Here are some e-mails I have been sent regarding this site and other TVOntario shows. These people share many of the same fond memories I have. Some recall shows I didn't watch. Some need help trying to remember show titles. Others offer more links. Have a read and feel free to send me an e-mail
January 3/05 From Ann Mary
For several weeks now I have been browsing the internet looking for information on several kids shows that I used to watch when I was younge. And Oh my God!!!! I had a very happy childhood and these shows are a part of that happy childhood.
(So glad I could help)
January 4/05 from Ken:
I was trying to find some stuff about "Read All About It" on line and stumbled on your site, Amazing stuff. I used to watch that show here in Boston on PBS as a kid and it scared the hell out of me.
thanks for having such a great site
(The Read All About it Fans by far are the most popular visitors to this site!)
January 4/05 from Jim:
I thought it was just something i had made up, but this TVO page says that you have 1 episode of High Feather? Is this true? It looks like you have a lot of interesting stuff, man the stuff you forget!! I can't believe they still exist.
(High Feather was only recently added to the site - thanks for noticing!)
January 5/05 from Miya:
My sister and I have been looking for this information for years and years!! We spend way too much time trying to remember the lyrics to “Fable of the Green Forest” and the “Polka Dot Door”. Wondering what you remember about “Dr. Snuggles” or “Willow the Wisp”? Also there was a really strange and trippy art show on TVO – sort of silent with really hallucinogenic projects. Does anyone have even a minor memory of a show like that?
(Vision On, I am thinking!)
January 9/05 from John:
I remember a few shows that were for kids, but some of
them were not made by Ontario, but here are a few of my memories to share wit
you.
1. InsideOut- often aired on WLIW21 or WNET13. This film was produced by Northern
Virgina Educational TV. Mostly it showed and educated kids about the things
we deal with life and lessons we learn. i.e. a kid is influenced by a puppet
tv show to buy the iron whirlygig toy. He's so excited to buy it, he asks his
parents for the money to buy it, but was turned down. Although his friend went
with him to the store selling it, he had other plans to buy something for a
gift. Which one is chosen?
2 Here's How- An orange talking balloon and a white mouse talk about how things
are made and tour factories producing various products.
3. I also somehow remember a series of short films made that aired on tv that
was about a man who got into several accidents. One of which during the introduction
shows him falling out of a tree upon chopping it down. Somehow this was supposed
to be funny.
4. The Lollypop dragon?- I' ve seen this film strip in school years ago in the
70's, but the only thing I remember was that the dragon had lollypop candies
coming out of his head.
5. The most important person?- often seen on Channel 11 Wpix. This animated
short had taught kids to be happy about themselves and learn from their mistakes.
and
Here's a little trivia for you and your knowledge of
children's films. During the 1970's, I remember seeing a film in school that
involved live action and puppets. I remember a female ostritch puppet named
Penelope. She talked in a southern accent and often wore a large blue necklace
and blue earings. The second character was a male giraffe with a small red cap
on his head, and another character was a small grey squirrel who wore a grey
suit and tie. I think the whole film was about a caterpillar who turns into
a butterfly.
As a result of the film, the puppets were seen on Saturday morning commercials
with messages to kids about saving money, electricity.etc. I beleive the female
narrator had said at the end of the commercial "A consumer tip from your
better business bureau." There is this web site called Dee T's 70's page,
and he has a sound clip from one of the commercials that brings memories of
the characters.
(Thanks for all the info - this is great stuff!)
January 13/05 from Christopher:
The "Green Forest" cartoons were based on
a series of books written in the 1910s and 1920s by Thornton W. Burgess. I read
several of these in my
youth at my grandmother's house, and had a couple of them passed down to me
(though they're in very poor condition now). Editions of the books are
still in print. Alternate sources list some of the books as having been written
in the late 1800s.
(Thanks for this info)
January 17/05 from Steve:
I'm a long-time fan of your TV Ontario site, and I was
pleased to see that you actually put a page up for YTV Rec Room, even if that
show
wasn't TVO. I think I'm one of about three other people out there that remembers
Janis Mackey Frayer from before she was CTV News's main
Middle East correspondent (I think she's also bureau chief).
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/1095886153270_91292032?hub=BiosReporters
Just one minor note that I believe is a correction, though
I can't prove it. I think Jan's TV brother wasn't named "Rob", he
was "Steve",
and I think the actor's full name was "Steven Birch". If I'm wrong
about the character's name, I'm at least pretty sure I'm right about
the actor's name. (I'm a Steve, so it's easy to remember.) I can't find any
proof of his existence, though, but I know he existed..
I also remember YTV Hits, which later became the Ron
Oliver Show, which was same show, same host, same format, same Gantz puppet
named
"Ralph the Happy Contest Goose", just I think YTV Hits started in
September 1988 and ran until September 1989, when it was replaced by
YTV Rec Room for a year, before they brought YTV Hits back with the newer title
of the Ron Oliver Show, which ran for another year, and
then YTV took the clips with Ron Oliver from both incarnations of the show and
packaged them in a cheapie late-night show called "Oliver's
Twist". Ron Oliver has had a career mostly behind the camera, directing
episodes of shows like The Chris Isaak Show, Queer As Folk
(US), Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and, currently, Romeo (the kid sitcom with
rapper L'il Romeo, which is filmed in Vancouver). He was
also one of the people who provided the voice of Snit on the Zone during the
P.J. Phil Guerrero years.
http://imdb.com/name/nm0646987
(I think I will add a page for Ron Oliver)
January 18/05 From Nikki:
Just a quick note. My sister, Mother, and I were talking about these shows the other day. You have missed 1 of my favourites though. I believe it was called Dr. Snuggles. We also were debating if the show staring BarbaPapa was on t.v.o. Obviously we can't remember the name of it either. If you could help us out that would be awesome. Keep on remembering. You made my day!!
(Thanks)
January 19/05 from Candace:
Okay there was this show I think probably in the 80's or early 90's. It had 3 people, 2 guys and a girl. One guy was black and wore a painters outfit, kinda like overalls. The other guy was white and he rode a bike all the time. The girl was hispanic and she had long curly brown hair. They used to sing and dance and do crafts all the time. They had this train too that would bring them out lemonaid on the balcony. I don't know much more then that. The white guy kinda looked like Noah Wyle. But all I need is the name of the show plz help me!
(Join In. I think you can find info on this in the 2004 Feedback section)
January 20/05 from Deryrk
I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised to stumble
across your nostalgic TVO kids' show page. I live very far from home (five time
zones' worth) and was feeling a little homesick. I started looking around for
this material on the internet because I'm seeking confirmation that I'm not
mad, having just imagined watching a certain show in my youth.
I remember watching a show where every character was a hat (with feet, and hands
I believe), who played out their little dramas on a flat, white landscape, dotted
with cut-out black trees. It was stop animation, I believe, since the characters
didn't seem like marionettes. I cannot recall the title of the series, though
I do remember there was a sombrero character, named Sancho, and possibly a mailman
character, dubbed Posty. Despite appearances, Sancho did not stand out in any
particular ethnic persuasion, as I believe everyone spoke in clear, English
accents (TVO used to get a lot of British content back then (late 70's/early
80's)).
I now live the in the UK, and everyone here figures that no such show ever existed,
and my few Canadian friends here have been no help at all. If you know, or know
people who know, of such a programme, I would be very grateful if you could
and least tell me the name of it... so my torment will end. Any other incidental
information is more than welcome though. Alternatively, if you could direct
me to other people/sites that might be of help, I would also be quite appreciative.
(I think it is Hattytown Tales)
January 21/05 from Jamie:
Dude, I gotta say you are the king! If I could hug you right now I would. Parlez-Moi, you don't know how long (were talkin' years) I have been trying to get the name of that show. Your site has brought back so many good memories. I just turned 30 so this is totally what I was brought up on apart from Sesame Street. Mother knew best. Wow, I really want to thank you. This is really cool and I'm going to go spread the word of your fabulous site. Keep up the great work.
(Merci!)
January 21/05 from Tim:
Hi, I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you
for your website. I can't believe the memories that came flooding back when
I saw the titles of all the different shows I watched as a child. I had forgotten
so many of the titles. I was initially doing a google search to find information
on Parlez-moi. My wife is french but never saw Sol in all his glory. We have
a daughter who I wanted to intorduce to that show since we are teaching her
both french and english.
I think "Read all about it" and "Math Patrol" were my favourite
programs.
Keep up the great work on the site. I only wish that I could provide you with
some more information about the programs you have listed but until your site
I had forgotten about them.
(Sol is a great way to learn the french language!)
January 24/05 from Bradley:
Wow. Wow. Wow. I grew up watching these shows on UNCTV
in north carolina(or Center as it was known 80s). I remember how the KETC logo
scared the hell out of me--something about the face in the middle of the 9.
I also remember John Robbins of 'Readit' hosting a few other
shows. There was 'Cover to Cover' which was similar to 'Readit' and another
show that had something to do with math. Also, I remember a
TVO show that featured an army boot that was madly in love with a pink slipper.
Amazing stuff, and wonderful memories. I would love to see some of these shows
again.
(That channel 9 logo is a bit scary!)
January 27/05 from Sameer:
Just came across your page
for "Bits and Bytes", the old TVO computer show. Brought back a LOT
of memories
- that was my first introduction to computers when it ran here on PBS, and it
laid a groundwork that exists
today! My dad and I watched every episode regularly.
(Computers have changed so much!)
January 29/05 from Diana:
I found your site looking for Read All About It and the C.U.C.U.M.B.E.R. Club. Wow, so many shows I had not thought about in years. Brings back alot of memories. Looking at your clips of the Edison Twins especially brings back memories. I used to walk past the house where they filmed every day and still drive by it at least 2-3 times a week as it was filmed in my neighbourhood.
(Edison Twins - what a fun show!)
February 2/05 from Jay:
Okay, I've been going crazy trying to come across ANY
images or info on the a certain animation short that would run from time to
time on TVO (usually to take up time between shows, though I have no idea if
if came regularly after a certain show or if in fact it was part of a longer
show - actually, no, I'm pretty sure it was a short on its own).
The short always/only consisted of an male figure made entiredly of a chalk
outline, connected to a horizontal chalk line ground on dark green chalk board
back drop, circa early-mid 80s. He would constantly be walking in left or right
and encountering absurd or humorous circumstances where the real life artists
hand from time to time would come on screen to erase something or draw something
else to make this chalk guy's travels easier or more difficult. The chalk guy's
temperament was one that was quite impatient, whiney and loud (always screaming
or laughing).
Any clues? (I repeat, I am not thinking of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings,
though this is all I can come up with using search engines).
(La Linea - this show has been brough up before - I will have to add some pictures)
February 3/05 from Aaron:
I just want to thank you for running the sites you run.
They have helped me to remember more of my childhood, and it is nice to know
that
there are others out there trying to preserve what we watched as kids
(Thanks)
February 4/05 from Richard:
For YEARS now, I was trying
to think of some of the names of the shows I watched as a young kid (IE: the
"talking boot show" which I just
learned was "Readalong"). Just going through the list of shows and
looking at the wonderful screenshots you have of each one has brought
back SOOOO many memories. I really can't thank you enough for having such an
amazing archive of programs, and I wish you best of luck in
continuing your search to expand your collection!
Many of the shows you have on your site were ones that
I watched when I was probably like 3 or 4. I'm 19 years old now, and I can't
think
of ANY other time in my life when I've had so many flashbacks. Probably the
greatest one was when I saw your part on "Fables of the
Green Forest". I used to watch that show ALL the time. I actually think
it was the very first cartoon I ever watched!
Thanks again for keeping such an AMAZING archive!
(So glad you liked it)
February 5/05 from Zander:
I'm looking for vcr copies of a 1977 children's television show called, "The Red Hand Gang".
Do you know anything about it or can you point me to someone who might have copies? Thanks! Any help will be appreciated!
(I hope someone can assist)
February 5/05 from Byron:
Hi, I just discovered your wonderful TVO site---thank
you SO MUCH for creating this! Like many "cult" fans
out there, I fondly remember such shows as "The Letter People", "All
About You", "Readalong", "Read All About
It" (which was downright scary at times), and more.
And BLESS YOU for including "The Write Channel"!
I have been looking for info on this show for *years!*
In fact, when I worked at my alma mater's Writing Center as a student worker
a co-worker of mine and I
deemed ourselves "co-private investigators" in the purpose of seeking
out this show on the Internet---but
to no avail (this was in 2001). We weren't even sure of the title, but I think
"The Write Channel" was one
of the possibilites I thought up (I knew there was a take on the words "write/right").
I'm almost postive the lady anchor's name (the bug's
friend) was Red Green. I also remember that at the end
of every episode the bug would drift off to sleep with his TV on (maybe the
National Anthem played on it?).
And in each episode he would either tell a news story on TV or see one on TV
at home that played out on the
screen for the viewers; I remember vividly the story of people who worked at
a glue factory and there was
some kind of accident/incident and all the workers were glued together and had
to be put into a van to go
get un-stuck (man, that creeped me right out).<
What drives me *crazy* though is I can't remember the
bug's name---and neither could my "partner" in
investigation, or my sister, who also remembers the show.
I live in the US so I don't know if they had these in
Canada or not, but between shows sometimes PBS would
air segments of "Clyde Frog". This was a puppet of a green frog whose
friends would warn him of safety and
caution, but he would never listen and always end up hurt. For example, I remember
once he was riding a
bike, and a friend/friends advised him to be careful, but Clyde ignored them
and ended up falling off the
bike. These were very low-budget productions with puppets and a few background/prop
pieces against a
black background (like the first few "Letter People" episodes).
Also, there was an animated 2 or 3 minute segment called
"Animal Alphabet" that would also air between
some shows. It showed a cartoon jungle and an animated owl would take a clay
pot, put his wing in, pull out a
letter, show it to us, and then he would point the pot at the screen and we
would "go in". Inside it was
space, and objects beginning with that letter would slowly float by. Then the
owl would reach his wing in
(still from the view of inside the pot, so we'd only see his wing), try to grab
the letter, and pull it
out. And there was a little catchy instrumental tune to bring the program in
and out.
(Thanks for all your comments. Seems like alot of
these shows were just so weird)
February 7/05 from Shawne:
I was a kid in the seventies too. I watched TVO all the time. I am going crazy looking for one of my all time favorite shows. I hope you can help me. I know it was in French. All I can remember about it was that it featured these big giant flowers on a make believe stage. The flower petals slowley opened in each show and people came out of them. I think they may have been space ships that looked like flowers or vice-versa. It always amazed me and I have very fond memories of me and my sister watching it. Do you have any idea of what I am talking about? Do you know the name of the show? Thanks for any help you can provide.
(Can anyone help?)
February 8/05 from Stephan:
Hey I was going over your website and noticed the picture of telefrancais. My friends and I started reminicing about the show back in elementary school French class and wanted to know if you had any pictures of Anana. It would be really awesome if you could find pictures of that crazy pineapple. I've spent solid hour or so searching the web for it. So if you got any spare time that would great if u could post a picture of him. thanks
(Ananas sent!)
February 8/05 from Shannon:
I was wondering if you happen to remember a show that
aired in the 80's about a male mannequin who would come to life when everyone
left. He spoke to a woman in a department store. I don't remember the name of
the show, only that the manequin wore a cabbie hat.
Any help would be appreciated.
(Today's Special)
February 10/05 from Jay:
Just a quick note to say you've done a wicked job with
your website. I'm 28 and distinctly remember all these great programs...The
Math Patrol gave me a
laugh when I re-discovered it, that kangaroo guy used to scare me. I have been
on a "recapturing my youth" phase recently, buying transformers (toys
and dvds) and I have sent your site to all my fellow 20 somethinger friends
so that they can reminise too. From viewing your past feedback I am sure
that fans of Read all About It!, obviously the king of these cheesy shows, will
be quite happy to know the show is now available on DVD! Check ebay, it
appears quite frequently in box set form for about 20.00 US per half season!!!
I have also learned that Today's Special will be back on the air
this year for a reunion show. Anyway, keep up the good work!
ps: was the chalk line that became a "person" on Parlez-Moi in between skits with Sol, or is that another show?
(The chalk line is a different show altogether)
February 14/05 From Victory:
I moved from Toronto to Baltimore when I was just 7 years
old, but the memories of some of those kids' shows have stuck with me. The only
TVOntario show we got down here was Today's Special, and I was thankful for
that.
Thanks so much for this website! I took one look at that boot puppet from Readalong and exclaimed "Oh my God! I remember that!!"
(Thanks for the comments!)
February 20/05 from M:
hi there do you remember the Dr Jenchkin show it was on rogers tv in toronto about 18 years ago
(I don't - maybe someone else does)
February 20/05 from SA:
I emailed last summer about the show "Join In!", and while watching a show called "metropia" recently, I saw one of the actors, Mishu Vallani (I think that's how it's spelt) from "Join In!" She played Kia, the lady who took over Nikki's (Pamalea Sinha's) job on the series. I tried looking for info again on "Join In!" because I wanted to find out the names of the actors/where they are now. No luck with the two male actors, who played Zack and Jacob. Rudy, is the first name of the guy who played Jacob. If only I knew the last name, and the name of the guy who played Zack (I keep thinking its Marty Barr... or something that sounds like that, but I havn't found anything on that name on the net). If somehow, you could find the credits from the show, or something with the names of Join In's cast, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and good job keeping tvo's old shows alive.
(Always appreciate any info!)
February 24 from Brian:
Thanks for the wonderful site! I live in the US, but
have seen most of the TVO programs listed (shows like Readalong, Telefrancais,
Parlez-Moi and You
Can Write Anything were running on PBS in Pennsylvania until the early 1990s.)
Hopefully TVO will see sense and release some or all of these shows
on DVD in the near future. One TVO show I'd really love to find episodes of
(although it wasn't a kid's show) is the 1980s David Stringer how-to series
"Half-a-Handy Hour". The show was humorous as well as informative,
and David seemed to be somewhat more "handy" than the CBC's hapless
Mary Bellows
(although he did misplace a lot of Robertson screws and chuck keys). Finally,
in a previous comment someone mentioned being frightened by the
KETC logo; I never had any problem with that one, but the old hypnotic OECA
logo did cause me a bit of discomfort when it would pop up at the end of
certain Inside/Out episodes.
(Thanks for the comments...the OECA theme music was a bit frightening!)
March 1/05 from Jim:
My compliments on a wonderful
site. It's basicially one of those sites that has clocked up probably the most
hits on my
favourites list in the last few months. Congratulations.
(Thank you!)
March 2/05 from Les:
Pardon the intrusion... reliving some TVO memories after
some chats around the watercooler at work... found many references to your rogers
member page, but since the great Yahoo merge, the URL is different...
Is this site still up at a new address? If so please share... if not, it should
be, I have been able to nab a few of your pages from cached google references
(My site address was forced to changed with zero notice from rogers.com my ISP. This isn't the first time they've done something annoying. I do not recommend this ISP at all - but like many people, we are forced to have them as they are the only choice. That aside, the website address has changed for everything. Hopefully google will pick up the info shortly)
March 8/05 from Angie:
As a Detroiter, I was very lucky to get CBC and TVO as
a kid..(I'm still in love with the Friendly Giant, but I digress)
So it was tradition that my kids grew up watching them also. Now that they are
18, (yes twins) they have me stumped. They are looking for the name of two shows,
that were broadcasted on TVO in the 1990's. But I am not sure if they were repeats
or not. Both were animated.
show 1> The theme song started- " Romeo, Juliet, how romantic can you
get....." it seemed to be a Canadian version of " Fractured Fairy
tales" and that is all that they remember. I don't remember the show at
all.... can anyone out there put a name to this theme song??
show 2> Two kids (girl and her brother) and a spider, talking about the enviroment.
My kids think that the title had Planet... but the theme song was....
" Among the stars in the sky, our planet is flying by,
even in the darkest night, traveling the universe....."
do you have a clue???
Keep up the good work....
(Does anyone know these?)
March 14/05 from Anon:
The following information regarding 'Join In' is correct as of 1991:
- The wooden wizard puppet is named Winston.
- An actor named Rudy played 'Jaccob'.
- The actress playing 'Nikki' had a Japanese-like first name starting with M
Facts:
- Nerene Virgin from 'Today's Special' has hosted Polka Dot Door
- Futura typeface used in 'Parlez Moi' opening credits; many other shows
- Heather Conkie was a substitute pianist for several 'Polka Dot Door' episodes
- "Agnes Peabody" was also a character of "It's Mainly Music"
Shows:
- Edward & Friends ©1987 LEGO® / FilmFair
- Bookmice (1991)
***Additions/corrections to previous information***
1971-79/80 'Polka Dot Door' Episodes unaired after 1982 for rerun continuity -- male host met Polkaroo in last original series [1971] episode.
"Alice In Wonderland" (a.k.a. "Fushigi no kuni no Alice") ©1983 Nippon Animation Early episodes = different opening montage. TFO aired w/ French dubbed theme song/dialogue. Theme Song key = F-sharp/G-flat
"Tell Me A Story" Opening 2 Chords = Cm7, Abmaj7
***Non-TVO; for posterity***
Global: c. 1992 still airing 1983 'Inspector Gadget' series complete w/ bumpers
PBS:
c. 1988 Sesame Street 16mm-shot "gutter race" credits seq. theme key = B
c. 1989 Sesame Street tape-shot "running kids" credits seq. lettered w/ Areo font
Sesame Street "CTW Theme" credits seq. c. 1983: dk. Green w/ white Courier font
Sesame Street "CTW Theme" credits seq. c. 1990: blue w/ white Sans-Serif font
c. 1983-1990s"CTW Theme" Funk/Jazz w/ F organ riff and B-flat horn reply
CBC:
c. 1983, Mr. Dressup credits: lt. 'baby' blue back w/ white Renfrew font
CTV:
"Camp Cariboo" 'Keeners' Theme "I've got a head like a ping pong ball" loosely set to Rossini's 'William Tell Overture' in B-flat
YTV: c. 1989 had network bumper w/ 'The Spirit Of Youth'
c. 1992 airing 1981-85 "You Can't Do That On Television!" 1981-85 episodes
(Thanks for the good details)
March 24/05 from Leigh-Anne, Michael and Megan
We love your site!It is very nostalgic.Three of us remember a animation on TVO that took place after Doctor Who @ characters that travel through time .A la neanderthal period,intense theme song with time travel.The characters were similar animation to the Tin-Tin characters.Please help us .This is boggling our minds.
(I hope someone knows)
March 29/05 from Galen:
Wow, great website! I adored these old TVO shows growing
up in the early 80s. Looking back on them now brings back so many great memories
from what
I consider to be a privledged childhood thanks to these shows.
I was always specifically inamoured with all the fantastic
music and wonderful theme songs from these programs. While reading the lyrics
your
readers have posted for CUCUMBER, I began to remember the song quite well (which
amazed me as it spewed forth) and I think I can clarify the lyrics.
Here's what I remember:
Come and sing a song of the forest
let's all sing a song about animal kind
water, air and land spread out before us
searching for some land(?) to see what we can find
Children's underground club of united moose and beaver
for enthusiastic reporters (repeated)
I also seem to remember the acronym being spelled out
in the background by a chorus of children near the end but that part is really
hazy. Sadly, I
remember little else about the show.
Do you also happen to remember a show called Golden Pennies?
It may have aired on PBS; I can't quite remember. I just recall I loved the
theme song
and I'd love to hear it again. Keep up the good
work!
(I'm afraid I do not know Golden Pennies)
April 1/05 from Tami:
Hi, and thanks very much for bringing back memories of
all the shows my children "HAD" to watch. No homework or cleaning
their rooms while these
shows were on. Do you have any resources for getting our hands on videos of
Teddy Ruxpin or Tales from the Green Forest, and Dr. Snuggles? My
grandchildren would benefit greatly from these shows. The violence of the Power
Rangers is a bit much. Forest creatures are what I would like them to
experience.
April 5/05 from Curtis:
I've been looking for information on a couple of shows
that I used to watch when I was younger. The first if Join In. If anyone has
a website on
this show, please let me know. The other is a show that was on I believe in
the late 80's early 90's. I'm pretty sure it was on TVO. It had a mix of
puppets and real people. I believe they lived in a windmill. There was one character,
it was either a puppet or a real person who was cranky. He had a
room on the third level and I believe there was an inventor who lived in the
basement. If anyone could let me know the name of this show or even better,
let me know if there is a website, that would be great. Switching over to another
station now, I used to watch a show on YTV. It was about a group of
people who I believe ran a convineince store. One was a scientist. He had straight
back hair and black glasses and always wore a white lab coat.
Strange things used to always happen in the store. If any one could let me know
the name of this show as well or again, a website that would greatly
apprectiated.
(Not sure of most of these shows. Lots of discussion on Join In on previous feedback pages)
April 7/05 from Lynette:
I stumbled upon your website for TVO shows from the '70's. I love the website
April 9/05 from Julie:
Hey Just stumbled upon your site tring to find an old tv show that was on pbs. Maybe you can help. It was on in the mid 1980's. There was an old man named, possibly, Mr. Bean? He did math problems with a little boy and girl. There was a women there too but I don't remember much about her. Any ideas what the name of the show was? I would love to find copies of it.thanks
(Two Plus You!)
April 9/05 from Eric:
I just came upon your site by accident, but I'm glad
I found it. Man, does it ever bring back some memories. We lived out of town
so needless to say,
we didn't have cable. I watched those shows religiously. I even seem to remember
watching some of them in my grad 1 & 2 class... Seeing some of the
pics you have makes it feel like I was just watching those shows yesterday.
I really wish they were still showing them instead of the crap that passes
for children's tv these days. Back then you could actually learn something while
being entertained at the same time. Thanks for
the great site!
P.S. And thank you for allowing me to finally put a name
to Math Patrol. I used to love that show, but when I'd tell current friends
about it, they
couldn't remember the show at all. The only description I could give them was
"the show with the kangaroo detective guy." LOL
(As always, so glad I could assist)
April 24/05 from Michelle:
hi i'm trying to find a copy of the short series elly
and jools. i saw it mentioned on your page and wondered if you had any ideas
of how i can view
it. any downloads? i live in sydney australia.
(I hope someone can help!)
May 1/05 from Kundu:
There is one show I didn't see on your great website... that was the cartooning with Yardley Jones or something line that!
(Hopefully someone can provide more info)
May 6/05 from Serge:
Great Site! Amazing memories.
Has anyone mentioned the show "The Toothbrush Family"? I believe it
was shown on TVO (it was also shown as part of Captain Kangaroo). It was a
short (3-5 minutes) cartoon featuring the adventures of some toothbrushes and
other bathroom paraphenalia. The characters included Flash Flouride,
Hot Rod Harry, Bert Brush, Cecily Comb, Neb Nailbrush, and of course, everyone's
favourite, Susie Sponge. Each episode featured their adventures
after the human family had gone to bed; and they all had to rush back before
morning to be back in place in the bathroom. They ended each episode
by singing the "Toothbrush Song": (song to the tune of 3 Blind Mice)--Brush
your teeth, brush your teeth, round and round, circle and square...."
PLEASE don't get this confused with an "updated" version of the TTF
which was released on video (1997?) with updated animation of the characters.
TRIVIA: Voices were done byLen Carlson (Bert Racoon) and Billie Mae Richards
(Tenderheart Bear/ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer).
(I think your email is the first to mention The Toothbrush
Family)
May 7/05 from Ananthy:
hi i was wondering if you new of a show i remember when
i was younger.
i dont remember the name but i know that it had three cats one named Tango and
they all lived in a house and had a closet with alot of hats. There was a Dog
named Charlie that went to school and lived in another house. There also was
a colourful bird and also Porcupine that lived under/passed a bridge.
(Not sure.....)
May 7/05 from John:
What a great TVO site you have! Thanks for the memories
and compiling such great information. I thought you'd be the person to ask about
an old show I
remember but can't seem to find anything about on the web.
It was earlier than Eureka!, but had the same sort of
feel and style to it. It was a series of animated shorts about math, which aired
in the 70's. I
thought the title of the series was something like "Concepts in Mathematics"
or "Fundamentals of Mathematics," but the only shows with names like
that
are different than the one I recall (as they aren't animated and are later in
time).
The series I'm thinking of, like Eureka!, featured a
main cartoon character and was narrated. The main character looked like a smiling
fur ball with
legs. Sort of an odd description, but that's all I can think of to describe
the character. The program started and ended with a curtain raising/lowering
on a stage, with the sound of a crowd clapping. The program, like Eureka!, taught
technical concepts but was humorous and for young children.
Does this sound at all familiar?
Sorry for the disjointed description, but that's all
I remember about the old program. I'd love to know more about it, if you have
a clue what I'm
talking about. Thanks again for the cool site!
(This does not sound familiar to me. Which is odd. I always made a point to watch any TVO Math programs)
May 9/05 from Lucinda:
Hi, I was surfing the web in search of anything to do with the "Read All About It" series from the 80's. And I came across your email address. Do you know where there are any available copies of season 1? My heart's desire is to see that series again. Those were my favorite days in grade school, when I could watch "Read All About It."
May 10/05 from Warren:
I’m Warren Keillor from Toronto. I worked on the series for four years contracting to supply the special effects for the scenes where something weird or unusual was needed. I designed both Otto and Theta the Robots and built them along with the mechanisms for the secret panels in my studio. Then we contracted to operate them on set for four years. I shot the scene of the space station in my studio(the exterior) and the destruction of the planet space station with the kids inside which I have never seen, but was told it looked good. Jeremy Pollack was great to work with as well as Chris Adney the art director who I think was one of Canada’s best Art Directors ever. Check out the coach house. Who wouldn’t want it? That was a great set and the drawings were superb. Design services run owned by John Holms built the sets. They did a fine job! I have a web site www.keillorfilm.com It is too bad that I don’t have any documentation other than I have heard a credit listing. Normally, one gets footage, but there was just so much and at that time I didn’t have a three quarter inch machine to play it back. TVO is going through hard times and has become a bum protecting bureaucracy . The politicians in Ontario have been doing things in lock step with the big biz interests south of the border. Too bad!
On the issue of special effects samples. I sure wish I had some footage of that period of my life.
In cleaning out a storage garage I did find one of Otto’s copper eyes used all those years. Remember they went up and down when he got excited. They were remote controlled off camera along with all Thetas controls on a common control panel with speed and direction controls for doors forward and reverse and lights and eyes. Otto had the elevator mechanism and sliding counter top panels that could be controlled both with speed and direction. It could be pretty challenging for the operators. Since the people were from my studio they could always fix any little adjustments necessary on set. I have read reports that they were unreliable. It simply was not true. Wally Teska would have had me up at three in the morning if anything was amiss. We were not in the union as they did not have a special effects category at that time. I didn’t get grumpy calls from Wally either. The source of that rumour was likely the IBM typewriter service man who was tickled to be paid to come to a film shoot instead of some government office with hundreds of typewriters as far as he could see. The IBM Selectric was the first kind of computer assisted typewriter with a tiny little memory of a few words. Back then it was hot stuff for a readout that could be caught on video. Whoooooooow! They were simple times. I am sorry that TVO didn’t see fit to credit John Bailey, Rachel Rotenberg and Mark Patten who did the bulk of the robot operating on set. I just came in to do the weird and strange things, pyrotechnics, break-a-ways and models.
(Wow - thanks for such interesting memories. To hear from the Read All About It special effects man has made my day! I am glad to give credit to the extra people who's names were not mentioned in the credits)
May 14/05 from Brandan:
Your site is pretty incredible. Im 19 and although i
didnt grow up in the late 70's/early 80's and catch all these shows mentioned
on
your site, I do however, have memories of my 4th grade teacher showing the class
"read all about it" in class everyday. That show was
seriously like crack, it left you hanging, and the worst part was you had to
wait till tommorow to see what happened next. I remember
anticipating tommorow like never before. The show was *very* creepy, that eerie
feeling was why i liked it so much. Duneedon was pretty
scary. I forgot all about that show until i remembered the name of it one day,
and my search led me here. I also use to watch "the magical
music box" as a kid. im not sure if thats a tvo kids show though. Anyways,
great, great site! thanks for the free "read all about it"
downloads, and i hope you continue to rock on!
(Thanks - Read All About it continues to be the most popular old show out there!)
May 19/05 from Jodi:
Hi, I found your site really interesting and though maybe you could help me. I remember two shows from the late 80's early 90's. One I used to watch at home (Alberta) and it was about three adults who did crafts together in an apartment and there was a toy train that ran on a track through the kitchen to the porch outside and it would always bring them juice. I think the title was somthing about art, or a red door. The other show may have been from Saskatchewan, i used to watch it when I visited. It was about a general store owned by an olderman, and his daught and granddaugher lived upstairs. There was a mad scientists who did experiments in a back room/closet. I remember one episode when the scientist made edible socks and the granddaught dressed up like a punk to scare off her mothers date. Any help you could give would be great!
(I thought at first you were talking about Join In. I am probably wrong)
May 21/05 from Clyde:
Yes. I am currently trying to locate a picture of Clyde Frog the puppet from educational videos for children.
(I do not)
June 1/05 from Laci:
Wow, your website is a lifesaver. My boyfriend and i
were picking our brains one night trying to remember details of a show. It turned
out to be
'Read all about it', so thats how i stumbled upon your website. My memories
were so vague of the show, but its starting to come back. Just out of
curiousity, why haven't you included any information of the show, Today's Special?
Seems to fit in with the theme of your site, although it was
cheesy. I found that you can buy complete sets of Today's Special on Ebay. There's
also another show we were trying to recall. I don't beleive it was
on TVO, but help me out if you know. It was a creepy show, it was a series of
short skits, one I recall was a werewolf dancing around with a
psychadelic background..... i think it was called 'House of something. Another
show I have vague memories of was about a little vampire boy (i
think), that used to fly to some little girls window at night, for some reason
i think some of the names on this show sound french... can't really
recall ( i think this one was on TVO)!! Oh ya, I would love to see information
on the show 'Dear Aunt Agnes'....... I looked around and found
very little info on the show.... but i do beleive it was another TVO masterpeice.
Wow, i am getting so nostalgic thinking about all these
shows.... Let me know if you have any info!!
(Anyone care to provide some info?)
June 4/05 from Jennifer and Clan:
Hi,,, just wondering if you can help me..... my kids
and I have been driving ourselves crazy trying to remember a kids show we are
pretty sure was on
TVO.... around the same time as Today's Special Readalong and Book Mice......
What we remember about the show..... there were three
characters....one an older Black Gentleman (we think named Jacob)he worked as
a set/costume
designer who rented out space in his upper loft area..to... a girl with long
dark hair (we think also Black) who worked on sound effects from the
loft......and a young white gentleman (we think named Zack) who was trying to
be an actor he always had on suspenders..... the loft had a railway that
ran from the kitchen area to out on the tarrice area ..... on a shelf in the
kitchen area was some small wooden toys that were "live" only to those
watching the show????????????????
Does this ring any bells for you .....if you could solve this for us we would be most grateful.....thanks for taking the time!!!
(This sounds alot like Join In!)
June 8/05 from Shelley:
Hi Just wanted to say thanks for putting this website together.
Often the old shows theme songs run through my head but I can't remember from where...now I know :)
I was a TVO kid and the shows were very rudimentary but
they were good quality. I would love for my own kids to see these shows but
I
wonder...would they find them slow and boring compared to TVO's shows of today?
I have a feeling they would find them boring.
(You are probably right)
June 10/05 from Heather:
I hope you're well! Just notice the May 6th comment from
Serge about the Toothbrush Family. I still sing that song...sadly enough. Here
are the lyrics:
"Brush your teeth. Round and round. Circles small.
Gums and all. A small soft toothbrush the roundabout way, will keep you teeth
healthy, and stop tooth decay, so clean very carefully three times away. Round
and round...round and round..."
(Good stuff!)
June 10/05 from Eshu:
There were three other programmes I remember from growing up that aren’t mentioned on your site. One was “Ludwig” which was a bout the misadventures of a little egg. “Willo-the wisp” was another one that if I remember featured a walking TV witch. Dr. Snuggles I also remember, but I’m not sure if it was TVO. Oh and what was that other one” the sevret railroad or the underground railroad with kids with star shaped hairdos. Any info on these would be appreciated.
(Anyone?)
June 16/05 from Stacie:
Hey there - I just found your site, and was hoping you can help me out! I have been desperate for something like 10 years to see the show "Read All About It" - I used to watch it as a kid, and thought no one else remembered it - my own sister and brother have come to believe it is a figment of my imagination!
(Another RAAI fan - excellent!)
June 23/05 from Mike:
I think I have visited your site before, but you had more shows that I remember than you did last I checked. Or think so anyway. Looking at some of your graphics brought back memories about these shows that I have not thought of in years! I was born in 1973, and loved to watch PBS from about 1977 onward. I would get angry because I could not watch the shows in the summer. What can I say, except that I was a dorky kid.
Some of the shows you have were favorites. All About You. Inside Out (forgot the name until tonight but can remember some of the episodes!). Dragons Wagons and Wax. Stories of America. The Letter People. Think About. Read it with John Robbins. I can hear theme songs in my head as clear as day for many. There are a number of them that I remember seeing, that do not appear on your site, and that I do not know the name of. I can only describe them to you. I would be happy to fill you in on things I remember if you need any help on shows you have info on but that are not up, or if I can help I will be happy to fill in where I can what I remember for shows you already have up.
I did just go to your feedback pages and nose around a little bit. More memories!! I gave them just a glance but did not see these mentioned.
1) A series of science shows: Hosted by a Mrs. Matson. They must have been made in the late 60’s or early 70’s. This lady would teach all sorts of science: geology and biology mostly I think. The set was kind of sparse. But she would have frogs, rocks, etc. to show to the audience to illustrate about what she would speak. She had one of those really funky 60’s hairdos…kinda bouffant with blond streaks through it. She always ended the show with the same “sign-off:” “This is Mrs. Matson, your science teacher, saying goodbye for now.” We often watched these in school. I remember this shoe VERY vividly, all but the NAME!!
2) This is a real humdinger. I remember this show, and so does my stepbrother, so I know I am not making it up. We remember the show independently from the days before our parents wed. There was a big cartoon machine, with all sorts of crazy actions going on. Lots of working parts. There were little “vignettes” they would show during the show. What they were about I do not remember. But as a segue to the next vignette, there would be a focus on a little part of the big crazy machine. For instance, a boot smashing down on a button and making a funny sound. There were two human hosts, a male and a female. The machine would start when they said “push the button.” A cartoon hand would come out and push a cartoon button—green of course. It might have said “start” or “go.” My stepbro and I both remember that once the machine broke down.
3) There was a show I saw a few times about the metric system. It was a little like Sesame Street. In fact, they had two puppets on one time that were Bert and Ernie knock offs. They identified themselves as “Bernie and Ernie.” I also remember a song which they sang on the show to show how metric measurements worked. “10 centimeters equal ONE DE-CI-METER.”
4) A music show with folk music. Hosted by a guy with glasses, brown hair, and guitar. I can remember several songs he sang. One called “Put Your Finger in the Air,” another with a line in it, “go through your tiny window Miss Sue.” Sometimes he was in a studio, sometimes on location. The Miss Sue I remember he was with some black children, and they were singing the Miss Sue song while playing a game that matched the lyrics.
5) An art show with a kind of creepy middle aged guy that talked funny. The show would start with the camera on him while he whistled the intro tune.
Well these are a few. I hope you or someone else can help me, especially with number two. It would make the kid inside two grown men very happy!
(Number 4 is Let's All Sing with Tony Saletan)
June 24/05 from Lisa:
I used to watch Barbarpapa on TVO in 1979 on Saturday
afternoons and the part which made me feel sad was when Barbabeau had his black
fur shaved and
he was crying. I got the same feeling too because I was crying so hard on Monday
night when I saw the image on your website. I'm having problems
controlling my emotions over this and I'm getting digital cable on Monday.If
Barbapapa ever comes on again on digital cable with Barbabeau crying and
if I cry too, is there anything I can do to make myself feel better?
(O......K.....)
June 28/05 from Michael:
I am looking for the name of a tv show that aired on
TVO in the eighties. It featured (I believe) a moose and a squirrel. Unlike
Rocky &
Bullwinkle, this show was live-action with people dressed in huge mascot-like
costumes. The moose and squirrel would read mail, etc. My
memories of this show is fuzzy. If you have any idea what i'm talking about,
please let me know the name of this programme.
(Cucumber!)
June 30/05 from Stefie:
Hello, i am looking for a picture of the pinapple from the old show tele-francais. there is someone that has already inquired about the show, and it says the pics have been posted but i cant find them ANYWHERE. If you can find them, I would greatly appreciate if you could send them to me, or post them or anything lol.
July 12/05 from Laura:
I was just cruising your webpage looking for anything
Zoe and Charlie related. A cartoon where Zoe and Charlie played out various
fairy tales,
usually with very different endings than the original fairy tale.
No one I've talked to seems to remember this 5 minute
piece that tvo stuck between shows. I was hoping you'd remember or even better,
know where there
was information on it.
(I am not sure myself...anyone else know?)
July 16/05 From Trevor:
What happenned to the TVO site? Is there a new link again?
(New Domain names www.rickstv.com, tired of having to keep changing URLs)
July 16/05 from Laura:
Awesome. Thanks for your time.
I'm not sure which decade they played Zoe and Charlie in, and I can't even remember the shows that flanked it. Sorry.
What I do remember:
- Zoe was reall tall and skinny and wore this green bathing suit/gymnastics
suit. she had curly blond hair that stuck out at the sides.
- Charlie was short and fat. He wore overalls and a striped shirt underneath.
I'm pretty sure that's acurate, but I could have messed something up.
August 8/05 from Paul:
I just found your site just the other day, and I love
this site! I found this site by typing in "Dragons Wagons & Wax on
my Yahoo! Search, and found that program, which used to air on my PBS Station
(WI--USA) I first watched that program in 2nd Grade, and when I got my VCR in
88, I recorded a few programs, before my PBS Station no longer aired it.
I also remember Readalong, which was a fun reading program, which only aired
in the summer time between the years 79 through 83, and they had 3 episodes
in a row, so it would last a half hour. And I remember a lot of characters such
as Granny, the salesperson with the sunglasses, Boot, Pretty, Mr. Bones the
skeleton, House, the Explorer, the 'thing' Owl, and other characters, and a
few human characters. This was one of my favorite programs during summer vacation.
Our PBS station aired quite a few shoes from TVOntario through out the years
such as Write On, Eureka!, Science Alliance, Polka Dot Door, Today's Special,
Calling All Safety Scouts, and others. (I have taped a few of these programs
above, and have every episode of Calling All Safety Scouts)
The most of our Educational Shows, came from AIT (Agency for Instructional Television)
And I se you have a few from AIT such as IT figures, All About You (I taped
a lot of these shows) ThinkAbout, which I taped a lot of because out PBS Station
aired this show twice a week during the school year, and one of my favorites,
(I have this on tape) is when these 3 kids complained about the lunch menu,
which was meatloaf, and the food service had a talk with them, and assigned
them to plan a lunch menu to beat one of her lunch menus, and it was a very
good, and educational program. I have every episode of Well, Well, Well! with
Slim Goodbody, I also have a just about every episode of GatherRound, and some
of the other episodes that is like GatherRound like Readit, Book Bird, and Cover
to Cover Episodes, and other episodes that Ray Gladfelter had such as The Word
Shop. And I have almost every episode of The Write Channel.
Why did I tape so many of these programs? Well I wanted to remember some of
these shows, and help bring back my childhood memories, and show these off to
my family members and friends, I Still record some programs today.
In Wisconsin, we have a few programmed that aired right her in Wisconsin, one
of them is called Storylords, and that is a program, that discusses how to write
stories, and how to publish them. I don't know if it will air this year, because
the show is about 20 years old now.
What I can do for you, I could record all the GatherRound episodes, and send
them to you if you would like. I will be ordering the program guide of all the
instructional programs next week or so. They are only in WI and I have to pay
for this book. Another option you can do is go to www.ait.org and check what
they have available for programs, but if you order these programs, it will cost
you big bucks. Also if you are a Slim Goodbody fan, you could log on www.slimgoodbody.com,
and there are plenty of books, and tapes on the shows he created.
PennyWise, was one of my personal favorites, this was also produced by the same
people who did The Write Channel (Mississippi ETV) and PennyWIse (I only have
3 episodes) basically talks about daily living (such as money, and independence)
which was for primary grades such as 1st through 3rd)
One program, which I liked, and they stopped last year was "What's in the
News" this was for students in the grades 4 through 6, and they basically
talked about the latest news, it was 15 minutes long,and they also had a question
of the week, such as asking "Should there be a dress code in all the schools?"
They also had other interesting things on the program as well.
When my niece was little, she liked some of the educational programs, and now,
I show a few of these programs to a group home, (a home for people with cognitive
disabilities) and they enjoy watching some of these shows, because some of the
scenes are funny, and they know how silly it is because they know they will
never do such a silly thing.
I have about 25 tapes with all educational programs, and I expect this to grow,
and although I still record little kids programs, I still learn a lot on these
shows.
One of the latest shows, and I may record this again this school year, (This
program is fairly new) it was called "Character Education" and it
discusses stuff such as name calling, bullying, etc. But this particular program,
I may show to high school kids, because this episode is about alcohol and drugs,
and this show was VERY educational. Anyway, it was about 6 kids were going to
make a poster for drugs and alcohol, and one of the kids (There were about 3
boys, and 3 girls involved) and on one girl did not like the poster, and one
boy decided on a Friday night to bring some small bottles of liquor, (About
an ounce size) and spend the night in the school after all the staff was gone.
Therefore once the last staff member went home, which was about 6 PM, after
he left, the kids called their home on a cell phone, and told them they were
at a friend's home staying over night at their home. Apparently one of the girls
got sick and was vomiting in the toilet (she did this twice) and one of the
boys was so drunk he did dub things, and after a while they went to retrieve
their sleeping bags, and slept on the floor in the stage, and 2 boys were knocked
out in the computer lab. And they had to finish the Truth or Dare Game, so one
dare was a boy was dared to skateboard down steps that led to the lower level,
and Then it Happened!! He started to go down the stairs, but unfortunately,
the skateboard slipped from under his feet, and he fell on the middle landing
on the steps, and they had no choice to call 9-1-1 on the cell phone, (The kid
had a fractured arm) therefore when the paramedics came, the police came as
well, and the 2 boys in the lab did not wake up until morning. They all had
to serve a weeks of in school suspension, and were charged by the police, and
had to pay for the damage from their own money. And if I was the principal,
I would make them do janitorial work, and also to drop the charges, I would
have them give talks about what they did for the next 5 years or so to discuss
how bad alcohol is. At the concussion of the show, the girl who was narrating
the story, put up a poster saying "Alcohol is a drug too" and it had
a bottle of booze, and a small glass of a mixed drink having a circle with a
line crossing out the items.
Well that is the history of my shows.
(This is some fantastic information)
August 25/05 from Byron:
I saw the post from Mike of June 23, 2005 asking about the names of shows, and here they are.
1. Miss Matson's show was called simply SCIENCE WITH
MISS MATSON or ABOUT
SCIENCE, I do remember her. The show's theme music was Gustav Holst's "Jupiter"
from "The Planets."
2. This mystery show with the animated machine was called
POTPOURRI, and I liked this one, too.
It opened with a blue animated hand pressing the power button, but it couldn't
turn the machine on. A red hand then appears and taps the blue
hand, and it moves out of the way, the red hand presses the power button and
turns on the machine. The blue hand is shown again at the end of the show,
and turns off the machine. One color for each function. The show had several
reasoning skills exercises, some of them mathematical. I too
remeber when the machine broke - right in the middle of the title sequence.
The two hosts (I think the man's name was Dave Browser) called in the
serviceman - named Gary, I do believe - to fix it. There was a component of
the machine which showed a set of lips that opened and closed, and when
opened, there was a brief rainbow spectrum, and a woman's voice singing "Ahh"
for a second before closing. This part of the machine was stuck open,
and Gary had to remove some junk out of it there. When they turned the machiine
back on, Gary accidently dropped his hat into the mouth, and
couldn't get it back - needless to say he was ticked off. This show was made
by ITV of Broward County, Fla, which also made MAGIC VOCABULARY SKILLS
(Dave appeared on this also, giving the count down for a rocket launch).
I've been searching for these on video.
3. Its name was simply THE METRIC SYSTEM. I have it on
video. Try this site
http://www.mpbonline.org/educators-guides/guides-res-2004-2005/res-guide-0405.html
Click on "Complete Guide" for the catalog, which has quite a few classics,
Including Clyde Frog and About Safety (with Clyde Frog). The Metric System
was cut somewhat in the mold of The Electric Company, with two game shows, songs,
a sit com about "Harvey and the Professor", News Broadcasts with
Howard Newday, and a Superhero named Metric Man, who battled the Inchworm. The
Sesame Street Parody was called "Centimeter Street" with Barney (a
yellow Ernie), Art (an orange Bert) and Big Bug (guess who). This sequence was
only used twice.
4. Tony Saletan made several shows, but the only one I saw was "The Song Bag."
5. This sounds like THE ART CHEST with host Mr. Mihuta,
made by Western Educational Television.
Or it could be one of William "Bill" ALexander's painting shows, but
it's probably the former. I think it's been released on video.
This chalk person several people have asked about is
a segment of THE GREAT SPACE COASTER, made by Sunbow/Claster (A division of
Hasbro Toys, which also
made ROMPER ROOM.)
This may also be the show that Candice asked about on
Jan 19. The black guy in overalls was Roy (now deceased), the white guy was
Danny, and the girl
was Fran (or Francine). I have seen a GREAT SPACE COASTER fansite, but don't
know if it's still around. Just google it.
The show that Angie asked about on March 8, 2005 sounds like BIG BLUE MARBLE.
And from John on May 5, 2005 - this ball with legs sounds
like Timer, who appeared on ABC Saturday mornings during commercials, but I
don't remember
him doing any math - just mainly health related stuff - especially concerning
nutrition. This was shown alongside - but probably not a part of
- the old SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK stuff. Timer was a little yellow man with a round
ball body, skinny limbs, and a stovepipe top hat, cane, and bow tie,
and a voice like Frank Welker's. His line: "Hi there, time for Timer!"
If this is not he, can you decribe him some more?
(Thanks for the post, it's people like you that help solve the mysteries!)
September 3/05 from Eric:
I used to love the show "All About You". DO
you have anymore pictures from that show? It would be great to
see some pictures and remember some of those good old days. I wonder what ever
happened to the host of that show...???
(I will try to send you some further screen caps)
September 17/05 from Sergio:
I can't believe there are so many people that share the passion of those dorky 1970s and 1980s shows. For the longest time, I thought I was the only one that used to watch those shows and remember them! I live in a city outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Our PBS station, WVIZ used to play these shows during the weekdays during school hours. Most of my teachers played most of these shows during Fridays. I remember watching, "Read all about it." Boy, that show used to scare the sh*t out of me! Another favorite of mine that I used to watch at home was, "Dear Aunt Agnus" with Heather McConkie. Great show. I do think these shows are of a much better quality than the rubbish that is on tv now. I think those shows were some of the greatest Canadian imports.
(Nice to hear good feedback for Canada!)
September 18/05 from Alane:
I stumbled across your site while trying to remember the name of Patty Sullivan's co-host, Joe, on TVO kids crawlspace. Do you remember his name, and whatever happened to him?
(Sorry, no idea)
September 26/05 from James:
I have to congratulate you on your site. It's absolutely
wonderful and brings back many memories of
happier days during my youth as many of these programmes found their way on
to British and European
television during the 80s and very early 90s. (For instance, I'd imagine that
you'd probably run into
people who remember The Elephant Show...or who at least could chant the Skinnamarinkydinkydink
song at
the end, etc. Kinda sticks around in one's head, don't it?) Strangely enough,
Today's Special and Zoom showed
up on Dutch tv for a while as while, in English, but with Dutch subtitles.
Unfortunately, I lack sufficient videotapes, as most
of the interesting stuff that I had, either kicked the
bucket (due to age and over-playing), or else being taped over. (bah, short-lived
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
fixations, etc....not on my part, admittedly, but irritating siblings are to
blame there) So,
unfortunately, there is very little of what I have that would probably interest
you. (I have some decent
British dvds, for instance, the original series of Hitchhiker's Guide To The
Galaxy from '81, Rentaghost
Series 1, and the original series of Blackadder from '83 but I think they're
pretty much region 2 so I
guess that's out of the question...I could and however will take a look, just
in case.)
Just glad to see that people are still out there preserving
memories of when television was somewhat
more low-budget, but more entertaining all the same and for that, I salute you
Erm, as far as Vision On is concerned, that's akin to
the Holy Grail, many have searched yet it seems to be
impossible to find. Blah. Bloody BBC and their habit of deleting videos from
the past...(although
network.co.uk could surprise us all and bring a few episodes out on DVD in the
next while)
However, I'm after digging up a few treats...I noticed
you mentioned having the Worst of You Can't Do That On
Television...I have nearly every episode, plus the two specials (UFO Kidnapped
and The Worst Of) on DVD-ROM
format, and I wouldn't have a problem with sending those in your direction.
As far as I'm concerned...well, I would like to see the
first episode of Sesame Street (just..well,
because, hehe) or indeed any other old episodes of Sesame Street from back in
the days before that
irritating little gobshite Elmo rocked up. I'd also like to see some of the
AIT programmes as well...
By the way, I have some further information concerning
Barbapapa that may be of interest as well....well,
nothing major except some programme information and I have the french version
in mpg and the dutch theme
tune in mp3 format which may indeed be a bit of a nostalgia trip.
(Always great to hear form Overseas)
a, mate.
October 2/05 from Jonny:
I loved your site. It brought back a lot of memories of my childhood. I used to watch tvo all the time when i was young and i can't believe someone remembers it as much as you do.
October 5 from Carlos:
First off, great site. I can't believe somebody else remembers Eureka! and Bits and Bytes. I credit Bits and Bytes with starting my love affair with computers.
October 8/05 from Steve:
Nice website about all the TVO shows from the 70s. I
never thought I'd see info on those shows again but thankfully, people like
you and the Internet keep it alive.
The 'Read All About It' shows were by far my favorite. Too bad the show only
went 2 seasons.
If possible, do you know what the main actors are doing currently? I know you
said a few things on your website about David Craig Collard. What about the
others? Thanx again for the good memories and perhaps one day, you might be
able to post downloadable files of some of those old 70s hits.
(Not really sure what any of them are up to - still hoping to hear from one of them one day)
October 9/05 from Meltha:
One of the other posters in the archive mentioned the
shows Dr. Snuggles and Luwig, and you asked if anyone knew anything about it.
Dr. Snuggles actually has its own website, www.doctorsnuggles.com,
and I believe it was a BBC production that occasionally aired on either CBC
or TVO. I do remember Ludwig as well, which was the story of an animated egg
named Ludwig who played the violin. Ludwig never spoke; there was a narrator.
I believe all the background music was by Beethoven, hence the egg's name. There
is a link to pictures from the show at http://www.thechestnut.com/ludwig.htm
I believe it was also a BBC production.
Love the site, by the way. I'm curious about another show that I think aired
on TVO that I believe was called Tell Me a Story. I think the guitar chords
to the opening are somewhere on the site, but I haven't found anything else.
I vaguely remember this involving a storyteller, a drummer, and possibly a woman
who acted out the stories in interpretive dance in front of a black curtain.
I believe most of the stories were native Canadian legends. Am I nuts, or is
that actually the way the show went?
(Can anyone help?)
October 25/05 from Cod:
Good job with the site! I grew up outside of Syracuse
NY and I lived and died with WCNY when I was little. Not just the great TVOntario
shows, but also great CTW stuff like The Electric Company, Sesame Street, 3-2-1
Contact, as well as Reading Rainbow and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. The Paul Lally
stuff was wonderful too. And I remember all the John Robbins stuff, like Cover
to Cover and the Book Bird. Those 15 minute educational shows were idiosyncratic
to say the least.
TVO was so memorably freaky... I thought you Canadians were all on peyote or
something! :-) I literally could not watch Read All About It, from Theta's weird
voice, to the bizarre Dr. Who esque feel, the show creeped me out so much.
November 1/05 from JM:
I found this site VIA wikipedia. http://www.rickstv.com/tvo/index.html
Do you recall Big Blue Marble? I thought TVO aired it in 1978. What aboue Electric Company? Not sure if TVO aired that or not.
I lived in Ontario for less than a year in the 70s but I remember the shows you listed very well.
Damn! Even the music for Fables of the Green Forest, Jeremy, Bits n Bytes, ReadAlong, Parlez-Moi and Vision ON all ripped through my head as I read your website.
(Good Times, eh?)
November 11/05 from Nancy:
Thanks for your site, Canadian 70's nostalgia esp on
TVO is so precious! Years ago I had the opportunity to meet Mr Elwy Yost here
in the British Virgin Islands where he was visiting some other Canadian friends--I
was thrilled!
And so yep, i was trying to find any info on "jeremy the bear", and
also a foggy memory on a character called Stella (turns out from The Secret
railroad) but there's one that keeps popping up in my mind about The Wizard
of OZ. It was a cartoon about all those familiar characters in...The land of
Oz or something..and the Tin man was called Rusty..and his voice was real scratchy
and !rusty-like. Do you recall this one? I liked the song too...."in the
jolly ol' land of Oz... and in the opening title they all scoot out of the word
OZ and come to the forefront etc. The wicked witch too was with a long nose
and short...it would be great to see this one again, and not just in my foggy
memory!
(Thanks for the memories)
November 30/05 from Ang:
I must say how happy I was to find you site during my
google search. At work last night we were reliving old childhood memories and
started talking about old TVO shows. We were kept getting a few mixed up so
I thought I tried to look the shows up online. I really wasn't expecting to
find anything but your site was the second match I ended up with. And thanks
to you I can rest easy. It turns out we were getting Read All About It and Read
a long confused. We couldn't understand how why a show with a talking boot would
also have a head in a box in it.
Searching through your site also made me remember a few other shows (like Jeremy,
Parlez-Moi and Simon) that we had totally forgotten about. So thanks for reminding
me of some of my happy memories. It's funny how educational shows were so enjoyable
to us back then. Don't see much of that these days.
I'm also hoping you might be able to answer a question for me. We remembered
a show that had a talking typewriter in it as well. I thought that was part
of Read A Long but now I'm not so sure. Do you happen to know which show I'm
thinking of?
(I am not sure)
December 11/05 from Richard:
Hello ! I do not know to much about your site about TVO but could you please email to me .
I should know the most of anyone here about TVO and all these episodes because from 1977-1993 ( TVO’s stay at our studio ) I worked as the stage manager/trouble shooter at the Oxford/ Milton studio in Etobicoke, Ontario . That was one of three studios we owned ( it was recently sold , vacated by us 4/29/05 and demolished in early October 2005. ) . It was on the corner of Oxford and Milton St in a residential area in West Toronto.
I was with the company they rented the studio from ( not TVO) and still worked there until 4/29/05 and also at our 915 Lakeshore Blvd E. property.
It was their home usually 8 out of the 12 months of the year.
They used our other studio at 65 Trinity St. but sporadically. “Today’s Special “ filmed their last season there . finished November 1986.
They finished the last day of production at Oxford / Milton studio September 7, 1993 .( Forgot the show but could find out)
I have stories, that’s for sure! They did many different shows at our place .
(Great info - thanks!)
December 18/05 from Mare:
I've visited your site a few times over the past few years. It's so much fun to relive the memories of my youth where tv was concerned. I noticed that you have Read All About It on VHS -- that's so fantastic!
And also, I noticed you have episodes of Square One TV!
I used to love that show so much! That's super cool.
I think part of the reason your site is so satisfying to visit is the way you
can tell it was so lovingly put together -- you obviously enjoyed these shows
just as much as we did, so it's more like enthusiastic _sharing_ of memories,
rather than simply a catalogue. I do wish there was more content of course,
but I also wish TVO would make all those shows available on DVD. That would
fix everything. *sigh*
(I hear you on wishing TVO would release this stuff!)
Shows on this site: TVOntario TVO TV Ontario PBS AIT All About You Barbapapa The Body Works Bits and Bytes Cucumber Eureka Fables of the Green Forest Guess What? (With Jan Rubes) Harriet's Magic Hats Jeremy Kidsworld Let's All Sing(with Tony Saletan) Mathmakers Math Patrol Parlez-Moi Read All About It Readalong Report (with Heather Conkie) The Adventures of Timothy PilgrimTwo Plus You! Vision On(with Tony Hart) What If...(starring Billy Van)World of B.J. Vibes Write On AIT Programming PBS Programming (In Other Words, Math Wise, It Figures, Thinkabout, Inside/Out, High Feather, Dragons, Wagons & Wax) Edison Twins, Just Like Mom, Camp Cariboo, YTV's Rec Room)