Hot Fudge Show - “Willie Mays” (Complete Episode, 1974)

[remastered] Here's a complete episode of the Hot Fudge Show from its first season, hosted by Laugh-In alumnus Arte Johnson with The Mits puppets; this is very likely one of the first episodes. (It should be noted that there are no commercials, PSA's or promos, nor syndicator's bumper tag at the end.)

This show originated from WXYZ Channel 7, in Detroit, then an ABC O&O, and was originally broadcast locally; it also aired on at least three other ABC stations, KGO Channel 7 in San Francisco; WLS Channel 7 in Chicago, and WABC Channel 7 in New York; plus, also in Chicago, on WFLD Channel 32. It ultimately ran for four seasons, syndicated through Lexington Broadcast Services (the same folks that brought you Sha Na Na) in the 1976-1980 timeframe, though Mr. Johnson was only around for the first season. Until corrected, both IMDb and Wikipedia had this beginning later than it actually did - in 1974.

Note: This episode was previously posted here in 4 parts back in early 2008; the videos for these no longer play due to YouTube changes. These postings have been preserved as unlisted videos so as not to lose the video comments and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/KJtiAmPjYDY, https://youtu.be/OE5gtr3CXxY, https://youtu.be/mL7QYjNQCFs, https://youtu.be/jT2F3X0O2cw. Also of note: WFLD's Super Cartoon Sunrise animation featuring Hot Fudge: https://youtu.be/ZAvne4VPfR0.

Includes:

Segment 1 - show opening, a sketch with puppets Mona and Jeffrey, then "Write-On!" with a Groucho Marx-type puppet, and Arte presiding over the "Hot Fudge Hug Awards" (also featuring Mona and Seymour) (musical note: the "Hot Fudge - Write-On! song appears to have "borrowed" from the early Pointer Sisters hit "Yes We Can Can" from 1973, as heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2U1OUxXSMM)

Segment 2 - "Name That Feeling" with Groucho-type puppet as host and Arte as contestant, then "Hot Fudge Superstar" featuring Seymour and baseball legend Willie Mays (who'd retired in 1973), "Write-On!" with Mona, and finally "Hot Fudge Together" featuring "My Town: The Farm," a story about kids who live on an Appaloosa horse farm

Different Hot Fudge bumpers of different lengths

Segment 3 - Arte at the piano, joined by Mona; then, "Hot Fudge Newsreel Show" featuring "How Paper Is Made," a visit inside a paper mill

Segment 4 - another "Write-On!" with Groucho-type puppet and Seymour, then he (at the piano) and another puppet perform a song, and finally "See More? Seymour" with Arte and Seymour (who reveals he has a crush on his teacher), which leads to . . .

Ending credits:

Hot Fudge Show
Starring Arte Johnson and The Mits
Produced & Created by Bonny Dore
Directed by Mason Weaver, Ron Pearson, Lyle Rees
Associate Producers - Melinda Barnett, Cheryl Gross
Writers - Barry Hurd and Mary Phyl Godfroy, Cheryl Gross, Tom Ryan, Russ Vogel
Creator of The Mits - Bob Elnicky
Puppeteers - Bob Elnicky, Bob Taylor, Jeff Howell
Film Production Asst. - Mark Even
Music Written & Coordinated by Dan Yessian, Larry Santos
Music Produced in Cooperation with Sound Patterns, DXM
Technical Directors - Harry Lenk, Zack Lee
Gorilla-G.O. Rilla - Ron Kleinstiver
Holy Moley Players - Russ Vogel, Tom Ryan
Arte's Friend - Erik Leverenz
Produced in Cooperation with Dept. of Psychiatry Sinai Hospital "Problems of Daily Living Clinic"
Executive Producer - Doug Kole

This originally aired on local Detroit TV (as a "special," preempting a children's series already on the station called Rainbow Sundae: Over Seven) on Monday, December 30th 1974 during the 7:30pm to 8:00pm (Eastern) timeframe, and in syndication across the country for several years beginning in 1976. (The show premiered in Detroit on Sunday, September 8th 1974.)

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!

Видео Hot Fudge Show - “Willie Mays” (Complete Episode, 1974) канала The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV)