Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Classic Nick Wed. – Hattytown Tales


Before Sid & Marty Krofft brought us Lidsville in 1971 Keith Chatfield created wrote and narrated the52-episode stop-motion children's television series Hattytown Tales in1969 and 1973. Produced by FilmFair for Thames Television and directed by Ivor Wood Hattytown Tales aired the United Kingdom before it was featured on Pinwheel.

The residents of Hattytown were anthropomorphic hats; the style of each hat indicated its ethnicity, attitude, and role in Hattytown society. For example, the constable, Bobby, resembles the hat of a constable; the town’s baker was a chef’s hat and so forth. The main character was a Mexican sombrero named Sancho who’s his best friend was a donkey named Carrots who wore a hate with a carrot dangling in front of his face.

The buildings in Hattytown were also hats and corresponded with each of the resident’s names, personalities and jobs.

Genre – Children's Television
Created By – Keith Chatfield
Written By – Keith Chatfield
Directed By – Ivor Wood
Country Of Origin – England
Language(s) – English
No. Of Episodes – 52

Production
Running Time – 5 Minutes
Production Company(s) – Filmfair

Broadcast
Audio Format – Monaural
Original Airing – 1969

Keith Chatfield's Websitehttp://www.issinoho.net/


Friday, January 25, 2013

Show Title Needed


Hey yall,

I have a new friend Sarah who needs some help remembering the name of a couple of shows and she’s pretty sure they came on Nickelodeon but even if they didn’t let’s see if we can help her out. Now I don’t remember these but I know all of you and I know that you always come though for me so here ya go, if you can help out leave me a comment and I’ll pass it along. Thank you in advance.


From Sarah – Show Descriptions
The first one was a cartoon short about a little drop of paint, and I believe his name was "blip" because that was the sound he made when he dropped. 

The second, was some sort of story time cartoon that started with a cartoon of a little old man and his cat, going into his house and sitting down in a chair to share a story, I believe it then led into another cartoon of whatever the story was.

By any chance to either of those ring a bell?  


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Classic Nick Wed. – Gigglesnort Hotel


***This week I’m taking a bit of a side road from Nickelodeon but this is show is most defiantly a classic!!!***

From 1975 to 1978 the hotel every child wanted to live in was Gigglesnort Hotel, which was owned by Old Man Gigglesnort who always referred to it as a ship. His first mate and hotel clerk was BJ (Bill Jackson) who juggled the everyday strange happenings at the Gigglesnort.

The program was set in at an old hotel and featured many of the characters from Jackson’s previous Chicago-based children's program, The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show such as Dirty Dragon, the Old Professor, Weird, Old Mother Plumtree but also included new characters such as Old Man Gigglesnort, who were created just for the program.

Each show was devoted to a "life lesson" such as learning about responsibility, fire safety, etc. Jackson would also display his considerable artistic talents, in particular during the segments where he would go find a lump of clay named "Blob" (who mostly made strange mumbling noises) and mold him into something.

The show was widely praised by critics, and became one of the highest rated children's shows in WLS-TV history. It was syndicated in 1978, airing in several markets nationwide as well as Canada, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.

Jackson made a final appearance for a presentation for the Museum of Broadcast Communications, "Saturday Morning with B.J. and Dirty Dragon: Bill Jackson, Live in Person—One Last Time", in December 2009, saying this would be his last time appearing as a performer. In 1995, he donated all his original puppets to Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Gigglesnort Hotel Official Website

Ordering DVDs
http://dirtydragon.com/Order%20all%20DVD's.htm

Saturday, January 19, 2013

In Search of Saturdays


Welcome to “In Search of Saturdays" a weekly advertising space I’ve designed to help our members find those long lost movies, cartoons, TV shows, toys, games and anything else that we’ve all been looking for, for a very long time.

The instructions are simple. Post your personal “looking for” list here and we’ll all see if we can help you find what you’re looking for.

If you can’t remember the name of a show or toy that’s alright, post what you can remember and maybe someone here will be able to tell you what it is. Also please remember that if you are listing television shows or movies please let us know if you are looking to purchase these shows or if you just want to watch them online. Then we, the members of the group, will help try to help each other and go “in search of” those items for our fellow members.

A good places to start our searches is iOffer ( http://www.ioffer.com/ ) which, in my opinion, is better than eBay b/c you can find lots of shows there that you can’t find anywhere else.


MY WANT LIST
This is a list of the Classic Nickelodeon programs that I’m looking for to purchase. Please note that I am a private collector who does not copy and resell my collection. The videos and DVDs that I collect are for my own private viewing here in my home or my Mother’s house where I originally saw them. If you have any of these and would like to sell me copies – for my private viewing – please contact me at peggysueclay@hotmail.com     Also, IF you contact me via email PLEASE PUT THE NAME OF THE SHOW IN THE SUBJECT LINE. Thank you.


***** NON VIDEO ITEMS *****
Muppets Magazine 1982
People Magazine – recent issue – no date – Marc Summers’ article
Any 80’s women’s or children’s magazines
Early to Mid 80’s TV Guides


REGULAR PROGRAMS
Dusty's Treehouse
Hocus Focus
Kids’ Writes
Livewire
Nick Rocks Video to Go
Pinwheel – more than just the 6 hrs that’s currently available
Science International (aka) What Will They Think of Next?
Spread Your Wings
Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!
Studio See


PINWHEEL CARTOONS
The Adventures of the Mole
Bunny in the Suitcase
Emily (Emilie) (my favorite)
Hattytown Tales
Magic Coco
The Magic Roundabout


SPECIAL DELIVERY
Beware, Beware My Beauty Fair
Clarence & The Ottaway (staring Billy Hufsey)
Kids’ Writes
Silver City (The Righteous Apples special)


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Classic Nick Wed. – Mr. Blunden Article


I found this article about “The Amazing Mr. Blunden” a while back but I’m sorry I do not have the link to the original article.


Article - The Amazing Mr. Blunden
People usually think of ghosts as wicked and evil who cause nothing but distress and trouble, but “sometimes ghosts are people who come back seeking help,” says THE AMAZING MR. BLUNDEN, star of the Hemdale film of the same name.

          Once upon two times, there were two sets of brothers and sisters. Jamie and Lucy Allen lived in 1918. Sarah and Georgie Latimer lived exactly one hundred years earlier in 1818. And died in 1818. Or did they? Their gravestones say so…except their gravestones have now disappeared!

          This is the haunting story of how 100 years of time is traveled by two children to save Sarah and Georgie from a terrible death in a burning house. This is a film adapted from Antonia Barber’s story “the Ghosts”, about the friendliest, saddest and youngest ghosts ever to call upon love and assistance from the ‘future’.

Jamie (Garry Miller) and Lucy’s (Lynne Frederick) father had been killed in the Great War. With money being very scarce the children faced a bleak Christmas in their dark and dingy London flat – that is until the Amazing Mr. Blunden (Laurence Naismith) cam to call!

          Mr. Blunden is indeed an amazing character. A warm, kindly old man, rather like someone out of a Charles Dickens novel, he is nevertheless very strange! His eyes are transparent; his shoes never get wet and no snow falls on his coat. But everything makes sense because, although he doesn’t say so, Mr. Blunden is a ghost.

          However, the old man is always hinting about his identity, like telling the children never to be frightened of ghosts. He quickly arranges a job for the children’s mother (Dorothy Alison) as caretaker of Langley Park, an empty and half-burned-down mansion deep in the country. It is a place with a long history of ghosts and one that the locals keep well away from.

          Be Easter 1918 the Allens have moved in and it isn’t long before Jamie and Lucy begin to hear voices and meet two ghostly orphans. Sarah (Rosalyn Landor) and Georgie (Marc Granger). The ghosts need immediate help from two brave, calm, levelheaded people, and of course they Jamie and Lucy fit the bill.

          With the help of their very own secret potion which moves them back a century through time, Jamie and Lucy assist Sarah and Georgie on escaping the clutches of their wicked guardian. Uncle Bertie (James Villiers), his good-for-nothing wife, Bella (Madeline Smith) and her vicious parents, Mr. & Mrs. Wickens (David Lodge and Diana Dors). You see, if the children should die, Uncle Bertie will inherit ₤30,000 – an even more considerable sum in those days. So Mr. Wickens sets the house alight.

          The film brilliantly shows how Jamie, Lucy and the Amazing Mr. Blunden – all ghosts now – are able to fight against the restrictions of time, re-write history and save Sarah and Georgie.

          Finally, after their many hair raising ordeals, back in 1918 the ‘dead’ children’s graves vanish, the Allen family have Langley Park to themselves for ever and everyone takes a well deserved bow – the good and the bad. A brilliantly ghostly story of time and time past…as amazing as Mr. Blunden himself!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

In Search of Saturdays


Welcome to “In Search of Saturdays" a weekly advertising space I’ve designed to help our members find those long lost movies, cartoons, TV shows, toys, games and anything else that we’ve all been looking for, for a very long time.

The instructions are simple. Post your personal “looking for” list here and we’ll all see if we can help you find what you’re looking for.

If you can’t remember the name of a show or toy that’s alright, post what you can remember and maybe someone here will be able to tell you what it is. Also please remember that if you are listing television shows or movies please let us know if you are looking to purchase these shows or if you just want to watch them online. Then we, the members of the group, will help try to help each other and go “in search of” those items for our fellow members.

A good places to start our searches is iOffer ( http://www.ioffer.com/ ) which, in my opinion, is better than eBay b/c you can find lots of shows there that you can’t find anywhere else.

My Want List
This is a list of the Classic Nickelodeon programs that I’m looking for to purchase. Please note that I am a private collector who does not copy and resell my collection. The videos and DVDs that I collect are for my own private viewing here in my home or my Mother’s house where I originally saw them. If you have any of these and would like to sell me copies – for my private viewing – please contact me at peggysueclay@hotmail.com     Also, IF you contact me via email PLEASE PUT THE NAME OF THE SHOW IN THE SUBJECT LINE. Thank you.


***** NON VIDEO ITEMS *****
Muppets Magazine 1982
People Magazine – recent issue – no date – Marc Summers’ article
Any 80’s women’s or children’s magazines
Early to Mid 80’s TV Guides


REGULAR PROGRAMS
Dusty's Treehouse
Hocus Focus
Kids’ Writes
Livewire
Nick Rocks Video to Go
Pinwheel – more than just the 6 hrs that’s currently available
Science International (aka) What Will They Think of Next?
Spread Your Wings
Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!
Studio See


PINWHEEL CARTOONS
The Adventures of the Mole
Bunny in the Suitcase
Emily (Emilie) (my favorite)
Hattytown Tales
Magic Coco
The Magic Roundabout


SPECIAL DELIVERY
Beware, Beware My Beauty Fair
Clarence & The Ottaway (staring Billy Hufsey)
Kids’ Writes
Silver City (The Righteous Apples special)


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Classic Nick Wed. – Nick Rocks: Video To Go


Classic Nick Wed. – Nick Rocks: Video To Go
January 9, 2013

Nickelodeon’s answer to MTV came in the form of Nick Rocks Video To Go! Joe from Chicago hosted this half hour video show began airing in 1982 and ran until 1989 and featured pop and rock music videos. Veteran television composer Edd Kalehoff wrote the show’s theme song.

>>>From Wikipedia<<<
"Joe from Chicago" was / is really Joseph R. Piasek, formerly the director of programming and news of New York's WPIX-FM and currently on the faculty of New York University and SUNY Delhi.

Joe wrote and voiced Nick Rocks, which was produced by Andy Bamberger, for Nickelodeon. Joe was an original member of Nickelodeon's 1984 on-air launch team and remained a voice producer, writer, director, and consultant throughout most of Nickelodeon's (and Nick at Nite's) formative years, producing, scheduling, writing and performing the networks' "voiceover credits" and top-of-the-hour "pronouncements."

He has done similar work for Viacom's VH-1 and TNN. Joe's doctoral thesis chronicles Nickelodeon's childhood in the context of organizational learning. His earlier exploits in radio are revealed in Paul Colford's book "King of All Media: Howard Stern." Piasek is a co-founder and manager of WIOX radio in the Catskill Mountains, a wildly diverse, live, community radio station at 91.3FM in Roxbury (NY) and wioxradio.org.

Nick Jr. Rocks was a spin-off of Nick Rocks, a 30 minute Nickelodeon program that consisted of popular music videos. This program aired on Nick Jr. and was geared toward a younger audience.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Classic Nick Wed. – The Snowman



Raymond Briggs’ children's picture book “The Snowman” was first published in 1978 by Hamish Hamilton in the U.K., and published by Random House in the U.S. that November. In 1982 the book was adapted into a 26-minute animated film by Dianne Jackson for the fledgling British public-service Channel 4 which debuted on British television on December 26, 1982 and was nominated for an Academy Award. Later this animated classic aired on Nickelodeon as a Special Delivery.

Howard Blake wrote the score and the story is told through pictures, action and music except for the beautiful song "Walking in the Air". In addition to the orchestral score, performed in the film by the Sinfonia of London, Blake composed the music and lyrics of the song, performed by a St Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty.

The film was produced using traditional animation techniques, consisting of pastels, crayons and other coloring tools drawn on pieces of celluloid, which were traced over hand drawn frames. For continuity purposes, the background artwork was painted using the same tools.


Film Plot (From Wikipedia)
The Snowman is the tale of a boy who builds a snowman one winter's day. That night, at the stroke of twelve, the snowman comes to life. The first part of the story deals with the snowman's attempts to understand the appliances, toys and other bric-a-brac in the boy's house, all while keeping quiet enough not to wake the boy's parents. The two then venture back outside and go for a ride on a motorcycle, disturbing many animals: pheasants, rabbits, a barn owl, a fox and a brown horse.

In the second part of the story, the boy and the snowman take flight — the song "Walking in the Air" appears at this point. They fly over the boy's town, over houses and large public buildings before flying past the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and West Pier and then out into the ocean. They continue through an arctic landscape and fly past many sights and animals such as penguins. Flying into the aurora they reach their destination.

The two wander hand-in-hand into a snow-covered forest and attend a snowmen's party, at which the boy is the only human. They meet Father Christmas and his reindeer, and the boy is given a scarf with a snowman pattern.

The story ends after the return journey. However, the sun has come out the next morning and the boy wakes up to find the snowman has melted. The boy begins to wonder if the night's events were all a dream, but he discovers that he still has the snowman scarf given to him by Father Christmas. Realizing the night's events were real, as the credits play, the boy mourns the loss of his new friend.


Stage Version
In 1986 The Contact Theatre, Manchester, adapted and produced by Anthony Clark, adapted “The Snowman” into a stage show, which included a full script and used Howard Blake's music and lyrics.  In 1993, Birmingham Repertory Company produced a version, with music and lyrics by Howard Blake, scenario by Blake, with Bill Alexander and choreography by Robert North.

Since 1997 Sadler's Wells has presented it every year as the Christmas Show at the Peacock Theatre. As in the book and the film, there are no words, apart from the lyrics of the song "Walking in the Air". The story is told through images and movement. Special effects include the Snowman and boy flying high over the stage (with assistance of wires and harnesses) and ‘snow’ falling in part of the auditorium. The production has had several revisions – the most extensive happening in 2000, when major changes were made to the second act, introducing new characters: The Ice Princess and Jack Frost.


The Snowman (film)
Directed By: Dianne Jackson
Produced By: John Coates
Written By: Raymond Briggs (Book)
Music By: Howard Blake (Composer)
Peter Auty (Treble)
Sinfonia Of London
Studio TVC London 
Running Time: 27 Min.
Language: English

Distributed By:
Channel 4, Universal Pictures (UK)
Columbia TriStar Entertainment (USA)

Release Date(s:)
26 December 1982 (Original)
29 December 1983 (David Bowie)
24 December 2002 (Mel Smith)


The Snowman – Book 
Author(s) – Raymond Briggs
Illustrator – Raymond Briggs
Country – United Kingdom
Genre(s) – Picture book
Publisher – Hamish Hamilton
Publication Date – 1978 
Media Type – Print
Pages – 32 pp
ISBN – 0241100046
OCLC Number – 788883530
LC Classification – PZ7.B7646 Sn 1978 


My Comments:
On a personal note this is one of my favorite Christmas shows. It’s a beautifully animated classic with beautiful music to accompany it. If you can find this DVD my suggestion to you would be to buy it and introduce your children, or yourself, to the wonderful magic of this moving film.




The Snowman (1982) with Original Introduction


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year - 2013

Happy New Year Classic Nick style.




Happy Anniversary - January


Happy Anniversary to our January members.


2010

1-4-10 - chris_marriott2000

1-5-10 – beyondbaffled

1-6-10 – vincent332000

1-6-10 – rafaelagrundinger

1-6-10 – platinumrosel

1-6-10 – beyondbaffled

1-7-10 – smallville79

1-11-10 – morthacothacles

"Twas The Night Before Christmas" Tomorrow People Style


This is a little late for Christmas but I just found it. Enjoy and thank you to Jackie Clarke who wrote it and posted it for us on the TPDIS mailing list.


Written By: Jackie Clarke
Based Loosely On: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas
By: Major Henry Livingston Jr. (1748-1828)

T'was the night before Christmas and all around TIM,
Not a creature was stirring as he hummed a soft hymn;
The AE suits hung in the darkroom with care,
In hope that no aliens would come calling there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of hyperspace danced in their heads;
And Liz in her nightdress and John all in white,
Had just settled down to sleep for the night.

When out in the Lab there arose such a clatter,
John jaunted at once to see what was the matter.
Away to the stun guns he flew like a flash,
Tore open the holster and threw up the catch.

The light of TIM's balls on the table below
Gave the banks of equipment a strange, eerie glow,
And then, to his wide-eyed amazement, he saw.
A tall, bearded man appeared by the door.

With thoughtful eyes, and robes so sublime,
John knew in a moment 'twas a Guardian of Time.
From an unknown dimension this stranger so tall,
He whistled, and shouted, and called to them all;

"Now, Michael! Now, Carol! Now, 'Lizbeth and John!
Come, Tyso! And Stephen! Where ever you've gone!
Andrew, and Hsui Tai come answer my call,
There's work to be done to the Trig with you all!"

With belts haphazardly slung round their waists
The long-distance jaunt they made with all haste.
Far across space to the Galaxy's end,
TIM 'pathed a good-luck to all his dear friends.

And then, in a twinkling, they materialized.
Sighed with relief, and looked round in surprise.
John crossed his arms to calm himself down.
"Let's get on with business," he said, with a frown.

Approaching them now, with arms open wide,
His robes luminescent, his eyes full of pride;
A bundle of presents he held with TK,
They relaxed in an instant, no jaunting away.

Chairbeing Timus didn't mean to seem rude.
He counted their number then looked on confused.
"There's somebody missing," he cried, after a time
"Kenny's back home, we left him behind."

Timus' eyes -- how they twinkled so merry!
His cheeks were all flushed, his nose like a cherry
His manner was cheery, his speech was quite slurred
To find Timus drunk seemed quite absurd.

"Apologies friends", he then called loud and hearty
"I've imbibed too much wine at the Trig's Christmas party."
"It was Peter's idea to bring you all here."
"Don't look so shocked, there's nothing to fear."

"No villains to thwart, no planets to save."
"You don't need to fret, don't look so grave."
And they laughed when they heard this, in spite of their anger;
Dragged from their beds, expecting real danger.

John smiled at his friends, as he waved them away"
The joke was on us." Was all he could say.
And they all fell about in hysterical mirth
Preparing to teleport back down to Earth.

The bundle of presents appeared at their feet.
With gift-wrap and tinsel all tidy and neat.
"A gift for each TP." Timus replied.
As the vortex of colour swirled in their eyes
And they heard him exclaim, as he faded from sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"