This is a McDonald's TV commercial from 1971 in which they essentially rip off the creators of hours of entertainment and careless brain-warping for me and my generation, Sid and Marty Krofft. I'm sure I saw this on TV back in its day, but I don't remember. You tell me, does Ronald McDonald have a funky afro in this, or what?:
In a strange way, Charles Nelson Reilly was an icon of my childhood. He had an omnipresence on the television of the 1970s. And I watched a lot of TV when I was a kid. There weren't many viewing options in the days just prior to HBO, cable, MTV and 24-hour CNN, so we watched hours of stuff like Match Game. Charles Nelson Reilly was a regular on the game show. And of course I was an avid viewer of Sid and Marty Krofft fare such as Lidsville, starring......Charles Nelson Reilly:
I completely relate with one of this video's commenters: "Watching this now at 40, makes me just an anxious as it did when I watched this as a kid."
The Bugaloos, one of the more psychedelic and far-out of Sid and Marty Krofft's bizarre children's TV programs, was a clear attempt to appeal to the younger brothers and sisters of the hippies, i.e., my g-g-g-generation. I see it today, and I'm flooded with sensory memories of being three and four years old. They were like a child's introduction to the Beatles and psychedelic rock.
Groovy! I love the music at the beginning of that.
pretty much guaranteed my interest in guitars and rock and roll.
Here's the opening, along with the catchy theme-song:
The program "starred" Martha Raye as Benita Bizarre.
She either had a terrible agent, was desperate for a job, or signed the contract in the midst of an alcoholic stupor (I'm guessing). Either way, it's good to see she was able to maintain her dignity...
I had what could only be described as a "crush" on Caroline Ellis, who played Joy. This must have presented me with some confusion, as my little sister had the exact same hairstyle. Caroline Ellis will be 56 years old in October...
Britney Spears? Is it just me?
The great Billy Barty played Sparky the Firefly, and he would of course go on play the part of Sigmund in another Krofft show, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. Here is the song from the first episode ("Firefly, Light My Fire", September 12, 1970), called "The Senses of Our World." The lyrics are a bit...acid-drenched:
"So take the time to taste the honey in a summer breeze Touch the love song every bird has learned to sing Smell the sunlight as it warms you on the coolest day And you'll feel a part of what you're gathering The senses of our world..."
So, just remember, when you're feeling down, do what I do, and take the time to taste the honey in a summer breeze. Also, if you can, touch the love song every bird has learned to sing.
Witness "The Brady Bunch Kids" performing on The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl, from 1973. I get the feeling that Marcia, Maureen McCormick, would probably rather be almost anywhere else. Surprisingly, Greg, Barry Williams, nearly gives Tommy Tune a run for his money, in terms of lankiness, as well as fabulousness. Es muy fabuloso. Those poor kids were worked like old whores, and dancing as fast as they could(!). This is why performers today, such as Britney Spears or Hennifer Lopez, don't actually sing their vocals and do all those fairly intricate, choreographed dance moves. I swear, little Cindy Brady, Susan Olsen, is deliriously gasping for air at one point.
Head for the hills!! It's the Brady Bunch Kids!!!!
Witness the fabulousness that is Greg Brady in all his glory and fabulousness. Fabulous!
Fosse!
WTF?
Christopher Knight's reality show is truly awful. He and she are disgusting people for participating in it. Prostitutes, really.
As a way to mainly publicize their 1973 programs, Sid and Marty Krofft threw together The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl. Making an appearance during the awkward and tacky proceedings were The Brady Kids, looking as white as white can be, Jack Wild, and Johnny Whitaker. It would appear that the poor kid was being groomed to become a pop star, and he was clearly not up to the challenge. For one thing, adolescence is a knockin' at his door, as well as vocal cords. The Krofft show Sigmund and the Sea Monsters came out in '73, Whitaker sang the theme song, and he performed it at the Hollywood Bowl fiasco.
Eat your heart out, Leif Garrett.
Here it is. Prepare to cringe.
ctmilo's (who apparently is forced to watch this every time it comes on TV) comments at the IMDb page are spot on:
"...The whole thing looks like it was basically planned and choreographed in the span of that afternoon...Obviously, the producers of this just thought they could assemble all the pre-pubescent heart throbs of that zeitgeist, throw 'em on stage and make a quick buck. Whittaker looked very nervous and unsure of himself. Also, when the camera pans across the audience at one point, before cutting to a commercial break, you can see Robert Reed (Mr. Brady) in the audience drinking a beer or something..."
My peers looked thrilled! Just look at us, already desensitized by television and rock and roll music. Actually, in their defense, it's all extremely lame.
They single-handedly warped the minds of an entire generation.
The Bugaloos, one of the more psychedelic and far-out of Sid and Marty Krofft's bizarre children's TV programs, was a clear attempt to appeal to the younger brothers and sisters of the hippies, i.e., my g-g-g-generation. I see it today, and I'm flooded with sensory memories of being three and four years old. They were like a child's introduction to the Beatles and psychedelic rock.
She either had a terrible agent, was desperate for a job, or signed the contract in the midst of an alcoholic stupor (I'm guessing). Either way, it's good to see she was able to maintain her dignity...
I had what could only be described as a "crush" on Caroline Ellis, who played Joy. This must have presented me with some confusion, as my little sister had the exact same hairstyle. Caroline Ellis will be 56 years old in October...
So, just remember, when you're feeling down, do what I do, and take the time to taste the honey in a summer breeze. Also, if you can, touch the love song every bird has learned to sing. 
Witness "The Brady Bunch Kids" performing on The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl, from 1973. I get the feeling that Marcia, Maureen McCormick, would probably rather be almost anywhere else. Surprisingly, Greg, Barry Williams, nearly gives Tommy Tune a run for his money, in terms of lankiness, as well as fabulousness. Es muy fabuloso. Those poor kids were worked like old whores, and dancing as fast as they could(!). This is why performers today, such as Britney Spears or Hennifer Lopez, don't actually sing their vocals and do all those fairly intricate, choreographed dance moves. I swear, little Cindy Brady, Susan Olsen, is deliriously gasping for air at one point.
Witness the fabulousness that is Greg Brady in all his glory and fabulousness. Fabulous!
Christopher Knight's reality show is truly awful. He and she are disgusting people for participating in it. Prostitutes, really.
As a way to mainly publicize their 1973 programs, Sid and Marty Krofft threw together The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl. Making an appearance during the awkward and tacky proceedings were The Brady Kids, looking as white as white can be, Jack Wild, and Johnny Whitaker. It would appear that the poor kid was being groomed to become a pop star, and he was clearly not up to the challenge. For one thing, adolescence is a knockin' at his door, as well as vocal cords. The Krofft show Sigmund and the Sea Monsters came out in '73, Whitaker sang the theme song, and he performed it at the Hollywood Bowl fiasco.
