COMMUNITY| SITE MAP| ABOUT US| ADVERTISE ON BABBLE

<< Previous Story: Pinocchio ParentingNext Story: Parental Advisory: Scent of a Man >>

15. The Wonderful World of Disney

ABC, NBC, CBS, Disney Channel, 1954-present (sort of)

This Disney anthology show had various names and incarnations, and is still around in some form (including airing in Spanish as El Maravilloso Mundo de Disney). It included movies, cartoons, and Walt being his imagineering self — this is the Disney that guys like BoingBoing's Cory Doctorow revere, not the company that currently produces nonsense like Hannah Montana. Select shows are available on DVD but there is no "complete season"-style release.

14. Bozo the Clown

Syndicated, 1956-2001 (various incarnations)

Only a few episodes are available on DVD, none featuring Bob Bell, who appears to be the fan favorite, despite the fact that many actors donned the red rubber nose and dopey hair. (One of them, Bill Britten, was an acting teacher at the High School of Performing Arts and even appeared in the movie Fame.) Bozo is the most iconic of clowns; even though there is no current version on the air at the moment, future generations can enjoy his evil doppelganger: Krusty.

13. Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!

NBC, 1981-1982

This hour of superpower contained two segments – "Hero High" and "Shazam!" The former is on DVD in full, the latter is not because of rights issues. "Hero High" is hilarious, but mostly hilariously bad, especially the live action musical segments, which make The Archies look like Metallica. As for Mr. Mightiest Mortal, he's still around in various forms, but this animated version was much beloved by many (including me). The robot walker thingies in the intro jogged my memory immediately. A live-action Shazam film is supposedly in the works with The Rock as Black Adam.

12. Shazam! (Live Action)

CBS, 1974-1977 (later changed to The Shazam!/Isis Hour )

Look! It's Billy Batson and his GIGANTIC HAIR! And when he says the name of the great wizard Shazam, he becomes Captain Marvel! A superhero with significantly smaller hair! Shazam, if you didn't already know, is an acronym made up of the names of powerful gods: Solomon (wisdom), Hercules (strength), Atlas (stamina), Zeus (power), Achilles (courage), and Mercury (speed). After the first season, Isis joined the show for a double-shot of superheroic goodness. However, while The Secrets of Isis is available on DVD, Shazam!, sadly, is not. Stupid rights disputes.

11. Villa Alegre

PBS, 1973-1980

Villa Allegre was apparently thought of as a Spanish Sesame Street, but it was more than that. It was (and I'm doing this from memory, I couldn't find any video online) very authentically Spanish. No "Spanish word of the day." They would do entire segments en español. Take that, Dora! Since I grew up in the Bronx, this show felt like my neighborhood. I very clearly remember learning, via this program, that tomatoes are actually a fruit, not a vegetable. Why? Because they have seeds. So there. No DVDs are available for sale, and I couldn't find any video online. But you can hear some of the music, especially that catchy theme song, on two different MySpace pages.

©2008 Babble

What's New on Babble