I remember watching Sigmund and the Sea Monsters on Saturday mornings when I was in my teens and I thought it was one of my favorite shows from the duo of Sid and Marty Krofft. It was a lot different from the Kroffts other shows since there were no psychedelic sets like HR Pufnstuf and it was more of a standard sitcom aimed at a young audience.
What made the show click was the chemistry between Johnny Whitaker and Scott Kolden, who played brothers Johnny and Scott Stewart. They got along so well on and off the set and they have been friends for years. Billy Barty was also outstanding as Sigmund, who was kicked out of his home by his mean sea monster family because he couldn't scare humans. Sigmund's family live in a seaside cave with a shellophone (which was always answered "Shell-o!") and a Shellevision that was powered by an electric eel. Big Daddy, to me, sounded a lot like Archie Bunker. There was also Sweet Mama who tried to keep her husband and Sigmund's rotten twin brothers Blurp and Slurp in check. Those two frequently tried to bring Sigmund back home, but they always failed.
Also adding to the mayhem were Mary Wickes as Zelda, the housekeeper, later replaced by Fran Ryan, Joe Higgins as Sheriff Chuck Bevins and Margaret Hamilton as nosy neighbor Miss Eddels. There were also guest star appearances by Pam Ferdin and Jack Wild.
The first season to me had the best episodes since they focused more on the boys hiding Sigmund and the conflict between Sigmund and his family. Also, Whitaker got to sing in a number of first season episodes as well as the show's opening theme.
But by the second season, the theme song was changed and Whitaker no longer sang on the show. Also, Rip Taylor was added as Sheldon, the Sea Genie and the shark began to jump when the show focused more on Sheldon and Sigmund. After two seasons, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters said farewell to Dead Mans Point.
