AND NOW A WORD(?) FROM NORTON NORK

ON THE THRESHOLD OF REALITY

It's in the planning stages. . .

IT'S A NEW WEEK, SO. . .

(title card from Chuck McCann's show)

HOWDY, DOODY

One of the final on-camera performances by the legendary team of HOWDY DOODY & BUFFALO BOB SMITH happened on the Sally Jessy Rafael Show, December 7, 1990 ("a day that will live in infancy"). Howdy's usual puppeteer, PADY BLACKWOOD, was engaged out-of-town, so legendary producer BURT DUBROW (The Jerry Springer Show) called us. Marionettist OLGA FELGEMACHER pulled the strings for this medley of Howdy Doody's Greatest Hits.

For more about the HOWDY/FLEX connection, go here:http://flexitoon.blogspot.com/search/label/Howdy%20Doody

THE PROJECTIONIST

Before CHUCK McCANN left for Hollywood to co-star alongside ALAN ARKIN in THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, he made an amazing film here in New York City called THE PROJECTIONIST. Chuck played a lonely fella who literally escapes into the films he unspools. The incorporation of Chuck into different, pre-existing period films was way ahead of it's time (at least since Buster Keaton!) Filmed in the late 60's but released in 1971, it co-starred INA BALIN, and also marked RODNEY DANGERFIELD's film debut.
Try and find a copy of THE PROJECTIONIST, and you'll enjoy a remarkable film by a remarkable talent.
Here are three scenes:

CAPTAIN FLASH TO THE RESCUE!

Chuck, working the projection booth, does dead-on impressions of his filmic heroes, back when stars had faces with voices to go along with them. . .

A legend in his own mind, the Projectionist imagines himself arriving at his own movie premiere, where he has to cut-out, in order to roll the film.
My friend Paul Rubin and I were with Chuck for several days, and one night they were going to shoot the "premiere" scene. The director, Harry Hurwitz, wanted "Chucks people" all around him, so he positioned me in front and said "be in awe when you see him." So, if you watch the left side of your screen at about :31, you'll see 15 year old . . .me.

Here's a really good write-up about the film: http://www.qwipster.net/projectionist.htm

BUBBLE YOUR FUN

From THE HAMPTOONS. . .

love, Love, LOVE!

KIDS-TV on SHOWTIME

THE FLEXITOON PUPPETS starred in KIDS-TV on SHOWTIME. The series was based upon the perennial classroom news mag WEEKLY READER. Here the puppets run an after-school video club where they go out in the field and report the news.

DJ McCAW (top left: Jonathan Freeman) QUACKER (Olga Felgemacher) BANANA MONKEY (Craig Marin)

OPENING TITLES

In the episode called "HOMELESS", a formerly callous ROBBIE RACOON (Craig) pictured below left with BUDDY BEAR (Alan Semok) discovers what it means to be without a roof over his head. It all takes place during a Dickensian nightmare with the Ghost of a Homeless Child . . .The clip below shows a behind-the-scenes first rehearsal of the song "We're Pretty Lucky," followed by the buy take. Directed by Flexitoon fave Steve Feldman (DJ Kat Show, Shining Time Station).

THE DJ KAT SHOW Opening Titles

Here's how we started the show every Sunday morning for two years . . .

Some Behind-The-Scenes Info can be found here:

http://flexitoon.blogspot.com/2009/08/backstage-dj-kat-show.html

SKYLAR

SKYLAR is our BOY puppet. Portrayed by Olga, we always use him as our audience identification character. He is also one of our few FOAM RUBBER PUPPETS. Well, at least he was. Last time we looked, poor Skylar returned from whence he came. Powder.
Here he is (with Olga) dressed as an Inuit kid.

SKYLAR in action.