to revive The Cattanooga Cats along with The Hair Bear Bunch and Snooper and Blabber as rotating features of the second season of 2 Stupid Dogs, but were ultimately scrapped.

            

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Witch Whacky / It’s the Wolf! / The Race is On / Wheelin’ and Dealin’” (9/6/69) – A witch plans to make Kitty Jo her replacement so she can finally retire. / Mildew Wolf plans to have Lambsy for dinner—if he can get past Bristlehound first. / Crumden attempts to end Phinny’s trip early in Paris. / Motormouse and Autocat compete with their newly-arrived upgrades.

Songs: “How Did I Ever Get So Lucky”, “My Group Has Too Many Cavities”

 

“Geronihoho / When My Sheep Comes In / Swiss Mis-Adventure / Party Crasher” (9/13/69) – The Cats deal with a Native American chief set on chasing tourists off his land to preserve it. / Mildew attempts to snag Lambsy while he’s on his way to an Australian sheep show. / A rescue dog saves the crew after Crumden leaves them frozen in the Alps. / Autocat attempts to crash Motormouse’s party.

Songs: “My Girl Friend is a Witch”, “Alle Alle Oxen Free”

 

“The Big Boo-Boo / A Sheep in the Deep / Arabian Daze / Water Sports” (9/20/69) – A princess’ servant decides to kidnap Kitty Jo so that the princess may learn the Cats’ dances. / Mildew finds Bristlehound and Lambsy on a deserted island. / Crumden kidnaps Jenny to give to a sheik to be his princess. / Autocat tries to get Motormouse back to the garage from vacation to avoid being fired.

Songs: “Wait a Minute for Country”, “She’s the Right One”

 

“The Wee Greenie Goofie / High Hopes / Winter Blunder-Land! / Madrid or Busted / What’s the Motor with You?” (9/27/69) – The Cats deal with a mischievous leprechaun that followed Kitty Jo’s uncle home from Ireland. / Mildew becomes the Crimson Baron in order to snatch Lambsy out of the sky. / Dinner will be served cold if Mildew can catch Lambsy in the snow. / Crumden steals the crew’s map, leaving them lost in Spain. / Autocat tries to stop Motormouse’s testing of a new motorcycle.

Songs: “Country Carnival”, “Come and Play with the Cattanooga Cats”

 

“Mummy’s Day / Merry Go Roundup! / Mr. Bom Bom / Mini Messenger” (10/4/69) – The Cats end up locked inside a museum for the night and run afoul of a reanimated mummy looking to steal a ruby. / Bristlehound builds an amusement park for Lambsy. / Crumden’s storm causes the crew to become acquainted with a gorilla. / Autocat attempts to stop Motormouse’s new delivery service.

Songs: “My Birthday Suit”, “Super Love”

 

“Zoo’s Who / Super Sceintific Sheep Sitting Service / India or Bust / Wild Wheelin’ Wheels” (10/11/69) – The Cats try to figure out how to get a homesick elephant out of the zoo and back home. / Bristlehound employs a video security system to keep an eye on Mildew. / Crumden cuts away Phinny’s balloon after failing to trick him with an abominable snowman. / Unable to catch Motormouse, Autocat decides on some drastic actions and crafts new automobiles.

Songs: “Cold Wisconsin Night”, “Mother May I”

 

“Autograph Hounded / Any Sport in a Storm / Snow Slappy / Soggy to Me” (10/18/69) – The Cats try to get away from a very persistent autograph hound. / Lambsy just wants to play sports, but Mildew has other plans. / Crumden plots some dirty tricks at the North Pole. / Autocat ends up all wet after Motormouse becomes a firefighter.

Songs: “Johnny Johnny Jump-Up”, “Day When Love Won’t Stay Away”

 

“The Caribbean Kook / Magic Wanderer / Finney, Finney, Fun, Fun / Crash Course” (10/25/69) – The Cats take on a pirate that crashes their cruise ship gig. / Mildew, Lambsy and Bristlehound add prestidigitation to their chase. / Crumden forces the crew to land in an area where trespassing is a jailable offense. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse out of a motorcycle race only to end up in it himself.

Songs: “Merry Go ‘Round”, “Story of My Life”

 

“Ghosting A-Go-Go / Runaway Home / The Argentiny Meany / Fueling Around” (11/1/69) – The Cats end up in a haunted house where a ghost is determined to put the fright into them. / Lambsy decides to run away from home to seek his fortune. / Crumden and Bumbler saw off the spot where the crew landed their balloon in Argentina. / Autocat tries to come up with his own super fuel to rival Motormouse’s.

Songs: “Hoot Owl”, “I Wish I Was a Fire”

 

“Smart Dummy / The Tree Man / Buzzin’ Cousin” (11/8/69) –Mildew increases his odds by creating mechanical duplicates of himself. / Bumbler downs the crew’s balloon, but they end up rescued by a jungle man. / Motormouse decides to have some fun with Autocat when his identical cousin comes to visit.

Songs: “Do You Dig the Music”, “It’s Summertime”

 

“Cat Caper / Saucy Aussie / Snow-Go” (11/15/69) – Paths get crossed as a cat attempts to catch a bird while Mildew goes after Lambsy. / Kangaroos help the crew retrieve the balloon Crumden lets loose. / Autocat comes up with snow-bound vehicles to catch Motormouse in the winter.

Songs: “We’re Incompatible”, “Love Could Be”

 

“Mask Me No Questions / Crumden’s Last Stand / Hard Day’s Day” (11/22/69) –Lambsy writes to his favorite TV super hero to help protect him from Mildew. / Crumden ends up betrothed to an Indian chief’s daughter. / Autocat creates a remote-controlled device to deal with Motormouse.

Songs: “Pretty as a Picture”, “Stop Right There”

 

“Freeway Frenzy / Egyptian Jinx / Tally Ha Ha” (11/29/69) –Mildew attempts to catch Lambsy as he plays on an unfinished highway. / Crumden attempts to scare off the crew with a fake haunted pyramid. / Leadership of a club comes down to who can capture Motormouse.

Songs: “Magic Machine”, “Come Back, Baby, Come Back”

 

“Slumber Jacks / Border Disorder / Hocus Focus” (12/6/69) – Bristlehound is unable to stay awake while Mildew pursues Lambsy. / Crumden recruits a Mexican criminal to help stop the crew. / Motormouse takes pictures to win a new motorcycle in a contest, despite Autocat’s best efforts to interrupt him.

Songs: “Children Understand”, “Up, Down and On the Ground”

 

“Pow-Wow Wolf / Troubles in Dutch / Kitty Kitty Bang Bang” (12/13/69) –Mildew goes after Lambsy as he pretends to be a Native American. / Phinny enters an ice-skating competition to pay for some prize-winning tulips Crumden caused them to crush. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse from going on his cruise vacation.

Songs: “She Sure Got Soul”, “Cash Register Romance”

 

“Ghost of a Chance / The Fiji Weegees / King Size Kaddy” (12/20/69) – Mildew plays ghost when Bristelhound and Lambsy take shelter in an abandoned house. / Crumden tricks a tribe into thinking the crew are evil spirits. / Autocat interrupts Motormouse’s golf game.

Songs: “I Want to Sleep Tonight”, “Sing a Song of Sixpence”

 

“Hawaiian Hangup” (12/27/69) – Crumden plots to stop the crew during their Hawaiian break.

Songs: “Daydream”, “Honey”

GRAHAM HALEY DEAD AT 77

 

You can read his obituary here.

He played Proto One in Star Wars: Droids; Mr. Ribbons and additional voices in Rupert; Pyro in X-Men: The Animated Series; and Luther Silk and additional voices in Ultraforce. He also provided voices for My Pet Monster.

TERENCE STAMP DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known as Zod from the Superman films, he also played Professor Menace in an episode of Static Shock.

CAKE (2006)

 

CAKE (2006)
(CBS, September 16-December 9, 2006)
 
Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, KOL/AOL for Kids, DiC Entertainment Corporation

 

MAIN CAST:
Christa B. Allen – Cake
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle – Miracle Ross
Keegan McFadden – Benjamin Turner
Emily Everhard – Amy Carson

  

Since the year 2000, CBS’ Saturday morning programming was handled by corporate cousin Nickelodeon following the merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation. 5 years later, Viacom was again split from CBS Corporation into two distinct companies under the ownership of National Amusements. With Nickelodeon no longer under a common umbrella, CBS entered into a partnership with DiC Entertainment to take over their Saturday morning programming. DiC, in turn, partnered with KOL, internet provider America Online’s kid-centered website, to create the KOL Secret Slumber Party programming block.

Amy, Miracle, Cake, and Benjamin.

One of the first three programs launched under the block was Cake, created by Barbara Meyer and Maia Terzian and developed by Kaaren Lee Brown (not to be confused with the 2019 series of the same name). Cake was a how-to sitcom centered on a girl named Cake (Christa B. Allen) who was heavily into fashion and arts and crafts; inspired by her Grandma Crystal who used to design costumes and serve as a roadie for famous rock stars. Along with her best friend Miracle Ross (Anna Maria Pere de Tagle), who also loved fashion and art but was a bit on the materialistic and spoiled side, and young neighborhood girl Amy Carson (Emily Everhard), who was an environmentally-conscious jokester, Cake put on a public-access television show called Cake TV. Handling the camera was their other friend, Benjamin Turner (Keegan McFadden), whose stage fright left him happy to stay behind the scenes. They operated out of Cake’s garage and Crystal’s nearby Airstream travel trailer, which was loaded with supplies from her designing days. Despite other characters being mentioned and often being a factor at the center of an episode’s story, nobody else appeared on the show beyond a photograph of Cake with her mother and grandmother or vocal cameos from the television set.

Glue guns ready!

Cake debuted on CBS on September 16, 2006 with the rest of the Slumber Party block. The series was written by Susie Singer Carter and Don Priess, with Donald F. Roberts, PhD serving as an educational consultant to ensure the series met educational requirements mandated by the FCC. The main theme written by Michael J. Mani and Carter with vocals by Joey Singer, and music by Ron Wasserman. Costumes were designed by Sandy Ampon, CDG, and supervised by Dianne Kennedy, with Tim Wonsik, Raquel L. Jaffe and Stephen Oh as the costumers. The sets were decorated by Lisa De Los Reyes, SDSA.

Amy, Cake and Benjamin out in the yard by Grandma Crystal's trailer.

Each episode began with Cake showing the audience what craft project they’ll be working on later in the episode; such as jazzing up an old purse, creating a custom CD case, or revitalizing old plush toys. That was followed by a standard sitcom plot designed to lead the characters into a need or inspiration for that particular project. For instance, the first episode featured Miracle’s credit card being cut off by her parents for repeatedly going over her limit, leaving her without the ability to get a new dress (which was made for her by Cake) or a gift for a friend’s Bat Mitzvah (which was the mentioned project). For a bit of corporate synergy, one project was inspired by the success of pop group the Slumber Party Girls, the hosts and namesake of the Slumber Party block. The rest of the episode was dedicated to the filming of Cake TV and the craft project. The show would end with the disembodied voice of Cake saying “It’s a piece of cake!”

Amy, Cake and Miracle filming Cake TV.

As for the show-within-a-show, Cake TV featured the girls all wearing shirts with their names in creative lettering and Amy providing their introductions. Cake would then describe the project they’ll be working on. However, before that could begin, they played some stock footage of themselves marching out on the lawn carrying signs that spelt out the acronym “PARTY TIME”. PAR stood for “Permission Always Required”, reminding their viewers that they needed parental supervision and/or permission to use the more dangerous tools like scissors or a hot glue gun (Cake’s favorite). TYT stood for “Take Your Time”, encouraging the organization of materials and proceeding at a casual pace. IME stood for “Imagination Means Everything”, opening up their minds to allow their creativity to flow.  The girls then guided the viewers along on a step-by-step process of what materials they’ll need and what to do so they could follow along with their own craft project.

It's "PARTY TIME"!

Despite being nominated for two Young Artist Awards, winning one, the series was ultimately cancelled after the end of its only season of 13 episodes. A 14^th episode titled “Amy Takeover” was planned, but was never aired. Cake remained on the network in reruns until 2009. Following DiC’s takeover by Cookie Jar Group. CBS renewed its programming deal with Cookie Jar which then subsequently replaced all of DiC’s programming with their own for new programming block Cookie Jar TV.  While never released on home media, various episodes have been uploaded by fans to video sites like YouTube and it was made available for streaming on Tubi.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Miracle on Ice…The Case of the Frozen Assets” (9/16/02) – When Miracle’s parents freeze her credit card, she’s unable to buy a new outfit or gift for a friend’s Bat Mitzvah.

 

“Flip-Flopped” (9/23/06) – Amy copies other people’s style until Cake helps her discover her own individuality.

 

“Or-dis-ganized” (9/30/06) – Cake must help everyone get over a spreading case of forgetfulness.

 

“Not Your Mama’s Piggy Bank” (10/7/06) – Amy’s desire to help rebuild a playground destroyed by a tornado helps inspire that week’s craft to renew old stuffed toys.

 

“You Tell Her” (10/14/06) – Everyone tries to figure out the best way to tell Miracle that she stinks when she comes to the garage straight from soccer practice.

 

“The Write Inspiration” (10/21/06) – The kids are inspired by the Slumber Party Girls’ success and set out to achieve their own.

 

“Baby Blues” (10/28/06) – Amy decides that she’s tired of being treated like a kid because she’s the youngest and starts dressing and acting like a grown-up.

 

“Makin’ Up Is Hard to Do” (11/4/06) – A misunderstanding breaks up the friendship between Miracle and Benjamin.

 

“A Cake Walk” (11/11/06) – Miracle is concerned that Cake’s preoccupation with her grandmother’s hip surgery has drained her creative spark.

 

“Trump-IT” (11/18/06) – Benjamin loses his passion for trumpet-playing in the school’s concert band when the new exchange student seems unimpressed by his skill.

 

“Flopportunity” (11/25/06) – Miracle’s fashion sense is challenged when the ripped jeans she spent all her money on is deemed inappropriate by the principal.

 

“Snack Attack” (12/2/06) – Cake is concerned about Miracle’s unhealthy chocolate chip cookie addiction.

 

“Second Hand Woes” (12/9/06) – Amy hates getting hand-me-downs, but Cake sees it as a creative opportunity.

I'M TELLING!

 

I’M TELLING!
(NBC, September 12, 1987-March 5, 1988)
 
DiC Enterprises, Saban Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Laurie Faso – Host
Dean Goss – Announcer

  

In 1987, DiC Enterprises partnered with Saban Productions to co-produce several shows, which Saban would then handle the international distribution of. Together, they entered into an agreement with NBC to provide them several programs for their Saturday morning line-up. One of them was the live-action game show, I’m Telling!, marking Saban’s expansion into the medium.

The contestants ready to play.

Created by Ellen Levy and developed by Levy and Saban co-founder Haim Saban, I’m Telling! was essentially a kid version of The Newlywed Game. However, instead of romantic partners, I’m Telling! was played by three pairs of siblings—typically a brother and a sister, outside of special “Brothers’ Day” or “Sisters’ Day” episodes featuring siblings of the same sex. That comparison, by the way, didn’t go unnoticed by Newlywed Game producer Chuck Barris, who filed an injunction against Saban. Notably, Fast and the Furious franchise star Paul Walker appeared as a contestant with his sister, Ashlie, very early into his career.

A sister selecting a category.

The game featured three rounds. The first two rounds saw one of the siblings “teleported” to the “isolation zone” via special effects and video editing. In actuality, they were taken from the stage and placed in a soundproof room. The remaining sibling randomly selected one of three pun-laden categories by hitting a button and were asked a question loosely based on that category about their offstage sibling. Much like its inspiration, the questions were often designed to lead to humorous and embarrassing answers. After the three siblings answered every question, the isolated sibling was brought back out and the teams were awarded points for how many of their answers matched; gaining 25 points for matching the first, 50 for the second, and 75 for the third. The roles were then switched for the second round with the points increased to 50, 75 and 150, respectively.

The consolation prizes.

The team with the most points, or with an uncatchable substantial lead, won a $1,000 savings bond and advanced to the final round, while the other teams received consolation prizes that included Huffy bicycles, a 7-Eleven coupon book, and a copy of the I’m Telling! home game by Pressman Toy Corporation (now Goliath Games). In the event of a tie, the winner was selected from the team that came closest to guessing how many objects were placed into the “I’m Telling! Fun Box” or a jar without going over before the show.

The Pick-A-Prize Arcade.

The final round was the Pick-a-Prize Arcade, which was played after the set rotated 180 degrees to reveal 20 prizes in 2 rows of 10 on color-coded podiums; pink for the girls, yellow for the boys. Before the show, each sibling had to make a guess as to what 6 prizes the other would go for during this round. They then took turns selecting their 6 desired prizes from their designated rows. If their choices matched what their sibling selected beforehand, a light would flash after they hit a corresponding button. The team then took home every prize they matched (or, rather, a Service Merchandise gift certificate of equivalent value). If they matched a combined total of 10 prizes, they then won all 20 prizes.

Scoring a prize match.

I’m Telling! debuted on NBC on September 12, 1987. The game was hosted by actor Laurie Faso, with actor and veteran game show announcer Dean Goss announcing. Saban and partner Shuki Levy provided the series’ music. NBC would also have various stars from their shows appear in interstitials leading into a commercial break. Two episodes were populated by young NBC stars and their siblings, including Shannen Doherty (Our House) and her brother, Sean; Mackenzie Astin (The Facts of Life) and his brother, Sean; Heidi Zeigler (Rags to Riches) and her brother, Chuck; Chad Allen (Our House) and his sister, Charity; Benji Gregory (ALF) and his sister, Becky; and Ami Foster (Punky Brewster) and her brother, Shawn. For these shows, the equivalent of any winnings was donated to charity on top of a guaranteed $500.

Faso with that episode's winners.

Unfortunately, the show didn’t perform well on NBC’s already struggling Saturday morning lineup. The final new episode aired on March 5, 1988 and remained in reruns through August. On September 9, 1989, reruns aired on The Family Channel (now Freeform) for a year. It would return for two more runs on August 29, 1994 through September 30, 1995, and on October 30, 1995 through March 29, 1996. Notably, plugs for 7-Eleven and the commercial break between rounds 1 and 2 were edited out, and the credits were redone and presented over the descriptions of the prizes won. In the years since, several episodes of varying quality have found their way onto video sites like YouTube. This would be DiC’s only foray into game shows, while Saban would produce another for syndication, Treasure Mall, reusing several sounds and a reworking of the theme from I’m Telling!

HULK HOGAN DEAD AT 71

 

You can read the full story here.

One of the most prolific wrestlers that helped usher in the wrestling boom of the 1980s, the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) used him as the face of their multimedia efforts; which included the animated series Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling that used his name, likeness and featured him in the intro and live-action segments. He also appeared on the Saturday morning edition of WWF’s broadcasts in the early 90s. 

MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER DEAD AT 54

 

You can read the full story here.

Best known as Theo Huxtable from The Cosby Show, he was also the replacement host for the 1993 reruns of CBS Storybreak; The Producer in The Magic School Bus; Lester Biggs in an episode of Static Shock; Floyd in an episode of Puppy Dog Pals; and appeared on Sesame Street.

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE

 

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE
(NBC, July 16-October 8, 1955)
 
Republic Pictures

 

            Commando Cody was a rocket-powered science-fiction action hero appearing in serials produced by Republic Pictures. Cody (George Wallace) was a civilian researcher and inventor from the near future assisted by Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne), Ted Richards (William Bakewell) and Dick Preston (Gayle Kellogg) and often tasked by the government to defend the world from alien invaders. The characters first appeared in Radar Men from the Moon, where Cody discovered the Earth was under attack by Retik, the ruler of the moon (Roy Barcroft). The 12-chapter serial began in theaters on January 9, 1952. It would be re-released in 1957 and on television under the title Retik the Moon Menace in 1966. The serial would often be confused with 1949’s King of the Rocket Men due to its liberal use of that serial’s flying sequences and costumes to save money.

Cody with Joan and Ted.

            Republic’s next Cody project was a television series that would serve as a prequel to Radar Men. Cody (now Judd Holdren) was tasked by the U.S. government to investigate strange climate changes affecting the planet. Joan and Ted (now William Schallert) applied for jobs with Cody as the story began, and together they discovered that the disasters were being caused by space alien forces led by The Ruler (Gregory Gaye) from the planet Venus. However, production on the series was put on hold after the first three episodes to work on a direct sequel, Zombies of the Stratosphere. While the serial still starred Holdren and Towne (Schallert was replaced by Wilson Wood due to availability), it was decided shortly before shooting to completely rename the characters--with Cody now “Larry Martin”--and make the film its own distinct thing. It was also released in 1952 to a cooler reception than its predecessor, and was later edited down and re-released as the 1958 feature film Satan’s Satellites. Notably, Zombies marked one of the earliest film appearances of actor Lenoard Nimoy. Production resumed on the television series, with Schallert having been replaced by Richard Crane (future star of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger) as Dick Preston, and The Ruler gaining a new henchwoman played by Gloria Pall.

The Ruler getting an update from his men.

            Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe ended up having to receive a theatrical release due to contractual issues. It debuted in 1953 and ran as a typical serial. However, a debate has arisen among film fans as to whether Sky Marshall should be classified as a serial or not since it lacked the cliffhanger endings at the end of each episode that defined the genre. Sky Marshal eventually made its way to syndication on July 16, 1955 through Republic’s TV arm, Hollywood Television Service, and aired on NBC stations. Ultimately, this wound up being the final Commando Cody project. The series has seen numerous home media releases, including on Blu-ray for the first time in 2016 by Olive Films.

JAMES CARTER CATHCART DEAD AT 71

 

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Also credited as Jimmy Zoppi, he was one of the longest-tenured actors in the Pokémon franchise voicing Gary Oak, Gary Oak, James, Professor Oak, Butch, Mirror James, Todd Snap, Charles Goodshow, Kurt, Dr. Namba, Mr. Briney, Pryce, Koga, Samurai, Tomo, Cleavon Schpielbunk, Mayor of Trovitopolis, Kenzo, Infernando, Mr. Gan Gogh, Jack Pollockson, Captain Marius, Wings Alexander, Kaburagi, Sigourney, Evan, Oriba, Zeus, Fergus, Godey, Carn Russet, Meowth, Aggron, Crawdaunt, Gengar, Blaziken, Banette, Lairon, Ninjask. Shelgon, Bronzong, Quagsire Rattata, Spearow, Grimer, Muk, Shellder, Dustox, Shieldon, Foongus, Seismitoad, Lairon, Snubbull, Raticate, Probopass, Mareanie, Toxapex, Aron, Slowpoke, Cloyster, Darmanitan, Seaking, Swampert, Granbull and other minor roles; Buchie in One Piece; Lumus, Weevil Underwood and Hobson in Yu-Gi-Oh!; Mong, Cerebrix and Mixmutt’s Owner in Cubix: Robots for Everyone; Cinnamonkey in Fighting Foodons; Cyniclons Tarb in Mew Mew Power; Chef Nagoya and Sir Gallant in Kirby: Right Back At Ya!; Raz and Sleeg in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003); and Vector the Crocodile, Construction Worker A and various small roles in Sonic X.