tv star collector
04-08-2008, 06:39 PM
There isn't a board here for live-action Saturday morning TV shows, so I am
posting this thread here. From 1962 to 1966, NBC ran an excellent series titled Exploring, hosted by Dr. Albert Hibbs. The Peabody-winning show covered subjects ranging from science to the arts and managed to be both educational and entertaining. It deftly combined history, pop culture, and
science in a most unusual package. Segments varied from an animated version
of "Casey at the Bat," a baseball ballet, and an explanation of curve balls to
a biography of Johnny Appleseed, a discourse on how seeds germinate, and an
examination of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. Dr. Hibbs, a senior staffer at
the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an arms
control and missile expert, hosted the series and was assisted by the Ritts
Puppets and the Gus Soloman Dancers. Shown in both 60-minute and 30-minute versions, the series was created and produced by Craig Fisher.
[Source: Saturday Morning TV, by Gary H. Grossman]
I especially remember the Ritts Puppets (which were utilized in an educational
series seven years before the Muppets arrived on Sesame Street):
Sir Geoffrey the Giraffe, Albert the Chipmunk, Calvin the Crow, and Magnolia
the Ostrich. Calvin, by the way, was a cigaret-smoking crow(!), not
exactly PC by today's standards but it did add to his personality.
So, does anyone remember it? Are any episodes available on VHS or DVD?
posting this thread here. From 1962 to 1966, NBC ran an excellent series titled Exploring, hosted by Dr. Albert Hibbs. The Peabody-winning show covered subjects ranging from science to the arts and managed to be both educational and entertaining. It deftly combined history, pop culture, and
science in a most unusual package. Segments varied from an animated version
of "Casey at the Bat," a baseball ballet, and an explanation of curve balls to
a biography of Johnny Appleseed, a discourse on how seeds germinate, and an
examination of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. Dr. Hibbs, a senior staffer at
the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an arms
control and missile expert, hosted the series and was assisted by the Ritts
Puppets and the Gus Soloman Dancers. Shown in both 60-minute and 30-minute versions, the series was created and produced by Craig Fisher.
[Source: Saturday Morning TV, by Gary H. Grossman]
I especially remember the Ritts Puppets (which were utilized in an educational
series seven years before the Muppets arrived on Sesame Street):
Sir Geoffrey the Giraffe, Albert the Chipmunk, Calvin the Crow, and Magnolia
the Ostrich. Calvin, by the way, was a cigaret-smoking crow(!), not
exactly PC by today's standards but it did add to his personality.
So, does anyone remember it? Are any episodes available on VHS or DVD?