Lamb Chop's Play-Along

Lamb Chop's Play-Along!
Genre Children's television series
Written by Lan O'Kun
Bernard Rothman
Directed by Michael Watt
Stan Jacobson
Presented by Shari Lewis
Opening theme "It's Lamb Chop's Play-Along!"
Ending theme "The Song That Doesn't End"
Composer(s) Bob Golden
John Rodby
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 86 (list of episodes)
Production
Production location(s) Chicago, Illinois, USA
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Paragon Entertainment Corporation
WTTW
Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution (on behalf of DreamWorks Classics)
Release
Original network PBS
Original release January 13, 1992 (1992-01-13) – September 22, 1995 (1995-09-22)
Chronology
Related shows The Charlie Horse Music Pizza

Lamb Chop's Play-Along! is an American half-hour preschool children's television series that was shown on PBS in the United States from January 13, 1992 to September 22, 1995. It was created and hosted by puppeteer Shari Lewis, and featured her puppet characters Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy.

Production

PBS commissioned the show from Shari Lewis in May 1991, and the show premiered in January 1992.[1] This marked Lewis' return to television after about 15 years (following the BBC version of The Shari Lewis Show in 1975). Lamb Chop's Play-Along was shot at the CBC Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The series honoured Lewis's father, college professor Abraham Hurwitz - "the official magician of New York City".[2]

Ellensburg Daily Record explains: "each half hour is filled with jokes, games, songs, and tricks".[3]

Philosophy

Shari Lewis said her goal for the audience is "participation, not passive observance". She said: "our goal is, don't just sit there - come play with me".[3] She wanted to "attack the shorter attention span of today's children with a fast-paced show using colorful electronic effects". She said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I know that when children watch TV, they go into a stupor. Parents think (their children) are interested, but what they really are is [bored]".[4]

Lewis testified that making smart content for children was not that hard to produce and should be done with increasing frequency. She said that if children are challenged, they will be productive members of society.[5] She said, "I don't care if you tack a prosocial message at the end of the show. You have not done a quality show".[6]

Synopsis

Appropriately, Lamb Chop is an anthropomorphic sheep; other characters are puppets of other farm animals, including Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy.

Cast

  • Shari Lewis - Host/Lamb Chop/Hush Puppy/Charlie Horse
  • Pat Brymer - head puppeteer
  • Gord Robertson - Buster the Bus, featured puppeteer
  • Norma McKnight - additional puppetry
  • Bonnie Martin - Big Lamb Chop
  • Mark Gamez - Big Charlie Horse
Lamb Chop's playmates
  • Brian Ito
  • Amanda McAdam
  • Sabrina Sánchez
  • Emma Pollard
  • Annick Obonsawin
  • John Creery
  • Bryan Robinson
  • Ramon Choyce
  • Phillip Boutte
  • Jade Schwartz
  • Talia Gilboa
  • Darren Doran
  • Jason Guadalajara
  • Zack McLemore
  • Katie Orm
  • Toni White
  • Kevin Yee
  • Rachel Sandor-Gough
  • Zack Moses
  • Emily Harrison
  • Andrew Francis

Episodes

86 half-hour episodes produced.

Season 1 (1992)

  1. Air Charlie
  2. Stop Biting Your Nails
  3. Too Sick to Go to the Circus
  4. The Bully
  5. Hiccups
  6. Charlie's Magic Show
  7. Lamb Chop Works Out
  8. The Charlie Newspaper
  9. Robin Hoof
  10. Charlie's Toothache
  11. The Baseball Show
  12. The Planet Yzarc
  13. Maurice
  14. Charlie Horse Western
  15. Runaway
  16. The Lemonade Wars
  17. Have I Got A Girl For You
  18. Lamb Chop's Make-over
  19. The Ring
  20. Charlie Horse's Birthday
  21. Grown Up For A Day
  22. Charlie Horse For Class President
  23. Obedience School
  24. The Necklace
  25. The Chicken Show
  26. Lamb Chop's Allowance
  27. Talent-Less
  28. On Thin Ice
  29. Bigger is Better
  30. Lamb Chop: Star
  31. The Lamb Chop Show

Season 2 (1993)

  1. So Long Freddy
  2. Shari Makes a Beanstalk
  3. School Daze
  4. The Circus
  5. I'm Back!
  6. What's Your Name?
  7. Farnsworth
  8. A Cat By Any Other Name
  9. Born To Dance
  10. Super Angelo
  11. I Write The Songs
  12. United We Stand
  13. Lucky Puppy
  14. The Wallet
  15. Trading Bases
  16. Return to Zarc
  17. Fear of Biking
  18. Segnorita Lamb Chop
  19. Forget It
  20. Little Red Riding Hood
  21. Chicken Pox
  22. The Guys
  23. Get Up & Dance
  24. Trading Bases
  25. When You Grow Up
  26. Lamb Chop's Cold
  27. Musical Chopsticks
  28. Principal Swanson
  29. Gold Diggers
  30. The Story of How Baby Lamb Chop Learned to Walk
  31. Peer Pressure
  32. Toulouse La Chop
  33. Anchor Desk
  34. The Dark
  35. Lamb Chop's Lullaby

Season 3 (1994)

  1. The Horse of a Different Color
  2. Monopoly
  3. Tattle Tale
  4. So Mad
  5. Lamb Chop's Pet
  6. Togetherless
  7. What A Mess
  8. Buster and Butch the Bully
  9. Busted-Up Buster
  10. Lamb Chop Practicing Violin

Season 4 (1995)

  1. Charlie Horse Tells a Lie
  2. Shari's Favorite?
  3. Lamb Chop's Art Embarrasses Charlie Horse
  4. A Yo-Yo for Hush Puppy
  5. Lamb Chop's Glasses
  6. Counting on Your Knuckles
  7. Your Mitt or Mine
  8. Fighting Fair
  9. The Job
  10. Sea Creatures

Segments

Introduced in Season 1

  • At Home with Lamb Chop
  • Comedy Barn
  • Knock! Knock!
  • A Baby Lamb Chop Story
  • Betcha
  • Riddles
  • Funny Little Poem
  • Animals from the San Diego Zoo
  • Tongue Twisters
  • Story Time
  • Sing a Little Sing-Along Song
  • Playtime With Emma
    • More Playtime With Emma

Introduced in Season 2

  • BUSter the Bus
  • Alphatoons
  • Something Unusual/Fascinating
  • A Baby Shari Lewis Story
  • A Teddy Bear Tale
  • A Baby Hush Puppy Story

Introduced in Season 3

  • Any Kid Can Draw
  • Take a Look at a Book
  • Buster's Brain Busters
  • Magic is the Thing for You
  • You Can Do It

Introduced in Season 4

Production notes

WTTW jointly distributed it with Paragon Entertainment Corporation to PBS stations across the country. The rights to the show are currently owned by Universal Television on behalf of DreamWorks Classics.

Opening and closing

Both the opening and closing songs were written by Broadway composer Norman Martin. Other songs were written by Square One TV songwriter, John Rodby. Two versions of the opening song with different lyrics have been used; one involves bouncing, the other strength. The ending theme song is "The Song That Doesn't End", as sung by the children and puppets while Lewis frantically attempts to stop them. Finally, at the end of the song, Charlie Horse returns and tries to get to sing it again. But Lewis, she successfully stops him; by grabbing his mouth. She tells him to go away. Charlie leaves as she asks; but slams the door. He slams the door before Lewis could tell him don't.

An instrumental version of the show's theme song was used for a most recent show of Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop.

Critical reception

The show received a rating of 8.0 based on 128 votes, at TV.com,[7] and score of 7.8/10 at IMDb based on 407 ratings.[8] Greensboro News & Record said of this show, "she (Lewis) made the sort of mischief that gave a vicarious thrill to millions of children watching at home".[9]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardRecipientResult
1992Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesShari LewisWon
1992Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume DesignMolly Harris CampbellNominated
1992Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's SeriesBernard Rothman, Jon Slan, Richard Borchiver, Shari LewisNominated
1992Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's SeriesBernard Rothman, Shari LewisNominated
1993Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesShari LewisWon
1993Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's SeriesShari Lewis, Ken Steele, Bernard Rothman, Mallory Tarcher, Lan O'Kunx, Aubrey TadmanWon
1993Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting DirectionCarl GibsonNominated
1994Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesShari LewisWon
1994Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's SeriesRichard Borchiver, Shari Lewis, Bernard Rothman, Jon SlanNominated
1994Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's SeriesMallory Tarcher, Ken Steele, Steve Edelman, Bernard Rothman, Lan O'Kun,
Shari Lewis, Aubrey Tadman, Tibby Rothman, Jeremy Tarcher, Michael Lyons, Kimberley Wells		Nominated
1995Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesShari LewisWon
1995Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Pre-School Children's SeriesShari Lewis, Bernard Rothman, Jon Slan, Richard BorchiverNominated
1995Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's SeriesBernard Rothman, Shari Lewis, Mallory Tarcher, Ken Steele, Lan O'Kun, Aubrey TadmanNominated
1996Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's SeriesShari LewisWon
1996Daytime Emmy Outstanding Pre-School Children's SeriesJon Slan, Richard Borchiver, Shari Lewis, Bernard RothmanNominated
1996Daytime Emmy Outstanding Writing in a Children's SeriesMallory Tarcher, Shari Lewis, Aubrey Tadman, Ken Steele, Tibby Rothman, Lan O'Kun, Bernard RothmanNominated

Funding

Funding for this program was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by Viewers Like You.

References

  1. ↑ "Daily Union - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Daily Gazette - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer: Search Results". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Daily Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "Star-News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ↑ TV.com. "Lamb Chop's Play-Along". TV.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "Lamb Chop's Play-Along". Retrieved 12 July 2018 – via www.imdb.com.
  9. ↑ "Search The News & Record Archive". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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