Television Classic 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' Debuts on DVD

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LOS ANGELES, CA (MMD Newswire) March 10, 2010 -- Five authorized 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' titles are the first of 39 DVD's to be released by producer Martin Tahse, known for his 26 award-winning After School Specials. In the late 70's, Tahse worked with Burr Tillstrom, manipulator and voice of all the puppets, and Fran Allison. He produced 13 of 39 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' shows in color. His is the only color library in existence.

An "Official Kukla, Fran and Ollie DVD Website" has been created at kuklafranandollie.com. It presents the five titles plus reviews from the late 90's, when Tahse tested the home video market to great success.



Release of the five DVD's coincides with the 'Kukla Fran and Ollie' debut on the NBC network sixty years ago. It aired at 7pm and ran every night of every week. Its popularity spread - 72% of all households watched the series five nights a week, every week, for three years.

In Chicago, where the series originated, neighborhood bars would stop serving liquor at 7:00pm so parents, who had no TV set, could bring their kids and sit them at the bar with a soda to watch the show. The kids were the first Baby Boomers arriving and the first kids to grow up with TV.

'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' holds the record as the only series in the entire history of television to run five nights a week in the same time period. The record has lasted 60 years.

The United States Postal Service celebrated with the issuance of a 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' commemorative stamp last August.

Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, with friends Buelah Witch, Madame Ooglepuss, Fletcher Rabbit and others, had a remarkable success. They created 720 shows in black and white, first for NBC and then ABC. They were popular through the years, seldom out of the public's eye. Their total time on the air was 24 years, through 1998 when Starz licensed a run of three years on the cable channel.

They are back again, this time on DVD. And an animated feature is being discussed with Tahse.

The five individual DVD's are available on the "Official Kukla, Fran and Ollie DVD Website" - www.kuklafranandollie.com. They come in a Premiere Collector's Edition boxed set. With each boxed set there is a large colorful poster of the Kuklapolitan characters. The poster is free. There is also a bonus DVD. Orders on the website are accepted with credit cards. To order by check or money order, the toll free number is 1-800-393-0462.

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