The Alvin Show

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The Alvin Show
The Alvin Show Title Card.JPG
Title card from The Alvin Show.
Genre
  • Comedy
  • Musical
  • Sitcom
Created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Based on
Alvin and the Chipmunks
by
  • Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Written by
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer
Composers
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (104 segments)
Production
Executive producer Herbert Klynn
ProducerRoss Bagdasarian Sr.
Running time25:40 per episode (7 minutes for The Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup each, 3-4 minutes for both musical segments each)
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 4, 1961 (1961-10-04) –
September 12, 1962 (1962-09-12)
Related

The Alvin Show is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962 [1] and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands. Although the series was created in color, it was initially telecast in black and white. It was later rebroadcast in color from 1962-65 for Saturday mornings on CBS and again Saturday mornings on NBC in 1979. [2] [3]

Contents

The series rode the momentum of creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.'s original hit musical gimmick and developed the singing Chipmunk trio as rambunctious kids–particularly the show's namesake star–whose mischief contrasted to his tall, brainy brother Simon and his chubby, gluttonous brother Theodore, as well as their long-suffering, perpetually put-upon manager-father figure, David Seville. [4] The animation was produced by Herbert Klynn's Format Films. The pilot episode, an early version of the fifth episode "Good Neighbor", was written and produced to sell the show to CBS. [5] The actual show featured a re-worked version, which aired as part of the fifth episode. With producer Fred Calvert (who would later work on The Thief and the Cobbler ) calling them in, the opening sequence was animated by Bobe Cannon and assistant animated by Iwao Takamoto. [6]

Each episode consisted of a Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup segment, both of them seven minutes long. Following each segment was a musical number with Dave and the Chipmunks. Most of the songs came from the first three albums that had already been released by the time the show premiered ( Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks , Sing Again with The Chipmunks , and Around the World with The Chipmunks ). By the second half, all the songs from the new fifth album, The Chipmunk Songbook , were also featured. In addition to the non-album Alvin for President , "Maria from Madrid", which was previously released as a non-Chipmunks B-Side to "Judy" in 1959 under Bagdasarian's stage name of David Seville,[ citation needed ] and two unreleased Chipmunk covers, "Clementine" and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", rounded out the remaining song segments.

The show was followed in 1983 by another Chipmunks series, Alvin and the Chipmunks which aired on NBC.

Syndication

CBS reran the series on Saturday mornings after the show's prime time run ended in 1962. [7]

In the mid to late 1960s, the individual show segments were culled together and sold as a syndication package under the title Alvin and the Chipmunks. The original episodes began airing under the Alvin and the Chipmunks title on NBC Saturday mornings in 1979 for a short period. [7] [8]

Ross Bagdasarian Sr. died of a heart attack on January 16, 1972, seemingly bringing to an end any further Chipmunk productions. Years later, his son, Ross Jr., picked up on a disc jockey's joke and produced the album Chipmunk Punk in 1980. [9] The success of Chipmunk Punk spurred renewed interest in a new animated series by Ruby-Spears, which launched in September 1983 on NBC and was titled Alvin and the Chipmunks , with Ross Jr. taking over for his father as the voices of Alvin, Simon, and Dave Seville. His wife, Janice Karman, voiced Theodore, as well as The Chipettes, who are the Chipmunks' female counterparts. [7] The show ran until 1990, with episodes after 1988 produced by DIC Entertainment. (Eleven episodes were produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in association with DIC; these were strictly for a syndication package that included all of the Ruby-Spears produced by episodes.)

To coincide with the new series, Viacom Enterprises distributed reruns of The Alvin Show to local (mostly independent and future Fox) stations; the rerun package was also carried nationally over superstations WGN and WTBS at various times beginning in September 1983 and ran for mostly a few years on half of the markets. However, some stations continue to run the show at various times as late as 1993. Prior to its superstation runs, The Alvin Show was picked up in a few markets such as Detroit, New York, Cleveland, and in international markets such as in Australia and Brazil among others. The show made its way to Europe in the United Kingdom when the BBC (now BBC One) began broadcasting the program as well.[ citation needed ]

In 1981, Clyde Crashcup made an appearance during a dream sequence in A Chipmunk Christmas . During recent network airings of the special, the sequence has been cut out, due to network time constraints concerning commercial ad time.

In 1990, The Alvin Show versions of the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup reappeared in an episode of The Chipmunks Go To the Movies titled "Back to Alvin’s Future" (a spoof of the 1985 movie, Back to the Future ).

A majority of the songs and clips from The Alvin Show were featured in the Alvin and the Chipmunks Sing Along Songs VHS releases that were released in the mid-1990s. The songs, however, were slightly remixed to sound more modern. The only song that kept its original broadcast soundtrack was "Alvin's Orchestra" in the 1993 Sing-Along video Ragtime Cowboy Joe. The Bagdasarian closing logo from the show was also remixed in the 1994 Sing-Along video, Working on the Railroad.

Nickelodeon picked up US broadcast rights to The Alvin Show on March 7, 1994, after the last of a few independent stations pulled the show. The prints from the syndicated reruns were digitized and the Nickelodeon logo was added to several spots in the opening theme. The show aired as part of Nickelodeon’s morning lineup for most of the next year.[ citation needed ]

During this time, as well as for some time after the full episodes stopped airing, the individual Chipmunk and Clyde Crashcup cartoons and musical segments were inserted into episodes of Weinerville . In 1996, Nickelodeon stopped showing The Alvin Show segments altogether and no television station has aired them since then.[ citation needed ]

Voice cast

Episodes (1961–1962)

26 episodes each were produced for the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup segments, along with 52 musical segments.

#The ChipmunksMusical Segment 1Clyde CrashcupMusical Segment 2Original air date
1Stanley the Eagle Oh Gondaliero Clyde Crashcup Invents BaseballI Wish I Could Speak FrenchOctober 4, 1961
2Sam Valiant, Private NoseAugust DearClyde Crashcup Invents the BathtubAlvin's OrchestraOctober 11, 1961
3Squares Swanee River Clyde Crashcup Invents the WifeThe Magic MountainOctober 18, 1961
4OstrichThe Brave ChipmunksClyde Crashcup Invents the Baby Yankee Doodle October 25, 1961
5Good NeighborThe Little Dog (Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone)Clyde Crashcup Invents Electricity Old MacDonald Cha Cha Cha November 1, 1961
6FancyJapanese BananaClyde Crashcup Invents Music When Johnny Comes Marching Home November 8, 1961
7Alvin’s Alter EgoThe Pidgin English HulaClyde Crashcup Invents the WestChipmunk FunNovember 15, 1961
8Sam Valiant, Real Estate Working on the Railroad Clyde Crashcup Invents the StoveStuck in ArabiaNovember 22, 1961
9Camping TripGood Morning SongClyde Crashcup Invents JokesI Wish I Had a HorseNovember 29, 1961
10Overworked Alvin Witch Doctor Clyde Crashcup Invents Flight The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) December 6, 1961
11Dude Ranch Home on the Range Clyde Crashcup Invents First Aid Alvin for President December 13, 1961
12Jungle Rhythm Lily of Laguna Clyde Crashcup Invents Egypt Row, Row, Row Your Boat December 20, 1961
13Bentley Van Rolls Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Clyde Crashcup Invents Self-Preservation Comin' Thru the Rye December 27, 1961
14Good Manners Bicycle Built for Two Clyde Crashcup Invents Physical Fitness Ragtime Cowboy Joe January 3, 1962
15Little League Buffalo Gals Clyde Crashcup Invents the Chair While Strolling in the Park One Day January 10, 1962
16Hillbilly SonSpainClyde Crashcup Invents the Bed Pop Goes the Weasel January 17, 1962
17Alvin’s Cruise Alvin's Harmonica Clyde Crashcup Invents the TelephoneIf You Love Me (Alouette)January 24, 1962
18Lovesick Dave Coming 'Round the Mountain Clyde Crashcup Invents the Time Machine The Three Blind-Folded Mice January 31, 1962
19Eagle In LoveSing a Goofy SongClyde Crashcup Invents Do it Yourself Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star February 7, 1962
20Theodore’s Dog Clementine Clyde Crashcup Invents the ShoeMaria from MadridFebruary 14, 1962
21Haunted House Whistle While You Work Clyde Crashcup Invents Glass My Wild Irish Rose February 21, 1962
22Alvin's Studio Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair This is Your Life, Clyde Crashcup! The Band Played On February 28, 1962
23The WhistlerThe Alvin TwistClyde Crashcup Invents the Boat The Man on the Flying Trapeze March 7, 1962
24Sir Alvin Git Along, Little Dogies Clyde Crashcup Invents Crashcupland Down in the Valley March 14, 1962
25Disc Jockey Funiculì, Funiculà Clyde Crashcup Invents Birthdays Polly Wolly Doodle March 21, 1962
26Eagle Music On Top of Old Smoky Clyde Crashcup Invents Self-Defense America the Beautiful March 28, 1962

General Foods was the show's main sponsor; as such, Dave Seville and The Chipmunks appeared in several humorous half-minute commercials for Jell-O and Post Cereals.

Home media

Other than the two VHS releases from Buena Vista Home Video, both of which featured 11 songs from The Alvin Show, up until recently, the show has never been released on DVD. However, on September 8, 2009, Paramount Home Entertainment released the first episode of the show, along with two "modern" specials. A future "Complete Series" DVD set of the series has not been planned and never will. In 2014, "The Brave Chipmunks" musical sequence was released as a bonus feature on The Chipmunk Adventure Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. In 2015, three complete episodes (#01, #04, and #10) were released together as The Alvin Show on Blu-ray and DVD. [10]

International broadcast

Syndicated stations

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin and the Chipmunks</span> Virtual band and media franchise

Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. The characters have since featured in several television series and films, as well as other media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chipettes</span> Fictional girl group from Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Chipettes are a fictional girl group from the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise consisting of three female anthropomorphic chipmunk singers: Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, alongside their adoptive human mother, Beatrice Miller. They first appeared in the animated television series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes. The title of the show was changed from Alvin and the Chipmunks to simply The Chipmunks in 1988 to reflect this. In the animated television series and the 1987 animated film The Chipmunk Adventure, all of the Chipettes were voiced by their creator, Janice Karman, the wife of Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. Karman also wrote and voiced the Chipettes' dialogue on their studio albums, while studio singers Susan Boyd, Shelby Daniel and Katherine Coon provided their singing voices. In the animated television series Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, Eleanor is voiced by Vanessa Bagdasarian, the daughter of Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman.

David "Dave" Seville is a fictional character, the adoptive father and producer and manager of the fictional singing group Alvin and the Chipmunks. The character was created by Ross Bagdasarian, who had used the name "David Seville" as his stage name prior to the creation of the Chipmunks, while writing and recording novelty records in the 1950s. One of the records, recorded in 1958 under the David Seville stage name, was "Witch Doctor", featuring a sped-up high-pitched vocal technique. Bagdasarian would later use that technique in "The Chipmunk Song ", which would introduce both Alvin and the Chipmunks as a singing group and Bagdasarian's music producer "Dave". Bagdasarian would go on to create The Alvin Show, based on the Alvin and the Chipmunks group, where he voiced the semi-fictional character David Seville, based largely on himself, with Alvin based on Ross's sometimes rebellious son Adam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Bagdasarian</span> American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor (1919-1972)

Ross S. Bagdasarian, known professionally by his stage name David "Dave" Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmunks. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song ", which both became Billboard number-one singles. He produced and directed The Alvin Show, which aired on CBS in 1961–62.

<i>Garfield and Friends</i> American animated television series

Garfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show aired on CBS as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup from September 17, 1988, to December 10, 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clyde Crashcup</span> Character from The Alvin Show

Clyde Crashcup is a fictional character from the early 1960s animated television series The Alvin Show. He is a scientist in a white coat who tends to "invent" things that had already been invented; his experiments invariably fail. He usually invented by penciling the concept in air, with the picture becoming the actual object. The character has also appeared in comics and other Alvin and the Chipmunks works after The Alvin Show.

Ross Dickran Bagdasarian is an American actor, singer, animator, and record producer, known for his work on the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. He is the son of the franchise's creator, Ross Bagdasarian.

<i>The Chipmunk Adventure</i> 1987 animated film by Janice Karman

The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 American animated musical-adventure comedy film based on the Saturday-morning cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Alvin and the Chipmunks virtual band and media franchise created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.. The film was directed by Janice Karman and written by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. As the events of the film take place between the fourth and fifth seasons of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the plot follows the Chipmunks and the Chipettes as they go on a hot air balloon race around the world while their guardian David is out on a trip, not knowing that it is a cover for a diamond smuggling ring. The chipmunks travel through a series of adventures in different countries while being hunted down by the diamond smugglers, Claudia and Klaus Furschtein.

<i>Alvin and the Chipmunks</i> (1983 TV series) American animated television series

Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring the Chipmunks, which was produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983 to 1987, Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in 1988 and DIC Enterprises from 1988 to 1990.

A Chipmunk Christmas is a 1981 animated Christmas television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Chuck Jones Enterprises, it first aired on NBC December 14, 1981, nine years after the death of Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.. This was the first time that Alvin, Simon and David Seville were voiced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and the first time that Theodore was voiced by Janice Karman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch Doctor (song)</span> Single by Ross Bagdasarian

"Witch Doctor" is a 1958 American novelty song written and recorded by Ross Bagdasarian. Bagdasarian sang the song, varying the tape speeds to produce a high-pitched voice for the titular witch doctor; this technique was later used in his next song, "The Bird on My Head", and for the creation of the voices of his virtual band Alvin and the Chipmunks. The song became a number one hit and rescued Liberty Records from near-bankruptcy; it held number one for three weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, ranked by Billboard as the No. 4 song for 1958.

<i>Lets All Sing with The Chipmunks</i> 1959 studio album by Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks is the debut album of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is a children's novelty album. The songs on the record are a mixture between cover versions of children's songs in the public domain and customized original musical material. It contains the A-sides of the Chipmunks' first three singles: "The Chipmunk Song ", "Alvin's Harmonica" and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". The artist credit on the original release was listed as Ross Bagdasarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)</span> 1958 novelty song by Ross Bagdasarian

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a 1958 novelty Christmas song written and recorded by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville). Bagdasarian sang the song, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitched "chipmunk" voices, with the vocals credited to Alvin and the Chipmunks, Seville's cartoon virtual band and later media franchise. The song was nominated for Record of the Year in the 1st Annual Grammy Awards, where it also won three Awards.

<i>Sing Again with The Chipmunks</i> 1960 studio album by Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Sing Again with The Chipmunks is Alvin and the Chipmunks' second album, released by Liberty Records in January 1960. The album follows the same format as their first album, and contains the group's fifth and sixth singles—"Alvin's Orchestra" and "Comin' 'Round the Mountain". Since its initial release, Sing Again with The Chipmunks has appeared twice on CD; both releases utilized the revised 1961 cover artwork, minus the song lyrics printed on the original back cover.

<i>The Alvin Show</i> (album) 1961 soundtrack album by David Seville and Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Alvin Show is a music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is the soundtrack album to the Chipmunks' first animated television series The Alvin Show. Upon the release of the album, the Chipmunks' first three albums were reissued with revised album cover art that utilized the cartoon redesigns of the characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin's Harmonica</span> 1959 single by David Seville and The Chipmunks

"Alvin's Harmonica" is a song from the fictional musical group, Alvin and the Chipmunks, which also features additional vocals by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. who plays David Seville in the song. The song was released as the second single from the group's debut album, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks in 1959. Like "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song", it was adapted as one of the musical segments featured in The Alvin Show.

<i>Alvin and the Chipmunks</i> (film) 2007 live-action animated film by Tim Hill

Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 American live-action/animated musical comedy film directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. It is the first installment in the live-action film series of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The plot follows chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, who move in with struggling songwriter Dave Seville after losing their home. When Dave discovers their singing talent, he introduces them to JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, whose plans threaten the chipmunks' newfound family dynamic. The cast includes Jason Lee, David Cross, and Cameron Richardson, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney.

Rockin' Through the Decades is a live-action/animated TV special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, and premiered on NBC on December 9, 1990.

A Chipmunk Reunion is a 1985 animated special produced by Bagdasarian Productions, in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises, and is spun off of NBC's popular animated series, Alvin & the Chipmunks, starring the Chipmunks and the Chipettes.

<i>Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks</i> French-American animated television sitcom series started in 2015

Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks is a French-American animated musical comedy television series created by Janice Karman. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions and Technicolor Animation Productions with the participation of M6, it features Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Chipettes and marks their first television appearance together since 1990. First announced by Bagdasarian Productions in 2010, a promotional trailer for the series was posted on YouTube.

References

  1. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 24. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  2. ↑ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN   0-8108-1557-5 . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Paietta, Ann; Kauppila, Jean (1994). Animals on Screen and Radio: An Annotated Sourcebook. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN   9780810829398.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 75–78. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  5. ↑ "Story: Alvin Show Pilot Board". 18 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Takamoto, Iwao (2009). Iwao Takamoto : my life with a thousand characters. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 99–100.
  7. 1 2 3 Gitlin, Martin; Wos, Joseph (2018). A Celebration of Animation: The 100 Greatest Cartoon Characters in Television History. Lyons Press. p. 125. ISBN   9781630762797.
  8. ↑ "Television Programs". The Daily News. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ Kaplarf, Eliot (1983). "Chipmunks Off The Old Block". Observer-Dispatch . Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ "The Alvin Show DVD news: Update about the Alvin Show | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
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