Splitsider

On Checking In with...the Creators of Nickelodeon's Golden-Era Shows

Someone sent me your article and I had to laugh. Remarkable what you included and what you left out about both Buddy and Rita and their show Roundhouse on Nickelodeon, such as, together they had the largest kids touring company in America, they opened the Kennedy Center Family Art Series for kids, they won the Jennie Heiden Award for excellence in Professional Theater for Young Audiences, on and on. There is an actual story about Roundhouse, that in reality, it was nominated for 9 Cable Ace Awards (there were no Emmys for cable then) - 3 best “Variety Special or Series” - 7 best “Original Song”, winning the Cable Ace for “Original Song” for “I Can Dream” – awarded Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast” Series or Variety Special & best “Original Song” for “Can’t Let Go” - Youth in Film Awards (important for kids entertainment at the time) and the prestigious “Ollie Award” for “Excellence In Television Programming For America’s Children”. Billboard Magazine summed it up in their 1993 feature article, “Roundhouse gang puts out TV’s hippest, funniest show”. I’ll just add this commentary. There’s a story, and it’s about those who want to continue to keep the bar low for programming for our kids, teens and tweens because it is more controllable, less work, and, in there minds, more profitable (not sure what the shareholders would think about that). And, about who those people are that keep the bar low, what are their names, or maybe the question is why are they allowed to continue to keep it so low? “Educational”? Roundhouse was a lot more than that. It was the forerunner to the music comedy shows we enjoy today and there’s been nothing like it on television since. Check out the MTV Newsroom poll results from last week, taken during the 90sareallthat premier night. Read the piece on RH by the MTV Social Media Editor as well as reader comments http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/07/26/teen-nick-90s-are-all-that-block/ One groundbreaking show conspicuously not aired. Roundhouse

Posted on August 4, 2011 at 4:28 pm 0