Salute Your Shorts

"Salute Your Shorts" may not be the finest television program ever created, but it sure does rank pretty high when concerning Nickelodeon shows. Thanks to Nick GAS (a channel that also airs "Double Dare," "Finders Keepers," "Legends of the Hidden Temple," etc) I've been catching it once or twice every weekend this summer.

I wasn't expecting much, to tell you the truth. I was a young kid the last time I saw this show, and, of course, my tastes have since irreversibly changed.

I was quite surprised to find a very entertaining show. The cinematography and camera angles are actually compelling; the direction is sure-handed and solid. Although the acting can sometimes lean a bit toward the amateurish side at times, it kind of adds to the show's charm. Don't get me wrong -- there is some really good acting here, too.

One of the few old Nickelodeon shows to hold up so well, "Salute Your Shorts" is a lost classic that deserves far more credit than it gets.

Ahhh, Salute Your Shorts. The essence of TRUE Nick humor lies in this show, no longer aired on Nickelodeon. I grew up with this show, along with other shows like Hey, Dude, Welcome Freshmen, and You Can't Do That On Television. This was when Nick was about being a kid and enjoying it. And when things were basically about nothing, and nothing is fun! Nowadays Nick is just cartoons; geared toward younger viewers. No live action comedies at all. Just Spongebob (yuck).

This show was about kids at a summer camp and the episodes were so funny! Unforgettable characters like Budnik, Sponge (who was my favorite because he was like me, a scrawny smart nerd-like guy) and Donkey Lips? I laughed my head off at it. It was so unbelieveable yet so believeable. Why doesn't Nick make shows like this anymore? Maybe they should start showing these shows on Nick At Nite or something, since now people who have grown up with these shows are in college or at least high school.

"Salute Your Shorts" (SYS) began with all the stereotypical characters. It became something else entirely. With inspired mayhem like a visit from Ug's horrific niece to a capture the flag game gone "Apocalypse Now," SYS is a sister show to "Hey Dude" - somewhat realistic, but always funny. The use of classical music (such as Tchaichovsky's "Marche Slave") as a soundtrack in many places gives the show a nice ironic, surreal feel that current Nick comedies sorely lack.

Fave Eps

Capture the Flag - Very cool spoofs of many war movies. Go Donkey Lips and ZeeZee!

Wrestling Team - Seeing Donkey Lips and Sponge trying to make the team is hilarious and heartwarming, too.

A night at the movies - A change of setting means cinema based hilarity.

I bet anyone my age who had cable television can remember the greatness of good old Nickelodeon. Salute Your Shorts was absolutely my favorite show! The plots were easy to understand and the characters were (mostly) likable. Whenever I see someone watching Nickelodeon all I can think of is the hours I spent watching the greatest television. I suggest that Nickelodeon brings back all the shows from my childhood: Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Rocko's Modern Life, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Double Dare with Marc Summers, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Guts, the old Rugrats(before they grew up and before they went to Paris), and Doug. It seems like yesterday when i heard the Patti Mayonnaise music, got extremely scared from a television show, watched Sam climb into Clarissa's window by climbing a ladder and Alex Mack turn into this liquid mercury stuff, went through the dryer at the laundromat to find Spunky, got extremely slimy with someone else's family, talked to some big rock, used a screwdriver to get out of a playpen, climbed a huge mountain, and went to summer camp. I guess those shows are considered classics now and I really hope that kids who grew up with these shows never forget about them.

I remember watching this show when I was little on Nickelodeon. I haven't seen it in a long time and I really miss it. I remember watching this show with other Nickelodeon classics, like the older Rugrats episodes, Rocko's Modern Life, Doug, Aaahh! Real Monsters, Double Dare, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and many other great Nick shows. I really miss the days when Nick aired good shows like this.

Salute Your Shorts told the story of a bunch of kids at camp Anawanna. There was the camp counselor Kevin Ug Lee who the kids always abused, which was hysterical. There was also the mysterious Dr. Kahn, who was never seen, only heard. He was in charge of the camp. My favorite episode was "Ellen Comes to Camp". I give this show 10/10 stars.