CBS Saturday Morning Cartoon Preview Special 1984

I received a pretty decent response regarding this week's earlier post about the CBS Saturday Morning Preview Special from 1983, so I'm going to that well again for today's article.

This time, I present CBS's preview special from the very next year, 1984. In this one, Joyce DeWitt is a reporter covering the animation process at a studio headed by Ted Knight (gotta love the 80s). Knight and DeWitt go through drawing, painting, voice acting, and all the other components of what makes a great cartoon--using the latest offerings from CBS's 1984 Saturday morning lineup as examples, of course.

Like the 1983 special I featured, I distinctly remember watching this special with glee, anxiously awaiting what CBS had in store for me that season. And the network didn't disappoint--this was the season that the highly revered and loved Muppet Babies cartoon debuted!

Enjoy! And stay tuned, for next week, the biggest event of the year for the blog begins--the Countdown to Halloween! See you there!

CBS Saturday Morning Cartoon Preview Special (1983)

Happy Autumn everyone! That's right, today is officially the first day of fall. According to the cosmos, the Tuesday after Labor Day doesn't count.

Today is also, appropriately enough, the first day of the fall broadcast TV season in the US. Get your DVRs ready for your favorite new and returning TV series. But before you do that, check out this blast from the past regarding that long lost institution of broadcast TV, Saturday morning cartoons.

Once upon a time, networks used to have primetime specials promoting their new Saturday morning TV lineups debuting in the fall. I've featured one of these before, and they were a lot of fun. When those of my generation were kids, we got excited for these shows a lot.

Today I present CBS's Saturday morning preview special from the fall of 1983, hosted by Scott Baio, and guest starring Sorrell Booke and James Best reprising their roles as Boss Hogg and Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazzard. Why is this special set in Hazzard County? Because CBS unveiled a Dukes animated series that season. It was a popular trend at the time to create cartoons based on popular primetime shows. We kids of the time didn't know why, but we weren't complaining!

I distinctly remember watching this special when it aired, so it was a delight to see it again, despite how corny it is.

The hillbilly puppets that appear in this special were also on Hee Haw I think, but don't quote me on that.

Enjoy!

Long Live the Bat: Batman Day 2019

Earlier this year, I wrote a series of articles related to Batman due to the character celebrating his 80th anniversary this year as well as the 30th anniversary of the Batman movie starring Michael Keaton. With the blog about to go into almost-full holiday mode the rest of the year, this will be the last of those articles to give the feature some closure, and we end our celebration of all things Bat with this year's Batman Day.

For the past five years, DC Comics has celebrated Batman Day, the first in the summer of 2014 and subsequent celebrations being in a Saturday in September. This Saturday, September 21st is the big day this year, and comic shops and book stores across the country will be acknowledging the day with select free comics, events, and more. For full details, try the following links:

DC Comics official Batman Day site, the best place to get details: https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2019/09/09/celebrate-batman-day-on-september-21

A downloadable Batman Day celebration kit with coloring pages, games, and fun ideas: https://www.dccomics.com/sites/default/files/imce/2019/09-SEP/BatmanDayActivityKit.pdf

Select Barnes & Noble locations are having local Batman Day events. Check your nearest location here: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/

You may be able to get free Batman comics at your local comic shop. To find out, try here: https://www.freecomicbookday.com/Article/232558-Celebrate-Batman-Day-At-Comic-Shops-September-21st

I also recommend checking your local library, as they may also be participating. I recommend checking out your local library any day for any reason, because libraries rock!

And with that, I officially bring my year(ish)-long Batman celebration to a close. But who am I kidding, I blog about Batman a lot anyway!

The only other thing I have to offer Batman-wise right now is this:

Thanks! Have a great weekend! Long Live The Bat!

Keystone Comic Con 2019 Review

On Friday, August 23rd, I had the privilege of attending Keystone Comic Con, an entertainment convention presented by ReedPOP, one of the largest comic convention organizers in the world. In its second year, Keystone continued to prove itself as a major event for the comics community of the Philadelphia area.

Keystone had a wide array of retailers and dealers for attendees to indulge in. There were plenty of toys, games, clothes, and yes, comics for fans to take home and add to their collection. There was also a long and well attended Artists' Alley where fans could meet and greet a variety of artists and writers, from industry veterans such as Jim Steranko to up and coming artists of tomorrow!

Keystone Comic Con isn't just exclusively for comic book fans. Other interests indulged there include favorite movies and TV series. Keystone even hosted a pro wrestling event!

There were also a great number of cosplayers in attendance. It was almost like having your favorite characters right by your side in the flesh!

Of course, the major attraction were the many stars of film and television in attendance, including Star Trek stalwarts Levar Burton, Marina Sirtis, and Michael Dorn, legendary horror director John Carpenter, fan-favorite voice actors Jeremy Shada and Fred Tatasciore, and the biggest attraction this year, Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, who attended Keystone on Sunday, August 25th.

A personal highlight for me was meeting Scott Patterson, who is best known for playing gruff but lovable Luke on the long-running series Gilmore Girls. Scott was gracious, funny, and welcoming--and a local boy to boot, having been born and raised in nearby Haddonfield, New Jersey!

Keystone Comic Con 2019 was clearly a big success just like its inaugural event last year. As a big-time comics fan, I'm thrilled that Philly has a great opportunity like Keystone for local fans to come together and celebrate the comics, games, and movies that mean so much to us.

Next year's Keystone Comic Con will be Friday, August 28th through Sunday, August 30th. See you there!

Maple Creme Oreos Video Review

Today is an exciting day for the blog. For the first time, I present my first ever blog video! With the help of my kids, we review the newly released Maple Creme Oreos, issued by Nabisco as a limited edition release for Fall 2019.

What did we think? Find out below!





Please forgive the amateur quality of the video, because I am indeed an amateur! No editing, no special camera or video, I just hit "record" on the laptop camera and hoped for the best. All in all, I think it worked out OK!

Thanks!

Classic Public Service Announcements from the 1980s

Welcome back everyone! Summer is over culturally if not astronomically, and it's time for everyone to get back to school, work, etc. It's best for us to put fun and frivolity aside and turn to more serious matters. One way to do this is by viewing these classic PSAs from the 80s, informing us how to take care of ourselves.

First up is possibly the most classic of all, demonstrating "your brain on drugs."

Not to be outdone, the following is also highly remembered--"I learned it by watching you!"




Even if you're sober, you'll want to make sure you're properly buckled in while driving. You don't want to be a dummy!




This is a good time to remind you not to take rides from strangers. McGruff the Crime Dog knows what he's talking about!




If we can get back to drugs--the prescription kind--make sure they're out of the reach of children. After all, they're not candy!




Finally, I realize these PSAs are too dark and serious. Let's go out on a lighter note with the help of Captain O.G. Readmore encouraging us to enjoy a good book!




Once again, welcome back from summer vacation, and I wish you all a great fall and remaining 2019. I plan on picking up the pace here at the blog this month, and starting October 1st, a certain countdown to a certain holiday rises from the grave again. Please stay tuned, we're going to have fun.

Thanks!