Retro TV Shows - A Thirtysomething's Nostalgia

Being an adult sucks sometimes. Recently I have been longing for the simpler days of my childhood; a time where I could do and say silly things and nobody would think me nuts.

So I am led to writing this hub; the first in a series of hubs that bring me back to the good ol' days. A simpler time where my deepest worries were that I have the latest G.I. Joe comic book or dodging those imaginary bullets while playing war with my best friends -- friends I thought I would have for a lifetime.

Boy, those were the days man.

The Marshalls (Rick - father, Will & Holly - son & daughter) get themselves caught in "the greatest earthquake ever known" while whitewater rafting. Somehow, this causes them to transport to a strange world of dinosaurs and alien beings.

The Marshalls begrudgingly make themselves at home in this alien world, all the while trying to figure out a way to get back home. During their stay they meet friendly beings like the Pakuni named Cha-Ka (whom I hate) and the baby brontosaurus Dopey (whom I love). They also come across less than friendly beings like the T-Rex Grumpy and the bi-pedal lizard/humanoid Sleestaks.

Land of the Lost brought a much more complex story-line to the usually simple animated shows of the Saturday morning line-up. I haven't seen it in years but would like to sit down and watch it again.

Watch for the Land of the Lost movie, starring Will Ferrell coming to theaters in the summer of 2009.

The Muppet Show was a half-hour variety show with Jim Henson's muppets as cast members. Each week a celebrity would guest star on the show.

Some notable guests were:

• John Denver
• Alice Cooper
• Steve Martin
• Elton John
• Harvey Korman
• Vincent Price
• Don Knotts
• Peter Sellers
• Sylvester Stallone
• Debbie Harry
• Johnny Cash

The adventures of mystery solvers Scooby-Doo, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, Fred Jones, Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley brought me hours and hours of entertaining boob tube time.

The "meddling kids" and their dog drive from place to place in the Mystery Machine, eventually solving the mystery and capturing the no-good villain.

Some notable villains:

• The Black Knight
• The Miner 49er
• The Snow Ghost
• The Headless Spectre
• The Phantom Racer
• The Tar Monster

When I was a kid, watching Nickelodeon's You Can't Do That On Television was such a highlight of my week. I would fantasize about being one of the actors on the show. My number one goal: saying the words "I don't know" and getting a bucket of green slime dumped on my head.

Alas, my dreams were never realized but I did go to Nickelodeon Studio one time and saw the set of YCDTOTV.

The basic premise of this classic revolves around a newspaper reporter, by the name of Carl Kolchak, who reports on the more strange things that happen in his city.

If you have never had the pleasure of watching this show, picture it like the The X-Files but with a reporter rather than an FBI agent investigating the paranormal. As a matter of fact, Chris Carter used The Night Stalker as a template for The X-Files.

This show started out as two movies: The Night Stalker (1972), set in Las Vegas and The Night Strangler (1973), set in Seattle. The Night Killers was the third movie planned but ABC decided on a television series instead.

The Night Stalker series had Kolchak investigating the strange and paranormal in Chicago. The series run was all too short with only 20 episodes filmed.

A new Night Stalker series aired for one season back in 2006 but I never watched it. I prefer to stick with the original.

Although short lived, Kolchak: The Night Stalker is very memorable to me and I plan on buying the complete series on DVD soon. I suggest you also own this series. I just so happen to have an Amazon link to the DVD set right here on this hub. How convenient!

"G.I. Joe is the code name for America's daring, highly-trained, Special Mission force. Its purpose: To defend human freedom against COBRA, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world."

This animated series originally started out as a 5-part mini-series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The popularity of this brought about a second 5-part mini-series called G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra and then the main series.

I was a G.I. Joe freak! I watched the show faithfully, bought and played with the toys and read the comic books. I still have the comics in my nightstand drawer. I wonder how much they are worth?

Look for the new live action G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra in theaters summer of 2009!

"Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."

Another show that started out as a series of television movies.  After Steve Austin crashes his Northrop M2-F2 lifting body rocket, his mangled body is repaired with bionic parts.  He then goes to work as a secret agent for the OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence). 

Apparently, the OSI has something against Bigfoot because in a couple of episodes Steve Austin battles the hairy Sasquatch.

Fraggle Rock was a great show that aired on HBO. The Jim Henson show had great stories, characters and music.

I love this show! I even dedicated another hub soley on Fraggle Rock. Check it out here.

Ralph Hinkley (special-ed teacher) and Bill Maxwell (FBI agent) meet each other in the desert due to a near miss accident.  There they are contacted by aliens who give them a black suitcase equipped with a special suit and instruction manual. 

The suit gives the wearer superhuman powers.  This suit only works for Ralph but unfortunately he loses the instruction manual.  Hilarity ensues as he tries to figure out all the powers the suit has and how to use them.