Make a Wish (TV series)

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Make a Wish
GenreChildren's
Created byLester Cooper
Written byLester Cooper
Directed byLester Cooper
Arthur J. Ornitz
Starring Tom Chapin
Composer Bernard Green
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
Production
Executive producerLester Cooper
ProducersTom Bywaters
Peter Weinberg
Running time25 mins
Production company ABC News
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 12, 1971 (1971-09-12) 
September 5, 1976 (1976-09-05)

Make a Wish is an American children's television series that ran on ABC from 1971 to 1976. The show was produced by ABC News,hosted by Folk musician Tom Chapin and created and produced by Lester Cooper. [1] It replaced a similar series for children, Discovery , also produced by ABC News.

Broadcast on Sunday mornings, each episode of the series focused on a particular theme. One episode, for instance, was about snakes, and another was about motorcycles. Chapin would introduce the topic in much the same manner: "I think a snake is what I'll be. Imagine all the possibilities."

After that, the show featured a free-association presentation on the theme, which featured stock footage, animation, and Chapin's music and voiceover commentary. The quick-cutting, free-association, stream-of-consciousness style of the show caused Chapin, years later during a talk show appearance, to jokingly describe Make a Wish as "a show for six-year-old speed freaks".

The series won a Peabody Award for Best Children's Series in 1971. In 1974, it won an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Children's Series. [2] [3]

Tom's brother, Harry Chapin, wrote songs for Make a Wish, most notably among them was his song "Circle." [4] Bernard Green, who wrote the music to the title song "Make a Wish," was the show's composer. [5] Green has previously served as the composer for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. [6]

In 1976, Make a Wish was replaced with Animals, Animals, Animals which featured much the same frantic visual-overload style, coupled with folk-style songs. Animals, Animals, Animals was also executive produced by Lester Cooper. [7]

References

  1. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. p. 326. ISBN   0-8108-1651-2.
  2. Make a Wish (TV Series 1971–1976) - Awards - IMDb . Retrieved July 9, 2025 via www.imdb.com.
  3. "Moyers, Reasoner Share Emmy Awards for News". The New York Times. September 5, 1974. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  4. "The Chapin Family: Sunday Supper Session 2024 | WFUV". wfuv.org. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  5. Make a Wish (TV Series 1971–1976) - Full cast & crew - IMDb . Retrieved July 9, 2025 via www.imdb.com.
  6. Your Show of Shows (Comedy), Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Max Liebman Productions, February 25, 1950, retrieved July 9, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Animals, Animals, Animals (TV Series 1976– ) - Full cast & crew - IMDb . Retrieved July 9, 2025 via www.imdb.com.