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Great-Expectorations
Reviews
The Funny Company (1963)
not entertaining
I recall this series airing daily during the Boston edition of 'Bozo the Clown' in the early 60's. As kids, we looked askance at the primitive animation, continuity errors, but most importantly, one character in particular: 'Super Chief'. He was an Indian dressed in headdress and blanket, apparently mute, but when prompted by one of the cast, would bellow out this bizarre train whistle/fog horn type of sound. I recall also that the series made fun of a kid who had some sort of speech impediment, and another who had some sort of cognitive impairment. This series was far from the state of the art, even for the times. Just a time filler perhaps, for when Bozo had to go feed the monkeys, if you know what I mean.
Pacha et les chats (1991)
An entertaining kids' puppet show
Main characters, two cats and a dog spent their days in little make-believe adventures, dressing up and role playing and acting out their little make-believe fantasies on a daily basis. Other urban animals including a bird named "Flap" joined in wherever needed to participate in the stories. As I recall this series was produced in French and was later translated and overdubbed in English to reach the US market, where it was a staple on first PBS and then the Nickelodeon channel or something similar. This show was simple entertainment without violence or preachy messages, just an entertaining half hour for the 2 to 7 year old kids. Wish it was on TV nowadays.
Camouflage (1961)
Dumb idea...
One has to wonder just how far they'd reach to dig up this poorly-conceived idea for a game show. They had these back-lit translucent boards with a complicated line drawing superimposed on it. Contestants were told to find a specific object concealed within the drawing and trace it with a wand. As kids we recalled seeing many errors which were overlooked by the judges, and we marveled at the lameness of the whole format. There was cheesy suspense-building organ music which furthered the lowbrow quality of the show. It was just a way to blow a half-hour between "Lucy" re-runs and 'Concentration' game. I comment here only because it needs to be mentioned and is indeed stuck in the memory of a few people as a trivia gem.
Your Funny, Funny Films (1963)
One single memory..
I recall as a 9-year old, watching the show with Fenniman who was even more of a self-important stuffed shirt than he was on "You Bet Your Life". However, that aside, we all watched the show until my father announced that since it couldn't hold a candle to his beloved "Candid Camera" with Allen Funt and Durwood Kirby, we had to watch something else. The most awesome moment on the show was when Fennimore had Marty Ingels on the show to narrate his own funny film, which was approximately 10 minutes of Marty driving down what looked like Hollywood Blvd in a big convertible. He spent little time actually paying attention to his driving, preferring to point out the infamous attractions on the strip and mugging the most hilarious faces you could ever imagine a grown man making. All this while the cameraman rode along in the front seat. Wish I could see it again. I still think of George whenever I see "Lipton Tea".
I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962)
Sight gags on the show
I recall one episode where a customer who had her kitchen remodeled by Dickens and Fenster and she complained that the magnetic catches on her cabinet doors were too strong. Fenster argued with her about her complaint as Dickens replaced the catches with weaker ones. They left the kitchen, magnets in Dickens pocket....and the refrigerator followed them out the door, drawn by the magnets in his pockets!! I was nine years old, hey, it was funny. The theme song, I recall it clearly, was some bizarre melody played on what sounded like a kazoo played underwater, and indeed the title of the song was the "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster March" and it was available on some cheesy album of then-current TV show themes. Wish this series was available on DVD or, in syndication on cable!!