As long as we're waxing nostalgic on this Labor Day weekend, we're going to start a week long series of features on a lost tradition in children's programming.
As far back as the late 60's, CBS, ABC, & NBC would preview their Saturday morning slates in primetime specials, treating them the same as their regular schedules. Often, there were gimmicks attached.
At NBC, for example, it wasn't always a network star who hosted these specials. For 1974, the network signed the youngest of the Osmond family, Jimmy Osmond, to host their Saturday morning preview show, which was produced by Sid & Marty Krofft, who had 2 series on the schedule (Land of the Lost and the returning Sigmund & The Sea Monsters), and some familiar faces, such as H. R. Pufnstuf, were in the audience. Pufnstuf returned to NBC after a brief rerun cycle at ABC, but his show was no longer on the air, and it'd be a few more years before it would resurface in syndication.
Unfortunately, young master Osmond was not exactly brimming with charisma, and 11 year old me avoided this show like the plague. Well, that might be because the parents had baseball or something else on that night.
Commercials are included.
Not one of the Kroffts' brightest moments.
Rating: D.
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