The Krofft Supershow
Encyclopedia
The Krofft Supershow is a Saturday morning children's variety show, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft
. It aired for two seasons from September 11, 1976 to September 2, 1978 on ABC
.
"Dr. Shrinker
", "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl
" and "Wonderbug", plus re-runs of The Lost Saucer
for the first half of the season (they were dropped when the show was cut from 90 minutes to one hour). For season two (1977–1978), "Dr. Shrinker" and "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" were dropped and replaced with "Bigfoot and Wildboy
" and "Magic Mongo." Each live action section was approximately 15 minutes in length.
Instead of a third season, the show was massively revamped (and moved to NBC) in order to feature the then-popular Bay City Rollers
. Now retitled The Krofft Superstar Hour
, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs were replaced by the Rollers, and new live action segments "Horror Hotel" and "The Lost Island" replaced the older live action segments.
For the first season, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs were portrayed as a wacky glam rock
band, the segments were filmed at the short-lived World of Sid and Marty Krofft
indoor amusement park in Atlanta.
For season two, their image was toned down somewhat, and they were downsized from a five to a four-person band and their segments were now filmed in a studio with an audience of children. In either incarnation, the band would introduce the other live action segments, as well as perform skits and songs. Most of the songs were written by the Osmonds
. After they were replaced by the Bay City Rollers, the group made appearances on other Sid and Marty Krofft productions, including Donny & Marie
, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
and The Krofft Komedy Hour. They also made an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
and they starred in two primetime TV specials featuring previews of ABC's Saturday morning lineup.
Cast:
Two albums were released featuring Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, both in 1978: the self-titled Kaptain Kool and the Kongs featured the band singing, and Stories From the Krofft TV Supershow includes several comedy skits. In addition, they released one single, "And I Never Dreamed" b/w "Sing Me a Song."
Cast:
Cast:
Cast:
. Mongo's magical attempts to help his young masters lead to many wacky misadventures.
Cast:
, he was found and raised by Bigfoot
, the legendary man-beast of the forest. The two work together to fight those who would harm the forest. They were aided in the first season by Suzie, 12-year-old daughter of Ranger Lucas; in the second season, Suzie was replaced by Cindy, a young archeology student.
The episodes of "Bigfoot and Wildboy" that aired on The Krofft Supershow were 15 minutes in length. In 1979, ABC brought back the show as a stand-alone series by editing the 15 minutes segments into 30 minute episodes. New episodes were also filmed and aired in the summer of 1979.
Cast:
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....
. It aired for two seasons from September 11, 1976 to September 2, 1978 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
Background
The show was composed of several live action segments, hosted by "Kaptain Kool and the Kongs", a rock band created for the series. The season one (1976–1977) segments were"Dr. Shrinker
Dr. Shrinker
Dr. Shrinker was a segment during the first season of the ABC network's The Krofft Supershow in 1976.-Plot:Dr. Shrinker is a mad scientist who creates a shrink ray that can miniaturize anything. Three young adults named Brad Fulton , B.J. Masterson and her brother Gordie Masterson , crash land...
", "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl is a Sid and Marty Krofft live action children's television series from 1976. The series lasted 16 weeks as part of the umbrella series The Krofft Supershow. During the second season, it was dropped along with Dr. Shrinker...
" and "Wonderbug", plus re-runs of The Lost Saucer
The Lost Saucer
The Lost Saucer is an ABC network television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. It first aired September 6, 1975.-Premise:The Lost Saucer was about two time-travelling futuristic androids named Fi and Fum who land their flying saucer on present day Earth...
for the first half of the season (they were dropped when the show was cut from 90 minutes to one hour). For season two (1977–1978), "Dr. Shrinker" and "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" were dropped and replaced with "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 "Magic Mongo." Each live action section was approximately 15 minutes in length.
Instead of a third season, the show was massively revamped (and moved to NBC) in order to feature the then-popular Bay City Rollers
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
. Now retitled The Krofft Superstar Hour
The Krofft Superstar Hour
The Krofft Superstar Hour is a Saturday morning children's variety show, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. After eight episodes, the show was renamed The Bay City Rollers Show. It aired for one season from September 9, 1978 to November 28, 1979 on NBC.-Background:The show is essentially a...
, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs were replaced by the Rollers, and new live action segments "Horror Hotel" and "The Lost Island" replaced the older live action segments.
Kaptain Kool and the Kongs
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band, the segments were filmed at the short-lived World of Sid and Marty Krofft
The World of Sid and Marty Krofft
The World of Sid and Marty Krofft was an amusement park in Atlanta, Georgia. It was based on the various TV shows produced by the sibling duo Sid and Marty Krofft. It was notable for being the world's first entirely indoor amusement park.-Beginnings:...
indoor amusement park in Atlanta.
For season two, their image was toned down somewhat, and they were downsized from a five to a four-person band and their segments were now filmed in a studio with an audience of children. In either incarnation, the band would introduce the other live action segments, as well as perform skits and songs. Most of the songs were written by the Osmonds
The Osmonds
The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...
. After they were replaced by the Bay City Rollers, the group made appearances on other Sid and Marty Krofft productions, including Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)
Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
and The Krofft Komedy Hour. They also made an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
and they starred in two primetime TV specials featuring previews of ABC's Saturday morning lineup.
Cast:
- Kaptain Kool: Michael LembeckMichael LembeckMichael Lembeck is an actor, television and film director.Lembeck was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Caroline and Harvey Lembeck, an actor and comedian. He began acting in the late-1960s and directing in the 1970s. His most notable acting role was as Julie Cooper's husband, Max Horvath, on...
- Superchick: Debra Clinger
- Turkey: Mickey McMeel
- Nashville: Louise DuArtLouise DuArtLouise DuArt , is an American comedian and impersonator.She began her career on the children's show, The Krofft Supershow, playing Nashville, a member of the fictional band, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs; she later worked on Krofft's last kid's show, The Krofft Superstar Hour, in which Kaptain Kool...
- Flatbush (season 1 only): Bert SommerBert SommerBert Sommer was a folk singer who performed at Woodstock in 1969. Bert wrote "We're All Playing In The Same Band" at and about Woodstock, and his recording peaked at #48 on the Hot 100 on 12 September 1970...
Two albums were released featuring Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, both in 1978: the self-titled Kaptain Kool and the Kongs featured the band singing, and Stories From the Krofft TV Supershow includes several comedy skits. In addition, they released one single, "And I Never Dreamed" b/w "Sing Me a Song."
Dr. Shrinker
Dr. Shrinker is an evil scientist with a lab on an uncharted island. When teenagers Brad, B.J. and Gordie are stranded on the island, Dr. Shrinker subjects them to his shrinker machine. They manage to escape the lab in miniature form; the series follows their adventures as they try to evade the clutches of the mad scientist.Cast:
- Dr. Shrinker: Jay RobinsonJay RobinsonJay Robinson is an American actor specialising in character roles. He was born in New York City.-Career:Robinson began his acting career in summer stock theatre and repertory companies, and eventually made his way to the Broadway stage, where he appeared in Shakespeare's As You Like It and Much...
- Hugo: Billy BartyBilly BartyBilly Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
- Brad: Ted Eccles
- B.J.: Susan Lawrence
- Gordie: Jeff MacKayJeff MacKayJeffery Neill MacKay was an American character actor.MacKay is best remembered as Magnum's friend "Mac" on Magnum, P.I., he was also featured in recurring roles in Black Sheep Squadron, JAG, Battlestar Galactica, Airwolf, The Greatest American Hero, and Tales of the Gold...
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl
Lori and Judy, reporters for Newsmaker magazine, are secretly Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, crime fighting superheroines. Assisted by their friend Frank Heflin, they fought such supervillains as the Pharaoh, the Sorcerer, Glitter Rock, Ali Baba, Spider Lady, and the Empress of Evil.Cast:
- Electra Woman/Lori: Deidre HallDeidre HallDeidre Ann Hall is a dramatic American actress best known for her portrayal of Dr. Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama Days of our Lives, which she played for over 29 years, and is to return to the role this summer. The character is considered an icon to the soap, and has been experienced some of...
- Dyna Girl/Judy: Judy StrangisJudy StrangisJudy Strangis is a Los Angeles based actress who is best known for her TV roles in Room 222 and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.-Acting:...
- Frank Heflin: Norman AldenNorman AldenNorman Alden is an American character actor who has performed in television programs and motion pictures since first appearing on The 20th Century Fox Hour in 1957. He provided the voice of Kay in The Sword in the Stone film in 1963 and received Oscar buzz for his role in I Never Promised You a...
Wonderbug
Barry, C.C. and Susan are three teenage friends who fixed up an old dune buggy (which they dubbed "Schlepcar"). When they attached a magic horn to the car, Schlepcar comes to life as Wonderbug. Wonderbug could fly, and would help the teens fight crime.Cast:
- Barry: David LevyDavid Levy (psychologist)David Anthony Levy is an American psychologist, professor, author, stage director and actor. He has provided psychological perspectives on current events in numerous broadcast and publication media, and is co-author of an internationally best-selling textbook on cross-cultural psychology and...
- C.C.: Jack Baker (as John Anthony Bailey)
- Susan: Carol Anne Seflinger
- Wonderbug (voice): Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
Magic Mongo
When teenagers Donald, Lorraine, and Kristy find an old bottle, they discover it is the home of Mongo, a genieGenie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
. Mongo's magical attempts to help his young masters lead to many wacky misadventures.
Cast:
- Mongo: Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
- Donald: Paul Hinckley
- Lorraine: Helaine Lembeck
- Kristy: Robin Dearden
- Ace: Bart BravermanBart BravermanBartley Louis "Bart" Braverman is an actor who is well known for guest starring on many shows. He is probably best known today for his Match Game appearances...
- Duncey: Larry LarsenLarry LarsenLarry Larsen is a United States world-class freshwater sport fishermen and author. He is best known for his expertise on catching peacock bass. He is President of the Peacock Bass Association....
Bigfoot and Wildboy
After Wildboy was orphaned in the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, he was found and raised by Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
, the legendary man-beast of the forest. The two work together to fight those who would harm the forest. They were aided in the first season by Suzie, 12-year-old daughter of Ranger Lucas; in the second season, Suzie was replaced by Cindy, a young archeology student.
The episodes of "Bigfoot and Wildboy" that aired on The Krofft Supershow were 15 minutes in length. In 1979, ABC brought back the show as a stand-alone series by editing the 15 minutes segments into 30 minute episodes. New episodes were also filmed and aired in the summer of 1979.
Cast:
- Bigfoot: Ray YoungRay YoungRay Young is the name of:* Ray Young , vice president of International Operations at General Motors* Ray Young , former member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
- Wildboy: Joseph Butcher
- Suzie: Monika Ramirez
- Ranger Lucas: Ned RomeroNed RomeroNed Romero is an American actor and opera singer who has appeared in television and film.Romero was born in Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in South Louisiana, the son of Anna and Sidney Romero. His ancestry is Chitimacha Native American, as well as Spanish and French...
- Cindy: Yvonne Regalado
- Cindy's father: Al Wyatt, Jr.