What were your favorite Saturday afternoon television shows as a child?

I seem to recall watching "ABC's Wide World of Sports" on Saturday afternoons when it was too cold or miserable outside to play. The show featured people in other countries playing oddball sports, unfamiliar to most Americans. For example, people in India playing polo on elephants. [More below].

Also, on Saturday afternoons, we would watch pro bowlers - Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Dick Weber, Carmen Salvino, etc., then around dinner time we would watch "Studio Wrestling," a local professional wrestling show in Pittsburgh. The main draw of Studio Wrestling was Bruno Sammartino, who gained some fame in pro wrestling circles around the country.

There was one particular episode of ABC's WWS that has always stuck in my mind, because it taught a universal lesson...which you can elicit for yourself. The "sport" was ice-lake racing on a frozen lake in northern Canada. It was auto racing around an oval, and the cars had tires with big metal spikes sticking out of them, for better traction. Around and around and around, for what seemed like hours.

Well, part of the program was that they would always have a local expert in the event for "color commentary." In these races, there were all sorts of cars, but two of them had a particular advantage. There were Saab's, which at the time were about the only front-wheel drive cars sold in North America, and Corvair's, which of course had rear engines and rear-wheel drive. Everything else was front-engine, rear wheel drive, and "hold on to your hat."

Early in the race, there were leaders in all three types of cars and we, as the uninitiated, didn't know who would win. The announcers turned to the local expert, and breathlessly asked, something to the effect of whether the American cars, or the Corvairs, or whatever would win, and the local simply said, "The Saab's are gonna win." Well then. So over the two hours or so of the program different cars were crashing and falling out for whatever reason, and gradually the Saab's and Corvair's were coming to the front. And again when they turned to the local guy, "he Saab's are gonna win."

Well, he said this so often that they just stopped asking him, and, sure enough, by the time the race was over, the first five cars were Saab's, there was a Corvair or two, then nothing but Saab's rounding out the top ten.

Many times over the years, I have been watching a sports event where there was no question who was going to win but the announcers kept talking up one underdog or another, if only to generate some interest for the viewers. And when I watch them, the expression, "The Saab's are gonna win," keeps popping into my mind.
 
I seem to recall watching "ABC's Wide World of Sports" on Saturday afternoons when it was too cold or miserable outside to play. The show featured people in other countries playing oddball sports, unfamiliar to most Americans. For example, people in India playing polo on elephants. [More below].

Also, on Saturday afternoons, we would watch pro bowlers - Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Dick Weber, Carmen Salvino, etc., then around dinner time we would watch "Studio Wrestling," a local professional wrestling show in Pittsburgh. The main draw of Studio Wrestling was Bruno Sammartino, who gained some fame in pro wrestling circles around the country.

There was one particular episode of ABC's WWS that has always stuck in my mind, because it taught a universal lesson...which you can elicit for yourself. The "sport" was ice-lake racing on a frozen lake in northern Canada. It was auto racing around an oval, and the cars had tires with big metal spikes sticking out of them, for better traction. Around and around and around, for what seemed like hours.

Well, part of the program was that they would always have a local expert in the event for "color commentary." In these races, there were all sorts of cars, but two of them had a particular advantage. There were Saab's, which at the time were about the only front-wheel drive cars sold in North America, and Corvair's, which of course had rear engines and rear-wheel drive. Everything else was front-engine, rear wheel drive, and "hold on to your hat."

Early in the race, there were leaders in all three types of cars and we, as the uninitiated, didn't know who would win. The announcers turned to the local expert, and breathlessly asked, something to the effect of whether the American cars, or the Corvairs, or whatever would win, and the local simply said, "The Saab's are gonna win." Well then. So over the two hours or so of the program different cars were crashing and falling out for whatever reason, and gradually the Saab's and Corvair's were coming to the front. And again when they turned to the local guy, "he Saab's are gonna win."

Well, he said this so often that they just stopped asking him, and, sure enough, by the time the race was over, the first five cars were Saab's, there was a Corvair or two, then nothing but Saab's rounding out the top ten.

Many times over the years, I have been watching a sports event where there was no question who was going to win but the announcers kept talking up one underdog or another, if only to generate some interest for the viewers. And when I watch them, the expression, "The Saab's are gonna win," keeps popping into my mind.
Great memories DGS! I used to watch Studio Wrestling all the time! Those names...George "The Animal" Steele, "Batman," Baron Sicluna (a patient of my father a dentist), Haystacks Calhoun, "Jumpin" Johnny Defazio, Domnic Denucci, Bruno, Chief J. Strongbow, etc., etc. A funny story about the late Bruno...he banked at the same bank as my dad and my father had a neck brace on and his friend asked him what happened and he replied with "I was wrestling with Bruno Sammartino and he hurt my neck." Little did he know Bruno was right behind him! My father was so red faced and Bruno says to him, "I never hurt a man in my life." Yikes. I also met his son David, who was trying out for the wrestling team with me when I was in ninth grade and when it was his turn to wrestle for first string, he came running out from behind a wall like he was a pro wrestler and got pinned in a matter of seconds. Even the coach was laughing. Little Bruno got so made he was in the locker room throwing things around and threatening everyone who laughed with sicking his father on them!

The good old days!
 
I remember watching stuff on Saturday mornings, but that usually turned into sport shows for adults in the afternoon.
Bugs Bunny / Loony Tunes
Johnny Quest
Roy Rodgers
Rin Tin Tin
Fireball XL-5
Spiderman
The Fantastic 4
Rocky & Bullwinkle
Space Ghost
 
Bruno lived across the street from my father-in-law. A true Italian gentleman...always respectful and willing to lend a hand...have a glass of wine with my elderly F-I-L.
 
I remember lot of old Looney Tunes reruns. And Schoolhouse rock.





In retrospect, the musicianship featured in those classic cartoons was Quite impressive.
 
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Growing up in the 1970s, Saturday mornings were awesome for television. I had a lot of favorites from Saturdays but also during the week. For starters, these were the first that come to mind as favorites:

View attachment 462001View attachment 462002(Speed Racer!)View attachment 462003View attachment 462005(Rocky and Bullwinkle!)View attachment 462006(H.R. Puffinstuff)View attachment 462007



My favorite Speed Racer was the one where his brother discovered this special mystery car that was so fast, you had to take a drug to drive it without going crazy from the speed.



Top-10-Speed-Racer-Episodes-The-Fastest-Car-On-Earth.jpg
 
Rocky & Bullwinkle and the other cartoons that were packaged with it (Dudley Dooright, Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody & Sherman) were brilliant -funny to both kids and our parents.

Not my favorite shows, but right up there.
 
Sky King, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Three Stooges, and the Road Runner were about it for me; we were outside after breakfast unless the weather was exceptionally bad, going inside to eat and drink some koolaid and back out the door. Our bikes were built from whatever we could find at the local junk store or yard sales.
 
I grew up in the 50's and 60's where we only watched Saturday morning cartoons, and in the later morning and afternoons we were outside playing.
 
I was well into adulthood when somebody mentioned to me that Mighty Mouse was an OPERA! Everything was sung. It never occurred to me while I was watching.

"Here I come to save the day!"
 

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