David Cassidy on the Web
Saturday Morning: 1974 (Part 1) -- VIDEOS
October 18, 2008
By Richard Keller
www.blog2.blogsmith.com
1974 -- the start of the second revolution of live-action, Saturday morning programming. There's no clear reason why, after nearly a decade-and-a-half, the networks decided to infuse their schedules with more live-action fare. Perhaps, after 10 years of non-stop animation, they decided to mix the formula up. Perhaps they were looking to further model the Saturday morning schedule like their primetime partners. Or, perhaps they realized that ordering live-action programs was cheaper than ordering new cartoons.
IIIIII'mmmm going with 'cheap' as the main reason.
Of the fourteen shows that premiered in the 1974-75 season nearly a third of them were live-action programs. Only one of them came from the Sid and Marty Kroftt factory. The others came from two studios that hadn't had much experience with 30-minute, live-action fare...Filmation and Hanna-Barbera. The rest of the schedules were filled with animated retoolings of primetime programs, talking motorcycles, and dogs who performed karate. As we've done of the last few installments the 1974-75 season will be split into two parts. This time we'll look at CBS's schedule. So, if your Schwinn is in the garage, let's journey back to a far simpler time.
CBS: New Shows - Partridge Family 2200 A.D., Valley of the Dinosaurs, Shazam!, The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show, U.S. of Archie
Returning Shows - Speed Buggy, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Jeannie, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, CBS Children's Film Festival
The CBS schedule of 1974 was heavy on the flesh-and-blood and light on the animated fare. Out of the three new cartoons that premiered only one was an original (although a near duplicate of a live-action series on NBC). The other two were rehashes of previously aired live-action and animated programs.
The first show to air on Saturday morning was Hanna-Barbera's Partridge Family 2200 A.D. This animated version of the ABC live-action comedy had an interesting history considering the Partridges weren't the first family considered for this cartoon. Fact is, Partridge Family 2200 A.D. started out as an updated version of The Jetsons where both Elroy and Judy were all grown up. Hence, this is the most likely reason that this animated group of Partridges seem to live in the Jetsons' universe.
Other than flying cars, robot dogs and futuristic musical instruments, not much was different with the Partridges themselves. Many of their tastes and personalities didn't change from the live-action series to the animated one. This was thanks to Danny Bonaduce, Brian Forster and Suzanne Crough voicing their Danny, Chris and Tracy characters on the cartoon. Only Shirley Jones, David Cassidy and, after two episodes, Susan Dey, didn't voice their animated counterparts. The family was joined by Orbit, their robot dog, and two exchange students to Galaxy High: Veenie, Keith's friend who was able to teleport from one place to another; and Marion Moonglow, a friend of Laurie's, who had the ability to float upward if her stress level increased. Together, they traveled the Earth and galaxy of 2200 A.D. to get into mischief and, being a cartoon about a singing group, belt out a song or two each episode.
