Saturday 25 January 2014

The Flumps

Todays next show is a real classic from the late 70's. It's The Flumps!


By 'eck! - The Flumps were a family of sweet-natured furballs with distinct Yorkshire accents. There were six characters, Father Flump, Mother Flump, Grandfather and the three children, Perkin, Posie and young Pootle and stories focused on such gentle premises as getting vegetables to grow, fun with magnets, lending a hand, roller-skating, and keeping secrets. Grandfather was renowned for his ability to play his Flumpet, it was a cross between a trumpet and a horn which parped like a tuba. When he wasn't flumpeting, Grandfather would inevitably be dozing with his moustache breezing and his toes rippling with contentment as he snoozed. Perkin, meanwhile, was renowned for his moods, and was regularly heard sounding-off about the other Flumps, or situations.

The Machine Gunners

Morning folks!

This weeks Saturday Matinee is Robert Westall's The Machine Gunners!

The key points of the story revolve around the character of Charlie "Chas" McGill, who one day while out looking to find stuff to expand his "war souvenir" collection (mainly consisting of pieces of shrapnel, bomb fins, spent cartridges etc, a common hobby during WW2 for many boys) at the site of a burnt out building, he is chased away by an ARP warden while trying to steal parts from the burnt out engine of a German plane.
After fleeing into the woods, he cant believe his luck as he comes across the almost intact remains of a Luftwaffe which had been shot down the night before. As he pokes around the wreckage, he finds an intact, and fully operational MG-15 machine gun as well as over 2000 rounds of live ammunition,but has to return later with his friend Cyril "cemetery" Jones to retrieve it as the weapon is attached to the planes airframe, requiring the use of a hacksaw to remove it.
Chas and his friends eventually build a fortress on the nearby coastline and use the machine gun to shoot at incoming German aircraft - with dubious results - in an effort to "do their bit" for the war effort.
Things don't stay rosy for long though after they find an injured German airman and decide to hold him hostage within their fortress, and when their machine gun breaks they are forced to strike a bargain with him in order to get it fixed, all the while avoiding detection by the local police who know of the machine guns existence and are aware of the possibility that a German may be at loose in the area.



 






Friday 24 January 2014

The Adventures of Pete and Pete

By popular demand, we have another Nickelodeon show for you, The Adventures of Pete and Pete!

Pete and Pete are two red-headed brothers living in the somewhat surreal town of Wellsville. Pete, the older of the two, narrates the stories about their adventures in everyday life. Will Artie, the Strongest Man in the World, have to leave town? Why does X=Y? Can Pete ever rediscover the Perfect Song? Tune in and find out!


Keep an eye for Michael Stipe of REM in this Episode!!

Some other famous names that made guest appearances were Steve Buscemi, Adam West, Iggy Pop, Selma Blair,  Debbie Harry, Janeane Garofalo, LL Cool J and JK Simmons!

The theme tune for this show became nearly legendary due to it's nearly indecipherable lyrics. The third line in particular caused many theories to what was actually sung, but for many years it was kept a mystery, until the actor who played Young Pete revealed what it was on an 'Ask Me Anything' livechat online in 2012, nearly 20 years on from when the song was first aired! (and no, I'm not going to tell you what it is, even though I know!)

The Secret World of Alex Mack

Ever wondered what it would be like to have super powers? You do realise you either have to blown up in a gamma test, bitten by a radioactive creature or drenched in some kind of experimental liquid/toxic waste.
Not that you have to explain this to Alex Mack though!




Alex Mack is an ordinary teenage girl, living with her parents and older sister in the corporate town of Paradise Valley. After her first day of junior high school, while walking home, Alex is nearly hit by a truck from a chemical plant, and during the incident, she is drenched with a top-secret chemical called GC-161. She soon discovers that the chemical gives her strange powers. These include telekinesis, the ability to transmit bolts of electricity through her fingers, and the capacity to morph into a liquid form. However, her powers prove to be unpredictable (such as when her skin starts glowing brightly while she's nervous). She confides only in her sister Annie and her best friend Ray, choosing to keep her powers a secret from everyone else, including her parents, for fear of what the chemical plant CEO, Danielle Atron, will do to her if she finds out.

Thursday 23 January 2014

Ren and Stimpy

Finally I am able to bring you one of the most brilliantly surreal kid's shows of the 90's! Crazy and hilarious, it's The Ren and Stimpy Show!




The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Hoek, an emotionally unstable chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat. They share bizarre and often repulsive adventures. Their experiences usually involve hairballs, filthy litterboxes, "magic nose goblins", sentient farts, jars of spit, outhouses, eating dirt, monkey vermin and any other imaginable disgusting substance.

Pure genius from the first guitar twang of the opening theme, to the inevitable ranting of Ren at the close. 

Fonz and the Happy Days Gang

Today's first show is a request from a fan of the BCC. It's the Happy days spin-off, Fonz and the Happy Days Gang.


This cartoon has Fonzie and the rest of the gang (Richie, Ralph, and the Fonz's dog Mr. Cool) spread cool fun as they travel in a time machine to different times and places throughout history. Their guide is Cupcake, a young futuristic girl who pilots the machine, which they repaired for her following her unscheduled landing in Milwaukee in 1957. The original cast members voiced their own characters.

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Rambo

Finally for today in this extra special dose of all things manly, we have Rambo!


In the cartoon, John Rambo was part of a G.I. Joe-like team called "The Force of Freedom." They went on missions around the world battling against a paramilitary terrorist organization named S.A.V.A.G.E. (short for Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy and Global Extortion).
Fictional countries and back-stories would frequently be featured, some of them echoing historical or current events.
The cartoon was filled with hand-to-hand combat and gunfire, with accurately-illustrated guns; yet unlike the original R-rated films, there was never any sensational violence, blood or gore, since this series was intended for family viewing. Moreover, no one ever died. The only real injury on the show happened when Rambo broke his arm in a survival episode. Rambo (who was seldom called by his first name, even by Trautman) used violence as a last resort and relied on his resources and guile to outwit his opponents — a character trait not consistent with the later films (Rambo avoids deliberately killing anyone in the first movie).

Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos

Today's second show in the Testosterone Triple Threat stars one of the most feared men in the world. Simply because of the legendary 'facts' that have been made about him.

It's Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos!!





This fictionalized version of Norris is a United States government operative with a team of "radically diverse" warriors known as the Karate Kommandos. Together, they fight against the organization VULTURE led by The Claw and his right-hand man Super Ninja. (It was never revealed what "VULTURE" was short for, if anything.)

(Unfortunately this video doesn't include the intro)

Mr. T

Today I am posting three cartoons in quick succession which I am calling the 'Testostoerone Triple Threat'!

First up it's Mr. T!


In this series, Mr. T runs a gymnastics team made up of promising teen hopefuls. However, as they travel on the competition tour, they can't help but run into crooks of all varieties. Against them, they follow the best amateur detective tradition and investigate the cases on hand. Between the kids' acrobatic skill and Mr. T's strength, things don't look too good for crime.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Ivor the Engine

Todays next cartoon is a charming little tale about a little engine called Ivor!



In a sleepy part of Wales (to be precise, the top left corner of Wales), there is a railway called 'The Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited'. In a shed, in a siding, lives the locomotive of 'The Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited', which was a very long name for a very small engine. So his friends just called him Ivor.
But Ivor is no normal engine, he was special, as this small green railway engine was alive! He was accompanied on his travels by Jones the Steam, who was Ivor's driver, and who loved him dearly. Everyone who Ivor met treated him as if he was a person, which Ivor liked, as he sometimes wished he was a real person, so he could play with his friends.
Ivor communicates with others using his 3 tone whistle, but this was not always the case, as he used to have a small quiet whistle that just peeped. It wasn't very remarkable, but Ivor didn't mind, that was until he heard the Grumbly and District Choral Society singing whilst he was in a siding. He thought they sounded wonderful and wanted to join the choir, but his single tone whistle just wasn’t good enough.
So Jones and Dai made it their mission to find him a new whistle. It took a while to find one, but they eventually came across an old merry-go-round organ, which had pipes that would take the heat from the steam Ivor produced. Ivor was then fitted with 3 of the organ pipes and he sounded wonderful. He sounded so good, that he was welcomed as the newest member of the Grumbly and District Choral Society, their only steam engine member. They even said that he didn't have to pay to be a member, like the others members, which was lucky as steam trains rarely carry money of their own.

Kissyfur

 Todays first show is a fond one for me about a pair of ex-circus bears living in the swamp.

It's Kissyfur!





The show follows the adventures of Gus and Kissyfur, a father and son bear duo who had joined the circus. One day on a circus trip, the train they are riding in derails and the bears escape to a new life in the swamps of Paddlecab County. There, they protect the local swamp's inhabitants from the local bumbling alligators Floyd and Jolene. Kissyfur and his father use the skills they have acquired from the human world to create a boat tour business transporting other animals and their products down the river.

Monday 20 January 2014

The Littlest Hobo

 Now here is a true classic for you to enjoy, The Littlest Hobo!



The series revolved around a stray German Shepherd, the titular Hobo, who wanders from town to town, helping people in need. Although the concept (of a dog saving the day) was perhaps similar to that of Lassie, the Littlest Hobo's destiny was to befriend those who apparently needed help. Despite the attempts of the many people whom he helped to adopt him, he appeared to prefer to be on his own, and would head off by himself at the end of each episode.
Never actually named on-screen, the dog is often referred to by the name Hobo or by the names given by temporary human companions. Hobo's background is also unexplained on-screen. His origins, motivation and ultimate destination are also never explained.

I chose this episode over others due to the fact that a very young Mike Myers appears in it!

Kenan and Kel

Today's first post is a sitcom about two friends who end up involved in hare-brained schemes that always spell trouble!


The show was set in Chicago, and centered on the antics of two mischievous teenagers, Kenan Rockmore  and Kel Kimble. Kenan is a high school student with a job at a local grocery store, while Kel is his clumsy, orange soda-loving best friend.
Episodes of the series always opened and closed with Kenan and Kel breaking the fourth wall by interacting with the studio audience, standing in front of a red curtain that is placed in front of the main set, while still in character. A frequent running gag of the openings would be Kel never knowing what the night's episode would be about and Kenan refusing to tell him.
The closings would frequently feature Kenan coming up with a new scheme – often asking Kel to get various assorted items and meet him somewhere. Frazzled, Kel would exclaim his catchphrase, "Aww, here it goes!" and Kenan exclaim his catchphrase "Why??"

Sunday 19 January 2014

Ducktales

Today's next show is one of Disney's other great shows that ran alongside Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, it's DuckTales!






The show features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his great-nephews Huey, Lewey and Dewey. The nephews, who were originally living with their uncle Donald, are left in Scrooge's care when Donald joins the Navy.
Though Scrooge is the richest duck in the world, he constantly tries to find ways to increase his wealth. Many episodes involve protecting his wealth from villains who want to rob Scrooge of all his money. The prominent recurring antagonists in the show include the Beagle Boys and Magica de Spell who are always finding ways to rob and swindle Scrooge and his nephews. Scrooge's nemesis in the show is Flintheart Glomgold, the second-richest duck in the world, who always tries to devise plans to unseat Scrooge McDuck from his "Richest Duck in the World" title.
A few of the stories also surround Scrooge's "Number One Dime", the first money Scrooge ever earned after immigrating to the United States from his ancestral home in Scotland, which Scrooge considers to be the source of his good luck and wealth. Scrooge keeps the dime in a glass jar in his money vault, and constantly protects it from the villains on the show.

ALF

Morning everyone,

I thought I'd kick off today with a sitcom about a creature from outer space. It's ALF!!





ALF is an alien who follows a ham radio signal to Earth and crash-lands into the garage of the Tanners. The Tanners are a suburban middle-class family in California. The family consists of social worler Willie, his wife Kate, their teenage daughter Lynn, younger son Brian, and their cat Lucky.
Unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home and hide him from the Alien Task Force (a part of the U.S. military that specializes in aliens) and their nosy neighbors Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek, until he can repair his spacecraft. He generally hides in the kitchen. It is eventually revealed that ALF's home planet Melmac exploded because of a catastrophe involving a nuclear war.
ALF was off the planet when it was destroyed because he was part of the Melmac Orbit Guard. ALF (a.k.a. Gordon Shumway) is homeless, but he is not the last survivor of his species. He becomes a permanent member of the family, although his culture shock, survivor guilt, general boredom, despair, and loneliness frequently cause difficulty for the Tanners.
Despite the problems and inconveniences his presence brings into their lives, they grow to love him, though some episodes make it clear they are also afraid of how their lives would be turned upside down if word that he has been living with them gets out.