Tales of the Riverbank
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Tales of the Riverbank, sometimes called Hammy Hamster, is a Canadian children's television show starring Hammy Hamster and other animals. The series was created by David Ellison and Paul Sutherland, CBC film editors, in 1959.
The program had human voices in sync to the actions of the live animals thereby giving the impression that the creatures were going about on purposeful, intelligent[dubious ] activities. The voices were selected to reflect personalities of the animals; for instance, the fidgety mouse was given an urgent sounding voice whereas the turtle had a slow, sleepy voice. They lived on a place called The Riverbank. The animals operated various artifacts including toy sailboats, cars, and even a diving bell. (Eventually in the UK edition the riverbank was set in the woodlands of Galston, East Ayrshire in Scotland).
Each episode ended with the narrator alluding to an event involving the characters, but refusing to elaborate, saying "But that is another story."
The original black and white Tales of the Riverbank series began in 1959 with colour episodes of the retitled Once Upon a Hamster starting in 1972. The 1995 to 1998 version was produced for YTV; 65 episodes of that series were made.
The series was also shown in the UK, where all the voices were provided by Johnny Morris.[1] It is ranked 79th in the UK Channel 4's 2001 poll of the 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows.
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[edit] Main characters
- Hammy Hamster: the series' main protagonist and best known character. He is curious and kind and lives in an old boot on the Riverbank. He became GP's co-pilot in the episode The Aeroplane Ride.
- Roderick the Water Rat: Hammy's best friend. He is cautious, resourceful and owns a small motorboat. In the Canadian version of the series he is named Matthew 'Matty' Mouse and acts as something of a mentor to Hammy. In the U.S. this character was Martha Mouse (although the "mouse" is really a rat).
- GP the Guinea Pig: boastful and creative, he is the Riverbank's resident inventor. His creations have included a winchamabob and a recyclamobile. He lived in a wooden house with a prominent water wheel at the front. He had a small plane which he flew in several episodes.
- Turtle: a slow and plodding character. He teaches his friends the importance of patience.
- Wise Old Frog: a grouchy but clever frog. His wise advice is often sought by the other characters.
- Granny Rabbit: acts as a grandmother to the whole community. She is fond of baking, singing and story-telling.
- Berti and Herbi: are Roderick's sneaky hamster nephews who have no relation to Hammy. Appear in Bubbles.
- The Owl: is always on a tree branch. The only word it ever says is "who" considering it's an owl. It is barely any use of help. In one episode it helped out the animals, and in one other episode it spoke not only "who", but also "why" "when" and "where".
In Australia this show aired on ABC TV through the 70's as Adventures On the River Bank. And the mouse's name was Matthew. There was no Roderick.
[edit] Trivia
In order for the animals to give the appearance that they were talking, peanut butter was put on the roofs of their mouths. As the animals worked to remove the peanut butter, their mouths moved in a way that mimicked the motion of humans talking.[citation needed]
The theme music played on guitar is based on 'Andante in C' by Mauro Giuliani.
