Zoom (1972 TV series)

Last updated
Zoom
Zoom 1972 series logo.svg
GenreEducational
Created byChristopher Sarson
StarringSee Cast section
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes155
Production
Executive producersChristopher Sarson (1972–1974)
Kate Taylor (1975–1978)
Production locations WGBH Studios
Boston, Massachusetts
Camera setupSegments
Production company WGBH-TV
Original release
Network PBS
ReleaseJanuary 9, 1972 (1972-01-09) 
February 10, 1978 (1978-02-10)
Related
Zoom (1999 series)

Zoom (stylized as ZOOM) is a half-hour educational television program, created almost entirely by children, that aired on PBS originally from January 9, 1972, to February 10, 1978, with reruns being shown until September 12, 1980. It was originated and produced by WGBH-TV in Boston. [1] [2] Inspired by educational shows like Sesame Street and The Electric Company , but designed to give the kids who watched it a voice without adults on screen, it was, for the most part, unscripted. Far from seeking to make stars of the child performers, their contracts prohibited them from making any television appearances or doing commercials for three years after they left the show.

Contents

The show was revived in 1999 and aired on PBS until 2005. [3]

Premise

A cast of seven kids (ten in Season 4) known as ZOOMers presented various activities such as games, plays, poems, recipes, jokes, movies and science experiments, all suggested by viewer contributions. These activities were introduced by such titles as ZOOMovie, ZOOM Play of the Week, ZOOMgame, ZOOMdo, ZOOMgoody, ZOOMphenomenon, etc. The cast also had informal chats on subjects such as hospitals, school, family and prejudice, titled ZOOMraps. Each episode ended with a choreographed song performed by the cast.[ citation needed ]

The ZOOMers were only identified by first names, and in the early seasons half the cast were replaced every six months, allowing a set of veteran cast members to help new members become accustomed to the show. [4] The cast was chosen by audition, and the producers made efforts to include children of multiple cultures and backgrounds. [5]

The mail-in request became a pop culture reference for its musical exhortation to "Write ZOOM, Z-double-O-M, Box 3-5-0, Boston, Mass 0-2-1-3-4: send it to ZOOM!". The lines were mostly spoken, but the zip code was sung.[ citation needed ]

In the opening sequence, each cast member performed a brief "signature move," and second season cast member Bernadette's "arm thing" (a helicopter-like series of arm moves) became famous among the show's young audience. [6] By popular demand, Bernadette eventually explained on the show how to perform the move. [7]

The program featured its own language, Ubbi-Dubbi, where the syllable "ub" was added before each vowel sound in each syllable of each word ("H-ub-i, fr-ub-iends," etc.). For the first two seasons, a word game named "Fannee Doolee" was featured, in which a series of statements about the titular character were presented to the audience without further explanation (e.g., "Fannee Doolee likes sweets, but hates candy"). It was eventually revealed that Fannee Doolee loved all words with double letters and hated all words without them.[ citation needed ]

Each show had one or two ZOOMguest sequences, short film documentaries about children with special talents (singing, tap-dancing, instrument-making, etc.) or interesting hobbies or jobs. The premiere episode featured a boy who built a boat by making a ring of sticks and twigs and covering them with a tarpaulin.[ citation needed ]

Throughout the show's run, Newton Wayland was the musical director, while Billy Wilson handled choreography during the first four seasons. [8] [9]

In the show's first two seasons, Tracy hosted a "Tracy Asks..." sequence in which she asked a question, e.g., "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" or "What is the world's longest word?", and local children were filmed giving their answers. In later episodes, other cast members hosted and the segment was retitled "ZOOM in the Street." The first two seasons had "quickie" comedy routines modeled after Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In . Season 4 featured a recurring mock-soap opera titled As the World ZOOMs.[ citation needed ]

The performers in the original series were known for wearing striped rugby shirts and jeans. The cast often performed barefoot in seasons 1 and 2 but wore shoes from season 3 on.[ citation needed ]

The first ZOOM series lasted six seasons (1972–1978) and featured 49 ZOOMers. During the second and third seasons, cast members were transitioned with a catchy production number that introduced the new cast members to the continuing cast members. The same song was used for each transition ("How do ya do do-dee-do, how do ya do-dee-do-dee-do, how's your sister, how's your brother, how are you?"), based on the Woody Guthrie song "Howjadoo." In the last three seasons, entirely new casts were used.[ citation needed ]

Several episodes were available with captions for the hard-of-hearing.[ citation needed ]

Cast (in order by introduction in the opening song)

SeasonCast Member #1Cast Member #2Cast Member #3Cast Member #4Cast Member #5Cast Member #6Cast Member #7Cast Member #8Cast Member #9Cast Member #10
1 (1972)Joe ShrandNina LillieKenny PiresTracy TannebringTommy WhiteNancy TatesJon Reuning
2 (1972–1973)Maura MullaneyKenny PiresAnn MesserDavid AlbericoNancy TatesJay SchertzerTracy Tannebring
Luiz GonzalesBernadette Yao Leon Mobley
Edith MooersLori BoskinDanny McGrath Leon Mobley Neal Johnson
3 (1973–1974)Danny McGrathEdith MooersMike DeanDonna MooreTimmy PruceLori Boskin
Mike DeanRose ClarkowHector DortaShawn Miranda ReedDanny Malloy
4 (1974–1975)Harvey ReedTishy FlahertyDavid "Red" O'BrienCate WadsworthNorman ChristianTracey DellariaTommy SchultzCarmen HernandezDavid AzzotoAndrae Wyatt
5 (1976)Chris BlackwellJennifer GoldRon RichmondArcadio GonzalesKaren WingLevell GethersNell Cox
6 (1977–1978)Amy ClarkJohn LathanCarolyn MalcolmNicholas ButterworthShona de NileChee KimSusan Wolf

Some PBS stations continued to broadcast reruns of the series until September 12, 1980.

Merchandise

In 1973, the cast members from the first season released an album titled Playgrounds (LP OCLC   3399239) (produced by Rupert Holmes) that was available by mail order. [10]

In 1974, A&M Records released an album of songs from the show titled Come on and ZOOM (LP OCLC   3060311; cassette OCLC   18900529), featuring various cast members from the second season and third season. The catalogue number of the album was SP-3402 (213 402 under the PolyGram system).[ citation needed ]

In 1977, Rounder Records released ZOOM Tunes, featuring various cast members from the third season, fourth season, and fifth season. [11] John Nagy and Newton Wayland produced the latter two albums.[ citation needed ]

Two books for children were based on the 1970s ZOOM series:

On December 1, 1998, WGBH released the video-and-book set Best of the 70s and ZOOMers Revisited — Where Are They Now? ( ISBN   1578072077).[ citation needed ]

On October 28, 2008, WGBH released a two-DVD set, ZOOM Back to the '70s. The first DVD was a reissue of Best of the 70s, with extras consisting of behind the scenes stills set to the theme song and a 10-question quiz asking what a few of the cast members are doing today. The second DVD consisted of four episodes from the series.[ citation needed ]

50th anniversary

At the show's 50th anniversary in 2022, WGBH posted all surviving episodes online. [12] On January 28, 2022, original executive producer Christopher Sarson and members of the first cast appeared in online video chats, [13] followed on February 2, 2022, by a chat with Sarson and cast members from the second and third seasons. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ubbi dubbi is a language game spoken with the English language. It was popularized by the 1972–1978 PBS children's show Zoom. When Zoom was revived in 1999 on PBS, Ubbi dubbi was again a feature of the show.

<i>Captain Kangaroo</i> American childrens television series

Captain Kangaroo is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day. In 1986, the American Program Service integrated some newly produced segments into reruns of past episodes, distributing the newer version of the series to PBS and independent public stations until 1993.

<i>You Cant Do That on Television</i> Canadian sketch comedy television series

You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian sketch comedy television series that aired locally in 1979 before airing in the United States in 1981. It featured adolescent and teenage actors performing in a sketch comedy format similar to America's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Canada's Second City Television. Each episode had a specific theme, typically relating to the popular culture of the time.

<i>The Electric Company</i> American childrens television series (1971–1977)

The Electric Company is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop. It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The series aired on PBS for 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971, to April 15, 1977. The program continued in reruns until October 4, 1985. The Electric Company later reran on Noggin, a channel co-founded by the CTW, from 1999 to 2003. Noggin also produced a compilation special for the show.

<i>Arthur</i> (TV series) Animated childrens television series (1996–2022)

Arthur is an animated television series for children ages 4 to 8, developed by Kathy Waugh for PBS and produced by WGBH. The show is set in the fictional U.S. city of Elwood City and revolves around the lives of Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other. The television series is based on the Arthur book series written and illustrated by Marc Brown. Production on the series was first announced in 1995 by WGBH Boston and Montreal-based animation studio CINAR, and aired its first episode on October 7, 1996. During its 25-season run, the show broadcast 253 half-hour episodes.

<i>Mister Rogers Neighborhood</i> American childrens television series

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. Its original incarnation, the series Misterogers debuted in Canada on October 15, 1962, on CBC Television. In 1966, Rogers moved back to the United States creating Misterogers' Neighborhood, later called Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, on the regional Eastern Educational Television Network. The U.S. national debut of the show occurred on February 19, 1968. It aired on NET and its successor, PBS, until August 31, 2001.

<i>Masterpiece</i> (TV series) Drama anthology television series

Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these are produced by the BBC, but the lineup has also included programs shown on the UK commercial channels ITV and Channel 4.

<i>Barney & Friends</i> American childrens television series

Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at children aged two to five, created by Sheryl Leach. The series first aired on PBS on April 6, 1992, and features Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 to 2015, and from December 17, 2018 to January 25, 2020 on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids. On October 6, 2015, the series was initially renewed for revival with a new season to premiere in 2017, but that never came to fruition. A CGI-animated series will air on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito and stream on Max.

<i>That 70s Show</i> American television sitcom

That '70s Show is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin from 1976 to 1979. The ensemble cast features Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tommy Chong, and Tanya Roberts.

<i>Between the Lions</i> American childrens television program

Between the Lions is an American animated/live-action/puppet educational children's television series designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the distributor from seasons 1–10. The show won nine Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and 2007. Although it is created by alumni of the fellow PBS children’s show Sesame Street, Between the Lions was not created by Sesame Workshop, nor was it produced with their involvement in any way. The show premiered on PBS Kids on April 3, 2000, taking over the schedule slot held by The Puzzle Place upon its debut, and ended its original run on November 22, 2010. This TV show was a companion piece to Sesame Street aimed at slightly older children.

This Old House is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a website. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television network and follows remodeling projects of houses over a series of weekly episodes.

<i>The French Chef</i> American television cooking show created and hosted by Julia Child

The French Chef is an American television cooking show created and hosted by Julia Child, produced and broadcast by WGBH, the public television station in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to January 14, 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on American television.

<i>Degrassi High</i> Canadian teen drama television series (1989–1991)

Degrassi High is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. It is the third entry in the Degrassi franchise and the direct continuation of Degrassi Junior High, and was broadcast on the CBC from 6 November 1989 to 18 February 1991.

<i>Curious George</i> (TV series) 2006 animated television series

Curious George is an American children's animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name for PBS Kids and a sequel series to the 2006 animated film Curious George. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 film, reprises the role in the series while Jeff Bennett co-stars as the voice of "The Man with the Yellow Hat", replacing Will Ferrell. The show premiered on PBS Kids on September 4, 2006, not long after the film's release, and originally ended after nine seasons on April 1, 2015 before returning in 2018. Later seasons were released on Peacock, and the series concluded on March 17, 2022 after a total of 15 seasons. This is the second animated series from Imagine Entertainment, following 1999’s The PJs.

<i>Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman</i> American animated television series

Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman is an American live-action/animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted toward children ages 6–10. It is a reality competition hosted by Ruff Ruffman, an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran from May 29, 2006, to November 4, 2010 on PBS across five seasons and 100 episodes, and featured 30 contestants. Although a sixth season was planned, with auditions taking place in January 2010, WGBH announced on June 14, 2010 that the series would end due to lack of funding. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.

<i>All About You</i> (TV series) 1974 American TV series or program

All About You was an educational television series that was syndicated to numerous educational and PBS stations during the early and mid-1970s, mainly as part of weekday in-school telecasts.

<i>Zoom</i> (1999 TV series) 1999 American TV series or program

Zoom is an American live-action children's television series in which child cast members present a variety of types of content, including games, recipes, science experiments, and short plays, based on ideas sent in by children, and is a remake of the 1972 television program of the same name. Created by Christopher Sarson, the series originally aired on PBS Kids from January 4, 1999 to May 6, 2005, with reruns airing until September 2, 2007, and was produced by WGBH-TV in Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Eaton</span> American television producer

Rebecca Eaton is an American television producer and film producer best known for introducing American audiences to British costume and countryside dramas as executive producer of the PBS Masterpiece series.

<i>Dont Look Now</i> (1983 TV series) 1983 American TV series or program

Don't Look Now is an American national children's sketch comedy show produced for PBS by WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, and created by Geoffrey Darby and Roger Price. It is a clone of their program for CTV and Nickelodeon, You Can't Do That on Television. The first episode aired on October 2, 1983, and showed its final episode on October 30, 1983. It was originally slated to be called Don't Tell Your Mother, but was later changed to its final title, Don't Look Now, due to PBS executive's concern that the title would encourage children to keep secrets from their parents. It was created out of uncertainty that their top show You Can't Do That on Television would continue, and was cancelled possibly due to the complaints of parents for its content, and also Nickelodeon's concern that if had it not been cancelled it may have spelled the end of You Can't Do That on Television.

<i>Martha Speaks</i> (TV series) American-Canadian animated TV series

Martha Speaks is an animated educational children's television series based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS, on the PBS Kids programming block. The series was produced by WGBH Boston, with animation by DHX Media/Vancouver for the first four seasons and Oasis Animation for the final two seasons of the series.

References

  1. Julie Salamon (February 15, 2002). "Grabbing Viewers 'Tween 8 and 14". The New York Times .
  2. Emily Nussbaum (August 24, 2003). "That 70's Show: The Bouncy Everykids of 'Zoom'". The New York Times .
  3. Newton, Catherine (January 20, 1999). "It's Ubbi-Dubbi all over again: "Zoom" zooms back to TV". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 574–575. ISBN   0-8108-1651-2.
  5. Nicholas Butterworth. "Being on Zoom".
  6. Kamp, David (May 11, 2020), "Come On and Zoom-Zoom", The New Yorker
  7. Pamela H. Sacks (2002). "ZOOM' holds treasured memories". Worcester Telegram & Gazette .
  8. IMDB, accessed October 29, 2022, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7051437/
  9. "Billy Wilson | Additional Crew, Director, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  10. Playgrounds {full album} , retrieved 2023-12-20
  11. Discogs, accessed February 25, 2022, https://www.discogs.com/release/4430719-Various-Zoom-Tunes-Songs-From-The-Three-Time-Emmy-Award-Winning-Childrens-TV-Show
  12. "American Archive of Public Broadcasting Search Results". americanarchive.org. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  13. COME ON AND ZOOM! 50th Anniversary Virtual Celebration , retrieved 2023-12-20
  14. “C’MON AND ZOOM” 50th Anniversary Virtual Event, Feb 2, 2022 , retrieved 2023-12-20