Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Encyclopedia
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was an American children's television series
that ran from 1973 to 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft
and aired on Saturday morning
s. There were 29 episodes spanning two seasons.
) and Scott Stuart (Scott Kolden
), who discover Sigmund (Billy Barty
), a friendly young sea monster
who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse.
Plotlines were very simple and straightforward, usually some variation on the idea of Sigmund doing something silly to arouse attention, and the boys working to prevent him from being found by Sigmund's brother monsters, Blurp (Bill Germaine, Larry Larsen) and Slurp (Fred Spencer, Paul Gale). The brothers also worked to hide Sigmund from their overbearing housekeeper Zelda (Mary Wickes
), elderly neighbor Mrs. Eldels (Margaret Hamilton
) and Sheriff Chuck Bevans (Joe Higgins
). Zelda was the boys' housekeeper while their parents were away on vacation. The parents were never seen on the show, nor did they return home by the end of the series.
The episodes included songs as part of the plot development, the character(s), generally Johnny, would sing a song about what he was thinking or feeling about something going on in his life, from things that made him happy to anxiety about girls.
While filming the first episode of Season Two, a hot light fell and started a fire. No one was injured, but the fire destroyed all of the sets and much of the costumes and other props. Most of Season Two was filmed with minimal sets. Rip Taylor
joined the cast as a magical 'Sea Genie' named Sheldon who lived inside a sea shell. Unfortunately, Sheldon was a bumbler, and his "whammy" spells seldom worked properly. Soon Sheldon's nephew, Shelby (Sparky Marcus
), a small sea genie boy, joined in on the fun. Also in the second season, Zelda was replaced by a new housekeeper named Gertrude, played by Fran Ryan
. Gertrude was a tough USMC drill instructor.
.
A cover of the show’s theme song, performed by Tripping Daisy
, is included on the 1995 tribute album
Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall
for MCA Records
.
All songs written by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, except where noted.
(1969), The Bugaloos
(1970), and Lidsville
(1971) were only in production with new episodes for a single season.
Sigmund, however, did not follow the "stranger in a strange land" premise as many of the previous Krofft shows had done. Three other Krofft shows which did not follow the premise were Bugaloos, Bigfoot and Wildboy
and Wonderbug.
Costumes were created by Oliver Soublette.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
that ran from 1973 to 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
and aired on Saturday morning
Saturday Morning
-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
s. There were 29 episodes spanning two seasons.
Plot
The show centered on two brothers, Johnny (Johnny WhitakerJohnny Whitaker
Johnny Whitaker is an American actor and singer notable for several performances for film and television during his childhood...
) and Scott Stuart (Scott Kolden
Scott Kolden
Scott C. Kolden is an American actor and sound engineer. He played the role of Scott Stuart on the children's television program Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in the 1970s.-External links:...
), who discover Sigmund (Billy Barty
Billy Barty
Billy Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
), a friendly young sea monster
Sea monster
Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts. They can be slimy or scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water...
who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse.
Plotlines were very simple and straightforward, usually some variation on the idea of Sigmund doing something silly to arouse attention, and the boys working to prevent him from being found by Sigmund's brother monsters, Blurp (Bill Germaine, Larry Larsen) and Slurp (Fred Spencer, Paul Gale). The brothers also worked to hide Sigmund from their overbearing housekeeper Zelda (Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
), elderly neighbor Mrs. Eldels (Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton was an American film actress known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz...
) and Sheriff Chuck Bevans (Joe Higgins
Joe Higgins
Joe Higgins is an Irish Socialist Party politician. In the 2011 general election he was elected to Dáil Éireann as Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency, having previously served in that capacity from 1997–2007...
). Zelda was the boys' housekeeper while their parents were away on vacation. The parents were never seen on the show, nor did they return home by the end of the series.
The episodes included songs as part of the plot development, the character(s), generally Johnny, would sing a song about what he was thinking or feeling about something going on in his life, from things that made him happy to anxiety about girls.
While filming the first episode of Season Two, a hot light fell and started a fire. No one was injured, but the fire destroyed all of the sets and much of the costumes and other props. Most of Season Two was filmed with minimal sets. Rip Taylor
Rip Taylor
Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor, Jr. is an American actor and comedian.-Early life:Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Elizabeth, a waitress, and Charles Elmer Taylor, Sr., a musician. As a young man, Taylor served in the Korean War while in the U.S...
joined the cast as a magical 'Sea Genie' named Sheldon who lived inside a sea shell. Unfortunately, Sheldon was a bumbler, and his "whammy" spells seldom worked properly. Soon Sheldon's nephew, Shelby (Sparky Marcus
Sparky Marcus
Sparky Marcus is an American actor born December 6, 1967 in Hollywood, California. He had a prolific career as a child actor.-Career:...
), a small sea genie boy, joined in on the fun. Also in the second season, Zelda was replaced by a new housekeeper named Gertrude, played by Fran Ryan
Fran Ryan
Fran Ryan was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California....
. Gertrude was a tough USMC drill instructor.
Music
The songs for the show were co-written by Danny Janssen, Bobby Hart and Wes FarrellWes Farrell
Wes Farrell was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s...
.
A cover of the show’s theme song, performed by Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy was a neo psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, USA by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck , Wes Berggren and Mark Pirro .-History:...
, is included on the 1995 tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall
Ralph Sall
Ralph Sall is a record producer, music supervisor, composer, songwriter, and screenwriter. He is the president of Bulletproof Entertainment, a company involved in several facets of the entertainment industry, including film, television, comic books and graphic novels, music, internet and live...
for MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
.
Album
Eleven songs from the show were released on Johnny Whitaker's album Friends (Music from the Television Series 'Sigmund and the Sea Monsters') (Chelsea Records, BCL1-0332).All songs written by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, except where noted.
Side 1
- "Friends" (Mark Klingman, Buzzy LinhartBuzzy LinhartBuzzy Linhart is an American rock performer and musician.Born William Linhart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began honing his craft playing percussion for symphony at the age of seven, switching to vibraphone at ten...
) - "Keep It a Secret"
- "A Simple Song"
- "The Magician"
- "Monster Rock" (Janssen, Hart, Farrell)
- "It's Up to You"
Side 2
- "Can't Get You Off My Mind"
- "Running 'Round in Circles"
- "Lovin' Ain't Easy"
- "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters"
- "Day and Night"
Production
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was the first Krofft Saturday morning production that was produced for a second season. Previous entries H.R. PufnstufH.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
(1969), The Bugaloos
The Bugaloos
The Bugaloos is an American children's television series produced by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, airing on NBC on Saturday mornings from 1970 to 1972. The show featured a musical group composed of four British-accented teenagers, who lived in fictional Tranquility Forest...
(1970), and Lidsville
Lidsville
Lidsville was Sid and Marty Krofft's third television show following H.R. Pufnstuf and The Bugaloos . As did its predecessors, the series combined two types of characters: conventional actors in makeup filmed alongside performers in full mascot costumes, whose voices were dubbed in post-production...
(1971) were only in production with new episodes for a single season.
Sigmund, however, did not follow the "stranger in a strange land" premise as many of the previous Krofft shows had done. Three other Krofft shows which did not follow the premise were Bugaloos, Bigfoot and Wildboy
Bigfoot and Wildboy
Bigfoot and Wildboy was a Sid and Marty Krofft live action children's television series on ABC. It began in 1976 as a part of The Krofft Supershow on Saturday mornings. Each episode was 15 minutes long, with cliffhanger endings resolved the following week. It became its own series in 1979 with...
and Wonderbug.
Costumes were created by Oliver Soublette.