Saturday Morning Cartoons...RIP.

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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:24 am

https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/saturday-morning-cartoons-are-but-a-sweet--sweet-memory-192052477.html

Maybe more for us US baiters....but it's a shame. Sad

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

It has been coming for years, JC.

Thankfully, many can be found on DVD - School House Rocks, classic WB cartoons, Scooby Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, He-Man, etc. Hell, even HR Pufnstuf.

I lament that my little boy will never experience The Three Stooges or The Little Rascals....although that was primarily a Sunday thing when I was small.

A big staple that I don't see but which I also miss - the Saturday Monster Movie type block of time or even Creature Features (sadly, Bob Wilkins passed away some time ago, and the show stopped in the late 70's) - Creature Features had the scariest intro ever (especially when I was 7) with the just turned vampiress running down the coroner's hallway, fangs on full display.

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:53 pm

Afternoons on US cable on USA "The Cartoon Express" was quite a joy to watch too..

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 3:24 am

Let's not forget "Elvira."

Or Ultra Man. Or Astro Boy.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:49 pm

I didn't notice. I stopped watching Sat AM cartoons when they stopped showing Road Runner.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 10:59 pm

@TheFae - I don't recall Ultra Man or Astro Boy as being so much on Saturdays. I think they mere mostly after school fodder. Sort of like Diver Dan.

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:57 pm

We only got a couple stations because I though my Parents were really Poor so Bugs Bunny was about it. Mind you The Mighty Hercules comes to Mind with it's Bitchin' Theme Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQRasr-0hsM

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:08 am

Warner Bros., Tex Avery and Hanna Barbera were all you needed in cartoons. Laughing

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:16 am

Ultra Man and Speed Racer my favorites.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 6:23 pm

Those were two of my favs as well when I was about 3 -4 yo. Later must watched were Thundarr the Barbarian and the resurgence of Johnny Quest type shows as well as Star Trek animated (just released on Netflix!!)

The lack of Saturday night horror in the US has been a downer. My area had a local guy who wasn't scary (tried to look it, though) but took the movies he played and made fun of them, hilarious.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:21 pm

This all brings back memories. I spent many a Saturday morning glued to the TV when I was a kid. And at noon time, they had the science fiction movies (the Godzilla movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc.).

@Tsnerd: speaking of the Creature Features--I remember that.

We had a local thing here in Syracuse that I grew up with. The main character was actually our local weather guy. He was also responsible for the song Transylvania Twist" (Baron Daemon & The Vampires)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMDP7TMewkk

And he played on the "Monster Movie Matinee." (his face was never shown, just his hand).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nxamYgjddc

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Good times, Doc. Very Happy

I remember fondly all of those movies - 'Tarantula!' 'Rodan', 'Mothra', 'I was a Teenage......'

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:32 pm

^^Oh, do I remember.

Do you remember when the "Six Million Dollar Man" was a huge thing?

We'd all watch it the night it was on and then that's all we would talk about at school the rest of the week. We used to practice running in slow motion Laughing

And when the Godzillas were on at noon time, all us neighborhood kids went to someone's house and watched it. Or we all dropped everything we were doing, ran home to watch the movie, then after it was over, we'd rejoin each other and continue what we had been doing earlier.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Exactly!

The Steve Austin figure with the roll away 'skin' to get at the bionic chips.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:38 pm

^^^

Got this for one of my birthdays....looking back and knowing how tight money was, I'm surprised I got it. It gave many hours of great fun.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:52 pm

I had one of Steve Austin figures. And I had a GI Joe (with kung fu grip). I had the Air Force one, and my brother had the Navy one.

I'm surprised my dad got them for us, as he was adamant that they were dolls. We had to convince him they were not simply dolls. Note: This was way before they were called "action figures."

And I think I told him something like even if it was a doll, GI Joe was not gay and would probably date Barbie when he was home on leave.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 8:38 pm

I had a huge collection of GI Joe stuff; my own and hand me downs from my Big Brother.

Sadly they met their demise when a Daisy BB Gun entered into my life.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:08 pm

^^My brother's GI Joe met an untimely death trying to escape from a fireplace with a roaring fire.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:07 pm

My fav was "Clutch Cargo." It was a cartoon with real people's lips. One of those things that was so horrifying to watch yet you can't look away. Laughing

My fav toy was my ThingMaker. Pour special goop in the mold and make rubber insects. My sister was not a fan. Twisted Evil

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:10 pm

^^^One of Jay Ward's early creations. You're right, Fae, it was creepy. The lips were the only parts that moved.

Jay Ward went on to do Rocky and Bullwinkle. He never had the animation resources that Disney or Looney Tunes had so he went with minimal animation and concentrated on dialogue.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:27 pm

^^Ah, Jay Ward! I'd forgotten that.
Rocky and Bullwinkle were favorites, as well as Fractured Fairy Tales.
I have a little Fractured Fairy doll on my keychain. Cool

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:58 pm

^^^Correction, TheFae. Jay Ward's first production was actually Crusader Rabbit which, like Clutch Cargo, used very limited animation usually involving only the lips.

Clutch Cargo was produced by Peter Haas. I remember the background music was something like minimalist jazz.

Note to self: do some research before you post.

Speaking of Jay Ward, who can forget George of the Jungle?

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 12:36 am

^ Duly noted, Lakie. "Top Cat" was also minimalist jazz. Inspiration for Brian Setzner oh so many years later. (And the band "Rockpile", and arguably, an inspiration for the Rockabilly movement of the late '70s/early '80s).

Yes, I'm a dinosaur. But well preserved. Wink

Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:09 am

Oh, I loved all those old cartoons that you all have mentioned.

Lovey still has one of his GI Joes and his Daisy BB gun. He has 4 bros, all a year apart (ouch) and he got the Daisy Gun for x-mas or b-day when he was very young. Whenever they argued over any one thing, it was taking away and the BB gun was one of them. He often wondered what happen to it, dared to ask! His mom and dad passed away 1998/2001. As 5 guys go thru all the things for an auction, they found his BB gun and it was still in the original box. Very Happy

They think Dad forgot about it too. Lovey cursed his bros that day in a funny way. Laughing

Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:41 pm

Quote:

We only got a couple stations because I though my Parents were really Poor so Bugs Bunny was about it.

WE only had a couple of channels because I am old and that is all there was (ABC, NBC, and CBS...maybe a PBS if you were lucky).

RE: Jay Ward - I met him many years ago (1988 I believe). He had a store right off the Sunset strip in LA and sold stuff (t-shirts, posters, etc.) from his old shows. He would sit in the store most days. There was a giant Bullwinkle statue out front.

To throw a few more shows into the mix....I loved H.R. Pufnstuf and Jonny Quest...

Another thing I remember from my youth. At the beginning of each TV season in the Fall (this may have only occurred for a few years, but I remember it vividly), they would have a "preview" show on Friday night before the big premier of the cartoons the next morning. They would show clips of each episode to be played and introduce new shows. It was a big night (advertised in all the best comics). Kind of a shame kids miss out on that kind of excitement in today's "on demand" world.

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