THE ADVENTURES OF DANNY DEE/JUNGLE JIM
(approx 60 min)
THE ADVENTURES OF DANNY DEE was a 1954 local television program with a unique premise--Danny is a character drawn by artist Roy Doty on a background of paper, along with his companions Debbie Dee, Filbert the Dinosaur, and Pancake the Magician.
In this episode, Danny, Debbie, Filbert, and Pancake go to sea to pursue a bunch of pirates who have stolen Pancake's treasured magic box.
Their ship is sunk and they're captured by the pirates, but manage to turn the tables and get back the box. The drawings are primitive but the work is fairly elaborate, involving cut-out images and layers of paper and felt on which the adventure takes place.
Jungle Jim
Johnny Weissmuller
& monkey friend
After retiring as Tarzan, ex-Olympic Gold Medalist Johnny Weissmuller starred in this syndicated jungle adventure series (based on a newspaper comic strip) as Jungle Jim, adventurer and occasional trouble-shooter for the government, with Martin Huston as his son Skipper and Norman Fredric (later known as Dean Fredericks, star of the series STEVE CANYON and movies such as THE PHANTOM PLANET) as Kassim, his aide.
In this episode, Jim is asked to look into the activities of an elephant herd raiding native villages; at the same time, he is alarmed by reports of Skipper's near-failing grades in the classes he is taking by mail from the States and hires a tutor, Mrs. Haddock, to help bring his grades up.
She has her own ideas about Africa and its wonders and dangers, mostly courtesy of a popular book on exploration written by a well-known fraud, and soon she and Skipper are headed into the jungle, straight toward a stampeding herd and a group of bloodthirsty smugglers, with Jim in hot pursuit.
THE BILLY JOHNSON SHOW & THE WEATHER WHEEL
(approx 60 min)
An all-but-forgotten children's show from the Dumont Network, starring guitarist/singer Billy Johnson and a group of puppets, including one Teddy Bear.
The major purpose of these programs, other than to run advertisements, was as a wraparound for inexpensive programming like the black-and-white Looney Tunes from Guild Films, Betty Boop and Koko the Klown cartoons.
Alas, there's no Koko or Betty here, but there are a set of uncensored Looney Tunes featuring Bosco and his dog Bruno ("Bosco and Bruno"), odd Porky Pig shorts ("Porky's Tire Trouble"), Buddy the dog ("Buddy the Woodsman," 1934).
Lots of plugs for Cocoa Marsh ("Name the Lion" contest), among other products.
Johnson sings in a pleasing baritone, in a solid country-and-western mode ("Close Your Sleepy Eyes, Little Buckaroo," "Over the Rainbow" on guitar), and the reproduction quality is amazingly good considering the age of the material
(Dumont went out of existence in 1955-56), but what really makes this tape interesting is the interruptions--several of the Looney Tunes are broken up by in-house promos for other Dumont shows, including Grandpa's Place (see above), with host Lee Reynolds stepping out of character, and Jean Ramsay explaining her Weather Wheel spot.
Apparently the BILLY JOHNSON SHOW was sent out as a live feed, and this was intercut with promo spots to sponsors, with the hosts making pitches to potential advertisers, who were supposed to see this version of the show privately.
Commercials include M&M's candies, Nabisco cereal (with moon men watching a baseball game), One-A-Day Vitamins, Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, the Glen Echo Pool. Two of the puppets sing "Bibbity Bibbity Boo."
THE WEATHER WHEEL was an early marketing gimmick to "sell" the weather, ages before such ideas as The Weather Channel, with a national forecast broken down into regions.
CAPTAIN KANGAROO
(approx 60 min)
Captain Kagaroo
and Gumby
In a show from 1962, the Captain (Bob Keeshan) tries to clean up the Treasure House (to a jazz version of the SNOW WHITE song "Heigh Ho"), but is too tired and hires the Philharmonic House Cleaning Company ("We clean it or we wreck it") headed by the Professor (Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum, best known as Mr. Green Jeans).
With his helpers George and Irving, the Professor seems capable of doing anything except cleaning the Treasure House, as they dance, juggle, play games, and generally exasperate the Captain.
Also featured is The Adventures of Tom Terrific ("The Beginning of the Flying Sorcerer"), starring Tom and Manfred the Wonder Dog, who go on an adventure involving genies, Sinbad the Sailor, magic lamps, and a castle made of fish.
And Mr. Moose introduces the Captain to Petunia the baby skunk.
This is a good installment of the show from this period, with sound that is slightly (but not terribly) muffled, and one on-screen mistake, when Irving starts to lose his moustache during his juggling act.
Captain Video
and the
Video Rangers
Al Hodge
1949
CAPTAIN VIDEO and the VIDEO RANGERS
(approx 60 min)
Two episodes from the early run of the series, starring Richard Coogan as the Captain and Don Hastings as the Video Ranger.
In episode one, the Captain has defeated the Martian warrior Seta in hand-to-hand combat and is trying to conclude peace negotiations on the fate of the defeated planet Terzan.
He successfully pleads for the Terzan people to remain free, and for the imposition of an Earth-style, Marshall Plan-type rebuilding of the planet and re-education of its people.
But on Earth, Dr. Pauli (Hal Conklin) is trying to form an allegiance with the warlike Terzan government and destroy the Captain's peace plan, even as he heads to Terzan to make the peace work.
Al Hodge
confronts Martians
In episode two, Dr. Pauli has joined forces with the sinister warlord Su Ching Sing, and murdered a member of the Dancing Bear Tong.
The Captain wants to know what their plans are and arrests Black Dick Connelly, a treacherous ship's captain who has done business with Su Ching Sing.
Al Hodge as Captain Video
and his sidekick,
Ranger, Don Hastings
But Connelly is killed before he can answer questions. Meanwhile, Dr. Pauli and Su Ching Sing are planning the death of the Captain.
WHAT'S MY NAME/CAPTAIN VIDEO and his VIDEO RANGERS
(approx 60 min)
WHAT'S MY NAME
(approx 30 min)
Paul Winchell is the guest host of this program with Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith. Winchell appears as a magician whose every trick is destroyed by Jerry Mahoney, and the two exit singing "That Old Black Magic." Jerry and Knucklehead go through a boxing sketch with actor Walter Burke, which leads into a quiz contest by sponsor Speidel. And a blues singer does an impression of Helen Morgan singing "Let's Try Again."
CAPTAIN VIDEO and his VIDEO RANGERS
(approx 30 min)
starring Al Hodge from the post-1950 run of the series, picks up in mid-story.
The Captain has captured the traitorous Lt. Frasier and is returning him to Earth for trial along with Lt. Cromwell and Sgt. McGovern, while the Captain takes his ship out to try and destroy Comet X before it destroys the artificial satellites around Pluto.
But Cromwell disarms Ensign Tubbs and takes commamnd of the Excalibur, not to escape justice but to try and stop Comet X and save Captain Video's life. Unknown to all of them, however, Lt. Frasier has sabotaged the Captain's ship, and even now he is heading for disaster.
Post is the sponsor of this show, and it includes commercials for Sugar Crisp cereal.
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Johnny Weissmuller
& monkey friend
THE BILLY JOHNSON SHOW & THE WEATHER WHEEL
(approx 60 min)
An all-but-forgotten children's show from the Dumont Network, starring guitarist/singer Billy Johnson and a group of puppets, including one Teddy Bear.
CAPTAIN KANGAROO
(approx 60 min)
and Gumby
| Captain Video and the Video Rangers
|
Al Hodge | 1949 |
(approx 60 min)
Two episodes from the early run of the series, starring Richard Coogan as the Captain and Don Hastings as the Video Ranger.
confronts Martians
and his sidekick,
Ranger, Don Hastings
WHAT'S MY NAME/CAPTAIN VIDEO and his VIDEO RANGERS
(approx 60 min)
(approx 30 min)
Paul Winchell is the guest host of this program with Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith. Winchell appears as a magician whose every trick is destroyed by Jerry Mahoney, and the two exit singing "That Old Black Magic." Jerry and Knucklehead go through a boxing sketch with actor Walter Burke, which leads into a quiz contest by sponsor Speidel. And a blues singer does an impression of Helen Morgan singing "Let's Try Again."
(approx 30 min)
starring Al Hodge from the post-1950 run of the series, picks up in mid-story.