America Goes Bananaz | |
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File:Michael Young on Columbus Goes Bananaz.png Michael Young hosting the show. | |
Also known as | Columbus Goes Bananaz |
Genre | Variety show |
Created by | Burt Dubrow |
Developed by |
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Presented by |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Burt Dubrow |
Production locations |
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Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Production company | Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment |
Original release | |
Network |
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Release | December 1, 1977 1980 | –
America Goes Bananaz is a teenager-oriented variety show presented by Michael Young and Randy Hamilton. It premiered locally on QUBE's C-1 channel in 1977, with the title Columbus Goes Bananaz. The series was renamed America Goes Bananaz in preparation for a move to then-upcoming youth-oriented national network Nickelodeon; all episodes aired from January 19, 1979, onward used this title.[1][2]
Early episodes of the show were broadcast live from the Westland Mall in Columbus, Ohio.[3] Some episodes incorporated the QUBE system's interactivity, having viewers decide which events they would like to see.[4] The series' interactive element was discontinued as the show went national, and episodes were taped in advance from 1979 until the show ended. Notable guest stars included Arnold Schwarzenegger,[5] Chuck Jones, Todd Rundgren,[5] the Sanford-Townsend Band,[5] Andy Kaufman,[6] and Bob Zmuda.[6]
Format[]
The format of America Goes Bananaz was modeled after the structure of The Mike Douglas Show, which producer Burt Dubrow worked on.[7] The concept was adjusted for a slightly younger audience, and the program was billed as having been "designed for the American adolescent."[8] Recurring segments on America Goes Bananaz included a karate feature hosted by Jay T. Will,[2] audience polls,[9] and advice columns allowing viewers to send the host requests for guidance.[10] Discussions focusing on mature subjects, such as drugs and birth control, were also regularly shown in an effort to interest and educate a teenage target audience.[11] Guest speaker John Steinberg, a "consumer gadfly" notifying viewers of negative purchases like "record album rip-offs," often appeared.[10]
History[]
According to an interview with Philadelphia Daily News, original host Michael Young first learned of Columbus Goes Bananaz while in his lawyer's office in 1977. He had reportedly just discovered that he was being sued for a play he had co-produced with Herschel Bernardi.[12] Over the telephone, Young's agent informed him that Warner-Amex was holding auditions for a talk show host. Due to his lack of offers at the time, Young decided to try out for the job.[13] Among others auditioning to be the show's host was Tony Dow, whose well-known role as Wally Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver initially made Young believe that Dow would be chosen.[14] According to Young, Dow ultimately stated that Young deserved the role.[14]
The set of America Goes Bananaz during a 1979 taping.
Michael Young was selected and hosted the show for two years, until he moved to ABC's Kids Are People Too in 1979.[15] After Young's departure, actor Randy Hamilton was picked to take over as host.[16] Episodes with Hamilton were taped from January until September 1979.[17] In an event Randy Hamilton termed "an unusual coincidence", Hamilton was chosen as the new host of Kids Are People Too in 1981, after Michael Young quit. Hamilton was selected based on clips of his time as the Bananaz host, provided to ABC by producer Burt Dubrow.[16]
At the time of the program's debut, the preschool-oriented Pinwheel was the flagship property of QUBE's C-3 channel. When the C-3 channel was expanded and renamed Nickelodeon in 1979, Bananaz was broadcast on Nickelodeon as part of an initiative to create programming for all child age groups. Bananaz was integral to the formation of Nickelodeon, described by The Times as part of the channel's "nucleus" in 1980.[18]
Lew Anderson, portrayer of Clarabell the Clown on Howdy Doody from 1954 to 1960, appeared in character as Clarabell on a 1978 episode. He broke a 25-year tradition by removing his face paint for teenagers in the audience who had watched Howdy Doody reruns as children. After the episode aired, Anderson stated that he "wouldn't have done it" if the audience had been young children as opposed to teenagers.[19]
Awards and nominations[]
In 1980, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment and program creator Burt Dubrow received an "Excellence in Entertainment" award from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association for America Goes Bananaz.[20] Later the same year, the series received the ACE Award for "Best Entertainment Program."[21]
Year | Presenter | Award/Category | Nominee | Status | Ref. |
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1980 | NCTA Awards | Excellence in Entertainment | Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment | Won | [20] |
ACE Awards | Best Entertainment Program | Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Burt Dubrow |
Won | [21] |
References[]
- ↑ Dutton, William H. (May 1, 1987). Blumler, Jay; Kraemer, Kenneth. eds. Wired Cities: Shaping the Future of Communications. Boston, Massachusetts: G. K. Hall & Co.. p. 83. ISBN 0816118515. https://books.google.com/books?id=0PhSAAAAMAAJ.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Karate Goes Bananaz". Black Belt (Active Interest Media) 17 (6). June 1979.
- ↑ Alford, Bernard (1978). "Columbus Goes Bananaz: The QUBE Experiment in Ohio". The Great Lakes Review (Northeastern Illinois University) 5. https://books.google.com/books?id=D2FIAQAAIAAJ.
- ↑ "Warner Cable's Qube: Exploring the outer reaches of two-way TV". Broadcasting & Cable (NewBay Media) 47. July 31, 1978. http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1978/1978-07-31-BC.pdf#page=28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Dubrow, Burt (2010). "Interview with Michael Young and Burt Dubrow about QUBE, pt. 3" (Interview).
{{cite interview}}
: - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "A Look Back at Andy Kaufman". Open Culture. January 29, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Dubrow, Burt (2010). "Interview with Michael Young and Burt Dubrow about QUBE, pt. 2" (Interview).
{{cite interview}}
: - ↑ "Next week on TV". The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois: Lee Enterprises). September 13, 1980. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/73561437/.
- ↑ Black, Jonathan (July 24, 1978). "Brave New World of Television: Columbus discovers QUBE". New Times (Village Voice Media). https://books.google.com/books?id=boErAQAAIAAJ.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Healon, James V. (May 19, 1979). Sheaffer, Liz (ed.). "Nickelodeon offers alternative TV fare". Medina County Gazette. Medina County, Ohio.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Cable TV: The Lure of Diversity". Time (Time Inc.) 113. May 7, 1979. https://books.google.com/books?id=P-8eAQAAMAAJ.
- ↑ Bergman, Deborah (September 30, 1980). "TV Host: Kids Are Serious, Too". Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Media Network). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/186055249/.
- ↑ Bins, Chuck (March 1, 1980). "'Kids Are People, Too' host keeps show interesting". Oshkosh Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/246356909/.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Dubrow, Burt (2010). "Interview with Michael Young and Burt Dubrow about QUBE, pt. 1" (Interview).
{{cite interview}}
: - ↑ United Press International (December 17, 1978). "New host named for children's show". Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Star Tribune Media Company LLC). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/186874164/.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Wilkinson, Bud (July 26, 1981). "Split personality: Actor divides his time between two networks". The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona: Gannett Company). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/122320915/.
- ↑ Roush, Matt (August 5, 1980). "'Texas' star knows town well". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio: Gannett Company). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/101398711/.
- ↑ Krenis, Lee (February 24, 1980). "Viewers get to talk back to their television sets". The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana: Gannett Company). https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/217233127/.
- ↑ United Press International (April 5, 1978). "Clarabell removes his makeup". Defiance Crescent-News (Defiance, Ohio). https://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/defiance/defiance-crescent-news/1978/04-05/page-21.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "NCTA Awards". Broadcasting & Cable (NewBay Media) 49. July 14, 1980. https://books.google.com/books?id=dhwrAQAAMAAJ.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Nickelodeon wins awards from the toughest critics". Communications-Engineering Digest (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers) 6. August 1980. https://books.google.com/books?id=ttgsAQAAIAAJ.
Former Nickelodeon original programming | ||
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1970s debuts | Pinwheel (1977–1991) • Nickel Flicks (1979–1980) • America Goes Bananaz (1979–1980) • By the Way (1979) • Video Comic Book (1979–1981) | |
1980s debuts | Livewire (1980–1985) • First Row Features (1980–1982) • Special Delivery (1980–1993) • Kids' Writes (1981–1983) • Standby...Lights! Camera! Action! (1982–1987) • You Can't Do That on Television (1982–1990) • The Third Eye (1983) • Mr. Wizard's World (1983–1990) • Nick Rocks (1984–1989) • Out of Control (1984–1985) • National Geographic Explorer (1985–1986) • Double Dare (1986–1993; 2000; 2018–2019) • Rated K: For Kids by Kids (1986–1988) • Finders Keepers (1987–1988) • Don't Just Sit There! (1988–1991) • Kids' Court (1988–1989) • Total Panic (1989–1990) • Think Fast (1989–1990) • Make the Grade (1989–1990) • Hey Dude (1989–1991) • Eureeka's Castle (1989–1991) | |
1990s debuts | Wild & Crazy Kids (1990–1992; 2002) • Outta Here! (1990–1991) • Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990–2000; 2019–2022) • Fifteen (1991–1993) • Get the Picture (1991) • Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994) • Welcome Freshmen (1991–1994) • Salute Your Shorts (1991–1992) • Doug (1991–1994) • Nickelodeon Launch Box (1991–1994) • Rugrats (1991–2004) • The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991–1996) • What Would You Do? (1991–1993) • Nick Arcade (1992) • Nick News with Linda Ellerbee (1992–2015) • Roundhouse (1992–1994) • Nickelodeon Guts (1992–1996) • Weinerville (1993–1997) • Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993–1995) • Rocko's Modern Life (1993–1996) • The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1993–1996) • All That (1994–2005; 2019–2020) • Nickelodeon All-Star Challenge (1994) • The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994–1998) • My Brother and Me (1994–1995) • Allegra's Window (1994–1997) • U to U (1994–1996) • Gullah Gullah Island (1994–1998) • Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994–1997) • Space Cases (1996–1997) • The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (1996–1998) • The Off-Beats (1996–1999) • Kenan & Kel (1996–2000) • Blue's Clues (1996–2006) • Hey Arnold! (1996–2004) • KaBlam! (1996–2000) • The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (1996–1998) • The Angry Beavers (1997–2003) • Figure It Out (1997–1999; 2012–2013) • The Journey of Allen Strange (1997–2000) • CatDog (1998–2005) • Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1998–2001) • You're On! (1998) • Cousin Skeeter (1998–2001) • The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004) • Animorphs (1998–1999) • Rocket Power (1999–2004) • 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999–2002) • The Amanda Show (1999–2002) • Little Bill (1999–2004) | |
2000s debuts | Caitlin's Way (2000–2002) • The Brothers García (2000–2004) • Dora the Explorer (2000–2019) • Noah Knows Best (2000) • As Told by Ginger (2000–2006) • Taina (2001–2002) • The Fairly OddParents (2001–2017) • Invader Zim (2001–2002; 2006) • Oswald (2001–2003) • Action League Now! (2001–2002) • The Nick Cannon Show (2002–2003) • ChalkZone (2002–2008) • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (2002–2006) • Nickelodeon Robot Wars (2002) • Scaredy Camp (2002–2003) • Oobi (2003–2005) • All Grown Up! (2003–2008) • My Life as a Teenage Robot (2003–2009) • Romeo! (2003–2006) • Drake & Josh (2004–2007) • Whoopi's Littleburg (2004) • Danny Phantom (2004–2007) • Blue's Room (2004–2007) • LazyTown (2004–2007) • Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2004–2007) • Unfabulous (2004–2007) The Backyardigans (2004–2013) • Zoey 101 (2005–2008) • Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) • Catscratch (2005–2007) • Go, Diego, Go! (2005–2011) • The X's (2005–2006) • Mr. Meaty (2005–2009) • Wonder Pets! (2006–2016) • Just for Kicks (2006) • Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (2006–2010) • Just Jordan (2007–2008) • The Naked Brothers Band (2007–2009) • El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007–2008) • Tak and the Power of Juju (2007–2009) • iCarly (2007–2012) • Back at the Barnyard (2007–2011) • Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (2008–2011) • Dance on Sunset (2008–2009) • The Mighty B! (2008–2011) • My Family's Got Guts (2008–2009) • True Jackson, VP (2008–2011) • The Penguins of Madagascar (2008–2015) • The Fresh Beat Band (2009–2013) • The Troop (2009–2013) • Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009–2014) • BrainSurge (2009–2014) • Big Time Rush (2009–2013) | |
2010s debuts | Team Umizoomi (2010–2015) • Victorious (2010–2013) • Planet Sheen (2010–2013) • T.U.F.F. Puppy (2010–2015) • House of Anubis (2011–2013) • Supah Ninjas (2011–2013) • Winx Club (2011–2016) • Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures (2011–2013) • Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016) • Fred: The Show (2012) • How to Rock (2012) • The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) • You Gotta See This (2012–2014) • Robot and Monster (2012–2015) • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012–2017) • Marvin Marvin (2012–2013) • Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014) • Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016) • Sam & Cat (2013–2014) • AwesomenessTV (2013–2015) • The Haunted Hathaways (2013–2015) • Instant Mom (2013–2015) • The Thundermans (2013–2018) • Every Witch Way (2014–2015) • Wallykazam! (2014–2017) • Breadwinners (2014–2016) • Webheads (2014–2015) • Henry Danger (2014–2020) • Dora and Friends: Into the City! (2014–2017) • Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2014–2018) • Max & Shred (2014–2016) • 100 Things to Do Before High School (2014–2016) • Bella and the Bulldogs (2015–2016) • Mutt & Stuff (2015–2017) • Make It Pop (2015–2016) • Harvey Beaks (2015–2017) • Fresh Beat Band of Spies (2015–2016) • Talia in the Kitchen (2015) • Pig Goat Banana Cricket (2015–2018) • Shimmer and Shine (2015–2020) • Game Shakers (2015–2019) • WITS Academy (2015) • Paradise Run (2016–2018) • School of Rock (2016–2018) • The Other Kingdom (2016) • The Dude Perfect Show (2016–2019) • All in with Cam Newton (2016) • Crashletes (2016–2020) • Legendary Dudas (2016) • Jagger Eaton's Mega Life (2016–2017) • Rusty Rivets (2016–2020) • Lip Sync Battle Shorties (2016–2019) • Bunsen Is a Beast (2017–2018) • Nella the Princess Knight (2017–2021) • Welcome to the Wayne (2017–2019) • Sunny Day (2017–2020) • I Am Frankie (2017–2018) • Top Wing (2017–2020) • The Adventures of Kid Danger (2018) • Knight Squad (2018–2019) • Keep It Spotless (2018) • Star Falls (2018) • Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018–2020) • Butterbean's Café (2018–2020) • Cousins for Life (2018–2019) • Abby Hatcher (2019–2022) • The Substitute (2019–2021) • Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (2019) • Middle School Moguls (2019) • The Casagrandes (2019–2022) • America's Most Musical Family (2019–2020) • Top Elf (2019–2020) | |
2020s debuts | It's Pony (2020–2022) • The Crystal Maze (2020) • Danger Force (2020–2024) • Group Chat (2020) • Nickelodeon's Unfiltered (2020–2021) • Unleashed (2020) • Side Hustle (2020–2022) • The Astronauts (2020–2021) • Tooned In (2021–2022) • Drama Club (2021) • The Barbarian and the Troll (2021) • Middlemost Post (2021–2022) • That Girl Lay Lay (2021–2024) • Warped! (2022) • Erin & Aaron (2023) |
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