If you had the pleasure of growing up in the 80s, then you know that things were big, colorful, and full of the “cheese” factor. This was a good thing. Anything worth doing was worth over-doing. Made-for-TV movies were often epic and star-studded events, offering a parade of popular performers (past and present) in sprawling entertainments that amazed and delighted. Among these was the deliciously campy and endlessly melodic two-part television musical of Alice in Wonderland (1985) produced by Irwin Allen.
Broadway Blip: Eleven O'Clock Numbers
Eleven o’clock numbers in Broadway shows are the last big number with oomph that drives a Broadway show to its conclusion. Eleven o’ clock numbers got their name from a time when theatre started much later in the evening than it does in this day and age (usually around 8:45 PM). Consequently, these big and/or emotionally charged numbers in Act II of a musical would occur right around 11:00 PM.
TV Tidbit: Are You Being Served?
When I was in college, my housemate introduced me the British sitcoms (or Brit-coms, as they are often referred) that PBS re-ran, usually late at night or on weekends. Of the many we watched, my favorite has always been Are You Being Served? which ran on Britain’s BBC One from 1972-1985. Are You Being Served? centered around the day-to-day goings-on in the ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing floor of the Grace Brothers Department Store. Though it ran for thirteen years, only 70 episodes of the sitcom was produced.
TV Tidbit: When Saturday Mornings Were Epic
What has become of Saturday mornings is a travesty. In the 70s and 80s, watching Saturday morning cartoons was a ritual. You’d climb out of bed at the crack of dawn, grab a blanket, go to the kitchen and pour yourself a bowl of Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies, make your way to the living room, and ready yourself for a marathon of sitting in your pajamas and watching the world of Hanna-Barbera unfold before your eyes.