"Garfield & Friends"

[gamed121683]

So I'm checking out my "Garfield & Friends" DVD the other day. You know, reliving some Saturday mornings I wasted as a lad. While the closing credits were running I noticed the name "Frank Buxton" (on a semi-related note, I've also seen this name as a writer for a couple of "Happy Days" episodes).  Is this the same Frank Buxton who hosted "Get The Message" in the 1960's? If so, even indirectly, this show had more game show allusions then I remembered.

Come on, "Name That Fish?"

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'gamed121683\' date=\'Sep 5 2005, 08:48 PM\']So I'm checking out my "Garfield & Friends" DVD the other day. You know, reliving some Saturday mornings I wasted as a lad. While the closing credits were running I noticed the name "Frank Buxton" (on a semi-related note, I've also seen this name as a writer for a couple of "Happy Days" episodes).  Is this the same Frank Buxton who hosted "Get The Message" in the 1960's? If so, even indirectly, this show had more game show allusions then I remembered.

Come on, "Name That Fish?"

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[/quote]
Absolutely. Rod Roddy once showed up in a "Garfield" episode as a game show announcer.

This posting on Mark Evanier's website details the complete run (so far) of "Garfield and Friends" DVD's. Evanier was the show's writer (having written or co-written every single episode) and dialogue director. He is justifiably proud of his work on this show, which was one of the best of the 80's.

[mystery7]

That Frank Buxton was also the director of the "Password" and "Let's Make A Deal" eps of The Odd Couple.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Sep 5 2005, 08:13 PM\']Absolutely. Rod Roddy once showed up in a "Garfield" episode as a game show announcer.

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Didn't Rod also do the "microphone" character in DISNEY'S HOUSE OF MOUSE?

Doug

[GS Warehouse]

Funny this thread should appear just after the release of volume 4.  (No, I haven't got my copy yet--complacency always wins over ambition at my age.)  But the closest episode on that set to a game show is "Dream Date", where Jon goes on a show that could best be described as Love Connection meets Twenty One  (a dating show that's rrrrrRIGGED), so I'll say no more.  I will say, though, the fifth and final volume will come out in December.  Evanier says the 6th, but TVShowsOnDVD.com, which just posted the cover art today, says it may be the first or second week.  However, the closest anything on that set will come to game shows are: writer/co-producer Evanier used to post to ATGS like most of us, and one of the last original episodes lampooned the Top Ten lists by a certain Ball State graduate (I use that term loosely) on whom we discussed just a couple weeks ago...

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Sep 5 2005, 09:28 PM\']Didn't Rod also do the "microphone" character in DISNEY'S HOUSE OF MOUSE?

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[/quote][Anne Robinson]Corr-rect.[/AR]

[whewfan]

I saw one ep. of House of Mouse where Rod said "COME ON DOWN... Mickey Mouse!"

Speaking of the Garfield and Friends episode that featured Rod, the game show played is an obvious nod to Let's Make A Deal, where one of the characters has an opportunity to trade in "everything you could want in the world" for what's behind the curtain.

[gamed121683]

So it is THAT Frank Buxton, huh? Cool! This leads me to two more questions:

1) What voices did Mr. Buxton do for the show?

2) I recall one episode where Garfield at the start of one cartoon is watching a game show called "Hit The Buzzer and Win A Cookie." Wonder if that episode has come out on DVD.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'gamed121683\' date=\'Sep 6 2005, 12:20 PM\']2) I recall one episode where Garfield at the start of one cartoon is watching a game show called "Hit The Buzzer and Win A Cookie." Wonder if that episode has come out on DVD.

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That was at the start of "Astro Cat", part of the third season premiere.  You can find it on volume 2.

[Evanier]

Hello, all.

Yes, that was the same Frank Buxton who once hosted Get the Message.  Frank is a multi-talented gent who writes, directs, acts and does just about everything.  You can hear him in the cast of the Woody Allen film, What's Up, Tiger Lily? and he's done a number of cartoon shows, including a famous one called Batfink.  A true Renaissance man.

He was in town (he lives outside L.A.) when we were doing that episode of Garfield and Friends so I had him come in and do voices on a segment called "TV of Tomorrow."  As I recall, he played an old professor and a man on a TV soap opera.

If you drop by my two websites -- newsfromme and POVonline -- you'll find that I'm a big fan of old game shows.  In fact, I briefly worked on a game show few remember called Rhyme and Reason.

We had a couple of game show folks on Garfield and Friends.  In addition to Rod Roddy and Frank Buxton, we had Gary Owens as our announcer and an occasional guest voice.  And we often used a gent named Neil Ross, who was the main promo announcer for Game Show Network for a year or two.  I'm sure there were a few others that don't come to mind at the moment.  (I also did a cartoon show called Mother Goose and Grimm and hired for the title roles, Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall, who I've known for years.  I used to go along with them when they taped Liar's Club or The Magnificent Marble Machine or even The Gong Show.)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Evanier\' date=\'Sep 6 2005, 10:38 PM\']In fact, I briefly worked on a game show few remember called Rhyme and Reason.
[/quote]
First off, welcome to our little party.

Secondly, you'll find out soon enough that quite a few of us remember Rhyme and Reason. We're trying to excavate it, yes, but we remember it.

Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall, who I've known for years.

Did you meet them through R&R, or did you know them beforehand?

(And were you responsible for the poems at the top of every issue of Groo? I _loved_ those!)

[BrandonFG]

Question about the DVDs. Do the first season eps. have the original theme song, not the festive one used on all of the late-90s syndicated episodes?

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Sep 7 2005, 06:05 AM\']... Do the first season eps. have the original theme song, not the festive one used on all of the late-90s syndicated episodes?

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Yes, the original titles have been preserved.

UPDATE: Fox has just released the epsiode list for volume 5, and you can find it on TVShowsOnDVD.com.  I do have one addition to the things-to-do-with-gs list--if you consider American Gladiators a game show, which I don't.  But AG spoof "Clash of the Titans", not seen since its last CBS airing, is part of episode 118.  And the release date is December 6 after all.  Now I know what I want for Christmas. :-)

[Evanier]

I met Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall before Rhyme and Reason.  They were doing a radio show in Los Angeles and needed material, and my writing partner of the time was contributing jokes.  I used to go over to their house and help out.  Also helping them was Larry Hovis, who was then producing and appearing on Liar's Club.  One of the nicest men I've ever met.

That house was a great place for game show fans.  It was often full of folks who worked on them or guested on them, and it was next door to the residence of a lady named Sivi Aberg who was then a prize model on many of the Chuck Barris programs.  Charlie used to call me up and say, "Come over this afternoon and help us write jokes.  Sivi will be out back working on her tan."

Around 1980, I worked with the former producers of Rhyme and Reason to try and sell an updated version of the show to NBC.  We did a run-through of a new and better format but the network passed.  Charlie and Mitzi were the celebrity guests on the run-through and the host was Jack Clark, who everyone here will remember from Crosswits.

Yes, I wrote all the poems (and all the words) in every issue of Groo.  And I still do, though we haven't put an issue out lately.

[Robair]

We've been waiting for you to get over here, man. Welcome aboard.

[JCGames]

Frank Buxton was also the original co-host and head writer for the 60s ABC educational kids show Discovery('62-'71). After a couple of years he left the hosting job but stayed as the writer. The veteran ABC announcer Bill Owen took his place for the remainder of the show's run.