Sunday, March 6, 2011

Saturtainment: Run, Joe, Run (1974)

The live-action explosion in the 70's seemingly reached fever pitch in 1974. Filmation got into the act with Shazam!, which lasted three years. The Kroffts finally had a series that went back into production with Sigmund & the Sea Monsters, and added their first dramatic series, Land of the Lost, both on NBC (Shazam! was on CBS), and Hanna-Barbera's Korg, 70, 000 B. C. joined American Bandstand on ABC.

NBC created a 90 minute block of live-action in the center of their schedule. Joining the two Krofft series was Run, Joe, Run, from independent producer William D'Angelo. Joe was a military trained German Shepherd who supposedly attacked his trainer (Arch Whiting). Taking its cue from the iconic prime time series, The Fugitive, Joe leaves the base, forcing his trainer to try to bring him back and clear him. Unfortunately, come season 2, a format change put a stop to that, as Whiting was gradually written out of the show.

Another icon, Paul Frees, is the show's narrator, and explains the entire situation in the open, uploaded by 70skidvid to YouTube:



NBC forced an end to the running by sending Joe to the kennel after 2 seasons. Could it be done now? I'm not so sure, but it'd be worth trying. I didn't watch the show all that much, so I can't give a fair rating.

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