I saw this special the night it aired on NBC, and it really got me excited about all the new shows that were going to premier the next morning. Today, I'm in my 50s, and I just rewatched it, complete with the original commercials. To say it made me a little misty would be an understatement...I almost felt eight years old again. It was pretty heavy.
The late and well-remembered Freddie Prinze hosts this salmagundi of kiddie-show clips from what I *THINK* is the now-long-defunct Busch Gardens amusement park in Van Nuys, California. Mixed in with snippets from cartoon shows like WOODY WOODPECKER and THE PINK PANTHER, and live-action fare such as LAND OF THE LOST and BIG JOHN, LITTLE JOHN, are a number of twee bubblegum song-and-dance interludes, and a few guest appearances by players from the NBC stable. Sadly, Prinze would take his own life the following year, and castmember Biff Warren(of KIDS FROM C. A. P. E. R.) passed on from AIDS in the early 90s.
While the quality of these shows may seem antiquated to today's kids, they were magical to those of us who watched them in the 70s. I'd recommend that anyone in my age bracket make themselves a fluffernutter and a strawberry milk, have a seat, and watch it for nostalgia's sake. It'll really take you back to the time of scratch & sniff stickers, Pet Rocks, and iron-on tee shirts. It's a bittersweet experience.
