Friday, March 21, 2008
Tom Terrific
TV has changed a lot since I was a kid. When I was my daughters' age, it was Captain Kangaroo, this semi-portly guy in a strangely cut suit who had greying hair that looked like it was cut by his mom. He'd chat awhile with Mister Greenjeans and the moose puppet behind his counter and then maybe show us how to do something cool with construction paper and glue. It was a slower time.
Tom Terrific was part of the show. I don't think I've seen this since I was about four, but I always remembered Tom — the little line-drawing guy who wears a funnel and turns into stuff — and his faithful companion Mighty Manfred the Wonderdog. The cartoon was first made in the late 50s' but was in reruns on Captain Kangaroo through 1964.
I'm starting to get a little bored with Chilly Willy and wanted something else to show Twins A&B. I found this. They laughed, but Chilly Willy is better. Even by 50's standards, this is primitive. Maybe that was the point.
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3 comments:
The key question is: Who played all that accordion on there?
90% chance it was either:
Frank Marocco: http://roadtomarocco.com/credits.html
Joe Vento:
http://www.fbc-accordion-club.org/vento.htm
or Dominic Cortese:
http://www.spaceagepop.com/cortese.htm
That is the question.
My kids like to watch Soviet Parachuting accordionists: /Users/brucetriggs/Desktop/Russian Sky-diving Accordion.png
...and these Lejo finger guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el8meJ3XOyg
Tom Terrific was my introduction to the mathematical concept of topological connectedness. I don't remember if it was one of the cartoons or in one of the spun-off comic books, but at some point Tom Terrific turned into a single laceless tennis shoe, and we were told he can't be a pair of shoes or a shoe with laces because that would involve him dividing.
Sorry, the Crack Russian Airborne Accordion Squad (CRAAS) is actually at:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=692431
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