| New Zoo Revue | |
|---|---|
| Format | Children's television series |
| Starring | Doug Momary Emily Peden Sharon Baird Larri Thomas Yanco Inone Hazel Shermet Joni Robbins Bob Holt Chuck Woolery Fran Ryan |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 196 [1] |
| Production | |
| Running time | 0:24 (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | 1972 – 1977 |
New Zoo Revue is an American half-hour children's television show that originally aired in syndication from 1972 until 1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching it as well as similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and CBS's Captain Kangaroo.
Contents |
Concept
The 196-episode musical comedy format show conveyed the concepts of cooperation and guidance for living in contemporary society. Each episode dealt with a topic like drugs, moving away, courtesy, bragging or patience.
Though hosted by humans Doug (Doug Momary) and Emmy Jo (Momary's real-life spouse Emily Peden), the show featured its costumed adult-sized puppet characters, primarily Freddie the Frog (voiced by Joni Robbins), Henrietta Hippo (voiced by Larri Thomas), and Charlie the Owl (voiced by Bob Holt).
Other characters included Frieda the Frog, Mr. Dingle (played by a costumed Chuck Woolery, who would later gain fame as the founding host of Wheel of Fortune), an elderly postman, store-keeper and Jack-of-All-Trades, and Mrs. Goodbody (played by veteran character actress Fran Ryan), a nosy neighbor who serves as an advice columnist for "The All New Zoo Gazette."
The show was a recipient of awards and recommendations from the National Education Association and the National School Board Association.[citation needed]
While the show all but faded away by the early 1980s, repeats of New Zoo Revue became in demand once again in the late 1990s, when the FCC's "E/I" rule went into effect.
Characters
- Henrietta Hippo was a tutu-wearing, genteel Southern Belle type, who was a bit shy.
- Charlie was a serious, know-it-all scientist/inventor owl who lived in a tall tree equipped with an elevator.
- Freddie the Frog was always ready for a good time but was a bit naive. While the same size as the other adult-sized characters, Freddie was characterized (at least in some episodes) as a school-aged child.
- Mr. Dingle was the friendly elderly postman.
- Mrs. Goodbody, the nosy neighbor, occasionally dropped by.
Trivia
 |
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- Composer Henry Mancini, as well as Jim Backus of Mr. Magoo and Gilligan's Island fame, made cameos on the show.
- Jesse White, best known as the original Maytag repairman in Maytag's TV commercials, guest starred on a few episodes.
- June Lockhart, best known for her roles on Lassie, Lost in Space and Petticoat Junction, guest starred on one episode.
- Richard Dawson, host of "Family Feud" and star of The Running Man, guest starred in the "Time Travel" episode as a knight from medieval England.
- Henrietta Hippo (and her puppeteer) were once guest stars on The Dating Game in the mid-1970s.
External links
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