80s TV: Square Pegs

The 80s were awkward; they were the years of neon colors, perms, shoulder pads, new wave dances, and teenagers of the decade epitomized that awkwardness.  Square Pegs, the television show which aired from 1982 to 1983, showcased all of these 80s trends, alongside typical teenage angst, to make for truly some truly great TV.

Entering their freshman year at Weemawee High School, best friends Patty Green (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson (Amy Linker) are hungry for popularity, hoping to break into the hipster clique which is run with an iron fist by valley girl Jennifer DeNuccio (Tracy Nelson), her thug boyfriend Vinnie Pasetta (Jon Caliri), and her BFF LaDonna Fredericks (Claudette Wells). But things don’t go as planned when Patty’s glasses and lunchbox, and Lauren’s braces prove to be badges of uncool in the cafeteria, so the forlorn girls find comfort in Weemawee’s other social rejects: future stand-up comic Marshall Blechtman (John Femia) and dim new waver Johnny Slash (Merritt Butrick). Together the teen losers spend their weeks trying to achieve acceptance, only to routinely fail, forcing them to pave their own unique way through the nightmarish high school experience, lorded over by pep-powered Muffy Tepperman (Jami Gertz).

After a pilot episode fueled with the lustful wishes Patty and Lauren hold for hallway supremacy, “Square Pegs” took off in a gazillion different directions over the course of its short 19-episode run, following the loves, losses, and interests of just about every character on the show (contributing to the show’s short-lived existence). Sure, the writing is so-so, and the acting is on the level of Saved By the Bell, but there is something charming and lovable about the 80s cheese of the whole thing, and the musical cameos were pretty excellent (Devo, the Waitresses), not to mention Bill Murray!

One Big Happy Family

In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, it seemed like there was something in the water that was creating hugely musical families.  They were springing up everywhere, all over America, singing their hearts out while they boogied down in unison on TV screens across the country.  With the success of groups like the Jackson 5, the Cowsills, the Osmonds, and the Partridge “family,” it was game on for brothers and sisters all over the USA.  Some were one hit wonders (the Sylvers and the DeFranco family, while others went on to change the way music sounded forever (the Jackson 5).  Here are some of the greatest, and the worst, of America’s singing families…

Retro Wednesday: The World of Sid and Marty Krofft

Back in the 60s and 70s, when life was colorful, flashy, and a bit more naive, two brothers dominated the daring world of Saturday morning cartoons.  Their names? Sid and Marty Krofft, television producers extrodinaire.   They were the creators of the most imaginative, creative programming for children that was on TV.

Most of the shows produced by these brothers revolved around the basic story of a child being lost and trapped in a strange and unfamiliar world.  Imagined places like Lidsville and Living Island, the farthest reaches of outer space, and a land where a sea monster could become “lost” in an alien world among humans!  These were not your ordinary Saturday morning cartoons, and because of that they were loved even more.  With shows like H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters to name just a few, Sid and Marty Krofft made great contributions to “off the wall” entertainment for children and adults alike.

H.R. Pufnstuf

H.R. Pufnstuf

H.R. Pufnstuf is a show about a shipwrecked boy named Jimmy.  He and his friend, a talking flute named Freddy, take a ride on a mysterious boat, which promised adventures across the sea, to kooky Living Island, home of dancing trees and singing frogs, but the boat actually belongs to a wicked witch named Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo who wants Jimmy’s flute!  Luckily, the Mayor of Living Island is a friendly and helpful dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf, who takes in Freddy and Jimmie to protect them for the evil Witchiepoo and her terrible plots.

Lidsville

Lidsville is about a teenage boy named Mark who falls into the hat of an evil magician named Merlo.  Mark falls and falls and magically arrives in Lidsville, a land of living hats (huh?!).  The vain, short-tempered, but somewhat naive villain of the show, Horatio HooDoo, flies around in his Hatamaran, blasting the good citizens of Lidsville with bolts of magic (referred to as “zapping”) and keeping them in fear, demanding that they pay him their Hat Checks. On the show Mark helps the good hats resist as he tries to find a way back home.

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters

Sigmund and the Sea Monster

Sigmund and the Sea Monster is the bizarre tale of a a nice sea monster, Sigmund, who was not good at his sea monster job (scaring people), so his family throws him out of their haunted cave until he learns.  But instead, Sigmund goes home with two very boys, Johnny and Scott, and moves into their room!

There a ton more amazing shows by these two “geniuses,” please do yourself and a favor and check them out on their website!

Retro Day: Winky Dink and You

Though it is hard to imagine life without ipads and iphones, video games and the internet, there once was a time, long long ago, when technology was limited to radio and about 10 TV channels.  Gasp!  I know it seems impossible, but I assure you it is true.  Luckily, that did not stop a few very creative minds, namely Harry Prichett, Sr. and Ed Wyckoff, from creating an “interactive” TV show in the 50s called Winky Dink and You.

The concept of the show was simple.  Children could purchase a Winky Dink and You kit from their local toy store, which came with a “magic screen” (a piece of clear plastic), crayons, and a wipe.  When the show came on the kids would cover their TV with the magic screen (which would cling to the screen).  Children would watch Winky, the main character, and his dog Woofer go on all sorts of fun adventures, but they would often run into trouble and look to the viewers for help.  How?  The kids could draw something on the magic screen of course, like a line that becomes a bridge so that Winky could cross a river, or a circle that transforms into a rocket ship so Winky could escape to space, or even a moustache to disguise Woofer from his evil enemy Harum Scarum.  Pretty genius, huh?  The only problem, the many, many children who forgot to put on their magic screen and drew all over the TV screen to the annoyance of their parents!

If you are up for an old school interactive experience, the good news is that the magic Winky Dink and You kit is still available, as are DVDs of the show.  Click here to check them out on Borders.com.

Retro Wednesday: Space Age TVs

TVs have come a long way since their invention in the 20s.  Whereas TV sets were once gigantic machines housed in cabinets, they are now flat screened wonders that can do just about everything (or so it seems).  But somewhere in between now and then, the TV set went space age.  They were much smaller, far less efficient, but they looked infinitely cool!

The JVC Videosphere (1970 - 1980) - The Helmut TV

JVC Videocapsule (1978) - The Pyramid TV

Zarach Sphere TV (1975)

Panasonic TR5 (1975) - The Flying Saucer TV

Kuba de Luxe Radio-TV-Combination (1960)

Sharp 3S111 (1981)