''Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'' is an American
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
that ran from September 8, 1973 to October 18, 1975, produced by
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...
and aired on
Saturday mornings. It was syndicated by itself from December 1975 to June 1978 and later as part of the ''Krofft Superstars'' show from 1978 to 1985.
Plot
The show centered on two brothers named Johnny and Scott Stuart. While playing on the beach near Dead Man's Point, the two of them discover a friendly young
sea monster
Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...
named Sigmund who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse.
![Billy Barty Johnny Whitaker Scott Kolden Sigmund and the Sea Monsters 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Billy_Barty_Johnny_Whitaker_Scott_Kolden_Sigmund_and_the_Sea_Monsters_1973.JPG)
Plotlines were very simple and straightforward, usually some variation on the idea of Sigmund doing something silly to arouse attention, and the boys working to prevent him from being found by Sigmund's brothers Blurp and Slurp who want Sigmund to scare people in order to impress their parents Sweet Mama Ooze and Big Daddy Ooze. The brothers also worked to hide Sigmund from their overbearing housekeeper Zelda, elderly neighbor Mrs. Eldels, and Sheriff Chuck Bevans. Strangely, the parents were never seen on the show, nor did they return home by the end of the series.
The episodes included songs as part of the plot development. The character(s), generally Johnny, would sing a song about what he was thinking or feeling about something going on in his life, from things that made him happy to anxiety about girls.
While videotaping the first episode of Season Two, a hot light fell and started a fire. No one was injured, but the fire destroyed all of the sets and much of the costumes and other props. Most of Season Two was taped with minimal sets.
Characters
Main characters
* Sigmund Ooze (performed by
Billy Barty
Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast ...
, voiced by
Walker Edmiston
Walker Edmiston (February 6, 1926 – February 15, 2007) was an American radio, television and voice actor.
Early years
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Edmiston participated in local theater productions during his high school years. He later stu ...
) – A sea monster who was kicked out of his family for not being able to scare a human.
* Johnny and Scott Stuart (portrayed by
Johnny Whitaker
John Orson Whitaker, Jr. (born December 13, 1959) is an American actor notable for several film and television performances during his childhood. The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on ''Family Affair'' from 1966 to 1971. He also originated ...
and
Scott Kolden
Scott Cary Kolden (born February 11, 1962) is an American sound engineer and former child actor. Beginning his professional show business career at the age of eight, Kolden is perhaps best known for his Disney film roles; as Leonard in '' The M ...
) – Two brothers who discovered Sigmund when they were playing at the beach
Ooze Family
The Ooze Family are a family of sea monsters that live out at Dead Man's Point. They kicked Sigmund out after he would not scare a human. Most episodes would have them trying to harm Johnny and Scott to no avail. The Ooze Family consists of:
* Sweet Mama Ooze (performed by
Van Snowden
Van Charles Snowden (February 19, 1939 – September 22, 2010) was an American puppeteer active in the film and television industries for decades. Snowden performed as the H.R. Pufnstuf character on nearly every episode of the television series of ...
, voiced by
Sidney Miller) – The matriarch of the Ooze family. Sweet Mama's characterization was based loosely on
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and e ...
.
* Big Daddy Ooze (performed by Joe A. Giamalva and
Sharon Baird
Sharon Baird is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer.
Early life
Baird was born August 16, 1943 Seattle, Washington to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Mar ...
, voiced by Walker Edmiston) – The patriarch of the Ooze family. Big Daddy was a spoof of
Archie Bunker
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathematici ...
from ''
All in the Family
''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...
''. In the sixth episode of the first season, he is identified as "Melvin Ooze" by a tax collector.
* Blurp Ooze (performed by Larry Larsen, voiced by Walker Edmiston) – A brother of Sigmund. Blurp's voice characterization was based loosely on that of the fictional character
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''.
A naïve and gentle auto mechanic, he became a character in the January 1963 episode, ''Man in a Hurry''. ...
.
* Slurp Ooze (performed by Paul Gale, voiced by Walker Edmiston) – A brother of Sigmund.
* Prince – The Ooze family's pet
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
who acts like the family dog.
Humans
* Zelda (portrayed by
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...
) – The overbearing housekeeper who watches over Johnny and Scott.
* Mrs. Eldels (portrayed by
Margaret Hamilton) – The elderly neighbor of Johnny and Scott.
* Chuck Bevans (portrayed by
Joe Higgins) – The local sheriff.
* Gertrude (portrayed by
Fran Ryan
Fran Mary Ryan (November 29, 1916 January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Ryan began performing at the age of six at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre. ...
) – A housekeeper who briefly replaced Zelda during the second season. Gertrude was a tough USMC drill instructor. The boys were relieved when Zelda returned after Gertrude was scared away by the house being "haunted".
Other characters
* Sheldon (portrayed by
Rip Taylor
Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others ...
) – A magical "Sea Genie" who lives in a shell that debuted during the second season. Unfortunately, Sheldon was a bumbler and his "whammy" spells seldom worked properly.
* Shelby (portrayed by
Sparky Marcus
Sparky Marcus (born Marcus Issoglio; December 6, 1967) is an American former actor.
Early life
Marcus was born in Hollywood, California.
Career
Marcus was well known for playing the role of the precocious child but also worked extensively as a ...
) – A Sea Genie who is Sheldon's nephew.
Music
The songs for the show were co-written by Danny Janssen,
Bobby Hart and
Wes Farrell
Wes Farrell (December 21, 1939 – February 29, 1996) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.
Career
Farrell was born in New York, United States. Farrell's catalogue includes clos ...
.
A cover of the show's theme song, performed by
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy is a Neo-psychedelia, neo-psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck (drums), Wes Berggren (guitar) and Mark Pirro (bass).
The group disband ...
, is included on the 1995
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
''
Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'', produced by
Ralph Sall
Ralph Sall is an American record producer, music supervisor, composer, songwriter and screenwriter. He is the president of Bulletproof Entertainment, a company involved in several facets of the entertainment industry, including film, television ...
for
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
.
Album
Eleven songs from the show were released on Johnny Whitaker's album ''Friends (Music from the Television Series 'Sigmund and the Sea Monsters')'' (Chelsea Records, BCL1-0332).
All songs written by Danny Janssen and
Bobby Hart, except where noted.
Side 1
# "Friends" (Janssen, Hart, Farrell)
# "Keep It a Secret"
# "A Simple Song"
# "The Magician"
# "Monster Rock" (Janssen, Hart, Farrell)
# "It's Up to You"
Side 2
# "Can't Get You Off My Mind"
# "Running 'Round in Circles"
# "Lovin' Ain't Easy"
# "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters"
# "Day and Night"
Production
''Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'' was the first Krofft Saturday morning production that was produced for more than one season. Previous entries ''
H.R. Pufnstuf
''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...
'' (1969), ''
The Bugaloos
''The Bugaloos'' is an American children's television series, produced by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, that aired on NBC on Saturday mornings from 1970 to 1972. Reruns of the show aired in daily syndication from 1978 to 1985 as part of the "Krof ...
'' (1970), and ''
Lidsville
''Lidsville'' is Sid and Marty Krofft's third television show following '' H.R. Pufnstuf'' (1969) and ''The Bugaloos'' (1970). As did its predecessors, the series combined two types of characters: conventional actors in makeup taped alongside pe ...
'' (1971) were in production with new episodes for only a single season.
''Sigmund'', however, did not follow the "stranger in a strange land" premise as many of the previous Krofft shows had done. Other Krofft shows which did not follow the premise were ''The Bugaloos'', ''
Bigfoot and Wildboy
''Bigfoot and Wildboy'' was a live action children's television series on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It began in 1977 as a part of ''The Krofft Supershow'' on Saturday mornings. Each episode was 15 minutes long, with cliffhanger endings ...
'', ''
Pryor's Place
''Pryor's Place'' is an American children's television series that aired for one season in 1984 on CBS. The live-action series starred comedian Richard Pryor as himself.
Overview
Despite a reputation for profanity from Richard Pryor, ''Pryor's Pl ...
'' and ''
Wonderbug
''Wonderbug'' is a segment of the first and second season of the American television series ''The Krofft Supershow'', from 1976 to 1978. It was shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The show was rerun as part of ABC's Sunday morning series.
...
''.
Costumes were created by Oliver Soublette.
One episode features an appearance by
H.R. Pufnstuf
''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...
and another that features
Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at t ...
(who had played Jimmy on ''H.R. Pufnstuf'').
The series was created and produced by Sid & Marty Krofft and Si Rose.
Episodes
Season 1 (1973)
Season 2 (1974)
Home media
In the United States, the first season of the show was released on DVD in 2005 by
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus.
History
Founded in 1978, Rhino was original ...
, featuring all 17 original broadcast episodes, uncut and digitally remastered. It was released again on September 6, 2011 from
Vivendi Entertainment
Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (formerly known as Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Visual Entertainment and Visual Entertainment) is an independent film, television, DVD and digital distribution company operating in the United States and Canada. It is ...
. Although there were plans for season two to be released on DVD, it was cancelled because of low sales. In Australia, the complete series was released in a region-free four-disk set by Beyond Home Entertainment. However this set (along with both U.S releases of season one) are now out of print and hard to find.
Reboot
In 2015 Sid and Marty Krofft announced that
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
was partnering with them to create an updated version of ''Sigmund and the Sea Monsters''. In June 2016, the pilot was released. In late 2016, it was announced that the pilot was picked up for a first season. Production for the first season occurred over the first half of 2017. A teaser trailer was released at the 2017
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
. In this version of the series,
David Arquette
David Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film franchise ''Scream'', for which he won a Teen Choice Award and two Blockbuster Enter ...
plays Captain Barnabus who believes sea monsters are real and devotes his life to capturing them. Instead of living with a housekeeper, the boys are spending the summer at their aunt Maxine's with their cousin Robyn when they discover Sigmund. Seven episodes were released on October 13, 2017.
The rest of the cast consists of Solomon Stewart as Johnny,
Kyle Harrison Breitkopf
Kyle Breitkopf is a Canadian born actor who appears in film and television. His first motion picture role was as Barker Simmons in the 2012 feature film '' Parental Guidance'', which earned him a Young Artist Award nomination as Best Supporting ...
as Scott, Rebecca Bloom as Robyn, Eileen O'Connell as Aunt Maxine, Johnny Whitaker as Zach, Mark Povinelli as Sigmund,
Drew Massey
Drew Massey (born April 4, 1972) is an American voice actor, puppeteer and director for Nickelodeon and the Jim Henson Company. He has worked extensively with the Muppets and has performed in many films, television series, and commercials. He h ...
as the voice of Sigmund, Meegan Godfrey as Blurp, Michael Oosterom as the voice of Blurp, Dan Crespin as Slurp,
Victor Yerrid
Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...
as the voice of Slurp, Lexi Pearl as Mama, and Donna Kimball as the voice of Mama.
Episodes
Season 1 (2016)
References
External links
*
{{Sid and Marty Krofft
NBC original programming
1970s American children's comedy television series
1973 American television series debuts
1975 American television series endings
American television shows featuring puppetry
Television series about brothers
Television series about dysfunctional families
Television series about teenagers
Television series by Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions