The Krofft Supershow episode guide: season two

Continuing our look at the goofy and poorly-documented Krofft Supershow. I recently landed bootleg copies, mostly edited, of the hour-long versions of all 32 episodes of this program. Unfortunately, the copies of season two doing the rounds are in really poor shape. Anyway, until this gets a proper release, and since this hasn’t actually been properly documented in this form anywhere – although somebody at IMDB did a pretty good job with some of the component parts – I thought I’d save this for posterity.

Notes:

1. Season two features the Kaptain Kool and the Kongs that everybody remembers. They’re dressed comparatively sensibly, in denim costumes instead of the glitter-haired multi-color glam rock spandex of season one. They’re also down to a four-piece, as Bert Sommer was not asked back to reprise his role of Flatbush. Unfortunately, their segments were taped at some generic theater in Los Angeles instead of in Atlanta, but of course the Kroffts’ indoor amusement park had closed by then.

2. The first season had seen a small amount of merchandising available, including a lunch box and jigsaw puzzles, but there was a lot more available for season two, including an actual Kaptain Kool and the Kongs LP and comic books, which is why everybody remembers these costumes and not the goofy ones from the first season. I don’t own the record and don’t have musician credits, but while I imagine several LA session players were mostly behind it, Mickey McMeel, who played Turkey, was a real drummer. He played with Three Dog Night for years before landing this silly gig. Many of the songs played in this season were from that album, released by Epic Records in 1978.

3. In a desperate attempt to clear up some disinformation that plagues Wikipedia and IMDB, there were two seasons of Bigfoot & Wildboy. The first season was sixteen episodes, about 12 minutes each, that starred Ray Young, Joseph Butcher, and Monika Ramirez as Suzie Lucas. Ned Romero was an occasional guest star as Suzie’s father, a park ranger.

In the second season of twelve 25-minute episodes (shown in the summer of 1979), Ramirez was replaced by Yvonne Regalado as Cindy. This character’s father was played by Al Wyatt Jr. in a couple of episodes. Both Romero and Wyatt were guest stars; neither actor should be credited as a co-star in this program.

4. Episode 10 of Magic Mongo contains some recycled dinosaur animation from Land of the Lost, and episodes 11-12 of Bigfoot and Wildboy features an alien which is wearing a Sleestak costume from that show with half of a gorilla mask glued on over its mouth. Sometimes you hate to see those pennies get pinched so hard.

5. As with season one, the dates cannot honestly be said to be completely confirmed, because TV Guide was unlikely to have printed show synopses for Saturday morning kiddie shows. Nevertheless, it’s reasonable to assume, given September 10, 1977 as the date of the first broadcast, that it aired new episodes for 16 consecutive weeks before starting repeats. The “next week” previews and clips confirm that the order below is accurate.

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode one, shown September 10, 1977
Magic Mongo: “Zap, You’re in Love” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Denise DuBarry
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Black Box, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Bill Erwin (Old Dan), Laurence Haddon (Major), Bob Basso (George), Terrence Locke (Corporal), Ted Noose (Master Sergeant), James Reynolds (Tech Sergeant)
Song: “Right Direction”
Wonderbug: “The Big Game” written by Lee Maddux, guest stars Casey Kasem, Joe Lo Presti, Florence White, Don Sutton, Steve Yeager

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode two, shown September 17, 1977
Magic Mongo: “The Surfing Contest, part one” written by Fred Fox and Seaman Jacobs, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Sab Shimono
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Black Box, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Bill Erwin (Old Dan), Laurence Haddon (Major), Bob Basso (George), Terrence Locke (Corporal), Ted Noose (Master Sergeant), James Reynolds (Tech Sergeant)
Song: “You Saved Me”
Wonderbug: “The Case of the Misfortune Cookie” written by Fred Fox and Seaman Jacobs, guest stars John Lawrence, Mike Wagner, Jay Rasumny

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode three, shown September 24, 1977
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “UFO, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Ned Romero (Lucas), George Ball (Thortor), Bruce Watson (Zorad)
Wonderbug: “Dirty Larry, Crazy Barry” written by Si Rose, guest stars William Bronder, Taurean Blacque
Song: “Crazy Girl”
Magic Mongo: “The Surfing Contest, part two” written by Don Boyle, Fred Fox, and Seaman Jacobs, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Sab Shimono

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode four, shown October 1, 1977
Magic Mongo: “Teenage Werewolf” written by Yvette Weinberger, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Robert Casper
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “UFO, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Ned Romero (Lucas), George Ball (Thortor), Bruce Watson (Zorad)
Song: unknown (not on LP)
Wonderbug: “Fish Story” written by Si Rose, guest stars Patrick J. Cronin, Paulette Breen, Tim Desmond

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode five, shown October 8, 1977
Magic Mongo: “Who’s Got the Mongo?” written by Richard Bluel, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “White Wolf, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars E.J. Peaker (Dr. Stewart), Christopher Knight (Doug), Brian Farrell (Tom)
Song: unknown (not on LP)
Wonderbug: “Incredible Shrinking Wonderbug” written by Si Rose, guest stars Gordon Jump, Luke Andrews

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode six, shown October 15, 1977
Magic Mongo: “Hermie the Frog” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Robbie Rist, Anita Keith, Theo Burkhardt, Wayne Bauer
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “White Wolf, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars E.J. Peaker (Dr. Stewart), Christopher Knight (Doug), Brian Farrell (Tom)
Song: “You Got it Coming to You”
Wonderbug: “Oil or Nothing” written by Jack Mendelsohn, guest stars A Martinez, Crane Jackson, Joseph Della Sorte

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode seven, shown October 22, 1977
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Sonic Projector, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars David Byrd (Professor), Gary Cashdollar (Victor), Ned Romero (Lucas)
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.12 “Horse Switched” written by Lee Maddux, guest stars Amanda Jones, Claude Jones, Robert Ridgely
Song: “You Put Some Love in My Life”
Magic Mongo: “You Gotta Be a Football Hero” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Tony Schwab, Lawrence Howard, Bernie Kuby, Karen Fredrik

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode eight, shown October 29, 1977
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Sonic Projector, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars David Byrd (Professor), Gary Cashdollar (Victor), Ned Romero (Lucas)
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.2 “Schlepnapped” written by Mark Fink, guest stars Dick Dinman, Ted Noose, Avery Schreiber
Song: “Sing Me a Song”
Magic Mongo: “Huli’s Vacation” written by Richard Freiman, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Sab Shimono

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode nine, shown November 5, 1977
Magic Mongo: “The Kissing Bandit” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Ralph Byers
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Abominable Snowman, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars David Hurst (Dr. Porthos), Christopher Brown (Toby), Lawrason Driscoll (Hawkins)
Song: “Without You I Can’t Go On”
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.7 “Wonderbug Express” written by Jim Brochu, guest stars James Jeter, Arny Soboloff

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode ten, shown November 12, 1977
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “Abominable Snowman, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars David Hurst (Dr. Porthos), Christopher Brown (Toby), Lawrason Driscoll (Hawkins)
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.9 “Schlep O’Clock Rock” written by Earle Doud & Chuck McCann, guest stars Jeremy Foster, Tony Schwab, Philip Simms
Song: unknown (not on LP)
Magic Mongo: “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode eleven, shown November 19, 1977
Magic Mongo: “The Big Switch” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Secret Monolith, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Amanda McBroom (Barbara), Nick Holt (Joe)
Song: “The Whole World Will Be Dancin'”
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.11 “14-Karat Wonderbug” written by Duane Poole & Dick Robbins, guest stars Vince Martorano, Mickey Morton, Steve Pearlman

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode twelve, shown November 26, 1977
Magic Mongo: “I Cluck You Not” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Rick Podell, Russ Marin, Charles Hallahan
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Secret Monolith, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Amanda McBroom (Barbara), Nick Holt (Joe)
Song: unknown (not on LP)
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.3 “I Kidd You Not” written by Jack Mendelsohn, guest stars Billie Hayes, Frank Christi, Steve Kanaly

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode thirteen, shown December 3, 1977
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Invisible Trappers, part one” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Paul Larson (Colonel), William Glover (Dawkins)
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.1 “Go West, Young Schlepcar” written by Duane Poole & Dick Robbins, guest stars Richard Foronjy, Read Morgan
Song: “True Love is On the Way”
Magic Mongo: “Two Faces of Donald” written by Fred Fox and Seaman Jacobs, guest stars Victor Bevine, Eddie Benton

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode fourteen, shown December 10, 1977
Magic Mongo: “Musical Magic” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Louise DuArt
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Invisible Trappers, part two” written by Donald R. Boyle, guest stars Paul Larson (Colonel), William Glover (Dawkins)
Song: “When You Feel It”
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.15 “The Not So Great Race” written by Fred S. Fox & Seaman Jacobs, guest stars Al Checco, Sandy Kenyon, Hilary Thompson

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode fifteen, shown December 17, 1977
Magic Mongo: “The Heist” written by Doug & Barbara Tibbles, guest stars Russell Shannon, Zale Kessler, Bruce Lazarus
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Amazon Contest, part one” written by guest stars Cynthia Sikes (Kyra), Dee Wallace (Deeda), Rick Beckner (Bert), Donna Garrett (Tarla), Glynn Rubin (Orkla)
Song: “What Do You Say to Love”
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.4 “Keep on Schleppin” written by Mark Fink, guest stars Carmen Filipi, Sid Haig, Ken Johnson

The Krofft Supershow season two, episode sixteen, shown December 24, 1977
Magic Mongo: “That Old Mongo Magic” written by Don Boyle, guest stars Bart Braverman, Larry Larsen, Roy Stuart
Bigfoot & Wildboy: “The Amazon Contest, part two” written by guest stars Cynthia Sikes (Kyra), Dee Wallace (Deeda), Rick Beckner (Bert), Donna Garrett (Tarla), Glynn Rubin (Orkla)
Song: “When I’m Loving You”
Wonderbug: repeat of 1.6 “The Big Bink Bank Bungle” written by Earle Doud & Chuck McCann, guest stars Robert H. Burns, Sam Haggin, Anthony Ponzini

The Krofft Supershow was goofy, ridiculous, often incredibly stupid, and downright delightful for under-elevens. I wish I hadn’t had to finally buy bootlegs in order to actually nail down what was in which episode – especially from the pinhead company where I found them, geez – but it sure would be wonderful for Sid and Marty’s company to finally collect this show for home video. I can’t swear I’d sit down and watch every episode of Magic Mongo, but with stock footage of Grumpy in one episode and Louise DuArt playing Nashville in another, there are a few worth a smile or ten. I would preorder Blu-ray sets immediately.

But what I really, really, really want to see collected and restored is The Krofft Superstar Hour. There aren’t any bootlegs of that show. It’s a story for another time and place…

Magic Mongo 1.8 – Huli’s Vacation

When The Krofft Supershow came back for its second season in 1977, there were a few changes. Two-thirds of the shows were different, and the hosts, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, had a major makeover.

I always got the impression that the Kongs were many people’s least favorite part of the program – even as kids, few of my friends were at all interested – but I thought they were so much fun. I’d rank them second – a distant second, mind – behind Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem in that odd category of best fictional groups for children. They put out an album on Epic Records and everything. The original lineup was a five-piece: the Kaptain (Michael Lembeck), Superchick (Debra Clinger), Nashville (Louise DuArt), Turkey (Mickey McMeel), and Flatbush (Bert Sommer). They dressed in flashy, glam satin. For season two, Flatbush was dropped and they dressed in more subdued denim outfits – still seventies garish, but disco seventies, not Roy Wood glitter rock seventies. Neither the LP nor the single, “And I Never Dreamed,” charted, but the group appeared on all the Kroffts’ evening variety shows, like Donny & Marie.

As for the shows they hosted, Magic Mongo replaced Dr. Shrinker with another batch of sixteen 15-minute episodes. Bigfoot & Wildboy replaced Electra Woman, with sixteen cliffhanging episodes that comprised eight stories. And Wonderbug was back, with six new installments and ten repeats from the first year. This season’s lineup was commemorated by Gold Key/Western in a comic book that ran for six issues over nine months, along with a second Kaptain Kool LP on Peter Pan, one of those audio adventure records that I adored as a kid in the days before home video.

Magic Mongo is absolutely lovable and ridiculous. It’s about an incompetent genie played by Lennie Weinrib. Mongo’s good guy master is Donald, who is played by Paul Hinckley, and his only other credit listed at IMDB is the last episode of Isis‘s first season.

Donald hangs out at the beach all the time with his two always-platonic girl buddies, sharp-tongued Lorraine, who is played by Helaine Lembeck, and Kristy, by Robin Dearden. Lembeck would later play Judy in Welcome Back, Kotter. Dearden, who wears a bikini in every single scene of this series, has had small roles in many shows like Magnum PI and TJ Hooker, along with one of the second season Bigfoot & Wildboy episodes. Constantly antagonizing the foursome: two leather-clad ne’er-do-wells, Ace and Duncey. Ace is played by Bart Braverman, who has been in a million things.

Daniel absolutely loved this episode, giggling through all the special effects and dumb jokes. We have to emphasize “dumb,” because, like most of the TV cartoons and comic books of the period, we have to believe that somehow the villains have access to disguises and a printing press to carry out their bizarrely complicated schemes. (I’m reminded of a very dumb comic book called Dial H for Hero, in which baddies would use atomic submarines and dozens of henchmen to rob the Littleville minor league ballpark of its gate receipts.)

Marie started having trouble suspending disbelief as soon as Ace and Duncey turned up in leather jackets on the beach, so the rest of this was twelve minutes of wincing. For any adult who didn’t love this as a kid, it’s probably a trial. But I always adored the stupid jokes, and Mongo not quite understanding what Donald wants him to do. This time out, he turns Lorraine into a Saint Bernard to track down the bad guys, and doesn’t understand that Donald means “money” when he asks for “bread.” I’m sure a binge of all sixteen episodes would be about fourteen too many, but one’s just fine.

So, here’s some trivia you did not know: Magic Mongo and Wonderbug are set in the same universe. Soon after they taped these sixteen episodes, Sid and Marty Krofft pitched ABC a prime-time sitcom – for families, not just children – in which Braverman’s character, Ace, runs a restaurant. Ace’s Diner wasn’t picked up, but they did tape a pilot, in which David Levy and John-Anthony Bailey’s Wonderbug characters, Barry and CC, also appear. The Kroffts also taped a pilot for another sitcom called Looking Good, starring Sheryl Lee Ralph. ABC passed on both, but ran the two pilots together with some more Kaptain Kool and the Kongs interstitials and special guests Sha Na Na as a summer prime-time special called The Krofft Comedy Hour in July 1978.