Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
| Sigmund and the Sea Monsters | |
|---|---|
 Sigmund, Scott and Johnny in the program's premiere episode, 1973 | |
| Starring |
Billy Barty Johnny Whitaker Scott Kolden Mary Wickes Joe Higgins Rip Taylor Fran Ryan Fred Spencer Pamelyn Ferdin Paul Gale Van Snowden Sharon Baird Sparky Marcus Margaret Hamilton |
| Voices of |
Walker Edmiston Sidney Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Sid and Marty Krofft |
| Running time | 0:25 (per episode) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 8, 1973 – October 18, 1975 |
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is an American children's television series that ran from 1973 to 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft and aired on Saturday mornings. There were 29 episodes spanning two seasons.
Plot
The show centered on two brothers, Johnny (Johnny Whitaker) and Scott Stuart (Scott Kolden), who discover Sigmund (Billy Barty), a friendly young sea monster who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse.[1]
Plotlines were very simple and straightforward, usually some variation on the idea of Sigmund doing something silly to arouse attention, and the boys working to prevent him from being found by Sigmund's brother monsters, Blurp (Bill Germaine, Larry Larsen) and Slurp (Fred Spencer, Paul Gale). The brothers also worked to hide Sigmund from their overbearing housekeeper Zelda (Mary Wickes), elderly neighbor Mrs. Eldels (Margaret Hamilton) and Sheriff Chuck Bevans (Joe Higgins). Zelda was the boys' housekeeper while their parents were away on vacation. Strangely, the parents were never seen on the show, nor did they return home by the end of the series.
The episodes included songs as part of the plot development. The character(s), generally Johnny, would sing a song about what he was thinking or feeling about something going on in his life, from things that made him happy to anxiety about girls.
While videotaping the first episode of Season Two, a hot light fell and started a fire.[2] No one was injured, but the fire destroyed all of the sets and much of the costumes and other props.[2] Most of Season Two was taped with minimal sets.[2] Rip Taylor joined the cast as a magical 'Sea Genie' named Sheldon who lived inside a sea shell. Unfortunately, Sheldon was a bumbler, and his "whammy" spells seldom worked properly. Soon Sheldon's nephew, Shelby (Sparky Marcus), a small sea genie boy, joined in on the fun. Also in the second season, Zelda was replaced by a new housekeeper named Gertrude, played by Fran Ryan. Gertrude was a tough USMC drill instructor.
Music
The songs for the show were co-written by Danny Janssen, Bobby Hart and Wes Farrell.
A cover of the show's theme song, performed by Tripping Daisy, is included on the 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall for MCA Records.
Album
Eleven songs from the show were released on Johnny Whitaker's album Friends (Music from the Television Series 'Sigmund and the Sea Monsters') (Chelsea Records, BCL1-0332).
All songs written by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, except where noted.
Side 1
- "Friends" (Janssen, Hart, Farrell)
- "Keep It a Secret"
- "A Simple Song"
- "The Magician"
- "Monster Rock" (Janssen, Hart, Farrell)
- "It's Up to You"
Side 2
- "Can't Get You Off My Mind"
- "Running 'Round in Circles"
- "Lovin' Ain't Easy"
- "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters"
- "Day and Night"
Production
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was the first Krofft Saturday morning production that was produced for a second season. Previous entries H.R. Pufnstuf (1969), The Bugaloos (1970), and Lidsville (1971) were in production with new episodes for only a single season.[2]
Sigmund, however, did not follow the "stranger in a strange land" premise as many of the previous Krofft shows had done. Other Krofft shows which did not follow the premise were Bugaloos, Bigfoot and Wildboy, Pryor's Place and Wonderbug.[2]
Costumes were created by Oliver Soublette.
One episode features an appearance by H.R. Pufnstuf and another that features Jack Wild (who had played Jimmy on H.R. Pufnstuf).
The series was created and produced by Sid & Marty Krofft and Si Rose.
Episode list
| Episode Number | Air Date | Episode Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | |||
| S01E01 | Sep. 8, 1973 | The Monster Who Came to Dinner | Johnny and Scott bring Sigmund home to live in their clubhouse. |
| S01E02 | Sep. 15, 1973 | Puppy Love | Sigmund falls in love with a canine named Fluffy. Zelda cleans the clubhouse and Slurp tries to lure Sigmund home. |
| S01E03 | Sep. 22, 1973 | Frankenstein Drops In | Sigmund's family kidnaps Scott, so Johnny dresses up like Frankenstein to save him. |
| S01E04 | Sep. 29, 1973 | Is There a Doctor in the Cave? | Johnny gets captured. The Wolfman makes a surprise appearance at the Ooze cave. |
| S01E05 | Oct. 6, 1973 | Happy Birthdaze | Sigmund decides to surprise the boys by cleaning the house, but his brothers crash in. |
| S01E06 | Oct. 13, 1973 | The Nasty Nephew | Zelda's obnoxious nephew Leroy stays the weekend. |
| S01E07 | Oct. 20, 1973 | Monster Rock Festival | Sigmund submits his song to a radio songwriting contest and wins. |
| S01E08 | Oct. 27, 1973 | Ghoul School Days | Sigmund runs away because he feels like he's getting in the way. The Assistant Principal visits to discuss the boys' slipping grades. |
| S01E09 | Nov. 3, 1973 | The Curfew Shall Ring Tonight | Sigmund accidentally breaks Aunt Zelda's bowl and decides to get money from his family's cave to replace it, but he is caught after curfew by the sea monster sheriff. |
| S01E10 | Nov. 10,1973 | Sweet Mama Redecorates | Sigmund's mother Sweet Mama decides to redecorate the sea monster cave. |
| S01E11 | Nov. 17, 1973 | Make Room for Big Daddy | When Sweet Mama kicks Big Daddy out of the cave, he moves into the club house with Sigmund. |
| S01E12 | Nov. 24, 1973 | It's Your Move | Sigmund's family evacuates the cave for a storm and Sigmund moves home to avoid Johnny and Scott's parents. |
| S01E13 | Dec. 1, 1973 | Trick or Treat | Sigmund discovers the joys of trick or treating. The Ooze family learns that Sigmund has won a TV contest. |
| S01E14 | Dec. 8, 1973 | Uncle Siggy Swings | Sigmund's Uncle Siggy comes for a visit and falls for Zelda. |
| S01E15 | Dec. 15, 1973 | The Dinosaur Show | A caveman and his pet dinosaur move into the Ooze's cave and force them out. |
| S01E16 | Dec. 22, 1973 | The Wild Weekend | Jack Wild spends the weekend with the boys. Prince runs away from home. |
| S01E17 | Dec. 29, 1973 | Boy for a Day | Sigmund gets amnesia and thinks he's a human boy. |
| Season 2 | |||
| S02E01 | Jul. 7, 1974 | A Genie for Sigmund | Sigmund finds a genie in a sea shell. |
| S02E02 | Sep. 14, 1974 | Paul Revere Rides Again | Sheldon zaps Paul Revere into the club house to settle a dispute. |
| S02E03 | Sep. 21, 1974 | Now You See 'Em, Now You Don't | Sheldon makes Johnny and Scot invisible. |
| S02E04 | Sep. 28, 1974 | Johnny-O, the Great | With Sheldon's help, Johnny performs a magic act. |
| S02E05 | Oct. 5, 1974 | Super Sigmund | Sigmund has Sheldon give him super strength. |
| S02E06 | Oct. 12, 1974 | Pufnstuf Drops In | Sheldon accidentally zaps Pufnstuf into the club house. |
| S02E07 | Oct. 19, 1974 | Sheldon and the Nephew Sitters | Sheldon has to baby-sit his magic nephew. |
| S02E08 | Oct. 26, 1974 | One Way Whammy to Tahiti | Shelby sends Johnny and a girlfriend to Tahiti, but cannot bring them back. |
| S02E09 | Nov. 2, 1974 | Cry Uncle | Zelda has to leave town. |
| S02E10 | Nov. 9, 1974 | The Haunted House | While Zelda and the Sheriff are at the movies, the Oozes sneak into the house. |
| S02E11 | Nov. 16, 1974 | Mother Makes Ten | Shelby's mother takes care of Burp and Slurp. |
| S02E12 | Nov. 23, 1974 | You Can't Beat a Magic Carpet | Shelby and Sigmund get lost on a magic carpet ride. |
Home Media releases
Season 1 of the show was released on DVD on September 6, 2011 from Vendini Entertainment. Although there were plans for season 2 to be released on DVD, it was scrapped because of low sales.
Remake
In February 2016, Amazon Studios announced they signed a development deal with Sid and Marty Kroft to remake the series.[3] The pilot was released on June 17, 2016.[4]
References
- ↑ CD liner notes: Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records
- 1 2 3 4 5 Martindale, David (1998). Pufnstuf & Other Stuff: The Weird and Wonderful World of Sid & Marty Krofft. St. Martin's Press. pp. 124–137. ISBN 1-58063-007-3.
- ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/sid-marty-krofft-making-sigmund-772720
- ↑ http://kidscreen.com/2016/05/26/six-more-kids-pilots-are-set-for-amazon-debut/