CATWEAZLE - "The Sun In A Bottle" (1970)

Tonight's Weird Wednesday Celebration is the introductory episode of the UK kid's show from 1970 titled "Catweazle." This program was so popular in England that it was featured on the cover of the children's magazine "Look-In" in 1972. Other entertainers to grace the cover of "Look-In" ran the gamut from Madonna and Blondie to James Bond and The Million Dollar Man, so Catweazle was in some pretty good company, but to my knowledge, this show never aired in America.

Geoffrey Bayldon is Catweazle, the man of the hour!

Geoffrey had 225 acting credits, was a staple on British TV for years, and has been in everything from "Casino Royale" to "Dr. Who."

 

Before he became a writer, Richard Carpenter was an actor and had 57 credits that included "The Terrornauts." Besides writing Catweazle, he also wrote other kid's stuff like "Stanley's Dragon."

Catweazle is a strange but lovable olde fart!

Catweazle is a wizard, but his skills seem questionable at best!

The authorities are after him because he's a weirdo! This soldier looks like a rocketship!

The soldiers are in hot pursuit so Catweazle casts a flying spell, and jumps into a body of water. When he emerges, he's in a pond in what appears to be a different location, but what really happened, is he has gone 900 years into the future!

Frantic, he heads to the first dwelling he sees, but what he also sees is something he has never seen before in his life!

The sight of this tractor totally freaks him out because he has no idea what it is!

He does the only thing he can, he takes refuge in a barn!

Catweazle is not good at adjusting to change!

You start to wonder if this is going anywhere!

Catweazle is discovered by a boy named Carrot, and now we have a story as Carrot tries to help Catweazle adjust to his new environment!

Robin (The Blood On Satan's Claw) Davies had the role of Carrot, and dyed his hair red for the part. A victim of lung cancer, Robin left us in 2010 at the age of 56.

The story of "Catweazle" is popular enough that it was made into a feature length film in 2021, and stars German actor/comedian Otto Waalkes in the title role. Otto has an interesting story too. He has 31 credits in film and TV to his name, and in most of them he plays a character named Otto!

Kudos and gracias to my good friend and editor, the German Perry White, aka Lord Litter for informing me about the existence of "Catweazle," otherwise I would have probably never known.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN / "The Birthday Letter" - 1952

Here's a nice little episode about a crippled young girl who writes Superman asking him to take her to the fair for her birthday. Before he arrives at her house though, she is kidnapped by foreign counterfeiters who need information she was given by mistake. Jimmy Olsen is not even in this episode.

Lois reads the letter to Perry White from the young crippled girl asking for Superman to take her to the fair.

In the meantime, Kathy has received a phone call (wrong number) where someone gives her some mysterious information. She doesn't understand and hangs up.

The person, a crook, is gunned down in a drug store with her phone number still in hand.

The people the crook was supposed to call find out about the incident in the paper and are able to to get their hands on the note with the phone number.

So they have their helper Slugger dress up as Superman and he kidnaps Kathy after finding out where she lives. Her mom works during the day so it was an easy task.

The owner of the drug store shows up at the Daily Planet in search of the reward they're offering for information leading to Kathy's disappearance. Clark calls the FBI.

In the meantime, the woman tries to get information out of Kathy by giving her some toys, but Kathy can't remember the location of the place they're looking for.

Lois goes to Kathy's place and finds the two in her apartment, when she gets back to the Daily Planet she confirms that the FBI photo is the person she saw, a foreign counterfeiter.

Slugger is left with Kathy and they become fast friends.

She talks him into taking her home but the two crooks come home just in time to stop him.

After Kathy remembers the location the man told her, they tie Slugger up and head to the location where the counterfeit plates they're looking for are located. The police and Superman head out to the location.

Marcel and Marie show up looking for the plates.

And, there's a shootout with the other crooks.

Superman shows up just in the nick of time but Marie tosses the plates in a vat of acid.

Of course Superman simply grabs the plates and dries them off for Inspector Henderson.

The next day Supe shows up at Kathy's home, and takes her on the ride of her life...

She's the happiest little girl in the world, thanks to Superman.

BACK TO THE BEACH - "Wipe Out " (1987)

 

"Bikini Beach" is my favorite of all the classic beach movies because it had Candy Johnson, The Exciters, and The Pyramids in it, but today's Saturday Night Special is a nostalgia fest from the 80's called "Back To The Beach!"

I can't really recommend this film because, well, it's just kind of stupid, but like "Bikini Beach," "Back To The Beach" has got some really cool music in it!

 

What person in the world doesn't love Annette? She still looked great at 45, and how can you possibly go wrong hooking her up with one of L.A.'s hottest 80's bands, Fishbone?

The answer is you can't!

"Ska Ska Ska!!!"

 

 

And a performance of "Pipeline" by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Dick Dale just seals the deal!!

There are cameos by everybody from The Beaver and Wally Cleaver, to Gilligan and Pee-wee Herman and more, but it's just not quite enough! Pee-wee does his version of "Surfin' Bird," but most of the videos on youTube are trash.

My suggestion is just watch these two videos and call it good, and while you do that, I'm going to Disneyland!!

MERRIE MELODIES / "Hollywood Canine Canteen" - 1946

Here's a Merrie Melodies cartoon that came out a year after WWII and it's all about the many doggie war veterans needing some well earned Hollywood entertainment.

Here are all the head doggies brain storming how to pay their veteran canines back for their service in winning the war. Edward G. Robinson is the president and comes up with the idea of a canine canteen located where else, in Hollywood!

And now it's open! Notice the full moon, just made for howling poochies.

Carmen Miranda does her thing to everyone's delight, and gets some of those howls from the over stimulated audience.

Hey, hey, hey, Abbott and Costello do their routine for some laughs..

Blondie and Dagwood are running the snack bar where they're selling Dogwood sandwiches, simply bones layered between 10 slices of bread!

Laurel and Hardy are on kitchen duty where Ollie washes and Stan dries. Problem is, Stan lays the dried plate on the ramp and Ollie just keeps rewashing the same plate.

Leopold Stokowski leads the band with some classical music and at a certain moment, the tuba blurts out a big sour note!

Joe Besser is responsible, he points to his music to signify, 'that's what it says.'

Joe brings the music down, shows it to Leopold, a fly buzzes off the paper, and Joe gets a slap on his head.

Then we gots Kay Kyser who cracks the crowd up with his crazy antics.

This lady wants to know why the poor doggie is crying... Bad news from home? He responds.. No. She asks a few more questions with the same response.

It was simple, she was just standing on his foot!!

Harry James and other big band leaders entertain the troops...

There's trombone licks from Tommy Dorsey.

Lionel Hampton plays his bones on his Bonophone.

And last but not least, we have that wild dog, Jimmy Durante! I'm sure most people have no idea who any of these celebrities are anymore.