Jonny Quest and the Return of Amazing Stories

In the mid-80s, Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories was a weekly treat for fans of the far-out and freaky with its John Williams’ theme and oddball anthology style.  Every Monday night brought another mini-movie as science fiction crossed over with comedy, horror, drama, or fantasy.  Now that it’s back on AppleTV+, shazbazzar and JediShua renew their fervor for the series as the “third season” picks up where we left off more than thirty years ago.

 

In the NEWS

• Netflix plans to bring back Kids in the Hall.
• Amazon announces third season of Lost in Space.
• Disney+ claims they will not pursue Tron series.
• Remember the vibrant career of Max Von Sydow.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…but not everyone is a fan of cartoon cereal mascots.  Aldi is set to follow the trend of pulling cartoon characters from boxes of sugary cereal.  Syracuse alumnus kicks off a new business creating a brand of “healthy” kids’ cereals.

 

Saturday Mornings: Jonny Quest

Who knew that Jonny Quest was originally aired in a prime time slot in the ‘60s?  While it wasn’t actually Saturday morning fare, the short-lived series was ahead of its time in artistic style, story content, and pretty much everything except for the dog.  Somehow, Bandit must have sneaked onto the set unseen and the Quests couldn’t get rid of him.

 

Amazing Stories

From the John Williams theme to the stranger than Stranger Things vibe of the show, anthology series Amazing Stories touched a nerve among teens who were looking for science fiction/fantasy entertainment in the mid-1980s.  Now that the series is being continued on AppleTV+, the ‘Dads revisit the show they loved more than thirty years ago.

 

The Road to The Empire Strikes Back

Where would Mark Hamill go to plug the sequel to Star Wars?  A comedy variety show, of course.  Accompanied by the characters of Star Wars, Mark had a blast with the “argyle gargoyle” and the entire cast of The Muppet Show as Mark, Luke, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca invaded the Muppets’ stage in this unapologetic “vaudevillainous” stop on the press tour as the hype for The Empire Strikes Back continues to grow in February 1980.

 

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