''Watch Mr. Wizard'' was an American television program for children that demonstrates the science behind ordinary things. The show's creator and on-air host was

Don Herbert Donald Jeffry Herbert (July 10, 1917 – June 12, 2007), better known as Mr. Wizard, was the creator and host of ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' (1951–65, 1971–72) and ''Mr. Wizard's World'' (1983–90), which were educational television programs for c ...

. Author Marcel LaFollette says of the program, "It enjoyed consistent praise, awards, and high ratings throughout its history. At its peak, ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' drew audiences in the millions, but its impact was far wider. By 1956, it had prompted the establishment of more than five thousand Mr. Wizard science clubs, with an estimated membership greater than one hundred thousand."Subscription required. It was briefly revived in 1971, and a third version of the show ran during the 1980s on the children's cable television network

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

as ''Mr. Wizard's World''.

1951–1965: Original series

''Watch Mr. Wizard'' first aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

on March 3, 1951, with

as the title character. In the weekly half-hour live television show, Herbert played a science hobbyist and every Saturday morning a neighbor would come to visit. The children were played by child actors; one of them (

Rita McLaughlin Rita Walter ( McLaughlin; March 8, 1951 – December 25, 2022) was an American actress, best known for her role as Carol Deming on the popular soap opera '' As the World Turns'', which she played from May 1970 to December 1981. Originally cre ...

) enjoyed a long subsequent acting career. Mr. Wizard always had some kind of laboratory experiment going that taught something about science. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be re-created by viewers. The show was very successful; by 1954 it was broadcast live by 14 stations, and by

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

(a film made from the television monitor of the original live broadcast) by an additional 77. Mr. Wizard Science Clubs were started throughout North America, numbering 5000 by 1955 and 50,000 by 1965. The show moved from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on September 5, 1955, and had produced 547 live broadcasts by the time the show was canceled in 1965. The show was cited by the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

and

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

for increasing interest in science and won a 1953

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

. Thirty-two episodes of ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' were selected by Herbert and released on eight DVDs.

1971: Canadian-produced revival

The series was revived by

from September 11, 1971 through September 2, 1972 as ''Mr. Wizard'', and aired 26 episodes produced in color in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, at the studios of

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

outlet

CJOH-TV CJOH-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Pembroke-licensed CTV 2 outlet CHRO-TV (channel 5). Both stations s ...

. The series was legally considered

Canadian content Canadian content (abbreviated CanCon, cancon or can-con; ) refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requirements, derived from the Broadcasting Act of Canada, that radio and television broadcasters (includ ...

, despite the American origins of the series and its host.

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

carried these episodes within Canada.

1983–1989: '

''Mr. Wizard's World'', a faster-paced version of the show, was shown three times a week on

, the then-rising kids cable channel. Once again, the revival was produced in Canada (this time in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

). It produced 78 episodes from 1983 onwards, and continued to run thereafter as reruns. During its run on Nickelodeon, it was the channel's #3 rated show in 1983 (behind '' Livewire'' and ''

You Can't Do That on Television ''You Can't Do That on Television'' is a Canadian sketch comedy television series that first aired locally in 1979 before airing in the United States in 1981. It featured pre-teen and teenage actors in a sketch comedy format similar to that of ...

''). It was also famous for its ''Ask Mr. Wizard'' segment where Herbert answered questions sent in by viewers of all ages. Episodes of this version of the show were reaired in 2005-06 on the digital cable channel

The Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, m ...

. Herbert once said: "My time on this Earth is getting shorter and shorter each day, but no matter how old I get, and even when I am dead, ''Mr. Wizard's World'' will never die". It was canceled in 1990, though reruns continued on

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...

until 1995 and often in early morning time slots right after Nick at Nite finished (usually as part of Cable in the Classroom) until August 2000. In 1994, Herbert developed another new series of 15-minute spots called ''Teacher to Teacher with Mr. Wizard''. They highlighted individual elementary science teachers and their projects. The series was sponsored by the

. Selected episodes of ''Mr. Wizard's World'' are available on DVD from Mr. Wizard Studios Inc. in ten single volumes featuring four episodes on each disk. Gift box-sets are also available. Five seasons of the show, 75 episodes of the 78 total were released on Amazon instant streaming. These episodes are also available through Vudu and can be streamed for free with ads or rented at a fee.

Paramount Global Paramount Global ( doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. ...

, the parent company of Nickelodeon, has also added the series to its

Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United S ...

service. Segments on Mr. Wizard's World included * Everyday Magic * Supermarket Science * Oddity * What's This? * Quick Quiz * How It Works * Snapshot * Safari * New Frontiers * Know Your Body * Close-Ups * Challenge

In popular culture

*In the song "

Walkin' on the Sun "Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, ''Fush Yu Mang'' (1997). Released as their debut single in June 1997, the song was Smash Mouth's first major single, reaching 1 on the US ''Billboard'' M ...

" by Smash Mouth, the lyric, "Mr. Wizard can't perform no godlike hocus-pocus" is included. *In the song
WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong
by

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

, the opening to Mr. Wizard's World episode 24 is sampled. *Radio comedians

Bob and Ray Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such ...

parodied the program with a series of sketches featuring the character "Mr. Science". *In a scene from

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

’s film ''Dressed to Kill'', when Peter Miller (

Keith Gordon Keith Gordon (born February 3, 1961) is an American actor and film director. Early life Gordon was born in New York City, the son of Mark, an actor and stage director, and Barbara Gordon. He grew up in an atheist Jewish family. Gordon was in ...

) begins describing how he created homemade pepper spray, Liz Blake ( Nancy Allen) interrupts, saying, “Spare me the Mr. Wizard lecture.” *In a scene from

Herbert Ross Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. He is known for directing ...

' film ''The Secret of My Success'', when Brantley Foster ( Michael J. Fox) pointed out that trees produce oxygen, Vera Prescott (

Margaret Whitton Margaret Ann Whitton (November 30, 1949 – December 4, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Life and career Whitton was born on Fort Meade, Maryland, a US Army base in the suburbs of Baltimore. She spent many of her formati ...

) retorted with, "Who are you, Mr. Wizard?" *Radio comedians Stevens & Grdnic parodied the program with the sketch "Mr. Wizard & Timmy" on their 1982 album ''Retail Comedy @ Wholesale Prices''. *In one sketch in the 13th episode of the 36th season of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'', ''Mr. Wizard's World'' is parodied with

Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...

in the title role. *In the TV series ''

Beakman's World ''Beakman's World'' is an American educational children's television program. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip ''You Can with Beakman and Jax'' created by Jok Church. The series premiered on Wednesday, ...

'', two puppet penguins are named "Don" and "Herb" after Don Herbert. *In four episodes of ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', the characters meet a retired TV scientist based on Mr. Wizard named Professor Proton (played by

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

). *In the novel ''

The Calculating Stars ''The Calculating Stars'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Mary Robinette Kowal. The book was published by Tor Books on July 3, 2018. It is the first book in the " Lady Astronaut" series and is a prequel to the 2012 short story " ...

'' by Mary Robinette Kowal, the main character, Dr. Elma York, makes several appearances on ''Watch Mr. Wizard''. In the story, York knew Don Herbert when they were both in the military. *In the show '' NCIS'', the episode "Model Behavior" (

Season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...

; Episode 11)

Leroy Jethro Gibbs Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional character and the original protagonist of the CBS TV series '' NCIS'', portrayed by Mark Harmon. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper turned special agent who commands a team for the Naval Criminal ...

and

Abby Sciuto Abigail "Abby" Beethoven Sciuto is a fictional character from the '' NCIS'' television series on CBS Television, and is portrayed by Pauley Perrette. In a season 10 episode entitled "Hit and Run", a young Abby was played by Brighton Sharbino in ...

discuss ''

Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...

the Science Guy'', and Gibbs asks if it is "like Mr. Wizard". *In the 1999 film ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

'',

Neo Neo or NEO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Neo (''The Matrix''), the alias of Thomas Anderson, a hacker and the protagonist of the Matrix film series * Neo (''Marvel Comics'' species), a fictional race of superhumans * ...

(

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

) calls his operator Tank for an exit from the Matrix, saying, "Mr. Wizard, get me the hell out of here!"

Notes

References

External links

* Homepage of a business founded by Don Herbert that sells DVDs containing episodes of Herbert's several television programs. The website also provides some information regarding the programs and of Herbert's life. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watch Mister Wizard 1951 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings 1971 American television series debuts 1972 American television series endings 1983 American television series debuts 1989 American television series endings 1950s American children's television series 1960s American children's television series 1970s American children's television series 1980s American children's television series American children's education television series Black-and-white American television shows Chicago television shows English-language television shows NBC original programming Peabody Award-winning television programs Science education television series Television shows filmed in New York City Television shows filmed in Ottawa Television shows filmed in Calgary