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Help me find an old PBS show

NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
edited March 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
When I was a kid (early-to-mid 1980's), there was a show on PBS that was based on a guy illustrating a story while he narrated it. He'd do all the voices of the various characters, and the chapter he was reading would be what he was drawing. The stories were all adventurous - a kid going to an alien planet, kids being stuck on an island, etc. The host had (I think) sandy hair and a mustache.

It's not Commander Mark, or anything to do with that pie-loving guy. The production values for the show I'm talking about weren't even that good. It looked like the guy filmed it in his living room.

I used to love the show as a kid, and it's driving me nuts that I can't remember its name.

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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappyland ?

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Oh god, now I'm going to have the Pappyland theme song stuck in my head all day.

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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    By the way, I loved the shit out of pappyland.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Uh oh, it's quarter to orange!

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    stigweardstigweard Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Picture Pages? (Bill Cosby). It was on in the right time range and was basically just what you describe.

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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Oh god. The memories.

    I do remember he showed some of the drawings.

    I also remember when I tried to draw they came out looking like a camel had sex with a unicorn who was having sex with a fucking pig rolling around in shit.

    That is to say, it was the typical artwork of a kid.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Nope. It was just this one guy. He would introduce the story in the first segment of the show, in order to build up to the portion he would draw. The narration/drawing sequence would follow, which was the longest part of the show. He would always end the show on a cliffhanger. I don't remember if he would continue the story in later episodes, or if he would simply say "To find out what happens, get the book."

    It could have been a WHGH (or whatever the Boston PBS network is)-only show.

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    stigweardstigweard Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Reading Rainbow? I don't remember Levar Burton ever drawing though but he did always end on a cliffhanger like that to make sure people read the book.

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    OrogogusOrogogus San DiegoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2010
    The guy was John Robbins, and he had several different shows with a similar format. Oddly, there's no wiki page and no Youtube of his programs. All I can find are message board posts and the like. Best I can do:

    http://askville.amazon.com/remember-PBS-show-man-black-hair-draw-pictures-book-read/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=2527034

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    NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Haha, no, not Reading Rainbow. The host/illustrator was white.

    There were no cartoons/puppets/claymation/stop animation on the show.

    I wish I could remember more details than that. WGBH's wikipedia page didn't help, as it's not on the list of shows they produced there, so I'm not sure where the program actually originated from.

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    stigweardstigweard Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Cover to Cover - Orogogus has to be right. That is the only other show I can think of that had even close to that format.

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    NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    The description sounds spot-on. I'm trying to find a vid to confirm.

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    darkgruedarkgrue Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Nightslyr wrote: »
    Nope. It was just this one guy. He would introduce the story in the first segment of the show, in order to build up to the portion he would draw. The narration/drawing sequence would follow, which was the longest part of the show. He would always end the show on a cliffhanger. I don't remember if he would continue the story in later episodes, or if he would simply say "To find out what happens, get the book."

    It could have been a WHGH (or whatever the Boston PBS network is)-only show.

    I think I know the show you are talking of. Were the drawings somewhat of a sketch nature, done on dark paper usually, in chalk or pastels?

    The show might be "Cover to Cover" with artist/illustrator John Robbins, ca. 1965. He also had another series called "Readit" and the opening had claymation frogs croaking: "Readit" - "Readit" - "Wrote it!".

    EDIT: Aw crap, I remembered the show, but by the time I finished researching, Oro and Stig beat me to it. =(

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    NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    That has to be it. Thanks, guys! :D

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    monicatmonicat Registered User new member
    Hi! I found your post last night while trying to find what I believe is the same show myself. After looking into Cover to Cover, I realized that was not the show I was trying to find. I do remember that show, but because the claymation opening sequence scared me I would always turn that off. The show I was trying to track down is called Gather 'Round, in which Paul Lally tells a story while Rae Owings draws. I hope you will find this reply and see if this is maybe what you were looking for too. There are several episodes available to watch on Vimeo. Here's a wiki link about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gather_'Round_(TV_series)

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    MooMooPuppyMooMooPuppy Registered User new member
    Its called The Book Bird https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1xa6vzInC8

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