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normfromga1
Reviews
Howdy Doody (1954)
This is NOT the US version...
Several have made comments here that pertain to the US version, which is listed in the IMDb as "Puppet Playhouse," though I do not recall it ever being called that.
Its host, Robert Goulet, passed away this week, and according to "Buffalo Bob" Smith, before his passing 1998, they had remained good friends although their careers took different paths.
It is interesting to see that other stars sprung from the series, on both sides of the border.
The original Clarabell, the clown, on the US side was, of course, Bob Keeshan, who moved on to become the beloved, "Captain Kangaroo."
Upon Keeshan's passing a few years ago, the one remaining recognizable star from the franchise, is, of course, William Shatner.
He seemed to have made his television debut in this series, playing to the "peanut gallery," but soon became established as a "serious" actor from the "Golden Age" of live television in the 50's, through, of course, the Star Trek series, until his award-winning, though not-so-serious, performances on "Boston Legal," today.
Sledge Hammer! (1986)
A satire, but of what?
This series is often compared to "Dirty Harry," which is tempting, since, though they were released 15 years apart, they both had mayors portrayed by John Vernon, at least in the pilot episode.
However, in the mid-80s, there was a more immediate target, "Hunter," starring Fred Dryer. This successful series featured a hardened cop who ignored the rules, took unnecessary risks, and was issued a gorgeous partner to "keep him out of trouble." Sounds familiar?
As to the DVD, it's great to watch, but when they dropped out the laugh track, they might have considered adding closed-captioning for us aging Boomers.
(It is possible that close-captioning might appear it played a television screen, but I have been watch the series on my computer on lunch break so I wouldn't know.)