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Zokko!
Jan 10, 2005 2:43:06 GMT
Post by Wright Blan on Jan 10, 2005 2:43:06 GMT
There was also a space cartoon (stills, not animated) I can't remeber much else apart from the fact that it went out on Saturday mornings. Would this happen to be "Space Angel," the cartoon series from the makers of the imfamous "Clutch Cargo"? Both are notorious for transposing actual human lips on animated faces. The animation was actually worse than the early Marvel cartoons, if you can imagine that.
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Zokko!
Jan 21, 2005 14:47:09 GMT
Post by John Miller on Jan 21, 2005 14:47:09 GMT
I agree that it's an important show for the reasons that you give, John - and viewing it from outside the parameters of purely personal opinion, it's also notable as being the first truly home-grown Saturday morning kid's show. Before this point it was all a melange of Hanna Barbera cartoons, silent films and other imports. So it has a historical significance too. The sort of thing you refer to would be what I recall my older brother & sister watching in the '62 - 64 period, mainly late 50s import repeats. The main cartoons were 'Yogi bear', 'Huckleberry hound' and 'Pixie & Dixie' on ITV I think. Possibly 'Flintstones' also, which was very popular but took abscence I recall for a long time before appearing with 'Voyage to bottom of the sea' on 1972 teatime Friday repeats. The live serials were 'Adventures of Davy Crockett', american, which ended with a painting of his fur hat under the titles, similar to the 'Hogans heroes' titles. Also from circa 1964 canadian 'Forest rangers'. I clearly recall that being on Xmas 1966 after which it disappeared I think till resurfaceing Xmas 1970 when I recalled it from the 60s (with great affection, its emotion remains with me today). In early 68 ITV seemed to only run Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons. Transmission wasn't prior to 11 a.m. I don't think. B.B.C. had nothing or the test card, but by 1968 regularly ran 'Laurel & Hardy' shorts starting around 11.30. This was followed by the weatherman, a public information film (usually from 'castles & walkways of Gt Britain' series) and Grandstand. When Zokko began c. Nov 68 (when 'Invasion' was on DR WHO) the BBC continued its run of Laurel & Hardy, but slotted Zokko in between it & Gandstand. Later as Zokko was successful, I think L & H were moved to a weekday slot. Presumably when it was felt a strong enough item to draw audiences in on its own merits.
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Zokko!
Jan 21, 2005 15:13:28 GMT
Post by Laurence Piper on Jan 21, 2005 15:13:28 GMT
You evoke the period well, John! I also remember "Frankenstein Junior and The Impossibles" (another Hanna Barbera cartoon) being shown in 1968, shortly before Zokko debuted.
The lunchtime Public Information films just before Grandstand were often Ancient Monuments. They used yo call the slot "Noticenoard". Earlier in the mornings at weekends, educational programmes were also screened. ITV ran "Snday Session" (the umbrella title for their adult educational / instructional programmes up to mid 1968 in the London area - the title was dropped at the point ATV lost their franchise to LWT, although some of the same kinds of programmes were still screened for awhile.
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Zokko!
Jan 21, 2005 15:14:39 GMT
Post by Laurence Piper on Jan 21, 2005 15:14:39 GMT
Oops - loads of typing errors in there! You get the drify anyway...
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John Stewart Miller
Guest
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Zokko!
Feb 25, 2005 17:04:38 GMT
Post by John Stewart Miller on Feb 25, 2005 17:04:38 GMT
Well...someone should be thankful it does given the obscurity factor. It hasn't got repeat value now.... Zokko score 3 Andy Henderson score 1 I'm sorry I didn't reply to this earlier post properly earlier, probably because it wasn't a sensible comment anyway. What I would argue here is that the programme here is being assessed at a distance, without accounting its value in the context of an overview of archive TV output. In such a context, apparently trivial items like 'the potters wheel' need to sit within the same palette as other genres, such as artistic output, ballets, music shows, comedy etc. in order for the present day observer to understand whole, or, as far as is possible what broadcasting was like in 1968 or 1970 for example. The obscurity factor has no bearing on whether an item has repeat value or not. Items are chosen from archive to demonstrate points or illustrate society in documentaries for instance. The obscurity factor may have a decisive influence as to whether an item is employed commercially however. But the emphasis in that field changes according to the contemporary climate (as does public taste). From what I know 'Zokko' isn't a main popular item like 'Vision on', or as known. However every third person I've spoken to from the right age, seems to recall it. Those who do recall it seem to have enjoyed or found it interesting. Therefore I'd say it doesn't really qualify either as a totally obscure item, or having no repeat value.
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Zokko!
Feb 26, 2005 3:30:11 GMT
Post by Laurence Piper on Feb 26, 2005 3:30:11 GMT
I agree. "Obscure" doesn't mean "of no value". If we judged things by obscurity alone then lots more worthwhile TV would have gone than has already! Zokko certainly has it's merits; if nothing else then it was the first truly home-grown Saturday morning kid's show and also an indication of how pop culture had fed into the mainstream by this time.
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Zokko!
Aug 16, 2005 19:31:01 GMT
Post by Oliver Cox on Aug 16, 2005 19:31:01 GMT
I'm so pleased to discover so many people remembering Zokko. Its creator and first producer was Molly Cox: and Paul Ciani, if I remember right, was the director of the first series and then producer of the second series. That might explain some of the change in style between the two series. But it was also very much the Corporation policy at the time that shows should change: Huw Weldon had a horror of anyone producing loads of the same old thing! I'm almost certain that none of the first b/w series survived - although some of the original artwork from the sci-fi cartoon "Skayn" is around. I only know all this because Molly Cox was my mum - and I helped her write the Skayn story. So I was amazed to find this thread going on about a show that I thought everyone apart from me had forgotten. Thank you all
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Zokko!
Aug 17, 2005 15:06:33 GMT
Post by Laurence Piper on Aug 17, 2005 15:06:33 GMT
Oh, Zokko haas it's fans here definitely! It's a shame that the first series has gone completely - that was the one I remember mostly. It also had the best format, which they messed around with in series 2. If you come across any of the first series, do let the BBC archives know as i'm sure they'd would like a few more eps to add to the two they have! We'd all like to see them as well...
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Zokko!
Aug 17, 2005 22:11:29 GMT
Post by Wright Blan on Aug 17, 2005 22:11:29 GMT
I'm so pleased to discover so many people remembering Zokko. Its creator and first producer was Molly Cox: and Paul Ciani, if I remember right, was the director of the first series and then producer of the second series. That might explain some of the change in style between the two series. But it was also very much the Corporation policy at the time that shows should change: Huw Weldon had a horror of anyone producing loads of the same old thing! I'm almost certain that none of the first b/w series survived - although some of the original artwork from the sci-fi cartoon "Skayn" is around. I only know all this because Molly Cox was my mum - and I helped her write the Skayn story. So I was amazed to find this thread going on about a show that I thought everyone apart from me had forgotten. Thank you all Would "Skayn" be the space cartoon mentioned earier in this thread? As it was mentioned as being only stills, as opposed to animated, I first assumed it was the American cartoon "Space Angel," which was limited animation. This one used actual human mouths instead of animated mouths to alledeglt save money.
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Zokko!
Aug 18, 2005 8:49:25 GMT
Post by Jeff Vagg on Aug 18, 2005 8:49:25 GMT
From what's been said, I'm sure Skayn must be the non-animated story I mentioned earlier in the thread, although I wouldn't have remembered its name. One other memory of Zokko has returned to me - the trailersown in the preceding week to announce the start of the first series featured film of a roller-coaster ride. My mum misheard the announcement about Zokko on Saturday, and thought it was for Soccer (so was unhappy about it!)
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Zokko!
Aug 18, 2005 8:50:54 GMT
Post by Jeff Vagg on Aug 18, 2005 8:50:54 GMT
PS - For "trailersown" please read "trailer shown"!
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Zokko!
Aug 18, 2005 20:19:29 GMT
Post by Oliver Cox on Aug 18, 2005 20:19:29 GMT
Skayn wasn't animated. The drawings were about A2 sized and the rostrum camera panned and zoomed around each one in the sequence to give the story life. The drawings were very much in the Marvel Comics / Roy Lichtenstein mould. I can't remember the name of the artist but I know he was from the "comic" world because it was a bit frowned on by the powers that be in the Beeb at the time. In fact the whole idea of Zokko! being a programme for children without a human presenter to explain what was going on was considered a tad dodgy - let alone the thought of one of those awful "comics" being shown on the BBC! That might sound a bit over the top but this was in the days before Tiswas and I think Zokko! did its little bit in helping to make things like Tiswas possible. Whether that was good or bad who's to say. The Skayn story itself was pretty far-out in terms of science. The plot turned on the theft of a gravity-wave-hologram. The bad guys threatened to use it to make the Earth and the Moon crash into each other. But Skayn saved the day! I think a real gravity-wave-hologram has yet to be constructed (though I think the physics is sound). The two ideas were all the rage 40 years ago and we just put them together. My best memories of the whole series were the Knock-knock jokes that acted as fillers between some of the items. The viewers started sending them into the office by the sack load. My favourite still is: Knock knock. Who's there? Wendy. Wendy who? Wen dee red-red Robin comes bob-bob-bobbing along ... ;D
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Zokko!
Aug 18, 2005 21:20:46 GMT
Post by Oliver Mailgate on Aug 18, 2005 21:20:46 GMT
Was the sequel: "The Mark of Zokko"? or "Zokko's Black Whip"? - and the winner gets the '1971 Teddy Edward Book of Budgies'
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John Stewart Miller
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Zokko!
Sept 7, 2005 0:23:26 GMT
Post by John Stewart Miller on Sept 7, 2005 0:23:26 GMT
I'm so pleased to discover so many people remembering Zokko. Its creator and first producer was Molly Cox: and Paul Ciani, if I remember right, was the director of the first series and then producer of the second series. That might explain some of the change in style between the two series. But it was also very much the Corporation policy at the time that shows should change: Huw Weldon had a horror of anyone producing loads of the same old thing! I'm almost certain that none of the first b/w series survived - although some of the original artwork from the sci-fi cartoon "Skayn" is around. I only know all this because Molly Cox was my mum - and I helped her write the Skayn story. So I was amazed to find this thread going on about a show that I thought everyone apart from me had forgotten. Thank you all Could be that Paul Ciani epsiodes exist as Ciani entries to series seem to have some kind of sample retained. As a point of interest Ollie, Laurence Piper stated elsewhere the earlier surviving 'Zokko' is actually a film T-R copy. According to my first correspondence with Steve Bryant in the late 1980s, only one edition existed on tape. Some time between that and my query to Adam Lee in the 1990s another one seemed to turn up. I don't know why the film copies were made. A good port of call might be Sophie Ellis - Baxtor or her Mum Janet Ellis. This is as Janet Ellis' Dad built the original 'Zokko' so I've heard. Theres a possiblity he might have kept something, either the machine or copies of early 'Zokko's om film. P.S. I'm sure though that your Mum worked on 'Play school' - circa 1968 - ? which has a very wide archive held..
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Zokko!
May 1, 2007 21:27:48 GMT
Post by lee jones on May 1, 2007 21:27:48 GMT
One more thing on "zokko!"; www.offthetelly.co.uk/childrens/zokko.htmI missed out on "zokko!" by a number of years, as I'm nowhere near old enough to remember it! But it sounds fascinating - has anything in the way of new information or recordings emerged at all recently? ljones
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