New Zoo Revue

New Zoo Revue was an American half-hour children's television show that ran in syndication from 1972-1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching, along with similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and CBS's Captain Kangaroo.

Concept

The 196-episode musical comedy-format show conveyed the concepts of cooperation and guidance for living in contemporary society. Each episode dealt with a topic such as moving away, courtesy, bragging, or patience.

Though hosted by humans Doug and Emmy Jo (married in real-life Doug Momary and Emily Peden), the show featured costumed full-bodied puppet characters, primarily Freddie the Frog, Henrietta Hippo, and Charlie the Owl.

The show was a recipient of awards and recommendations from the National Education Association and the National School Board Association.

While the show all but faded away by the early 1980s, repeats of New Zoo Revue became in demand once again in the late 1990s.

New Zoo Revue was acquired from O Atlas Entertainment and the show's original co-creator, Barbara Atlas; the property is now managed by Media and Technology Solutions Inc., which is based in Las Vegas. The library continues to be licensed and broadcast by various networks across the US. Episodes can be viewed, and merchandise and DVDs of the original episodes can be purchased on the internet.

Characters

• Doug (played by Doug Momary) - A human who is friends with Freddie, Charlie, and Henrietta.
• Emmy Jo (played by Emily Peden) - Emmy Jo is Doug's helper.
• Freddie the Frog (performed by Yanco Inone, voiced by Joni Robbins) - Freddie is a fun-loving frog who is a bit naive. While the same size as the other adult-sized characters, Freddie is characterized (at least in some episodes) as a school-aged child.
• Charlie the Owl (performed by Larri Thomas, voiced by Bob Holt) - Charlie is a serious, know-it-all owl who lives in a tall tree equipped with an elevator. Working as a scientist and an inventor, Charlie is known to give out "One-Bell Prizes" awards on occasion (subtly making a pun on the "No-bel" Prize).
• Henrietta Hippo (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Hazel Shermet) - Henrietta is a tutu-wearing, genteel hippopotamus with a Southern Belle personality who is a bit shy.
• Mr. Dingle (played by Chuck Woolery) - A friendly elderly postman who is also a shopkeeper and a Jack-of-All-Trades.
• Mrs. Goodbody (played by Fran Ryan) - Mrs. Goodbody is the nosy neighbor who occasionally drops by. She served as an advice columnist for The All-New Zoo Gazette.

Guest stars

There are different guest stars that appear on this show.

• Composer Henry Mancini, as well as Jim Backus of Mr. Magoo and Gilligan's Island fame, made cameos on the show.
• Jesse White, best known as the original Maytag repairman in Maytag's TV commercials, guest starred on a few episodes.
• June Lockhart, best known for her roles on Lassie, Lost in Space and Petticoat Junction, guest starred on an episode, "Shyness" as a woman named Penelope Potter who was very shy.
• Richard Dawson, Famous for being on Hogan's Heroes, as well as host of Family Feud and co-star of The Running Man, guest starred in the "Time Travel" episode as a knight from medieval England.
• Jo Anne Worley appeared as talk show host Vanessa Gramcracker.

Post-New Zoo Revue

The original creator of the series, Doug Momary, runs a company named Laguna Productions, which produces commercials, public service announcements and training films. He lives in Nevada with his wife, Emily Peden. In 2001, Peden became the vice president of Finance with Laguna Productions, which was developing a new children's show for PBS, The New Crusaders, that same year.^[1][2]

References

External links

• New Zoo Revue on IMDb
• New Zoo Revue at TV.com