30 Days of TV Meme -- Day 13
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show.
If I'm talking strictly about shows designed for kids, then I have to choose the one I remember best:
Underdog.
Left to right: Cad Lackey, the usually dumb henchman who wasn't so dumb that he couldn't notice flaws in his boss's plans; Simon Bar Sinister, a mad scientist and the most evil man in the world (think "combo of Lex Luthor and Brainiac"); Underdog; and Sweet Polly Purebred, news reporter, Underdog's love interest and--usually--damsel in distress.
You can probably guess the premise of this just by looking at the picture--a story about a superhero not unlike DC's Superman...who also happens to be an anthropomorphic dog. But that's only the starting point. Next, give the show writers who know the source material and who also know how to poke fun at it without being mean. Stir in humor reminiscent of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Mix well. Now you've got Underdog.
Like almost every superhero, Underdog had a secret identity. His non-super self was the bespectacled "humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy"--and yes, that was the character's name as well as his occupation. But when supervillains appeared or when Polly Purebred, in the course of her job as an investigative reporter, got into trouble yet again--and quite often, these events happened simultaneously--Shoeshine Boy would hear cries for help, dash into a phone booth, take his "Underdog Super Energy Pill" (later changed to an "Underdog Energy Vitamin Pill," probably to be sure that no one thought Underdog got his powers from illegal drugs), and transform into Underdog...smashing the phone booth in the process. I seem to remember at least one episode where the mayor of Underdog's hometown told him that while the people of the city were grateful for all the rescues, he'd still have to pay for all the phone booths he'd smashed. (I may be wrong about this, though.)
Believe it or not, this was my introduction to the superhero genre. Which means, yes, I was watching this before I knew there was a Superman. I remember my first reaction on hearing about Clark Kent's glasses, Superman's red and blue suit, and Lois Lane, investigative reporter: "This sounds familiar--in a good way."
Underdog had certain quirks that Superman did not, however. In addition to having temporary powers that could and did wear off at the wrong time, he also spoke in rhyme--usually in iambic tetrameter. (Shoeshine Boy, on the other hand, spoke perfectly normal prose.) I say "mostly" because the rhyme I remember best isn't quite spot-on metrically:
When Sweet Polly's in trouble,
I am not slow--
It's hip hip hip,
And away I go!
And his battle cry:
There's no need to fear--
Underdog is here!
He even did this when he was threatening villains. It's very hard to sound threatening when you're speaking in rhyming couplets.
Mention must be made, too, of one of the key villains, an anthropomorphic wolf who was a Mafia don. A rather unusual Mafia don in that one of his gang members was an grayish-black octopus. (I don't know what it is with me and fandoms that have Mafia dons.) Anyway, here's a picture:
I'm showing you this because you're not going to believe this guy's name--Riff Raff.
And I just know what some of you are thinking--"Oh, someone on the show must have been a fan of Rocky Horror, naming a villain in this show after one in in the musical!" I know that some of you are thinking that, because I was thinking it too. But nope! The musical, The Rocky Horror Show first appeared in London on June 19, 1973. The movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was released in 1975 (and has never been pulled from release since, which is pretty damned impressive).
However, the wolf Riff Raff...well, I don't know if he first appeared in 1964, when the show was on NBC, or in 1966, when it moved to CBS. (I can't go by the episodes. The episodes weren't shown in anything approaching the order they were shown in syndication.) And I think he got his name as well as his persona from the actor he was based on--George Raft, who made a habit of playing gangsters. I think that he would map to the Kingpin in Batman.
And speaking of Batman, there was actually a villain in this called--I am not kidding--Batty-Man. He was a vampire. He had it all--huge castle, loyal henchman...and masses upon masses of giant bats who would obey his commands. We're talking private army territory. I seem to recall him trying to steal all the gold in Fort Knox--every cartoon villain in the 1960s went after Fort Knox, I swear--and then turning it into bowling balls. Yes. Bowling balls. (I think the idea was that people would pay to have the gold turned back.)
Did I mention that this could be very silly?
It could. It went for laughs and absurdity and horrible puns and slapstick. (Long before Ralph Hinkley was crashing into everything in The Greatest American Hero, Underdog was crashing into street lamps, traffic lights, skyscrapers and monuments .) It was a cartoon at a time when cartoons were supposed to be funny, not dark and edgy or (if the show was pitched to kids) syrupy public service announcements about niceness. And most people would probably think that it's a relic of a bygone era and that it could not be made today.
But no. It's not. Just the opposite, in fact. It's had two revivals, one in the 1980s and one in the 1990s. An Underdog balloon appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade from 1965 to 1984. (In 1975, the balloon--appropriately, given the character--bumped into a building and fell to the ground.) There have been comic books, radio plays, and a movie (which was completely WRONG in that it made Underdog into a real dog). Like its namesake, this show defies the odds, hangs on tenaciously and won't let go.
Why? I couldn't tell you. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there's a little guy who no one even considers worth noticing and who, most people would say, has no business being a hero going out and making himself one. There's a certain appeal to that.
I will leave you with the original opening, and with a scene from Scrubs, both of which feature the theme song. The Scrubs scene has a group singing it a capella.
***
Day 1 - A show that never should have been canceled.
Day 2 - A show that you wish more people were watching (or that you wish more people had watched).
Day 3 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season).
Day 4 - Your favorite show ever.
Day 5 - A show you hate.
Day 6 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show.
Day 7 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show.
Day 8 - A show everyone should watch.
Day 9 - Best scene ever.
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving.
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you.
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times.
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show.
***
If I'm talking strictly about shows designed for kids, then I have to choose the one I remember best:
Underdog.
Left to right: Cad Lackey, the usually dumb henchman who wasn't so dumb that he couldn't notice flaws in his boss's plans; Simon Bar Sinister, a mad scientist and the most evil man in the world (think "combo of Lex Luthor and Brainiac"); Underdog; and Sweet Polly Purebred, news reporter, Underdog's love interest and--usually--damsel in distress.
You can probably guess the premise of this just by looking at the picture--a story about a superhero not unlike DC's Superman...who also happens to be an anthropomorphic dog. But that's only the starting point. Next, give the show writers who know the source material and who also know how to poke fun at it without being mean. Stir in humor reminiscent of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Mix well. Now you've got Underdog.
Like almost every superhero, Underdog had a secret identity. His non-super self was the bespectacled "humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy"--and yes, that was the character's name as well as his occupation. But when supervillains appeared or when Polly Purebred, in the course of her job as an investigative reporter, got into trouble yet again--and quite often, these events happened simultaneously--Shoeshine Boy would hear cries for help, dash into a phone booth, take his "Underdog Super Energy Pill" (later changed to an "Underdog Energy Vitamin Pill," probably to be sure that no one thought Underdog got his powers from illegal drugs), and transform into Underdog...smashing the phone booth in the process. I seem to remember at least one episode where the mayor of Underdog's hometown told him that while the people of the city were grateful for all the rescues, he'd still have to pay for all the phone booths he'd smashed. (I may be wrong about this, though.)
Believe it or not, this was my introduction to the superhero genre. Which means, yes, I was watching this before I knew there was a Superman. I remember my first reaction on hearing about Clark Kent's glasses, Superman's red and blue suit, and Lois Lane, investigative reporter: "This sounds familiar--in a good way."
Underdog had certain quirks that Superman did not, however. In addition to having temporary powers that could and did wear off at the wrong time, he also spoke in rhyme--usually in iambic tetrameter. (Shoeshine Boy, on the other hand, spoke perfectly normal prose.) I say "mostly" because the rhyme I remember best isn't quite spot-on metrically:
When Sweet Polly's in trouble,
I am not slow--
It's hip hip hip,
And away I go!
And his battle cry:
There's no need to fear--
Underdog is here!
He even did this when he was threatening villains. It's very hard to sound threatening when you're speaking in rhyming couplets.
Mention must be made, too, of one of the key villains, an anthropomorphic wolf who was a Mafia don. A rather unusual Mafia don in that one of his gang members was an grayish-black octopus. (I don't know what it is with me and fandoms that have Mafia dons.) Anyway, here's a picture:
I'm showing you this because you're not going to believe this guy's name--Riff Raff.
And I just know what some of you are thinking--"Oh, someone on the show must have been a fan of Rocky Horror, naming a villain in this show after one in in the musical!" I know that some of you are thinking that, because I was thinking it too. But nope! The musical, The Rocky Horror Show first appeared in London on June 19, 1973. The movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was released in 1975 (and has never been pulled from release since, which is pretty damned impressive).
However, the wolf Riff Raff...well, I don't know if he first appeared in 1964, when the show was on NBC, or in 1966, when it moved to CBS. (I can't go by the episodes. The episodes weren't shown in anything approaching the order they were shown in syndication.) And I think he got his name as well as his persona from the actor he was based on--George Raft, who made a habit of playing gangsters. I think that he would map to the Kingpin in Batman.
And speaking of Batman, there was actually a villain in this called--I am not kidding--Batty-Man. He was a vampire. He had it all--huge castle, loyal henchman...and masses upon masses of giant bats who would obey his commands. We're talking private army territory. I seem to recall him trying to steal all the gold in Fort Knox--every cartoon villain in the 1960s went after Fort Knox, I swear--and then turning it into bowling balls. Yes. Bowling balls. (I think the idea was that people would pay to have the gold turned back.)
Did I mention that this could be very silly?
It could. It went for laughs and absurdity and horrible puns and slapstick. (Long before Ralph Hinkley was crashing into everything in The Greatest American Hero, Underdog was crashing into street lamps, traffic lights, skyscrapers and monuments .) It was a cartoon at a time when cartoons were supposed to be funny, not dark and edgy or (if the show was pitched to kids) syrupy public service announcements about niceness. And most people would probably think that it's a relic of a bygone era and that it could not be made today.
But no. It's not. Just the opposite, in fact. It's had two revivals, one in the 1980s and one in the 1990s. An Underdog balloon appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade from 1965 to 1984. (In 1975, the balloon--appropriately, given the character--bumped into a building and fell to the ground.) There have been comic books, radio plays, and a movie (which was completely WRONG in that it made Underdog into a real dog). Like its namesake, this show defies the odds, hangs on tenaciously and won't let go.
Why? I couldn't tell you. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there's a little guy who no one even considers worth noticing and who, most people would say, has no business being a hero going out and making himself one. There's a certain appeal to that.
I will leave you with the original opening, and with a scene from Scrubs, both of which feature the theme song. The Scrubs scene has a group singing it a capella.
Click to view***
Day 1 - A show that never should have been canceled.
Day 2 - A show that you wish more people were watching (or that you wish more people had watched).
Day 3 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season).
Day 4 - Your favorite show ever.
Day 5 - A show you hate.
Day 6 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show.
Day 7 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show.
Day 8 - A show everyone should watch.
Day 9 - Best scene ever.
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving.
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you.
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times.
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show.
***