The Charlie Horse Music Pizza
The Charlie Horse Music Pizza | |
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| |
Genre | Family Entertainment |
Written by | Colman deKay |
Directed by |
Niles Davenport Stan Jacobson |
Presented by | Shari Lewis |
Starring |
Shari Lewis Lamb Chop (puppet) Charlie Horse Hush Puppy Dom DeLuise Wezley Morris Chancz Perry Chantal Strand |
Opening theme | "Charlie Horse Music Pizza" |
Ending theme | "Still Be Friends" |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 23 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Golden Books Family Entertainment KCET |
Distributor |
NBCUniversal Television Distribution (on behalf of DreamWorks Classics) |
Release | |
Original network |
PBS (1998–September 6, 1999) PBS Kids (September 6, 1999–2000) |
Original release | January 5, 1998 – January 17, 1999 |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Lamb Chop's Play-Along |
The Charlie Horse Music Pizza is an American children's television show that was shown on PBS in the United States from January 5, 1998 to January 17, 1999. Re-runs aired until late 2000. Re-runs again aired on PBJ until 2016. It is the short lived spin-off of Lamb Chop's Play-Along and was hosted by Shari Lewis, whose strong belief in the benefits of music education for children led to the creation of the series. Just like Lamb Chop's Play-Along, The Charlie Horse Music Pizza was shot at the CBC Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Charlie Horse Music Pizza was Shari's finale project.
The show takes place around a pizzeria on the beach. Alongside the original cast of Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and Lewis, Charlie Horse Music Pizza introduced five new characters. Take Out, a big anthropomorphized dim witted orangutan who makes deliveries on roller skates (played by Chancz Perry); Fingers, a giant sarcastic purple raccoon that lives in the dumpster behind the pizzeria (played by Gordon Robertson); Cookie, the soft hearted opera loving cook (played by Dom DeLuise), Junior, a cool African American teenager who works at the pizzeria part time and plays the tuba for his high school marching band (played by Wezley Morris), and Holly, a young girl in a wheel chair (played by Chantal Strand).
When Lamb Chop's Play-Along ended Shari and her husband Jeremy created The Charlie Horse Music Pizza to teach children about music after talking about what kids loved the most.[1] Because a third of elementary schools were cutting music class from their curriculum at the time Shari and Jeremy felt that they should introduce kids to music through the show.[2] After Shari was diagnosed with inoperable Uterine cancer the show was put on hold on June 18, 1998 while she underwent chemotherapy at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. She died from uterine cancer and viral pneumonia on August 2, 1998.[3] After her death The Charlie Horse Music Pizza was canceled.[4] The last episode of "The Charlie Horse Music Pizza" aired on January 17, 1999.[5]
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. dates) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | |||
1 | 20 | January 5, 1998 | January 30, 1998 | |
2 | 3 | January 3, 1999 | January 17, 1999 | |
Season 1 (1998)
# | List of Episodes | Release Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Back Story | January 5, 1998 |
2 | My Dog Has Fleas | January 6, 1998 |
3 | Musicians of Bremen | January 7, 1998 |
4 | Blow Hard | January 8, 1998 |
5 | Follow the Leader | January 9, 1998 |
6 | Spooky Opera Show | January 12, 1998 |
7 | A Pirate's Life | January 13, 1998 |
8 | The Audition | January 14, 1998 |
9 | Group Soup | January 15, 1998 |
10 | Rapunzel | January 16, 1998 |
11 | Toy Exchange | January 19, 1998 |
12 | Charlie on the Run | January 20, 1998 |
13 | Wise Queen | January 21, 1998 |
14 | Star-Spangled Charlie | January 22, 1998 |
15 | Charlie's Ant | January 23, 1998 |
16 | Whistle While You Work | January 26, 1998 |
17 | Jazzy | January 27, 1998 |
18 | Hush Puppy the Hero | January 28, 1998 |
19 | Can I Sing You My Song? | January 29, 1998 |
20 | Drum Show | January 30, 1998 |
Season 2 (1999)
# | List of Episodes | Release Date |
---|---|---|
21 | One Man Band | January 3, 1999 |
22 | The George & Bill Show | January 10, 1999 |
23 | Goodbye, Hello | January 17, 1999 |
Reception
Awards
Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Shari Lewis for playing "Host" (posthumous award; accepted by Mallory Tarcher Lewis) | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series | Won |
VHS releases
There Are VHS Tapes in 1998 to 1999 Releases from Sony Wonder.
# | List of Volumes and more | Release Date | No. of Videos |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Volume 1 | February 10, 1998 | 5 |
2 | Volume 2 | February 10, 1998 | 5 |
3 | Volume 3 | March 31, 1998 | 5 |
4 | Volume 4 | March 31, 1998 | 5 |
5 | Volume 5 | March 9, 1999 | 3 |
Funding
- The NAMM International Music Products Association
- Remo
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Annual financial support from Viewers Like You